The students were resting after a long day and a few games for the night. Everyone was sleeping peacefully except for a blue griffon sneaking out of the room and one human who noticed his departure. Valiant raised an eyebrow at Gallus’s sneaky exit and followed him closely. When he watched him check for corners before leaving through the lobby, Valiant grew concerned that Gallus may do something regretful. It was then that the human decided to confront him now rather than later.
“What are you doing out here, Gallus?”
Gallus shrieks and turns around to see his human companion outside with him. Shocked and unsure of what to say, Gallus begins to stammer out the best excuse he could come up with.
“Valiant! I, um… I was looking for the… restroom?” Gallus slapped his face at what just came out of his mouth. “Alright, fine, you caught me.”
“And what is it that I caught you doing?”
Gallus checked around to see if anyone else was nearby. Seeing as it was clear, he decides to move on with his plan. Valiant tagging along wasn’t what he’d hope for, but it wasn’t going to stop him just because of his presence. He told Valiant to walk with him to his destination. A place he didn’t want to be seen going and the others not to get involved. Valiant only grew more concerned as they went through a dark alleyway.
Going deeper and deeper into the darkness, Valiant wondered what kind of place they were going to. Moments pass and a scent wafts to Valiant’s nose. The smell of something good enough to make his stomach growl. Gallus was surprised that Valiant could still eat more when not too long ago he ate lots of food at the Movies. He smirked as he knew Valiant may have a good time there.
The two finally see the lights at the end of the alley. When it finally came into view, Valiant got to see a large number of stalls and little shops on carpets open for business. Food stalls selling sizzling fish and Griffon Scones. Games of strength with an arm wrestling griffon and a game of accuracy with bottles stacked up and a ball to be thrown. It was a hidden festival here! It was a mystery as to why Gallus didn’t tell the others about this place.
“Hey, you,” a griffon called out to Valiant. He turned to the hooded griffon who called him as he waves his talon to come closer. Valiant did so and was asked another question. “You have such nice hair. May I interest you in this shampoo for it?”
“Shampoo?” Valiant repeated.
“Yes, this one hundred perecent natural hair cleanser won’t just freshen up your mane, but it will also make you more attractive!” He claimed as he showed the bottle with shiny contents. “Every creature, even your friends will love the new you once you put this on! I would usually sell this for one hundred bits, but for you, I’ll cut you a deal! Thirty bits! Seventy percent off isn’t a bad deal, yes?”
Valiant liked the idea of making his friends happy and applying shampoo isn’t too much trouble. As he actually considered purchasing it, Gallus pulled him away. “Yeah, sorry, but his hair isn’t worth rescuing, especially for thirty bits.”
Valiant’s mouth went agape at what Gallus had just said. When the two left the hooded griffon, Gallus responded to Valiant’s current reaction. “Relax, I was just getting you out of there before you bought some kind of scam.”
“Scam?” he repeated, not realizing what was about to happen earlier.
“Yeah, the dude was obviously lying. He just bought a bunch of the ten bit shampoo from the shopping district we went to earlier today and scraped off the tag and logo.”
“I didn’t notice that,” Valiant admitted.
“Yeah, and that’s why I didn’t bring the others here,” Gallus explained. “This is the Griffon Market. Griffons who live in Manehattan but couldn’t afford a building to do business set up shop here. Of course, this place is very shady being what it is. An illegal string of merchants selling stuff without a license.”
“Illegal!?” Valiant remarks. “Is it alright for us to be here!?”
“I only came to buy some food and check out the stuff they have here,” Gallus assured him. “This place is only open at night though. This place also got some shady griffons, if you know what I mean.”
“You kept the others from coming here because you were worried about them?”
“Well, mostly because I can’t keep an eye on all of them.” The blue griffon thought about Chewka and Spike being out of the action, meaning it would have been just Smolder and himself to watch over five other students. If it’s only Valiant however, he can surely keep at least him out of trouble. Or so he thought when he looks over to see Valiant listening to a griffon merchant's speal.
