Chapter Six
Loyalty
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If it wasn’t for the fact that the griffons only had one major city, Rainbow would have guessed she was in a different one. Sure, the streets were vaguely familiar, but she’d never seen the city look, well, good.
She wandered around, looking for somegriff who could explain things. That was the other thing, though – there was nogriff around. Seconds earlier, there had been a mob, but now, Rainbow was all alone.
Rainbow looked all around. She checked down deserted alleys, in the empty sky, she even looked into some of the buildings. There wasn’t one single griffon to be found anywhere in the entire city.
The only thing that stood out was one lone cloud floating overhead. With nothing else to do and the idea that she might get a better vantage point in the air, Rainbow flew to it.
A look at the city from above revealed that she truly was alone. As well, she wasn’t anywhere near the jail anymore. She had to get back there, get back to Gilda and Pinkie. She owed it to them, they needed her.
Or… or maybe she needed them. Maybe those two things weren’t really different.
Rainbow shook off the thoughts and flew aimlessly. Along the way, she saw the library, restored to its once proud stature; she saw the market streets, which oddly seemed more full of life in this empty Griffonstone than in the normal one; she saw the wall, an impressive feat of engineering that would keep anyone that couldn’t fly out.
Not quite sure why, that was the direction Rainbow found herself going towards. She flew along the wall, wondering if anything existed beyond Griffonstone in this place. She wasn’t entirely sure why she had the thought, but looking in the distance confirmed it. She could see clearly for miles, and all that there was beyond the wall were vague shapes. She didn’t know what would happen if she flew out into that, but she didn’t think she could go to the surrounding area.
She stopped at the tower, which did not have a hole in it. It did have a balcony, though. That was strange; Rainbow had never known that there used to be a balcony on the tower.
‘Used to be?’
It was hard to place how she had come to the conclusion, but she realized she had already come to it. This was Griffonstone as it was back its golden days, back when King Grover watched over the city.
But that didn’t explain much of anything else. Since it seemed as good a place to stop for a break as any, Rainbow flew up to the balcony. She perched on the railing and looked out over Griffonstone.
It was a grand sight. And yet, it made her heart ache. She wanted Griffonstone to look like that in the real world. Or, well, whatever the normal version of Griffonstone was. She wanted other griffons to be able to see what she was seeing.
“It’s quite a sight, isn’t it?”
Rainbow squawked and jumped into the air. She glared down to see a griffon below her. He was brown with a beige face, and Rainbow knew there would never be a griffon who called him a pigeon; he was an eagle, through and through.
Not that something like that mattered to Rainbow Dash. “What’s the big idea?” she asked, frowning at his sudden appearance. “Why’d you sneak up on me?”
“Are you not a kestrel?” he asked with an eyebrow raised. He seemed to regard her critically, and he did not seem impressed. “How did you not hear my approach?”
Rainbow landed and glared at him. She gestured at the empty city. “Look, there’s no one else here! I let my guard down for one second, and you took advantage of that!”
The eagle frowned, and then sighed. “One such as this was chosen, then?”
“Chosen?” Rainbow reared her head back. “Look, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Want to try making a little sense here?”
“Yes, I suppose you must have questions. And I am here to answer those questions, and to answer the questions you are too shortsighted to ask. But first tell me, are you the first or were others chosen?”
Rainbow’s eye twitched. “Dude, I told you, I have no idea what that means.”
“Likely the first, then. It does not matter. The Elements call to one another. With one found, the rest will follow.”
Rainbow had to take a second to compose herself. This guy was frustrating, but he did say he was going to answer her questions. Might as well get started with that so he didn’t keep rambling on about stuff Rainbow didn’t understand. “So, uh, where are we?”
That made the mysterious griffon grin. “We’re in Griffonstone, though some years before your time, I imagine. Pray tell, what year is it in your day?”
“Uhh…” Rainbow shrugged. “We stopped keeping track of years and stuff.”
The eagle griffon blinked and gaped at her. After just a second, he regained his composure enough to ask, “How far has Griffonstone fallen?”
