In Reflection, The Same

by Faedelaide

Amazing

"Twilight, for Celestia's sake would you please stop tapping your hooves on the floor? I already had to cancel my morning spa appointment for this trip, and It's giving me quite the unfashionable headache," Rarity pleaded.

"Oh, sorry Rarity. I'm just so excited to finally see Griffonstone after Pinkie and Dash already got to go there themselves."

"Yeah, we know. You've done nothing but ask Pinkie and I questions about Griffonstone all morning!" Rainbow Dash added.

"You should've seen her before she left. It took me twenty minutes to convince her to bring only what she really needed," Spike remarked, looking back at the small mountain of bags, briefcases and other assorted travel cases. "And this," he gestured to the monumentally heavy pile of packed supplies, "Is the best I could do."

"I'm sorry everypony, it's just that I've never had the opportunity to see the Griffon Kingdom, especially as a princess."

"It's alright Twilight, we all understand how exciting this is for you," Fluttershy assured. "Isn't that right everypony?" Fluttershy turned to the other ponies, trying to mend the palpable feeling of tired grumpiness that lingered over the rest of the group.

In vain it seemed, as the general mumbling of agreement from Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Spike did nothing to improve the mood.

"I haven't been up this early since I was back home on the rock farm! Everythings so misty and sprinkly!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed with her usual boundless energy.

"It's alright Twilight, don't worry about those grumps. Not everyone can handle bein' up at such an early hour like I can." Applejack assured Twilight. She puffed up her chest slightly as she spoke, a motion that made Rainbow Dash groan.

"I could be a morning person if I wanted to..." she pouted as she grumbled under her breath.

"The morning dew always ruins my mane. Now I wish I'd brought a hat, I can only imagine what it's going to be like out on the sea," Rarity complained, taking a seat on a small line of throw pillows that she pulled out from her own luggage pile.

Twilight couldn't help but to agree. As much as the idea of seeing the Griffon Kingdom overpowered the tiredness in her eyes, the humid air and the grumpiness of her friends, She was hoping that this morning could stand to be a little more picturesque. The dock that the ponies stood on was uncomfortably waterlogged, a product of the cold sea air. The sky was a bleak grey, and the early morning fog that shrouded the entire port made the atmosphere much more dreary than Twilight imagined it would be.

It didn't help that her friends were just as morose. Rainbow hovered in the air, glowering down at all the other ponies.

"Remind me why we couldn't just fly all the way to Griffonstone? We take a train all the way to Baltimare just to catch a boat when we could've just taken a carriage. I could have flown to Griffonstone myself and gotten there before any of you'd have reached the port!"

"Not all of us have got big fancy wings, Rainbow. Some of us have to put in a bit more work to get where we need to go," Applejack retorted. Applejack, despite arguing otherwise, did seem a little more snippy than usual. It wasn't nearly as bad as Rainbow, but it was noticeable, at least to Twilight. She believed it probably had more to do with leaving Sweet Apple Acres for a currently unknown amount of time.

And as if on cue, Applejack, with a humph in Rainbow Dash's direction, walked up next to Twilight.

"Say, Twi? How long do you reckon we're gonna be at Griffonstone for?"

"I don't know. Princess Celestia's just as confused about the whole Griffonstone situation as I am," Twilight responded.

"Well did she give any details? Any little bit saying 'hey Twilight, you were totally supposed to take this carriage I had ready and fly to Griffonstone instead of moping around a wet dock like a bunch of sad sacks.' Anything in there that could maybe explain why this mission was so urgent that we needed to get up this early?" Rainbow Dash fumed, her enraged face slightly obscured by the thick fog.

"Now you hold on one apple buckin' moment there, Rainbow," Applejack scolded her, grabbing Rainbow Dash by her tail and dragging her back down to ground level. "You don't get to mosey around shouting at Twilight just because you're up earlier than usual. She doesn't know any more about this situation than Celestia does."

"What do you care? You probably wake up this early all the time!" Rainbow Dash retorted.

"Darlings please, your arguing is not making this trip go by any faster," Rarity groaned quietly as she gently rubbed her temples with her hooves.

"I'll go get us tickets for the train back then..." Spike sighed as he turned around to head back to the station.

Twilight was trying her best to contain herself as her friends continued to gripe all around her. However, try as she might, she could still feel the shiver of anger shake through her legs. She could feel a small vibration in her ears, and she hoped that she hadn't accidentally burst a blood vessel.

That fear was put to rest a moment later when the unmistakable sound of a crystal flugelhorn cut through the air like a blade. Twilight looked over to see Pinkie standing at the end of the dock with flugelhorn in hoof.

"Pinkie, what are you doing?" Twilight asked. Twilight, given the current circumstances, was not in the mood for Pinkie's random acts.

"I'm calling to the horn in the ocean, silly!" she responded casually. "Watch!"

Pinkie sounded off the flugelhorn again. The other six, silenced by her first call, sat waiting to see whatever it was Pinkie Pie was talking about. After a short moment of silence, Twilight turned back to Spike. She was just about to walk with him back to the station when a painfully loud droning came from beyond the fog. The board of the dock rattled and shook Rarity nearly fell of of her bed of pillows, and Rainbow fell from the sky onto the wet wood below with a dull Thump.

Twilight, Spike and the other ponies aside from Rarity all ran to the edge of the dock, looking for whatever had made such a powerful sound. The faint outline of a boat appeared amidst the misty cloud that shrouded the Port.

Twilight couldn't help but to get excited again. This was it. Finally, Twilight would get to go to Griffonstone.

Comments

[overdue]

Well, it's Dark + Horror + Mystery so I know I'll like it. excited to follow this

[Mr cold ghost]

Ok this is a good start. The mane six are all mostly in character. Let’s see what you do with this!

[Flora Blossom]

Interesting... you have my attention.