Chapter 23
Mr. Utah considered himself a hardened man. He had faced many unpleasant colleagues in his life, some of whom had wielded considerable power, and borne nasty grudges.
The ones that weren’t dead were serving time in prison, or mental institutions.
So naturally, it was unusual for him to feel nervous around someone.
Mr. Utah always felt very nervous around the HLF’s benefactor.
Mrs. Juno merely annoyed him. The woman who had given their organization the shape shifting technology, however, truly worried him. He had only spent extended time in her presence once before, and that had been enough to firmly convince him that she was more trouble than she would end up being worth. But he had been out of favor with the Cabinet at the time, and the woman, the newcomer, had offered him something to bargain with.
Mr. Utah fully understood that she was manipulating him. He firmly believed the secret to true manipulation, however, was allowing one’s self to be manipulated, and in turn using that to manipulate the manipulator.
It had become a sort of game. A deadly, wordy, high strung chess game.
The winner would be in a position of nearly direct control over the HLF.
The loser would most likely be dead.
The Benefactor was tall, imposingly so. Her dark skin, and the dark nature of her garment, lent her a shadowy aspect. It didn’t help that the only thing more disquieting than her cold, hard, blue-green eyes, was her cold, lilting, enchanting voice.
“So what you’re saying is, you failed?” The words were all the more dangerous because they were delivered as casually as if she had been asking for one of his cigarettes.
The Benefactor was the only person alive Mr. Utah would refrain from smoking around, and the itch to indulge his habit was swiftly becoming another contributing factor to his discomfort.
“This is a war. Sometimes defeat is necessary to pave the way for true victory.”
She laughed, a quick sharp sound that carried more derision than a conversation’s worth of epithets, “Don’t make excuses for yourself. The fact that your infiltrator managed to kill a high level asset in the Bureau does not negate the fact that your arguments were unable to defeat the Gryphon. If I understand correctly, the death of that Pony wasn’t even intentional. You had no idea who she was or what she represented to them.”
Mr. Utah grunted, “Sanchez, and the two soldiers, paid for their mistakes with their lives. And we did not come out of the encounter without accomplishing something. That should be enough for you, it’s enough for the rest of the Cabinet.”
She leaned across the table and hissed, “Your ‘Cabinet’ has plans, schemes, and hair-brained ideas... *I* have standards. *I* have cunning. And *I* have exclusive control over supply of the shape shifting substance.”
Mr. Utah leaned forward to meet her gaze, forcing a smirk to grace his lips, “And I have exclusive control over the thing you need most. So lets not get hasty with our accusations, shall we?”
The two kept up the staring contest for a few moments. There were no distractions, the secure meeting room was nothing but an underground concrete cube with dim directed fluorescent lighting, a solid granite table, and steel chairs.
Finally, the Benefactor leaned back, ”You will be trying again?”
Mr. Utah straightened his suit, “Naturally.”
“Hello. You must be the Gryphons I was told to meet?”
Wrenn nodded, “Sildinar sent you?”
The Pegasus shrugged, her wing movements amusingly similar the ones the Gryphons employed when they made the gesture, “I was given orders by the Captain of the guard to travel to Foals’ Haven and meet three Gryphons, accompanied by another Pegasus.”
She glanced around Varan, “I assume they’re downstairs?”
The golden Gryphon nodded, “Eating. It was a long trip”
She snorted, mumbling, “That’s what you get for eating meat...”
It was said in such a low undertone, that Wrenn wondered if she had really said it all.
Aloud, she said, “I’m Inside Joke. Nopony likes to say the whole name, and I really don’t like ‘Inside’ or ‘Joke.’ I much prefer IJ, if that’s alright.”
Wrenn offered a half smiled, “Works for me.”
Varan inclined his head, acknowledging his agreement, “We should leave. According to Wrenn this establishment is about to become crowded. We do not do well in crowds.”
IJ grasped her helmet in both hooves and slid it on expertly, “Well he’s not wrong. Whenever a shipload of newfoals arrives, this place gets crowded.”
As they made their way downstairs, Wrenn indulged his curiosity, “You’ve been here before?”
IJ snorted, “Yes. Unfortunately. I was rotated here for guard duty last year.”
Varan’s expression of surprise elicited a further clarifying statement, “Sea air doesn’t really agree with me. Makes it hard for me to eat. Salt and I don’t get along.”
The explanation made some sense to Wrenn. He vaguely remembered being told salt sometimes had some sort of unexpected effect on Ponies, he just couldn’t remember exactly what.
They found Carradan horking down, what Wrenn guessed, was his fifth haycake.
Kephic had gotten an orange, and seemed to be enjoying carving intricate designs into the outer skin before slicing into it with his beak, and sucking out the juices.