“It’s uh…” Rainbow scratched her neck. “Well, let’s leave it at ‘you don’t want to know’.”
The griffon looked over the city in silence for a while. Rainbow wanted to ask what was going on, but she got the feeling that he needed a moment.
Eventually he sighed. “I have spent a long time waiting for news of the present. I had not expected it to be so grim…”
Rainbow didn’t say anything. What was there she could say to some… what was he, anyway? A ghost or something?
“But you have more questions.” He turned to face her, and there was a cold resignation on his face.
Rainbow felt bad for him. She knew how much Griffonstone sucked, but this guy was part of its golden timeline. He never would have imagined what would have become of his city.
“So like…” Rainbow joined him in looking over the city. “I’m guessing you don’t know the Idol of Boreas was lost?”
“Lost?”
“By King Guto.”
The eagle griffon pondered for a moment. “I do not know that name. He would be of the royal line, I presume?”
“Yeah, direct descendant from Grover.” For some reason, that made the griffon smile. Only for a moment, however, then Rainbow dashed his momentary good mood. “Didn’t keep him in power. After he lost the Idol, that was it.”
“I see.” The griffon contemplated Rainbow’s words for a moment. “And what became of him?”
Rainbow shrugged. “I don’t know, I never paid much attention to history. All I know is that after Guto, things just kinda… sucked.”
The griffon nodded. “It pains me to hear that, for more reason than one. But you found the Idol.”
“Uh, yeah…” Rainbow scratched her neck. “More like it found me. I could…” She stopped short. She didn’t want to admit what happened.
“The Idol chose you.”
“I guess.” Rainbow shifted in place. “Do… you know why? I mean, I’m not cut out to be the queen of Griffonstone.”
“Queen?” He smirked. “The Idol did not choose you to be the queen. It chose you to be its bearer.”
More of his confusing answers. But it had chosen Rainbow, that was the important part. “Yeah, but why?”
“I do not know.” He regarded Rainbow for a moment, but he kept his thoughts to himself, only saying, “It knows what it needs, though.”
Rainbow sighed. This wasn’t helping, and she had more important things on her mind. “So, uh, how do I get back? My friends and I, we kinda need each other.”
That got the griffon to smile. “More than you know. It is imperative that you lean on your friends, and they on you.”
“Uh, okay…? So… getting out?”
“Soon, kestrel. But first, I must tell you a story.”
Rainbow winced. Get old griffons talking, and they never stopped. “That’s, uh, I mean that sounds cool! But I really need to get back to my friends.”
He regarded her blankly. “You were summoned to a visage of Griffonstone’s past to speak with its once proud king. Do not be so hasty to turn down what I have to say.”
Rainbow scratched her head with a hindpaw. “King? look, gramps, you’re great but I already told you we don’t have kings anymore.”
“Yes, but you see –”
“Say, how about, like, I come back?” Rainbow had no idea how she was going to do that, but that was future Rainbow’s problem. “Really do have to run now, though.”
“Now just listen here!” the would-be-king said. “I assure you, more than you know hinges on the knowledge I am here to give you! And you want to just… abandon it?”
“I said I’d come back!” Rainbow flew into the air. “So here’s what I’m thinking. I’m gonna just… fly until something happens. Pretty sure nothing except Griffonstone exists in this place.”
“Well, no, it doesn’t. But –”
“Great!” Rainbow saluted the older griffon. “See you later, Gramps!”
“Wait! There’s something you must know!”
Although tempted to fly off, Rainbow waited. She did shoot him an irritated expression. “Okay, fine, one more cryptic message. What do I need to know about?”
He stared at her for a moment, and Rainbow yielded. She landed with a huff, which seemed to appease the other griffon. With a nod, he said, “The Nightmare.”
“Nightmare?” Rainbow quirked her head.
He nodded slowly. “An ancient evil being. It comes to Equestria again, and soon after, the world. You asked why you were chosen? I pray that you find out before it returns.”
