Griffon of Canterlot
Chapter 110.66: A Gark Surprise
Mark finished eating his hayburger, happily eating with the other leaders of their nations Princess Celestia, Luna, Nightingale, Silvite the Lord of Dragons, Alpha Pom-Pom of No-Yantic clan and Prime Minster Zipline. They had a table to themselves while the others ate in different locations through out the chamber, Gale was eating and wondering around the large circular map table.
Zipline drunk a bit of his tea and lower the cup to talk to Mark. “Prince Wells, Maple's debrief from her monthly stay showed that you've on the final stages of making direct contact with the humans on Earth.”
“We are, she was able to help with the minor details of the plans while Twilight figured out how to reconnect with the mirror here.” Mark responded. “Twilight still can't seem to figure out why it happened, she doesn't think it had anything to do with Keeper's tower between our two multiverses.”
“Gritter's report said the same thing, even Big Rig agreed that something else must of caused it, but we can't really tell what it is. So for now we have to go with the theory that Keeper's domain being our of sync with our universes on a temporary plain was the reason for it.” Zipline said and drunk a bit more of his tea.
Mark drunk a bit of his drink. “Either way we got to meet face to face because of the discovery of my own counterpart from this Equis,” Mark looked around the chamber stopping to see the fox Keeper Sentinel leaning back against a chair with legs crossed over and feet paws on the table, one hand resting against the back of his head and the other picking up chips from the plate resting on his lap.
Zipline noticed Mark was staring at the anthropomorphic fox. “I am aware of your last encounter with Mr Sentinel, but as you know now he is the reason this world has a Mark Wells, Project Angel gave him a life of Gark Wellsclaw”
“That is true Prime Minster, something about the way he acts get right under my fur.” Mark responded.
Luna looked over to Mark. “He has a unusual effect on many, even I find the way he acts at times a bit testy at best.”
Celestia pipped in. “He is 29,101 years old Prince Wells, Luna...”
“How is he that old and still looking that young?” Mark asked.
“He is a created.” Silvite rolled her eyes. “They have no limit to how long that live while that life crystal is activity inside them, they most likely will never look any different in age, and most are over 4000 years old.”
“Fair point, could Project Angel be the reason he like the way his is?” Mark couldn't disagree with Silvite and asked about how Keeper acts around others.
Celestia answers that very question. “Little over 17,000 years ago to Keeper's perspective, Grimormia Tower took heavy damage during the moment Keeper activated Project Angel, he had to send them to a Equis to save them.” Celestia picked up a chip holding it up to her beak. “Keeper spent most of it looking for them only to find out they were all on the very world he came to exist on over 4000 years ago.” She took a bite out of the chip,
Silvite looked over to the white anthropomorphic bunny gone over to the map table talking to Gale, the teenage griffon responding to him. “Gark, Angel Bunny and other animals with transfiguration abilities to boot.” The silver dragon causally said before biting into her gem burger.
“My counterpart with abilities similar to a changeling without being one, wonder if he used it other than the griffon form he took after crashing in the capsule outside Griffon-” Mark paused thinking about the comic book, he recalled who was the author of it and the larger than life character. “-stone... Gark became a dragon as well, not only that he created a connection with Anubis.”
Pom-Pom had noticed Leela going through her book, runes floating around her at a table, the little avian looked really anger, Rocky failing to calm her down getting a mouthful from Leela. He quickly raising the hand paws waving them backing away from her as she jabbed a hand talon claw at him. “I believe Leela has just made that discovery herself, that raccoon tried and failed to calm her down, she squawking mad with her brother Anubis.”
“How did she not know?” Luna asked.
Zipline had a rough idea what it was. “Like our written documents, including records that are achieved in paper encase of computer core failure on a scale that could wipe it data, we have systems disabled now but kept any that could access paper, drawings, statues and so fourth with magic.”
Celestia recalled the moment Leela able to access the kingdom of the Finch Griffons written works. “You lowered the magical dampening shields a few days ago, Leela's suddenly gained 150-200 years wealth of information from your kingdom.”
Mark using his magic picked up a few chips with the folk. “And you think Anubis did the same?” Mark ate the chips after asking the question.
“That Death Dragon most likely wanted to keep his close connections to Gark a secret, and created spells within everything to keep it away from Leela.” The way Luna presented why Anubis did it seem to got them wondering about his bond with Gark.
Nightingale looking through one of the comic books carefully looked at each page. “Aunty Luna I believe he used rune magic through out the comic book, each page holds a rune symbol within it art work.” Nightingale turn the book around showing it to them, pointing to each rune. “I in the Inverse Universe where it was my home for 799 years of my life also used this very rune spell in many of my own personal dairies.”
Celestia looked at the runes carefully. “Ah yes I recognize these runes, they are used through out in my private vault.” Celestia turn to Leela. “Leela has no idea these runes exist?”
