//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 (Twilight Sparkle) // Story: Gryphonies // by gryphon88 //------------------------------// Typically, Twilight Sparkle loved books. Except when they were laughing at her, and making her say misspelled words. “Say it!” One of the books on the table bounced slightly, just opening the cover enough to mimic a mouth. “Say actualy!” Twilight tried not to, but the abomination came unbidden to her lips. “A-a-a-actualy! Ow!” The missing letter pinched Twilight’s tongue like a wire, causing her to wince in pain. The books laughed some more, hopping around on the table. “Now say exemplory!” “Exemplory-Ow!” Twilight winced again, close to tears. “Stop this, please!” “Oh, sure, we’ll stop,” one of the books teased. “All you have to do is read us.” Twilight perked up considerably at that, and walked over to the table. She reached to the book with one of her hooves... ...Only for the hoof to clunk on the top, not grabbing anything. The books began laughing again. Panicked, Twilight tried to slide the book off the table, and balance it on the flat of her hoof. It stayed there for a moment, and Twilight smiled. When she tried to move it, however, the precarious balance made the book wobble and fall to the ground. Twilight stamped a hoof in frustration. “It doesn’t work! It makes no sense!” The books began laughing again. Twilight cried and fell to the ground, burying her face in her hooves. She sat there for a moment, sobbing, before a new voice washed over her. “Twilight, why are you crying?” Sniffling, the lavender unicorn looked up. There, standing in front of a brilliant white light, was Princess Celestia. Only, she looked different. Instead of the tall, regal mare, there was a tall, regal gryphon. Pure-white feathers gave way to a pure-white coat, and the primaries on her wings stretched behind her, illuminated by soft, pastel colors. Kind, almond-shaped eyes of gold smiled down upon the unicorn. Twilight, for some reason, took all of this in stride. “snff... Princess, I can’t pick up any of my books. Hooves are just so useless!” Celestia smiled. “Well, Twilight, I know exactly what you need.” “Y-you do?” Celestia stepped aside, to reveal a shopping display, revealing a strange type of yellow, pointy glove. “You need Gryphon Fingers™,” she recited, smiling, still with her warm, motherly tone. “Can’t grab something with blunt protrusions of bone? Gryphon Fingers™ can help. With Gryphon Fingers™, all of those impossible tasks you can never seem to wrap your head around make sense.” Twilight nodded. “But what if I need more than one?” Princess Celestia stepped further aside. Another yellow glove sat, on another shopping display. “Well than I have good news for you, faithful student. If you order in the next twenty minutes, I’ll give you two Gryphon Fingers™ for the price of one.” Twilight nodded, excited. “This is exactly what I need! How do I order?” Celestia’s regal, almost golden beak, smiled wider. “Well that’s simple, Twilight Sparkle. If you want to see two Gryphon Fingers™ on your hooves right now, all you need to do is-“ “WAKE UP, you feathery impostor!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “Who are you?! What are you doing in Twilight’s bed?” Twilight blearily opened her eyes, the fickle world of her dream wavering and then extinguishing like a dying candle, leaving the steady trail of memories, hazy and indistinct, drifting upwards into her consciousness. “Huh? Rainbow Dash?” “And how do you know my name? Who are you? And why are you purple?” Rainbow grabbed Twilight’s shoulders and shook her vigorously, rousing the newly made gryphoness thoroughly. “Rainbow! Stop that!” Twilight scolded. Rainbow stopped shaking her, but did not let go of her shoulders. “Why should I?” she asked. Twilight groaned, and pinched the bridge of her eyes. (with her fabulous pair of Gryphon Fingers™!!!) “Listen, Rainbow, I’d love to explain it to you, but I’m starving. Can we go downstairs first?” “You expect me to just go downstairs with some home invader in Twilight’s bed?!” Rainbow fumed. Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Oh, yes, of course. Home invader, right. What if, Rainbow,” she poked the pegasus’ chest, “what if I’m actually a houseguest?” “Oooohhh...” Rainbow nodded. “S-sorry, my mistake. So, you’re a guest, then? A friend of Twilight’s?” “Well, no, but-“ “INVADER!” Rainbow tackled Twilight to the ground. “Why are you here?! What are you doing?! Stealing, uh, books? Yeah! Why are you stealing books?!” Twilight was pinned beneath Rainbow’s athletic hooves. “Oh my Celestia, Rainbow, will you just-“ At that moment, Spike decided to poke his head in the door. He spied Rainbow, pinning Twilight to the ground. He stared for a moment, before snickering and covering his mouth with his hand. “Th-this isn’t what it looks like!” Twilight stammered, blushing furiously. “Sure, sure,” Spike laughed. “Whatever you say, Twilight. I made you a late lunch, it’s downstairs.” “Spike!” Rainbow declared. “Are you blind?! This isn’t Twilight! This is some home invader!” Spike arched an eyebrow. “Really? Describe this ‘home invader’ to me, if you will.” Rainbow tilted her head. “Huh? But, she’s right-“ “Humor me.” “Ugh, fine.” Rainbow peered at the purple gryphon. “Hmm... Well, it’s a gryphon.” “Okay.” “A purple gryphon.” Spike nodded. “Keep going.” Rainbow rubbed her chin, inspecting the invader with a scrutinizing eye. “A purple gryphon... with lavender crest feathers, a couple of off-pink feathers on her forehead, kinda like-“ Rainbow’s eyes shot open. “Oh!” Twilight smiled, nodding. “Please get off me now?” “T-Twilight! Oh, sorry! Sure!” Rainbow hopped off of her friend, allowing the purple gryphon to hobble to her feet. The pegasus continued to stare with wide eyes, standing across the bedroom from her friend. “Wow. What happened to you?” Twilight ruffled her wings, as she gingerly folded them back into place. “Well, Rainbow, I was magically turned into a fish.” “A fish?! But you look like a gryphon.” Spike smacked a hand to his face. Ignoring Rainbow, Twilight tilted her head backwards, gently trying to fold her wings. However, she could not seem to get a hold on the loose feathers that were stopping her. “Ugh! If I never have to deal with wings again, it’ll be too soon.” In the palace, Princess Celestia sneezed. Rainbow Dash just stood there, stunned. It was easy enough to accept that such an odd and out-of-place thing would happen to her friend, given her track record with magic experiments and adventures. But why did it have to be a gryphon? Rainbow pursed her lips with anxiety. Given her track record with gryphons, namely, one gryphon in particular who shall remain anonymous, it began to make Rainbow think about things that she generally kept to the confines of her diary. “Gah!” Twilight grunted in frustration. “Rainbow, how do you deal with these things?” The gryphoness stretched out her wings, and turned so that Rainbow Dash could get a full view of them. Dash watched, intently, as the precious primaries pulled the wings upwards, stretching to their full, impressive length, as the creature below them swirled about in graceful movements that captured the sparkling of her- “Rainbow?” Dash blinked. “Huh?” “My feathers!” Twilight moaned, looking generally distressed, now. “They’re all messed up and sticking in weird directions and I don’t know how to fix it! Could you help me out?” “Oh, sure! You just need to, uh-“ “Need to what?” Rainbow shrugged, smiling nervously. “Nothing much! You just need to, uh, preen them.” Twilight brightened considerably. “Oh, is that it! Hah! That’s just like a bird!” “Yep!” Rainbow’s eyes darted around the room, trying to look anywhere else. “So, I’ll just let you get to that, and I’ll-“ And then Twilight put a beak to her wings and started preening right in front of me wha-what the hell is she doing? “U-uh,” Rainbow stammered, “T-Twilight?” Twilight paused for a second, removing her head from her lewdly extended wing. “Am I doing this right? My feathers are getting straighter, but I’m not sure.” Rainbow Dash was shaking in her hooves, sweating profusely. “Uh-uh-uh-uh-“ Twilight cocked her head to the side in a decidedly avian