“This potion can make you stronger! Faster! And fills you with renewed energy!”
“Extra enhancements would be nice. Being able to rely on other sources could help me out a lot,” Valiant considered. Gallus pulled Valiant away once more from the shifty griffon before giving him a lecture.
“Look, I know ever since you started school, you’ve opened up a lot to others,” Gallus stated, his tone shows a hint of his admiration for Valiant’s growth. “But this is griffon territory here, and these guys don’t mind taking your bits. Some of them will even scam you for it too.”
“I see,” Valiant nodded. “Then why would you come to such a place anyways?”
Gallus grins and waves Valiant to follow closely. He struts over to a food stall selling kebabs of various seafoods. He purchases one stick for himself and his human companion. Valiant takes a bite and soon discovers a wonderful cascade of rich and strong flavors. His expression pops in delight as he adorably finishes the rest of the skewer.
“That’s why. Here, they import all sorts of stuff! Sea monster meat, Griffon trinkets, and the best part: They’ll sell alcohol to anyone.”
Valiant’s eyes widen from that information. “Even us?”
“Even us,” Gallus repeated, confirming Valiant’s question. “It’s a festival for griffons! Or anyone who's willing to go on the dark side of the streets.”
Valiant looked around the comfy shacks around him, freely bartering wares and whatnot to other griffons and the few shady ponies hanging around. The scent of sizzling foods and the few suspicious looking games gave Valiant a smidge of interest. He decides to explore this venture with Gallus leading the way. “Alright, I’m right behind you then.”
“Glad to hear that! Now come on, there’s something I want to see they have.”
Valiant nodded and followed his friend.As Gallus looked for one store in particular, he made sure to keep Valiant from talking to any more merchants, since they may actually trick him into buying something useless and expensive.Of course, he was easier to manage and warn than he expect the others, since the griffon market can appeal to many kinds of creatures.
Valiant tries his best to not stray from Gallus, but keeps looking to the side to see something interesting. Heavy looking leather and armor plating that wraps around the chest, so even a bipedal like him can wear it. The armorer takes notice and tries to draw him in.
“Interested? Fit for many creatures!” He informed Valiant in a thick, desert region accent. “For you, I go cheap. Two hundred fifty bits. Fair price, yes?”
Seeing that the human was actually considering it, Gallus pulls his shoulder and says, “Sorry, that’s way out of our price range.”
Gallus takes Valiant’s hand and has him walking faster from the armorer. The blacksmith griffon drops the price to call them back, from two hundred to one hundred fifty, but Gallus kept walking. Not wanting this to simply be a boring night of avoiding stores, Gallus changes gears and takes Valiant to someplace more enjoyable. Wandering down the Griffon Market, he brings Valiant to another food stand. He takes a good whiff and his mouth immediately waters.
“What is that!?”
Gallus paid several bits and was given two small paper boxes. They go to a nearby cardboard box makeshift table and take a seat on small plastic chairs. Gallus opens the box and reveals several fried spheres with a brown glistening sauce and strings of white cream on top. “This is what I was after. They call this Octopus Dumplings.”
Valiant takes a plastic fork and stabs it into the ball. He inspects it from top and bottom before eating it whole. It’s blisteringly hot, but Valiant was able to keep it in his mouth long enough for it to cool down and really savor the taste. He expresses true bliss as he takes another bite of savory goodness in octopus form.
“How do they even make this?” Valiant wondered, curious about the methods.
“I’m not really sure,” Gallus stated. “All I do know is that you can’t get this stuff from just ponies. I only got to try these a few times before when some griffon would come by the town and sell some.”
Gallus and Valiant take another Octopus dumpling and take a bite. They hummed at the treat dancing on their tongues, it’s truly another unique food that Valiant may never have tried once in his life. They continue the night by searching for more stores with a few more small boxes of Octopus Dumplings to keep themselves fed.
Valiant wanders to a stall displaying a number of amulets, necklaces, rings, and other kinds of jewelry. The griffon behind it welcomes them with open talons.