“Okay, that sounds awesome!” Rainbow grinned. Out of everything he had said, that was the only thing Rainbow really focussed on. “So what do I do?”
“Now?” he smirked at her. “Now, you return to your friends.”
“I, what!?” Rainbow landed. “But you just said –”
“One more cryptic message,” he reminded her. Then, for some reason, he laughed. Grinning, he put a talon on Rainbow’s shoulder. “I worried that the Idol had made the wrong choice, but it did not. It does not. It knows what it needs, and it seems what it needs is you.”
Slowly, things started to sink in just a little. Somehow, this whole thing was starting to feel just a little bigger than Rainbow’s other problems. “But… what do I do?”
“You lean on your friends, and you let them lean on you.” The eagle, or king, or whatever he was turned from her back to his city. “It is imperative that whatever comes next, you will stand with your friends. They will need you.”
Rainbow followed his gaze, looking over the city. She owed it whatever she could give it, but she owed her friends so much more. She nodded. “Okay. I’ll go back to them now.”
“No more questions?” he asked with a smirk.
“So many more questions.” Rainbow jumped onto the balcony, and she grinned at him. “But like I said, we need each other, and I have to watch out for them right now.”
That made the king grin. “Never doubt that you are what is needed for this, I see it clearly. Very well, kestrel. Go now, and may your friends know how blessed they are to have you.”
Rainbow flashed a cocky grin, then took to the air, flying past the wall. She did not look back, focusing instead on what lay ahead of her.
It wasn’t that she didn’t care about what else he had to say. Some ghost king wanted to talk to her in a recreation of Griffonstone’s past? That was awesome! She hoped she would get back to this place, somehow.
But for now, she needed to get to her friends. They were waiting for her, or at least, she hoped they were. She had no idea how much time she’d already wasted, or what happened to them while she was chatting with some old dead guy.
That just left one thing to do – she flew with all her might, until eventually, everything went white.
Rainbow sat up with a start, finding herself in a bed she didn’t recognize. A very uncomfortable bed, which was way too small for two griffons, but which held her and another, anyway.
Rainbow looked around wildly, which disturbed the griff sleeping on top of her. “Rainbow Dash…?”
That stopped all of Rainbow’s other concerns. “Pinkie Pie? What… where are we?”
The only answer she got was Pinkie throwing her forelegs around Rainbow. “Oh, Dashie… You’re okay…”
“Uh, yeah, you too…” Rainbow shifted away a little, and Pinkie looked hurt that she would. It wasn’t that Rainbow didn’t want to hold her, there was just too much else going on. “Where’s Gilda?”
Pinkie smiled again, and she rubbed at her eyes with a talon. Even in the low light, Rainbow could tell there were tear stains on her facial feathers. “Oh, she’s just outside. Lots of meanie griffons out there.”
“Don’t worry,” another griffon said. “Gilda is the coolest! She’ll handle all those meanies!”
Rainbow twisted to see who spoke. She saw a grey griffon that she didn’t recognize. She had a white spot on her neck, and a few of her feathers were tied back.
But that wasn’t really what caught Rainbow’s attention the most – she saw this griffon through bars. She was inside a jail cell.
Pinkie didn’t seem concerned about that, but of course, she’d been in a jail cell all night. “Are you sure she can reason with them? Those griffs were pretty angry last night…”
“Psh, trust me, my Gilly can do anything.”
Rainbow scrunched her eyes together and shook her head. Out of everything that happened over the past few days, this was maybe the weirdest. “Your… Gilly?”
“Shh!” the other griffon said. “She doesn’t like when anyone but me calls her that.”
“Er, right.”
It seemed that Pinkie was finally ready to start filling in Rainbow. “This is Gabby! She’s the one who caught me, and now we’re friends!”
“You’re…” Rainbow shook her head. “But… she threw you in a jail cell!”
Pinkie laughed. “Gabby couldn’t put me in jail, silly. That was Gilda!”
