It was a lovely day in Ponyville. Rainbow Joy strolled through town, planning on meeting with Sparkle Sprint to tutor the pegasus on some theoretical flight technicalities.
“Oh, didn’t you hear?” the rainbow mare accidentally overheard Bonbon saying.
“I just can’t believe it! A griffon, in our little town!” Golden Harvest cooed back.
Bonbon giggled. Rainbow Dash tried to rush on, not wanting to hear what came next. “Yes! She looked like a little queen! She looked part green peahen, part cheetah, I think!”
That was all it took to get Rainbow Joy running for her life.
“SPARKLE SPRINT, OPEN UP! OPEN, OPEN, OPEN!” the unicorn screamed, slamming her hooves on the door.
Spike opened the door, narrowly avoiding getting punched. “Whoa, what’s wrong with you?”
Rainbow Joy pushed Spike into the villa, slamming the door after her. The unicorn check the windows, panting heavily. After seeing that she was not followed, she calmed down. “Oh, thank goodness…”
“Spike, who was that?” Sparkle Sprint asked, coming down the hallway. “Oh, hey, Joy. What’s up?”
“Nothing much, I was just—“
“Joy?” came a feminine, high class voice. Rainbow stood stock still as the silhouette gave way to the form she had been so vigorously avoiding. “Oh, there you are.” The griffon stretched her black and green wings, look if disgust in her predatory eyes. However, it gave way to approval as memories came flooding back. “I forgive you.”
“You, what, huh?” Rainbow asked.
Sparkle looked on in confusion.
“I know it’s hard to believe, but I do. I heard about you saving everyone from Super Nova with our research and decided it was time to forgive and forget. I tracked down Sparkle Sprint here and that led me to you.” The cheetah-griffon walked over to the unicorn. “We can start working together again now.”
The unicorn backed up, not entirely trusting of her old friend. “Well, Lidga, if you say so…” Rainbow Joy looked over to Sparkle. “I’m sorry, Sparkle. Is it alright if we catch up later? I want to show Lidga around.”
“Sure,” Sparkle responded. “If you two both want to tutor me on the theory of wing razors, just bust in, alright?!” Obviously, Sparkle was a fan of their take on fighting mechanics.
“Will do,” Lidga cooed before ushering Rainbow Joy out of the villa.
As they walked away, Rainbow Joy sighed. She couldn’t believe this would be this easy. They had separated on such poor terms. Now, Lidga was taking her back with open arms? Something seemed a little fishy, but a friend was a fight, right?
“Uh, I can’t believe that twit is a student of Princess Celestia,” Lidga said, her posh accent making her seem more snobby than usual. “She didn’t even properly understand our theory, you know. Spectral magic is so simple!”
“Uh… right,” Rainbow Joy noted. “I mean, she’s—a fight, you know? Besides, it was simple to us, but to everyone else…”
“Right, a breakthrough,” the griffon noted. “Say, let’s go somewhere, just you and me! I want to see your house! Are you still as into old school Pegasian decorations as you once were?”
“Yep,” the unicorn agreed, tossing her curls a bit. “I finally acquired a genuine vase from the period just after Caticruela!”
“No! I would have thought none survived; he kind of caused more than one cloud city to fall to the ground,” Lidga noted.
The unicorn nodded. “Oh, we’re here. You still like Haycian tea, right?”
The griffon shook her head as she entered the simplistic, but high standard home. “I’m just drinking water now; better for my digestion.”
“Oh, did you have another episode?”
The griffon nodded.
As Rainbow Joy went to go fetch their drinks, she felt herself easing back into the normalcy of all of this. Perhaps Lidga would help Joy figure out the Elements of Harmony now that the unicorn knew the Rainbow of Light could be accessed by them.
Sparkle Sprint walked through town, pep in her step. She got off the hook for studying today, and Lidga was in town! How lucky was she?
“Good morning, Sparkle Sprint,” called Laurel.
Sparkle stopped, looking at her friend in the store the Apple clan owned in town. It was small, more of a permanent stall really, but it was well constructed and classy looking. “Hi, Apple Laurel! What’s up?”
