A somewhat short story about a Gryphon who traveled to Equestria on a mission to discover the origins of a strange artifact. Will somepony be able to help him, or will the bad memories that Gilda left behind stop him from finishing his quest.
A somewhat short story about a Gryphon who traveled to Equestria on a mission to discover the origins of a strange artifact. Will somepony be able to help him, or will the bad memories that Gilda left behind stop him from finishing his quest. (Rated Teen for some violence & language)
This story was originally posted on FanFiction.com, but I rewrote it and decided to post it here as well.
I welcome all commentary and feedback, be it positive, negative, or crazy.
Seeker de Anon (the gryphon character) is my own OC. I claim that this story Idea is my own My Little Pony and all other characters mentioned are the Property of Hasbro. I in no way own or am associated with MLP:FIM.
This story takes place between S:1-EP:11 & S:1-EP:12
Zecora was no stranger to the howls and roars of the creatures of the Everfree forest. She had been there long enough to tell the difference between roars of anger, screams of pain, and howls of pleasure. But when she heard these roars, roars coming just a few yards away from her well hidden home, the kind of roars and howls a predator made when it's food fought back, she had a horrible thought enter her mind that somepony had been looking for her home, but found a new 'friend' instead. She quickly grabbed some supplies, then hurried outside to render aid.
Zecora was surprised by what she saw when she ventured outside. She had expected to find somepony about to be eaten by whatever horrible creature it had called attention to. Instead, she saw a silhouette of what she believed to be a Pegasus, fighting a Manticore.
She wasn't entirely sure it was a Pegasus she was seeing. It was the middle of the night, and the figure was far away. Still, whoever it was had wings and was moving fast, so it made sense for her to think that it was a Pegasus, especially since she lived so close to Ponyville.
The Pegasus was fighting off the Manticore with a shield and some other kind of weapon. Zecora was impressed by the pony's fighting skill and It looked like the silhouetted figure was going to win.
Unfortunately though, he failed to avoid the Manticore's final swing, and the beast grabbed him in it's claws. Before Zecora could react, the Manticore threw the Pegasus right in her direction. The figure flew by her, and hit a tree with loud 'crunch'. The Manticore leaped after him, intent on finishing off its prey.
Zecora knew that now was the time to act. However, before she could intervene, the Pegasus, who she couldn't believe was still conscious after an impact like that, rolled from his side over onto his back, and pulled something from his hip that made a 'thwack' as it propelled something shiny & metallic at the Manticore.
The creature froze, then started wobbling around drunkenly. Eventually it stumbled backward and fell, the Pegasus followed soon after, finally succumbing to his wounds. Zecora, still not quite believing what she had just seen, trotted over to inspect the damage.
The Manticore wasn't dead. Zecora could still hear the creatures heat beating. A slow beat, but it was there none the less. However, the Manticore was not her main concern right now.
In the faint light from her home, she saw that the figure who had been fighting the Manticore, was not a Pegasus, but a Gryphon.
The Gryphon was severely injured, he was covered in cuts, bleeding, and breathing heavily. Zecora gently touched the side of him that hit the tree, and discovered It was hot, tender, and starting to darken, confirming her belief that his ribs were broken.
Zecora looked over the strange Gryphon. It was definitely a he, she could easily see that. He had dark gold fur and black feathers. He was also wearing what looked like assassins equipment. A belt with holsters for his weapons. A side pack, an ammo sleeve with pouches for darts. He even had a shield around his left arm.
Zecora was suddenly very weary of this Gryphon, she didn't want to bring an assassin into her home, but at the same time, this Gryphon may simply be some pour soul who was unprepared for the dangers of the forest.
Eventually her conscious got the better of her, and Zecora decided to help the poor Gryphon. However, just because she was helping him, didn't mean she wouldn't take measures to protect herself.
Radiant sunlight streamed in through the windows of Zecora's house and landed right on the face of the Gryphon that had fought for its life last night.
He woke up when he felt the heat of the sunlight on him. He turned his head so he could open his eyes but dreaded having to do so, knowing that all that would greet him would be the hard insect covered forest floor, and his own broken body that he would have patch up himself. Eventually he stopped trying to avoid the inevitable and opened his eyes.
"This is not the Everfree forest." The Gryphon thought to himself.
He was resting on a bed that looked like it was made out of materials from the forest. He was also covered in a thick blanket made of fur.
The Gryphon looked around the room and recognized the Zebra decorations hanging on the walls. There wasn't much in here though, just the bed, the decorations, one window, a desk, and a nightstand.
The nightstand made the Gryphon pause, his sword was on top of it, and the rest of his equipment was on the floor in front of it.
"I wonder If my savior is trustworthy, naive...," He said reaching out to retrieve his sword. "or just stu.."
The Gryphon stopped mid sentence when he saw his arm. It turned out that whoever had rescued him wasn't so naive after all. They had tied his arms, and most likely his legs as well, to the bed and drugged him so that he would lose all feeling in his limbs, making it impossible to lift them
The sound of the door opening caused him to snap his head up. Well, It would have if he had not been drugged. A Zebra walked it carrying a tray of food. She set it in front of the Gryphon's sword, hiding it from view, then trotted over next to the bed.
"Fond of your weapons you have proven yourself." The Zebra said as she saw his limb arm hanging out trying to reach his sword. She glared down intimidatingly down at the Gryphon and continued. "But in my company, this will prove hazardous to your health."
"Sorry." The Gryphon said.
The Zebra stopped glaring at him and smirked. "What is your name?" she said.
"Seeker, Seeker de Anon, and you are?"
"Zecora is my name. Not one attached to much fame."
"Nice to meet you Zecora, I assume you're the one who moved me here."
"Moved you and healed you my young Gryphon friend. If not for my care, you may well have met your end."
Zecora threw back the blanket so that Seeker could inspect his injuries. The first thing he noticed was that his midsection was wrapped up in bandages, with a pad under the wrappings on his right side. The rest of his body didn't have much on it. Just some dirt, and a few bandages here and there.
Zecora explained to Seeker that all the major damage was on his right side, where the Manticore threw him against the tree. Three of his ribs were broken, and the rest were cracked. His right wing was sprained but it would heal quickly. The rest of the injuries were only a few cuts and bruises.
"Now Seeker, would you please say, why you are in Equestria this fine day."
Seeker was hesitant to reveal too much information to this strange Zebra. He was thankful that she had saved him, but it was obvious that she didn't trust him at all. Still, it was foolish to act like you had a full house when your opponent could see all your cards.
"I'm a scholar from the Gryphon Republic. I'm here in Equestria on my own business."
"What business?"
"I'm looking for information about a magical artifact."
“What kind of artifact?”
Seeker sighed. “A very old bracelet that is of great personal value to me.”
“You said you were a scholar?”
“Yes.”
“Where did you study?”
“What?”
“Where.” Zecora asked getting even closer to the Gryphon. “Did. You. Study?”
