tacobob

 

 

“My clan....The Birzoths left Griffonstone many generations ago.”, the griffon really did not like to be referred to as a ‘hen’. It was a very old and outdated term for a female griffon and was a downright slur when applied to  females of the other races.  It normally meant  a group of busybody chattering old gals. No better than the fowl one would find at a farm. “They tried to keep everything properly maintained after King Guto lost his magic Macguffin to that horrible Cyclops, but the griffons were so heartbroken that it became a lost cause. Like this formerly great city, but I hope you well if you intend on restoring Griffonstone to its former greatness."

 

Something quickly dawned on her. She was here to visit her family, not to conduct business! But she actually wanted to help Griffonstone. "I really appreciate the offer, Emperor Norton Breakbeak the First.", she gave another quick bow. "I came here to see this gal and her aunt, so how about we postpone our little meeting until, possibly tomorrow? I'll get some good sleep tonight and will be ready for your ideas tomorrow...I know a good way to restore old statues and not make them look brand new...Stone statues that is.." She was will aware that most of the great bronze Griffonstone statues were either stolen and moved out of Griffonstone or simply melted into bars and sold.  She silently hoped that the great bronze of Princess Greta had been stolen and not melted as it was considered one of the grandest statues to ever grace any kingdom.

 

She was also very aware that her sweet cousin was very unsupportable at the moment and there was no reason to stress her out. "Begging that I have no intention to insult you or your upcoming work, I and only I will see you tomorrow." She was not going to drag poor Gillian into this. "We can work out some details and by then, I should have some useful ideas of my own." They REALLY needed to abandon the whole 'nest on trees' theme as it was so dangerous! Either go with traditional homes like the cute ones in Ponyville or the stone homes from Canterlot. Or maybe even build artificial trees to keep the old look...Oooh! She had so many ideas!

 

Once Norton gave his answer of either 'no' or 'yes, she gave the older griffon a fond good-bye (with another bow) and it was off again with her cousin.

 

"Sorry Grilly.", her ears drooped down as she spoke, "Let's head over to the house if you wish.."

 

 

 

 

“Oh, there we go. A nice cave.” Maybe if they were lucky, this cave belonged to a friendly and very fuzzy bear who wouldn’t mind a little friendly snuggle, which would keep them all warm till the next day. Or maybe this was a cave that had been explored before, and maybe there were leftover supplies they could use. Or this cave had one of those lakes inside filled with fish! Yum! Of course her new little pony pals didn’t eat such a thing and claw-made sushi probably would mess their stomachs up! As they made their way to the soon to be shelter, the griffon stumbled a bit. “The heck?” She glanced down at the ground and noticed the skull of her ‘friendly bear’ looking up at her with a permanent frown on its boney face. This was not a good sign. She turned to the others with a look of utter horror before she continued on.

 

 

 

They were now in the cave. While it was still cold, it was far more bearable than outside due to the lack of wind. And did she have a light? The blackbird ran a claw into her pockets. She still had a full bottle of root beer, which contained all the necessary ‘sass’ one would need. Used ticket  was still there. Perfect for the scrapbook! She noticed her key-chain was a plastic disc with the words ‘I Got Knocked Up At Fart-Knockers!’ Along with the logo, there were two ponies with big grins on their faces who were dancing together. Little stink lines were coming from their backsides. This was a terrible single’s bar she visited recently. And no, she did not get ‘knocked up’. She choked on some really bad and skunky beer and nearly broke a tooth on some stale pretzels. And she also decked a guy when his hoof got a little too close to an area unwelcome hooves were not allowed. Along with the terrible memories with the key-chain, it also had a very tiny light, which she turned on. It was very tiny. Was it made for mice?

 

Defeated, she pushed the key-chain back into her pocket. Hey! There was something of interest!

 

“Looks like someone was actually hear before.”, not that far from where they stood was a campfire and up above there was a large hole in the ceiling of the cave that served as ventilation. Someone built it right under the hole so the smoke would exit the cave and not inside the cave. Good News at last.

 

“Were any of you ponies ever Filly Scouts?”,she asked.

 

Once the good Archancellor's tea was properly prepared, Smolder turned to add a bit of milk and sugar to her own cup. "Mmmmm.", she purred after taking a 'test sip'. Perfect aroma and deep flavor with a nice little bonus of sweetness. Perfect days start with this sort of flavor. She could never be in a bad mood with a cup of Earllaurung's best. The dragon smiled as the Hippogriff spoke about her little purple pal.

