//------------------------------// // 274. The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone - Part 3 // Story: Blaze the Pony Tale // by Wolven5 //------------------------------// "Hmm..." Lord Gar touched the tips of his talons together to form the pyramid of evil contemplation as he considered what he'd just been told. "This won't do. No, this will not do at all." The corrupt lord sat in his lounge chair before his antique walnut desk in his vast study filled with priceless antiques, works of art, a private library, embroidered carpet, stuffed bear,- Okay, you get the idea. He's wealthy. but of course, his wealth and expensive tastes were not gained through legitimate means. The griffon standing before Gar's desk had done a lot of work that contributed to Gar's wealth as Wotan then asked, "So, what do you want me to do, your lordship? Off the mare and dump her colorful carcass off the Hyperborean Mountains?" "Mmm, unfortunately, that mare is here in the company of a prince of Canterlot," Gar massaged his brow as he considered the situation, "not to mention my waste of a brother and his annoying fledgeling knights will be watching over them closely. No... this calls for... subtlety, discretion, a way to be rid of this treasure-hunting tramp without being suspected of anything to do with her demise." "And then there's that prince and the pink one, right?" Wotan brought up. "Unless it looks like a clear-cut "accident" they'll snoop, maybe even get the attention of the sun princess." "And I am in no mood for a international scandal..." Gar sighed in annoyance before his brain began to hatch an idea. "Follow her. Odds are, she'll go to the Abysmal Abyss if she is truly foolish enough to try and find that blasted idol. With the intense updrafts that rise out of that place she won't be able to fly, and climbing accidents tend to be surprisingly effective in making an undesirable vanish..." Wotan sneered deviously, "I'll deal with this 'climbing accident' personally, sir." The doors to a shop burst open as in zoomed Rainbow Dash, declaring, "I'm gonna find your missing idol and save Griffonstone!" She held her bold poise for a moment... until she noticed the silence and saw the griffoness at the counter was less than moved. Although she did narrow her eyes in irritation when one of her doors fell from the frame, spurring Rainbow Dash to clear her throat. "Uh, I'll need some rope, a grappling hook, and a guide to take me down to the Abysmal Abyss." "And I'll need some bits," the griffoness responded, holding out her talons expectantly, Rainbow Dash sighing as she forked them over. "I'll get you your stuff and guide you to the Abyss, just wait outside." "Don't take too long, okay?" Rainbow Dash flapped up, "Griffonstone's counting on us!" After the rainbow maned pegasus left, the griffoness peered into the corner of her store where another griffon appeared to be browsing... until he looked in her direction, revealing himself to be Wotan, as he sneered, "Remember your job, and you'll have a bag so heavy with Raptras you won't know what to do with it all." "Whatever, as long as I get paid," the griffoness shrugged as she prepared to collect the requested items. After leaving the garrison, Blueblood and Pinkie Pie discussed their next move. "I can understand the idol being important an' all, but I just don't think it's the answer to Griffonstone's problem, Bluey!" "I agree, Pinkie," Blueblood furrowed his brows as he recalled the story Gruff had told them, "though I still wonder what those two ponies were doing there during the incident when Arimaspi stole the Idol. Gruff told us those ponies were supposedly involved with the House of High Seas." "House High Seas?" Pinkie echoed, not understanding. "One of the noble houses affiliated with my Aunt Celestia's Council," Blueblood explained, "and the current head of the house is Treaty Ink who serves the council as the Duchess of Foreign Affairs. Technically, her job involves diplomacy, being an ambassadress to other countries on Equestria's behalf, and to work out agreements or problems Equestria may have with another nation. I actually took a few lessons from her in diplomacy after the Princess made me an honorary prince and her nephew." "So basically, she talks with other ponies or creatures from different places and helps them become friends?" Pinkie liked the idea, because it sounded like what they were supposed to be doing. "I... suppose you could think of it that way," Blueblood shrugged, despite