IJ raised an eyebrow, “They didn’t tell me the other Pegasus would be a newfoal.”
Something in the way she said it told Wrenn that there was a modicum of derision behind the words that she had meant to disguise. That surprised him.
Carradan glanced up from stuffing his face, “Well heloooo there! I’m Stanley! And you’re giving me heart palpitations.”
IJ looked up at Wrenn, “Is he always this.... I’m sorry I have to say it; Insufferable?”
Wrenn chuckled, “Not *always.*”
Carradan leaned over and whispered to Kephic, in an overly loud manner, “I could get *really* used to travelling with her. I love a woman in uniform!”
Varan cleared his throat, “If you’re quite finished,” and the way he said it made it clear it was an imperative, not a query, “We should leave before it becomes crowded.”
Kephic gulped down his orange nearly in a single go, “Agreed. Come along Stan.”
Carradan glared, “Hey! Only Wrenn gets to call me that.”
Kephic sighed, “As you wish. Stan.”
Once outside, Varan fully introduced IJ to Kephic and a still somewhat smarmy Carradan.
The group slowly moved to a quiet spot across the central square.
True to Wrenn’s prediction, the Lotus and Lilac had filled up to bursting with celebratory newfoals and native Equestrians alike.
“So,” Wrenn again decided to get some answers to his questions, “Do all Celestia’s royal guards get appointed because of their colors? Or is it a spell or something?”
IJ snorted, “No no nothing so ridiculous. It’s good old fashioned dye.”
Wrenn nodded, “Aaah. So what color are you really?”
IJ shook her head, “It’s bad form to ask. Some say it’s also bad luck, but I’m not into superstition. Load of malarkey if you ask me.”
Wrenn inclined his head, “Well, then at least tell me how you hang on to your cutie mark through the paint.”
“It... How to explain...” she paused and thought for a moment, “it ‘shines through’ very shortly after being covered. That *is* magic.”
Carradan butted in, “Oh yeah! That’s right, we all got these marks on our butts... So what’s your special talent?” The way he said special talent put an expression on IJ’s face that made Wrenn fear for Carradan’s life.
She answered anyways, through gritted teeth, “It’s sensing emotions. Whether they’re showing or not. And I usually like to be nice when I meet a new Pony, but if you keep this up, there will be a hole the size of my back hoof guard in your jaw.”
Kephic whistled, “I see you have the Blessing of Luna.”
IJ nodded, “And I’m not afraid to use it either, I’d just much rather not have to.”
Wrenn pinched the bridge of his beak, “Would someone care to fill me in? Blessing of Luna?”
IJ snorted, “What are you? a newfoal too....”
Kephic chuckled, “In a manner of speaking. I suppose it’d be better to call him newfledge, though he’s taking to it all quite fast.”
IJ looked at Wrenn with an expression he wasn’t entirely comfortable with. He felt as if she was sizing him up all over again, “Well that’s... Surprising. The Blessing of Luna, for the two of you who don’t know, is a spell the Night Princess can cast that lets those under it deviate from our usual peaceful nature more easily for a time.”
Wrenn raised an eyebrow, “So... It makes you more capable of violence?”
IJ nodded, “But not more prone.”
Carradan paled, “So you could actually....”
“Yes.”
“And you would?”
“Only if you make me. I don’t like to, but if I have to, I will.”
Carradan shrank back, “Alright alright! point taken. Why me? Why do I always end up with people who wanna thrash me?”
Varan snorted, “Answer precedes the question.”
Kephic chuckled, “So you *did* find some time for the human internet.”
“A few moments. Yes.”
The group set off north. They didn’t need to carry supplies, they would be stopping for food and lodgings along the way as necessary. As they took to the air, Wrenn spied a tower-like protrusion near the edge of the town, standing at the edge of a cleared field.
“What’s with the spire? Planning to try Thaumatic radio?”
IJ snorted, “Nothing so frivolous. It’s an airship mooring mast.”
As they passed overhead, Wrenn examined the structure closely.
He did some mental figuring and came to the conclusion that Equestrian airships couldn’t be especially large, but had to be efficient enough to be in widespread use.
Wrenn decided to put his deductions to the test, “So airships are a fairly common mode of transit?”
“For those without wings, yes.”
“Average size is... What? eighteen or nineteen meters?”
IJ sighed, “Firstly, I don’t know what a meter is. Second, why don’t you just read a history book? I’m probably not the best source of information on everything you haven’t learned yet.”
After that, silence descended.
As the group moved inland, Wrenn became fascinated with the trees.
Earth still had a fair number of them, but they were all long dead and petrified.
