If there was one thing Twilight wanted after Dante and his friends had left Ponyville with Prince Frostfeather and the last twenty Griffons that hadn’t been captured, it was a little piece and quiet to collect her thoughts and get back to her normal routine. Seeing their alien friends off to the Griffon homelands had gone off without so much as a hiccup, something she was incredibly grateful for.
Most of Ponyville had actually turned out for out the event and everypony had said their fond farewells and wishes for a safe trip before they left. Fluttershy and Rarity had been a little reluctant to stop fussing over Sam and a rather sore looking Moe, but they had let them onto the Griffon Airship without much argument. Applejack and her siblings all had shown up and each of them gave Coppa a few things for his journey, the largest of which was the packed bags Granny Smith had given to him with only the ambiguous statement of their contents, calling them “somethin to give you a bit of pep in yer step”. Nopony really knew what she had put in those bags, not even Coppa since Granny had made him swear up and down not to look yet, but he had thanked her profusely even as she nearly suffocated him with a sweater she had made. As for Dante, Twilight had given him nearly thirty books out of the many they had discussed the night before. He had taken them all, putting them in that strange void of a bag he carried with him, and gave her a hug before wishing her well and setting off with the rest of them.
After that bit of excitement had died down, she and the girls had met the Princesses in the library to discuss what had happened. What had ensued was probably the worst one sided argument between the hot headed member of her circle of friends and that of the composed Princesses. It had ended with Rainbow Dash nursing her ego and the Princesses leaving to pay their respects and arrange for proper burials for their fallen friends in that sunken cave under the Everfree. After that, Twilight had thought she would have gotten a bit of time in which she could organise herself and follow what Beleth had told her back in the castle. Being told they were not to go after Dante was probably the biggest obstacle in her way, not counting the absence of a way to catch up to them. Had she gotten a small window of peace and quiet, maybe she would have come up with something.
Unfortunately, her fuming friend of a pegasus had ruined that by crashing into Twilight’s living room and re-opening the covered hole from two nights before.
So here she was, with her friends, half listening to the Element of Loyalty as she vented.
“Oh, you can’t go with us because you’re the Elements of Harmony! You’d just get in the way! We don’t want you to get hurt! Well buck you flankhole, I never even wanted to go on some stupid adventure to the Griffon Kingdoms and fight monsters.” Her tirade was becoming almost too much to bear for some of her friends. Some appeared as exasperated as Twilight was while others, namel Pinkie Pie and Applejack, looked ready to burst out laughing as Rainbow Dash’s rant became a series of noises and jumbled words which made no sense. If Twilight recalled correctly, Dash was soon going to pass the anger stage in the process of accepting the situation. Soon she’d be a little depressed about being left behind, but then she’d go on to accepting her situation and moving on.
“You know what? We should just go on our own adventure and fight monsters without them! And when they complain about being left behind, I’ll just say, ‘oh, you’re just gonna drag us down and we don’t want you to get hurt!”
Or she could just decide to stay in the anger phase for a little while longer…
Twilight had began to contemplate getting up and leaving; Dash probably wouldn’t even notice. That process of thought ended when she saw Rarity. Whether she realised it or not, the pegasus’ continued indignant behaviour only seemed to push Rarity over the edge. “That’s enough Rainbow Dash, you’re embarrassing yourself and you should realise that by now! They went off without us for good reasons. I, for the life in me, can not understand why you must throw such a hissy fit over being not included in one little event. We are a main part of Equestria’s safety, why do you not see that?”
“So you’re fine with letting your coltfriend run off into the Griffon Kingdoms while he leaves you behind?”
“Of course not!” Rarity snapped back. “I do not like my situation any more than you do, and I would gladly jump at the first opportunity to go with them. Unlike you however, I can put aside my personal feelings about this and accept my position in the situation.”
Twilight only got to five before Rainbow Dash turned her attention to the white unicorn and unloaded on her. Whether or not Rarity had hoped to silence her brash friend with her statement or if she was acting on emotion, Twilight couldn’t tell, but the only thing that had come about was the new verbal onslaught that was taking place in her drafty living room. She could almost feel her mind becoming numb with each passing moment the two continued. It was almost a relief when there was a knock on the door.