and compromisingly adorable way. “Rainbow?” The pegasus opened her mouth. “Asunimboideguelfianoturiesixtyyniogrobl.” Twilight blinked. Rainbow blinked. Spike clapped his hands together. “Say, Rainbow! Why don’t we let Twilight get cleaned up, and I’ll get you something to eat, downstairs.” Rainbow nodded dumbly. Spike went out the door and Rainbow followed, gently closing it behind her. Now alone, Twilight drummed her talons on the floor. Now what was that all about? Shrugging, she returned to preening her wings. She couldn’t help but notice how oddly ticklish, and... sensitive? They were. It took several minutes for her to finish, including bending into some odd positions, to reach the more difficult sections of her new limbs. When she finally finished she flapped them for a moment, before nestling them neatly at her sides. “Man, that was tedious,” Twilight commented, stretching her neck. “Twilight!” Spike called from downstairs. “Come on, your food’s getting cold.” “Be right there!” Twilight turned to head for the door, before she caught her reflection in a mirror. Twilight stared at herself for a long time. The image she saw was bizarre, a yellow beak and lavender feathers, with giant wings and a long, tufted tail. A far cry from the neatly-combed mane and spiral horn she was used to. But after looking at her eyes, she realized it wasn’t really that different. “Twilight!” “I’m coming!” the gryphon tore herself away from her reflection, and bounded down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, Twilight encountered Spike and Rainbow, obviously in the middle of a conversation. Spike was laughing so hard he was almost falling out of his chair. Rainbow had her hooves crossed, and was blushing angrily. Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “What were you two talking about?” “Nothing!” Rainbow growled, mostly to herself. Spike just laughed harder. “Ooookay,” Twilight replied. “Umm, could I get that food, Spike?” “Sure, sure.” Spike pushed a plate of scrambled eggs and toast forward on the table. Twilight beamed, then quickly sat down, picking up a fork in her talons and munching on the food happily. “Man,” she said, “these are good, Spike!” “I don’t think I’ve ever used a fork before,” Rainbow noted. “Aw, thanks Twi.” Spike smiled. “I just made em same as usual. Maybe you like them better now?” Twilight nodded, her beak full of food. “Maybe. I should really read up a bit more on gryphon biology. And gryphon culture! And maybe just gryphons in general.” She smiled at her assistant and the pegasus. “This is the perfect excuse, don’t you think?” “What?!” Rainbow asked. “Really?! I mean, I’m all for reading and everything, but you just grew wings, Twi! Don’t you want to try them out?” She slammed a hoof on the table. Twilight rolled her eyes. “Oh, I tried them out alright. An hour lesson with Suite Disposition and Bowline, most of which I spent scared out of my wits as I floated above the palace floor.” Rainbow tilted her head. “Wait, you already got lessons? From who?” “Princess Celestia’s guards,” Twilight replied, as she continued to eat. “They were both pegasi, anyway, so they knew how to fly. They gave us an impromptu lesson while we were waiting for Celestia to clear up the issue with some of the-“ “Wait wait wait wait,” Rainbow interrupted. “Celestia’s a gryphon, too!? You gotta tell me what happened.” Twilight finished eating, then thought back. “Well, we had sent a missive to the Gryphon Republic, to compare results in the Annual Agricultural Survey. When we got the response, however, instead of a scroll, there was this big flash of light, and everypony in the room became everygryphon in the room.” Spike blinked. “Wait, so, gryphons turned you into gryphons?” “I guess?” “Why?” “I don’t know.” Twilight shrugged. “I can’t begin to guess their motives, and it’s not like I can just send them another letter. The only thing I can do is have faith in Princess Celestia.” Twilight examined her new claws, peering at them over her food. “I can only imagine what it’s like over there. There might not be a single pony alive who’s been!” Asleep