“Which, uhm…” Gabby was tapping her claws together. “Was only because she needed to protect you…”
“Well of course, silly!” Pinkie waved a talon. “Gilda knows what she’s doing. And now that Rainbow gave the Idol back, everything’s going to be just fine!”
A door opened somewhere they couldn’t see. Gilda walked down with two other griffons flanking her. She looked every bit the queen she called herself, holding her regal poise as she entered. She nodded to the guards, and they left.
Once the door was shut, Gilda bolted to the bars and took hold of them, a look of pure panic on her face. “We are so screwed…”
Rainbow shook her head. “What!? But I gave you the Idol!”
“No, Dash, you didn’t.” Gilda faceclawed. “You tried to give me the Idol, then it… disappeared.”
“It what!?” Rainbow shook her head. That couldn’t happen!
“Yeah, and instead, we have this.” Gilda held up a golden necklace with a red lightning bolt as the centerpiece. “Do you know what this is, Dash?”
Rainbow stared at the necklace for a moment. There was something familiar about it, but she knew she hadn’t ever seen it before. She shook her head. “Uh… no…?”
“Neither do I!” Gilda threw her talons into the air.
“Hey, hey…” Gabby walked closer to Gilda and took her head into her hands. “Relax. Just breathe, Gilly…”
Gilda took a deep breath and leaned her head against Gabby’s, clicking their beaks together. Rainbow respectfully averted her eyes.
“Dashie…” Pinkie said. “Do you have any idea why the Idol did that?”
“Do I… no!” Rainbow shook her head. “How the heck should I know!?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Gabby’s voice drew Rainbow’s eyes again. She took the necklace from Gilda’s hands and put it on her neck. “There. This was the Idol of Boreas, and griffons will still respect you while you wear it.”
“If they even believe –”
Gabby silenced Gilda with a talon to her beak. Amazingly, Gilda didn’t seem to mind. “Uh uh, none of that. You know the Idol didn’t mean anything, really.”
““It… what?” Rainbow scrunched up her face. “Of course it means something! It’s the symbol of the ruler of Griffonstone, even I know that!”
Gabby glanced back at her. “Well, sure, but it doesn’t really mean anything.”
Rainbow shook her head and flew to the bars. She addressed Gilda, sure that she would understand. “Gilda, I almost died for that thing! And then I almost lost Pinkie, and you threw us in jail over it, and… and…” She thought of the little bit of information she’d gotten in the past-Griffonstone from the spirit king. “It does not mean nothing!”
“Well, duh.” Gilda rolled her eyed. “What Gabby means is that the Idol of Boreas only means as much as it does because Griffons decided it does. Before Grover became king, the Idol was just some fancy thing he owned. But he made it the symbol of Griffonstone. No idea why, but that’s not the point. The point is that Griffons chose to follow Grover not because of the Idol, but because of it represented.”
Gilda turned from Rainbow and addressed Gabby instead. “But griffons did choose to follow him because the Idol represented something to them. I can’t just replace that with… with… this!”
“Sure you can!” Pinkie hopped off the bed and joined the others. “You think griffons followed Grover because he had a really cool thing? They followed him because they respected what he stood for, and they saw the Idol as a symbol for that.”
“She’s right, you know,” Gabby said.
Gilda ruffled her feathers. “Yeah, but that was him! Now I need the Idol!”
Rainbow stared at the necklace. That had been the Idol of Boreas, which had chosen Rainbow because it was… well, she forgot what he’d called it, but that dead dude had told her it was important for kicking some monster’s butt or something.
“Uhm, actually…” Rainbow frowned, knowing this would not be taken well. “I think I kind of need that back, actually.”
All eyes turned towards Rainbow. Gilda looked at her sharply, but it was Pinkie who spoke. As she did, she placed her talons on Rainbow’s shoulders, massaging her gently. “Dashie, you gave that to Gilda. She needs it now.”
Rainbow looked down and nodded. “I know but… Look, this isn’t like before. I met with some… I don’t know, old king or something? When I was blacked out. He told me that some monster thing is coming and I need the Idol to help stop it.”
