Griffon of Canterlot

by Electuroo

Chapter 93: No-Yantic Sun Festive

Ember pulled out of the other side to the rift, she finally let go from the teenage griffon's iron grip, rubbing her claw hand with the other Ember soon saw they were standing before two large stone pillars covered in green vines, ahead seem to be a large sum of trees sticking out of the water, many surrounded by emergent weeds.

Torch looked around flexing his leather wings on the back of his vulpine temporary body. “I gather this settlement is straight ahead?”

Pom-Pom smirked. “Indeed Lord Torch.” She put her paw to the tip of the muzzle, she blew to whistle.

Bursting out of the water two blue kitsunes with a chest silver armour plate, silver bracelets on each four legs, helmets over the vulpine heads, they had four tails each with red floating flames over each of them. “Alpha!” They saluted with one forepaw while holding a silver tip spears held by the other forepaw.

“Please raise the bridge.”

“Yes Alpha!” They said together parting ways with their flames flashing, Gale, Torch and Ember watched a set of stone slabs emerge from the water leading feather into the No-Yantic Marshes. “Welcome to the Kit-Yantic Settlement, Lord Torch, Princess Ember and Prince Gale! Enjoy the Festive of the Sun!” They said together and stood firm with one bang of the spear poles against the stone floor.

They all turn to Pom-Pom. “Explain.” Torch growled. “The Dragon Lord demands a explanation!” Torch said in a demanding tone, the sceptre wrapped around the dragon tail between the two kitsune ones shimming with red magical light.

Gale knew that answer. “Anubis told Pom-Pom.”

“How?” Ember frowned with confusion.

“Come with me and I'll give you the best answer I can give, it will take a few minutes to get to the settlement.” Pom-Pom smiled waving her paw for them to follow across the wet stone path that now reviled to them.

They followed past the guards, as they walked off each section the ones behind started to sink back into the water, the guards jumping back into the water. “How did our god Anubis know we be coming here?” His attention drew to the swaying of the twelve tails as Pom-Pom walked ahead, the flames above moving in sync.

Pom-Pom turn her head slightly, glancing back to him to see his eyes following her tails. “Anubis is your Death Dragon, God of the Dead, you really think that dragon will reveal how he knew?” Pom-Pom responded. “Would you risk demanding answers from a Death Dragon, who has magical experiences that could be on par with you and level your home, and your fellow kind?” Pom-Pom twisted the subject towards Anubis, his magic and the risk of knowing how he knew.

Torch didn't get to answer when Ember did. “No, no one that stupid, dad wouldn't risk so much lives for one answer, rather not anger a Death Dragon with that level of magic...” Ember looked over to her kitsune dragon hybrid dad. “Right dad?”

He growled a little. “Right.” Ember knew from that look she got, he was about to and most likely hiddenly thanking her from stopping him making a ass of himself.

Ember noticed the pillars they were walking by as the stone platforms rose in front of them, and others fell back into water behind them, the top of them had kitsune statues with rubies on the forehead. “They not statues are they?” Ember asked getting a deep feeling those unmoving stone eyes were watching them as they pass.

Pom-Poms plan had worked, the subject on that matter had been changed and now focused on something else, Gale on the other claw knew differently and about to speak when he heard Pom-Pom in his head. “Best not to tell them about time travel, they most likely won't believe you he travelled through out time.”

Gale blinked staring at Pom-Pom walking ahead of them, he responded in thought. “But it a lie...”

“Yes to us it is, clear as day, but this lie goes back close to 22,000 years of Dragon history, remember he travelled through time back and forwards for that long in the Dragonlands and Nowhere, he a part of their culture, their history, as much as Nowhere lands are. Telling them this will not feel like a lie to them but a insult.”

Pom-pom's expernation didn't sit right with Gale, but she had a very valid and good point, this had been going on far beyond any life span, even his mother's Celestia. “Okay, I won't say anything about it...”

“I know it feels wrong to you, feels wrong to me, but everyone, everything has secerts that never revealed for the best of reasons... It a very grey area that neither wrong or right...” Pom-Pom responded in thought, she glance back at Ember to speak to Ember after not responding for half a minute. “Princess Ember, you are right, they guards posing as statues, how did you notice?”

