The drab formality of the Griffon Archives could not be understated. A rather cross Griffon sat behind an unpolished four legged desk in the middle of a grey room with grey walls, grey carpet and a clock that ticked away the monotony moment by moment. A queue of Griffons and ponies, all with some dull business or another, stretched out in front of the desk. Those who had already seen reception were relegated to sitting within sagging furniture devoid of magazines or newspapers so that their miserable and meaningless lives were stolen away by the ticking of that clock.
Donut Joe, dressed in his best suit and tie, was nearing the front of the line. The Griffon ahead of him was stressing over some bureaucratic misdemeanor that the receptionist couldn't give any less of a damn. Once the business was either concluded or neglected, Joe was able to approach the desk. On the edge of the desk sat a small wooden block with interchangeable sliding panels that showcased the date for the patrons’ convenience. The panels confirmed that it was the thirteenth day of the month.
The Griffon receptionist’s expression soured and curdled at the sight of a pony approaching his position. Joe imagined that the Griffon most likely detested the prospect of a pony wearing such elaborate dress. Joe amused himself with his own audacity and allowed the annoyed Griffon to squirm a bit before he spoke.
“Um, hello there,” Joe feigned a sickening naivety, “is this the Griffon Archive?” Joe made sure his smile was particularly innocent and stupid.
“That’s what the sign outside says, yes.” The irritation on the receptionist’s voice burned like coal. He added, “You stupid pony.” Which was probably supposed to be spoken under the breath but the receptionist clearly didn't care who heard him.
Joe continued his inane questioning, “I was wondering if I may have a browse through some literature? I love me a good book.”
Joe could see the Griffon’s temples throbbing. “This isn't a library. An even if it were, inferior ponies are strictly forbidden to view the contents of the archives. Now leave the premises or you shall face the consequences.” The threat was void of any real merit or intimidation.
“Ok, ok. No need to get your feathers ruffled.” Joe said in his overly joyful tone. He meandered away from the desk to let the next poor schmuck deal with the crotchety Griffon. He loitered near a far wall and whistled a chipper tune loud enough so that everyone, especially that Griffon, would hear him and focus their attention on him. “Say,” Joe called out to the receptionist whilst he was mid sentence, “is your clock correct?” The Griffon stumbled his words in ire as he attempted to sort out a Pegasus that somehow lost their identification papers or some other sort of oppressive bureaucracy.
“Always!” was his only remark. The clock on the wall ticked away while Joe idly loitered in the lobby whistling to his heart’s content. The Griffon eventually had to draw his attention away from his duty and turned to Joe. “I believe you were leaving, pony?”
“Oh yes, right! Thanks for the reminder!” Joe cheered.
But Joe took his sweet time as he waltzed only slightly towards the exit. Joe waited and focused on the ticking clock until only a couple of Griffon were in line at the desk. Joe made a show out of checking his watch and comparing it to the clock on the wall. He shook his hoof near his ear and wore very confused eyebrows. When the next guest finished their business, Joe rudely cut ahead and addressed the Griffon again.
“Excuse me, “ Joe said, “You did say that your clock is correct, yeah?”
Joe could tell by the twitching of the Griffon’s claw that he would like nothing more than to tear out Joe’s throat. “Griffon clocks are always correct!” The lovely Griffon’s voice screeched and roared in frustration. Joe, still smiling, nodded towards the Griffon and casually covered his ears with his hooves.
Before the receptionist could even raise an eyebrow in confusion, the archives were rocked by a mighty tremor. Loose stone and dust fell from the ceiling and walls as the booming explosion rocked the lobby.
“Really?” Joe smirked through the rumbling, “It seems to me it’s a couple seconds off.”
The few Griffons that remained in the lobby immediately took to the exit. The receptionist instinctively hit the floor and coward under his desk. He started grabbing papers within his drawers and quickly stuffed them into a small briefcase. As sound returned after the deafening bang, the cries and wails of panic filled the air. Several Griffon fled from a nearby iron rod door. Joe, after making sure that none of the Griffons were bothered to pay him any mind, entered the room and into the inner hallways of the Griffon Archives.
The tightly packed corridors of the archives were a turbulent sea of feathers and flying paper. All Throughout the building, the Griffons and pony servants struggled to safeguard the vital paperwork and tomes that were stored within. This of course led to a chaotic storm of grabbing any stack of whatever and rushing it out the building as fast as possible. The lack of any obvious leadership combined with the horribly compact hallways laid course to Griffons squeezing and shoving and clawing their way through whatever got in their way. Smaller ponies were trampled and paperwork flew in every direction imaginable.
It was most difficult for Joe because unlike everyone else in the building who were trying to make their way out, Joe was attempting to get deeper into the facility. In every hallway he had to push against a wave of panicked Griffons. Thankfully most Griffons were too awash in a state of panic to even noticed that a pony was making his way into the restricted hallways.
