//------------------------------// // Neighsay strikes again // Story: A Griffon's Farewell // by 1jckuhn //------------------------------// The Castle of Friendship January 2, 2018, 8:25 A.M. Winter break had officially ended at the School of Friendship and at the castle, Twilight, Starlight, Spike, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity were all preparing to head back to their usual positions at the school. Deep down, however, they were all weary. The last two weeks had given them a lot to digest, and they all knew that the remainder of the school year wasn't going to be the same. "It feels so different walking into school now knowing there won't be any more pranks that we have to look out for," said Rainbow Dash quietly as they all prepared to head out the door. "Ironic, isn't it?" Starlight sighed sadly. "We always expressed annoyance over Gallus' antics. Now, we'd give anything to experience them all over again." "It's sad that he's gone, girls," Fluttershy spoke up. "However, we should all remember, and take comfort in the fact, that he's in a better place now. The best way we can honor him is to make sure Sixteen Strong thrives and that other creatures are helped with their own emotional struggles." The others realized that Fluttershy was right. They knew they needed to be strong for each other and the other students if they wanted any hope of moving on, while honoring their fallen student and friend. The seven Ponies and one Dragon stepped outside and made their way towards the school, the crisp morning air hitting their faces. It wasn't long until they reached the front door. However, when they arrived, they found what appeared to be a magical seal in the dead center of the front entrance. Three light blue chains were connected to either side of the center of the magical seal. It was as if someone had put a spell on the door to prevent anyone from entering the building. They eight creatures looked very puzzled. Presently, the students had also started to arrive at the school. Among them were Silverstream, Smolder, Ocellus, Yona, and Sandbar. They too saw the seal and were confused as well. "What's this?" asked Smolder as her friends and she approached the group of teachers. "I don't know," said Starlight. "This wasn't here last night." "It seems to be some sort of magical seal," said Twilight. "But if the entrance is blocked, we won't be able to attend our classes," Silverstream said, growing worried. "Oh, don't you worry, Silverstream," assured Twilight. "I'm not letting that happen." Twilight charged up her horn and fired a blast of magic at the centerpiece of the enchanted lock, causing it to shatter on contact. The light blue chains that were being held together by it fell to the ground and vanished. No sooner did that occur than did a large, dark blue portal appear where the centerpiece of the magical spell once stood adorned on the front doors. Twilight turned back to see a grey Unicorn with a black mane and tail that everyone in the crowd knew all too well step out of it. It was the head of the Equestrian Education Association, Chancellor Neighsay, and he did not look happy. The sour Unicorn looked down and snarled at the sight of what was left of his magical spell on the ground before he turned his attention toward the crowd of creatures that stood before him. "Who dared remove my seal?!" the grey Unicorn boomed. Upon seeing Neighsay, everything clicked into place instantly and the expressions of everyone in the crowd immediately soured. "You again?!" exclaimed Sandbar. "What Neighsay doing here?!" demanded Yona, stomping her hoof. "I'm here because somecreature in this crowd has destroyed the lock I put on here," Neighsay snapped back. "I did," said Twilight. "I would also ask for you to humbly step aside and allow us inside, or classes will start late." "Classes won't be starting at all," Neighsay said sternly. "If what happened here two weeks ago is any indication of how you or your friends are running this school, then it's clear that none of you should be in a position to teach friendship to anycreature. The EEA has spoken." "Wait a second," said Starlight. "What do you mean the EEA has spoken?" "I called a private meeting with the EEA yesterday and we all agreed that it was for the greater good that this school be shut down immediately," Neighsay explained. Hearing this made Smolder, Ocellus, Silverstream, Yona, and Sandbar grow very, very angry. They knew full well that Neighsay didn't like Twilight's ways of running things at the School of Friendship, but to use Gallus' suicide as an excuse to try and close it down was low, even for the grey Unicorn. Before they could voice their thoughts, however, an equally angry Rainbow Dash immediately flew in close to Neighsay's face. "We didn't know Gallus was depressed, though!" the cyan Pegasus shot back. "How can you shut this place down because of something we were unaware of until it was too late?!" "Well, if the teachers can't see