//------------------------------// // Chapter 21: Griffonrock // Story: Between Bassdrops and Bowstrings // by Quillian Inkheart //------------------------------// Chapter 21: Griffonrock Vinyl looked up at the heart of the Griffon Empire, Griffonstone. She heaved a sigh, levitating her bag across the latest gap in the path. "You know, when dad told us to meet him in the Griffon Empire, I hadn't expected such a..." "Arduous climb?" Octavia supplied from just in front of Vinyl, wrinkling her nose. "It smells odd up here. And why did your father send us on a trek through the mountains anyway?" She jumped the next gap, looking back to Vinyl. "Why couldn't he just meet us in Ponyville?" "I guess he's got some surprise for us there." Vinyl looked up at the long climb ahead, groaning. "Even I'm getting a little sick of rocks. Tavi, remind me to kick dad off Griffonstone when we get there." "You'll have to race me to it," Octavia replied with a smirk, holding out her hoof to help Vinyl over. The DJ graciously accepted, hopping the rest of the way. With a slight grunt of effort, she levitated her gear over too. "Why he asked me to bring all this is beyond me." "I'm sure we'll find out." Octavia said, walking on ahead. "And the reason had better be sound. I haven't forgotten your father's usual flights of fancy." "I doubt this is like that. I'm sure it's got something to do with his new genre." Vinyl followed, levitating her gear by her side. She gave it another examination, making sure nothing had fallen off: a pair of speakers, no bigger than her head, a couple of kits for pyrotechnics, various wires and chords that only her and her father seemed to know the purpose of, and a folding turntable – one of her father's personal favorites. "I can't imagine why he'd have us lug all this stuff up otherwise." "Maybe the old stallion's finally lost it." Octavia chuckled and walked around a particularly weak section of the cliff. Vinyl raised an eyebrow at her, holding it up until she looked back. "What? He raised you all those years, so he couldn't have been too far from the edge of sanity." Vinyl laughed, hefting her burden once more. "Well, if he's not crazy, he'll be getting a shock of his own once we tell him our little surprise. You know, I never told him about us." "What?" Octavia stopped, snapping her head back to glare at Vinyl. "Why not? Vinyl, this is—" "Whoa, calm down, Tavi. You know dad; he doesn't care what anypony does or who they love. Never has, never will. I wanted to tell him face to face, not in some letter." Octavia relaxed, nodding. "I suppose that makes sense..." "Heh. Now we get to shock him twice in one trip." Vinyl snickered loudly, walking around the unstable rock Octavia was waiting beyond. Octavia felt herself smirk a little at Vinyl's jovial attitude. "Okay, perhaps we won't kick him off Griffonstone. I would hate to miss out on seeing his face when we tell him..." The capital of the Griffon Empire was... not quite what Octavia had expected. "My word... And your father came to this place willingly?" Octavia peered around at the damaged buildings and crumbling architecture. She crinkled her nose as a griffon walked by, trying to look polite about it. "Well, at least I know why it smelt like bird now." Vinyl shook her head a little, looking around for the statue she was supposed to meet her father at. "I thought a capital was supposed to be a source of pride." "Maybe for you silly ponies." Both Vinyl and Octavia turned in unison to the speaker: a griffon who was standing not far away. She was leaning on a cart selling scones, eyeing them sourly. While Octavia was completely baffled and not a little offended, Vinyl was walking closer, narrowing her eyes. "Hm... You look really familiar." She tilted her head and hummed deep in her throat, before clicking her tongue in recognition. "Ah, right. You came to Ponyville ages ago. I remember RD and Ponkers got you good. What was your name again?" The griffon twitched, obviously angry. "My name's Gilda. Don't forget it. I won't remind you again. And if you're 'friends' with that little pink disaster, or her blue punk playmate, then I suggest you get away from me before I snap that pretty little horn off your head." "Good to see your attitude has improved so much since Rainbow chased your feathered behind out of