knowing the job entailed a far more complicated position. "Well in that case, I think I'll go see Gilda," Pinkie Pie pointed out the griffoness down the street, who was pulling a cart. "If we're gonna solve Griffonstone's problem, we gotta start somewhere! Seeya Bluey!" "Wait- Pinkie, I don't think... annnnddd she's gone again," Blueblood sighed as Pinkie hopped on after Gilda. "Well, I suppose I could go check out Sir Godric's library, if he doesn't mind." As Blueblood started making his way back to the garrison, Pinkie Pie called out, "Hey Gilda! Word on the street is that Griffonstone has amazing library chock-full of answers!" "Word on what street?" Gilda retorted, her tone clearly annoyed. "OK maybe not on this street," Pinkie replied, "but on other streets, your library is the talk of the town!" "The library's right there," Gilda pointed to a location nearby, "so why don'choo go inside AND LEAVE ME ALONE!!" Pinkie Pie stepped back as Gilda carried on, and then noticed the building she'd pointed her to was just like every other building in the city; rundown, decrepit, and it was clearly the library (or whatever was left of it) indicated by the broken bookcases and ruined books strewn about haphazardly. She looked at the books and grimaced at the state of them! Pages torn out, the covers worn, the ink and words ruined by exposure to the elements, that Pinkie Pie could only gasp, "Maybe it's good that Twilight didn't come." She then noticed before her was a large old griffon statue with a crown on his head and a book on his face. A quick glance at the plaque told her this statue commemorated 'Guto, Last King of Griffonstone, may his memory preserve a broken promise'. Godric walked with Blueblood to a locked section in the garrison library. “The city records are kept in here because my brother would gladly love to rewrite history, if not bury it. Supposedly, the tomes here could contain information so incriminating the information would all but guarantee my brother a trip to the executioner's blade,” Godric took it all in, letting Blueblood pass him so the unicorn could browse for some research. “Though it would be tragic to end my brother thus, it would finally put paid to his reign.” “I see,” Blueblood considered. “An unfavorable position to be sure.” “Unfavorable my feline ass,” Godric huffed coldly. “It's a lose-lose here. If I don't guard the town, Gar wins, if I guard the town, I'm the villain in my brother's speeches, and the citizens are inclined towards his opinion because like Gar they too have wallowed in greed.” Blueblood felt very sympathetic to Godric's situation. He's been in that position of lose-lose many times before and knew the feeling of hopelessness. The two exchanged no more words, and the atmosphere in the garrison's corridor to the library would have easily frozen a whole den of manticores. When the two arrived at the library, Godric showed Blueblood to the “Chronicle Files” room, where the history of Griffonstone was kept. Godric got the files pertaining to the ancestors of Treaty Ink and Blueblood opened the files. As the prince read through the files, some things became more and more clear. Blueblood saw that her ancestors had plans to steal the statue from the King and sell it on the black market to cement in the minds of the other country leaders that they weren't a trustworthy nation and thus all trading would dry up and thus, Griffonstone would be their little puppet for a black market and by extension place in power someone who could easily “Keep empty promises”. Damn... Blueblood thought and continued to read. As he read on, he found that the idol was found by Grover, so as to bring full unity to the griffons of Griffonstone, in order to make them more prosperous and profitable. “It was something that was needed,” Godric sighed in bittersweet malaise. “Griffons did nothing but fight with each other and wouldn't come together for anything, which made the griffons easier to control. They could be bought off, enticed with treasure, comforts, and luxuries.” “The typical and most obvious thing,” Blueblood commented. “Along comes the House of High Seas and their duke,” Godric said. “They wanted to take the idol and make the griffons easier to control. All their efforts failed. When the idol finally disappeared and the monarchy was abolished, my father stepped in to run Griffonstone until he couldn't manage it anymore.” “That begs the question of Treaty Ink,” Blueblood said. “Is she...” “Like them?” Godric asked