the signs that a student is suicidal," Neighsay shot a cold stare in Rainbow Dash's direction. "Or have a hoof in driving them to it, then I see that the EEA made the right choice in having no other option then to shut this school down." Neighsay finished by slamming his hoof down on the ground, sending a shockwave through the crowd. Most of the creatures winced as they felt the shockwave pass through. Sandbar, Ocellus, Smolder, Yona, and Silverstream didn't. They just snarled at the grey Unicorn. The five creatures looked at each other, nodded curtly, and began to make their way through the crowd toward Neighsay. He wanted a reason to close down the school? They'd give him a damn good one. Right before they could reach him, however, a voice that came from above got everyone's attention. "Now, hold on just a minute!" Everyone turned up to see Grampa Gruff flying down towards them. Behind him were Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Neither Princess looked very happy. Upon seeing the old Griffon and two Alicorns land, everyone immediately moved aside to allow them to pass. "What is the meaning of this?" demanded Luna, glaring down Neighsay. Neighsay's snooty expression faded, and he could feel himself growing a little uneasy as the he looked back up at the perturbed expressions. Despite that, however, the Grey Unicorn held his ground. "Well, you see, Princesses, I'm shutting down the School of Friendship," Neighsay explained. "The clear negligence of the teachers has demonstrated that they aren't fit to be in any position to be teaching friendship, especially after it's led to a student taking their own life. I called a meeting last night with the other EEA scholars and we all agreed to close the school for the safety of Equestria." "Seems more to me that you forced them to say, "yes," rather than allowing them to make their own decision on a vote," scowled Grampa Gruff. Neighsay was taken aback, "I did no such thing!" "That’s not what I saw!" Grampa Gruff snapped. "Where's your proof?!" demanded Neighsay. Rather than offering another retort to the snobby Unicorn, Grampa Gruff turned back to face Celestia and Luna. "Could you please fire up the memory spell?" he asked politely. "Certainly," replied Celestia. Luna and she lit up their horns and a screen appeared above everyone's head. Canterlot, Equestria January 1, 2018, 12:50 A.M. Grampa Gruff smiled slightly, enjoying the feeling of the wind hitting his face as he flew silently though the skies of Canterlot. Gilda, Gabby, and he had been invited to celebrate the New Year's Eve party thanks to the auspices of Twilight and her friends at the Canterlot Castle, and the trio of Griffons were more than happy to take the Princess up on her offer. Needless to say, the party was a blast, and all three Griffons had a great time. There were party games and all sorts of goodies baked by Pinkie and Applejack, enough to feed almost all of Canterlot. Lastly, there was a fireworks show as the clock struck midnight to officially kick off the new year. Now, however, the party had let out and Grampa Gruff was now on his way back home. Gabby and Gilda would've come with him, but towards the end of the party, Gilda had been challenged to a cider drinking competition by her old pal Rainbow Dash. The tomboyish Griffon, not being one to back down from a challenge, gladly accepted the offer. It ultimately ended with Gilda winning when Rainbow passed out after the Pegasus and Griffon both guzzled down their tenth cup. Despite the fact that she won, Gilda didn't want to stop drinking cider anytime soon and had an additional three cups before passing out herself when she tripped on an uneven rug while making her way to get a fourth. While Grampa Gruff was more than willing to fly back home, Gabby, sensing that Gilda wouldn't be able to get home in her impaired state, had offered to stay behind to cart her back to the Friendship Castle for a sleepover, promising to be back in Griffonstone with Gilda in tow by the afternoon. It seemed that the majority, if not, all, of Canterlot's residents had decided to call it a night and go to bed. The whole city now stood peacefully silent, and every building was bathed in the darkness of the night with only the moon's glow and a few lit streetlamps to help guide the way for anyone who might still be outside. The tranquility of the night was enough to make even a cantankerous old-timer like Grampa Gruff flash a small smile. However, he wouldn't have it for long. As the old Griffon made his way toward the outskirts of Canterlot, he spotted something out of the corner of his right eye. Grampa Gruff stopped in the sky and looked in the direction of what had caught his attention. It seemed to be a light of some sort. However, from where he was hovering in the sky Grampa Gruff couldn't identify the source of where it was coming from. The old Griffon's curiosity overtook him, and he decided to fly toward the light to see where it was coming