It was supposed to be a simple job. Just deliver the letter and await instructions. For any other griffin, it would have been. Unfortunately for Gilda, the address on the letter had led her back to the one place she had hoped to never see again: Ponyville. The prospect of running into Rainbow Dash again made her feel like her stomach was tied in a knot. The prospect of running into Pinkie Pie made her want to just fly away and never look back. Unfortunately, she needed to eat, and this job paid very well.
There weren’t many griffins in the world with dual citizenship in both the Homeland and Equestria, and due to the official nature of the letter, the law required that the courier be a griffin. Even with the premium Gilda had charged for her services, it was still cheaper for those stuffy bureaucrats back in Stormtalon to just pay her rather than filling out the paperwork to send a official messenger to Equestria, not to mention faster and more discrete. What the High Council wanted with a mare living in Ponyville of all places, though, was beyond her.
“Well, let's get this over with,” Gilda mumbled to herself, standing on a bridge leading into the town. With a heavy sigh, she spread her wings and took to the air, hoping for the best. The sun had only just risen, so the streets were empty. If she was lucky, she’d be able to find the pony she was looking for and deliver the letter without attracting any attention. As if I’m ever lucky...
The sun sat low in the east as Lyra Heartstrings took a seat on her favorite bench in the park, setting her saddlebags down on the bench beside her. Nopony else in the town was out and about, and silence filled the air.
Not for long, the unicorn thought, her horn lighting up with a golden aura as she drew her lyre out of her saddlebags, readying it in her front hooves. She could practice anytime she wanted, but there was one thing that made this time of day special, all she had to do was wait for it. Luckily, she didn’t have to wait for long, as the local starlings were beginning to sing. Closing her eyes, Lyra picked out the song of a single bird and listened to it, isolating the sound from the rest of the morning choir. Then she answered it, the strings of her lyre lighting up as the plucked them with her magic, returning the perfect tones to compliment the starling’s song. The collaboration continued for several minutes, with Lyra’s answers becoming more and more complex with each exchange. Eventually, Lyra’s song merged with the bird’s, harmonizing with it instead of answering it and leading into the finale... At least it would have, if not for the griffin landing in front of her with a loud thud. Startled, Lyra, jumped to her hooves, barely managing to catch her lyre with magic before it hit the ground.
“Lyra Heartstrings?” the griffin asked, narrowing her eyes at the unicorn. Unsure of how to respond, Lyra simply stared blankly at the griffin and slowly nodded her head. Reaching into a small pouch tied to her leg, the griffin pulled out an envelope stamped with an ornate wax seal, engraved with an image of a lyre over a wing. “I have a message for you.” The unicorn turned her stare to the envelope for a moment before breaking out into a ridiculously wide grin. “Are you gonna take it or not?”
“YES!” Lyra shouted at the top of her lungs, leaping a good distance into the air, snatching the envelope out of the griffin’s talons with her magic as she hit the ground. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” She reached out with her front hooves and shook the griffin’s claw, simultaneously retrieving her saddlebags and packing away her lyre. “I knew he’d keep his promise eventually! Oh! I need to go pack!” She began to gallop off.
“Wait, you need to read it, first!” the griffin shouted after her. The pony skidded to a stop, turned around, and trotted back over to the griffin. “Good, now go ahead and-”
“Hey, have you had breakfast yet?” Lyra asked, cutting the griffin off.
“No, but what does that have to do with-”
“Then come on!” Once again lighting up her horn, the unicorn took hold of the griffin’s front leg and again galloped off towards home, dragging her unwilling guest behind her.
“Look, I just need you to read the letter so I can get my instructions and get paid,” Gilda said as Lyra rummaged through her refrigerator. “I’m kinda in a hurry, here.” The kitchen in Lyra’s house was simple and brightly colored, just like the exterior of the house, as well as the exterior of almost every other house in the town for that matter. Glancing out the window, Gilda noticed that a few ponies were starting to mill about in the street. So much for getting out of here unseen...
“Then consider this a part of your payment!” Lyra said cheerfully, emerging from the fridge with several items in tow that Gilda never bothered to look at, instead opting to sit down at a nearby table and bury her head in her front legs with a groan. “I’m sorry I don’t have much food suited for you, but I know a simple little meal that I’m sure you’ll enjoy.” The unicorn walked over to another part of the kitchen, and Gilda heard a simple gas stove click on.
