Fluttershy was relieved to see the town, as the two of them crested a wooded hill that Glare Wing called the "deceiver', for it was far steeper than it looked. As her wing was still hurting, they had walked the distance. To Fluttershy relief, the journey was relatively easy up until 'the Deceiver'. Glare Wing clearly knew of these mountains like the back of his paw.
"Well, there it is," Glare wing nodded. "Three Feathers Rise."
Fluttershy could see the sadness in hidden deep in his stoic eyes. Up until now she had held her tongue and said little. Partly for not knowing what to say but mostly to avoid attracting any more hungry creatures. But now on the edge of civilization and Glare Wing surely about to depart, she went for it, "You could come back to town with me." To her dismay Glare Win shook his head.
"Even if I could return, I'm no longer welcome there."
Now Fluttershy shook her head, "That's where you're wrong, Glare Wing." She positioned herself between the griffon and the mountains that he sought to return to. "They're sorry. Jagged Claw, Swiftsure, they all are." The mentioning of they names stirred some visible emotion in his eyes, yet they also gave Fluttershy a skeptical look. "They've been trying to find you since that day. You can't tell me that you never noticed them."
He did not argue that last point but was still not swayed, "Be that as it may, I still can't return. Not after my actions on that day."
"You mean falling for Shining Dawn's deception? But everyone in Three Feathers Fall fell for it. There are few I know who wouldn't fall for it. And your actions from the moment you realized was nothing but admirable. You Stopped him from stealing the star and chased him away. Yes, he got away but he has never returned."
"But he didn't get away..." Glare Wing interrupted, trying to stop himself but revealing too much. He sighed and quietly cursed at himself for what he was about to tell, "I killed him."
Fluttershy couldn't hide her shock at this and waited silently for him to explain. Glare Wing looked away from her and towards the town, "I was determined to drag him back to town and make him answer for what he did. We battled for hours on that day. A battle that ended in the mouth of a cave not too far from here. I had charged him but he hit me with a blast from his horn." He rubbed the large scar on his lower neck and glanced at Fluttershy, "Even now, it still hurts to talk for too long."
She grimaced a little at this but gently pressed him to continue. "He then built up power for a spell to finish me off. So I grabbed the nearest rock to me and threw it at him," -Glare Wing gestured with his paws- "It hit him in the snout and bucked his head back. He loosed his attack into the cave roof and it started to collapse. I raced out of the cave to escape the falling rocks, he ran further in. The cave completely collapsed. You wouldn't even know one was there now." -He rubbed the back of his head- "I looked around the area but there was no sign of him. Then I headed back to Three Feathers Rise."
Fluttershy tapped her snout in thought, "So, he buried himself alive."
"Thanks to me, yes"
"Well, no, actually," Fluttershy pointed at him, putting on her sterner voice. "He, choose to attack your town. He choose to engage you in combat when his plans failed, rather than surrendering. And he choose to finish you off when you were down when he could have easily used the opportunity to run." -She placed a gentle hoof on his shoulder- "In short, he brought that on himself."
Glare Wing nodded but was still not entirely convinced. Before he could dwell on it though, Fluttershy interjected, "If you still feel you are to blame, then come back with me. Tell your story and we'll see if anypony or griffin agree."
"You're going nowhere!"
The chimera's return had taken them both by surprise. It stood on the path behind them that ran through the small wood. It's three pairs eyed them with rage from the humiliation it had just suffered. The eyes of the tiger were particular searing, "We will have that pony, Griffon. Hand her other now!" Glare Wing rolled his eyes and stood between Fluttershy and the chimera. Unfolding his wings and prepared to reveal his stare.
It was at that moment that a patch of grass between and off to the side of the beaten path began to rustle. From it, a strange gray rabbit with the horns of a deer hopped out and stopped dead. Right in the shadow of the chimera. Completly oblivious to its presence.
In a flash, Fluttershy dashed in front of Glare Wing. Eyes wide with delight, "A jackalope!" -She was almost jumping with excitement- "One of the rarest creatures in all of Equestria! And it's so much more adorable than books said it was!!" The jackalope looked at Fluttershy and pointed at itself as if to say 'What, me?', which made her squeal a little.
The chimera, however, had already grown tired of its interfering presence. "Get lossssst!!" With one swipe of its paw, hurled back to the edge of the tall grass, to which it quickly scampered.
"Why?" Fluttershy growled. Raising her sights to the chimera. "Why did you do that!?!"
The chimera was taken aback by this change in the mare. Only the head of the tiger dared to speak, "It was in the way.
"So you swatted it away!!" She slowly marched up to the beast, maintaining eye contact all the while. "How would you like it if you were swatted aside like that. You wouldn't like it, would you?" The snake's head shook. "Would you!?!"
All three heads shook. "Didn't think so." -She looked down at the chimera, who was now cowering in her presence- "Now then. I want you to go find that jackalope and apologize to it." The heads now nodded vehemently. Fluttershy responded by impatiently tapping her hoof, "Well? go!" She pointed to the patch of tall grass that the jackalope had run into and The chimera wasted no time at all rushing in after it.
Fluttershy took in a couple of breaths, calming herself from the outburst. When the fleeing beast could no longer be seen or heard, she turned back to Glare Wing. The griffon was eyeing her, both surprised and impressed.
"Are we related?" He asked. Gesturing between himself and Fluttershy.
"Erm, no. I don't think so."
"Yes, yes. I was just wondering." They both shared a small chuckle.
This moment was interrupted by a sound of a far off explosion coming from Three Feathers Rise. They both looked in time to see a small dust cloud ascend from the outskirts of the town. This was followed by a series of lesser bangs and puffs of smoke. Glare Wing stood bolt upright, "Well that can't be good."