in her rocker, Granny Smith sneezed. Spike raised a hand. “Except for Princess Celestia, right?” Well yes, but she’s sneezed enough, don’t you think? Twilight waved a wing dismissively. “Well, yeah. That’s why I’m leaving it to her.” Rainbow cocked an eyebrow. “...Are you okay, Twi? Usually you’d be on something like this like white on rice.” The gryphoness twirled her fork idly. “Yeah, yeah, but I think I’ll just stick to studying gryphons, right now. I’ll look into the spell mechanics afterwards.” She smiled at the pegasus, holding it a bit longer than normal. “Twilight...” Rainbow walked over to her friend, putting a hoof on her shoulder reassuringly. “I’ve known you for a while now, and I can tell something’s bothering you.” Twilight sighed. “It’s just... Being a gryphon. It’s-“ Rainbow’s eyes widened. “Oh! Oh, uh, we don’t really have to talk about that.” “What?” Twilight cocked her head. “I was going to say-“ “I-I know what you’re gonna say, Twi.” Rainbow hurried back to her chair, trying to avoid eye contact with Twilight. “I mean considering you’re from Canterlot I can’t really blame you but still I’d prefer if maybe we didn’t talk about that so much, you know?” Twilight blinked, her ears flattening backwards. “No, really, I don’t.” “Well, I mean, I like ya, Twi,” Rainbow explained, “and I really want to continue liking you. You’re my friend, so let’s just never bring this up, alright?” The pegasus flashed her biggest, most painfully sincere smile. “Um, Rainbow?” Twilight asked, edging a word in. “I was gonna talk about my cutie mark.” Rainbow blinked, her expression blank. “Your cutie mark? Oh.” The former unicorn nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I was gonna talk about.” Rainbow Dash nodded. “And what were you talking about?” “Oooooh... Well...” she waved a hoof, pursing her lips in a curiously pained expression. “...nothing important.” Twilight shot a glare across the table. “Rainbow.” “Really, Twilight, it’s not anything you-“ “Rainbow.” “Twi, it’s kind of a touchy subject, so-“ “RAINBOW DASH.” Rainbow threw her hooves in the air, her head slumping on the table in defeat. “Fine, fine.” She sat upright again, still not meeting Twilight’s gaze. “Well, you know, my great-grandad was in the War.” Twilight nodded, and Rainbow continued. “Well, him, and a sizable chunk of all pegasi at the time, didn’t really... like gryphons.” She forced a laugh. “At all, really. In fact, you could say that they hated them.” “Oh, I heard about that.” Twilight cringed. “The B word. A lot of prejudice in that old generation. Nothing like Equestria now, though.” Rainbow Dash winced. “Weeeellllllll...” Twilight’s eyes shot open. “Wait, really?!” Spike raised a hand. “What’s the B word?” “Spike!” Twilight growled. “Go to your room.” And Twilight, being a gryphon, actually growled. Spike yelped and jumped out of his chair, zooming up the steps as fast as his tiny feet could carry him. After he was gone, Twilight turned back to face Rainbow across the table. “So, you thought I was racist?” Rainbow shrugged. “Sorry, but yeah. I mean, you’ve met those snooty Canterlot nobles, right? I never took you for one of them, but it’s still the same culture.” Twilight nodded, begrudgingly. “Yeah, yeah. And your great-grandfather was, erm, opinionated in such a way?” The pegasus nodded, her head listing to the side a little. “Yeah. A lot of pegasi are, actually. And my, uh, grandpa.” “Also understandable, I suppose.” “...And my father.” “Oh, I see.” Twilight nodded. “But not you.” “No! Oh, no.” Rainbow smiled ruefully, shaking her head. “Definitely not. Believe me, not at all.” She allowed herself a small, nervous laugh. Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, I see... Is this about, what’s-her-name... Gilda?” “Y-yeah!” Rainbow’s eyes shifted about the room. “Yeah, she told me some stuff.” “Really.” The gryphon leaned backwards, twiddling her thumbs. “Exactly how close were you with-“ “So! We were talking about your cutie mark.” Rainbow dive-bombed the conversation into a different direction. “Or, I suppose, your lack of one, at the moment.” Twilight sighed, but didn’t argue. “Yes, yes. It was, um, bugging me, I suppose.” “Wanna talk about it?” “Yes, please, if that’s alright.” Rainbow raised a hoof. “I’m happy to help a friend in need.” The leathery yellow corners of Twilight’s beaks tilted upwards a bit, before continuing. “Yes, well, it’s nothing major, I suppose. But, um, my cutie mark, as you noticed, is gone.” True to point, Twilight’s flank was not only the deep, royal purple flank of a lion, but bore no marking whatsoever. “Anyway,” she continued, “it’s a bit unnerving. I spent most of my life identifying myself by my cutie mark. It’s who I am!” Twilight banged a fist on the table, looking Rainbow deep in the eyes. Deep into her beautiful, wonderful... Rainbow cut herself off. She coughed conspicuously. “Er, right. Go on.” “Well, now,” the gryphon continued, “It’s not there. And despite myself, I can’t help but feel that it makes me, well, not as much as I used to be.” She slumped backwards, the tone of her words trailing off into dismissal. “Hey, now,” Rainbow argued, leaning forward. “What kind of attitude is that? You might look different, but you’re still you!” “Am I?!” Twilight replied. “I know that I can still recite the 66 Channeling Codices, and draw a summoning circle blindfolded. Being a gryphon hasn’t changed anything of my mind, I know that.” “Then what’s the issue?” Rainbow countered. “I can tell myself that till the cows come home,” Twilight put a claw on the table in emphasis, “but I can’t do magic. And if I can’t do that, how am I good to anyone!?” “Wait,” Rainbow asked, “You can’t do magic? When did that happen?” Twilight peered at her friend. “...Are you kidding?” “No, I’m serious,” Rainbow replied. “You just told me about the gryphon thing. I didn’t hear anything about your magic being gone.” “Rainbow Dash.” Twilight Sparkle took a moment to realize she actually had to explain this. “I don’t have my horn.” “Don’t have your...” Rainbow’s eyes widened in realization. “Oooooh. Huh, that’s weird.” Twilight nodded. “Yes. Generally, ponies need horns to do-“ “No, not that.” Rainbow smirked. “It’s weird that you don’t know about gryphon magic.” Twilight’s jaw (lower-beak-half-thingy) dropped to the floor. “Gryphons can do magic? Why don’t I know about this?” Rainbow could hardly contain her delight, having turned the tables on Twilight’s somewhat smug attitude. “How much do you actually know about gryphons, Twi?” “Evidently not a lot,” she muttered. “Rainbow, no one’s had any contact with the Gryphon Empire until after it became the Gryphon Republic. And even then, all three books I have on them are the only three books released! And two of them are brochures!” “Well, okay.” Rainbow shrugged. “Sure, I know some stuff. Any questions?” Twilight’s shocked expression shifted into a smile. “Any questions! Ha! You can tell me everything you know about gryphon magic, culture, or practices!” She leapt from her chair, leaving it to clatter backwards on the floor, as she dashed to a shelf to retrieve a notebook. “Um, okay,” Rainbow realized she might not have made the best decision. She was a bit distracted however, as her eyes drifted onto Twilight as she walked away. Twilight, deprived of her horn, stretched herself upwards, to retrieve a quill and ink from the top shelf. “So, the biggest question I had for Princess Celestia was about the architecture of Gryphon cities, but that was before I knew that gryphons had mages. Which brings up another point, which percentage of the population is magically capable? And I don’t think you’d know what the average skill of each user is, though I might be able to extrapolate based on the percentage of blah blah blah blah blah, but blah blah blah gryphons blah blablah, blah blah bubublah, blah blah blah agricultue blah blah blah blah first king, blah blah blablablah, blah blah blah mythology blah blah blah blah blah bublah. But blah blah blah-“ Twlight continued with her speech, as she continued to retrieve various supplies from the shelves. Rainbow Dash was content to just watch her work, as the pegaus’ jaw was open and her mind was filled with more compromising