• Published 23rd Jan 2020
  • 360 Views, 3 Comments

Boreas' Gaze - TundraStanza



Lost to time, the Idol of Boreas once united the Gryphon Kingdom in pride and splendor. Pushes from King Sombra's invasion may mean a young gryphon has to reclaim this statue and the power it carries inside.

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Ch. 4: No Eyes. Thanks!

It breathed fire at the walls. It lost count of how many times it tried melting the stone. Its shackles were unresponsive to the flames as well. It tried lashing every which way it could, but it continued to be trapped. It needed to serve King Sombra, but it was too trapped to do so.

Its world was green and red, the blessed colors of its king's dark magic. Its head was held down by the weight of its helmet. It shook the chains again. It tried to breathe fire at them once more. This time, it coughed. It was failing its duties to serve its king.

...

It heard the hoof steps of Celestia's weaklings approach. It growled unintelligibly. It did not need language. Its king spoke for it and everything. It just needed them to let it out. It needed to slay the unbending to King Sombra's ground.

Then, all of a sudden... it saw a pair of crimson wings.

"Denounce your king and find a better path!"

The young dragon slammed his head against the wall behind him. After three impacts, the uncomfortable helmet fell away. His slit, blue eyes blinked before his blonde mane hid them from outsiders. Even so, he blinked a few times. Though he was very much still in a dungeon cell, he could see a variety of colors.

There were two guard ponies standing on either side of the barred door. The pony princess was standing right outside as well. He tilted his head when he saw the violet and white gryphon staring at him.

"Dude, what are you looking at?" Fume turned his wrists, rattling the chains in the process.

The gryphon turned his head to look behind himself. "Well, he's talking. That shows promise."

Fume grunted while tugging at the chains. "Hey! Don't ignore me when I'm talking to you!"

The gryphon returned his gaze to the teenage dragon. "Just hold still. We'll have you out of here in a few seconds."

After a go-ahead from Celestia, one of the guards trotted in with the keys. One after the other, he unlocked the chains of the dragon. Said dragon massaged his wrists and ankles before crawling out of the cell. As soon as he stood upright, he held up a claw to his head and groaned.

"Are you alright?" asked the princess.

"Just peachy." Fume shook his head. He blinked and did a double-take at Gylpher. "What's a gryphon doing in Canterlot?"

"I could ask the same thing about a dragon." Gylpher countered.

"I was a prisoner. What's your excuse?" Fume crossed his arms.

"Funny, so was I." Gylpher used his wing's feathers to point at himself.

"You think this is a joke?!" The dragon tackled the gryphon against a wall.

"Ngh... kuh!" A couple of striped hind paws pushed the weight of scales back.

Slit eyes stared at each other for a second. Then, both of the creatures flew to close the gap. That was the case until a guard's spear handle pressed against the dragon's chest. Likewise, a large and white wing halted the gryphon.

"Gentle males, that's quite enough." Celestia looked with stern eyes at them both.

Fume snorted out a puff of smoke. "Dragons don't do anything gently."

"Said the dragon who was pulling his punches," muttered Gylpher.

Fume stepped back from the pole weapon. "I just didn't want to crush your scaredy-cat half too quickly."

Gylpher stared deadpan. "Both of my halves are from predatory animals."

"Well, good for rocking you." Fume put his claws against his sides.

Celestia cleared her throat. "Might I suggest saving some of that fight for the war zone?"

Fume shook his head. "No offense, Your Highness, but I'm through fighting for ponies, crystal or otherwise."

Gylpher raised a talon. "Do you have a plan to avoid Sombra's capture? Because, it looks like that didn't work out for you the first time."

Fume growled in a low tone. Then, he looked toward the princess. "Where's the next battle?"

Celestia nodded. "Talk with Shining Armor. He can get you started."

---

Gylpher walked into five more cells in that dungeon. Five more times, he used his compelling gaze and commands. This time, the freed mind slaves were crystal ponies. After they left their cells, Celestia offered them a choice: Fight on her side, or take up work that could still be useful to her army. There was some hesitation, but they all agreed to the latter.

As the guard ponies escorted the crystal ponies out, Gylpher grunted. He leaned against a wall while holding a talon near his head. Rukh appeared silently and gently lifted her pact mate's beak. When Gylpher opened his eyes, Rukh saw the image of the bird wings were shaking. She also thought she saw a watery tear.