“Dair University!”
Zecora suppressed a smile before letting up on the Gryphon. She had already gone through his possessions while he was asleep and found his Passport, and a strange bracelet that must have been the artifact he was talking about. That, coupled with the way the Gryphon had acted during her interrogation, she realized that there was no way he could have been an assassin.
Zecora relaxed now that she knew Seeker was a simple explorer. However, a part of her had actually been hoping to find out that the Gryphon really was an assassin, at least then she would have know weather or not her past was still hunting her.
"I believe you are honest, and good in your quest. Now, how about you eat, then continue your rest."
"No offense Zecora, but I think your going to have to feed me."
Over the course of two weeks, Seeker's wing and cuts fully healed, and his ribs mended to the point where It didn't feel like a knife was being stuck into his side when ever he moved, but not well enough to the point where they could be un-bandaged.
Aside from Physical wounds, Seeker's and Zecora's time together healed some major emotional wounds the two of them had been harboring.
Seeker was able to unload the frustration and despair he felt from having failed his quest. He had been in Equestria for 2 months but hadn't learned a thing about the artifact he had with him, and since the Zebras and Gryphons had been allies for over a thousand years, Zecora finally had someone to talk to who actually understood her and her customs.
They Talked about Griffinus, the continent that was home to The Gryphon Republic and Zebra Kingdoms. Since Zecora had been away from her home for years, Seeker was able to tell her about all the major events that had happened in her absence, and since Seeker was still adjusting to Equestria, Zecora was able to fill him in on a lot of information about the country he hadn't known about.
On the final day of the two weeks, Seeker and Zecora discovered something they had in common that finally solidified their friendship. They had both faced discrimination while in Equstria, something that no pony either of them had ever met knew anything about. It was easy for Seeker to talk about, he had only been in Equestria for a few months and hadn't been affected by anything major. Zecora however, had been away from her home for years. She told Seeker about how hard it was for her to survive when she first arrived in this strange country, about how she was forced to live in exile because no pony would even talk to her, and about how the ponies had treated her like a witch after she had finally found sanctuary in the Everfree forest!
She Started to rant and rave, incredulous at the world for putting her through years of isolation. Eventually her anger faded to sadness and she started crying into the Gryphons shoulder. They stayed like that for the rest of the night and eventually fell asleep. As they did, they felt the weight of their emotional baggage leave them, and they were finally able to fade off into the dream world peacefully.
The next day was the beginning of Seeker's third week with Zecora, it was still early in the morning with sunlight only half streaming through the forest, and many creatures were either falling asleep or just waking up. It was on this day that Seeker decided to tell Zecora exactly why he was looking for information on the bracelet artifact.
Zecora had already told Seeker that she went through his possessions. And he told her that he understood, especially since he seemed so dangerous at the time. At first it hadn't bothered him, but now, after Zecora had been so kind to him, Seeker felt that she deserved to know just why he was here.
"Zecora?" he said as she finished applying new bandages to his injury.
"Yes Seeker?" She replied finishing up.
"The reason I need to find information about the bracelet is because, I think It will tell me where I came from."
"You came from the Republic, Is this not true. What other home could have birthed you?"
Seeker sighed as he continued. "The Gryphon Republic is my home, and yes I've been there all my life. But, my parents didn't give birth to me." Zecora was now sitting down in front of Seeker, clearly interested in hearing more.
"They found out they couldn't have children, so they started wishing for one. On the very first night they did, they said that a storm of lights appeared out of nowhere next to the house, they flew out to It and found me there, a newborn Gryphon with this bracelet..” Seeker held up his bracelet in front of him. “Hanging around my arm."
Zecora smiled and shook her head, then stood up. "A child of magic is what you are. Not the first, and not the last, certainly by far."
Seeker eyes widened and he jumped up, ignoring a sting of pain in his side. "Wait! You know where I came from?"
"My word Seeker, calm yourself dear. I do not have the answers you seek I fear."
"Oh." Seeker said, feeling his hope being replaced with despair.
"However, there is a young Pony nearby who is very wise. Go to her, and the answers to your questions may be revealed to your eyes."
Zecora told Seeker everything he needed to know about Twilight and the rest of Ponyville. She gave him a note that would ensure Twilight could trust him, and a map that would lead him safely out of the forest.
After a few minutes of preparation, Seeker came out of Zecora’s house wearing the same equipment that was on him the night he had fought the Manticore. As he walked up to Zecora to say goodbye, he noticed that she was looking at him strangely.
“What?” he asked. “Is something wrong?”
Zecora bit her lip and looked off into the distance before saying. “No my friend, nothing is wrong. You just remind me of a foe I haven't seen in very long.”
“Foe, what do you mean?”
Zecora looked back toward the Gryphon who had shared a major secret of his with her, she knew it would be wrong if she didn’t do the same.
“I did not leave my home of my own free will, But instead forced to flee by enemies who I believe hunt me still.”
“Wait, What!” Seeker said suddenly becoming alarmed. “Zecora, What did you do?”
The Zebra simply closed her eyes shook her head. “That story I will tell you once you have finished your quest.” Zecora went to the young Gryphon and embraced him in a quick hug before adding. “Farewell Seeker, and may your luck be at its best.”
The two separated and Seeker launched himself into the air then started flying in the direction indicated by Zecora’s map. As he glided through the sky along with the morning sun and a few white clouds, Seeker was confident that he was finally on his way to the end of his quest.
Seeker landed on the outskirts of the town and decided to walk the rest of the way. After crossing the bridge and reaching the town hall, he saw that there were a lot of Ponies up and about, despite it still being early.
As Seeker walked through the town, he noticed the unwelcoming looks some of the Ponies were giving him, some were hostile, but the majority of them looked at him with fear. They all remembered what happened when Gilda visited. And no pony was eager to repeat that incident.
It was ten minutes later when Seeker realized that he had no Idea what direction the library was in. He thought about flying but realized that probably wouldn't help much either. He noticed a yellow Pegasus coming toward him who could probably give him directions, Unfortunately, she had her head down, apparently trying to avoid getting his attention. The best thing to do, Seeker realized, would be to just let her pass by, avoid confrontation, and keep walking around till he either found the library, or somepony who would talk to him.
“You know what...” He thought. “Screw it.” And moved to get the Pegasus's attention.
"Excuse me..?" He asked.
The yellow Pegasus paused, glanced in his direction slightly, and said. "Um, y-yes? Can I h-help you?"
Seeker was surprised at the Pegasus’s nervousness. "Yes I'm looking for a unicorn named Twilight Sparkle. Have you seen her?"
"What!" The Pegasus suddenly got a lot more aggressive. "Why are you looking for Twilight!?"
The Pegasus started stalking forward, causing Seeker to back up out of fear.
“Who are you? I swear if your here to hurt my friends!”
Seeker stopped backing up and put his hands out in front of him.