Ponyville." Octavia stepped closer to Vinyl, pulling her friend back as Gilda's eyes widened and her face turned red with embarrassment and fury. "Please, excuse my friend. She's not very polite." Octavia said, trying to placate the griffon. "We're here looking for a pony by the—" "Ain't none of you little ponies here. So get out!" Gilda snarled out, stepping a little too close for comfort. Octavia kept quiet, but Vinyl tensed, ready for a scrap. The cellist wasn't keen on how rude this griffon was, but she wasn't about to start a fight for no good reason. After Gilda was done, Octavia continued as if she hadn't said anything. "A pony by the name of Echo Scratch. Have you heard of him?" Gilda stepped back, surprise registering in her eyes. "You mean that weird pony with the guitars? He's in town?" "He should be, yes." Octavia motioned back to Vinyl, who was far more relaxed now that Gilda had backed off. "Vinyl here is his daughter." Vinyl had tipped her glasses forward, giving Gilda a victorious smirk. "And he's not weird." At that, Vinyl turned her tipped glasses to Octavia, raising an eyebrow for effect. The cellist cleared her throat. "Okay, he is slightly strange, but we don't really say so out loud. It's rude." She looked back to Gilda, who was looking casual; like she hadn't been screaming at them only moments earlier. "We were supposed to meet him by King Grover's Statue." Gilda groaned and rolled her eyes. "Oh, that old heap of worthless stones..." She motioned with her claw, looking disinterested. "The statue is over there..." Trying to look nonchalant, Gilda looked back. "Do you know if Echo— I mean, your pony friend will be hosting a concert? I haven't seen one yet and it'd be kinda cool, I suppose..." Vinyl grinned, shrugging. "Ain't sure. He just called us here. But I imagine he's doing something of the sort, if he's keepin' hidden." Gilda nodded. "Well... You'd better be more careful. A less understanding griffon would've cut you to ribbons." She walked back to her scone stand, wheeling it away. "Well. That was a thing that happened..." Vinyl sighed, tipping her glasses back over her eyes. "Thanks Tavi. I doubt dad would've been too pleased if I showed up with my back hoof stuck up a griffon's flank." Octavia chuckled at the mental image, shaking her head. "No, I can't imagine he would have been. Do griffon's have flanks?" She scanned in the direction Gilda had pointed them, smiling when she saw the tip of the statue just peeking over the roof of a nearby building. "Ah-hah! There it is." "About time." The pair of ponies walked side by side, slipping around buildings and griffons together. Rounding a corner, both stopped, staring at the statue of King Grover, an ancient griffon ruler. And there, under the statue, a griffon was setting up a stage. "Yeah, dads in town alright." Vinyl rolled her eyes, trotting towards the stage. "Hey," Vinyl shouted to the griffon on stage, who turned to look at her. "You seen a unicorn named Echo Scratch around here?" The griffon was an unusual sight, wearing leather wrappings around his taloned forelegs, which were covered in tons of small metal spikes. Similar leather coverings ran up his hind legs and winding down his tail, hidden among his black fur. His feathers, a dark grey, were styled strangely, covering half his face and hanging down the side of his beak. "Maybe I have. Who's askin'?" The griffon's voice sounded like gravel, but Octavia caught something Vinyl easily missed. This griffon had talent; a mastery of his voice and a complete control over it. She silently respected this, letting Vinyl respond uninterrupted. "Vinyl Scratch, that's who. I'm his daughter." Vinyl puffed her chest out, standing tall. "So, I'll ask again. Have you seen my old man?" The griffon stared for a few seconds, skeptical, but grinned and laughed. "Man, he said you were a lot like him. I didn't believe that old pony had anything even close to his level of... whatever he is." "Weird?" Octavia supplemented, smirking. "I'm Octavia Melody, a friend of Echo's." "Yeah, he told me about you too. Said you were kinda stuffy." The griffon's grin only got broader as he walked to the edge of the stage. "The name's Gyro. And yeah, Echo's around here somewhere. Last I remember, he was gettin' stuff for the pyrotechnics." "So he is holding a