him. “No. She's actually been working with me to draw up new businesses and even ideas for bringing in tourists. In fact, she cracked a joke that I believe we can strive to.” “And that is?” Blueblood asked. “That we don't need some trinket you can find in any antique shop that some colt buys their grandmother or grandfather before their passing. She's like me, disgusted that griffons put their pride in the wrong place. As she says “Pride comes from within and placing it in some cutesy trinket only does you more harm”. I am of the same opinion,” Godric spoke with deep conviction. “But then, that begs where she is?” Blueblood asked. “She's actually here in Griffonstone. We've been working in secret to find a way to remove Gar from power and rally the griffons towards a more honorable yet proud existence. However, she must keep herself hidden. If Gar were to find her, he would kill her straightaway, international incident or not, and that would ruin any plans to redeem ourselves, we of Griffonstone and the integrity of Treaty Ink's lineage." Blueblood sighed. This was something he hadn't expected to encounter. He was hoping for something to be clear cut and straight forward. Little did he know that nothing was ever clear cut and rarely was it straight forward. “Is she here?” he asked. “Why do you ask?” Godric asked Blueblood. “I have a plan. With her help, maybe we can finally get everyone here on the silver path,” proposed Blueblood. “That's a funny phrase,” Godric smirked. “It's something an author uses from time to time. The Silver Path is the path that is very hard to maintain," Blueblood explained, "but in the end is very satisfying to walk on and even to look at. The pride is in the ones who tend to the path and not the path itself." “Now, what do you suggest we do?” Godric asked. “I don't know. Pray Dash has found the accursed thing and pray that Treaty Ink comes and disappears that thing to some far corner of Equestria or even disappear it to Tartarus itself," sighed Blueblood before he grumbled, "This thing's giving me a headache and I haven't even laid eyes on it." This is gonna be a tough nut to crack... Blueblood thought as he continued his research. As the library had been a bust (and unknowingly committing public vandalism in causing the beak on the statue of King Grover to break), Pinkie Pie somehow found herself near Gilda and her cart again, observing a couple of griffons bumping into each other and glaring as they passed each other by. Suddenly, the answer cam to her that she gasped, "I know what Griffonstone needs!" "Fewer ponies?" Gilda sniped while placing some scones on a display on her cart. "A song!" Pinkie hopped and grinned, "I've got a super song about smiling that's sure to make even the most grumpy griffon grin!" She took a big inhale, only for Gilda to grab Pinkie's lips, "You can't sing here." She pointed out a sign that clearly stated 'NO SINGING' along with an official seal below it that read 'By Order of Baron Gar'. Pinkie was so flabbergasted she stuttered, "B-bu- How do you break into musical numbers with no singing?! How could that meany Lord Gar outlaw music?" "Oh sure, like Griffonstone's biggest problem is a lack of uplifting musical numbers," Gilda scoffed as she went over her inventory, "Gar said singing is a distraction from carrying out business and impedes progress." "Well then, how `bout a party? If there's one thing these griffons need, it's some good cheer," Pinkie suggested before asking, "Where's your party store?" The look Gilda gave her clearly said, 'Really?' "No party store?!!" Pinkie pondered again before suggesting, "How about cake? Nothing cheers folks up like cake! Where's your bakery?" The annoyed groan Pinkie got from Gilda that denoted there was no bakery was the final straw, "No singing, no party store, no bakery?! WHAT IS THIS PLACE?!?!" "You're welcome to leave at any time!!" Gilda yelled back, the force of her yell sending Pinkie crashing into a wall from which she slowly peeled off. "Well that just takes the cake- Wait! No it doesn't because there is no cake!! Or muffins! Or Griffon Scones!" "Oh we've got griffon scones," Gilda corrected before pointing out her cart, "That's my specialty." "I'll buy one!" Pinkie offered, and when Gilda took one off the display case Pinkie tried to chomp it, only for Gilda to hold it out of reach. "Bits first," Gilda held out her talons, and Pinkie whipped her curly mane to make a Bit come out to pay Gilda, who suddenly stuffed the scone into Pinkie's