from. As he drew closer, Grampa Gruff could see that the light was coming from inside of what looked like a rather large building. Upon getting a better look, Grampa Gruff realized that the building he was looking at wasn't just any old building. It was the EEA tribune, where all the decisions were made as to what rules a school needed to follow in order to be approved by the EEA scholars. Upon this revelation, Grampa Gruff became even more confused. Since the new year was a holiday, the EEA tribune should've been closed like every other business. Even if it wasn't, the scholars didn't exactly seem like the kind of Ponies to have a party. "Something's not right here," he thought. Grampa Gruff looked up at the roof of the building and noticed that there were several windows on it that would give him a bird's eye view to anything that seemed suspicious. The old Griffon began to slowly fly overhead, looking down each roof window to see if anyone was inside. However, each window he passed showed no signs of anyone residing inside the EEA tribune. Right when he was about to give up and continue on his way back to Griffonstone, Grampa Gruff passed a window on the roof near the back of the building and stopped when he spotted a flash of burgundy for a brief moment. Grampa Gruff wasn't sure, but he could've sworn the creature he saw was a Pony. The old Griffon immediately swooped down towards the roof window and cautiously looked down into the hallway to see what had piqued his interest. It turned out there was more than just one Pony standing in the hallway below him. There were actually ten of them and it was the burgundy color of their robes that has caught his eye. They seemed to be having a conversation. "What are they doing here at this hour of the night?" he asked himself. As he watched them continue to talk, Grampa Gruff's eyes looked over each Pony carefully until they fell on one that looked quite familiar. The old Griffon looked at him for a few seconds before his eyes widened as he looked at the patches of grey on his coat and the horn that stuck out of his black mane. Although Grampa Gruff was unable to get a look at his face, the physical features of the Unicorn already revealed to him who the Pony was, Chancellor Neighsay. Upon seeing him, more and more questions began to flood Grampa Gruff's mind as to what the other scholars and he were doing here at this time of night. Whatever the reason was, it wasn't good. He watched as Neighsay turned around and used his magic to open the door that the other scholars and he had been standing in front of, allowing the ten Ponies to step inside and out of Grampa Gruff's sight. "I've got to see what they're up to," he thought. Quick on his talons and paws, Grampa Gruff realized the only way that he'd be able to get a general idea of what Neighsay was planning was to sneak inside the building itself. With that in mind, he tried to open the roof hatch, but it wouldn't budge. Determined not to give up, he raced around to the front of the building to try the front door, only to find it was also locked. Grampa Gruff knew he was running out of options and began to think of another possible way of ingress. The old Griffon looked down the side of the EEA tribune building to see that it had a long row of windows that were just big enough for him to climb through. Thinking quickly, Grampa Gruff realized that his last possible hope of getting inside was if one of the windows was left unlocked. He began to try each window one by one to see if they would grant him access to the inside of the building. The first two windows the old Griffon tried were securely closed. The third one he tried, however, opened without resistance, allowing him to enter with ease. After warming himself up for a few seconds, Grampa Gruff quietly closed the window and quickly made his way down the hall until he reached the meeting room door. Knowing he couldn't just walk in, the old Griffon peered through the keyhole slot with his good eye and saw Neighsay and the other scholars in their chairs preparing for the meeting to start. "What are you up to, Neighsay?" Grampa Gruff thought as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. *** Inside the meeting room. Neighsay sat on his usual spot high above the other scholars. However, while the grey Unicorn maintained his usual stoic expression, the expressions of other ponies in the room seemed to suggest that they were a little nervous. "Alright," announced Neighsay. "The room will come to order for the meeting." There were a few seconds of silence as Neighsay cleared his throat before addressing the other ponies in the room. "As you all know, there has been an incident at Twilight's School of Friendship where a student took his own life after a prank gone wrong as winter break was starting. We, as the leaders of the EEA, cannot overlook this for what it is, a complete failure on the staff's end to reach out to all of its students and make them feel welcome. It