“You’re joking.” Gilda looked down at the Idol, or what it had become. “You want me to give you the only thing that might save my skin because you had a dream that you need it!?”
Was it a dream? Rainbow didn’t think it was, but… How was she supposed to get Gilda to believe that?
Or… or maybe she shouldn’t. Gilda did need that thing, it was her new symbol of power. But when Rainbow looked at it, she just felt like it was true.
She took a deep breath. “Look, G… I’m not going to argue with you. I gave you the Idol, so this is your choice. But I know I need that thing. I don’t know how I know that it wasn’t a dream, but I do. I trust you, and I’m asking you to trust me too.”
When she looked up, she saw Gilda had reared back. “You trust me? Even after everything, you trust me?”
Rainbow met her eyes and nodded. “Look, Gil, all we have here is each other. And I’ve been a lousy friend, but… but I’m ready to be better.”
Pinkie nuzzled against her. “Told you she’d come around.”
Rainbow glanced towards her, then looked back to Gilda. “I do. You asked me to be your second, right? So that means you have to trust what I have to say right now. Because me? I trust you, Gilda. Whatever that thing means, it’s not what Griffonstone needs. What it needs is you. But the thing is, you’re going to have to believe that yourself. If you show them you can be their Queen without the Idol, they’ll follow you.”
“Yeah!” Pinkie beamed at her. “You’re a way better queen than some hunk of metal!”
Gilda reached her talon for the necklace. “Leading without the Idol… You really are something, Dash.” Gilda looked down, but she smiled. “Something crazy, but something.”
Rainbow snickered. “Hey, you’re the smart one. Don’t be surprised when I do dumb stuff.” She took a deep breath. It was time to make a choice about her future. Time to answer the question that started everything.
“And, you know…” Rainbow couldn’t help but smile a little as she spoke. “If you still need me, then you got me, Gil. I meant what I said. That thing?” She pointed at the necklace. “It’s Loyalty. My loyalty to you. Whatever I was told by some old dead king, my loyalty to my friends comes first. So if you want me to be your second, well… guess you better get started telling me what to do.”
“Dash…” Gilda looked at the ground. Then a moment later, she looked back up with a fierce expression. “Are you out of your damn mind!? You’re the most hated griffon in all of Griffonstone right now, and Pinkie isn’t exactly far behind!”
“W-what!?” Rainbow and Pinkie exchanged nervous looks.
“Relax,” Gabby said casually. “Gilly has a plan.”
“What is it?” Rainbow asked.
But before Gilda could answer, the door opened again. Two griffons walked in, escorted by guards. “Dashie!”
Rainbow was partly relieved to see them again, but mostly she just wished they would have come just a bit later. “Hi, Mom, Dad.”
Windy Whistles flew to the bars while Bow Hotpaw addressed Gilda. “Queen Gilda, please, you know our little Rainbow couldn’t have done what they said she did. She’s never even seen the Idol of Boreas!”
Gilda looked like she might start yelling, but first, she addressed the guards. “Return outside. I’ll let you know if we need anything.”
The guards looked at each other and shrugged, then sauntered off. Gilda had a long way to go before Griffonstone guards had their fabled soldier obedience, it seemed.
Gilda took a deep breath as they left the room. “Look, Dash totally trashed the Idol. But I don’t –”
“Oh, Dashie, why!” Windy Whistles cut Gilda off. “No, no, you had your reasons, I know you did.”
Gilda’s eye twitched, but she forced her voice to be calm as she spoke again. “Which is why I’m –”
“You!” Windy Whistles turned heel to glare at Gilda. “I don’t care if you are the queen, if you lay one talon on my baby’s head, then I’ll rip you to pieces!”
Gilda looked taken aback, and Gabby inserted herself back into the conversation. “Which is why Queen Gilda was saying she’s letting them go. Right, Gilly?”
Gilda took a deep breath. “Yes, I’m sneaking them out tonight. Both of them. I suggest you two pack up house and leave soon after, it might be dangerous around Griffonstone for you.”