“Aren’t you the least bit curious about the letter says?” Gilda asked.
“Nope!” Lyra answered. “I’d recognize that seal anywhere, so I know exactly what the letter’s about.”
“Oh yeah? Who’s it from, then?” Gilda shot back, sceptical.
“That’s none of your business.”
“What?!”
“Oh, don’t get your feathers in a bunch,” Lyra said, walking over to the table and sliding a plate in front of the griffin before sitting down opposite her with a plate of her own. “You know, I don’t think I ever got your name. I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before, though. You ever been in Ponyville before?”
“Name’s Gilda, and where I’ve been is none of your business,” the griffin replied bluntly, shooting a glare at Lyra before looking at what was on her plate. “So, what’s this supposed to be?”
“Cinnamon-coated fried apples on cheese slices,” Lyra replied through a mouthful of the stuff. “Go ahead, try it!”
“Only if you read the letter already!” Gilda had just about had it with the pony, and probably would have resorted to more threatening types of persuasion if the job wasn’t so important.
“Fine, fine. I guess your feathers are just permanently in a bunch, then,” Lyra said, levitating the letter over to her from the counter and opening it.
About time, Gilda thought as she absentmindedly popped an apple slice into her beak. Huh, these aren’t half bad. As the griffin continued to eat, Lyra read the letter, the look of confidence on her face turning to one of confusion as her eyes moved down the page. “What, the letter not about what you expected?” Gilda asked smugly.
“No, it’s exactly what I thought it was about,” Lyra replied, turning the letter over to see if she had missed anything on the back.
“Then what’s the problem?”
“It’s just so... formal...”
“I see...” Gilda said, lying. She gets a letter from the High Council of Stormtalon and doesn’t expect it to be formal? Either she has some big connections, or she’s just delusional... “So, what does it say about my payment?”
“I’ll... be right back,” Lyra said, standing up and walking out of the room, still holding the letter in front of her and staring at it in confusion. Gilda slapped a taloned hand to her face in frustration.
I’m never getting out of here, am I? After eating the last apple slice, Gilda turned to stare out the window and watch the ponies walk by. The local street vendors were just starting to set up shop, including the same one Gilda had stolen an apple from over a year ago. She never felt guilty for it. Anyone that careless deserves to lose a little. It’s like these ponies trust each other completely. They never watch their backs, because they assume that their neighbor is watching it for them. They should be watching out for what those neighbors are doing behind their backs instead.
Almost immediately after the fruit vendor flipped her “closed” sign to “open”, a familiar blue streak skidded to a stop in front of it: Rainbow Dash. It was at that moment that Gilda realized how visible she was to the ponies on the street. None of these ponies seem to have noticed me so far... Better play it safe, though... Gilda slowly stood up and began to back away from the window, trying not to draw attention to herself. She breathed a sigh of relief as Rainbow Dash purchased an apple and took off straight up into the air, never having seen her. That was close, she thought as she sat back down in the chair and closed her eyes, waiting for her heart to stop pounding. Maybe I do get some good luck every once in awhile.
“Gilda?”
Or not. Gilda opened her eyes to see Rainbow Dash lounging on a cloud just outside the window, apple in hoof, staring at her with a look of equal parts confusion, surprise, and suspicion. I should have known she’d just come back with a cloud! She always hated to eat and fly at the same time. Use your head, idiot! Jumping to her feet, Gilda dove away from the window and pressed herself up against the wall next to it, trying to hide.
“Gilda, I know you’re in there there. Part of your wing is sticking out,” Dash said, unamused. The griffin cursed under her breath as she realized that the pegasus was right; the tip of her left wing was still visible in the window. Sometimes being big and scary wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. “Just come out here and talk to me already!”
I guess there’s no avoiding it anymore... Resigning herself to her fate, Gilda paused to collect herself in in front of the front door before opening it and stepping out. Rainbow Dash maneuvered the cloud around behind her as she left the building, as if to cut off her retreat.
“What are you doing here?” the pegasus asked from her perch on the cloud.
“It’s none of your business, Dash. I’m leaving soon, anyway.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, really. This has nothing to do with you,” Gilda said, her voice shaking as she struggled to control herself. Part of her wanted to fly away and never look back. Another part of her wanted to beat the living daylights out of Dash. Yet another part of her wanted to roll over and take whatever blame was being sent her way, letting everything go back to the way it was before. Back in happier times... I didn’t do anything wrong, though! She turned her back on me!