Taking her chance, Twilight got up and moved away from the shouting match. It wasn’t as though she wanted them to continue yelling at each other, but there really wasn’t anything she could have done. She didn’t feel as though there was anything she could say to calm them at this moment. She sighed to herself, a feeling of uselessness plaguing her more than that of annoyance. That evaporated quickly as she opened the door and saw the mare who had been standing behind it.
“Mom?”
“Sweetie! How’re you doing?” Twilight Velvet exclaimed as she hugged her daughter. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything important.”
“Mom? What’re you doing here?” Twilight asked, still trying to process the sudden appearance of her mother.
Velvet beamed as she nuzzled her daughter affectionately. “Is there some reason why your mother shouldn’t be concerned about her little filly?” She gave an exaggerated pout when she broke away. “Whatever happened the little filly who was practically glued to my side and always wanted me to tuck her in with Ms. Smartypants?”
“Mom…” Twilight deadpanned at her mother’s theatrical display. As much as she loved the mare, Twilight Velvet had both her moments of seriousness and those when she could thoroughly embarrass her children. This moment, however, was interrupted as the argument inside grew loud enough to reach the door. Twilight Velvet gave her daughter a questioning glance before Twilight sighed. “There was a little bit of a mixed reception when Dante and his friends left. I don’t think you want to get involved in that.”
Velvet waved her hoof. “Nonsense, I know how to deal with this. All it needs is a mother’s touch,” she said as she dropped her playful demeanor. “Now please let me inside so she can administer a bit of tough love.”
Without a word, Twilight stood aside and let Velvet into the library. The mare passed her with a small whisper of thanks and went into the living room. Rarity and Rainbow Dash were still arguing, but now Applejack had entered the fray while Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy desperately tried to calm them down in their own respective ways. None of them even spared a glance at Twilight and her mother as they entered.
“That is quite enough!” Velvet shouted. Though it wasn’t the loudest voice in the room, it had the incredible effect of silencing everypony there. The sheer authority it carried made every mare in that room lower their heads and fold their ears back instinctively. Immediately, Velvet turned to the three mares in the centre of the room. “You three, on your rumps. Now.”
Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack quickly sat themselves down on the floor and gulped as Velvet seemingly towered over them. “I am disappointed in all three of you mares. A screaming match is not how we solve our problems. If you three were my foals and a few years younger, I’d have you each nursing a sore flank and sent to your rooms to think about how foolish you were acting,” she added. “Now every one of you is going to listen to what I have to say. No ifs, ands, or buts.”
Twilight winced at the words. She had never actually experienced such a punishment, but any thoughts of rebellion when she was young had been done away with when her brother had suffered a particularly specific punishment for sneaking out of the house. Shining armor had never said what Twilight Velvet had made him do, but he was behaving like a polite colt who did what his parents asked without a second thought.
“I don’t have to listen to you. I’m an adult!” Rainbow Dash retorted. Her moment of rebelliousness ended immediately as Velvet turned her menacing glare upon the blue pegasus. All confidence in her voice faded with her defiance, and the rest of them watched as she shrunk slightly. “Y-you’re not my mom…”
“No, I am not your mother. Nor will I ever be. But you are not the first bratty foal I’ve met and you certainly won’t be the last. I don’t know how long it took your mother to bring you into this world, but I sure as tartarus can reform you into a polite and courteous mare who respects those more experienced than them. Do you understand me, Ms. Rainbow Dash?”
“Y-y-yes m-ma’am…”
In the instant of compliance, Velvet dropped her authoritative face for that of a warm smile. “Good, now that I have all your attention, I am incredibly surprised to see that you’re all still here and not chasing after your friends. Why is that?”
“They told us to stay here and Celestia agreed with them. Now we’re stuck here and missing out on the coolest adventure ever,” Dash answered dejectedly before she began stamping the ground in frustration. “It’s not fair at all!”
“So why don’t you do something about it?”