 

"Spike is probably one of the smartest dragons I've ever known.", the young creature added. "I could fully understand considering who his adoptive mother is. And he did just go through the 'molt', which is absolutely horrible. And not a proper subject to bring up with such pleasant  conversation.", she added with a wink, "But the poor kid thinks he's gone through it all, but he still has puberty, which is coming up in a few years. That takes the horrors and smells of the molt and adds a heaping dose of awkwardness and goofiness.", she took a short sip from her mug.Spike was probably also either her brother or a very close cousin. Take two perfect dragons and you'll get a 'Princess Ember' while your typical cousins will get a 'Crackle' who looked less like a dragon, but more like  dragon costume suitable for two adult ponies.

 

'I.", who the heck were these creatures Silverstream mentioning? Zesty? Who names their kid Zesty? Chiller? Was she making this all up? "Grubber? Guy gives me the willies, the Jibblies, the heebie-jeebies and the screaming meemies, all at once.", she was pretty sure that annoying creature was one of Princess Twilight's magical 'oopsies'. She accidentally hit a kick-ball with one of her spells and ended up with that weirdo. Silverstream really had some low expectations for Smolder's future boy or girl toys. Freaking Grubber! Century long wars had started over lesser insults!

 

"Ocellus wouldn’t be a bad choice at all..Considering she could be just about any creature that she had seen before and her own original form is beyond cute.", Smolder could not help but frown as the agile bird dodged her question once again. But she knew there was one thing that would make her pay attention. "Now don't get mad or anything, but is your brother Terramar going to attend our school? I could see him being a good study buddy."

 

Smolder let out a chuckle. A dragon of class? She attended class, but was she fancy? "I'm familiar. Usually I get the steamed milk and vanilla...And.", she playfully groaned, "She's just dodging my question. Like that little bird. Look as she darts about.". She had a question to ask the very royal pony. "And your royal blood...Are you related to Princess Celestia or Princess Platinum? That's something I've been curious since Ember dragged me to Ponyville."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fire Walker nodded as she listened to their scout. A temple. She silently wondered what sort it would be. A traditional, holy one that had been long abandoned and converted into a hangout for villains? Or maybe it’s like the temple the red coated officer discovered while training with Lady Lanceguard and Steel Dagger. That was an horrible underground temple of horror! The bone filled Ossuary still haunted the mare's dreams. Hopefully it won't be one of those. And finally, there's always the silly Daring Do type temples. Usually themed as a spooky skull or pyramid or something that did not make a lot of sense.  The officer was pretty sure A.K. Yearling didn't bother to do any real research but just simply swiped some of her story ideas from old 'Hardy Colts' mystery books.

 

 

The Pegasus did not see it yet, but she would be rather disappointed to see that it was a silly Daring Do type temple. A pyramid with a big monster face and lots of stairs all carved out of a mountain. It was more of a 'Play Set'. Probably comes with all what is seen here. Sturdy plastic build. Lights light up! Experience six different types of scary sounds! Special trap door! Rolling boulder! Trap that sends foes flying! 'Ssssssee you later, Lord Snakeface!'.

 

They need to get into that temple play-set! They could fight, but they were five against twelve. It could work. Brickhouse could easily steamroll over several foes. Fire Walker was trained to fight against multiple targets. If there were a few standing close to each other, Shield could nail them with a sleep spell. Fire was well aware of Applejack's fight against the Changelings during Shining Armor's wedding. She managed to take on a whole slew of foes. Of course they were stopped eventually. There was also a chance that the guards would alert whoever was in the temple and then there would be more to fight.

 

"Hmmm.", she 'hmm'ed'.  "These fellows have been hanging around outside for probably a while. Only hearing their fellow guards or the strange sounds on this island. Maybe we could freak them out a bit. Even use some of your illusion spells.", she nodded at Gleaming Shield. "Scare tactics..Might freak them out so much that some might scatter into the woods...Or they might be easier to pick off.". Fire Walker's twin 'punch daggers' were made to disarm and knock out her foe, not injure. " We leave one conscious that our good friend Brickhouse could get some answers from. These are probably all sell-swords that are here just for the bits and might not have any real alliance to whoever is in the temple. Does anypony have any suggestions?", she whispered.

