“I can't believe I have the opportunity to visit Griffonstone while saving Equestria,” Rarity said enthusiastically.
“Don’t let the beauty of the world distract you from our current objective,” answered Mistmane “The map probably sent us here to retrieve the fragment.”
“I’m not sure about that darling.” Rarity seemed happy to spend time with the element of beauty. “The Cutie Map had always sent us to stop a friendship problem, so the fragment probably already started to caused chaos”
“We’ll know soon enough.” Mistmane tone was lower as the two unicorns approached a steep mountain.
As the gates of Griffonstone started appearing, Rarity repeated after her, “We’ll know soon enough.”
The train was a little late, a grey and white griffon was waiting on the station, accompanied by a cart full of ingredients. “Finally, do you know who I am?”
A black earth pony was pushing the cart. “Who could… dare make the great… Gustave wait ?” he added, out of breath.
“It’z Gustave le Grand,” replied the griffon in a strong accent. “But I want you, Ashed Icing, to stay in Mareseille, ze Châtel Gouteux need someone to take care of it.”
The gray-maned pony stepped back. “Thi… This can’t be real, how could you give me this much responsability, I’m just your apprentice.”
Gustave gave him a recomforting look. “It’s been a long time since I was gone from Griffonstone, and I will not be ze alone, a friend of mine, Gabriella, is waiting in ze Train.” He put a claw on Ashed Icing’s shoulder. “You are ready, your work is très magnifique.”
Ashed Icing waved his goodbye as the train was starting to move; Gustave was actually kinder than he let on, he thought to himself.
The renowned Griffon Chef was pushing his cart through the alley to place it in the luggage wagon when he was interrupted by a young griffon that seemed extremely energetic.
“Gabriella, it’s been so long since you send me ze letter!” said Gustave.
“Aw, You know you can call me Gabby!” replied the other griffon
After the cart had been tied up, the two griffon friends looked through the window toward their destination. Gustave was lost in his thoughts, Gabby, seing how stress his friend was softly replied “You know, since Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash came to Griffonstone, people started to become nicer to each other. Everygriffons that remember you will be happy to see you come back.”
Gustave seemed surprised by what Gabby said and responded, “Really, did zis pink pony come to Griffonstone ?”
“You know Pinkie Pie ?”
“Of course I do,” answered Gustave, “She take pâtisserie as an art form, just like me!”
The two griffons looked at each other, and started laughing, it had been a really long time since they had seen each other. While they turned back into the wagon, a strange purple crystal swiftly flew past the train.
The two unicorns could see the entrance of Griffonstone, they kept walking toward it, discussing about what could be the reason they were sent here until a voice called them from behind. “Rarity! I didn’t know you would be here too!”
Rarity turned toward the voice, seeing two Griffon and a cart flying towards them, one of them waving at her. “Gabby! Sweety Bell told me you left Poneyville a week ago, so why did you only come back now?”
Mistmane extend a hoof, presenting herself. “I’m Mistmane, a friend of Rarity, and you two are?”
Gabby replied, happy to start making new friends already, “I’m Gabby, I’m friend with Rarity sister, and this is Gustave, he was like an uncle to me until he moved to Mareseille to become one of the greatest pastry chef!”
The group of four continued presenting themselves but were stopped when a griffon crash-landed in front of them.
“Gilda?” gasped Gabby as Rarity and Mistmane lifted her so she could stand up.
“Ow, that did really hurt.” Gilda shook her head, trying to put her thoughts back in place. When she saw rarity and Gabby, she flew over them and started talking, “I need all of you, right now.” She took a deep breath, pausing for an instant. “Griffonstone is going crazy!”
The city entrance was deserted, no creatures where here to be seen. Gilda, even if her feathers got a little rufled, guided everyone to a house where a blue griffon was hiding beside a couch, when seeing Gilda enter the house with a bunch of strangers, he exclaimed in a worried tone, “Are they normal, or have they already gone mad like everygriffon else?”
Gilda reached him a claw, trying to calm him. “Gallus, they aren’t crazy, they just came here and they could help us.”
“Gallus?” asked Gustave, confused. “Since when do you know zis griffon, Gilda?”
“Since you left us,” responded Gilda in a bitter voice. “I felt alone so I took him under my wing like he was my little brother.”
“Ok, we get it, you had a different,” said Rarity, “but now isn’t the time for that. Gilda, could you care to explain what caused everyone to go mad?”
Gilda looked through a window, Griffons were fighting outside. “It all started this morning; I saw a strange crystal floating outside but didn’t pay much attention to it. When I got out of the house, everygriffons were fighting each other, I tried to fly outside to see why, but I was stopped by Grampa Gruff, he told me he would be the first to get the Idol of Boreas”
“But it was lost,” said Rarity. “Maybe that’s what the alteration orb’s fragment did here!”