Windy Whistles and Bow Hotpaw looked at each other. “But… Griffonstone is our home.”
Gilda pressed a talon to the bridge of her beak. “Please don’t make me exile you.”
“Mom, Dad…” Rainbow looked between the two of them in turn. “It’s okay. I’ve done a lot of dumb things lately, but… this isn’t one of them. Because right now, I’m placing my trust and my loyalty in a friend, and if that’s wrong, then…”
“No.” Windy Whistles smiled at her daughter and wiped her eyes. “That’s not wrong, sweetie.”
“We can live with my family!” Pinkie said happily.
“Uhm, your family is kind of close to Griffonstone,” Gabby said tentatively. “Maybe you should travel for a bit while things calm down.”
Rainbow smirked at Pinkie. “Or maybe we’ll just sic Maud on anyone who tries to mess with us.”
“I don’t think Maud would like that much, but…” Pinkie deflated a little. “What would she say about us moving away? What would anyone say?”
Rainbow sighed and held Pinkie close. She leaned her forehead against her friend’s and clicked their beaks together. “I don’t know, Pinks. But I know Gabby is right. This place isn’t safe for us right now.”
“Look, I’ll make sure you can come back someday,” Gilda said. Rainbow turned to see her twirling her talons around. “If, you know, you want to.”
Rainbow grinned. “Hey, I meant what I said, G. You’ve got me. I’ll go around the world and learn how other species run things, then I’ll come back here and tell you how much they suck and why we can do better.”
Gilda grinned at that. “Cool.”
Gabby placed a talon on Gilda’s shoulder and smiled at the others. “She won’t say it, but Gilda really still wants you to come back and help her rule.”
“Gabby!” Gilda recoiled, then she actually blushed. “Don’t tell them that…”
Rainbow snickered and pulled Pinkie closer. “Hey, Gil? Don’t ever think I’m letting you make fun of me and Pinkie again.”
The day passed in its own time. Rainbow’s parents left with promises to meet her in some pony town in two weeks. Gilda had to go make public appearances and pretend the captives were secure in the prison and that everything was under control. Gabby stayed with them for a while, but eventually, Pinkie asked her to go tell her family what happened.
That left just Rainbow and Pinkie. They were pressed up against each other on the bed that was too small for them, but Rainbow didn’t mind. It at least gave her an excuse to be close to her… whatever Pinkie was.
“So, uh…” Rainbow struggled for words. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “You know, what I said to Gilda goes double for you, Pinkie. From now on, you’re number one for me. Whatever you need, I got you.”
“You’re always number one for me, Dashie.”
She got the feeling that was meant to make her feel good, but really, Rainbow was just guilty that it took this long for her to come around to that.
But in the end, all she said was, “Thanks, Pinkie.”
There wasn’t much time to say anything else, anyway. The door finally opened, and somegriff walked in by themself. Rainbow turned to see Gilda, who had a bag strapped to her side.
“It took forever to get everyone to leave this place alone,” she said. “You ready to bust out of here?”
Rainbow grinned. “Born ready.”
‘Busting out’ of jail was a pretty easy feat – Gilda unlocked the cell, so Rainbow and Pinkie walked out. Although she’d had plenty of room to stretch in the cell, Rainbow still took the chance to stretch her back once she was free.
Meanwhile, Pinkie looked around the empty jail. “So what do we do now?”
“Now, we gotta get you two out of here. Put these on.” Gilda took a mass of something from her bag, then she gave each of them a black cloak. Pinkie slipped hers on instantly, but Rainbow hesitated.
“So, uh… we can’t fly in these.”
Gilda nodded. “My guards are escorting us out. With how much you two stand out, it’d be too risky to go out uncovered. ”
That made sense, even if Rainbow hated not being able to fly. “Okay, but how do we know the guards won’t rat us out?”
“Trust me,” was all Gilda said on the matter. “Now suit up and shut up. No talking until we’re out of the city.”