"Whoa, whoa, calm down.” Seeker reached into in bag and retrieved to note Zecora had written. “Look, a few weeks ago I met Zecora out in the Everfree forest, while I was staying with her she told me that Twilight Sparkle could help me find information on an artifact I've been studying."
The Pegasus took the note from Seeker and quickly read it over. When she was done, her anger was quickly replaced with embarrassment.
"I'm, I'm sorry I yelled at you like that, but, h-how about I t-take you to the library to make for it?”
“I would very much enjoy having you escort me to the library.”
The Pegasus’s face reddened a bit more. “O-Okay, my name's Fluttershy by the way.”
As the two of them walked toward the town library, Fluttershy told Seeker about Gilda, about how she had been a bully and a thief while she was visiting, and how she had gone berserk during the party they threw for her. She also mentioned that her friend Pinkie had tried to contact Gilda after she left, but Rainbow Dash refused to tell anyone where Gilda lived.
“Oh!” Fluttershy gasped. “I forgot, Pinkie Pie welcomes everyone who comes to town, It's like her unofficial job.” She stopped, and put her hoof on Seeker's talon, a silent order for him to do the same.“I-Is it okay, If I tell Pinkie that you're here? She would go crazy if she found out she missed an opportunity to make someone laugh.”
Seeker sighed and ran his talon through his feather mane as he thought about his answer. “So, she would through me some kind of party right, or is the greeting just a handshake and a tour of the town?”
Fluttershy chuckled. “Well, It depends.” The two of them started walking to the library again. “When Twilight came to town, she threw a party with over a dozen ponies.” Fluttershy paused when an orange Pegasus filly sped by on her scooter. The kid looked back at Seeker in surprise before disappearing around a corner. “But most of the time,” Fluttershy continued. “She just plays a tune on her one-pony-band machine, and throws confetti in the air.”
This time, it was Seekers turn to laugh. “Okay, okay, go ahead and tell her, just, make sure she waits until I've finished my business with Twilight okay.”
“Uh S-Sure, no problem.”
Seeker thought that Fluttershy hadn't sounded very confident in that last statement, but, then again she hadn't sounded confident the entire time he had been talking to her. He looked up and saw that they were approaching a building that had been built into a giant tree.
"Here we are!" Fluttershy said as they approached the library. "Twilight should be inside."
She knocked on the door, and a few minutes later a purple Unicorn answered. “Hey Fluttershy, what are you, doing...” Her expression changed from happiness to a mix of confusion and concern when she saw Seeker. “Fluttershy, Who's this?”
Fluttershy had opened her mouth to speak, but before she could get a word out, Seeker began introducing himself.
“Twilight Sparkle, my name is Seeker de Anon, and I believe you may be able to help me.”
“Oh, really?” Twilight replied skeptically. “And what makes you think that, actually no, how do you even know who I am?”
Once more Fluttershy tried to speak up but again she was interrupted by the Gryphon.
“Your friend Zecora told me about you.”
Seeker pulled the zebras note out his bag and handed it to Twilight who began reading.
“Twilight Sparkle the Gryphon you see, was saved from dire plight by me.”
“His words are honest and his intentions noble.”
“So help him please if you are able.”
“And just to prove no one is pulling your leg.”
“I still remember that Parasprite plague.”
“Alright,” Twilight said after she had finished reading. “there’s no way you could have known about the parasprite incident, and if Zecora trust's you, then so do I.”
“Excellent.” Seeker said smiling. “Now,” He held up his arm to show Twilight the bracelet artifact. “I think this little trinket may interest you.”
“Ah, no, where's...” A entire shelf of books suddenly began floating in the air. “Let's see, C.A, C.H, Ahh dang it spike, I had these ordered by subject not...”
While Fluttershy simply had an expression of curiosity on her face as she watched her friend run around the library in frustration, Seeker could barely contain his laughter as he was reminded of himself back when he was a student at the university.
“Ah hah!” Twilight yelled in triumph when she finally discovered the book she had been looking for. She trotted back over to the table and placed the old tome next to Seeker's bracelet.
“Ancient Equestria, Vol. 3, Discordian rule.”
“Discordian?” Seeker questioned “You mean Discord, the ancient Draquonius Sorcerer who ended the first war between ponies and gryphons, and then conquered Equestria?”
“Yes, but Discord isn't a sorcerer, he's a god.”
Seeker rolled his eyes at the ponies words. Not many Gryphons believed in gods. They could accept magic as a natural force of the universe like gravity or magnetism, and they even had stories of what the afterlife would be like, but the idea of gods had never appeared in the Gryphon culture, and so beings like Discord, Celestia, & Luna were recorded in their history as exceptionally powerful magic users.
“Let's just agree to disagree, Okay?”
Twilight thought for a moment then answered. "Okay.”
She opened the book to about it's mid-section when it showed a picture of a stone tablet covered in an illegible script. “This is Discordian, the language Discord forced the ponies to use when ruled Equestria, Look familiar.”
Seeker's eye's grew wide as he realized the text in the book matched that text on his bracelet. “No, It can't be.” He said in awe.
“But it is.” Twilight replied smugly. “You see, back then, magic was a lot more powerful, it was more free, more primal, more...”
“Chaotic?” Seeker suggested.
“Exactly! Discord was said to have used this primal magic to open doors across time, and even to other worlds!”
“Doors to other worlds... But, why, what did he do?”
“Anything that entertained him.” Twilight replied. “And one of the things that entertained him most, was bringing beings from other worlds into Equestria.”
Seeker couldn't believe what he was hearing, he knew that magic must have had something to do with his creation. He had even considered the possibility that he might have once been someone else entirely, but, to actually hear it confirmed...
“Twilight,” He asked. “what exactly does the bracelet say?”
“I don't know.” She sighed. “I can translate it, but it would take some time.”
“Do it!” Seeker yelled suddenly. “Please, I can pay you.”
“Whoa, don't worry about, I'd be happy to help you, free of charge.”
A look of relief swept over the Gryphons face. “Twilight Sparkle, you are too kind.”
She smiled and said. “You're welcome Seeker, but really it's no trouble.”
Twilight went to work immediately, Seeker wanted to stay, but he knew from his own experience that ancient languages could take days to decipher.
“Is, there an inn in town?” He asked.
Without looking up, Twilight replied. “Not here in Ponyville, but there is one in Cloudsdale.”
“Cloudsdale?”
“Oh, It's the city of the Pegasi.” Fluttershy said. “It's made entirely of clouds and maintains a course around Ponyville.”
“Exactly,” Twilight jumped in. “It has a flight circumference of about 10 miles, and maintains an altitude of around 6,000 feet above sea level. Don't worry about finding an intercept point though, just fly up and in the opposite direction of the Sun till you see the city.”
“Up, and in the opposite direction of the sun for about 5 miles, got it.”