Ember looked at the next set they walked by. “The smell from the gems are really strong and tasty, even my dad's mouth watering at the smell of them.” Ember looked ahead at Pom-Pom. “I say it part of your transformative magic, pretend to be something, even look and smell it too.”

Pom-Pom did a back flip twist to face them directly as she walked now backwards. “Impressive Princess Ember, that was done on purpose to see if any dragon or gem eater would pick up on that, think of it as a test to see if any really notice and impress us.” Pom-Pom looked over to Torch. “I gather you realised this too, but choose to not to say?”

“Yes! Your swaying of the tails and those flames were distracting!”

Pom-Pom giggled. “Oooo you like my tails and flame do you?” She did a twist jump to walk forwards again swaying them again.

Ember put her claw hand over her head shaking it. “Dad...”

Gale was confused. “I no understand, what wrong with looking at tails sway with pretty flames on top?” Gale asked.

Ember turn her head looking down at the teenage griffon. “Nothing, it just nothing.” She said awkwardly and turned away as the scales under her eyes turn from blue to a soft pink.

Gale tilted his head. “Erm... Okay?” Suddenly he started to hear drumming and piano music ahead. “Oooo I hear music!” Ember sighed in relief hearing it, she didn't need to explain that one to this innocent looking teenage cub.

Pom-Pom now completely satisfied as the key question was swept under everything that happened in the last few minutes walk. “Welcome to the Kit-Yantic settlement Mystic KI.” Coming around a large set of trees they came into view of a curving stone platform path leading to a large stone arch with kitsune markings on it, at the top of it a red ruby kitsune sitting on it hunches holding up a large sphere diamond, with nine tails spread out behind it.

They stopped after stepping off the last platform, it sunk into the water and they looked at the archway entrance, three kitsunes to the left and to the right of it with spears held in their left paws to the mirrored right for the other kitsunes. “That no kitsune pretending to be that is it?” Torch asked staring at the beauty of the statue holding the diamond sphere high above it head.

“Nope, that was something Silvite made, took her many years to make, it sit at the main entrance arch of Mystic KI as a testament of our bond with Silvite and us Kitsunes, more personally to me due to our bond as sisters.” Pom-Pom answered, in view was stone walk ways over water with buildings built over mostly watery landscape with large trees around it.

Gale walked up to the arch way curiously, he saw ahead what look like a large circular stage with a lot of kitsunes around it, others were at stalls, rides or sitting down enjoying a meal, all around were banners, decorations with a sun on it with blue sky and white clouds behind it. “Wow!”

The others walked through seeing it too. “How did we not notice any of this while flying over?” Ember asked with a frown.

“Easy, look down and at the roofs, fly up and take a good look from above.” Pom-Pom grinned.

Torch, Ember and Gale did so to get a look down below, the stone walkways to the building roofs and balconies of some of the houses, they all were coloured in a way to blend in with the marshes. “Impressive...” Torch couldn't tell what were marsh lands and homes from the sky, even he could see the different colour kitsunes having fun at the festival now.

“It camouflage! I no can tell from above what marshes and what town!” Gale looked around before landing again.

Ember lands seeing different wall homes, with shops and neon lighting signs on them. “That is really clever... No wonder we couldn't see it, you kitsunes really live up to the myths...”

Pom-Pom giggled. “What can I say? We like to trick the eye.” She waved around only one tail, Ember stared seeing the kitsune had only one, till it flare out to twelve once again like a fan. “Now shall we see the show before it over? If I recall correctly, the triplets Dang, Pang, Tang are performing at the moment.”

“Dancing foxes?” Gale asked.

“In short yes.” Pom-Pom responded, they walked up towards the crowd, when they approached the large circlar stone platform with the stage on it, with a eight pillars holding up at roof, on the underside of the roof sat cameras, that when Ember noticed the large screens showing different angles of the dancing three orange kitsunes with black tails, ears tips and paws. Behind them were different colour kitsunes drumming away, between them were others playing on electric pianos.