Equestria's plants were green. Every possible shade of verdant living green, adjacent blues, and a good many other colors besides if one looked beyond the trees to the rest of the landscape.
Somewhere, deep down, the sight appealed to both a primal part of his Gryphon mind, and to some left over lingering aspect of his instinctive human species memory.
Trees belonged. They were a part of reality that should be there by-definition.
Integral, beautiful, ubiquitous.
For upwards of an hour, Wrenn didn’t speak to anyone in the group, he simply followed Kephic and Varan’s lead, immersing himself in the sensations of a living world. When he wasn’t busy soaking up the sights, he would sometimes close his eyes and listen to the trilling of crickets, punctuated by the occasional hoot of an owl, or song of a disturbed small bird.
When he opened his eyes again, he would make a game out of counting all the living creatures he could see. The sight of insects crawling up leaves, of songbirds tucked into their nests, of owls and bats zipping from branch to branch on the hunt, was intensely exciting, comforting, and peaceful all at once.
The first time he saw fireflies, the image elicited more than a few tears.
Earth lacked even basic insect life. To be surrounded by so much that had life, and breath, was akin to himself being alive for the very first time in a meaningful way.
As they passed over a small brook, Varan pulled back and shot him a look.
The tilt of his ears, the focus of his eyes, the downturn at the corners of his beak, and a half million other small tells told Wrenn that the golden Gryphon wanted to talk, and whatever it was, it was serious business not meant for the ears of someone in the group.
Wrenn already had an idea what it might be, so he flared his wings slightly to lose speed and drop even further back, Varan imitating him to stay beside him.
Wrenn waited for Varan to broach the topic. He didn’t have to wait long.
“So. What is your evaluation, as a soldier?”
They both knew they were discussing IJ. Wrenn thought for a moment before answering, “She’s not what I expected from a Pony, but that’s probably the Blessing of Luna.
I’m not sure she’s going to fit in well. She takes Carradan's words very seriously, though I don't begrudge her that. No one should have to put up with his ancient and decidedly stale macho mannerisms. She’s uptight about more than that though, and I think I make her mildly nervous for some reason.”
Wrenn glanced over at his friend, “But then again, I’m heavily biased. It feels wrong to fill Skye’s place in...”
Varan finished the sentence, “In our family.”
Varan chuckled at Wrenn’s look of surprise, “Don’t look so stunned. You are right, that’s absolutely what our group became. Family.”
Wrenn sighed, “I just didn’t want to say it if that’s not how you and Kephic saw me.”
Varan shook his head, “No. We’ve been through too much together for you to be anything but family. As for Kephic and myself? We’re already officially brothers.”
Wrenn once again had to force his beak closed, lest it hang open and he catch bugs, “You’re... Biological brothers?”
Varan laughed, “Not biologically. Adoptive.”
“Oh. Whose parents?”
Varan gazed down for a moment, “Neither. We both lost ours. Mine at two, his at three. We first met at age six. We watched out for each other. When we got old enough to take legal ownership of our family names and assets, we decided to combine them into one single clan and become brothers. We were already inseparable in spirit, so it seemed right to make it official.”
After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Varan started up again, “Well. I agree with your analysis. And the Blessing of Luna has been known to make some Ponies irritable.
I also agree that she is not a good fit for the family dynamic, even excepting the issues Carradan brings to it.
Although, I may also be biased as well, I would advise we trust our instincts and impressions. If IJ becomes a serious strain on us...”
Wrenn nodded, “She'd have to go. Even if that’s partly our fault for not being able to let go.”
After several more hours of flight, the moon was starting to dip below the horizon.
To the east, a city began to creep into view. The group banked right, and made for the soft glow of the lights.
IJ spoke up for the first time in hours, “Neighvada. Nice city in the springtime. A bit dusty for my taste.”
Kephic pointed, “We’ll find an inn, get some more food and some sleep, then resume travelling before noon tomorrow. If we keep a good pace, we’ll reach Tacksworn by tomorrow night.”
Wrenn observed a difference in the terrain as they approached the city. The grass was shorter and browner, the trees spindlier, and the dirt redder. They had moved from forest to plains, and the wind told him in a thousand tiny ways that there was a desert not too far away to the northwest.
Neighvada itself was an eclectic mix of, what Wrenn assumed to be traditional Equestrian architecture, and a more adobe style of building that made good use of nearby sand and clay deposits.
Wrenn’s internal clock told him it was close to three in the morning, so it didn’t surprise him to see that the streets were mostly empty. What did surprise him was the presence of gas based streetlamps. Magic had made a visible impact on Equestria, he realized, in the way that some technology had advanced at accelerated rates, while other fields had stagnated, or been entirely replaced by spells and potions.