Joe had studied and memorized the archive’s layouts from the blueprints several times. However, in the heat of the moment, when Joe’s vision was blurred by a snowfall of discarded paper and feathers, his sense of direction failed him. Joe was left to look through every door in every hallway he came across. behind most doors were either abandoned clerk stations or libraries with fallen shelves. In one such library, a Griffon security guard that was more to his senses recognized Joe as an intruder. He called out for assistance but no one came. The guard was forced to rush at Joe himself. Joe wrestled against the Griffon and was able to knock him out with a punch.
Joe ventured deeper into the archives. In every hallway there were fewer and fewer Griffons to push against. Most of the personnel had evacuated which allowed Joe to better collect his bearings. Eventually he reached a corridor he recognized from the plans. A short hallway with only a pair of double doors at the far end. A simple placard beside the door read ‘Authorized Personnel Only. Not an Exit.’
Joe charged through the doors with the bulk of his body. The room was very tiny. There were no windows on the unpainted walls and it only contained two small bookshelves, both toppled over, and a tiny desk cluttered with paper. In the center of the room was a stone pedestal. Sitting on the pedestal was a large and heavy looking book bound in quality green leather. The book was closed and the cover had no writings or markings, but even still Joe recognized instantly just what the book was. At the base of the pedestal, Rose was shrunk into a quivering ball. She covered her head with her hooves and tears dribbled down her eyes. Joe picked her up and looked into her grey-green eyes to calm her down.
“Joe?” She quivered, “What’s going on?”
“Sorry I had to scare ya like this.” Joe said calmly but quickly, “Now pull yourself together, little filly. I take it this is the Grimoire?”
Joe didn't even wait for Rose to confirm. He picked up the book, which was even heavier than it looked and started to cram it into his saddlebag. It took the combine force of both of his hooves and his horn to cram the enormous tome into a compartment that was half its size. Miraculously, the book vanished into the dark confines of the bags along with the folded up frame of a large catapult. Joe couldn't even feel the weight.
“What’s going on?” Rose cried in horror, “I thought the plan was set for tomorrow? Today’s only the thirteenth!”
“Hell of a time to be superstitious!” Joe barked. From beyond the walls of the archives he could hear the wailing of brass sirens and numerous voices. He was impressed, but not surprised, by SkyClaw’s response time. He just hoped he wasn't too late. “Come on. Don’t bother packing anything, just get your tush out of here, now!”
Rose winced slightly at Joe’s barking orders but she obeyed as easily as she obeyed any order in her life and ran down the corridors alongside Joe. To her surprise, Joe ran down a corridor that led away from any building entrance.
“Where are you taking me?” she stopped to ask.
Joe grunted in frustration and grabbed her hoof to keep her galloping. They arrived at the storeroom, or at least what was left of it. The walls were blackened and crumbled away into mounds of debris. A massive, gaping hole was where the floor once existed. The hole led into a dark passage that ran underground and standing in the mouth of the hole was Cloak Daggers holding in his hooves some type of remote with a red button on it. When Daggers saw Rose, he flared his cape with a flap of his wings and tipped his hat to her.
Rose blinked in confusion but Joe practically shoved her into the hole. Rose slid down the dirt and rubble and into Daggers who stopped her with his wings.
“Glad to see you could join us, my dear!” Daggers raved loudly, “I take it you've brought the Griffon’s Grimoire, Con?”
Joe slid down after Rose and lit his horn to illuminate the tunnel. “It’s in the saddlebags!”
“Good, yes, very good!” Daggers cheered, “It won’t be long until all the Griffons in the Nest become ravenous. I suggest we make our exhuant!”
“But where do we escape?” asked Rose, “There is nowhere to run!”
“Do you have so little faith in me, my dear? Trust me I have taken care of that problem as well. But first we must escape the colony.”
Joe charged ahead into the tunnel. “In that case, quit yer yammering and hurry up! On the double, you two!”
Joe led the charge down the dark tunnel which led into the sewers, his horn casting an emerald light on the concrete walls. Pools of stagnant water puddled at their feet and splashed up onto their undersides as they ran as fast as they could through the darkness. Occasionally, low hanging pipework forced the trio to hang their heads low and move more slowly. As they made their way deeper into the darkness, the telltale squeaks of rats echoed through the rocks. Rose gulped down her fear and tread forward. At one junction, Joe’s hornlight flooded an off shooting tunnel and frightened an entire nation’s worth of rats that stormed out of the hole in a stream of panic. The floor of the tunnel became a river of squeaking grey fur, muddy toenails, worm-like tails and beady eyes. Rose screamed loudly and shut her eyes to the filthy rodents.
Daggers apologetically put a wing around her but that didn't stop her from collapsing to her knees.
“Suck it up, we have to keep moving!” Joe barked.
Daggers shot Joe an acidic glance and continued to console the crying filly. “There there, my dear. Yes, I know. This will not do, Con. We must find another way!”