 

 

 

While she was not sure what an ‘Archancellor’ was, it sounded royal and possibly important, so Headmare Bluebelle could only do with Earllaurung's best tea. The young dragoness picked up her strainer and placed some of her leaves into it. After pouring the right amount of hot water into it, she sat it down somewhere safe. Along with the tea, she had some sugar and honey packets next to an small plastic creamer. She remembered the first time she tried milk in her tea. The dragon had been told it would help mellow and smooth the flavor, even pushing away the more bitter taste of her favorite tea. She really wished no-creature had told her where this milk actually came from.

 

"Spike?" What about him? She did care deeply for the little guy, but as potential mate? "He's a great little guy, but that’s the problem. He's a little guy as in a kid.", she tried to picture what an older Spike would look like. He was such a tiny little fella. Hopefully he will be introduced to lifting weights when he is older.  She was pretty sure Canterlot had a really good gym. "And this is all very new to dragons. Dating. Stuff that goes on in dating.". Smolder found an book on dating last week, but It was VERY old. It involved something called a 'sock hop' or 'hootenanny'. The stallions in her book had weird, very short manes and the mares wore pearl necklaces, cat eyed glasses and beehive manes. Dragons did not even hug each other until recently. Her brother was now the patron saint of this for some reason.

 

"From the very little I know.", hopefully the others were not lurking around in the bushes as she would die of utter embarrassment if others heard her say what she just said, "When we're this age, you are usually not looking for a potential, life-long mate, but someone to be just more than friends, I guess. Friend that you can smooch. ", she shrugged. "So it wouldn't have to be another dragon." There were not any male dragons she knew of that would suitable for smooching. Her brother's friends were all hideous, both physically and mentally. She needed a dragon version of Terramar. He is, as they say, 'muy guapo.'. Shame he wasn't attending school here. But in Seaquestria! Smolder also knew she did not have to stick just to the opposite sex for her dating needs.

 

But there was something that was bothering her. "So, who is this someone?" She was not sure what the giggle was for. She didn't want to hurt Hippogriff's feelings. But she was HORRIBLE at faking a laugh. Fake giggling would be twice as bad a not giggling at all. However, the smile she had on was genuine. She really was curious who was invited to the all day and night Silverstream-Snog-Feast.

 

 

 

 

Oh how Smolder dreaded picking other creature’s teas! She knew if the wrong flavor was served the whole break would be ruined! Most here were generally polite to a point and would drink (or pretend to) the entire cup even if they hated the flavor. But she would know. There were all kinds of tells she would notice. Really overdone smile. The constant ‘WOW! This is REAAAALLLY GOOD’ or ‘Yum Yum’ while rubbing their stomachs. This would be followed by a ‘look, isn’t that Princess Celestia?’ When she would turn to look and notice that there was no royal princess to be seen, her companion’s tea was always gone. At least with dragons, they would be honest. Her brother would shout ‘THIS IS GARBAGE! BLEH!’, spit out the offending drink and then proceed to stomp on his glass while shouting out the drinks he would prefer to have drank. Swamp water. Sulfuric Acid. Bleach.

 

Still, Coconut Macaroon was probably her best best bet.  According to the mare, this tea had real bits of coconut and hints of almond add a fresh, invigorating flavor to the perfect blend of rich black tea and earthy honeybush. Once the water was ready, she got the bird's drink read, "Just let them steep for a moment.", she whispered before she started work on her old favorite. As the magic was made, Silver had a rather interesting question to ask. The dragon snatched a cucumber sandwich and took a decent bite out of it as she listened. "Very good.", she kept her voice down low. This was really tasty! Far better than her attempts. Maybe she used fresh ranch dressing? Smolder generally went with Mayo and dried herbs.

 

She asked if she had feelings for anyone? Like beyond the usual friendly feelings she would have for her fellow students. "Eh.", she grunted, "Can't say I do....There's just certain things I like doing with you guys...I like joking and messing about with Gallus as he always has the best reactions to stuff. Ocellus is always the one to go if I just wanna relax and chill out. Sandy is a pretty good study-buddy...Yona is always good if you wanna just run amuck and knock stuff over as sometimes you gotta let go.. And then there's you..", she smiled at the Hippogriff, "Party girl and probably the most feminine of our bunch..", she paused to think before asking, "How about you?"

