The gryphon took the mane six away...far into the mountains near the border of the Saddle Arabia desert. The sharp, dark, rocky, green less, snow less mountains captured the warm winds of the desert but also had heights matching those of Cloudsdale. He put each of the sleeping/unconscious ponies in medium sized iron cages. The cages were placed in the circle around a large fire. The gryphon used a magical plant he found on his way to the mountains to make the ponies pass out. The gryphon also used the materials and plants he could find at the bottom of the mountain...and conjure up a potion.
It was a dry dusty potion. He dusted the cages with this potion. He cast a spell so that ponies could not see or hear each other, but the ponies can see and hear him. The spell also assures that Ruber will not able to see and hear the ponies as well, but it doesn't block their magical signal. The gryphon noticed when he brought the unconscious ponies together, the Excalibur magic grew stronger. Their power lies in their unity. If they woke up and saw each other, they could easily overpower him.
The gryphon waited closely next to the fire...waiting for the ponies to wake up...and waiting for Ruber to come. He waited patiently and quietly. Awhile, enjoying the warmth of the fire and the serenity of the night.
Rainbow Dash was the first to wake. The sounds of crackling fire wood brought Rainbow out of her Wonderbolt dream. Her eyes squinted at the over-whelming glow from the fire. However, her body and wings tingled at the heat coming her way. She scooted closer to the fire...but the iron bars stopped her from getting any closer.
Rainbow Dash whispered while placing both her front hooves on the iron bars "What the?"
She pulled at the bars multiple times. Each time more aggressively than the other. She couldn't make them wiggle or move. She was so frustrated with the iron bars that she slam one of them with her front hoof.
She yelped in pain,while holding her throbbing front hoof. This captured the attention of the gryphon by the fire. Rainbow Dash's ears perked forward and picked up the sound of thumping steps. She lifted her head immediately and she gasped silently at the giant beast coming towards her. He was dragging a big yet lumpy burlap bag with his beak.
Her eyes widen at their fullest capacity...taking in all the details and height of the gryphon. Soon, she started to remember who he was and what he did to her.
Her jaw dropped expression turned into a scrowl. She barked at him "Alright buster! What's the big idea huh?! You are so lucky that I'm locked up! If I wasn't in this cage, I outta..."
He pulled out a shiny yet juicy red apple out of the sack and presented it to Dash. She looked at the apple awkwardly...then glanced up into the expressionless look in the gryphon's face. All that she could say was "Oh."
The gryphon motioned the apple towards Dash once more, and this convinced the pegasus to take the apple. However, she did it with a slight hesitation. But she made that the creature didn't see her sign of weakness. She sniffed at the apple first before taking a bite into it. Rainbow Dash didn't realize how hungry she was until she started eating the apple.
She also noticed the the gryphon was still in front of the cage, watching her eat. This made her slightly uncomfortable, but regardless, she responded while chewing "Thanks."
"You're Welcome."
Rainbow paused in chewing her apple. She was shocked, with not only the fact that the gryphon was speaking, but in what his voice sounded like. She didn't expect him to have a slightly high pitched, scratchy, gravel-like voice. Shouldn't a big guy like him have...well...a big voice? She never heard any gryphon or anypony have a voice like this.
But Rainbow had more important matters at hoof, so she exclaimed "You still didn't answer my question. What's going on?! Who are you buster?!"
The gryphon answered elegantly "Forgivvvee me...for not answering your questions and for kidnapping you. It'sss the only way to protect you...from my masssterr."
Rainbow Dash cocked her head to the side and asked "Who's your master."
The gryphon was very quiet and almost hesitate before answering "Hisss name isss Ruber."
Rainbow interrupted with a slight slip of her contained laughter, "Pfft! Rubber. Tehee!"
Surprisingly, this made the gryphon softly chuckle along with her...and smile. It's been so long since he has smiled and laughed. He thought he had forgotten. He then said while trying to keep his laughter in check, "No Ruber. But you were vverry closse."
Rainbow giggled at the gryphon's joke. But after a minute or so of giggling, she quickly realized Wait. Why I am laughing at this guy's jokes? He's my kidnapper for crying out loud!
The gryphon continued "Heee and I come fromm a far away land. A land called Camelot. My master wanted Camelot for himssself, but heee failed. Heee journeyed here seeking powerful magic."
When he mentioned "powerful magic", Rainbow instantly knew what he was referring her. But her heart raced when she started worrying about them, she shouted "But what about?!"
The gryphon interrupted her with "Your friends are safe on the mountain, but camaflouged from plainn sssight."