“I think we both know that it’s about me, G,” Dash said. “The Gilda I know never lets anypony cross her and get away with it. Why else would you come back here? What do you have planned? Traps hidden around town to get back at me for the pranks? Some sort of setup to frame Pinkie and sabotage our friendship?”
“No,” Gilda growled, beginning to lean towards the “beat the snot out Dash” plan.
“Just what kind of game are you trying to-” the pegasus began, only to be cut off by a brief flash of gold light from behind her. A pair of mint-green hooves planted themselves on her cloud and spun it around.
“How about you lay off the griffin and let me out of my house, okay?” Lyra said in a low voice, now face to face with a startled Rainbow Dash and giving the pegasus a glare Gilda never would have thought her capable of. She gave the cloud a hard shove to the left, causing it to drift out of the way of her and the several bags she was levitating with her. “She’s with me, and I really don’t appreciate you harassing my guest. Come on, Gilda.” The unicorn closed and locked her door behind her before trotting away from Dash down the road. The griffin followed, leaving Rainbow Dash just as dumbstruck confused as she was. The other ponies in the street stared at the odd pair as they walked by, but Lyra either didn’t care, or didn’t notice.
“Uh... thanks for the save, I guess...” Gilda said, still not entirely sure that what had just happened was real.
“Think nothing of it,” Lyra replied with a smile. “Rainbow Dash is a great pony, but she has issues accepting that Celestia doesn’t make the sun revolve around just her sometimes.”
“So... I guess this is where we part ways, then. All I need are the instructions from that letter, and I’ll be out of your mane.”
“Not quite!” Lyra giggled.
“What?”
“Read for yourself!” The unicorn levitated a torn piece of paper over to Gilda, which seemed to be the bottom half of the letter. Snatching it out of the air, the griffin paused to read...
...circumstances will be explained further. As for the messenger who delivered this letter, his/her instructions are as follows:
The messenger is to accompany you to Stormtalon Keep as a bodyguard, whereupon he/she will be paid the previously agreed upon amount in addition to ample compensation for his/her continued services. If the messenger chooses to decline this offer, he/she will receive the previously agreed upon payment via normal post in the next six to eight weeks following confirmation of the delivery of this letter. We eagerly await your arrival.
Aldric Swiftclaw, Secretary to the High Council of Stormtalon.
“You have got to be kidding me!” Gilda shouted in frustration. She was just expecting to meet a courier somewhere for her payment, not to have to escort a pony all the way to the capital. And how important is this pony, anyway? Important enough that even the fact that she needs a bodyguard was kept a secret...
“Nopony’s forcing you to come,” Lyra said.
“They might as well be,” Gilda replied, tucking the piece of the letter back into the pouch she had originally carried it in. “I need that money. Otherwise I don’t eat, and waiting a few months isn’t something I can afford right now.”
“Look on the bright side, it could be fun! We get to travel to the capital of the Griffin Empire! How many people get to do that?”
“Going home isn’t exactly my definition of fun...” the griffin mumbled under her breath.
“What was that?”
“Nothing.” The pair continued down the road, and it soon became apparent that Lyra was heading towards the local train station. It beats flying, I guess... Gilda thought, trying to convince herself that it would be fun, somehow. She soon realized that she had a problem, though. “Hey, I don’t exactly have any money for a train ticket.”
“No worries,” Lyra replied, “I’ve got you covered for transportation. I’m sure we’ll be reimbursed for our expenses, anyway.”
“I guess that makes sense, considering who’s inviting you. How does a pony like you even get invited to Stormtalon to begin with, though?”
“I know a guy,” Lyra said.
“You just ‘know a guy’ on the High Council?”
“Well, I didn’t know he even was a member of the Council until I got the letter today, but yes.” Lyra sighed and smiled, as if recalling a fond memory.
“Yeah? And who might that be?” Gilda asked, hoping that she would stop dancing around the question.
“I guess I should tell you, now that we’re traveling together...” Lyra said after long pause. “You have to promise to keep it a secret, though.”
“You have my word,” Gilda replied, crossing her breast with a talon in the traditional griffin affirmation of an oath. Lyra nodded, apparently recognizing the gesture.
“His name is Maestro Caesar Cambiare, and I’m his apprentice.”