“Dammit all!” Joe spat. Joe looked around desperately. He knew they couldn't go back the way they came. It was only a matter of time before the Griffons found the tunnel and followed them if they hadn't already. Joe then noticed some poorly fastened iron bars sticking out of the stone. He looked up and saw a maintenance hatch that led into the sewers. Joe had hoped to avoid galloping through the streets of the colony but it looked like he had no choice. Joe charged his horn and levitated the heavy metal covering. A bream of daylight shot into the sewers and frightened the rats even more.
Daggers grabbed Rose and flew her up out of the hole while Joe carefully climbed the makeshift ladder. When they were out of the sewers, they noticed that they were only a few blocks away from the archives. The citizens of the colony were all either running frantically or standing in a daze after the explosion that likely rocked most of the colony. In the skies, armored Griffons continued to emerge from the Great Storm Cloud from the direction of Gregorgrad with spears in their claws. Other Griffons roamed the streets, forcing the ponies back into their quarters. Joe looked down at his clothes and his coat. All three of them were covered in mud and filth and smelled repulsive. With discretion not on their side, they had to move fast. Daggers whistled sharply and drew his comrades’ attentions down an alleyway. Daggers took the lead through the city streets in an attempt to avoid any Griffons’ wandering eyes.
They made their way to the train station. The entrance to the station was occupied by many members of SkyClaw. Joe silently cursed their luck.
Daggers commanded silently, “As soon as you can, head for the Friendship Express and hop on. Don't let anything stop you. You must make sure you get on that train!”
“Wait, are you--” Before Joe could finish, Daggers took to the skies. He flew towards the Griffon guards that were busy arguing with the conductor. The Griffons weren't letting the train leave and the conductor was furious as he was behind schedule as it was. Right as the conductor was in the middle of calling the soldiers ‘chicken legged Hydra dung’ the yellow Pegasus flew in and shrouded the faces of one of the Griffons with a rather foul smelling black cloak. Daggers landed and slapped the beak of another Griffon with his tail, leaving a streak of off-colored water plastered across his face. The Griffons screech-roared at Daggers who, after a taunting flap of his flank, took to the skies. The angered and pride-hurt Griffons took to the skies after him. Joe understood and grabbed Rose’s hoof.
“This is our chance! Hurry!”
Joe and Rose made their way into the station. Several ponies of all three races were huddled around the train. Most of them were angry at the conductor and irritated at the long hold up. The train was huffing and steaming and the conductor looked around to see if anymore members of SkyClaw remained. He glanced at his pocket watch with determined eyebrows and yelled out to his passengers. “All Aboard! For the Friendship Express! We’re behind schedule so move it ponies! We’ll check for tickets once we get moving! This train is bound for Buffalo’s Roam on route to Canterlot! All aboard!”
Joe grasped at Rose’s hoof far more tightly than he had meant to. His eyes were on the train. The herd of passengers were being rushed in quickly by the desperate conductor. Joe practically fell onto his round muzzle when Rose suddenly halted her gallop.
“What in the blazes is the matter with you, Rose!?” he yelled. Rose pointed her hoof at one of the windows of the train. Inside sat a rather surly and stern looking Griffon.
“That Griffon!” She screamed in panic, “That’s Guile, a member of Griffon Nest security!”
Joe grabbed Rose again and pulled her roughly. “Never mind about him! We got to get on that train!”
The conductor stood on the platform and halfheartedly looked around once more for passengers. He was about to raise his hoof to signal to driver but Joe called out to him.
“You barely made it.” said the conductor. Joe and Rose hopped on board the train and nearly knocked the conductor over. The conductor sneered at the rude passengers and covered his nose from their foul smell.
The conductor did not waste any more time. He signal the driver and the Friendship Express slowly gained speed. The conductor retired into the train and so did not see what happened next. A small battalion of SkyClaw flew towards the platform. They were chasing a yellow Pegasus who was suspected of attacking the Griffon Archives. The Pegasus landed at the station platform and was surrounded on all sides by SkyClaw. Their spears were at the ready. Cloak Daggers put on a brave face as he searched for a way out. The train was nearing the end of the platform. Daggers grabbed the brim of his hat for courage and guidance as the Griffons readied their spears. But then something caught the Daggers’ attention. The sound of galloping hooves was growing louder and louder. It was even drowning out the train’s engine. When Daggers looked out towards the entrance to the station he saw something large galloping towards them. The galloping hooves distracted the Griffons and Daggers took the opportunity to soar straight up. But just as the Griffon were about to follow the criminal into the sky, the charging mass crashed into the group of soldiers. The griffons were sent flying to the ground as the thing kept charging. The SkyClaw squad leader looked up from the floor and saw what appeared to be a grey colored stallion jump into the door of the speeding train just as it was leaving the station. As the train sped off towards the horizon, the Griffon saw, standing on the lookout platform on the caboose, that yellow Pegasus smiling confidently and waving his wide brimmed hat in the air in farewell.