mouth. She took an experimental bite and quickly found the bland and dry taste wasn't nearly as bad as the texture, Gilda asking, "Well? What, you like it? That's my Grampa Gruff's secret recipe." Gilda's moment of pride was short-lived when Pinkie cried with a mouthful, "OW! Ah hink a broke a toof!" "Well whatever, no refunds," Gilda narrowed her eyes, "I don't even care anyway. I just wanna sell enough of these to save up enough money so that I can leave this lousy town!" Spitting out the remains of the scone, Pinkie gave a (less than toothy) smile, "I can help you with that." The Abysmal Abyss certainly lived up to its name, as the deep and dark chasm's forbidden appearance was made even more apparent by the gusts and gales of wind that rose up out of it. Rainbow Dash could tell that the wild air currents, like a river of rapids, flowed into this chasm and the narrow spaces increased the velocity of the wind as the amount of air was pressured by the build-up of air in such limited space. Even a pegasus with as much experience in flying as her would have to have a death wish to try and fly in there! She had her equipment, her guide, but her helmet felt a little loos, and as she was lacking in appendages on her hooves she asked, "Uh, do you think you could tighten the strap on my helmet?" "Can you give me more Bits?" the griffon responded, her talon reaching out almost in reflex. The tone and response vexed Rainbow Dash but she kept her cool before using her wing to tighten the strap herself, "Never mind, I got it." Peering over the edge and hearing the rushing air, Rainbow Dash asked, "So... how deep is this abyss?" "How deep are your pockets?" "Don't you griffons ever talk about anything other than money?" Rainbow Dash finally snipped. "Give me some Bits and I'll answer," the guide snipped back without missing a beat. "No wonder Gilda's such a delight..." Rainbow Dash muttered to herself, and for a moment the underlying truth of those words made sense. To have grown up in such an environment where every griffon was out for him or herself and never did anything for anyone unless there was monetary gain, it really was no wonder Gilda was so irritable. As Rainbow Dash worked up her nerve, she didn't notice her guide peering over her shoulder and giving a wink to a certain one-eyed griffon who was peering around a tree from a distance. Wotan nodded back before pointing to the rainbow pony and making a throat-slitting gesture, and the guide nodded back, feeling the weight of her payment hanging from her bags. She'd been given half her payment to play along and was promised the rest after she left Rainbow Dash to her doom... Meanwhile, back in town, Pinkie sampled another scone (and miraculously Gilda didn't make her pay for it) before saying, "Grampa Gruff's recipe is good, but it's missing just one important ingredient." "Don't tell me... Friendship?" Gilda waved her talons in a less-than-cheery manner. "Uh, no. Baking powder!" Pinkie reached into her mane and pulled the aforementioned ingredient out, "Lucky I never leave home without it." Gilda shook her head and took the ingredient from Pinkie and after using her grandpa's recipe, tried a small pinch of this new magical ingredient in the raw bowl of dough before she took hoofuls of the dough and folded them into scone shapes onto a cooking tray and said, "Now we just pop these into the oven and you'll have griffon scones worth their weight in gold!" Rolling her eyes but deciding it couldn't hurt, Gilda waited... and honestly, even as the scones Pinkie had prepared with baking powder were toasting away she couldn't help but notice a delectable aroma coming from her oven. Apparently, she wasn't the only one as another griffoness who happened to be flying above stopped, noticing a delicious smell- *BUMP/"OOH-Hoo!"* Pinkie Pie and Gilda looked and saw this griffoness had fallen (after another had bumped into her), and was rubbing her sore head. "Greta!" Gilda hurried over to help Greta to her talons and paws, only for Greta to yank her forelimb out of Gilda's grasp without so much as a thank you. "Ah-HA!!" Gilda looked to see Pinkie Pie giving her a shrewd smile, "I saw that, Gilda! You may act like a gruff-grumbling griffon, but inside you're gracious and great!" "What're you talking about?" Gilda was honestly perplexed by Pinkie's statement. "You just helped your friend up after she got knocked down," Pinkie pointed out. "What, her? Greta's just some griffon I know. We don't have friends here!" Gilda