thoughts. Then, Rainbow heard a creak of wood. Her head whipped around to the stairs, where she saw Spike, gently stepping down them. Spike saw her, and an amused expression crossed his face. Rainbow put a hoof to her cheeks and realized she had been blushing. Spike saw her realize this, and began laughing, silently. Rainbow scowled at him, then made a crossing motion, across her neck. Spike just grinned. His eyes flicked to Twilight for a moment before going back to Rainbow, before he nodded at her. You like that, don’tcha? His expression spoke plainly. Rainbow’s intense glare responded. Shut up you incorrigible lizard! You liiiiiike it. Scram! Spike coughed, loudly. “Say, Twilight, I can get those for ya.” Twilight turned her head. “Oh, thank you, Spike.” She jumped down from the shelves and returned to the table. The dragon shot Rainbow a mirthful glance, before jumping to the shelves. “No problem. I wouldn’t want to keep you from your conversation.” Rainbow Dash wished very plainly to strangle him, but she spoke through her teeth, instead. “Yes, thank you, Spike.” Twilight lay all the books she had gotten out in front of her, before smiling at Rainbow with sparkling eyes. “So, Rainbow, what do you want to talk about first?” Rainbow sighed. Alright, Dash, we suddenly find ourselves in a compromising situation. What do we do? Well, Rainbow, you’re face-to-face with a gryphon, which is sure to bring up inappropriate thoughts, given our history. Yes, Dash, that is the problem. There’s also the fact that it’s Twilight, so, that’s a double-whammy. I just need to keep my mind clear. How do I do that? ...Seals. Just think about seals. Seals? Why would I- Don’t think about it -but I- Just do it think about seals seals Rainbow seals seals think about seals “Rainbow?” Twilight leaned in closer. “Are you alright?” Rainbow’s face flushed from the close quarters Twilight put them in. Sighing, the pegasus set her mind to thinking about seals. Seals, seals... They’re like dogs, but in water... They’re kinda fat... “Yeah, Twi, I’m fine.” “Alright.” Twilight picked up a quill. “Let’s get started.” Rainbow gulped. Arf. Thinking about seals had helped. Until Rainbow didn’t need to think about seals. She was just too bored. “Augh!” She groaned, rolling her head on the table. “Twilight, you’ve asked me a million questions. I don’t know half of what you’re talking about!” Spike, who had long since taken the duty of note-taker, nodded in agreement. “Yeah, Twi, I don’t think you’re going to get much more out of her. Why don’t we just take a break?” Twilight had her beak buried in a book. “Hmm? Oh, alright.” She closed one book and grabbed another, frowning. “Wow, gryphon culture is... really different from ours. Sort of, I dunno, creepily so?” Rainbow lifted her head. “How do you mean?” Twilight waved a claw. “Oh, nothing. Don’t worry about it.” The pegasus shrugged, then dropped her head back onto the table with a clunk. “Well, whatever you want to ask me, could you finish it up? You can’t have that many more questions.” “Oh! Oh, sure Rainbow.” Twilight sighed, glancing from the book to her notes. “I had a few more questions, but I guess they can wait until later...” Dash sighed. “Well, come on, Twi,if it’s a few more, that’s fine, but I’m kinda bushed, you know? I could really go for some hayfries.” “I’ve got an idea,” Spike intervened. He stepped in between the two women, standing on the table and gesturing to them both. Rainbow shot him a curious look, but he ignored it. “Twilight wants to ask a lot more questions. Rainbow wants to relax and get a bite to eat.” He clapped his hands together, triumphantly. “How about Twilight asks the rest of her questions, whatever they are, and in return, she buys you something to eat?” Rainbow’s stomach grumbled. She blushed, then turned to Twilight, who she found to also be blushing. Through her feathers. Huh, that must have been louder than I thought. Rainbow shrugged. “Alright, why not? I’ll get a free meal out of it, at least.” Twilight nodded, as well, a little too eagerly.”Sure! I-I’d love to. Uh, finish the questions, I