is clear that Twilight and her friends aren’t qualified to be in a position to teach friendship. I believe that the only course of action now is to shut down the school before break is over in order to prevent more creatures from being harmed or killed." No sooner did Neighsay finish than did an Earth Pony scholar with a salmon pink coat and apple green eyes, speak up. "Now, hold up just a minute," interjected the scholar. "You can't just go and blame Twilight or her friends for what happened." "As teachers, it is their job to ensure that everycreature is accounted for, Silver Waves" Neighsay retorted. "The fact that one of their own students has died due to their negligence only confirms my suspicion that Twilight and her friends were never fit to run that school to begin with." "It wasn't their fault, or anycreature else's, to begin with, though," Silver Waves insisted. "The report said that it wasn't just the teachers who weren't aware that Gallus was suicidal. His friends, as well as all the other students, weren't aware that something was wrong either. If we were to apply that logic, we'd also need to punish Gallus' friends too, but we aren't doing that. So, why act that way towards Twilight and her friends?" "Agreed," added Rosy Pearl, another scholar. "This has nothing to do with how they teach." "I also heard they set up a foundation in Gallus' name to help-" a scholar named Desert Wind started to say. "I don't want to hear it," Neighsay interrupted dismissively. "B-But, Neighsay-" Desert tried to interject. "I said I don't want to hear it!" Neighsay barked harshly. Desert Wind and the other scholars flinched upon hearing Neighsay raise his voice and quickly fell silent. Once he made sure that no one else would interrupt him, Neighsay took a deep breath to calm himself to be ready to move onto the next phase of the meeting. "Alright, now, we're going to take a vote," explained Neighsay. "All who oppose say, "no"." "No," said Desert, Rosy, and Silver almost immediately. The two mares and one stallion looked around at the other six scholars, hoping they'd back them up. Unfortunately, they just looked at each other with uneasy expressions but said nothing. "All in favor, say, "Yes"," said Neighsay. The other six scholars said yes. Although, they'd be lying if they said they were completely sure that they were making the right call. Desert Wind, Rosy Pearl, and Silver Waves could only give them appalled and disappointed expressions. "Well, that settles it," said Neighsay. "Twilight's School of Friendship is hereby shut down effective immediately." Unbeknownst to them, however, a certain Griffon had been peering through the keyhole of the door the whole time. He had seen and heard everything. *** Grampa Gruff glared at Neighsay as he finished up his ruling. Of course he'd try to use Gallus' death as an excuse for his own nefarious schemes. As much as he wanted to confront the stuck-up Unicorn, the old Griffon knew that now was not the time or the place for it. He turned around, spread his wings, and made a beeline for the window he had entered through earlier. He made it out of site just as Neighsay and the other EEA scholars walked out into the hallway themselves. Grampa Gruff didn't look back once as he widened the distance between himself and the EEA Tribunal. He knew that he had to get to alert Celestia and Luna of what was going on as soon as possible. Fortunately for him, the Canterlot Castle wasn't too far away from where he currently was. "You won't get away with this, Neighsay," snarled the Griffon as he flew over the night sky as fast as his wings could carry him. By the time the memory ended, the whole crowd was now glaring at Neighsay, who, by this point, was looking very nervous. "You didn't even mention Gallus' name once," Grampa Gruff growled. "Sounds really caring to me. Not." The crowd also began to voice their disgust for Neighsay's actions. "Not cool!" said one Earth Pony in the crowd. "Shame on you!" called a Pegasus. "N-Now, everycreature remain calm," Neighsay gulped. "This isn't what it looks like." "I'd say it is!" yelled Smolder. The more the crowd jeered at Neighsay, the less powerful and snooty the Unicorn felt. For once in his life, he was at a loss of what to do. That was until Grampa Gruff walked up to him and stared him down. Neighsay quivered slightly as the Griffon's eyes locked with his. It felt like he was staring into the Unicorn's soul. "I think it's best if you leave," Grampa Gruff said curtly before he pointed at Celestia, Luna, Twilight, and her friends, all of whom were also glaring down Neighsay. "Unless, of course, you want to be subjected to whatever these fine creatures have in store for you." The usually arrogant Unicorn didn't have to be told twice. He instantly reactivated the portal on the front doors of the school with his EEA medallion, stepped inside of it, and it began to slowly shrink the moment Neighsay stepped inside. No one stopped glaring until the portal