His sharp eyes spied an inn in the distance, as he scanned the various signs hung out in-front of the many stores, markets, smithies, and taverns. There seemed to be a great many smelters, iron works, and mining related trades going on, so it seemed as though that might be the town’s major source of income.
Wrenn pointed the lodging place out to Kephic, and the group came to rest on the sidewalk just beyond its front porch. The building was a three story adobe construction with a wooden portico out front, and a sign that read “Crowbarr Inn and Suites.” Two r’s.
Inside, the lobby’s lights were dimmed down, and a single stallion manned the reception desk.
As the group crossed the teak floor, Wrenn was surprised to discover that the lights were somehow magically driven. That seemed the only explanation, given that some of them were mounted and suspended in such a way that neither gas tubes nor electrical wires could reach them.
“Hey there. I’m Silas Crowbarr. Most folks just call me Silas...”
He glanced at the Gryphons, each in turn, “We don’t get many of you here... ‘course we get more than a lot of places... we’ve got a few suites made up specifically for you. How long will ya be stayin'?”
Kephic smiled, “Just for the night. But we probably won’t be out by checkout time. We’ve been flying all night. So we’ll take two days.”
Silas laughed, “No, no, no, there’s no need for ya ta do that, we can adjust the schedule, ‘s no big deal.”
Wrenn inclined his head, “Thank you, that’s most generous.”
“Bah, ‘s just courteous. Besides, mebe you’ll tell some of your friends. You guys put away a whole lotta food, and thas good for business.”
Varan raised an eyebrow, “You stock meat?”
Silas nodded, “I don’t much like it, but I figure firstly; I didn’t have te kill it, second you and them Diamond Dogs, and the really occasional Dragon, are all meat eaters. So all in all, ‘s worth a few uncomfortable looks and conversations if ya know what I mean.”
IJ sniffed, “You’re courageous, I wouldn’t be able to handle the societal outlook on the practice.”
Silas didn’t fail to catch the subtle hint of demeaning superiority that filtered into the words.
Wrenn stiffened and shot IJ a quick glare, causing her to shrink back slightly.
Carradan finally broke the awkward silence, “I don’t mean to break up the party, but I’m beat.”
Silas chuckled, “Newfoal?”
Carradan nodded, “New as it gets.”
“I remember my first day as a newfoal. I don’t think it was quite as excitin’ as travelling with Gryphons, but it was a doozie.”
Wrenn looked up, “You’re a convert?”
Silas nodded, “Yep. I was in on it in the first year. The first name’s a hint, ‘s something some of us do; we keep our first name, and take a Pony last name.”
Carradan grinned, “I like the sound of that! I’m kinda attached to Stanley... It has a distinguished air dontcha think?”
Kephic laughed, “I don’t know about distinguished, but it's a good strong name, and it does suit you well, somehow.”
Silas bit down on several sets of keys, transferring them to a hook on his saddle.
As he stepped out from behind the counter, Wrenn noticed he was an Earth pony. The absence of a horn had meant he was either a Pegasus or an Earth Pony, and Wrenn had correctly guessed Earth Pony judging by his thick strong draft horsebuild.
“Right this way. I’ve gotcha all on the third floor. Pegasi and Gryphons, ya both like to live high up, and this is as high as ye ol building goes.”
As he ascended the stairs, with the group in tow, he continued rambling, “We got hot water, courtesy of tha newfangled gas heating, tha lights are magelights; blow on em to make em brighter, squeeze em to dim em. Breakfast ‘s from sunup, to eight, lunch is at noon, we serve snacks and heather beer tha rest ‘o tha time. You feel a bit peckish at nigh...”
He stopped to laugh at his own pun, “Hehe... Gryphons... peckish... hehehehe... anyways, ya get to feelin hungry after hours, you ken help yerself to anythin in the kitchen. Honor system. Yall are just as trustworthy as any ‘o us, if not moreso. Right then, here ye are...”
The five rooms were well appointed. Wrenn only caught a glance of IJ and Carradan’s rooms, but they seemed perfectly designed for Ponies.
His room, on the other claw, seemed well thought out for a Gryphon; A nest-like round mattress with bordering cushions, a sunning rock that seemed to be heated by a built-in gas burner, and the shower was sized up by several orders of magnitude.
Wrenn was especially grateful for that last feature. The showers at the Bureau had been an insufferably tight squeeze.
He took a quick ‘navy shower’ in freezing water, then dried himself by sunning on the heated rock. The effect worked wonders on his tired muscles, sapping out the minor aches of travel and replacing it with pure warmth.
He flopped down on the nest bed, and tried to sleep.
As his mind spun down, running through the day’s events and contemplating what he’d seen and heard, he began to drift towards unconsciousness.