"It's hurting now, isn't it?" She wiped the droplet away.

"I've had worse headaches." Gylpher moved his talon to brush Rukh's off his face.

"Your power is growing, implanting itself deeper into your very being." Rukh didn't budge.

"What are the side effects of this power's growth?" He lowered his brow.

"When it reaches full maturity, you won't be able to turn it off."

He gasped. "I'll need to be careful of who I'm looking at and what I'm saying. A sarcastic remark could be taken as an extreme command and cause a chain of events."

"Would it be so bad to have the power of a king?" Rukh tilted her head.

"From what I've seen, kings are either too broken up to keep the peace, or they're too power-hungry to know when to stop fighting." Gylpher looked down. The crimson birds in his eyes faded to dull outlines. "Not one creature is invincible. They shouldn't act like power can ever make them so."

Rukh sighed. "I expected that kind of response."

Celestia trotted up next to the gryphons. "I'm heading back to the front lines tomorrow morning. I've asked my guards that are staying here to look after you." She turned and gave a quick wink. "Do try to keep your orders within reason."

Gylpher rolled his eyes. "Your Highness, you're the closest thing this world has to a chance of winning against Sombra. Usurping your subjects in your absence is not only rude. It's counter-intuitive."

"I'm glad we agree." Celestia smiled thinly before trotting out of view.

---

After exiting the dungeon, Gylpher found himself essentially with free reign of the castle grounds. Two guard ponies were always nearby, but they kept averting their eyes. He knew why. They were being cautious of his compulsion power. When he heard the clang of a hammer against metal, he wandered over to an open room.

Within the space were several ponies working and covered in dirt. One was shoveling coal into a furnace. The next was dragging a rope along a pulley. Yet another was pushing a cart with various colored mineral ores. Cold Quartz was hammering something on an anvil.

Gylpher did a double-take. "Cold Quartz?"

The crystal mare narrowly avoided dropping her hammer near her hoof. She galloped around the anvil and up to Gylpher. She slammed her hooves around the gryphon in a hug. Slowly, he reached one talon up to her shoulder. His other arm was trapped by her embrace.

Cold Quartz's eyes suddenly bulged open and she backed off about three steps. "Sorry! I just-"

"No, it's fine." Gylpher waved his wings dismissively.

"I didn't know if you-"

"Just didn't expect it. That's all."

There was a bit of a pause. Most of the other ponies continued their work in the forge. A few slowed down while keeping an eye on the newcomer. Quartz's hide glowed ever so slightly.

"So, uh... they let you free?" She glanced at him.

He gave a half-smile. "More like they gave me a job without a title. I'm sort of a trainee in curing the brainwashed."

"Hmm, I did see a few more crystal ponies pass by, more than I remembered were at the courtroom." Quartz tapped her chin.

Gylpher glanced over at the anvil. "You've taken up a blacksmith position?"

"Oh, yes!" She trotted back toward her original spot and motioned for him to follow. "I told them about my experience forging ice sapphires into arrowheads. They wanted to see if I could do something similar with their supply of fire rubies."

"How did it go?" He walked close.

"Easier than I thought." She picked up the covered handle of the rod. "If it weren't for the red color, I might have mistaken the two gems to be the same."

---

*Twang!* *Zwip!*

About half of the oak, training dummy was incinerated. That was the damage assessed from one fire arrow. With the sudden weight imbalance, the rest of the dummy clattered along the ground. The test archer hoofed off her weapon and quiver to another pony. She then proceeded to trot off the range. Other ponies immediately galloped over to clean up the debris.

"Remind me never to mess with you, Quartz." Gylpher crossed his arms.

"Don't mess with me." Cold Quartz paraphrased.

He waved his wing dismissively. "I mean if I ever get in a situation where I'm stupid enough to try."

"Oh, okay." She chuckled. "I should probably get back to the forge. They're going to want a lot more of these fire arrows."

"I can see why." He glanced back at the singed mark on the archery range. "Get enough of those, and a blizzard could turn into a flash flood."

"There you are!" shouted a familiar voice.

Gylpher looked toward the sound of cantering hooves. "Shimmer?"

The interrogator slid to a stop and adjusted her sunglasses. "We need you at the courthouse, right now!"