huffed before she sighed, "I did have a friend once... but you know how that turned out. " Pinkie Pie's look of sympathy turned to a pupil-shrinking expression of EUREKA as she gasped, "I GOTTA GO FIND DASH AND BLUEY!!" As the party pony hurried off, Gilda muttered, "Seeya..." Meanwhile, in the library, Blueblood was milling over everything in his mind when it clicked. “Godric, I have it figured out,” he said. “The statue doesn't have any magical enchantments or anything like that...it was an item that brought the wrong sort of pride.” “That's what I was thinking,” Godric said. “But what brought this about?” “The words Gar uses. The lies and usage of false promises,” Blueblood said. “I've been around this all before and it's got all these hallmarks. In fact, I think that it was presented as a way to control the griffons through the use of lies and false promises. Words are just as powerful as any enchantment or spell. In the case of lies, they are more powerful. What I'm thinking is that the trinket was used by those underhanded to control them and create an air of miserable pride. Which means that.....” “Those who stole it or planned to steal it were doing so without knowing what it was doing,” Godric concluded. “That's plausible, but that still leaves a few questions like “Where did it come from” and “why make like there's an enchantment on it”?” “I can't answer the first one, but the second one is where a bit more of the Canterlot raising comes in,” Blueblood said. “It's a trick called “Phantom Belief”-a way of making someone believe it has some sort of enchantment on it to make sure it stays in place and can be used by these unscrupulous ponies to control others.” Godric nodded. “But how will everyone buy this?” he asked. “They won't,” Blueblood said. “They've been too far sucked into believing Gar and his empty words.” "BLUUUUEEEEEEEEYYYY!!!!!" Blueblood and Godric both suddenly felt a strange shiver of fear run up their spines as something pink EXPLODED into Godric's library, causing books and scrolls to fly about in a papery mess. Once it settled, Godric saw Pinkie Pie was on Blueblood, smushing his cheeks as she got nose to nose with him, a look of excitement on her face that came precariously close to manic, as she exclaimed, "I KNOW how we can help Griffonstone, WE GOTTA FIND RAINBOW DASH!!" "P-Pinkie Pie, what in in Goddess's name are yoOUOUOUUOAAAAAUAUGHHGGHHh...!!!" Godric watched as Blueblood was dragged off in a blur by the party pony, entirely uncertain what to make of what he'd just seen... until he sighed at the mess Pinkie Pie had left behind. At first, Pinkie Pie didn't know where to go until Blueblood (who'd read up a little on the Abysmal Abyss) led the way, and even from a distance as they approached the gorge they could hear the gusty gales that screamed through its narrow walls. But there was another scream they heard that alerted them both and they hurried over to the edge and looked down to see Rainbow Dash on a ledge a considerable distance below them. "Rainbow Dash!!" Pinkie and Blueblood called, and their friend looked up as Blueblood called, "Rainbow Dash, are you alright?!" "NO, I'M NOT!!" Rainbow had to shout over the screaming winds, "I FELL, HURT MY HOOF, AND MY JERK GUIDE LEFT ME HERE BECAUSE I COULDN'T PAY FOR HER HELP!!! AND NOW I'M STUCK HERE BECAUSE THE WINDS ARE TOO STRONG TO FLY!!" "We'll help you, Rainbow Dash! But on a side-note, I figure out how we can help Griffonstone!" Pinkie Pie announced, only for Blueblood to nudge her. "Pinkie? Why don't we discuss helping Griffonstone after we've helped Rainbow Dash out of this death trap, hmmmm?" "Oh yeah, ha-ha!" Pinkie giggled at being such a silly-willy. "CAN YOU GUYS THROW ME DOWN A ROPE?!" Rainbow Dash shouted up. "I'm on it!" Pinkie pie turned to get the rope while Blueblood stayed at the edge. "Don't panic, Rainbow Dash. We'll have you up in no time and get your hoof looked a-" Blueblood's eyes popped at the sight of a rope being thrown over the edge, and he saw it all fell down on Rainbow Dash, to hers and his own flabergasted infuriation as they both gave Pinkie such a stink eye! "...oops?" Pinkie realized her boo-boo while Blueblood groaned and face-hooved while muttering "idiot..." "We need help! C'mon, Bluey!" Groaning as Pinkie Pie hurried off, Blueblood looked over the edge and called, "Rainbow Dash, just try and stay still! We'll get help and be back as quick as we can!" Rainbow Dash could just barely hear Blueblood galloping off and yipe'd as a