 

This question had to wait as the Headmare was here. Oh-Oh, were they in trouble? No, but she wanted to share a bit of tea with them.  "Oh, hey um, Headmare Bluebelle..I do have my backup cup here..Somewhere." she dug a claw into her backpack and rummaged about until she found it! It was a festive red mug, which she handed over. "I have some teas here...Peppermint....Red Velvet Cake..And Earl Grey...."

 

“Yep.”, the dragon patted the bottom of her pack as she followed the Hippogriff through the courtyard. She acquired the special R.E.A tea kit during last year's 'Hearth's Warming Eve Ponyville Gift Exchange'. It was a special kettle that could easily be heated up with a simple spell or an tea candle. Thankfully she would use her own magic, a simple dragon shout of 'Vor' would do it. As they walked on, smolder let out a sigh of relief. She was apparently  getting the calm and cool Silverstream today as opposed to the hyper and bouncy bird most were used to by now. She was like Gallus, but without the sass. This wasn't the strange girl that was going to sneak up on her and bite her on the tip of her tail as a joke. Ouch! This bird was as cool as a cucumber.

 

"Just to be safe, I actually have some different teas.",she pulled out a small wooden box. "I have some peppermint straight from Fluttershy's garden. Goes great with honey...And Miss Cake was selling packets of Coconut Macaron  tea at her shop along with something she claims tastes just like Red Velvet Cake." She was a simple dragon and preferred only the best tea ever. One created by the great Grey Dragon, Earllaurung or as he was better known, 'Earl'.

 

She nodded her head and soon they were under a rather old looking tree. The tea kit was simple to set up and after emptying two bottles of  warm drinking water and a very safe 'Vor', the kettle was soon full of hot water. Smolder pulled out two sturdy R.E.A. marked field cups. "So, what would you prefer to drink? The stuff I got from the Cake's is supposed to be sweet.."

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I do see those eyes.”, Fire Walker scooted closer to the downed filly and continued to make sure the venom was still flowing out. Whatever it was, if it intended them harm, it would have to go through the officer first before it could get to little Apple Bloom. Could this be the creature that poisoned the little farmer?

 

She waited for the next move. So far, it appeared the eyes were more of a creature that was curious, not threatening, but looking at her little group. Thankfully if it was a animal, they had things covered with Fluttershy.

 

 

Oh no! While she normally enjoyed the soothing stomping sounds of her favorite Yak of all yakdom as she stomped about all of Equestria, the young dragon really wanted Yona to keep all four hooves planted in Princess Luna's special sleepytime kingdom! A old, but clever scheme popped up, but was quickly smooshed back into nothing. She briefly considered the old 'It's only a dream' scheme. She could pretend Yona was not actually awake, but was still sleeping and dreaming all of this! This was a fun trick she tried on her brother when she was really young. He woke up early one day and she convinced him that he was dreaming. Instead of curling back up and getting more sleep, he threw of his pajamas and stormed out of their cave hoping to cause some mischief that would not have any consequences. There would be a good deal of consequences they both would face shortly after.

 

"And Smolder.", the dragon did not like to be left out. "Hey Yona.", the dragon's eyes narrowed down just a little.  Did she have a clever plan?

 

 

 

"Along with best at never bathing, our good friend Gallus here said he was best at sleeping. I bet you can prove him wrong. You know, by sleeping? Eh? Eh?", she waggled her eyebrows up and down.

 

Hopefully her 'clever plan(tm)' will get the loud, stomping yak to get back to bed and win the completion! Then they could get back to whatever they were doing. The dragon already forgot. Hopefully it involved sneaking over to the local theater and catching that movie she wanted to see.

 

 

 

The black bird grimaced. They had just left the train, but it already felt like a whole year had gone by!

 

"Oh yeah, whatever we do, we need to stay near the tracks. Not only would we be able to not to get lost, if the railroad sends a cart for us, they'll find us a lot quicker than if we wander away. Which would be bad", she groaned. She was not ready to do all this talking! She had a nap that had been coming up, but now she was out and about and it was obvious she was now a full time shlimazel, a gal with no luck. No luck in love and no luck in life.

 

"Thanks, but I'll be fine for the moment.", Zelda responded to the green maned mare, "I have a pretty thick coat of fur and feathers, and this actual coat. But if it keeps getting colder, I might need something later on.", she started to push herself as the track started to move upwards. Thick coat. Thick feathers, and she had gained a few pounds during her exile. If worse comes to worse, the two ponies could always eat her.