show. Called it." Vinyl laughed, looking over the stage. "An odd place to hold an electronica concert though..." "Elect— Oh, no I'm the one holding the concert. It's our first gig here in the capital. Your old man made me the face of his music in the Empire and I'm here to show this place how it's done." "Aw sweet! A rock concert?" Vinyl grinned, suddenly very excited. Gyro raised an eyebrow at her. "Rock? Pft. That's old news. Me and your old man grew beyond that ages ago." Gyro trailed a claw over the stage, peeling off a thin line of wood. "We're gonna be showing this place what it means to be Metal." Vinyl blinked, a little confused, but a sound from a nearby building drew her attention. She looked over, seeing a pony clad in armor stroll out from a nearby door, his mane styled in vicious red spikes and his eyes obscured by a pair of pointed shades. "About time you got here, Scratch! I was getting worried." Echo grinned, hefting what looked like a battleaxe over his shoulder. Vinyl stared, a little slack-jawed, at her father for several long minutes. Octavia was covering her mouth with a hoof, trying to not laugh. "What? It suits the genre." "It's armor, dad. I don't really see the connection." Vinyl shook her head, sighing. "And is that an axe?" "Kinda." Echo cleared his throat, moving the weapon in front of him. Vinyl and Octavia were both struck speechless when they realized that the sharpened, well-maintained axe was doubling as a guitar! "Whoa! That's so cool!" Vinyl bounced a bit, grinning ear to ear. "And dangerous. What if you cut yourself while playing it?" Octavia asked far more clinically. "Octavia, sweetheart..." Echo held up a hoof. "Hoof. I don't play. This one's just for show." He spun the weapon a few times in the air and chuckled. "Well... Not even a hug for your old man?" Echo smiled, his expression softening as he stared at the two mares. Vinyl laughed and rushed over, hugging her father tightly. Echo waved Octavia over, but she shook her head. She'd give Vinyl a few moments alone before stepping in. However, before she could do that, she was coated in a combination of blue and red magic, tugged into the hug by the two unicorns. "That is astoundingly unfair, you know." Octavia grumbled as she hugged Echo. "And this armor is smelly..." Still, she snuggled into the hug a little, smiling a contented smile. "Gag. You ponies..." Gyro said from not far away, eyeing the bundle Vinyl had brought along. "Fun toys. They for us?" Vinyl looked out from the hug, nodding. "Yeah. Dad asked me to bring them." Gyro huffed, hopping off the stage to fiddle with the pile. "You go spend time with your daughter and her friend, Echo. I'll get this sorted out, get the others to run a sound test and we'll be set by tonight." He looked over at the three and smirked. "And try not to let yourself get to floofy. Don't forget, we're a Metal band, Echo." "Griffon's are rude," Octavia said blandly as she was turned away, yet again, while trying to get directions to a restaurant. "If you've got bits, a griffon'll be your best friend." Echo moved to Octavia's side, patting her sympathetically. "I learned that real quick. Suppose I had some time to get used to their... abrasive personalities. Forget about food. Lets just wander." "Why you'd want to get used to it, I have no idea, Echo." Octavia shook her head, smiling. The stallion had abandoned the armor and axe, opting to look far more casual as he walked with his daughter and Octavia. He had, however, changed. He sported a few new piercings and, if Octavia's eyes weren't deceiving her, a brand... "Oh this?" Echo lifted his rear hoof, showing the pair the mark that was scarred onto his skin. The symbol was of a griffon skull, with a space left open for the eyes, which were shaped to appear like they were on fire. The brand was on his rear foreleg, not far from his Cutie Mark. "Well, long story short, when I got Gyro and his band started, they all got the same brand. They said it was a sign of kinship and, well I wasn't about to turn down that offer of connection. In case you haven't noticed, griffons are rather stuck-up and don't really do friendship; getting one to consider you an ally or family is about as close to friendship as you'll get..." Echo shrugged, letting his leg drop. "So I got it too. Been 'part of the gang' ever