Seeker picked up his bag then took one last look at his bracelet before leaving the library. After Seeker had left Twilight turned to Fluttershy to ask her a question that had entered her mind the moment she saw her with the Gryphon. “So, how exactly did you meet him?”
Fluttershy turned and coked her head at Twilight. “What do you mean.”
“I mean, did he intimidate and bully you into bringing him here, and do I need to call up everyone else to get rid of him.”
Fluttershy gasped. “Twilight, no of course not, you saw for yourself how nice he was, and you read Zecoras note!”
Twilight sighed. “True, but after how dangerous Gilda proved herself to be, I don't want to take any chances with this Gryphon.” She turned back to the bracelet and the book. “Still, this artifact is interesting, I think I'll just look at for a few more minutes before I go talk to Zecora to confirm that this note is hers.”
Fluttershy shook her head, she knew that once Twilight accepted a challenge, she wouldn't stop until she had beaten it.
“Oh well.” She thought as she headed out to find Pinkie and tell her about the Gryphon visitor.
Cloudsdale, Seeker discovered, was a lot bigger than he had expected. The Pegasi's flying city was probably 3 times the size of Ponyville, and a lot more crowded.
He saw, blocks of stores, a park with monuments to different Pegasi, and even a weather factory. The city was so complex and ornate, It put the Gryphon cloud settlements to shame.
As Seeker walked past a group a fillies tossing coins into a rainbow fountain, he regretted that he wouldn't have time to record what he saw in the city, still, that didn't mean he couldn't come back later.
Another ting that Seeker noticed as he explored the aetherial city, was that none of the Pegasi seemed to mind his presence to much, many of them, like the inn keeper he had rented a room from, simply ignored him, while others gave him a quick curious glance. In fact, only two Pegasi so far had given him hostile looks, which was a major improvement over the attention he had gotten back in Ponyville.
However, unbeknownst to Seeker, he was being watched by the same two Pegasi from earlier who had given him the hostile looks.
“Scootaloo,” Rainbow Dash sighed. “that is not Gilda.”
The Pegasus filly suddenly felt mortified. After she saw the Gryphon back in Ponyville, she went straight to Rainbow Dash who she had found lying asleep on a cloud. Scootaloo's information had been enough to get RBD up and after the Gryphon, despite his description not matching Gilda's.
Rainbow Dash found Fluttershy, who pointed her in the right direction, then went off with Scootaloo to confront the Gryphon.
But now, after having found him, she was both annoyed and disappointed to discover that it wasn't her old friend.
“Are you sure?” Scootaloo asked.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Well, considering that that's a male Gryphon,” She paused to look at Scootaloo's expression of shock & embarrassment. “yeah, I'm sure It's not Gilda.” Rainbow Dash looked back toward the Gryphon and saw him showing the shield on his arm off to a group of kids.
“Still, I'd like to have a word with this, not Gilda.”
And with that, RBD flew off to talk to the Gryphon.
“Go get him Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo said.
“Wow, that's so cool!”
“Yeah, totally!”
“Thank you.” Seeker said as he pressed the button on his shield to retract it back to it's original size.
Seeker had been surprised when two Pegasi colts came up to him from out of nowhere and started asking questions. It was a pleasant surprise though and he had been more than happy to talk to them, he even showed off his expanding shield to the two kids.
“So, where did you get that shield? Are you a soldier, or an adventurer?”
“No I'm actually just a scholar, I made the shield myself.”
Both of the young colts eyes grew a little wider.
“Whoa no way, how?”
“Well, you see...”
“Hey Gryphon!”
Rainbow Dash suddenly landed behind Seeker with a loud 'foomph'. “Alright.” She said. “Who are you?”
Seeker calmly turned around, ready to defend himself if necessary. He was surprised to see the Pegasus from earlier who had looked like she wanted to kill him, maybe she decided to carry through on the threat.
“My name is Seeker, and if you have a problem with me, just say it and let's get this over with.”
RBD's scowl intensified. “I only have a problem with you if you're here to cause trouble.”
“And just why is that, are you the Sheriff or something? And who are you by the way.”
“That none of your business.”
One of the Pegasus colts who Seeker had been talking to suddenly started tapping him to get his attention.
“That's Rainbow Dash.” He said in a loud whisper. “She's one of the best fliers in all of Equestria.”
RBD’s face went from intimidating to mortified once she realized what the young Pegasus said.
“Wait,” Seeker said in sudden realization. “you're Rainbow Dash? I met some of your friends, Flutttershy and Twilight.”
“What!” Rainbow Dash propelled herself toward Seeker and stated hovering in front of him. “Alright buddy, tell me why you were talking to my friends, and just what it is your doing here!”
“That's kind of a long story.”
Seeker started telling Rainbow Dash his story at the park near the center of town, It took him 30 minutes and 3 city blocks to get through everything, another 20 minutes to answers RBD's questions, and then a half a city block of pursuit because he had accidentally made a comment that her mind should work as fast as her temper.
“Okay, okay!” Seeker said as he held back Rainbow Dash. “I'm sorry I called you quick tempered.”
The Pegasus stopped struggling and give him an annoyed yet defiant look. “Your darn right you are, now let me go!”
Seeker released Rainbow Dash, who quickly pulled back and tried to regain her cool. “Look,” She started. “I'm sorry I went crazy on you, twice, It's just that I was prepared to face off with Gilda, but instead of her I find this strange Gryphon who's been stalking around both Ponyville & Cloudsdale, and he's been talking to my best friends. I thought you were some punk Gilda hired to get revenge on me, and having those weapons on you really didn’t help your case.”
Seeker looked down at his sword and crossbow, then said to Rainbow Dash in a monotone voice. “If I hadn't been carrying these weapons, that Manticore would've made me it's dinner.”
RBD wanted desperately to deny that statement, but the Gryphons tone and her own experience with the Everfree forest prevented it. “Yeah well, I suppose you're right about that.” The mood of their conversation suddenly went from confrontational to uncertain. “So what do we do now?”
“That's a good question.” Seeker thought. “What do they do now?”
“Tell me about Gilda.” He said.
Rainbow Dash's expression went from shock, to contemplation, to resignation in the span of about six seconds. “Gilda,” She started off slowly. “was never very sociable.”
They took off down the street again, both gliding just a few feet above the cloudscape.
“During Junior Speedster Flight Camp, she always insisted we stay together, I was young and surrounded by big scary kids so I didn't think anything off it.” Rainbow Dash started to stare off into space as she continued. “As time went on, fewer and fewer kids wanted to hang out with us, campers that were threatening us got injured in freak accidents, and Gilda did everything in her power to make sure we were both happy.” Rainbow Dash sighed and shook her head, then looked directly at Seeker. “All the clues were there Seeks, I just couldn't read the writing on the wall.”
“Seeks?” The Gryphon said laughing.
Rainbow Dash delivered a swift punch to his arm. “Jerk! Were you even listening to me?”