 

She kept an eye on the track and another for any sort of area they could rest in. A cave. Maybe even an abandoned house. She had heard there was an old village not that far from here that had long been deserted. Most say it was that once the railroad had been finished, the opportunities had dried up and everypony moved on. But there was also another story. One of curses and horror!

 

 

 

Fire Walker nodded towards the kitchen and in moments, the butler, Oak Branch came out with an cart with cups of very strong coffee and a plate of buttercream cookies. These cookies had a rather adorable 'Discord' theme, with the cookies having a grey coloring with yellow and red colored cream. The draconequus' coffee had a special blend of honey butter. The butler would never create something that would give somepony a belly ache! That's rule #45 of the Butler Code!

 

The coffee was very strong, but Oak Branch thought it was too harsh to the tongue, so he made sure to give it a proper blend of honey and cream that made it far more flavorsome. If Fire wanted it black, she needed to get it herself! He also hoped the good mare would 'mature' into drinking tea more and coffee less!

 

The officer could not help but chuckle at the ancient, magical creature's bragging that he was tops in a school that mostly catered mostly to teenagers. Still, this was a  VERY big step away from the horrible King Discord who enjoyed torturing ponies and made their loved ones watch.  Swift would be VERY wise not to wake this beast up.  "I heard you're also Miss Fluttershy's special friend." Good gracious, the yellow coated mare was probably the prettiest creature to walk on Equestria. She wondered if the whole 'shy' thin was a act to make her more enduring.  And Tirek. She had poured through the papers the REA had on him. As terrifying as he was, his past was rather sad. His mother, the Queen had passed and his father remarried. He did not marry another centaur, but a gargoyle! This united two falling kingdoms into one mighty one! Still, young Tirek wanted more than even a kingdom could give him.

 

"Oh yes. Yesterday...Got home, bathed and got some sleep.", she whispered. Discord's magic was on, even when he was not using it. She glanced back at Discord, "What sort of help do you offer?", she asked.

 

 

 

 

Fire Walker looked utterly shocked. Was that Siren speaking the truth? Was the mare’s sudden desire for ‘Picklechimichangas’ and Pear and Blue Cheese Ice Cream a sign? Or was the dangerous aquatic girl messing with her? She also felt rather sore after putting on her armor, not to mention the nausea. She was also starting to feel a little...What was that word? Forgetful! Oh sweet Celestia!

 

"Um.", the mare started to sweat just a little, "Sorry Corporal and er, thank you.", she cleared her throat. She wondered what Swift would say. What her parents would say?  Thankfully this wasn't high school. She had a proper job with proper insurance that took care of their soldiers. And she was not the first of her siblings to inform her mother that she would soon be a grandmother. When the eldest told his parents that they would become grandparents, his father was rather proud. His own father did not live long enough to see his first grandson. However,  the Walker's mother was horrified! She had become officially old! Finding an card for the 'Canterlot Royal Association of Pensioned Ponies' was just the first part! Then came the grand kids. Then her bones would ache. This caused the poor mare to rush off and have everything dyed and her mane to be removed from that bun! She also took refresher classes in combat and survival. She was rather surprised to run into the Princess' mother in more than a few of those classes.

 

The Red Pegasus shook her head. "I have a feeling the good Siren probably scared away anything that would have tried to menace us, but we should still move with caution...Swift Star.", she called out to the young Pegasus pony, "Please return to the sky and keep an eye out for the stork, ah.. I mean, danger."

 

The mare saluted with her wing and leaped into the air to continue her air reconnaissance. "Corporal Applejack, Protect the rear.". The farmer was by far the strongest in the team, so she was best to serve there as very few would be strong enough to push by her. Once everypony was ready, Fire Walker called the squad to 'proceed with caution' and off they moved. "Forward march." Swift would hopefully be able to spot the temple or its occupants from where she flew. The officer just needed to keep her eyes on the path and not think of what will be happening to her body over the next few months.  AJ looked incredible well into her pregnancy, but she has really good genes.

 

As they marched on things were rather nice. No hoof prints. No calls of distress or danger. Just a rather familiar background soundtrack one would hear in a jungle or beach movie. She could even hear a Mourning Warbler! They always inserted those birds in the wrong scenery. Oh wait! That was her stomach!