Rainbow felt it was rather suspicious that the creature didn't tell her where exactly her friends were on the mountain, but also on why she had to be separated from them. But she had a gut instinct that he will not tell her. However, despite all this, she felt that this gryphon meant no harm.
Rainbow then demanded "Why didn't just say that all in the first place?"
The gryphon responded softly "Would you have givvven mee a ccchance to do ssso?"
Rainbow uttered "Well I..." She really had to think about it. He did have a point. He doesn't exactly have a friendly and approachable appearance. This gryphon has glowing green eyes for hooves' sake. In a weird way, she can understand why he did it this way.
But this made the rainbow pegasus curious of one thing, "Okay, okay, I get it. I was like all those other ponies who...assumed the worst out of ya. But...how do you know if you don't give somepony a chance? You would probably want the same thing, right?"
The gryphon's green eyes widen. She's so understanding...perceptive...and wise in her own way. He has never meet any creature like her before. His mind became more and more fascinated by her. He wanted to know more.
He uttered out loud "I suppose sso."
It was strange...Rainbow Dash felt pretty good for helping this guy. Even though her help was small and it was through talking. Rainbow can admit that talking is not her strong suit in these situations. This made Dash slightly proud of herself. However, there are more issues ahead...
She then asked him "I have a feeling that this Master Ruber is contributing to this whole reputation you have going on. How come you're working for him anyway? It's pretty obvious that you don't agree with him. So...why do it?"
The gryphon responded with dread and shame "I wasss forced to be his ssslave. You sssee, whenn I wasss young...I triieed stealing some treaassure frromm a witch. But...ssshe caught mee. Ssshe casted a spell on mee. My will wasss under the will of herrr magic."
Rainbow questioned "How come you wanted to steal her treasure?"
He explained "Young grryphonss are easily distracted by ssshiny thingss. Wee like to decorate ourr nesstss with ssshinhy thingss."
Rainbow Dash answered "Oh, alright then. Go on."
The gryphon continued with "For yearss, I wass her slave. That isss...untill she made the greeeen potion. The potion had the power to combine the livving...and the metal...togetthher. Ruber came...with his arrmyy...took the potion by forrcce. He pusshed the witch into the cauldron...and ssshe became part of the potion. Becccausse her magical esssence is now part of the potion, I must sssserve whoever wieldsss it."
He closed his eyes and pulled his ears back. He turned away from Rainbow in order to face the fire. In that moment, Rainbow Dash's heart ached. She has never met any pony, or any gryphon with that amount of pain before. Well...maybe one gryphon. Gilda. She was once alone and full of pain. First Day of Flight Camp. All the ponies avoided her because she was a big scary gryphon. She didn't have any pony...that is until...
Rainbow then commented,after what seemed to be a lifetime of silence, "I may not know alot about magic. But I do know this...spells can be broken. Once this Ruber guy shows up, all you have to do is show him who's boss! Give a swipe of your left claw! Then your right! Then rawr like you did before! Your master will have no choice but release ya."
The gryphon gazed into Rainbow's raspberry colored eyes to see if the sincerity in her words matched the sincerity in her eyes. They did match. He couldn't look away. He felt a rush of hope and enthusiasm flood over him. For the first time since his enslavement, he felt like he can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. He can finally see the end of this torture.
He smiled warmly at the rainbow pegasus and walk back to her. He handed her three more apples into her hooves and said "Thank you."
Rainbow was surprised by the gryphon's smile...and how calm and sweet it was. She never thought a big furry beast like him was capable of smiling like this. But then once again,who was she to judge? She couldn't help but smile and accept the three apples. When she started eating the first apple, it made the gryphon's grin widen. He lied down in front of Rainbow's cage, and began eating some apples with her.
Dash cocked her head to the side and eyed her new meal companion. She couldn't understand why he was eating apples too. She remembered Gilda eating meat one time at flight camp, so...
"Don't gryphons eat meat?"
He paused his chewing and was shocked by the pegasus's question. How did she know this fact about gryphon's? He swallowed before answering, "Yesss usually. However, it'sss polite to eat the same mealll as your guesssst."
A memory came whirling back to Rainbow Dash...she began to remember...when Gilda eat some daisy sandwiches with Rainbow at flight camp. Gilda told her that even though she loves to eat meat...she would rather share a sandwich with her. The more time she spent with this gryphon, the more she started to think about Gilda. She hadn't thought about her since their friendship ended.
Rainbow shook her head and casually questioned "What's your name?"
He responded simply "Emerl. My name is Emerl."