“Of course, look, I'm guessing Gilda did what she did because she cared about you, and from what Fluttershy told me, she still cares about you, and there's no way you would've gone this ballistic over my arrival if you didn't care about Gilda too, so why don't you just go kiss and make up with her?”
Rainbow Dash suddenly turned her back to Seeker as her face went bright red. “Because I can't, Gilda lives all the way out in Griffinus, and I can't just drop everything to go after her.”
“But I can.”
“And why would you want to help me?”
“I don't know, I'm board.”
“Seeker.”
“'Ah' fine, look, Twilight is helping me find out the truth about something I've been wondering about my entire life, and she's doing it without asking anything in return. You're one of her best friends, and so I just feel that by helping you I pay back Twilight. And plus, I can't stand the Idea of an entire town hating Gryphons because of one bad apple.
Rainbow Dash sighed and said. “I don't know Seeks.”
Seeker glanced over a bit, and noticed an arena in the distance.
“Okay, how about we settle this with a race, If you win, you tell me where Gilda lives and write me a message to give to her, If I win, you come with me back to Griffinus and talk to Gilda in person.”
“That's totally an unfair bet!”
“Yes, yes it is.”
Rainbow Dash stared at the Gryphon for a long time before letting out a long annoyed groan. “Fine,” She said. “You're on, but when I beat you, you better keep your promise to deliver a message to Gilda.”
“If, you beat me.”
“You're injured, and I'm the best flier in Cloudsdale, how would you even begin to beat me?”
“Because, Dashie, I think you'll find there's a lot more to me than meets the eye.”
The Cloudsdale race track was one of the most impressive structures in the city. It was housed in a large Colosseum, expertly crafted, and filled with enough seats to house over half the city.
It was so Impressive in fact, that Seeker hadn't expect to be let in. Fortunately, Rainbow Dash knew the manager and they were waved through with only a few odd glances.
“Did I tell you how impressed I was with this architecture?” Seeker asked Rainbow Dash.
She looked at the Gryphon quizzically for a moment before replying. “No, why do ask?”
“Oh, I just wanted to complement you, all of you, the Pegasi I mean, this city puts the Gryphons cloud settlements to shame, I only wish I had gotten to visit Canterlot as well to see how it compares to the Gryphon capital.”
“Do the Gryphons even have cloud cities?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Gilda told me she used to live in something called a “Cloud nest” before she moved to moved to the city.”
“Giant cities made entirely of clouds like this, no, Gryphons can't manipulate clouds to the degree Pegasi can, we can only shape them into simple forms, and merge only a few of them together, so instead of cities we take a single large cloud, build something inside of it like an apartment, then set it near a point of reference and call it a cloud nest.”
“What about you' actual cities?”
“The Gryphon cities are some of our races crowning technological achievements. And the Capital ...”
“Rainbow Dash!” A bright green female Pegasi suddenly came out of nowhere and ran up to RBD.
“Hey kid, what are you doing here, there's nothing going on tonight.” The green Pegasus glanced over to Seeker for a moment, before adding. “Or were you planning on changing that?”
“You know it Sunshine Runner, this is Seeker, he challenged me to a race, then added a bet on top of it, so I'm gonna need to use the track real quick.”
Rainbow Dash started to move to toward the track entrance, but Sunshine Runner cut her off.
“Whoa, hold on there kid, you know you can't just go out to an unprepared track.”
“It'll just be a quick race!”
“A quick race huh?” The older green Pegasus scooted her hooves against the floor in thought. “All right, tell you what, give me ten minutes, half an hour tops to prepare the track, and then you can have your race.”
Rainbow Dash groaned. “All right fine, but what are we supposed to do in the meantime?”
“You wait in the prep room like always, now, go on, scoot!”
Sunshine Runner pushed Seeker and Rainbow Dash into the prep room, then locked the door behind them.
“Who was that?” Seeker asked.
“Sunshine Runner,” Rainbow Dash responded. “A.K.A, the Race Coordinator who lets little fillies in for free if she knows their gonna grow up to be pro fliers.”
“Alright, everything's ready, you two can come out now!”
“Finally.” Rainbow Dash said as she bolted to the exit. “Hey Seeks, I bet I can beat you to the finish... Whoa!” RBD came to a grinding halt when she saw what lay beyond the exit.
In the short time Seeker and Rainbow Dash had been in the prep room, the Colosseum had been completely transformed. There were markers and colored banners set up for a multi-lap race, the cloud floor had been removed to show the ground below, and the Colosseum was now filled with about 50 Pegasi. The crowed started cheering when they saw that the two competitors had entered the field.
“So much for a quick race.” Seeker commented.
Rainbow Dash smirked at replied. “I guess I should have mentioned, for a Pegasi, there's no such thing as a short race.”
The two of them quickly glided over the starting platform, and the crowds cheers started to die down. When they got into position, the Race Coordinator came out onto the track.
The Colosseum suddenly became quiet enough to hear the wind blow. The audiences eye's were on the competitors, and the competitors eye's were on the stating flag. Sunshine Runner locked eyes with Rainbow Dash, and the two nodded at each other.
“On your mark.”
Seeker tensed up, digging his talons into the cloud below.
“Get set.”
Rainbow Dash prepped her wings, setting them in place to catch the perfect amount of air for takeoff.
“GO!”
After the congratulations, and the filling out of the paper work for the use of the track, the exhausted Seeker and Rainbow Dash were on their way out of the Colosseum.
“So what happened to more that meets the eye?” Rainbow Dash asked Seeker.
The Gryphon laughed, and in an embarrassed, yet humorous tone said. “I guess my Injury slowed me down more than I thought.”
Now Rainbow Dash stared laughing. “Wow really, that's you excuse, just admit that I thrashed you fair and square already.”
“No way, I had you by this much on that last lap.” Seeker said holding his claws about an inch apart.
“Please, you only caught up because I heisted, and even then you couldn't overtake me.”
Seeker had to admit that she was right about that. He had been behind her for almost the entire race, and then during the final quarter of the last lap, Rainbow Dash actually slowed down, almost letting Seeker pass her, but then speed back up again and crossed the finish line a half a second ahead of Seeker.
“I noticed your expression though.” the Gryphon said with his eyes closed, a smirk on his face and head turned down. “I could read the doubt in your eyes that said maybe you should let me win, that maybe you should go and see Gilda in person to hear what she has to say for yourself.
Seeker looked back up at RBD's shocked expression. “Maybe I lost because of my injury or maybe not, but either way, I still want a rematch.”
Rainbow Dash blinked then shook her head. “You know what Seeks, you're really weird.” She lifted her self off the ground in order to be eye level with Seeker before continuing. “Lucky for you though, I like weird.”
Rainbow Dash took off down the hall, yelling to Seeker as she went. “I'll drop off the letter for you to give to Gilda tomorrow at Twilight's library, that's where you'll be right?”
“Yeah, I planning on heading out there at around noon, Is she usually awake by then?”