“Welcome! Welcome! To my emporium of magical artifacts!”
Valiant looks on the table to see a silver bracelet with a green gem on it. The griffon smiles and tells him, “That my sir, is a magical artifact that travelers use. Very rare as it was enchanted by a powerful unicorn for it to function properly.”
Gallus was wary of the seller. The way she talked and her display was oddly suspicious enough. He looks at the bracelet and asks, “What’s it do?”
“Well, I have never used it for I fear that I may break its enchantment,” The griffon claimed. “A very fragile piece you see, the bracelet isn’t held that well together.”
“Uh huh...” Gallus nodded, believing nothing from this griffon. He looks to Valiant, urging him to go. “Let’s leave, this place doesn’t have anything magical about it, except the way she talks.”
“But these are enchanted.” Valiant informed him. He presses the bracelet’s gem and it shows a small visual hologram of Manehattan, lights outlining buildings and streets. It’s not detailed enough to show the individual creatures but it shows a blinking dot to label their current location. “I can see the magic of each artifact you have here. Despite what you say however, they’re not as fragile as you’d think. These enchantments are strong enough to last, maybe even half a century.”
“My word!” the merchant yelped in shock. “That unicorn told me otherwise!”
“It’s likely that they’ve been lying to you about other things as well,” Valiant stated. “For example, that necklace you’re wearing prevents you from interacting with the artifacts you currently have.”
“What!?” the griffon shouts. “I’ve been putting relics in a box in the back because I thought they were defected or fake!”
“You may want to get an expert you can rely on to inspect what enchantments they do instead of whether or not they’re enchanted.” Valiant stated.
The relic merchant looks at Valiant with amazement. She smiles at the boy for his kindness and generous giving of such information. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you for your insight. It’s difficult to sell such wares on streets like these. I used to have… someone I relied on to help. I don’t think I can find any other creature that can help me like she could...”
“I understand your struggle. It’s hard to find friends here in such a place, but surely you’ll find someone you can trust. Just be careful.”
The griffon looks at him with deep respect for the human. Valiant finally returns to Gallus as they wander the market, waving farewell to the artifact marchant.
“You’re still a goody-two-shoes, aren’t ya?” Gallus japed. They have a laugh at the good times they’re having. As knowledgeable as Valiant may be, Gallus knew he had to keep a close eye on him still. Valiant found himself almost purchasing an axe from another arms dealer moments later, but they continue to venture to other interesting stores as well.
On the way, Valiant thought more about Gallus. He’s known him for a while ever since he started attending the school. He’s told Gallus so much about himself, the same with the others. However, he knows little about Gallus, and while that can be said the same about most of the creatures he’s met thus far, he never suspected Gallus to do something this shifty away from his friends. Gallus notices his train of thought based on his expression.
“What’s on your mind?” Gallus wondered.
Valiant looked to him and was waving it off, but Gallus pressed on him to tell as there’s no need to fear judgement. The human boy pinches his chin, finding the words to ask the question properly. “I was wondering why you were going to come out here alone tonight.”
“Well, I can’t keep my eyes on all of you,” Gallus stated. “They’ve got a lot of thieves and lying merchants here, so I didn’t want to put any of you through that.”
“I guess that makes sense,” Valiant thought, still pressing on the matter. “It’s just, I don’t see you as the kind of griffon who’d go someplace like this by yourself.”
Gallus looks up, considering why he had such a behavior sticking onto him as well. “I guess when I smelled those Octopus dumplings, they reminded me of home. I knew griffon markets may be around here in Manehattan, so I thought that this place would be kind of cool to visit.”
Valiant found what he said relatable. Soon, the Dune Star Tribe will show off their culture once more. A bit of his own home here in Manehattan. “I can understand that. Soon, you’ll all be seeing a bit of my home as well.”
Gallus gives a somber smile. The talk about home uncovers his mind to thoughts of his childhood prior to the school. Valiant has his own thoughts of his home and how he doesn’t feel much for homesickness even before he learned of the Culture Exchange. Complicated emotions clouded their minds, making them simply wish to forget about them for the night.
