//------------------------------// // Gilda's Visit // Story: The Royal Fillies REDUX // by blazikenking //------------------------------// I frowned as I inspected the core of my sword’s blade in the artificing workshop at school. The measurements were correct, the blade around it was accurately built, and all the illusion enchantments worked as I wanted them to on their own, but something was keeping the effects from appearing with everything together. “Why isn’t this working?” I asked in frustration. “Are the conduits correctly placed?” Mr. Forger asked. I telekinetically disassembled the sword to show that everything was correctly placed. Being able to wield magic properly was amazing, but it wouldn’t simply give me the answer I needed. “I don’t know what’s going on. Or isn’t.” He looked over the laid out parts. “Ah, it looks like you may need something that we covered in class while you were gone.” “What’s that?” “Logic command enchantments.” I put my sword back together and thought over the artificing work I’d gone over. When I couldn’t think of it, I got my notes and textbook out. “Logic command. . . Multiple inputs that result in different outputs depending on the inputs. Usually found in some devices that have forward and reverse functions, or changing colors. Gems with a rectangular shape often retain the logic command enchantment best.” I set the book down. “How do I make one?” “We only went over what they do, not how to make one. That’s more advanced. Logic command enchantments are used in things like drills and lights with two or more switches. More complex logic command structures are possible, but they are tricky to make.” My mind was soon made up. “I’m going to make and use one for my sword.” I levitated a small rectangular emerald over and started figuring out how to rearrange the internal parts to accommodate it. A week after learning about, finding, and trying out the formulas for the logic command enchantment, I realized just how tricky they were to make. Most things that used them never went further than on/off and forward/back, and the more complex machines that used logic commands in their design just used more of the simple pattern. With my sword having a total of four inputs, a simple logic command enchantment wouldn’t be enough. Three of the inputs were for building up different effects while the last one was for activating them. Nothing in my textbook covered anything about building up power, just using what was available. As my irritation at trying to figure out how to make my alicorn sword built up, I began to realize that I was once again getting in over my head, and in need of something even simpler. Without any inspiration immediately striking, I turned back to the H&H gear my friends and I had created. One set of weapons met my criteria and caught my interest, so I focused on it, starting with the few moving parts it had. The alicorn sword got set to the side for another time. The new idea took precedent, and as I began working on the design, I came up with a name for it: Valor System. “How’s artificing, sis?” Skyla asked as we walked to town for a snack on the way home after school. “It’s probably gotten a lot easier since your, uh, split decision.” “Magic is a lot easier, but Mr. Forger said I have a recurring case of overconfidence,” I said. “Since this is the second time I’ve had to restart and redesign my big project due to ambition, I think he’s right.” “What’s the new one? Is it the Valor System thing you were drawing?” “Yeah. Diamond’s H&H character has a shield that also serves as a sheath for her hammer and other weapons, so I’m going with that. I came up with the idea to change armor forms based on the weapon, but I’m not working on that yet. The hammer head also has a spot for a gem to go in for elemental effects, giving some variety to what can be done.” “Like gold?” I lightly shoved Skyla with my wing. “No, not that kind of elemental effect. Fire, air, water, land, that kind of stuff.” “That sounds dangerous.” “I just need to come up with a way to keep the illusion and combat gems from getting mixed up. Got any ideas?” Skyla gave it some thought. “Well, you could. . . Start by getting our snack.” There was a dessert stand in her sights, and ice cream definitely sounded good. “You’re just asking because you spent all your lunch bits as usual, right?” “And you only spent half of yours, as usual.” “I’ve actually been spending eight bits on lunch recently. I’ve had more of an appetite since the split. It’s probably because I’ve been using my magic and wings more.” “That makes sense.” Skyla looked at the menu. “But we can’t really get anything here with only two bits.” “I think I can help you two out,” a familiar voice said from behind us. I quickly turned around. “Gilda? What are you doing here?” “Checking in on you.” She curled up her talons and booped my snoot. “After we heard about what happened, Ironwing had me bring the burnt end dish you came up with to Canterlot. Princess Celestia offered to send it to you while I took care of some personal matters.” She approached the mare at the dessert stand. “I’d like a triple deluxe sundae. It looks good. Skyla, Inova, what do you want?” “Same!” We both said at the same time. “Twelve bits, please,” the mare said. Once Gilda paid, she went to work, and the desserts were ready in short order. I took the initiative and picked the sweets up with my telekinesis as we found a nice table to sit at. I chose to get what felt like the heaviest topic out of the way first. “So, you know about the human in me.” “Everyone in the castle knows about it,” Gilda