High above them were lights flashing around over the musicians and the dancers to the beats, Torch and Ember could watch them at the stage to the large screens around them. “How are we seeing it in front of us and on those things?” She said loudly over the music.

“Reverse engineered the tech from the Forgotten Ruins! I'll talk more later! Enjoy the show!” Pom-Pom partly answered and point a paw to the stage.

They joined the crowd of orange, green, blue, purple, pink, red, black, grey, white and all shades of colour kitsunes from all ages that gathered around enjoying the show. The triplet kitsunes to each drum beat with the electrical tones of the pianos danced, they stood one third apart from each other, swishing their six tails around, shifting their forelegs around to do a few back flips, standing on their hind legs they shift and step around.

The magical floating flames leaving sparks of flame behind like streams of light, they continue to drum their paws to each drum that beaten down by the other kitsunes, soon they do a few back flips till leaping over the musicians and land in the middle of them as the stage section they on start to rise a little.

The triplets soon dancing around each other, padding around to leaping over each other, the mix of flame light creating a majestic sight before all, the drumming and piano play start to pick up paste, they clapping forepaws to twisting around each other on one or two paws, they turn to the crowds with tails twisted around each other, eighteen flames become one big one glowing brightly as they froze in the final pose.

They stood on the right hind paw only, the left raised up against their torso, the forelegs spread out with forepaws touching each others, their heads bent down with their golden slitted eyes looking to the ground, finally the flame unleash a burst of orange wave of energy outwards as the final group bang from the drummers hit.

The pulse of magic washed over the crowd, they soon were cheering loudly jumping about, as the triplets jump down and stood at one end of the platform to bow to the crowd with the musicians, they walked over to the next side and did the same till they came back around again.

As they started to leave the stage with equipment and all, a kitsune light blue with five tails, dark blue paws, tail and ear tips wearing a head set on the fluffy furry hair style stepped up onto the stage. “Let's hear it one more time for the Kit-Trips!” She said and the kitsunes cheered loudly, some whistling.

Soon the cheering died down she spoke up. “Today mark the first of many days to come with the sun high in the sky! Thanks to Anubis we got a heads up on this day to come, enjoy it in this amazing Festival of the Sun! I know we've always lived in the endless rain and darkness, but now we get to have something that none of us ever had, a day and night cycle that only were told in fairy tales when we were young!”

She walked around the stage, her pink eyes looking around the crowd of kitsunes. “Now from the new born to the elders, we all will be living in a new light to life here on the land of Nowhere, the light and warmth from the sun high above us, now those pesky feather kitsunes got work to do now, don-yaw!” She got hit by a small lightning blast on the rear causing her to jump forwards, rubbing her backside with a tail to see a black three tail kitsune laughed with a black cloud to the right of him.

“Hard-de-ha-ha!” She shook her head getting a mix of laughter from the crowd. “Now up next is our beloved Alpha's son Skip, he to take the stage to preform his own original song to us all! Give is up to the pink furred trickster of the crown Skip!” They cheered as a pink dragon with eight tails fly in and do a spin to change into a light pink fur kitsune, dark pink tail and ear tips, dark pink paws, four flames blue and four flames yellow around over the tails.

The curly fur on top of the head and three spiky ends to each ear, feathered wings flapping till they close by his sides with dark pink feather ends, the sharp dark pink eyes look around as he dance around a few times, swishing around his tails till he came to standing beside the announcer bowing to the crowd with a very cheeky smile on his muzzle.

Raising his paw to tap the side of the head set. “Heeeelllllllo Mystic KI! I can see everykitsune is have a great time already! I've sure been!” That got a mighty cheer from the kitsunes. “As our beloved announcer Russy just said, I got a song to sing and been working on this beauty from the moment we knew this day was coming!”

Skip walking around the stage noticed his mum, Gale, Torch and Ember, he stared at the Dragon Lord. “Damn it mum, you really had to go with my drawing...” He moved the gaze away walking around again as the kitsunes moved in equipment from drums and pans, guitars, piano and other instruments. “I've really been eager to sing this to you all! If you feel that magical moment to join in! Do so! This is a special moment for all of us on this day! And we only partly done! And you know why!?”