Rainbow did as she was told, draping the musty cloak over her. She wondered when – or even if – it had last been washed. Deciding she didn’t want to know, she kept her beak closed.
With Gilda in the lead, the three of them made their way to the top of the stairs. Gilda took a moment to steel her nerves, then opened the door.
It was amazing that Pinkie didn’t give them away. She immediately bolted to their guards and pulled them into a fierce hug. Her sisters didn’t seem to mind.
Rainbow looked around for onlookers, catching Gilda doing the same. Deciding the coast was clear, Rainbow turned back to see the Pie sisters separate. Maud was as hard to read as ever – she just stared at Pinkie for a moment, then gave Rainbow the most cursory of looks, then turned ahead. For a second, Rainbow thought Limestone was actually happy they were leaving. She wore a grin, the most positive expression Rainbow could recall seeing on the lynx griffin. But even with only the starlight to see by, Rainbow could tell by her eyes that she was upset. And Marble…
Marble was looking at the ground, and she seemed like she might cry. It made Rainbow’s chest hurt to see. She knew the soft griffin would take it the hardest, but she didn’t want to see that!
Gilda stepped towards the sisters, and Maud nodded. She took the lead, which was probably a good thing. Of everygriff there, she would be the least likely to blow their cover.
Gilda followed behind her, with Pinkie and Rainbow ever so slightly behind. They were flanked by Marble and Limestone in the back, so that the three Pie sisters formed a circle around the others. To any onlookers, they really would seem to be a proper guard.
Even so, Rainbow hoped that there wouldn’t be any onlookers. What would it look like if Queen Gilda was seen walking through the streets with two cloaked griffons? It would raise questions that Rainbow didn’t want to have to find out the answers to, that was for sure.
The walk through town was torturous. Rainbow couldn’t help but glance around the whole way, terrified that somegriff would see them. If anyone did, they never knew. The six of them managed to get through the city without incident, unless Rainbow’s near heart attack counted.
Stepping through the gates was a relief, but they kept walking. Rainbow wasn’t sure if it was okay to say anything right away, so she kept her beak shut. Considering that none of the others broke formation, that seemed to be the right thing to do.
Eventually they moved behind some rock cover, and the group came to a stop. Pinkie was the first to throw off her cloak, with Rainbow soon to follow. Gilda took them both, but before anyone could say anything, Pinkie was back to hugging Maud.
“You should be safe from here,” Gilda said.
Rainbow nodded. “G… Thanks for all this. You really came through for us, and I’m gonna remember that.”
“Yeah, well…” Gilda shifted in place and her feathers ruffled. “You’re welcome, I guess…”
There was no way Rainbow was going to hug Gilda, but she wanted to do something. She settled on extending a fist, which Gilda mimicked to bump Rainbow’s.
It seemed she wasn’t getting out of hugging though. She felt a pair of talons wrap around her from behind, and turned to see Marble with tears in her eyes.
Rainbow smiled for her friend. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of your sister.”
Marble shook her head and then buried it into Rainbow’s neck. She went wide-eyed in turn, but just patted the shy griffin on the back. Rainbow could count on her talons the times she’d heard Marble speak, but very quietly, she said, “You’re my sister too.”
At that, Rainbow froze completely. After just a moment, Marble let go of her to hug Pinkie.
Then Limestone broke her out of it by punching her shoulder. “Well, don’t expect me to be all weepy. I’m looking forward to the peace and quiet.”
Rainbow grinned at that, but she knew better. If Limestone was happy to see her go, she wouldn’t have said anything at all to Rainbow. “Peace and quiet? Yeah right, if you had either of those you’d tear them to shreds.”
“Ugh, look, I’m going to spend all day with Marble and Maud now!” Limestone gestured to her sisters, who were both within earshot. “I don’t have a choice, I’m getting peace and quiet.”
“You’re getting extra chores,” Maud said with what passed for a teasing edge to her voice. Then she seemed to almost smile as Pinkie pulled an unwilling Limestone into a hug. “With these two gone, we’ll all need to do more.”