Rarity took the lead, and started explaining what had happened at the friendship castle, Mistmane proposed to make a plan so the griffons realised that what they were doing was wrong until Gabby told the group the history of the golden Idol.
The plan was simple, they needed to draw the attention of the griffons so Rarity could give a speech, the griffons had gone mad, and Rarity though she could make them come back to their senses.
It was noon when rarity stepped on the highest platform above the city center, Gallus and Gilda were shouting to pay attention while Mistmane, Gustave and Gabby blocked the entrances to the city square.
Rarity used a spell that Twilight showed her to amplify her voice. “Everygriffons, Listen to me. Why do you all want this Idol? Because it’s an object with a great historical value for all of you!” The crowd started to pay more attention to Rarity “But do you remember what it represents? Unity!” Every griffon in the square where listening to her. “As the story go, the Idol of Boreas was something so great and beautiful that it gave your whole species pride. Every single griffon bowed allegiance to a king, just so the idol would be protected, this unity gave your nation a way to flourish until it disappeared.” The griffons started to change their mind about the Idol, and started talking to each other. “Then why is the reappearance of this symbol the reason for so much chaos? Do you think having the artifact representing the unity of griffons is worth disharmony?”
The crowd cheered in a mutual “no!” and one griffon started flying above the other, holding the Idol, when rarity saw it, her eyes flashed gold for an instant, and she shouted without any second thought, “It’s mine!” jumping from the platform towards the Idol, When the crowd of griffons saw the idols a second time, they all started to fight again.
Seeing that Rarity was falling toward the mess of fights underneath, Gilda flew as fast as she could, catching Rarity and gliding toward her house.
“What happened?” Asked Mistmane to Rarity
“She became mad like the other” said Gallus in a judging tone.
Rarity stopped him to answer the question, “I do not really know, I was giving a speech, but when I saw the Idol of Boreas, I could only think about getting it for myself.” She started to cry a little. “This isn’t who I am. I am someone generous, not selfish.”
Gustave approached Rarity and put one of his wings around her. “Zere, zere, I know what it is for other to zink all you do is just for yourself, but we know you tried to help.”
Mistmane took an empty notebook from the cabinet and started drawing the Idol of Boreas, coloring a part in purple. She turned back toward the rest of the group and hanged the drawing on a wall.
“This purple piece is not a part of the original Idol,” Stated Mistmane, “so there is a high likelihood for it to be the fragment we research.” She lifted a box out of her saddlebag. “Twilight gave me this box to stock the fragment, it will stop the effect of the magic for a full day.”
Rarity stood back up and commented, “You forget that seeing the Idol compel you to try and take it.”
“And who said anything about seeing it,” Replied Mistmane. “I have a plan”
Rarity and Gabby were waiting behind the castle’s ruins while Gustave and Gilda baked in the back of the court, Gallus was doing some scouting around Griffonstone and Mistmane was trying to cast a powerful spell.
Gustave walked toward Gabby with a plate of freshly baked griffon’s scone.
“Where is Gilda” asked Gabby
“She’s waiting for Gallus, we just need him and we’ll be ready to go” answered Mistmane
“Talking about me?” asked Gallus, walking side by side with Gilda
The group walked down the hills, trying to be stealthy. Mistmane stopped behind a house as Gustave and Rarity derived from the group and walked to the left with the scones, Gallus flew blindfolded toward the city center, guided by Gabby.
Gilda was flying over the fight, She looked around her, everyone was ready. “Everygriffon, Listen, we made a party for everyone today, so it’s time to see the beauty of Griffonstone!”
Following the interuption, Mistmane casted a spell that grew vines around, lifting Rarity as Gustave flew with the scones, throwing them to the fighting griffons underneath while Rarity lifted ribbons and banners around, redecorating the city square by restoring its former glory. The fighting started to calm as Gabby flew toward the center of the conflict, followed by Gallus, they needed just to distract the griffons a little longer.
“You need to continue alone Gallus,” exclaimed Gabby, “I don’t have a blindfold!”
Gallus nodded, his claws stretched in front of him.
“It’s a little to the left!” Shouted Rarity.
Gallus felt a cold metal piece touch his left claw and grabbed it without wasting a second. He started running his claw around the Idol, trying to find the unpurified fragment, and when he finally dislocated it from the ancient artifact, a burst of magical energy was felt throughout the city, ending when it was placed in the box given by Twilight.
Mistmane took the little box and placed it back on her saddlebag, after thanking and giving advice to the little group they formed, she turned back toward Rarity, she was repairing a house destroyed by the fights.
Mistmane started the conversation, and said, “We need to go, The box will only contain the fragment’s magic for a day, and we don’t know if Twilight found a way to purify them.”
“You know, I think we were both right, the Map did send us here to retrieve a fragment,” replied Rarity, “but we also stopped a friendship issue!”
Both mares started to walk toward the train station, this quantity of chaos was a little too much for a Week-End.