since." Vinyl fell slightly back to examine the brand, then peeked over to Octavia. "You know... I bet it'd be pretty cool if I—" "No," Octavia cut her off, looking ahead. "Not happening." "You didn't even let me finish," Vinyl whined. "Don't need to. Preemptive no." Echo laughed, tossing his head back. "By Celestia, you two bicker like an old married couple." He sighed, completely missing the smile Vinyl got, which she tried to hide with a hoof. "Who's to say we aren't?" Vinyl asked, bumping his father as she moved to his side. "We could have decided to go for broke and get married. You never know." "Nah." Echo said, shaking his head. For a half second, Vinyl and Octavia shared a moment of dread. Would Echo seriously not approve? But, they were relieved when he continued. "You two would've invited me. Or at the very least told me about something like that." He paused, falling a little behind, before hurrying to catch up to the two mares. "You would, right?" "Of course, dad." Vinyl grinned, not a little mischievously. "No... We're only dating right now." Echo laughed, but trailed off when Vinyl just smiled. "Wait... You're serious? That's great!" Echo laughed, tossing his hooves around the two mares, one on either side of him. "We've gotta celebrate. My two favorite girls, dating!" "More than dating." Octavia said coolly, making Echo pause again. "I proposed a little while ago." Where Echo had been excited before, now he was flabbergasted. He froze again, flopping forward once the two mares got out of reach. He quickly recovered, shaking his head frantically, as if to dispel some illusion. "Sorry, I think I might be going deaf. You proposed?" Octavia nodded. Echo suddenly grinned, ear to ear, an expression that made it clear who his daughter was. He cheered, barreling ahead of the two, acting like an excited colt on his first field trip. He grabbed a nearby griffon, who tried to pull away, but Echo was clinging too tightly. "My little filly's getting married! Haha~!" The griffon, finally getting a claw loose, plucked Echo off by his head, setting him to the side. The stallion turned back, huffing and puffing, his hair a frazzled mess from the griffon's rough treatment. "When is it?" "We... haven't really decided yet." Octavia trotted over, fixing Echo's hair for him. "We've been really busy, and wanted to tell you before we planned anything." "Do your parents know already?" Echo asked, stepping back once Octavia was done with her ministration to his hair. Octavia nodded, looking up to her soon-to-be father-in-law. "My mother approves. My father, not so much." "Cameo never seemed that—..." Echo trailed off, blinking. "Oh... Your real dad..." Octavia nodded, backing up to Vinyl's side. Her special mare slipped a supportive hoof over her. Octavia was still coming to terms with her father's departure from her life. "Cameo supports us wholeheartedly. But my father... He found out on Hearth's Warming. I tried writing him, but I didn't hear anything back. And then, a week or so ago..." Octavia sighed and trailed off, not wanting to continue. "Her dumb father had the nerve to tell the papers up in Canterlot about us. Naturally, it sparked all kinds of crap." Vinyl grit her teeth. "I swear, if I see that stallion again..." "I got dibs," Echo said, sharing his daughter's expression. "Nopony messes with my girls." Octavia felt warmth spread through her. Giving a happy giggle, she shifted out from under Vinyl's hoof. "Thanks Echo." Echo smirked and winked at Octavia. "No trouble." Walking together, the ponies caught up. Together, they planned on a solid date for the wedding; two months from that very moment. "So, did we ever ask him what the difference between metal and rock was?" Octavia asked Vinyl, trying to shout over the excited crowd around them. The two had been given "front row seats," which apparently meant they stood at the front of a seething mass of cheering griffons, dwarfing them with their natural size. It wasn't anything like any concert Octavia or Vinyl had ever seen. When the three had arrived, the stage was complete; it was grafted into the side of a dilapidated building – the library as the two later learned – and was a strange mixture of too much and too little. Vinyl complained about the lack of flare while Octavia complained about the showy nature of