He thought about IJ, the Blessing of Luna, and how that might affect her.
If only it were Skye instead. Maybe she didn’t have wings, but she wouldn’t have been hard to carry. She would have loved the adventure of it all. She would have been better for the group, and better with the people they were going to meet along the way.
Thinking about her, in those moments just before sleep when the brain’s internal safeguards and controls shut off, Wrenn found himself descending into self-accusation.
Her death was *his* fault.
That made twice in as many decades that a friend had died because of him.
Suddenly, sleep was no longer a possibility.
Wrenn felt his emotions grabbing hold, and he sat up, doing his best to suppress them.
He failed, mostly, ending up deadlocked.
He remembered what Silas had said about food and drink, and pulled himself completely out of the nest, intending to find a snack. Wrenn always ate when he was nervous, upset, or couldn’t sleep. The habit would suit his new metabolism well, he reflected.
He moved with near absolute silence through the hallway.
His ears were sensitive enough to detect the occasional snoring guest in other rooms, so he assumed their Pony ears were more than sensitive enough to hear creaks in the floorboard.
He didn’t want to wake any light sleepers.
Wrenn ran into Kephic coming up the stairs as he was going down.
“Trouble sleeping?”
Wrenn nodded, “You?”
Kephic snorted, halfway chuckling, “Just thirsty.”
He stared for a moment, Wrenn figured he must be taking in his tells, “You want to talk about it?”
Wrenn wanted to say no, but at the same time he felt an overpowering need for catharsis.
For someone to talk to.
So he nodded.
“You go ahead. I’ll be there in a minute. Put on some coffee, we’ll need it.”
Wrenn quietly made his way into the kitchen. The walls were adobe, but the floor was ceramic tile, and the counters were lacquered wood. To his surprise, and relief, he found a coffee percolator, complete with a primitive, but well made and effective gas driven heating element.
Everything in the cabinets above the counters was clearly marked, and coffee wasn’t hard to find. It smelled, if possible, somehow fresher since it hadn’t been packed up, shipped to Earth, and stored in a warehouse for who knew how long.
The percolator was designed to make enough coffee for several servings, so if he filled it to the brim, he assumed it would make just enough for three Gryphon sized tankards.
The establishment stocked cups and tankards in several sizes, ranging from children’s cups, to dragon tankards, into one of which he could have squeezed Carradan if he’d tried.
About the time the beverage finished brewing, Varan and Kephic arrived.
Wrenn lugged the three tankards out to a table in the corner, and flopped down on one of the padded seats.
The room was dark, especially since it was the hour between moon-set and sun-rise, but none of them felt the need to turn on any lights.
The low luminescence level wasn’t even a mild impediment.
The three Gryphons sipped their coffee in amicable silence for a few minutes, before Wrenn finally began, “I’ve talked about this on and off. But you guys are still the first I’ve ever mentioned it to outright. You and Sildinar. I’ve never really told anyone the entire story.”
Varan nodded, “I wondered if there was more to it than Skye.”
Kephic set down his mug, “You can’t blame yourself. And if you start, I’ll put you in a headlock.”
Wrenn chuckled half heartedly, “Thanks.” He took a deep pull on his mug, “Where do I begin?”
He stared out one of the large arched windows. The moon was gone, but the stars were still out.
“Way back, I had a good friend. Robert Gilchrist. We went through University together, actually. He was getting more degrees than I can count in the sciences, I was in the accelerated Military tactics school.
We were inseparable.”
Wrenn turned his gaze back to the other two Gryphons, “A good few years later, we’re still keeping up via the internet, and meeting whenever I’m free from my duties as Korvan’s bodyguard. I had served on a few squads, I caught his eye, he took me on. I went with it because it was a good career move, decent shot at any position I could conceivably want after a couple tours.”
Wrenn sighed, “Then things went horribly horribly wrong. He met this Pony...”
Wrenn stopped and cocked his head, “This is ridiculous. I’m unloading this ancient mess on you two and keeping you up---”
Varan set down his mug with gentle, yet visible force, “You need to get this out. Frankly, we have nothing to lose except a few hours of closed eyes. You are family, you need this.”
Wrenn smiled, “Thanks. I... I suppose I do.”
Kephic gently nudged him back to the tale, “So Rob met a Pony?”
Wrenn nodded, “And became obsessed. Fell head over heels. And not in a healthy way.
I thought he might get converted, but if there was one thing he loved as much as that Pony, it was his work. He was *deep* into high level quantum chemistry. Never would say, to anyone, me included, what he was trying to accomplish. But it was major. Anyhow...”