Everypony stared at Velvet as though she had grown a second head. “Because both Dante and the Princesses said to stay here since the Elements of Harmony are too important to risk going to the Griffon Kingdom,” Twilight explained while everypony else let their silence speak for them. It hardly seemed to faze Velvet, whom had taken a spot on the living room couch and was occupying herself with a book.
“I don’t often care to repeat myself, but I’m going to ask again: What is stopping you from ignoring the both of them? Princess Celestia may be your teacher, Twilight, but she can’t dictate what you do. Besides, it is not as though she would punish you harshly for doing what you thought was right and assisting in containing a neighboring country’s turmoil from spilling over the border,” Velvet said as she closed the book and levitated it towards a shelf with her magic. “Listen you six, I am going to be going into the kitchen to fetch some tea for myself and to ask Spike if he would like some as well. It may take me a little while since I have no idea where Twilight keeps her tea leaves, and I often get distracted by thinking of how much I’d love to house-sit this library, but I am sure I can manage.” She lifted a hoof as Twilight went to speak and shushed the unicorn. “My air balloon is also in the field near the school, unattended and ready to leave at a moment’s notice.” She gave them all a knowing smirk as she left the couch and stopped just outside the kitchen doorway. “But while I am getting my tea ready, don’t any of you think of leaving and going after your friends!”
Velvet hummed to herself as she left the six of them bewildered and glancing at each other. “So she wants us to leave, take her balloon, and go to the Griffon Kingdom?” Twilight asked to approving nods. She shrugged her shoulders and heard a muffled laugh come from within the kitchen just before she turned to the door. “Well then girls, I think it’s time to see if an Equestrian hot air balloon can catch up with a Griffon Airship.”
“No argument here,” Rainbow Dash said, pumping her legs. Her excitement quickly turned to puzzlement as each of the non-pegasus ponies all turned their attention on her. “Uh, what’s going on?”
Rarity held a hoof to her mouth, chortling as Dash swallowed nervously. “Why dear, you won’t be riding in the balloon, you’re going to be the one pushing us along.”
*****
At nearly a thousand feet in the air, the personal airship of Prince Frostfeather cut through the sky as its three propellers pushed it forward towards the lands of the Griffons. It was a masterful creation of wood and metal, held aloft by the lattice work of rope that connected the gondola to the series of gas bags which were contained within a larger balloon. There was no doubt that the aptly named Skyrender was the epitome of Griffon ingenuity and craftsmanship. Even the gondola was comfortable and spacious with its many rooms, each with their own hammock, storage chest, desk, and pellet heater. However, the image of the grand ship was marred only by the deep gouges and scorch marks that littered the entirety of the Skyrender’s body, ruining the once lustrous coat of vibrant red paint that had adorned the gondola. So grave was the damage that they had been forced to stop three times in the past few hours, due to engine failure and issues with the gas bags. A simple half day’s journey had almost tripled since they had left.
Dante watched from his desk as some of the crew members of the ship flew past, connected to the gunwales of the gondola by sturdy rope, and made hasty repairs to the body of the ship, nailing new sheets of metal and wood wherever they were needed. The constant sound of hammering rang clearly even the room he had taken for the journey. By this point in the trip, it had just become background noise as he gingerly read through the thousand year old tome he had been allowed to borrow from the Princess on the promise he’d care for it with his life. A promise he fully intended to keep if he wanted to avoid the wrath of Celestia.
He closed the book just as there was knock on the door before it creaked open. Turning, Dante found Prince Frostfeather standing in the entrance way. He looked exactly as he had when they had first met, but the air of vulnerability was still present. "May I come in?" he asked quietly. Even his voice had lost its false edge from their first meeting, replaced by slight insecurity. The tray he was holding trembled so much that the two cups and teapot on it danced dangerously close to the edge, making Dante wonder just how many times they had almost fallen before the Prince had arrived in his cabin.