 

The young dragon looked up from a school book she had been reading, "Oh hey Silver.", she placed what appeared to be a long, red scale between the pages of her book, closed it, and placed it into her bag.  "I had to sit through Mr. Quills And Sofas' lecture earlier today. Didn't get very far.", she slowly got onto her feet as she spoke, "I got as far as step ten, 'Look For Ways To Say Yes' before I was out like a light. I had a dream where I was working at my own store selling something called a 'humdinger'. I have no idea what those are.", she said with a huff. "Professor Rarity thought it would be a good idea to invite that Rockhoof guy to talk about 'Fashion In His Time Period' and he kept changing subject and Rarity kept making obvious fake coughing sounds. They got rather loud when he mentioned.", she paused to clear her throat before she broke out into a rather impressive 'Rockhoof' impersonation, "''n thar I was back in me village t' see me fav'rit wenches'. He then got into a rather detailed story about how he had to rescue a baby Maulwurf from an Ophiotaurus...Or was it the other way around?", she pondered this for a moment, "And like always, he got into his story just a tad bit and now Rarity's class will be held in the library until they can rebuild her classroom. There's also this test I have to study for which involves qualities of leadership from the founders of the Wonderbolts, so I'm sure you know who assigned that." After she pulled her backpack on, the dragon felt her stomach rumble, "Ooh. I woke up too late for breakfast today, so I'm starving. You wanna get something to eat?"

 

 

 

 

“You’re not in my way...”, There was a faint tone of sadness in her voice. “But I understand, you have a mission! Take this...”, what appeared to be a whistle made of a tulip shell floated over to the farmer. “If you little ponies get into trouble, just give it a blow and I’ll show up, to like help and junk.”, she winked at the earth pony, “For now, I’ll be chilling over at this little sweet spot down the path.”, she pointed towards the direction their ship was near. “I have a little super secret place set up by this incredible waterfall. I’ll stay overnight, so if you don’t don’t end up needing me, and you finish your mission, just stop over there before you like, leave and tell me what happened? Good Luck!”, she started to move on. “See yah, Mama..”, she smiled at the red mare as she shuffled on down the path.

 

The others waited until the odd creature vanished into the distance before they spoke up.

 

 

 

“Wow.”, Fire Walker was utterly confused, “I thought Sirens liked to eat ponies...”, she was quickly cut off by a voice that could still be heard. “I’m a vegetarian, Mama...”

 

The officer could not help but chuckle, “Right. But that thing she said about a extra heartbeat, she probably meant Swift Star. Congratulations on the upcoming foal!", she turned to the Pegasus who turned a deeper red than Fire's coat. "No...That's not possible.", her voice broke into a squeak, "I've never....erm. You know..Never had....", the poor mare was very close to passing out....

 

Fire Walker wasn't sure if she should break out out her first aid kit. "Star?", she glanced at the blushing pony. "Are you okay? Do you need some water?" The younger pony clearly was not okay. "I've never been with a stallion. She meant you...She even called you Mama' Like a bunch of times. She meant you. You're the Mama."

 

"Oh, my...", the red mare gasped.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With a shake of her left claw, she was finally free of her pillow. She would have to fix the little holes later on. This, along with her rather school-inappropriate shirt were tossed into the room.  The dragon did a quick little shake, which allowed her scales and quills and whatnots fall back into place. She was still a little sleepy, but she could manage. Hopefully they would soon find their runaway roommate and she could get back to sleep! She soon focused on Gallus and that weird thing he was doing with his beak. Opening and closing it, which she believed was called 'talking'. She gave him a dirty look. Dragons were never rabble, nor did they rouse any rabble. And any trouble they created was well deserved. He was right, there was an odd chill to the area. Maybe she should bring a jacket? Considering she was probably not going to leave the school, it probably would be for the best that she just handle the cold for now.

 

Smolder grimaced as her friend turned into a tiny little firefly. It never failed to make her a little nervous when the Changeling turned into something so small. She worried that there would be a time where some annoying little fly or gnat would annoy the dragon, and instantly she would swat it with a newspaper or magazine, only to find out she just smooshed her friend!

 

Thankfully this only lasted a moment, and she soon was back in her proper form. "So, what did you find out?", the dragon asked with a yawn.