“Oh, manning the station today. Big Macintosh is handling the trees that won’t respond to my magic and Applebloom is in school.” The orange mare realized that Sparkle Sprint usually wasn’t out this time of day. “Did you finish your lesson early this time?”
“Naw. Joy’s old colleague, Lidga the griffon, is in town so she was busy today.” The pegasus spread her wings. “Aw, man, maybe they’ll talk about my sonic sparkling screech, and then they’ll figure out how to get me faster! Maybe I’ll be able to perform the flickering flashstep, or—or maybe, the sonic rainboom!” The pegasus giddily giggled.
Laurel shook her head. “No, this is terrible!”
“Really?” Sparkle asked.
“Ugh, oh no. Sparkle!” the heiress demanded. “I need you to do me a huge favor!”
The purple mare nodded, landing as the gravity of the situation hit her.
“I am go check on Rainbow Joy; however, I need you to watch my store until I get back, okay?”
“It’s a stall, but—“
“OKAY!?”
“Yes, sheesh!” the student of Celestia retorted, slinking behind the counter as Apple Laurel exited the store. “Gosh, what’s the problem?”
“It’s a good thing I came back,” Lidga muttered, taking another swig of water as the duo worked on figuring out the connection between the Elements of Harmony and the Rainbow of Light. “You always depended on me. Look, you haven’t even gotten any new work done, have you?”
“I… uh, I suppose you’re right,” Rainbow Joy noted, slinking behind her mane.
A knock came on the door.
“Who could that be?” Lidga asked, her feathers ruffling a bit.
Rainbow went to the door, opening it. “Apple Laurel? What are you—I mean, good morning.”
The orange mare looked over to the griffon. “You.” She walked over, green eyes blazing. “I cannot forgive you for what you did to Rainbow Joy! It is most dishonorable and disgusting!”
“Apple Laurel!” Rainbow Joy reprimanded.
Lidga stood up, growling a bit. Her tail twitched, wings extended threateningly.
“No, Joy! I will not allow her to get close to you again! When you came to Ponyville, you were as weak as a baby deer because of her!” The unicorn heiress lowered her head a bit, an obvious threat. “I will not allow it to happen again!”
Lidga unsheathed her claws. “Is that a challenge?”
“It is not an invitation to tea.”
“Very well,” the griffon responded. “At six o’clock, we shall duel.”
“Good. I’ll contact the mayor to act as witness.” Laurel began leaving. “If I win, you must leave.”
“If I win,” Lidga finished, “you ponies must stop corrupting this perfectly useful mind with your silly feelings.”
“They are not silly feelings,” Joy said as Laurel shut the door. “They’re the keys to the Rainbow of Light.”
“Hardly!” Lidga growled. “Laughter is an action. Kindness is a philosophy. Generosity is an action. Honesty is a thing which is factual. Loyalty is a personality trait. And, you of all ponies, should know that magic is all head knowledge!” The griffon made for the door. “When this is over, you and I will go to Grevylin for a year of meditation among the zebras! Maybe I can fix the damage done by these ponies!”
“But…” Joy noted as the door shut. “I… am a pony.” She looked to the tea and water left on the table. She levitated them into the kitchen with her.
“—and then they both left,” Joy sniffed out.
Special rubbed Joy’s back, long soothing strokes. The frizzy haired earth pony wasn’t sure what to say. “Apple Laurel was wrong for barging into things that were not her business,” she hesitantly noted. “However, Lidga sounds as if she’s manipulating you.”
“Hm?” Joy asked.
“You know, manipulation?” Special tentatively asked.
“I’ve never been changed,” the unicorn noted.
“No, no, no, like, emotionally. Does Lidga ever make you think your opinion is wrong? Does she make you feel like you should rely on her?”
“Yes, sometimes,” the unicorn sniffed.
The earth pony nodded. “Very well. That’s manipulation.”
Rainbow sighed as the massage finished. She hoped off the table, feeling soothed. “I’ll be back tomorrow to pick up my tab,” she promised.
