Twilight creeped her way around the tree as quietly as possible, trying her best to stay hidden from the hypnotized pegasus.
"Come on out, Twilight. Sammakott wants to talk. We're all reasonable monarchs, aren't we?"
A distant tree creaked in the wind. It only took one second for it to be smashed to bits. Twilight held in a yelp as she watched Rainbow zip left and right throughout the forest.
"What's the point in hiding, Twilight?" Rainbow barked, the rage in her voice evident. "He'll find you anyway. Even if it takes another fifteen thousand years, he won't stop until he takes what's rightfully his!"
Twilight could hear the flapping of more wings. Behind them was another, more sinister sound. Concealed slyly behind the buzzing of the Griffons' wingbeats, the clopping of monstrous hooves drew closer and closer.
Twilight sunk lower to the ground, her face half buried in the snow. All the while, Rainbow continued to speed around the nearby woods. Twilight hoped Gaine had a plan, because it was only a matter of time before Rainbow found her.
The blue pegasus spoke up again, her malignant voice floating on the air like oil on water. "Your elusiveness is beginning to become frustrating. No matter, Sammakött is coming. Once he arrives, he will find you, and then all that will be left to do is free his army and slay that crystal princess."
Twilight listened as the griffons landed one by one. She was still safely hidden behind the tree's wide trunk, but the sound of Sam's hooves edged closer by the second. It wouldn't be long now until he found her, especially with five extra sets of prying eyes scanning every inch of forest around her.
From above, she could see a silhouette move silently among the treetops. The situation was quickly becoming dire, and if she didn't do anything soon, they were all doomed. With no other options, Twilight stood up to face her friend.
The pegasus heard the crunching of snow almost immediately, and Twilight struggled to stand still as pieces of wood flew past her face. When she opened her eyes again, Rainbow remained, hovering over the pulverized remains of the once great tree.
Twilight faced her friend with courage, for if she didn't, who else would? "And what if I stop Sam?"
Rainbow laughed a single, loud barking laugh. "You are nothing compared to him! What is one anxious, placeless princess compared to the king of the dead?"
Twilight could feel the warmth of Rainbow's slow, almost robotic breathing as she drew closer. The whites of her friend's eyes writhed with dozens of thin, yellow ribbons. Like maggots they wriggled and twisted about, hungrily reaching for her vibrant, magenta irises.
"You had so much potential, Twilight. You still do. Join us, join Sammakött's army, and become the ruler you always hoped you could be."
"What do you know about my hopes?" Twilight snapped.
"Twilight, dearest princess, I know everything about you. I've seen every corner of your manic, uncoordinated mind. I've seen all of your hopeless anxieties, all of your deepest fears. I know that you lie awake at night, terrified that you'll wake up in the morning, only to find that the world has turned against you. I know you read and read, hiding away in your library because you're terrified that if you do something wrong, everyone will hate you. And maybe, just maybe, if you read enough, learn enough, know enough, that'll never happen."
Twilight trembled slightly. She could hear the griffons stalking closer, surrounding her on all sides as Rainbow continued. "He... I can make that all go away. Listen to me, follow my commands, and you won't ever have to fear your own inadequacy again. You could command a great legion, be a part of something fantastic. You could be the princess of a kingdom that will span all of Equus, free of fear, and of strife. You could rule a city all your own. Imagine that, Twilight City. No one would call you a failure then. And all you'd have to do is listen... to me."
Twilight pulled her gaze away from Rainbow's burning yellow eyes. All around her, the griffons bore wide, heartless smiles.
"Such freedom, such potential..." Gilda's voice slithered.
"All the power in the world, in the sole of your hoof..." Gerret hissed.
A pang of guilt stabbed Twilight's heart as she looked at each of them. This was all her fault. If only she'd tried harder.
Gillian was last. The tallest of them all, the only part of her that wasn't silhouetted from the mid day sun was her scorched, dandelion eyes.
The wiry griffon spoke in a tone that made Twilight's heart hitch in pain. "The princess of a kingdom larger than Equestria could ever hope to be... and a kingdom all your own."
The others nodded and whispered in agreement at the griffon's words. Twilight's face swirled into a mask of disgusted rage. She tried to believe that everyone deserved a second chance at redemption, at trying to be a better individual, but Sam's actions were quickly becoming inexcusable.
Twilight flew into the air, meeting Gillian eye to eye. "And what if I don't listen to you? What if I used my Aether magic and blasted you back to where you came from?"
Gillian matched Twilight's vicious expression with interest. "Then you will die as you lived, as nothing more than vermin, scampering about in your own filth."
"Then maybe I'll keep you in Tartarus forever, and let you wallow in your own delusional megalomania. Admit it, You're just as scared of failure as I am, because then, all those thousands of years of careful planning and practice would have been for nothing. That's why you're too scared to face me yourself, because you know I could beat you, and prove just how much of a failure you are."
"Bold words from such a small creature," Sammakött's voice boomed from behind Twilight. She spun around to face the titan, his single yellow eye a burning sun scored with a lone slash of Aether energy. "Why don't you prove yourself then, Princess. Prove to me just how much of a lord you truly are."