 

 

 

 

After the series of very big bird hugs, Zelda cringed as something very large had fallen. Oy Vey Ist Mir! Was Griffonstone somehow managing to fall even more apart? Was the large rubble collapsing into smaller rubble? While there were some birds who insisted on trying to save the place, was it really worth it? it was all turning to plotz! Even the noble little ponies gave up on their original castle when the Everfree became too unmanageable. "Yeah.", she glanced at her own heavy pack, "We better stop at your place first, if you don't mind and I can drop off my pack.", she held a large backpack that probably contained more stuff than anyone needed.

 

As she followed her cousin, Zelda studied the area. The more she saw, the more hope she had for the village, but it was still probably not enough, "So, how are you doing? I heard you wanted to be a Wonderbolt. And I could see you doing that..You're more than fit. You could probably fly circles around most of the last class I saw in Canterlot. Everypony was eh.", she shrugged her shoulders, "Except for the Rainbow haired mare. She could probably out-fly death itself, but the others..I think they're running out of athletes. Maybe next team will have a griffon, dragon and even a gargoyle...I would also recommend you join the R.E.A as only the best Bolts come from the military..."

 

The pair stopped. Was this Gillian's house?

 

Fire Walker frowned. A male siren? Was that a thing? Didn’t Sirens require males of other species to reproduce? In ye olden days, the Sirens would swim onto a rock, sing their songs, which attract a ship of stallions that had not been near mares in months. They would see the pretty creatures, smash their ship into the rocks. The sirens would then mate, and then eat the stallions once they were finished.

 

The red mare glanced over at Swift Star, who shrugged her armored shoulders, "I believe male Sirens were called 'Tritons'.", she whispered back as he noticed her superior's confusion.  What came first, the Sea-Pony or the Siren? Were Mermares a real thing? Was it really better under the sea?

 

 

The Siren glanced over at the pair with a frown, before turning her attention back to the wise farmer. "Nah, he's like only been here once. Thought we could spend time together. Alone time. Smooch time", she sighed, "He's like so busy with his band. He like plays guitar and is the lead vocalist. They call themselves 'Reel Big Splash'.  They're ska...punk...Probably tour Seaquestria during SeaquestriaFest! Probably like have lots of time for his bogus groupies.", she looked a little extra blue as she spoke.

 

She did smile as Applejack spoke of her family. "You have a kid? Totally...And another on the way?", she paused, "We Sirens have really good hearing...I can hear two heartbeats. Very strong...And...", she glanced over at the officers. "I can hear another set. A little weaker..But.", she studied Fire Walker who let out a gasp. "That mare looks just like my mom. Red coat. Red mane. Wonder what she'll name her kid?", It took a little longer as she wondered why Equestria would send pregnant horses to do all the work.  Was almost cruel.

 

"Zap is a really cool name.", Toccata Tre was back on topic. "I could see him growing up and becoming a famous actor.  And Ambrosia Apple....", she was lost once more into though. "I haven't been here in a bit, but the those little piggies are new. I think they're from another island. Sometimes they would hide on a ship and jump off when they would see another island.....But nope....No such thing as monsters or pirates..", she chuckled, "I could see somepony lurking around the old temple up the road....There were stories about it having treasure. Nothing of interest to me.", she whispered, "Temple has traps...Guards...Look like ponies but they walk kind of funny. My magic doesn't work on them, so I usually avoid the temple.. Not sure if they're alive. Wear cloaks that cover their bodies. Have red eyes. Tried to sing them away, but they just stood there..Looking at me with those red eyes...Like they were saying 'as if."

 

 

 

Smolder noticed Ponyville's own resident Donkey, Cranky Doodle Donkey was cover-boy AGAIN on her magazine. Geez. Try someone else. Smolder could be a good cover-girl. And with her hot dragon face on the cover, the subscription rate would double to possibly four readers! Maybe five! With slight disgust, she tossed the magazine on the top of her bunk. Hopefully they bothered to read and reply to her letter.

 

But there was still the mystery! Where was Silverstream? And why did the dragon care? She was a big bird! She would be back. Smolder could return to her bed and get some needed sleep. The Hippogriff would be back in her back when they all awoke. Maybe she just snuck off to have a late night snack. The Cakes did make an incredible Genoise Cake that went well with Prench lessons. "C’est un délicieux gâteau, indeed!"