“Yeah, but If not, Just stop by Fluttershy's place, she'll give you something to do until Twilight wakes up.”
And with that, Rainbow Dash zipped out of the Colosseum, with Seeker following soon after. The sun was setting on the horizon, transforming the entire city into an eerie yet beautiful fiery orange.
Making an enemy, then turning that enemy into a friend, and then racing that new friend for three laps around a giant Colosseum was incredibly tiring thing to do in a single day, so Seeker returned to his room at the inn, hoping that tomorrow would not bring anymore surprises.
It was dark. The kind of dark that was created when the sun was blocked out by the clouds. Seeker looked up and saw that that was indeed what had happened. A giant storm had gathered above the mountain on his which he stood. A storm made up of sadistic black clouds that spewed sickly green lighting, and boomed deafening thunder.
Looking away from the storm above, Seeker realized he wasn't alone. On his left was a female Gryphon dressed in chitin armor, and staring out over the horizon. Seeker looked ahead of him and saw what she was seeing. A massive army of Ponies, coming straight toward the mountain Seeker and the female Gryphon were on.
Seeker turned to the other Gryphon and asked her. “What is this?”
At first there was no reaction, then, slowly, she started laughing. At the same time her laughter started, Seekers arm suddenly exploded into pain. He looked down at it and saw it being transformed into the same kind of rock that the mountain was made out of.
“What is This!” Seeker asked again as the female Gryphon's laughter grew louder.
“What is Th...”
“Ah!” Seeker awoke from his dream and found he was still in his room at the Cloudsdale inn. He reached up to his chest and felt his heart beating rapidly, he started breathing slowly to calm down his heart, then laid himself back into the cloud bed in an attempt to calm his mind.
As Seeker lied there on his warm aetherial bed with the sunlight shining in through his window, he realized that this was the second time in recent history that he had woken up in less than ideal circumstances.
After mentally cataloging the dream away for later, Seeker noticed that it was almost noon. He cleaned up both himself and the room, then headed back to Ponyville.
'Knock' 'knock' 'knock' “Twilight, are you awake? It's me, Seeker.”
Twilight quickly answered the door and ushered Seeker in. The Gryphon quickly took in his surroundings, and saw that the library was in much better order than it had been in yesterday. All of the books were put away except for one about Discord, which was still sitting open next to his bracelet.
“How's the research going?”
“Great.” Twilight said in cheerful tone. “In fact, I'm almost done.”
“What!” Seeker said in shock. “I've had that thing my entire life, and you're telling me you decoded it in less than a day!”
Twilight was startled by the Gryphons outburst, but quickly regained her composure. “It wasn't that hard, the inscription was short, and I had a book with the entire Discordian language translated.”
Seeker buried his face in his talons and groaned in frustration. “I'm not mad at you Twilight, I'm mad at my own species for not having enough books on Equestrian history.”
Twilight started to chuckle, causing Seeker to look back at her. “What?” He said. “What's so funny?”
“Well,” Twilight replied. “It's just that, you kind of remind me of myself.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah, I mean, Zecora told me you were a scholar, and I haven’t seen anyone freak out like that since I was a student in Canterlot.”
This time it was Seeker's turn to laugh. “You went to see Zecora huh, what uh, what exactly did she tell you about me?”
“Enough to make trust you, and I was really Impressed when she told me about how you handled that Manticore.”
“Thanks, uh, do you mind if I..” Seeker walked around Twilight to the table she had been working on. He picked up her notes and quickly found the bracelet's translation.
“By now you must think you're close to the win.”
“But In order to complete this puzzle of fate.”
“Simply...”
“A suitable stopping point I suppose.” Seeker set the papers down and turned back to Twilight. “Has Rainbow Dash showed up yet?”
Twilight's expression changed from one of joy, to one of confusion and shock as she processed the Gryphons question.
“No, but, why are you asking that?”
“Oh boy,” Seeker thought rolling his eyes. “I've made her suspicious of me again.”
For about two hours Seeker & Twilight talked back and forth about a number of topics. From Seeker's race with Rainbow Dash, to Twilight's meetings with Zecora and Pinkie Pie, and finally to just general topics relating to the Gryphons and the Ponies.
“So you're really Celestia's apprentice?” Seeker said In disbelief.
“Yep,” Twilight replied proudly. “ever since I was just a little filly, she saw my magical potential and decided to help me lean how to control It.” Twilight quickly doubled checked her writing before flipping the page in the Discordian history book. “What about you, did your university have any system like that?”
“Unfortunately no.” “However, that's not to say I didn't work intimately with a teacher every now and then.”
“Really, what you study?”
“Mechanical engineering.” Seeker said absent absentmindedly flipping through his book. “Do you, have that here in Equestria?”
“Well, actually...” Twilight's voice faded off as she stared between her notes and the reference book.
“Twilight?” Seeker asked while he was getting up.
“Seeker, I think I just finished the translation.”
The Gryphons eye's grew wider, but he made no other reaction to Twilight's words.
“May I, may see It.”
“Of course but, I don't think It's what your expecting.”
Twilight finished jotting down the complete translation, then levitated it over to Seeker, who read aloud.
“By now you must think you're close to the win.”
“But In order to complete this puzzle of fate.”
“Simply make your words go back again.”
“And avoid the trap with the obvious bait.”
Seeker turned and let out a long breath. He then closed his eyes and ran his talons though his mane. He knew that getting mad would not help anything, It was one of the first thing he had learned at the university.
“Seeker,” Twilight asked. “are you okay?”
“Yeah Twilight, I'm fine,” He said turning to look at her. “I just wish the master of chaos could have given us an answer instead of a damn riddle.”
Twilight sighed before replying. “Well, riddles were never my strong suit, but I may have a few Ideas.” She went back over to the table and started writing something down.
“Make your words go back again.” Seeker thought. He felt the gears turning around in his head, that verse reminded him of what people said when they rewound a recording. They simply made the film go back to It's point of origin. That other part though, “Avoid the trap with the obvious bait.” It must mean that he should avoid doing the first thing that came to mind, but did Discord mean the first thing that come to his mind, or to the average ponies mind?
“Hey seeker?” Twilight pulled the Gryphon out of his thoughts and continued with what she was saying. “Okay, I think first ans most obvious, we should try saying the poem backwards.”
Seeker looked at her for a moment then walked over to the table and picked up his bracelet. “No, Twilight, I think I know what the answer is.”
“You do?” She said surprised.
“Yes, I'm going to say the poem over again, and I want you to check the bracelet for any magical activity while I'm doing It.”
Twilight was skeptical, but she decided to go along with Seekers plan. He repeated the poem then looked to Twilight for her report.
“I felt something, a small pulse of energy, I think your right Seeker!”
The Gryphon smiled and started reciting the poem again. After three sayings the bracelet's gems were giving off a brilliant blue light. Seeker repeated the poem once more with a sense that this would be the last time.