said as she started on her sundae. “Since you helped me back when you visited, Ironwing turned to me to figure out what to make of it.” “How did that go?” Gilda was learning how to play Battlemace 4000 wargame with High Lord Ironwing when a messenger flew in and held a paper in front of the ruler’s face, per protocol of urgent news. Ironwing was only briefly surprised before he accepted the Equestrian newspaper. “What am I looking for?” He asked. “Front page headline,” the messenger reported. “You can’t miss it.” He noticed Gilda at the table. “She needs to read it too. I only have one paper, though.” Gilda walked over so she could see the paper. She wasn’t too interested until she saw Inova’s name in the article. At some point, she broke protocol and took the newspaper from the High Lord so she could read it better. “Your wings are twitching,” Ironwing pointed out. “Well excuse me for feeling incredibly concerned for Princess Inova!” Gilda snapped before remembering just who she was talking to. “I’m sorry, my Lord.” “I won’t fault you for that.” Ironwing gently reclaimed the newspaper and reread the article. “In fact, I have something for you to prepare for.” “My Lord?” “As much as I’m sure we both wish to respect Princess Cadence’s wishes to not send anything out of sympathy or concern, you and I both know we can’t just do nothing. In one week, you’ll take some of the burnt end macaroni and cheese to the Crystal Empire as a sign of care.” Gilda was silent as she processed the task and thought it through. “My lord, if I may make a request?” “Go ahead.” “It may be better to take it to Canterlot and have Princess Celestia send it from there. It would probably be recieved better since they see her more like family, and. . . I have some overdue business I need to take care of in Ponyville.” Ironwing considered the idea. “Hmm, yes. That may be the better course of action. In that case, we’ll have Borke prepare two servings of it so Celestia and Luna can try some.” “I’ll see to it, my Lord.” Gilda walked back to her side of the table. “Now, I believe my forces are about to make a valiant last stand against yours.” I felt mixed emotions over the story. Most of them were good, but there was one bit that annoyed me. “Skyla, the meal from Aunt Celestia said it was just from her, right?” “I think so,” Skyla said. “I didn’t see any other names.” A very frustrated sigh escaped me. “Gilda, I appreciate what you and Ironwing put together for me, but next time, please don’t do anything tricky like that.” “She really hates being lied to. I don’t think anypony reacts like she does to lies.” “Oh.” Gilda’s expression dropped a bit. “I’m sorry about that, Inova. We chose to do it that way after reading the article about what happened.” I took a moment to collect myself. “No harm, no foul, I’ll forgive it.” “If you really want to see her get mad, you should watch her handle bills from the nobles in Canterlot,” Skyla added before putting on an angry face. “The title is misleading! There are unrelated personal projects in here! This looks like money laundering! We do not need a new government office! Let me read all of it!” Her imitation of me was pretty accurate. “And then she’ll just toss the bill into the air when she’s interrupted one time too many.” “I can count on one hand the number of nobles there that are alright, and it’s entirely the Pants family.” I couldn’t help but snicker a bit at the name. “That sounds a lot like what happens in Griffonstone,” Gilda said. “Hey, do you mind if I spend the night at your place? My supply of Bits is getting a bit tight.” “That’ll be up to mom.” “Of course Gilda can spend the night,” mom happily said. “In fact, I wouldn’t mind her being here for the rest of the week.” “Awesome!” I cheered. “So, Gilda, I’ve been working on-” “But you’ll be helping make dinner while she’s here, Inova.” I lost a little bit of the wind from under my wings. “Okay. I can do that.” “So, your project?” Gilda asked. I turned back with a smile. “I’m taking artificing in school, and I’ve been working on a shield and hammer set. . .” After dinner, I went out back with Gilda and cast the splitting spell. “Wow,” Gilda said. “So this is what a human looks like? I was expecting something a bit. . . Taller.” “Aunt Twilight says I might grow a bit more,” Human Inova said. “I’m currently 5’3”, but being part of an alicorn, who can say?” Her expression turned ominous. “However, there’s something more important we need to do first.” “And what could that be?” Human Inova snapped and pointed at Gilda. “Get her.” The Equine Inovas, in accordance with a plan concocted by Alicorn Inova less than five minutes prior, leapt at Gilda, and soon had her immobilized. “What are you doing?” “This.” Human Inova moved in and gave Gilda a big hug. It was then that Gilda realized Inova had played a little trick and began laughing. “Well, you leave me no choice but to retaliate!” She got her forelegs and wings free so she could give a retaliatory hug to three of the quartet. She couldn’t reach Pegasus Inova, who was on her back. “Pile on!” Skyla shouted before she split herself and did just that. Gilda had a hard time holding up under the strain of all the alicorn parts, and while Human Inova tried to support her, she wasn’t strong enough to hold up a griffon and multiple ponies. The two unicorn parts, seeing what was about to happen, used their levitation to control the collapse. Human Inova still ended up on the bottom, but nobody got hurt. Over by the doorway, Shining and Cadence chuckled at the scene. It was ridiculous to say the least, but everyone was smiling and