Wrenn sipped his coffee again, “Korvan? Around this time he was getting interested in the Bureaus. Now there’s something you need to understand; Earthgov has a major logistics problem. Projections say the rate of Conversion won’t be enough to match the bubble’s rate of expansion. Earthgov needs to convince more people to sign up now, rather than waiting until they absolutely have to, or the logjam will kill millions.”
Kephic sipped his mug, “So what does that have to do with Korvan, and Rob?”
Wrenn raised his mug, “Korvan was just getting into the Bureaus. He figured he’d do the world a 'favor.' He had statistics on his desk which said that a solid chunk of the people who faced no logistical obstacles, but were choosing not to Convert were A; In a relationship with a Pony, whether convert or native, and B; holding off on their own Conversion till later, but very open to the idea.”
Varan mumbled, “I think I see where this is headed.”
Wrenn nodded, “Yep. Korvan brought a resolution to make interspecies marriage, and civil union illegal, including retroactive dissolutions after a grace period. Figured it would give non-converting significant others a shove. Well, given that it was an issue of life-saving logistics for potentially billions of people, he started to gain a lot of momentum in the council. And he started making a lot of people angry.”
Kephic snorted, “I’ll just bet.”
Wrenn sighed deeply, and inhaled, “Rob came to me. He was genuinely starting to scare me with his behavior at this point. I told him flat out; I didn’t think that mare was good for him, he flipped. He accused me of supporting Korvan, and of plotting against him, and it just went downhill from there.”
Varan raised an eyebrow, “Do you agree with Korvan?”
Wrenn nodded, “Yes and no. Interspecies marriage and mating doesn’t bother me, and abridging people's freedoms certainly does. But the logistics don’t lie. We’re talking about staving off an extinction-level disaster here. Act, or millions, maybe billions, die. So I feel conflicted, to this day, about the resolution, but ultimately I don't think I'd stand in the way of it.”
Kephic and Varan nodded their own agreement with Wrenn’s logic.
Wrenn took a large swig of coffee, and then another deep breath, “The next day... Korvan came before the council for the final ratification. Before that, during the open floor segment, they brought in Rob. I was worried the minute he stepped in, but I figured he was just going to make a fool of himself at worst...”
Wrenn did his best to keep his emotions in check, “Instead... he pulled out a bioplasmic grenade and tossed it. He didn’t care that it would kill me along with Korvan. I think he even wanted it. I pulled my pistol, and batted it up with the butt. I had a split second of sight picture.”
Wrenn sighed, “I took the shot. Grenade went off. I didn’t see him die. I never even watched the recording. They tell me I shot true. Right through the occipital lobe. They issue us sabot jacketed armor piercing rounds. My guess? His brain was the consistency of tapioca when the medics got to him. ”
Wrenn tossed back the last of his coffee, “So. I shot my best friend in the head, and got Skye killed. My track record is not exactly comforting.”
Varan growled, the anger in the sound surprised Wrenn, “If you had not killed this Robert Gilchrist, then we certainly would have. Had we been there.”
Kephic nodded, “You did *exactly* what you should have. He tried to kill you, and thus he sealed his own fate. You did what any warrior should. You killed him first.”
Wrenn shrugged, his voice conveying his depression, “I’m still ultimately to blame. I should have seen it, should have gotten him professional help. Heck, institutionalization would have been a better outcome. And I still failed to save Skye. No excusing that.”
Kephic shook his head, “I’m not saying these issues shouldn’t bother you in some way, but they bother you for the wrong reasons, and you are coping with them all wrong.”
Varan chimed in, “You acted honorably, and as well as you knew how in both situations. You only indulge in self-deprecation now because you know the outcome. You did not, and could not, in the moment.”
Wrenn half-chuckled, trying to keep the sob out and failing miserably, “You guys... You’d make great psychiatrists you know that?”
Varan snorted, “We’re your brothers, not your doctors.”
Wrenn raised an eyebrow, “After hearing what happened to the last guy who called himself my brother, you really wanna think of me that way?”
Kephic snorted, “No. We want to make it official.”
Wrenn sat in slack-beaked silence for almost a minute.
Finally Varan broke the silence, “It is sometimes difficult to be a Gryphon without a clan or family name. We do not look down on it, but it is harder to have emotional, financial, moral, and logistical support. Every warrior needs a stronghold and loved ones to come home to. Even the best of us.”
Wrenn stammered, “But me? Really? Me?”
Kephic chuckled, “You. Yes. You. You’ve fought with us, we owe you our lives several times over, and you us. You’ve shared some difficult things with us, so clearly you trust us, and we certainly trust you. What’s to stand in our way?”
