"Gilda!" Scootaloo cried in alarm. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine they may be mutinous traitors the lot of them. Either they're smart enough to know not to try anything, or they're to gutless to do anything. I'm fifty/fifty on which it actually is." Gilda waved her talon around. "They threw me in here for sending Trove to his death, but as you can see Gramps he's fine." The four of them looked behind them to see three elderly griffons walking up to them the one in the center looked like he was part vulture. and was plainly blind one eye.
"Trove you're still alive." Grampa Gruff turned his one good eye to face one of the other elders. "You owe me twenty gold coins. Now whose this?" Grampa Gruff walked up to Scootaloo and studied her with his one good eye.
"This is Scootaloo, she's Rainbow Dash's sister." Gilda answered. Grampa Gruff looked at her in confusion for a while. Gilda rolled her eyes and continued. "The pony from flight camp."
"Oh, this is her sister hmm." He turned his attention back to Scootaloo. "Well let's hope that she's as good a flier as her sister was."
"She's tough Gramps, I wouldn't have brought her into the flock if I didn't think that she could handle herself."
"That's good because she'll be standing trail with you, tomorrow," One of the other elders said. She was grey and eagle like with a snow leopard's flanks. Gilda glared at her, and if looks could kill the elder would have dropped dead on the spot.
"Good I'm glad to have her. She's three times the griffon as anyone from your pathetic dead end flock."
"Then I'll just send in five to make sure the job gets done."
"Now wait just a second!" Grampa Gruff said his feathers ruffled. "The only reason that you are here is because tradition dictates that you have to be in order for a trial to happen, but this pony is a part of my flock and my flock will judge her worth. You may send in one griffon at a time I'm sure Gilda and Scootaloo will enjoy the sport."
"Yeah and I'll," Gabriella began but a growl and glare from Gilda caused her to squeak. "Stand on the side lines and cheer them on." she finished weakly.
"Only on the sidelines?"
"It's such a shame that elders can't judge." The griffon elder, who pulled back indignantly at Gilda's threat.
"Well seeing how Trove is still alive, and I doubt that Gilda will run why don't you loosen her bonds a bit. Let her get some stretching done before tomorrow, when the court is convened." One of the guards nodded, and quickly carried out the elders orders. He popped the stocks open.
"Ah much better." Gilda stepped between the griffon elders and Gabriella. She started stretching. "That's the spot." She sighed as her back and wings popped in unison. "Now why don't you go and get all those rejects you call a flock and get them all nice and ready. I want them jumping in as soon as they can so I can get as many as possible."
"You'll regret this Gilda." The elders left except for Gruff.
"Scootaloo, Come with me I want to show you something."
"And me Gilda."
"Go home Gabriella. When I get back you and I are going to have a talk." The little griffon seemed to get even smaller as she nodded and walked home Gruff walked with her back to their house. Which, Scootaloo assumed must have been somewhere, deeper in the griffon city. "Scootaloo, come on." Scootaloo nodded and joined Gilda in the air. The two of them flew down to the ground.
They landed in a large wooden coliseum. "Gilda you know Gabriella just wants your approval, right?" Scootaloo looked at the griffon questioningly.
"Scootaloo look around you. This is where we're being judged. It's a free for all death match and any one that wants to join can." Gilda looked down at the Pegasus. "I swore to your sister that I'd protect you and I will. But it won't be easy, doing that and not killing any of those mutinous idiots, and staying alive myself. If Gabriella got involved I don't doubt those bastards would try and make me chose between you or her. That's a choice I don't want to make."
"You said death match?!"
"Yeah griffon law has always been might makes right." Gilda sighed. "So far that's worked out very well for me. Oh Scootaloo please feel free to break wings, but try not to kill any of those griffons. Trust me when we're done I'll make them pay, but until then."
"Keep them alive."
"That a girl. Now lets go home I need to have a talk with Gabriella and I think Grampa Gruff wants to know more about those books."
"You told him about those?"
"Of course it's the only reason they bothered to go and see if Trove was still alive." Gilda to back to the skies flying back into the griffon city Scootaloo following close behind.
***
Scootaloo and Gilda stood in the center of the wooden coliseum. It was filled to the brim with griffons of every type imaginable. All around every seat was occupied.
"Scootaloo stay close to me if you do you should be fine."
"How does this work?" Scootaloo asked in a hushed whisper. Barely audible over the roaring of the crowd.
"Simple the elders will say that we've been charged. And will now stand judgement, and then any griffon that wants a piece of us will come down and try to kill us. Those that want to help us can come down too. Though I wouldn't go getting your hopes up."
"Oh, well horse apples." The three griffon elders were on their special raised podium. Grampa Gruff stood in the center. The elderly she griffon to his left and the fatter elder that looked like a petrel kept his set to his right.
"Gilda and Scootaloo. You two have been charged with treason to the flock, and now stand judgement, by your peers until dead or you are found innocent by your judges." Gruff's voice echoed through the coliseum and the entire forest. "Your trial begins now!"
All at once a dozen griffons took to the air and charged the two of them. Gilda smirked as she rose to meet them talons ready to rend flesh. Scootaloo stayed on the ground keeping her cool as two of them landed on either side of her. Gilda had begun engaging the ten in the air. One of which was already tumbling down to the ground.
One of the griffons circling Scootaloo charged her. Thinking he was well in her blind spot. He was fast Scootaloo was faster. She jumped over him stomping on his back between the wings with her rear hoof. The other griffon had charged her as well. She shifted bringing her for hoofs down of the griffons head, not hard enough to kill but hard enough to make sure he wouldn't be getting up any time soon. Using his head as support she bucked the other griffon has hard as she could in the chest. He collapsed to the ground. One of the griffons above dove down at her. Gilda grabbed him by the tail and pulled popping every vertebra in the tail as she did the pain caused her to black out. Gilda used her as a mace slamming her into one of her other attackers. Eight more griffons had left their seats and were closing in this time they all seemed focused on the Pegasus on the ground.
She moved quickly, and precisely. Aiming each strike at their thoats. Her hooves weren't like they're talons, but that was fine she didn't want to kill them just take their breath away. Her comparatively smaller size was more of an asset than a hindrance. As she moved nimbly around each slash. The last of the new comers though was a lot more agile than the others and kept pushing her back. Which was fine she bought her time waiting for him to mess up. He did He put to much weight on his right talon as he slashed at her with his left. She to the moment jumped over him grabbing a wing and twisting it. It snapped and the griffon collapsed screaming.
"Great job Rainbow Dash!" Gilda called as she swiped her talons through a challenger's wing. Scootaloo froze at the complement. "Look out!" A new challenger slammed into her from the rear.
"Crud." They brought their talons up to deliver the finishing blow. As four others detained Gilda above.
The death blow never came though as the raised talons were grabbed from behind. Stunned the griffon turned only in time to see Trove sweep his talons across their throat. The griffon collapsed chocking on his blood. As Trove helped Scootaloo to her hooves. "Does any other griffon feel like raising charges today!" Troves cold voice demanded. All the griffons able to fly pulled away. and back to the edges of the coliseum. "Then we hereby find them innocent!" He looked over the coliseum. No one raised complaint.