"Of course," Dante replied and offered his chair to the Griffon. He had not seen a single trace of the Prince since they had left Ponyville. Whether he had deliberately avoided him or was just too busy to sit down with his passengers, Dante didn’t know. The Prince set the tray down on the desk and carefully poured its contents into the two cups. Tentatively, he offered Dante a steaming cup and with a murmur of thanks, he took it and inhaled the sweet scent that wafted from the greenish liquid in the simple cup. One eyebrow arched as he switched between looking at the Prince and his cup. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
“It’s Moutainroot tea. Brewed from a plant near the castle grounds,” Frostfeather said with a weak chuckle before he sipped from his cup. Dante followed suit and took a tentative sip, only to find himself pleasantly surprised with its slightly bitter taste. He heard the Prince chuckle before he raised his own cup to his mouth. “My mother and I grew it in our garden, though my father was none too pleased when he found out. He said that the heir shouldn’t have a hobby for females and that I should be training my sword arm. I found that growing things helped me relax more than hitting a stuffed bag.”
“That’s a shame on his part, you have quite the talent for this,” Dante replied, sharing a quiet laugh with him. He quickly blew on the liquid before he took another sip and placed the cup on his desk. “I realise the situation and judging by our descent, I can assume we’re nearly at the outskirts of your home. Though it isn’t how close we are to your home that has been bothering you, is it? There’s something more to it from what I can tell. I don't use it often, but one of the skills my race has is knowing the emotional states of those around us."
The Griffon Prince took a final sip of his tea before he set his cup down and fiddled with his claws. “I could have stayed… its what my father would have don- did. I could have fought alongside him and maybe I would have made a difference in the end.” A wry look settled on his face, twisting it with shame. “Instead I ran, escaped with my guards and hid like a coward. I don’t deserve to be an heir and I am an utter failure as a Griffon.”
Dante was a little more curt in his response than he would have liked, but a situation like this needed to be resolved quickly. “No. You’re just not seeing the bigger picture.”
“What else is there to see?!” Frostfeather moaned. “My kingdom is in turmoil and all I did was run off with my tail between my legs. What sort of leader abandons their people when they needed me?"
Dante sighed and rubbed his temple. "I don't know much about Griffon culture, but I see what you did in a different way entirely and I am sure others will agree with me."
"How do you see it then?"
"You are a figurehead, the heir to the throne and the future leader of every Griffon in your kingdom. That is who you are and that is how it will stay," Dante said calmly. “You did escape from the Kingdom after Ravenn attacked, but you did not go into hiding. Most importantly, you did not abandon your people.” He took a moment and watched as the Prince took in his words. Dante felt oddly proud of himself. Many times he had been in this situation and Principle Feinman had reassured him. Now it was him giving the pep talks. “You did what any intelligent leader would do. Had you fallen with your father and people, there would have been no hope for your kingdom. Instead, you went directly to another kingdom you knew would make an effort to help you. Now you have given your people and your kingdom a chance to escape and recuperate.”
“I never…” The Prince trailed off, slightly dumbfounded. Dante retrieved his cup and began sipping his drink while keeping an eye on Frostfeather. It took a minute of the griffin muttering to himself before he found the strength to state anything. “Dante, I must ask something of you. It concerns my people.”
Dante nodded. “Go ahead, your highness.”
“Ravenn used my people as a way to get into the Kingdom. He has them under his control by some means. I don’t know how, but I know he will use them as a first line of defence,” Frostfeather said. “If it comes down to it, and we have to fight any of the citizens he’s possessed, there is one thing I must ask: please-”
Dante held his hand up and stopped Frostfeather from continuing. “I realise your feelings and the subject was on my mind since we left Ponyville.” The smirk was gone from his face, replaced by the cold and serious look he had that made each of his friends respect him as the leader of their team. The fact his eyes seemed to glow slightly when ever he put on the display also helped win a few previous arguments. It seemed to work on Frostfeather as well since he had more than just the complete attention of the griffon, but a small measure of awe as well. “I can’t promise you that there will not be any casualties; situations like these are never that forgiving. Rather, I can only promise you that we will try.”
The Prince sighed with a weak smile and nodded. “Thank you. As long as you and your friends try, then I will be content with that." There was a slight tone in his voice and Dange felt the shift from doubt into a slight sense of mirth. "You are quite different than from what the Princess told of. Much more assured than-"
"A depressed magician with a chip on his shoulder and a demon in his soul? It was a bit of a recent development," Dante interrupted much to the Prince's amusement. The two shared a chuckle and allowed their conversation to settle on a happy moment.