the special effects. It seemed the visual element of this genre fell somewhere in between their respective styles. Lights were set up around an open spot around the statue of King Grover, where what seemed like the entire capital and then some had gathered, roaring and flaring their wings in excitement. Fury seemed to behind every shout, anger permeating the air; but not in a bad way. It was a direction for the anger, a funnel that seemed to be having a positive effect on the normally malicious griffons. While they weren't friendly, they were no longer hostile, leaning more towards a passive neutrality that Octavia was thankful for. "Uh... No, kinda slipped my mind." Vinyl looked over to one of the shouting griffons, blinking behind her shades. "But I get the feeling we'll find out." The lights dimmed, making the crowd slowly silence. Vinyl and Octavia were on the edge of their non-existent seats. They had heard all about rock –Echo's fledgling genre – but they both had no idea what metal might be. The curtains rose to fog, held back by a barrier of magic, obviously Echo's work. Slowly, the barrier raised, the thick fog rolling over the crowd as lights flashed from within. The first shriek of the guitar sent a shiver down Octavia's spine. Vinyl shivered beside her, clearly feeling the same. The rift rolled from low to high, then back again, tearing through the air like a dragon's roar. The crowd joined in, pumping their claws into the air, cheering almost as loudly as the guitar. The fog cleared just as the first song began, swept away by another flash of Echo's magic. The song made Octavia flinch from it's sudden ferocity, not even bothering to build up to the loud, crashing sound. Still, she felt odd, listening to it. It made her grin, wild and free. She found herself cheering with the crowd, throwing back her head and screaming as the song continued. For the first time in her life, through the power of Metal, Octavia felt herself wholly and truly cut loose. Vinyl was beside her, bobbing her head to the music, her mane flailing about as she shouted right along with the crowd. There was a ferocity in this music that was without any comparison. Gyro was on stage, along with a handful of other griffons. The sight made Octavia think of some kind of crazy orchestra, only far less organized. All the griffons were wearing outfits similar to the one Gyro had been wearing earlier, now bearing the emblem of 'Blackened Slayers,' the name of the band. The band played with a kind of violent, vicious passion, moving over the stage and accentuating their movements strongly. Gyro bobbed his head while playing the guitar, his feathers flipping out from over his eye and then back down again, lost in his music as Octavia and Vinyl had been many times before. As the next song rolled in, Octavia opened her bow-tie, feeling herself sweating already. Between the ferocity of her actions and the hot press of the crowd, Octavia was starting to see what set Metal apart. Song after song struck them like a physical blow, making the crowd roar with the music. Flames jetted out over the watching griffons, making them holler in vicious glee. This music was a vent for the rude race of greedy griffons; it was letting their fury out though the music. As time passed, the Blackened Slayers started involving the audience into the performance, playing songs the griffons chanted out or getting them to shout out a certain beat. Octavia and Vinyl, side by side, joined in with gusto. As the finale rolled in, Octavia was having trouble standing. Even Vinyl looked slightly wobbly, surely a shocking sight. The thrum of the music hadn't even begun to quell and the crowd, fueled by the energy in the air, wouldn't be silenced. The finale was a burst of energy, like a hoof to the face or an explosion. It surged through Octavia, giving her new energy, and she found herself screaming again, lost in the passion of these new songs. And then, the final chord was struck and the music ended. Octavia wobbled, only to be caught by Vinyl just before she fell. She smiled, sighing contentedly. "I think that is what makes Metal so unique." "I... Yeah, definitely." Vinyl smirked and booped her nose against Octavia's. The cellist smiled and kissed her lover, earning a loud whistle from up on the stage, where Echo was watching.