 

As she made her way back to her bed. Images started to pour into her head. This was something a dragon would normally not think of. Images of what could happen. She pictured the horror on the Hippogriff's face as she accidentally turned into a seapony and for some reason she couldn't turn back! And she was now flopping around a dark hallway, gasping for air! And oh-oh! There was that creepy janitor! He looks like a guy who would try to eat a sea-pony! Yep! He's wearing a little bib with her friend's face on it! Watch out Silverstream! Another image had her locked out of the school and she could not get in! Was that an adult coming towards her! Oh no! It was Princess Twilight and she wanted to tell her about the latest boring book she just read! Silverstream, being the polite sort, listens and eventually dies of boredom!

 

Not wanting to have any of these silly, made-up fates, the dragon slowly tip-toed out of her room. She did not want to wake up the others. Once out, she turned her head only to see Gallus and his tiny beak peek out of the doorway. What was he doing up? Ocellus was now also up. "No, I was just worried about Silverstream. She was not in her bed. Have you two seen her?", she whispered to the two.

 

If she had external ears, they would have perked up. She was sure she heard something. "Window?", she muttered. Oh no! Thieves! Kidnappers! She could see it, creatures dressed in dark clothing with poor Silver stuffed into a bag. Probably snatched by those weird brothers Professor Applejack hated. Crim and Cram? She silently nodded her head towards the noises. Hopefully they had to have heard it! She was going to be put on display for a bunch of slack jawed yokels to stare at!

 

 

 

Here she finally was. Griffonstone. The former heart of the Griffon Kingdom that once rivaled Equestria and the Crystal Kingdom in beauty, but was now a retched cesspool. It was the land of her ancestors and a place someone thought it would be a good idea to build a large castle on top of a single branch of a very old and very large tree.The young griffon had planned to visit the shanty town and take photos of some of the older statues that lined the area. Hundreds of years of non-extant maintenance and poor weather had reduced the once meticulous statues into un-salvageable heaps of stone.

 

Once she flew through Griffon Gorge, the black coated griffon found a nice spot to land and take in the ghastly sight of what would have been called a 'city' at one time. She pulled out a rather heavy tome from her backpack. It was one of her favorite books, 'Bygone Griffons of Greatness'. Here she would be able to use as a reference to fill in the blanks when she would later recreate her statue of choice. She was almost certain she would do one of King Grover as she turned to the page that showed the great king and his royal family.

 

 

This wasn't the right page. This was King Gryphus III, a strong king who foolishly allowed his pride to get the better of him. He tried to conquer Equestria and managed to run into a Princess Celestia who was not in the best of moods. Thankfully the next King...Rhosus was far wiser than his older brother. She paused to admire the image of Gryphus's youngest son, Prince Alex. Who knew this adorable little creature would grow up into a beast of a bird that was an epic drunkard and philanderer? Thank goodness he never got his claws on the kingdom.  Griffonstone would never have lived long enough for Guto to run it into the ground.

 

Thankfully, there was more to Griffstone than rotten statues and dead kings, there was the remaining members of her family that never left the old city during the great migration to Rockwington. Her cousin Lil' Gilly was there. Poor thing was abandoned by her birth mother and would eventually be raised by her Aunt who was a total Mensch for doing so. The young griffon had a rather lofty goal of becoming an Wonderbolt. Had there been Wonderbolt griffons in the past? Zelda really didn't follow sport, so she did not know.

 

As she schlepped her way through the residential zone of the ruins, the blacksmith and artist was pleasantly surprised that there were signs of some constriction going on. Apparently after a few hundred years, some griffons finally figured out how to fix a thatched roof. But for every restoration going on, there were ten homes that looked utterly unlivable.

 

And wow. There she was. Her cousin Gill. She was no longer the cute little kitten like in the photo her father had given her. She had grown up to become a rather beautiful bird.  "Hey! Gill, it's me Zelda!" Ho-Boy, that smile was so forced, she was surprised her beak didn't pop off. Still, she was not going to let that stop her from giving her cousin a hug!

 

Thankfully she did not put her full strength into said hug as the blacksmith was very strong. "Nice to meet you cousin.", the bird flashed a comfortable, beaky smile. She gave the pretty bird time to respond.  Then added,  "If you don't mind, let's get something to eat as I'm starving....And I will be paying.." There had been nothing but snacks on the train for her to nosh on. She needed real food, griffon food. Hopefully there was something resembling a bar or restaurant somewhere under the rubble.