“And avoid the trap with the obvious bait!” With that final saying, the bracelet unleashed a surge of blue energy that quickly consumed Seeker. His muscles seized up and he fell to the floor, not breathing.
“I'm dead, I'm dead I'm dead I'm dead I died I'm dead.”
Seeker slowly opened his eyes to see if he was correct in his assumption. The first thing he noticed was that he was no longer in the library. The second thing he noticed was that it very dark and very cold. Seeker got up slowly and surveyed his surroundings.
He was currently stating upon barren cliff, the ground had patches of rock sticking out from the dead weed chocked dirt, and the terrain beyond the cliff stretched out into a restless gray sea, finally, the sky was a somber ash gray color, that seemed to also have sort of strange grainy effect swirling through it. There was also a complete lack of any clouds, stars, or sun.
“Am, am I really dead?” Seeker asked as fear and sadness started to well up in him.
Before he could even begin thinking about a rational explanation, laughter suddenly started echoing around him.
“Not dead my dear boy.” A voice from no where suddenly sounded out.
Seeker turned around, alarmed, and tried to find who or what had answered him. “Who are you? Show yourself!”
More laughter. “Very well, If that's what you want.”
A large serpentine form suddenly appeared in a puff of scarlet smoke. As the haze cleared, Seeker realized that he was staring at a Draquonius, but not just any Draquonius, He was looking at the orchestrator of the series of events that had lead him to this point.
“Discord.” Seeker said.
“In the intangible flesh.” The spirit responded as he waved a hand through his midsection. Discord suddenly put on a quizzical face as he began studying the Gryphon in front of him. “I'm surprised it took you so long to figure out the bracelet.”
“'humph', Well maybe you shouldn't have written the activation phrase in ancient dead foreign language.”
Discord shrugged before replying. “You figured it out didn't you.” He started floating away from the cliff, motioning Seeker to follow him.
“So what is this place?” Seeker asked looking around.
“This place,” Discord announced with a hint of flare in his voice. “Is the bracelets memory storage, as perceived by you mind.”
“The bracelet's memory, so you mean, I'm not dead?”
“'Ah' No my boy, you're not, dead. Well, at least your consciousness isn't.”
“What!”
Discord sighed and waved his had through the air, creating a tear in-front of them that showed the library, and Twilight standing over Seeker's body. “Right now your mind is trapped inside the bracelet, which means that your body is currently just an empty shell.”
“What!” Seeker growled and launched himself at Discord in a fit of rage. It was pointless of course since Discord was just a specter. Seeker groaned in rage and fixed a deathly stare at the spirit before saying. “All right Discord, enough of this, what is going on here?!”
Discord laughed and said. “Calm down boy, Isn't this what you wanted?”
“What I wanted! I didn't go through all this because I wanted to talk to some crazy chimera in a magic gem while my body rotted in the real world!”
“No,” Discord replied calmly. “You came for the answers to your questions.”
Discord waved his hands in the air again and a huge white wall appeared in front him and Seeker. “You see my boy, It all started about 1500 years ago, back when I still ruled Equestria.” Black marks started appearing across the wall, they grew in number and complexity till a sketch of Discord presiding over a group of Ponies appeared. “Back then, as miss Twilight mentioned, magic was infinity more powerful that it is today, In fact, that was what first allowed me to manifest into a physical form.” Seeker rolled his eyes but let Discord continue. “Anyway, while I controlled Equestria, I could never keep my mind focused on the present.” The sketch shifted to an image of Discord staring of into space while Ponies ran screaming from monsters. “So instead of looking at the present, I looked at the future.” Discord got a dreamy look on his face. “And what a future it was.”
“Uh, I don't mean to interrupt, but can we get to the point please?”
“Can we get to the point please?” Discord said mockingly. “Young people are so impatient, but, very well.” He shifted the image again, and it now appeared as Discord over a bunch of strange two legged creatures. “You see,” He began. “In addition to the true future, I could also see every possible future, so being the curious fellow that I am, I decided to conduct a little experiment.” The Sketch suddenly became animated and the Discord on the wall started picking up the creatures below it. The Discord sketch transformed the creatures it pick up into more familiar shapes, Ponies, Unicorns, Pegasi, and Gryphons. “You see,” Discord began. “I wanted to see If I could alter the future, but after I figured out I couldn't do it directly, I decided to go a different route.” The Sketch continued to change, It was now showing Discord opening portals, and sending the transformed creatures through them. “I found a world where Equestria was just a work of fiction, a world filled with hundreds of young people desperate for a new existence, and they were all perfect become my little chess pieces.”
“Wait,” Seeker said in disbelief “You're saying that, not only am I some kind of being from another world, but I'm also just a damn pawn In some game your playing.”
Discord looked at Seeker a moment before coming down face to ace with him. “Now listen you little Gryphon dimwit, this is no game, you and everyone else I dragged into this world is essential to It's very survival! You won't see It In your life time but believe me, you're going to do something Important that will help bring about the best future for this world possible, In fact, that's why I placed all my pieces in prosperous positions.”
“The light my parents saw?”
“Far enough away that they could have Ignored It, or just missed It, I can't cheat too much.”
Seeker back up a bit then ran his talons though his mane in thought. “Why a Gryphon?” He asked. “You could have turned me into anything, why did I become a Gryphon?”
Discord shrugged his shoulders. “That's what you said you wanted to be. The, original you I mean.”
Seeker laughed, he had finally learned his origins and they turned out to be more incredible than he could have ever imagined. “So what about the rest of your 'Pawns' Who are they?”
Discord chuckled again. “Oh, Seeker, where's the fun in spoiling that surprise.” He floated away a bit then ripped another tear in the air, It showed the same scene of the library from earlier, Seekers body on the ground with Twilight standing over it. “Just step through the looking glass my boy, and you'll be returned to the real world and to your body.”
Seeker Stepped up to the exit, but hesitated before stepping though. “What will happen to the bracelet when I leave?” He asked.
“It'll still respond to the activation rhyme, I'm sure you'll figure out some use for it, As for me, I'll remain here like I always have.”
“You're not really Discord.”
“Just figuring that out now are you boy, no I'm not the real Discord, I'm a fragment he left in all the recording artifacts. My purpose was to give you the information about your origins, and now that I have, I'm free to do whatever I wish inside this realm.” The Discord copy looked down at Seeker, who worn a slightly concerned expression on his face. “Oh, don't worry, I won't be able to harm you while you're In the real world, and If you do ever come back to visit me, I may just actually decide to help you in whatever undertaking you may be on at the time.”
The two of them said their goodbyes, and Seeker stepped through the portal, content with the knowledge that his quest was over.
“I know how far away the hospital is Spike, that's why asking you to go now!” Twilight quickly re-checked the Gryphons heart beat to see if it had started up again, before turning back to yell at Spike. “He's not breathing, and I won't be responsible for anyone dy...”
