In Reflection, The Same

by Faedelaide

Feathers and Flesh

Gillian's heart pounded in her chest, its rythmic beating nearly as rapid as her wingbeats. Beside her, the other griffons, along with Twilight and Rainbow Dash, raced along the wide path left in Sam's wake. Splotches of oily fluid peppered the overturned trees and crushed bushes that continued on towards the Hyperborean Mountains. The thick, acidic ooze stuck to everything, Which made it easy to track Sam, but he was proving to be extraordinarily fast for a creature of his size.

The edge of Griffonstone was about a half day's walk from the cabin, but at the pace Sam was keeping, he would reach the city's edge in two hours tops. The city wasn't prepared for an attack from something like him. The griffons were hungry, cold, and sick. Even those that managed to stay healthy wouldn't dare to even look in the Wall's direction. If Sammakött attacked, they wouldn't stand a chance. It would be a slaughter the likes of which Equestria had not seen for thousands of years.

Gillian's mind bounced and spiraled as she devised a plan to slow him down. He was on rougher terrain than they were, and they had the added benefit of being able to fly. Rainbow Dash could easily catch up to Sam with her noteworthy speed if she was told to. Could Rainbow maybe slow him down somehow?

No, that wouldn't work. Sam would be too much for her. Even the slightest exposure to his hypnosis spell would mean game over, now that the protective filter of the ice was no longer present.

Perhaps Twilight could teleport them to him? If they were smart enough, they might be able to cut him off before he even exited the forest.

No, that wouldn't work either. Only Twilight currently held teleportation magic, and she was the only individual capable of trapping him. If she exhausted herself by teleporting so many creatures so far, she might not be able to cast her bubble spell, which meant game over for all of them and Griffonstone.

Gerret spoke up, nearly shouting over the whipping wind. "What do we do if we catch up to him?"

Gilda responded bluntly, not looking behind her. Her feathers whistled as she soared through the air at blistering speed. "Twilight traps him, we kill him."

Gillian saw the faintest bit of movement from the corner of her eye, she turned to see Twilight mumbling something to herself. Her words were indistinguishable over the loud whining of the air around them, but Gillian could see that the princess was quite upset over the idea of having to kill a sentient being. The celadon griffon debated over comforting the mare for a moment, but quickly shook off the thought. Her town, her kin were in danger. Ethics would have to wait until later. Now was the time for planning.

Would it be better to send Rainbow Dash to Griffonstone to warn everyone? Perhaps if she got there, the griffons would... No, they'd never believe her. And even if they did, it would do nothing but instill panic. If Griffonstone was going to square up against the likes of Sammakött, the last thing they needed to be was panicked and confused. Though honestly, Gillian would have preferred that Griffonstone didn't have to square up against the likes of something like Sam. Perhaps if they bargained with him for the Crystal Empire...

Gillian's planning was cut short when she nearly flew straight into a wall of rock. She stared up, scanning the area around her for any signs of Sam. Oddly, the trail he had left stopped right at the jagged quarry that led to the base of Mount Griffus.

The other griffons flew around the rough forest trail, looking for any signs of a diverged path or change in direction. Gerret flew up next to Gillian, looking up at the high ledges that covered the face of the mountain.

"You don't think he was able to climb up all that, do ya?" he asked.

Gillian's eyes were a blur as she scrutinized every inch of the cliff above her. "No, at least not that quickly. He may be fast on th'ground, but there's no way he could climb all the way up to the top with those hooves."

"What about those claws of his? They seem like they'd be able to get the job done."

"Sure, but they looked like they were on a ball socket, no shoulder blades. Not t'mention his center o' gravity would be too low. He wouldn't've been able t'hoist himself up using only his claws'r else he'd dislocate 'em. He'd have had t'use both his claws and hooves, which would be much more exhausting and slow. Keep in mind we were at most a minute'r two behind him. No way a build as cumbersome as his made it all th'way up this ridge in two minutes."

"Which means?" Gilda blurted out behind Gillian.

Gillian turned to face the rest of the party. "Sam's gotta be nearby. Look for clues, but keep your eyes to th'ground. We all know what'll happen if you see yellow."

Gillian descended into the forest below, and the party followed suit. The others overturned rocks, moved plants and kept their noses inches away from the snow as they looked for any sign of Sam.

Gilda walked up to Gillian with a surprised look on her face. "Well, now your in working condition again? Where was that Gillian the past few days, huh?"

"Whaddya mean?" Gillian absentmindedly watched her friends scan the underbrush.

"I don't wanna be blunt... actually, I do. Gillian, I hired you for that big ol' egghead of yours, but these past few days, you've been acting like a total fuzzbrain. What's up with that?"

Twilight gracefully strode deeper into the woods until she was nothing more than a silhouette in the distance. Gillian tensed a little as she looked down at the White brown griffon before her. "Oh I dunno, just nerves I guess. Probably something with all that's happening. Real stressful 'n' stuff."

"...Uh huh, sure," Gilda rolled her eyes, possibly realising she wasn't going to get anything more out of her.

Gillian sighed in relief. As Gilda walked back to meet with Gerret and Gelgen, Gillian scanned the snow for any footprints. She thought she noticed something when the snapping of wood echoed from somewhere in front of her. Gilda and the other griffons turned, hearing the noise as well.

Gillian squinted hard, trying to discern any outlying shapes. Another snap sounded, and the griffons grouped together. They stared at the darkness of the forest for a moment, until a small yellow slit cast a haunting, dandelion glow around the nearby forest.

The griffons didn't have a moment to turn away, to scream or escape. They were barely given the opportunity to blink when a great yellow eye emerged from the shadows and blew away their every conscious thought like smoke in the wind.

"Good," Sammakött gurgled, "just two to go..."

Comments

[Giltor]

- Ok, we have a dangerous monster that hides in the forest and only one of us can fight him, what should we do?
- Let's split up!
- Oh, this is a great plan!

[Zubric]

I broke rule one never split the party