laughing. “Well, if it isn’t Princess Ino. . .” Nightshade’s overly cocky greeting trailed off. “Yes, that’s me,” I happily said. “Do you need any help, Nightshade?” “Uh. . . What’s that griffon doing here?” I looked back to Gilda. We shrugged. “Clearly, she’s enjoying a protein smoothie. I’ve been meaning to try one. I should have gotten one.” “Sup?” Gilda casually asked before returning to her drink. “No, why is she here?” Nightshade clarified. “Ohh, why didn’t you say so? Well, I got permission from Principal Hall for her to tag along with me for the day. Gilda’s a good friend of mine. Anyways, I’ve got to get to math class. See ya!” Shortly after Gilda and I rounded the corner, we started losing our composure and began laughing. “The look on her face!” “She still tries to bully me, but ever since my split, I’ve taken to trolling her on occasion.” “Trolling? What’s that?” I told her about how I flaunted myself on the first day back, and the resulting punch from Nightshade. It had hurt, but getting one over on her for the first time felt great. “So, this is your project?” Gilda asked when we got to artificing. I levitated the hammer and shield apart in front of me. “Yep. This is the Valor System. How does it feel to you?” She took the weapons and hefted them. “The weight’s good, and they feel sturdy enough.” She sheathed the hammer. “The top’s heavy like this, though. That could be a problem.” “How?” “Here.” She put the shield in my physical grasp before grabbing a length of narrow pipe. “If I hit low on the shield-” she landed a thrusting strike and the shield tipped forward. Before it had finished moving, and before I could recover, the end of the pipe was next to my muzzle. “-that opens you up to get hit.” The rest of the class and Mr. Forger looked at our little scene for a moment before he cleared his throat. “Inova, while the demonstration was a good reminder about the importance of proper weight distribution, I must ask that you and your guest refrain from similar displays.” “Sorry, Mr. Forger,” I said before turning back to Gilda. “Where did you learn that?” “I’ve sparred with the guards before.” Gilda put the pipe back and looked over my project again. “If you switch to an ax, the whole thing will be more balanced.” “I am planning on making more weapons to go in the shield, but for now, hammer.” “So, Gilda, I hear you went to Ponyville before you came here,” mom said over dinner. “How was it?” “The town was still in one piece,” Gilda said. “Given everything Rainbow said had happened since my last visit, I was surprised. Pinkie still makes no sense, so that at least hasn’t changed.” “She’ll never make sense,” dad concurred. “What did everypony else say?” “Rarity didn’t have much to say at first, until I brought up Inova, then she wouldn’t stop talking. Twilight was busy with Princess stuff, science, or something. Applejack sold me some good apples, and Fluttershy was leading some ducklings to a pond. I was expecting her to be scared as she walked by, but she was just so. . . Casual. She said Hi and went on with the ducklings. I waited, she came back, we talked, and. . . I don’t know how she could be so casual with me. What happened to her being so shy?” “Discord lives with her, so she’s used to the strange and powerful.” Mom’s explanation didn’t really explain much. “And here you are now having dinner with half of the world’s alicorns.” “Is it weird that I wanted to add bacon to the salad?” I asked. “Because that sounds really good.” “We have hay bacon,” Skyla said before realization crossed her face. “Wait, you don’t mean hay bacon, do you?” “Yeah, that just doesn’t sound like the kind I want. Meat sounds good. Gilda, do you-” “Don’t have any,” Gilda interrupted. “And no, I’m not about to go hunting for any meat either. And before you ask, it’s not because there isn’t anything I can hunt here.” “Aww. . .” My disappointment was measurable and my mood in the moment ruined. A few days later, it was time for Gilda to leave. “Well, it’s been fun, but I’d better get back to Griffonstone. Everyone wants to know how Inova’s doing.” “Before you leave, I have something for you,” dad said before levitating a scroll to her. Gilda opened it and two slips of paper fell out. She picked them up. “What are these for?” “A first class ticket for the train to Canterlot and the same for an airship to the Griffon Empire. I imagine you’d rather not have to fly back on your own wings.” “She flew all the way here on her own wingpower?” I asked in surprise. “How?” “With her wings,” Skyla unhelpfully explained. “Duh.” Gilda read the scroll next. She was quiet for a while. “You’re sure about this?” “Absolutely,” mom said. “If Ironwing will allow it, of course.” Gilda took a slow breath. “I’ll have to think about it. Being an ambassador is a lot of work, so I hear.” Dad shrugged. “Well, I’d say you did a good job of it over the past few days, so there’s that.” “Just remember that it’s an option,” mom assured. “You’re free to turn it down. Just take your time to think about it.” “I. . . Thank you,” Gilda said. “I’ll be sure to send a letter.” Before Gilda could fully turn to leave, I dashed up and gave her a hug with my wings. “Can you bring some bacon next time? That stuff’s good.” Gilda returned the hug. “Can do, but only if you let me go first.” I held the hug a few seconds longer before letting go. Gilda took off with an impressive vertical launch before turning towards town and gliding towards the train station. The idea of taking off like that was pretty cool, and I started figuring out what spells I could use to make my own launch even better.