“'Uh', Hey Twilight.”
“Ahhhh!” Twilight Sparkle nearly jumped through the roof when she heard Seekers voice. She quickly turned a round and saw the Gryphon slowly getting up. “Seeker, thank Celestia, I thought you were dead.”
“Thanks for vote of confidence.” He replied.
“Come on, we should go to the hospital.”
“Whoa, Twilight calm down, I'm fine.”
“Fine!” She said shocked. “Seeker, You were electrocuted, and clinically dead for 2 minutes, you're not fine!”
Seeker smirked before replying. “I beg to differ.”
Seeker told Twilight what had happened to him after the bracelet activated. At first she looked skeptical, but as he went on, she looked increasingly convinced.
“I've heard about magic that brings people into an unconscious reality by killing them, then resurrecting them after a certain amount of time, but It's incredibly dangerous, supposedly only a deity can do it.”
“Like Discord?” Seeker asked.
Twilight sighed. “Yeah, like Discord.” She bit her lower lip for a moment. “I don't know Seeker, It's possible, but, I'm just not experienced enough to give you a concrete answer.”
“Well, I could just say the rhyme again to..”
“NO!” Twilight yelled grabbing Seekers wrist. She suddenly realized how crazy she must have sounded, and let go of the Gryphon. “Sorry, I'd just really like to avoid having you dead on on my floor again.”
“It's fine.” Seeker chuckled.
The two of them quickly fell into an awkward silence.
“Excuse me for a minute Twilight.” Seeker said as he stepped outside.
Twilight sighed. “I hope he's okay.”
Seeker was outside, crying. Not for reasons of sadness though, but out of joy. He had found the answers he was looking for, and he had meet some incredibly interesting Ponies in the process, all that, along with being told he was dead for a short time, had over strained the Gryphons emotions, forcing him to run off so he wouldn't embarrass himself in front of Twilight.
Suddenly, Seeker froze. As he found himself being embraced by somepony from behind. The Pony spun him around and continued to hug him. He simply stood there motionless as memories of his night with Zecora came flooding back to him. Eventually the pony let him go, Seeker stepped back and saw that his assailant was a pink Pony with poofy hair.
"Thanks." Seeker said.
The Pony broke into a huge grin before replying. "No problem, I'm always happy to help." However, her smile was suddenly replaced by an inspective expression.
"You're Seeker right, Fluttershy told me about you."
"Fluttershy, oh, oh yes, I remember, yeah I'm Seeker, and you must be Pinkie Pie."
"That's my name!" She said. “Anyway, I just wanted to welcome you to Ponyville, and say thank you for being so nice to everyone. I would have done It yesterday, but Fluttershy told me you went off to Cloudsdale.”
“Oh, wow uh, thank you, Pi..”
Pinkie suddenly started playing an instrument that she pulled out of nowhere, while simultaneously flinging confetti into the air.
“So, what do think of your official wel... Seeker?”
“Up here.”
Pinkie pie look up and saw the Gryphon was hanging upside down form the branch above her. Pinkie burst out laughing as Seeker let out an annoyed groan.
“I swear, I'd tie you up with your own tail right now, If I weren't stuck to this tree.”
Eventually Seeker was able to pry himself off the tree. He and Pinkie made it into the library just as Rainbow dash came flying in. At first Twilight was surprised by her friends visit, but then she remembered what Seeker had told her about the race he had with Rainbow Dash.
“Hey Seeks!” The rainbow colored Pegasus said after landing in the middle of the library. She looked from Seeker, to Twilight, and then finally to Pinkie before continuing. “Am I, interrupting anything?”
“Not really,” Seeker said. “I was just about to tell Twilight that the reason I took so long was because Pinkie Pie ambushed me.”
He and Rainbow Dash laughed for a few moment before Pinkie Pie suddenly interrupted them.
“Wait a minute!” She yelled. “How do you know Rainbow Dash?”
Seeker, Twilight, & Rainbow Dash all turned to look at the pink pony and said.
“It's a long Story.”
After hearing the whole story of the Gryphons exploits, (leaving out the exact reason for the race which was only known to Rainbow Dash, & the part where Seeker was electrocuted which was only known to Twilight.), Pinkie declared Seeker to officially be “The nicest and most awesome Gryphon to ever visit Ponyville.” After that Rainbow Dash & Seeker decided to go get lunch. Twilight stayed behind but Pinkie Pie invited herself along.
It turned out that she had come because she had over a dozen questions for Seeker about the Gryphons. He was more than happy to answer them of course, but found himself wondering more and more about her sanity as their conversation went on.
After lunch Pinkie Pie introduced Seeker to the rest of her friends. The farmer, Apple Jack, was suspicious of him like everyone else, but Rarity jumped at the chance to learn about the fashions and styles of the Gryphons.
The next morning Seeker woke up early, packed his belongings, then quickly paid his bill and departed from Cloudsdale. After that he flew straight to the train station in Ponyville and purchased a ticket to Baltimare, where he would take a ship on the final stretch back to Griffinus.
However, before he left, Seeker decided to venture back into the Everfree forest and say goodbye to Zecora. It wasn't to difficult to relocate her hideaway, especially since all the forest creatures were either just failing asleep or just waking up. Seeker landed in front of Zecora's home, then quickly knocked on her door.
“Zecora?” He called out. “It's me, Seeker.”
He heard movement from inside followed quickly by the door being thrown open and Zecora embracing Seeker in a hug. It only lasted a moment before the Zebra pulled away.
“I missed you.” She said.
“I missed you too.”
Zecora ushered Seeker inside and the two of them sat down in a small yet cozy sitting room.
“Tell me my young friend, has your long journey finally come to an end?”
“Yeah Zecora, I still can only barely believe it but, yeah I found what I was looking for.”
Seeker told Zecora everything that had happened to him while he was in Ponyville. His meeting with Twilight, the race with Rainbow Dash, unlocking the bracelet and getting electrocuted, and finally his meeting Discord.
For the whole time Seeker was explaining, he had expected Zecora to gasp, ask questions, be surprised in some way shape or form, but instead, she merely sat quietly and smiled till he finished his story.
“Well,” Seeker said. “What do you think?”
“I think,” Zecora started off slowly. “That I could not be more proud of you for finding your, missing link.”
“My missing link?”
“A black spot my dear boy. Something unknown that was sapping you of joy.”
“Oh okay, I see. Um, thank you.”
Zecora nodded her head gently for a moment, then got off and walked over to a nearby window. On the edge of the windowsill sat a paper box, it was open and looked like someone had been ruffling through it recently. Zecora picked the box up and carried it over to where she had been sitting.
“Do you remember what I said I would do when I last saw you?”
Seeker thought back to the day he left for Ponyville and quickly came up with the answer. “You said that once I finished my quest, you would tell me what forced you to leave your home.”
“And now it that is over my young Gryphon friend, I think it's time you learned, of the tyrant I failed to end.”