He blinked twice. "Don't you ponies have restrictions on double jeopardy?"

"This isn't about your case. Just..." Sunset sighed. "Look. It'll be easier to explain if I show you."

"Hmm, guess I don't have anything better to do." He signaled a quick wave with his talon. "See you around, Quartz."

"Alright." Cold Quartz nodded. "Good luck with whatever that is."

Sunset Shimmer led Gylpher out through the hall. As per Celestia's instructions, two of the guards followed closely to either side.

"No blindfold this time?" Gylpher called out.

"The Princess trusts you enough to use discretion." Sunset turned her head slightly. "I'll let you prove yourself."

The gryphon smiled wryly. He flapped his wings and flew low as he followed the unicorn. The sky outside the castle was still quite red. It had barely been a day since he had seen the pink hue on everything. Yet, it felt like forever ago. There were some scratches on the buildings and paint was peeling off the "three horseshoe" signs.

He shook his head at how much the locals showed off their wealth.

---

It seemed the prosecutor was still staring at the corner of the courtroom. Whenever one of the other ponies in there tried to get his attention, he repeated that he needed to think about what he had done. Poking, prodding, and pushing Mr. Darkbright had no success in dislodging him. Loud noises and stomping hooves near his ears weren't budging him either.

Sunset pointed her hoof. "Can you do something about this?"

Gylpher looked down in thought for a moment. "Does anybody have a mirror?"

"Sir, this is no time for sprucing." One of the guards looked annoyed.

"I meant a mirror that could fit between the prosecutor and that corner." Gylpher waggled his talon for emphasis. "There's no way I can fit in there to look at him directly."

One by one, the nearby ponies shook their heads. That was until attention was brought to the pony holding out a compact mirror and some eyeliner. She was in her own little world. Sunset trotted over and promptly levitated the compact out of this pony's grasp. The compact floated over in front of Mr. Darkbright's face.

"Like this?" Sunset glanced at the gryphon.

Gylpher held up his open palm sideways. "Turn it a little... there! Hold it!"

"Every pony, avert your eyes!" Sunset called out to the rest of the room's occupants.

Conveniently, the gryphon and the prosecutor were the only ones who didn't comply. The former opened his wings while looking at the compact. He swung his right talon out to the side.

"Return to your daily routine, only breaking it when you need to work on your next case."

The red birds in his eyes screeched as they flew. The prosecutor's pupils dilated as the new words filled his brain. As the gryphon set his talon onto the floor, there was a slow nod from his subject. Routine was top priority until work superseded it.

"I understand."

Mr. Darkbright turned on his hind legs before briskly trotting away from the corner. The rest of the ponies opened their eyes and watched the prosecutor as he left. A couple of them sighed. The mare with makeup snatched her compact back with a huff. Similar frustration was on the judge pony's face as he trotted up to Sunset.

"Why isn't that gryphon in cuffs?" The judge pointed a hoof to his left.

Sunset stared back. "Princess Celestia has declared him free to move around, with the only restriction that he be constantly guarded."

"Flaunting her crown's authority again." The judge shook his head. "You watch. When this war is over, she'll be the next King Sombra."

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I don't see that happening."

"And how can you be so sure?" The judge was barely a breath away from her.

Sunset shrugged. "Well for one, she'd look terrible with a black mane."

The judge's brow lowered. " 'The interrogator was humorous.' They'll write that on your epitaph." He flicked his cloak before trotting out of the courtroom.

"I guess your joke was too personal for him." Gylpher looked at her.

"That wasn't a joke." Sunset scratched at the tie above her chest. "The Princess actually tried that color before she managed to wash the dye out. I couldn't take any of her lessons seriously for a whole week."

"Huh." Gylpher rubbed the back of his neck. "And here I thought every creature's goth phase lasted at least a year."

"To each their own." Sunset shrugged. "Ready to head back?"

"Yeah..." He closed his eyes and rubbed the top of his beak.

---

Author's Note:

It's no Strawberry Sunrise, but I'll take it. (End of my bad attempt at a joke.)
...
Yeah, I know. It's a slow schedule for uploading chapters. But I don't feel right pressing "Publish" every time I manage to slap 100 words together. I'd rather take the time to make them look somewhat decent.