piece of the ledge she was on crumbled away and fell into the abyss. "Oh guys, please hurry...!" "We gotta find Gilda, Bluey! She can help us save Dash!" Pinkie was standing on top of the statue of King Grover (accidentally causing more damage to it) as she frantically looked about for the griffoness while Blueblood looked up at her incredulously. "Pinkie Pie, I'm all for helping Gilda re-learn the importance of friendship, but Rainbow dash is running out of time!" Blueblood tried to explain, "We should just hurry back to the Sky Knight garrison and get Sir-" "There she is!" Blueblood sighed as Pinkie Pie hurried down the street and sure enough there was Gilda, trying one of her baking powder-improved scones and from the look on her face they were definitely worth their weight in gold. "Gilda, Gilda!" The griffoness growled under her breath for sure enough there was Pinkie Pie when she turned around, along with a worried Blueblood. "Rainbow Dash is stuck on a ledge in the Abysmal Abyss and we need your help to save her!" "Not my problem," Gilda responded coldly. "Of course it's your problem!" Pinkie protested while Blueblood looked disgusted. "She's your friend!" "Used to be," Gilda corrected. "Gilda. I understand you and Rainbow Dash didn't part on the best of terms," Blueblood stepped in, "but surely the friendship the two of you shared mattered to you!" "Yeah! I mean, can't you remember when Rainbow Dash was your friend?" Pinkie Pie added anxiously. "...Of course I do," Gilda looked back as she told them, "My folks wanted a better life for me than Griffonstone, and that meant having better teachers when I was just getting started learning to fly. Teachers that wouldn't charge them for every lesson, every lecture, every training session, teachers who they could afford! "So... they managed to scrape enough money to send me to Equestria's Junior Speedsters Flight Camp... It wasn't easy being the only griffon in a camp full of pegasus foals, and these three little snot-muzzled colts made it harder on my very first day! Then, there she was. Dash stood up for me and by me my entire time at camp. We played together, trained together, we made those little bullies eat our powder!" Pinkie and Blueblood shared a sympathetic smile when they noticed Gilda tear up at the thought of those good ol' days from her youth as a fledgeling. She noticed too and wiped it away before resuming her touchy attitude, "Fine! I'll help her, but that doesn't make me her friend!" "Duly noted," Pinkie responded, and when Gilda passed them she whispered not-so-discreetly to Blueblood, "Except it doooeeesss!" "Heh! Let's get going," Blueblood urged and they hurried off. The ledge was crumbling again. Any more and Rainbow Dash knew she would slip and that would be the end of her! The whistling wind blew through her mane and feathers like a brush of doom as Rainbow Dash hoped her friends would be back quickly before- "HANG ON, LOSER!" Rainbow Dash looked up and was taken back to see Gilda, wearing a hard hat and a rope tied around her middle as she began to shimmy down, yelling, "I'm coming!" She couldn't believe it - Gilda was here to rescue her, and she couldn't help but feel an old excitment she hadn't felt ever since Gilda and Rainbow Dash's falling out a while back as she yelled, "What took ya so long, doofus?!" Now, Gilda was diving through downwards, only for the wind in the Abyss to push her towards the cliff walls. Thankfully, she maneuvered around to land on her talons and paws, using her claws to get a grip and not be blown away. However, the wind became too much for the ledge as Rainbow Dash cried otu and began to fall! "RAINBOW DASH!" Pinkie Pie then did something extrmeley stupid (even for her) as she removed the other end of Gilda's rope from the rock it was tied to, put it around herself, and grabbed a panicking Blueblood as she jumepd down, shouting, "WE'RE COMING FOR YOUUUU!!!!" "PINKIE, YOU IDIOT!!!!!!" Blueblood shrieked as he forced her to let go of him, only to realize his own folly, just as they fell past Gilda. Since Pinkie was now attached to the other end of the rope, her Blueblood falling jerked her off the cliff wall, and then all four of them were falling even deeper into the Abyss! "GILDAAAA!!!" Blueblood cried like a colt since he had no wings or a rope, and Gilda managed to grab him. "I gotcha, I gotcha!" Gilda assured. "But who's got us?!!?" Blueblood was on the verge of freaking out even more- "I GOT RAINBOW DASH!!" *KAFLUMP* As luck would have had