• Published 4th Mar 2016
  • 6,267 Views, 145 Comments

An Earthly Portal - Nightmare Darkness



A boy who is abused runs away only to find his destination although not unframiliar to him is the last place he thought he would be.

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Dodge City

My eyes were still closed as I felt the throbbing pain I was so used to when I was punched. I am still surprised I don't have severe head trauma. When I opened my eyes I saw Spike standing over me.

"You ok?" He asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"No, did anyone catch the number of that bitch..." I mumbled as I sat up holding my cheek and Spike looked over at Gilda who was defensibly crossing her arms.

"Well, you did kiss her." Spike offered and I glared at him.

"Remind me not to save you from drowning again," I said to Gilda and she glared back at me.

"I was fine you dweeb." She shot back as I got to my feet and looked at Spike who limped slightly.

"Get on Spike we need to keep moving I want to be on a train by sundown," I said as I walked up to my bow and quiver that had been thrown off of me when I went to dive for Gilda. I strapped the quiver to my back and then helped Spike into a sitting position between my wings. Gilda looked at me like I was an idiot.

"No self-respecting griffin would have anyone ride them," she said with a slight sneer. I walked past her and gave her a deadpanned look and raised my one claw up and flipped her the bird then continued to walk. Gilda didn't understand what I had just done but took it as an insult.

"What does that mean?" she said as she began to follow us and I looked over my shoulder as Cerberus walked along.

"It means to have a nice day," I said sarcastically.

"Right, and I'm Sapphire Shores," Gilda replied sarcastically.

"Is there a reason you are following us if you have what you came for. Cerberus is here and we are taking him back." I said pointedly. Gilda continued to follow as she gave me a glare.

"I would be bad if I just found Cerberus and returned saying I found him and didn't make sure he got back to Tartarus. " She said hotly. I Stopped and looked at her.

"You are not joining us if your idea of a thank you is a punch to the face," I said sternly. She just looked at me and looked away.

"Thanks...." she said but it was a mumble and forced under her breath.

"I'm sorry I didn't hear you," I said leaning towards her and she growled.

"I said...thank you!" she barked angrily at me. I leaned back.

"I don't believe you but I don't think I'm going to get actual thanks till you calm down and realized I did what I had too," I said and continued to walk. Spike sat there awkwardly just uncomfortable being stuck in the situation.Cerberus really didn't seem to care and continued to walk onwards and I was quick to follow.

"I'm not ungrateful," Gilda mumbled and followed after us and I pretend not to hear her. It was enough that he aggravated me but now she was going to join us. We moved in relative silence and we came to another bridge that spanned a chasm That I Hazarded to look over the railings and shivered. Sure I can fly now doesn't mean I am comfortable with really far up heights. When I looked up and Cerberus was not there, I looked behind me and all three Cerberus's heads looked at the bridge scared, I looked ahead and sighed.

"Don't tell me. You're afraid of heights." I asked him and he looked and me and whimpered. I smacked my face with my claw in frustration.

"Great..." Gilda gave a voice of my annoyance.

"Come on Cerberus just one paw in front of another." I coaxed and he whimpered slightly as he began to walk slowly.

"You would think a big bad guard of Tartarus would be scared of heights," Spike said with a chuckle and Cerberus glared at the young Drake.

"Don't worry Cerberus I get it," I said comfortingly. It was slow going and at the half way point the bridge groaned and I looked at Cerberus who froze in place.

"Now is not the time to freeze. " Gilda said with a deadpan look.

"Spike, hold on ok I'm taking off," I warned Spike and he nodded, his arms circled my neck. I beat my wings giving myself lift then I was airborne. It still felt so surreal to be able to give the middle finger to gravity but I needed to focus on getting this oversized mythical beast to cross the bridge.

"Come on Cerberus you can do it." I encouraged and the three heads looked up at me all their ears flat against their heads.

"I know just focus on me and we can make it," I said as I began to fly backward and he took a step forward following me. I saw one of his heads look to the side.

"No no eyes on me big guy," I ordered and he looked back at me. What felt like forever finally ended when his paws touched solid ground and Cerberus looked around and suddenly became hyper like a puppy and began to run into the grass feild alongside the road. I landed beside Gilda who had been quiet for the most part from her eye rolls and scoffs which I ignored the entire time.

"Yay, now we can get going faster than a snail." She chided and I gave her a glance.

"What?" she said with a frown and I simply walked after Cerberus keeping my opinions to myself.

"Seriously what?" she asked as she followed after me and Spike.

"I think you were rather inconsiderate." Spike said and Gilda looked at the young drake.

"What he was slow." She said pointedly.

"And you're a bitch," I said and she puffed up angrily.

"You want me to clock you again Feather Beak." she said hotly.

"Well, you didn't help." Spike pointed out to Gilda.

"Why would I need to He didn't ask for help," Gilda said and I looked over my shoulder.

"Giving out a helping claw without having to ask shows you care," Spike said as he turned around to face her and leaned back to lie down.

"Am I really that comfortable?" I asked Spike and he simply chuckled.

"More so than Twilight." He responded and Gilda glowered.

"Feather Beak. Where are you from again. If you had ever been to Griffinstone you would know griffin's look out for only one thing. Themselves." She said matter of factly. Spike looked up at her and frowned.

"How is that any way to live. Being selfish, not thinking of others." Spike asked with a look of disapproval.