“Most likely she can't see them, a spell that hides itself from her.” Chrysalis walk up to them with Penumbra and Shining Armor. “This worlds Grogar most likely created it, got lost in time till somepony or griff discovered it over the few thousand years. And adapted by many through out time, unaware of whom created it long ago.”
Celestia rub her talon under the beak. “It is possible that many spells that were made could have been created by Grogar during his time experimenting with my son...” Celestia watched Gale, Spike and Angel talking to each other at the map table, they curiously looking at the three dimensional rendering of the Frozen North. “The transfiguration spell that made my son what he is the moment of arriving at Canterlot the moment of Nightmare Moon being removed from you Luna, it used by all those of Project Angel.”
Shining Armor stepped up to speak. “We had a witness in the hospital confirm this, a nurse saw Gark transform into a pony before disappearing into the crowds outside it, soon after his son in law and great grand daughter both emerged with Doctor Trace searching for him.”
“Mark's counterpart was submitted to the hospital only a few hours after the mirror portals temporally misaligned.” Penumbra added. “I think there a connection between him and the mirror, just not sure what it is exactly.”
Keeper Sentinel's ears twitch, he didn't look at them but Mark felt as if something was near him, the alicorn quickly turn to come face to face with a sentinel hovering before him coming out of stealth. “Keeper have you been listening to everything we been saying!?” He quickly turn around at the fox causally eating his chips.
Keeper push off from the table and got off the chair putting the plate down, he scoops up the last of the chips and walk over to them eating the last of his food as he approached. “I have and been analysing everything, that including the damaged memory core from Grimornia Tower Sunflower gracefully gave to me.” Keeper does a finger motion for the sentinel to fly back to his side and vanish from view.
“And what have you discovered?” Chrysalis asked.
“Creator Gale, Angel Bunny and Spike all discovered the location of Prototower via the map, at this very moment the tower is partly viable because of the refraction of the sun's rays, that became part of the piece of this puzzle, second is the mirror portal and third is Mark's counterpart from our world with connections to Anubis.” Keeper stopped in front of Mark with both hand paws in his trouser pockets. “So your highness, would you like that hit you so wanted back in the rune communication chamber? I am open and willing to let you hit me with your famous lightning blast spell.”
Mark's horn sparked with electrical magical discharges. “You try to get under my fur everytime we met so far, why?”
Keeper kept a serious look on his expression. “I gave you the chance Mark Wells because I know I have got under your fu-” Keeper pause his pupils flicking different colours, suddenly he looked very shocked and confused. “-that can't be possible.” Keeper quickly turn to the map rushing over to it hoping over the levels of tables to reach the map. “Sentinels link Grimornia Tower with the crystal and the Finch Griffons systems!”
Everyone in the chamber took notice of this reaction. “What going on?” Penumbra demanded to know.
Keeper took a keyboard away from one of the finch griffons working near the map, he started tapping away on it fast. “My tower was hit by two reality waves over 17,000 years ago at the moment I activated Project Angel, because of that event I had to redirect the portal exit to a whole new point which happened to be here at different points in time.”
“We know that cause of me.” Angel gestured to himself. “And we heard about it before.”
“Yet it WHERE it came from that matters!” Keeper said as he worked on the keyboard.
Sunflower was about to act but Maple out a forepaw up. “Wait, I got a feeling something about me and Gruff being stuck in the Prince's universe is connected to it.”
“How?”
Glacier started to clue in on it. “No it can't be that, surely it can't!”
Gale tilt his head. “Is it the Shal-Quz Victory Timeline?”
“It is! The two reality waves that hit my tower came from that very timeline when Shal-Quz not only destroyed the Tree of Elysium, but the key building block to your universe too Mark Wells!” Keeper said sharply.
Chrysalis look upon her husband. “Mark that would mean-”
“Our universe was destroyed in that timeline, which mean for once changing the future by changing the past events was a better option...” Mark confirmed his deep gut feeling as well the others. “Fox, what happened to our world?”
Keeper looked over to him directly in the eyes. “Your world would have been the only one standing in the multiverse, she most likely went there and tore it to pieces of the fun of it, playing with you and the others like play things, and if the data I got from one of my sentinels from that timeline is correct, you were the only survivor and kept as a broken toy to that black rabbit...”
Mark's sighed. “So Twilight was right...”
“Right about what?” Twilight asked.
“My Twilight found something odd about the misalignment, something from that timeline came to our timeline...”
“You don't think it Shal-Quz?” Fluttershy shuddered to think of that rabbit returning.
Penumbra knew who it was. “Gark! If Anubis died in that timeline he most likely would of gave his magic up to someone close! It had to be Gark!”
“Yeah... my-”
“Our counterpart!” They all turn looking up to see Daring Do come down and land before them in a hero stance.
“Da-Daring Do!?” Most said with surprise.
“Not exactly, that isn't her, the mane colours are reveresed.” Dr Caballeron spoke walking up to her. “Also she would never do such a grandiose entrance like this one did.” The earth pony with a flick of the foreleg knock the hat off this 'Daring Do'. “Now who are you?”