That made Rainbow feel guilty, but not as guilty as the realization that Maud hadn’t said anything else about her. It seemed to be all she was getting however, so Rainbow moved to where Pinkie was standing. As she let go of her Limestone and rubbed her eyes, Rainbow put a talon on her shoulder and addressed her sisters. “Look, I know I blew it big this time, but… I’m gonna look out for Pinkie. I promise.”
Maud gave her a flat look, then turned to her sister. “Pinkie, make sure Rainbow doesn’t starve to death.”
Pinkie giggled, and her voice only shook a little when she answered. “You got it, Maud.”
Aware that she didn’t deserve even that much sentimentality from Maud, Rainbow just bowed her head.
Gilda spoke up, putting a firm end to the moment. “Look, this is nice and all, but you two should get out of here.”
“Yeah, okay.” Rainbow turned to Pinkie. “So, you ready to get going?”
“No…” Pinkie took a deep breath and smiled a little. Not her usual light-up-the-room kind of smile, but one that was filled with resolve. “But we’ll make it through this anyway.”
“One more thing,” Gilda reached into her bag and pulled out two objects. The first would be important, but it was the second that made Rainbow’s beak fall open.
“But… that’s –”
“A map to Ponyville,” Gilda said as she thrust both objects into Rainbow’s talons. “I know you’d get lost without it.”
Rainbow shook her head. “Yeah, but –”
“Get going, Dash.” Gilda fixed her with a hard glare.
Rainbow looked down at her talons, barely noting the map. But that necklace… The Idol of Boreas was no more, and without it, that necklace was meant to be Gilda’s symbol of power.
By the time she looked back up, Gilda was in the air. “I’ll send one of these three to Ponyville with news. You two… take care of yourselves…”
Before anyone could say anything about Gilda’s sentimentality, she flew off. Rainbow looked down at the necklace, then just nodded. She’d repay Gilda for this, even if she didn’t know how.
She felt a talon on her shoulder, and looked to see Marble again. She was holding out a bag of her own, which Rainbow took.
“That’s got enough food that you two won’t have to hunt for at least a few days,” Limestone said. “Figured you’d need it.”
Looking back down at the bag, it had the Pie family crest on it. So why had they given it to Rainbow and not Pinkie?
She looked at the pink griffin and almost asked, but somehow, she knew not to. Instead she just nodded. “Thank you. We’ll figure this whole thing out. Ponyville sounds like a dumb place, but I guess we can lay low there.”
“Just come home someday,” Maud said. Rainbow looked up in amazement, only to realize she was talking to Pinkie. But then as she took to the air, she added, “Both of you.”
Maud flew off, so Marble and Limestone both waved and did the same. Rainbow and Pinkie sat and watched them leave, neither one wanting to be the first to make a move.
But someone had to, and that someone might as well be Rainbow. She opened the bag, tucking the necklace into it between two packages of dried meat. Then she unfolded the map to figure out which way they needed to go.
“So it says Ponyville is to the east,” Rainbow said. “Right near some big mountain called Canterlot and a forest called… no way!”
“What is it?” Pinkie asked, causing Rainbow to realize she had been crying. But she still smiled, and Rainbow didn’t want to bring her back down, so she grinned as well.
“So Ponyville? It’s right next to Everfree!”
“Isn’t that where you ran away to when you were young?” Pinkie asked.
“Yeah.” Rainbow nodded. She had a plan, and that plan revolved around taking their time getting to Ponyville so that Pinkie could see all the sights and find more reasons to smile. That was the most important thing, staying by Pinkie’s side and being the loyal friend that the bubbly griffin deserved.
But in the end? It seemed that Ponyville was not going to be the really interesting part of their new lives. “I think you and I should go meet with a very old friend of mine.”
Pinkie grinned, which did a lot to lift Rainbow’s spirits. She flew into the air and motioned for Pinkie to follow. Together, they flew away from the city, letting the light from the mare in the moon guide them.