They all spoke up at once with him having a paw to a ear. “The raising of the Moon!”

“That is correct! The raising of the Moon!” He flared his tails to form a image of a moon above him before bursting to magical dust raining down around the crowds, kits trying to catch it with their paws. “Now who ready to sing!”

“Yeah!” They responded.

“I CAN'T HEAR YOU!” He screamed out.

“YEAH!” They cheered louder.

“Better!” He turn to the kitsunes at the instruments. “Ready to give us some tones?” They raise a paw in response. “Hit it!”

As the music starts to play Torch saw the smile from the muzzle of the Alpha. “Son?”

Pom-Pom glanced at him for a second. “Oh yes, that my son Skip, his 299 years old and still as creative as ever as he is a big pain in all twelve tails of mine.” She warmly kept the smile. “You knew cause of your connection to Ember didn't you?”

“Of course, what kind of father would I be not to see that? Or a Dragon Lord, be impressed!”

Pom-Pom rolled her eyes. “Yes oh Dragon Lord I am impressed.”

Torch sat down on his hunches. “Now I command you to turn back to normal without the size!” He point the paw at her speaking rather loudly.

Pom-Pom put the tail to his muzzle tip. “The performance about to start, now shhh.” Pom-Pom completely ignored what Torch just shouted at her.

Torch crossed his forelegs grumbling under his breath, Ember smirked seeing his attempt to sway the trickster kitsune fail. “Nice try dad, but even I saw that wasn't going to work.” She whispered to herself as Skip, Pom-Pom son was about to perform.

Gale lift the flap open for the black phoenix chick to see. “Look singing about to start, it be fun to watch.” Shadow didn't know what Gale said, but was curious about all the strange musical sounds coming from that direction though, curiously listening and watching.

Skip tapping his right forepaw to each drum beat from the drummer kitsune banging sticks down on the drums steadily, the strings of the electric guitar being plucked by another with purple fur standing on her hind legs, a white one tapping the forepaws on the keys of the piano, two green kitsunes playing the saxophones.

Skip start to sing out to the crowd doing a few movements with his four paw, swishing is tails around.

The magic from his tails flare and a image appear above him, it showed a land covered in rain till the clouds part showing multiple appearances of the island in all directions as far as it can go, he open the wings flying around it.

Skip start to form glowing floating stairs running up them outside and around the stage, climbing up over it as he continue to sing, showing the sun behind him setting, to the moon rising up, followed by stars shining and than the moon setting to the sun raising once more.

He stand on the roof with wings flared out, magical orbs flying around, zooming over the crowds in all directions, around the stages, a few of the young kits catch these magical orbs for them to harmlessly pop, getting laughter from them.

Kitsunes join in with Skip as the verse of the sun rising and setting with the moon came around, they getting into the swing of it, waving their tails with magical energy floating up around Skip.

Two kitsunes, one black and one white raise up on magical glowing platforms with black flames over their three tails, the magic flares up creating a whirling mass of darkness over head blocking the view of the sun, this got some kitsunes skittish upon the sight, but than a moon appear in the middle of it with stars appearing one by one.

They so transfixed on it including Pom-Pom, Gale, Ember and Torch.

Skip screamed out to the right of Ember, her reaction was roaring in fear and punching right at that direction to hit a log pillar.

Skip sung to the left of Ember with a laugh, she kicks out to hit another log pillar, growing as this kitsune evaded two attempts to hit him with ease and put in his place log pillars, she looked around for him to see him flying just in front of her giving a teasing wave of the paw.

Ember snarled and flew at him, Torch just laughed as she gave chase at the pink kitsune as he sang the final verse of the song, Pom-Pom put her forepaw to her head shaking it with a groan, Gale laughing and clapping away to the song.

Ember chasing him in, around and out of buildings around the stage.

The dark swirling mass vanish with the sun shining bright again, at the end he quickly turn around as the music sudden stop to plant his muzzle against Ember's snout as she slam to a stop right in front of him, her blue scales instantly turn red under the eyes, she quickly pulled away staring at Skip grinning at her, she looked around seeing the kitsunes cheering for the musical number and seemingly unphased by what Skip just did to her.