Varan nodded, adding, “There are rough skies ahead. Where we have to go, no one besides unsavory sorts have gone in centuries. It is a long, hard journey, and after that I suspect war is brewing. And when all is said and done, if we are victorious, there is quite a life ahead. A harsh and wild frontier. You need to be a part of a family again Isaac. We want you to be part of ours.”
Wrenn wasn’t even trying to hold back the tears in his eyes. He’d wondered if Gryphons could cry outright, now he had his answer, “I’d be honored.”
After that, the talk turned to the sort of frivolous enjoyable banter good for putting emotional issues to rest. They discussed war stories, old school pranks, amusing mishaps, and poked fun at Earth politics, until the sun was just peeking over the horizon.
For the moment, Wrenn was content.
It wasn’t a resolution to the issue. He wasn’t deluding himself.
Issues like that could not be laid ultimately to rest with one night’s worth of catharsis.
But it was a start.
It was a start.
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Chapter up, hopefully a new chapter tomorrow or the day after along with *drumroll* CAST PICTURES!
Also the first non-royal cameo from a show-canon character.
Stay tuned.
Mr. Utah is so full of ****.
Mrs. Juno's secret is kind of obvious.
I called it on the airships.
AAAAnd I disagree with Wrenn on the 'interspecies' policy.
Anyway, interesting chapter.
Edit: Oh yeah, and I've copied your idea of doing author's notes as comments.
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Don't mistake Mrs. Juno for 'The Benefactor' they != each other.
And well... *shrug* Wrenn's opinion is biased based on his worldviews, and life experiences, and a host of contributing factors.
It'd be no fun if everyone agreed with him on everything.
This. I like this chapter. And I'm curious as to the cameo. Now you'll have me distracted by it, thanks a lot...
I think I know who that lady Mr.Utah is with, Who has the shape changing stuff. You've given a lot of clues. Or she is at least a agent.
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I may have to push it back to chapter after next. depends on pacing.
I'm doing a 'cameo' of Tacksworn as a stopover, and then upon arrival a new party member, so that may consume next chapter.
There's gonna be a few chapters dedicated to the Gryphon settlement they're going to.
For those of you who have been hankering to see true Gryphon world-building, things is about to get inerestin.
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I'll never tell.
Not until the right moment...
Are there changelings in this 'verse? And if so, what are their opinions on this whole Earth thing? Possibly related: What does this Benefactor get out of this relationship with the HLF anyway?
Why would someone from Earth call gaslamps "newfangled"?
Why do they have radios but not lightbulbs?
What do they use for the airships, Hydrogen or Helium? Other?
No, wait, don't answer that.
so much... WIN
i used to dislike griffons but cause of this story now i respect em good job
as always dramatic genious! you really inspire with your writing, your chars are so alive and real and the chapters make you feel for them. i still feel wrenns pain over skye, you think at least luna would have been around for wrenns last few days too oversee things. anyway great chapter, interesting take on pony life in general! keep it up!
After going over the opening section again, I am 95% confident that I know who the Benefactor is. (Unless you decide to pull a double plot-twist reacharound at the last minute when we think we've been told who it is for certain)
Random thought:
I wonder how they would get along with a ponified Minsc (from Baulder's Gate), complete with Boo?
Still loving the way that you are going about introducing the world of Equestria in the story, including answering the standing question of how does the Royal guard get so many ponies who can go against the pony avoidance of violence. The backstory reveal about the grenade incident was very well done if you ask me especially with the logical approach for explaining his views(which helps avoid the heated debates of the real parallel of the subject.) One thing though is that you went way too fast going from introducing Kephic and Varan being brothers to having them bring up making Wrenn their brother as well; While this is certainly the right part of the story to have Kephic and Varan suggest it, I would think that they would have told Wrenn about them being brothers quite a few chapters ago.
And for the Minor corrections: smithies not smithys, "its a good name" should have it's instead, you used its when you should have been using it's a bunch of times during the conversation about lacking family, halfheartedly is one word, and you didn't capitalize Wrenn's name at one point.
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Agreed, I should have sprang that chesnut earlier. Preferably on Earth, about 1/4th the way thru the story.
Hindsight is 20/20.
If I ever go back and do a major polish pass (inserting Art, fixing all errors, etc) I'll work that out.
(I'm keeping a list of small things to change that would have big positive impacts, and this definitely goes on it)
Hehe. Smithy. Smithie. Somehow Jack Sparrow comes to mind.
Is this chapter out of order with the previous? I kinda got the idea of "IJ? Who the buck is IJ?" in the last chapter.
Coffee percolators are a crime against coffee and should be banned with prejudice.