There was a sudden lurch in the ship and Dante stood up to see that the clouds around them had started to rise. The land beneath them began to become more detailed with each passing minute and Dante held his breath as he saw the expanse of the territory held by the Griffons. “Beautiful isn’t it?” Frostfeather asked.
Dante nodded. Though it was only a small area outside the capital, Dante could not help himself from being impressed by the landscape. Vast tracts of forest surrounded a small range of mountains. Small meadows broke the sea of conifers, presenting small dots and squares of light green in which Dante assumed they'd be landing on.
In the distance, among the mountains, was the Griffon capital, Reiksadler. Though it was too far to see much detail, Dante could still make out the city built into the mountains. It reminded him of Canterlot slightly, but with unpainted, rough stone in the place of vibrant colours. It was large and gothic in appearance, invoking a sense of power and brilliance. Vast tracts of the mountain’s side had been carved out, forming a network of buildings and platforms topped with raised spires and buttresses. He had read that the view tricked the eyes into believing on the face of the fortress was simply carved into the mountain. In truth, they had been cut from out of a much larger section. Such was the determination of the architects of the kingdom that had remade the very face of the mountain into their home.
Yet, the mountain hadn't been able to contain the growing population it seemed. On the slopes near the fortress was the growing sea of houses and streets spilling over the round defensive wall that separated the city from the forest around it. A band of individual plots of farmland added to the buffer between the two areas, creating a gap nearly a mile wide around the mountain. Dante may not have known much about warfare, but he could tell that there was enough protection and resources to make any attack on the city very difficult and bloody. It was little wonder Ravenn had used the citizens to get into the city rather than assaulting it entirely.
He felt a tap on his shoulder and he heard Frostfeather clear his throat. "We should be landing in a few minutes. We'll be setting up camp after everything is accounted for and then we can discuss what our course of action will be." He made his way to the door and looked back for a moment. “I’ll see you after everything is finished. In the meantime, perhaps it is best if we all rested before we begin.”
“Of course,” Dante said. The Prince closed the door behind him leaving Dante in the small cabin alone. He poured himself another cup of the tea and drained the cup in one draught. As comforting as the liquid was, it did little to help the pit forming in his stomach. He sighed and gazed at the mountain fortress one last time before it was lost from view. There was something odd about the place. It almost seemed as though there was a force calling out to him. It seemed familiar, almost like a tiny whisper niggling at the back of his mind and wrenching at his heart.
Shaking his head, he tried to banish the thought and succeeded in reducing it to an afterthought. Now wasn't the time for him to be distracted. There was too much at stake and he needed a clear head. He had no doubt he'd come across whatever it was, but he would deal with it then. His primary goal was to make sure they all made it to the fortress.
He massaged his temple as he laid down in his hammock. A quick rest would do him wonders for stress and it was unlikely he was going to get much sleep tonight. A smile curled his lips and his red eyes closed as his thoughts drifted back to the quiet night of laughter and calm as he and a purple unicorn read through half of the Golden Oaks Library.
That smile turned to a frown as he found himself longing for that quiet night and the happiness it brought. A part of him wondered if Twilight had listened to him and stayed in Ponyville. It would have been like her, and he knew she was too intelligent to act rashly. Another part of him however, as small as it was, wondered if it was possible that she’d break her cardinal rule of following Celestia and come after them.
“What are you doing now?” he whispered to the window , a feeling of hope in his chest. He shook the latter thought from his mind. It was a crazy idea and dangerous. There was no chance she’d follow him, least of all go behind her beloved mentor. It saddened him, but he was glad he knew her well enough to guess what she would do.
With a heavy heart, he closed the blind to the window and began to gather his things. Even if she had decided to follow them, a balloon would have been too slow and teleportation wouldn’t have worked when there were five others who wanted to come. She would have needed to tie the fastest pegasi in the world to a balloon if they wanted to catch them. There was simply no way she could have thought of all that.
Had he taken the time to look one last time and had the blinds not covered the window, Dante may have seen a seen an odd, almost balloon shaped object in the sky descend from the clouds.