Torch was laughing at what just happened, and Ember saw a lake in the distance, she decided to get Skip back by grabbing him by the foreleg and throwing him over her shoulder right at the lake as hard she possibly could.

At the lake a light greyish blue kitsune sitting on a boat fishing, the elderly kitsune saw in the corner of his eye Skip coming in. “Hehe trust that kit to get into trouble again.” His tail flames flash and the fishing pole transform into a upside down umbrella.

Skip smash into the water causing a huge wave to splash outwards from the impact, water rain down around the boat and over the upside down umbrella. The pink kitsune surfaces punching a forepaw into the air out of the water. “Totally worth it!!!”

The elder kitsune change the umbrella into a fishing neat to see he caught thanks to Skip a dozen or so fishes, Skip swam up to the boat seeing the catch. “How many times has this been so far this year?”

“29.” Skip chuckled. “But this is far the best!”

“Whatever you say kit...” The greyish blue kitsune chuckled softly.

Ember land in front of her dad screaming at him. “Stop laughing!”

Torch manage to say before laughing harder. “You throw him into the lake, that soft compared to what you did to dragons before, hahaha!”

“S-soft!? Dad I am not soft!” This got him to laugh harder, Gale watched in confusion as Ember continue to scream at her dad.

Pom-Pom shook her head. “Sometimes I wonder if Skip is truly my eldest...”

Anubis and Silvite not to far away stood on a roof, they had watched everything that happened, the death dragon rubbing his horns on the head as he spoke. “I feel that my horns are going to ache for a long time and my ear drums ringing even longer... Did you have to be that extreme?” Anubis grumbled.

Silvtite with her arms crossed looking over to Gale answered him. “It got the point across, did it not?”

“Yes...” He muttered and turn his eyes to the lake with the wave hitting the shores. “I gather from your unphased reaction to that kitsune being tossed, this is a norm?”

Silvite turn her head towards the lake. “Pretty much, his pranks can go over the top and end up him being cratered.” She glanced at a impact mark on the ground near by.

Anubis saw her glance and also saw the crater. “I gather that your doing?”

“Yes, he teased me to chasing him and did the same dead stop to get a kiss, I then tossed him in a fit of rage right into that ground.” Silvite chuckled lightly. “And that kitsune just got back up on his paws as if it never happened, he one resilient kit.”

Anubis raise a eye brow. “You speak as if he just a child.”

Silvite walked over to the edge of the roof looking over at the stage as the announcer speak out, and the kitsunes start to go off in different directions to enjoy the other parts of the festive. “You can live for 1000 years and at age 300 your still as immature as you are at 150, a two kitsune that live for 120 to 150 years be more mature than someone that lives a lot longer.”

Anubis hummed. “So depending on the life span on the individual, depends on how fast they mature.”

“Pretty much.” Silvite looked over to Torch. “Even Pommy is the alpha and over 700 years old, how mature do you think she is?”

Anubis gave a smile. “I gather that 40 minute time has a twist?”

“Hours maybe.” Silvite smiled.

“Days?” Anubis chuckled

“Weeks, months or years.” They said together laughing at the thought of Torch realising he got played again by Pom-Pom.

They watched Pom-Pom lead Gale over to a tent where a festive game could be played at, she talking to him and showing him how to play it.

Walking out of the water Skip shook off some of the water from his fur and wings, he standing on the sand turn his head. “It would be fun if it was days, weeks, months or years, but...” He raise a forepaw up.

“That would be a bit too far, don't you think readers?” He grinned with the eight tails of flames glowing brightly. “How many hours do you think it will take for Torch to realise that my mum tricked him again? If you think it was going to be that simple, well we Kitsunes, it in our nature.”

Skip turn to walk away before stopping to turn his head putting a paw to the muzzle. "Let's keep this between us okay? Pinkie doesn't need to know." He winked before turning his head back around. “See you on the next chapter! Kits!” He raised a paw waving it as he walk back into settlement.