“Hey, wanna go check out the rest of this place before we head back?” Gallus wondered. Valiant grins and nods, the two move on to see the last of the Griffon Market. Not many more unique stores left, and even the swords and armor stopped interesting Valiant as Gallus had warned him enough to get it in his head that he shouldn’t be buying such shady and lethal wares. One final stall catches his eye, full of trinkets and ornaments. Valiant looks at the stall with Gallus close by. He inspects a strange necklace that looked like it was broken off of a piece of hardened clay, like a vase or a clay tablet.
“That is a Spirit Piece Necklace,” the griffon told him.
“There’s no magic on it,” Valiant stated.
“No, it is a simple and old piece of tradition.”
Valiant turns to Gallus and asks him about it. “Do you know anything about Familiar Necklaces?”
“Well, I can’t say I’m familiar with the concept altogether.” Gallus retorts.
The merchant tilts his head, surprised by his ignorance of the concept behind it. “Are you certain you don’t know of it? Are you perhaps…?”
“What?” Gallus responded, his tone slightly more forced and heavier than before. Valiant notices Gallus looking less happy than before at the griffon merchant. The seller shakes his head and dismisses it, not wanting to breed any trouble. “Nothing, forget about it. Instead, may I interest you in this?”
The merchant brings out a box to Valiant and opens it to reveal a strange pendant. It had a circle shape for the center and had some sort of clips around it, about ten clips reaching out from the circle. Valiant stared at the strange object, curious about the pendant. “What is it?”
“It’s a Familial Seal,” the griffon informs him. “In our culture, families of griffons would pluck a single feather and place it into the clip’s grasp. It’s a sacred piece that ties all families together. This is something all griffons have.”
“Uh, not every griffon has one,” Gallus remarked.
The merchant cocks his eyebrow at Gallus. “Yes, they do. All griffons have carried this to represent their families and their connections. If needed, more than one may be purchased for even bigger families..”
“Could this work for other creatures?” Valiant wondered. His mind drifts to Fluttershy for some reason when learning of this heirloom.
“Why yes. You can try, plucking a piece of your hair here,” The griffon suggested. “It’s only fifteen bits for this.”
The price was actually pretty decent, and this is a griffon piece of culture. However, Gallus was against the purchase. “Forget it, that’s too expensive.”
Valiant turns to his friend, surprised he would say that. The fifteen bits wasn’t much. If anything, it was a steal price. Even if the necklace was some kind of fake, it’d barely be a loss of money. The merchant wasn’t liking his attitude either. “That is a decent price for something like this. The materials and time to make this is worth at least a paltry fifteen bits!”
“Well I never heard of it!” Gallus stated. “A Familial Seal isn’t something griffons just have, it’s something they buy!”
“It’s tradition and customary to obtain this!” he claimed, his talons tightening into a fist. “But maybe I shouldn’t be surprised that you don’t know of it.”
Gallus brings on a scowl as he gets close to the merchant’s face. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Maybe you never had a family to share something so trivial with.”
Gallus suddenly pulls back with eyes widened and an expression of anger welling up. Valiant looks to Gallus as he bites his cheek and looks like he’s about to throw a fit. Valiant attempts to reach out to him, but the blue griffon begins to fly away. Valiant calls out his name, but he doesn’t stop. The human gives chase and runs after Gallus.
“Gallus, hold on!” He calls out to him. Gallus continued to fly away until something grabbed his hindleg. He turned around to see it was some kind of rope with weights tied to him. The rope is then pulled, bringing Gallus down.
Before the blue griffon knew it, he was being pulled to the bipedal being. He gets grabbed by the neck, arm raising up to the moon. Gallus peers to see the one who caught him had scales of green and yellow eyes that peered into his soul. It was some kind of lizard man catching the blue griffon from the sky. Gallus’s eyes shrink in terror as he gets stuffed into a black sack.