“Mm, no, this one is on me,” the white mare responded. “However, you can pay be back by taking charge. You’re not a child who needs someone to look out for you. Show Lidga that. Apple Laurel, too. She’s doing it out of the generosity of her heart, but she can’t tell when she’s doing things that people don’t explicitly want.” Special wouldn’t flat out call Laurel bossy, but she was hinting at it pretty well.
Joy laughed. “Okay!” The clock tower ran. “Five o’clock… I better see if I can defuse the situation.”
“Sorry, Rainbow Joy,” Big Macintosh stated, “but Apple Laurel isn’t seeing anyone right now.”
The unicorn snorted in frustration. She hadn’t been able to find Lidga. “Aw, horseapples.” The blue mare left, trying to think of a way to disrupt this before her two friends tore each other apart.
Apple Laurel walked into the center of town, wearing the blue jean vest her father had always worn to his battles. On her hat was a hat she had always left on a high shelf. Big Macintosh walked on one side of her, carrying in his muzzle a wooden box. Applebloom was on the other side, carrying a branch of young apple blossoms.
Coming into the center of town also was Lidga. She flew slowly and carefully. Her wings looked particularly glossy and her spots were as dark as death. She wore traditional fighting fetters of the griffons.
The mayor stood on the porch of town hall. Several ponies waited on the edge of the circular heart of town, watching in anticipation.
“Citizens of Ponyville! We wash our hands of the blood which might be shed between Apple Laurel and Lidga. May their battle be the end of their quarrel!” As ceremony dictated, the ponies of the town stomped their hooves in agreement.
Apple Laurel watched as Lidga approached. Laurel wielded three apple seeds, the things which had been inside the box. Applebloom stood between the two as they glared. Once she dropped the apple branch, the filly ran away from the two which had begun to battle.
Apple Laurel used the apple seeds as razor blades; they cut quickly through some of the flight feathers of Lidga. Lidga scratched out at Apple Laurel, leaving a trail of blood on her right foreleg. The griffon retreated, away a close range fight might blind her. Apple Laurel hunkered down, prepared for gusts of wind.
The orange heiress was not disappointed. The griffon summoned all her strength, sending down a torrent of intensely cold wind. It backfired on her, though, as Laurel used the now frozen seeds to embed themselves into the fetters of the griffon. Lidga felt the seeds digging closer to her flesh. She spotted a cloud, rushing to and whipping it into frenzy. She could feel the lightning beginning to collect…
“Stop!” shouted Joy, parting the crowd.
Lidga paused in her storm making, grateful to see the apple seeds retreat from her armor. Laurel looked to Joy, confusion clear.
“I… appreciate your effort, but I do not need or want it.” The unicorn stood in the cleared center square, expression somber. “I am a grown mare. I understand that sometimes I need others to point things out to me, but no one is my master save our Princess herself!”
“… themselves…” Special quietly corrected from the crowd. No one was paying attention and therefore no one heard her.
Lidga lowered herself to the ground, realizing the reasoning behind these words. Laurel drew close, too, embarrassed.
“You two are my friends—“ Joy began.
“Friends?” Lidga asked.
“Um, yes, I’m Laurel’s friend, too, Lidga. You can be friends with her, too—“
“Hardly,” the griffon gruffly grouched. “You are an assistant at best, to me, and at worst, a pet. I was claiming my ownership over you. I stopped because I was amused that you thought you were even with me.”
“But,” Joy interrupted.
“No,” the griffon said. “I was going to help you improve your knowledge, but if you’re going to be distracted by these silly pony concepts of non-blood or work relations, then I’ll have to bid you goodbye.” With that, the peahen-cheetah took off. “You win, Apple Laurel.”
The orange unicorn’s jaw dropped. She wielded the apple seeds dangerously again. “Why that little--!”
Rainbow Joy put a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “Let her go.” Joy looked sadly after the griffon she had considered a friend; pity the feeling was one way. “Some people just refuse to let warmth into their hearts.”
The sun was beginning to set. The market had cleared out about an hour ago.
Sparkle Sprint had tears running down her face. “Spike? Pink Crush? Anyone?” She laid her face down on the counter. “Isn’t anyone coming to tell me I can go home?”
The street lights turned on and the final shop keepers locked up.
“I’M SO ALONE!”