it, Gilda and Blueblood both landed on another ledge but Pinkie and Rainbow Dash were dangling below them, hanging from Gilda's middle. "Hold on you two...!!!" Gilda grunted as she struggled to hold onto the ledge. "Here, lemme help you!" Blueblood grabbed onto the rope, lifting some of the strain off the griffoness as she got onto solid ground before gasping at the sight of something behind Blueblood! "What is it?!" Blueblood followed Gilda's line of sight andg asped as well to see a large skull with a single eye socket and two curving ram-like horns, "Is that... the skull of a cyclops?!" "Not just any cyclops, it's the remains of Arimaspi!" Gilda realized as she looked around, "Which means...!" Her suspicion proved correct for on another ledge across from them was something gleaming in a ray of sunlight that managed to peer down into the abyss, and Gilda gasped, "The Idol of Boreas!" "Gilda, forget it! We need to get the girls out of there...!!" Blueblood gritted his teeth as he tried to pull Rainbow and Pinkie up. "Just hold on a second!" Gilda very carefully began to reach across the way, her talon just barely touching the idol as she tried to pull it closer to her grasp- "GILDAAA!!!" Blueblood yelled with a strained voice. "I'M SLIPPING!!" Rainbow Dash shouted from below. Gilda flubbed and pulled the idol a little too fast so it was then hanging precariously, again out of her reach and now in danger of falling deeper yet into the Abyss. Sweating, struggling, Gilda kept reaching but she heard the ponies all beginning to panic as they were losing their grip and the wind was making it harder to stay still... but then the mares both felt themselves begin to rise up and Blueblood smiled in relief as Gilda helped him pull the girls up onto the ledge. They'd barely sat up (failing to notice a magical light) just in time to see the relic fall. "The idol!" Rainbow Dash looked on as the Idol of Boreas was lost. "You're more important to me than some dumb chunk of gold," Gilda assured, and the four of them came together in a quick hug that was interrupted by the sound of the ledge beginning to crumble. "Hugging later!" Pinkie made sure every was secured by the rope, "Climbing NOW!!" And together, they climbed their way out of that terrible place, leaving Arimaspi's remains to linger there forever. Gilda grunted as she pulled herself up onto the edge and then once she was on solid ground she turned to help the others and pulled them up one by one, and they were all safe. "We're all okay? Everyone's okay?" "We're all fine, Gilda," Blueblood assured, "Thanks to you." "You saved our lives, Gilda! Thank you so much," Rainbow Dash smiled gratefully at her old friend, glad to call her that again. "I knew you could do it!" Pinkie Pie giggled, "And the best part is, you and Dashie are friends again." "Yeah, I guess we are, eh Dash?" Gilda held up her talons curled into a fist, and Rainbow Dash answered with a hoof-talon bump (with her uninjured hoof that is). "Junior Speedsters forever," Rainbow Dash smiled but felt bad again, "I'm just sorry I couldn't get the Idol of Boreas. Now we'll never solve Griffonstone's problem." "I wouldn't be too sure of that..." Blueblood gave them a smirk as he held up his hoof and his horn glowed... and in a pop of magic there was the Idol of Boreas! "What the"-!?" "How did you...?!" "Wow, Bluey! How'd you do that?!" "Right after we pulled you girls up, I managed to charm the Idol with a summoning spell just before it fell," Blueblood explained, "and after we made it up here to safety I cast the spell and here it is." "Blueblood, you sneaky son of a timberwolf!" Rainbow Dash was all kerfluffled with excitment, "Omigoshomigoshomigoshomigoshomigosh!! Now we can bring the Idol back and help Griffonstone!" "Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves," Blueblood held the Idol out of the rainbow mare's grabby hooves, "I think we should bring this straight to Sir Godric before we go and do anything rash. Remember, Gar's still in power and we need to handle this delicately." "Give it to me," Gilda held out her talons, "I can hide it under my wing as we bring it to the Sky Knights." "Agreed," Blueblood levitated it to Gilda who tucked it safely under wing and folded it close, completely hiding it. "Let's get going, this abyss gives me the creeps..." As the four friends hurried off, they passed by some bushes that hid the body of the griffon guide Rainbow had hired, her throat torn out and her eyes widened in frozen terror....