"I'm a good Griffen, I went to camps with ponies and I was friends with Rainbow Dash, But now she's got other friends." She said and I thought I could hear a hint of sadness in her voice but it came and went like a breeze.

"Gilda..." I began and she looked at me with a hard glare.

" I'm sorry...for calling you a bitch. " I said honestly and she didn't say anything and so I slowed down till I was beside her. She then looked forward and refused to look at me. I looked forward as well and pondered on what to say.

"I know I can be one...but ah forget it." She said in a huff.

"You know I thought I was an angry person but I guess it's genetic," I said with a light chuckle.

"We are warriors and come from a history of fighting both others and ourselves." She said suddenly.

"Guess I can be envious of how easily ponies see the world and make friends," I said suddenly without thinking and both Spike and Gilda looked at me.

"What?" I asked suddenly defensive.

"You have friends Feather. Twilight, Zecora, and all of ponyville." Spike said.

"They don't know me...Zecora knows best what I'm really like. I don't look it but I get mad easily." I confessed and Spike looked slightly confused.

"It's true I don't really know you but you seem like a cool dude to me," Spike said looking up to the sky as he laid on my back.

"I think all Griffin's have anger issues," Gilda said bitterly.

"You speaking from personal experience or just because you live in Griffinstone?" I said with a hint of humor and she looked at me with a smirk.

"Ha ha." She said evenly as I looked forward and Cerberus had begun to lose his puppy like zeal and was trotting up to us. You could tell he had grass stains on his black coat that was barely visible.

"You are like a big puppy," I said to him and the three headed bulldog sniffed and began to walk ahead of us.


We had continued for another hour following the road that slowly began to bend to the right alongside the train tracks, to my surprise we ran into nopony else. First thing I saw over the trees was a spire of what looked like a church and we finally saw an arch in the distance that looked like an entrench into the city. I rocked my back and heard a mumble from Spike as he had passed out.

"We're here Spike," I said and Spike sat up, rubbing his eyes and turned around to see.

"Yup that's Dodge City the stop before the mountains," He said and already a group began to gather at the arch and they looked like the local law enforcement.

"Uh oh," Gilda said and gave voice to my thoughts exactly.

"We should go ahead and explain whats going on," Spike offered and I whole heartedly agreed. I jogged up to Cerberus's side and looked up at him.

"Cerberus mind waiting here so we can tell the ponies not to freak out and think you're here to cause trouble?" I asked. The three headed bulldog canted his head and stopped.

"Thanks, buddy," I said and I opened my wings and Spike hugged my neck and I left the ground and flew to the ever growing crowd. Several ponies were creating a ring to keep the local civilian ponies back as a chestnut brown stallion with a broad rimmed cowboy hat approached me as I glided down and landed a little harder than I wanted to.

"You need to work on your landings dude," Spike said and I glared at him but said nothing as the Stallion gave me a look over.

"Not often we see a griffin here," he said with a thick accent that reminded me of people from the south.

"Well here I am, and that big dog is Cerberus," I said side stepping and gesturing to the guardian of Tartarus.

"Oh, that be a monster alright." He said tipping his hat back exposing his sandy colored mane.

"He's not a monster he's the guardian of Tartarus," Spike added.

"Oh, I know, but he's still a monster. Why do you want to come here to Dodge City and not take him back to Tartarus?" He asked and I shook my head for a moment.

"That's what we are doing but we need a flatbed on a train to get him back to Tartarus," I said and a light seems to come on behind his eyes.

"Ah see your conundrum but I can't just have a three headed monster just roamin the city, might cause a panic ya see." He said and my mind flashed back to ponyville and all the ponies running around like chickens with their heads cut off. He had a point.

"What do you recommend?" I asked and He put his hoof under his chin and rubbed it in thought.

"Ah suppose you can go round and wait for the Train to come. It will be here in a day. I'll talk to the boy down at the track to put on a flat bed for ya and you can set out in the morn. But you will need to keep him out of Dodge till then I'm sorry t'say." He said with a look of regret. I felt a flare of anger at not being able to just come into the city but I swallowed it like a bitter pill and nodded.

"What is the time the train will arrive?" Spike asked.

"Round 10 in'a mornin," he said and I nodded and turned to leave.

"Thanks for everything," Spike said and I opened my wings sharply then took off the ground as Spike was just barely able to grab hold in time. I landed hard again in front of Cerberus.

"We can't enter the city," I said heated ly and Gilda frowned.

"Why not sure he's a big dog but what the hay!" Gilda said outraged.

"He would cause a panic," Spike explained.

"we have to wait till tomorrow around 10 for the train comes. The sheriff or head to the local law enforcement will make sure we have a flatbed cart for Cerberus so we can travel. I adjusted the quiver straps that were across my chest.

"We have to make camp outside the city for tonight," I said and Gilda gave me a deadpan look.

"You can camp I'm finding a motel for the night," Gilda said walking past Spike and me. I just looked at her as she walked towards the city and I looked at Spike and he looked back at me with a shrug. I glared at the back of her head.

"Man I think she's just stubborn," I mumbled Spike chuckled.

"So, you don't have much to go on for relationship prospects then." He teased and looked over my shoulder.

"Meaning?" I cocked my eyebrow.

"I don't see many griffin's so she might be your only option." He joked I raised my left wing and punched him in the head with it.

"Ouch.." Spike said and I looked at him.

"I would rather eat dirt," I commented and Spike rubbed his head with a chuckle.