With a smirk the pegasus transform into a light green griffon with cream underside of the neck to under the torso, brown head feathers and tail tip. “Gark Wellsclaw, formal Mark Wells 87 years ago at your survive and good to finally meet you my other universal self!” He gave a toothy beak smile to Mark.
“Oooo that a twist!” Skip and Pinkie said together and point at each other. “Jinx! Double Jinx!”
Mark was surprised by the sudden arrival through out what was happening, now this dropped on him. “You where here the WHOLE time!?”
“Pretty much, Daring Do is all tied up in the capsule over there.” He hints to the space capsule.
Sunflower looked through the window of the door to see her. “Well buck me silly, she is in here.” Sunflower turn to Gark. “How the heck did you manage that?”
The griffon walked around them, they all watching his movements. “Come with experience with shapeshifting and-” He felt a dark gaze fell upon him by Celestia, he swallowed hard seeing that look. “-and used it to get information at time to time.”
Celestia using her magic to hold him in place. “If you really are him, why do you look like you are in your twenties and not 129 years old about to turn 130!?”
Gark kept his smile. “Well that was because of whatever happened to that mirror, it effected me in rapidly reversing my age, Doctor Trace managed to slow it right down, but I am still getting younger and it going to kill me by the day after tomorrow, so my birthday be my very last full day at living, quite the way to go out huh? Looking dashingly handsomely young?”
Celestia frowned. “You really think I can believe that?”
A teleportation pop caught their attention, Trace with Amber, a elderly thestral and a charco black unicorn with light green mane and tail stood before them all. “Finally found you dad!” The elderly male thestral snapped at the green griffon.
“Hey Pens, nothing to worry about, just found out why your good ol' dad look this young.” He winked.
Penumbra looked at the old thestral. “Is that short for-”
“Penumous, I am a former royal guard and don't give a damn what going on in wherever we are, we been chasing around my dad for the last few days with help from the fraud investigator Amber and Doctor Trace.”
“Everytime we got close to finding him, he slipped by us again!” The mare growled. “Great Grandfather Gark, do you know how worried everyone was when you ran out of the hospital like that!?”
Gark looked around. “I guess a lot?”
Mark steps in. “Can we slow down for a moment, we in the middle of trying to well find-” He hint to Gark. “-him and the space station he came crashing down in 87 years ago.”
The unicorn stared at Mark for a moment. “Why do you look like GG Gark but as a-” She look to the wings and horn. “-Alicorn?”
“I and him and kinda the same but different, I am from the universe next door. And you are?”
“Eclipse Wellsclaw... I serve the in royal guard...” She turn to Celestia. “Princess what exactly have we teleported into and how much trouble is my Great Grandfather is in this time?”
The elderly Thestral grumbled. “Alot...”
“Indeed he is.” Luna said. “One for impersonating a Pegasus, two breaking into a meeting among leaders of many nations-”
“You allowed in cause you thought I was the tied up adventurer up there.” He hint to the capsule.
Luna's cold gaze fell upon him. “Not the point, you also had the pull doctor chase you around which means you know about the mirror portal, about my nephew and so much more, which mean you violated a lot of rules because you shapeshifted into guards too.”
“Hehe maybe one or two.”
“Sally can you believe this is my counterpart?”
“Mark he said his going to die in two days, if you were him and heard about what happened in the convention, would you not do the same in his claws?” Chrysalis causally pointed out to Mark Wells.
The prince open his muzzle than close it, he tried to find a way to counter it but nothing came to mind. “You got a point... I may have acted the same way, specially if rapid deaging would be the reason that my life come to a end...”
“What a strange handsome way to go, it not something I would like...” Rarity shuddered.
“Me too Rarity... it feels so unnvervin'” Applejack said.
Zipline stepped up. “It does make things easier, difficult and interesting at the same time, got to say this is unexpected, but interesting.”
Slivite shrugged. “It happened, we just have to press forward.”
Rainbow Dash looked around. “Well what else can go wr-”
Gilda quickly grabbed her beak and Alpha pinned her to the floor. “NEVER SAY THAT!?” They said together.
Rainbow managed to speak. “What? It can't can it?”
Suddenly the doors open and Sunbeam rushes in. “Princess Celestia! We got a huge problem!”
“What is it?”
“Anubis with a blue dragon are fighting a Death Dragon outside Canterlot!”
The wolf and griffon glared at Rainbow Dash still holding her down. “Hehe, I guess it can?”
Keeper standing at the map table looking at the screen before him. “Prototower has been reactivated... Chorosystems have been shut down for a week.”
“What does that mean?” Spyro asked.
“It means that death dragon only came from the Victory Timeline.”
“And that death dragon must be Gark right?” Spike suggested.
Keeper sighed putting the keyboard down. “Yes it does... but he did more than brought himself over from that timeline...”
Gale watch the fox press his hand paws down on the table lower his head. “How many more?”
“Three hundred plus at least...”