vanished completely. Once it was, Grampa Gruff turned around to face Twilight and was just about to speak when he found himself wrapped in a tight hug by Sandbar, Yona, Smolder, and Ocellus. Silverstream would've raced up as well, but she was unable to do so due to her injuries. The Dragon, Pony, Changeling, and Yak all saw this and made sure to leave a space large enough to allow the Hippogriff to carefully squeeze her way into the huddle to wrap her uninjured right arm around the old Griffon. All five creatures were crying tears of joy as they embraced Grampa Gruff, who was rather shocked at the five students' sudden actions, before his facial expression melted back into another warm smile. Eventually, the quintet broke away to allow Grampa Gruff to recover from their surprise gesture. He barely had any time to do so before the five students turned to face the crowd. "Attention everyone," announced Smolder. "Grampa Gruff's actions today have demonstrated what it truly means to be a great friend and what it means to be an example for others to lead by. My friends and I cannot put into words how much his actions to stop Neighsay from closing down the school mean to us and I'm sure you all feel the same way as well. So, as a token of our appreciation, we would like all of you to join us in saying a heartfelt, "thank you." Three cheers for Grampa Gruff!" "Hip hip!" said Smolder, Silverstream, Yona, Ocellus, and Sandbar together. "HOORAY!" yelled the crowd. "Hip hip!" said the five students. "HOORAY!" yelled the crowd. "Hip hip!" said the five students. "HOORAY!" yelled the crowd. Grampa Gruff just stood there in shocked silence as the crowd cheered. No one had ever congratulated him like this before. He was honestly at a loss for words. Gallus' friends and the teachers all crowded around him once more to continue expressing their gratitude for the old Griffon's good deed. "Griffon did great thing!" said Yona as she nuzzled Grampa Gruff. "Wow," Grampa Gruff said quietly. "Didn't think I'd get this much praise." "You saved the whole school, dude," said Sandbar. "That's not something to be overlooked." "Yeah," agreed Smolder. "We can continue fulfilling Gallus' wish thanks to you." Upon hearing Smolder's statement, Grampa Gruff began to tear up. It was still a little sad to think of Gallus and the struggles he had suffered through up until the end of his life, it also served as a reminder. A reminder to speak up for those who had trouble making their voices heard or no longer had a voice in the world. "Well I can't argue with that," agreed the old Griffon as he wiped away his tears. "However, it would be foolish of me not to say a thank you of my own to all of you. You supported me and helped walk me through this whole process and you strengthened the bonds between all of us and made us into a family. Not only that, but you also taught me a lesson too by making me realize just how much a little bit of kindness goes a long way. If it weren't for you all, I don't know where I'd be right now if Gallus was gone. There's no doubt in my mind that Gallus smiling down at all of us right now and hoping nothing but the best for all our journeys." The crowd erupted into another fit of cheers as they listened to Grampa Gruff's speech, filling him with pride once more. Once they settled back down, the old Griffon began to make his way down the front steps, followed by Celestia and Luna. "Hey, where are you going?" asked Rainbow Dash. "I'm heading back to Griffonstone," he replied, turning back to face the thirteen creatures. “Celestia and I heading back to our Castle in Canterlot,” added Luna. "Aww," Pinkie's smile drooped slightly. "Do you really have to go?" "As much as I, as well as the royal sisters, would love to stick around, we can't. Celestia and Luna have their own royal businesses to attend to back in Canterlot and I have to go back to Griffonstone to check up on Gilda," Grampa Gruff shot an unamused look in Rainbow Dash's direction. "She's still got a little bit of a hangover from the little game you two played at the New Year's party." "Oh," Rainbow blushed slightly and let out a nervous chuckle. "Yeah, I might've gotten too carried away that night." The others just rolled their eyes. "Rest assured, though, I will be dropping by to see how things are going with you all," Grampa Gruff finished. Gallus' friends, the teachers, the Princesses and Grampa Gruff all shared another group hug before Celestia, Luna, and he spread their wings and took to the sky back to Griffonstone and the Canterlot Castle. No one peeled their eyes away from them as they ascended in altitude until they were out of sight. Once the old Griffon and the Princesses were gone, Twilight turned around and opened the front doors to her school. "School is now back in session!" Twilight announced, turning toward the crowd of students. "Welcome back, everycreature!" With that, the students all raced inside the school to start their first class of the new year.