Amazing story so far. It's slightly MS'ish, gryphons and ponies are slightly OP, moralistic preachings of different flavours are still present, but the story itself is pretty good. I really like all these early fanon adventures to other species beside ponies, not yet touched by canon. Different cultures, different government styles, and as per TCB's tropes - different thought processes and reactions. Looking forward for dragons, you've hinted enough about them to practically guarantee their later appearance in the story : )
So if I understand power dynamics right, EarthGov are kinda-sorta liberal good guys with the official Equestrian and Griffish support, PER is supported by some cultish ponies, HLF is wierdly enough in alliance with Chryssy of all the folks. Interesting.
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I sense a fellow Coffee
addictappreciator!Thank you! I hope you find that the slight dash of MS is suitably counterbalanced by good character arcs, and solid moments of both mistakes, and achievements, for all the characters as the stories go forward. Fair warning, as I've gotten older in the last ten years I've also gotten to be more of a mushy frustrated buried classical romantic, and appreciator of tears of all kinds, so as we get to know the characters better, especially in ED and RO, there get to be more and more hug-it-out and cry-it-out moments. Hopefully that all feel well-earned.
And yes, I absolutely go OP on Gryphons. No shame felt either. They've been a personal symbol, obsession, and all around very important to me from an extremely early age, well before FiM took a (not very well done) crack at them. I've found precious little literature that reflects them in a good light, and so I knowingly overcompensated for all those times they get a poor showing or a bad rap.
Maybe someday I'll learn to be a bit more balanced.
(I do face them off against more worthy opponents as the stories progress, but the way they are first primarily pitted against just Humans may give off the impression that they're super OP, and that was a structural mistake on my part. It eventually starts to become clearer that Dragons, Gryphons, and Changelings all have essentially equal biological parity as far as combat (if anything Dragons sit at the true top of the pyramid for sheet war winning potential), and Ponies who can stomach a fight, Diamond Dogs, etc come really close; It's just unmodified Humans who are extremely low-tier in terms of built in biological combat advantages vs all Equestrians.)
I'm very proud of my lore (more than I ought to be). I feel I tied lots of things together in a way very different, and much more 'epic adventure/dark fantasy/sci-fi' than the show did.
Not too much going on in Option Gamma related to them, but there's a pretty hefty B-Arc in Eternal Delta that focuses on two of them. We'll really get to go full into their culture in Rising Omega, as we will for most Equestrian species. RO is shaping up to be the biggest book of all, and with the most time spent in Equestria.
Earthgov are... Complicated. My views on governance, politics, and 'liberal good guys' changed a lot in ten years (spoiler alert, I went from being something of a moderate to feeling like American Democrats are too right wing, and not nearly left enough). You'll see if you make it all the way through into RO, but some of the seeds were even there in OG. Gryphons have something of a UBI for example, and the culture never leaves anyone behind, valuing people over all else. What seems pretty clear-cut and maybe trite in OG, especially with regard to Earth politics, becomes, I hope, more nuanced and messy as the stories progress.
As Hannibal says; There's a plan in everything. And I love it when a plan comes together.
You're entering into the fantasy/Equestrian arc of the story now, so prepare for something of an environmental tonal shift. And also lots and lots and lots of Gryphon culture.
I greatly admire the fact that the first half of this book explored a dull, gray, bleak, destroyed world, from the perspective of a man who had limited faculties and no friends, more machine than man... completely drowning in the politics and the danger in this world.
To a gradual exploration of culture from another universe. Which then juxtaposes all of the hurt, the pain, of that bleak world, bringing with it a sturdy core of people for Wrenn to latch onto and learn from. Like a life preserver thrown into water. And then we see this gradual building of power within him, both in confidence and will. Then, physical, when he becomes a Gryphon. And then, we see him surpass the limitations of his world, but in a way which makes sense, because he has the context of having lived there his whole life, making him excel.
And then he's challenged in this new form, finally, on Earth. Given a foe from this new universe that explains why his new race is so powerjacked; the natural enemies of Gryphons are similarly powerful. And now that the stage is set, we move to the back half of Option Gamma; with all this context, and comfort in knowing the Earth of this universe, we cross the Barrier...
And now, we start from square one, learning a new world that is vibrant, exhilarating, receiving a literal breath of fresh air as Wrenn passes through it. And now... we start anew. I suspect the arc is inverted now. We will explore this positive world entire, piece by piece, until we find the inherent negatives in it, and see why it's not entirely a paradise, when we start to run into the politics and culture later on. But that's okay. Because nothing is perfect, and because this time, Wrenn isn't alone. And with his standard of value being the doldrums of humanity's lowest point, everything is going to be special, the good taken with the bad.
I'm so exhilarated by this. This is something really special, Gryph.
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Enjoying, and understanding!
Thank you! It means the world to me, how much you're enjoying this!