mean.” “Alright!” Spike declared. “It’s a da- er, I mean, it’s a deal.” He hopped down from the table, and headed for the staircase. “I’ll be upstairs if you need me.” “Want me to call Applebloom?” Rainbow called. Spike blushed furiously, but did not reply. He quickly vanished up the stairs. Rainbow shook her head, grinning ruefully. She turned her attention back to Twilight, who was looking after her son/brother/assistant/slave with concern. “What’s this between Spike and... Applebloom?” Rainbow waved a hoof. “Nothing like what you’re thinking, I promise. Though they would be cute together.” “Then what was it?” “Not my place to say.” Rainbow stretched her arms, which is to say, she stretched the hooves on the upper half of her torso. They’re called arms. Really. “Now, are we going to get these questions done or what?” “Yes! Yes.” Twilight shiffed her papers around on the table, scrutinizing them intensely. “Okay, the rest of the questions are on the final topic, and then we should be good to go.” “Final topic?” Rainbow asked. “What’s the final topic?” “Well,” Twilight began, “in most studies, it’s actually the first topic, but with the sample size being what it is, I didn’t think it relevant enough to ask first.” She put a fist to her throat as she cleared her voice, then make a small marking on the page. “Now,” Twilight said, “Subject profile, Rainbow Dash.” “Subject Profile?!” Rainbow asked. “I thought this was about gryphons and stuff, not a science experiment.” “It is about gryphons,” Twilight replied, nodding her head slightly. “I guess it’s a mix between natural and cultural history, but that’s not the point. The point is, the more the report knows about you, or at least your views on gryphons, then the more accurately they can gauge what the margin of error is on the information therein.” Rainbow blinked, then squinted, as though she was going through numbers in her head. “I understood... like, sixty percent of that. Maybe sixty-five.” Twilight groaned internally, but managed to contain her exasperation to a mere agitated head-shake. “Alright, alright... Imagine you’re looking through a piece of blue glass, at something yellow.” Rainbow nodded, and Twilight continued. “Good. Now, what color is it?” The pegasus responded, somewhat confused. “...Green?” “Right! Now, if you were describing it to somepon- someperson else, what would you say?” “...I guess I’d say I saw something green,” Rainbow ventured, “but tell them that I’m looking through blue glass, so they know it might be yellow?” “Right!” the purple gryphon beamed at her friend. “And that’s basically why I need some information about you in the report, Rainbow.” “About me?!” Rainbow’s eyes shot open. “Why the hell do you need info about me?! I just thought your report was about gryphons, no way am I going to be in there.” Twilight folded her arms. “Rainbow! I just explained this. If gryphons are the yellow thing, you’re the blue window. It’s not even going to be very much about you, okay?” Rainbow bit her lip, glancing anxiously around the room. There were many things about herself that she was less than eager to expose to the general public. She was very tempted to refuse. But Twilight’s face. Rainbow’s resolve sputtered and died the minute she saw the eager look on the beaky new visage of one of her best friends. “Yeah, okay.” Twilight gripped her notes tightly, nearly squee-ing with delight. “Okay okay okay. Ahem.” She set down her notes, still smiling. “Alright, first question.” Rainbow Dash waved a hoof. “Let ‘er rip.” “When was the first time you met a gryphon?” “Flight camp. Not long after I got my cutie mark, actually.” “985?” “On the money.” Twilight scribbled into her notes. “Alright, how about a bit more info? Where, why, etc.” “Well...” Rainbow squinted her eyes. “It all began when I was looking for a shortcut...” the pegasus trailed off, her head tilting slightly. Twilight waited for her to continue. She did not. Glancing up, the purple gryphon found that Rainbow was completely distracted, lost in her own thought. Twilight rolled her eyes. “Rainbow!” “Buh! Wha..?” Rainbow was shaken from her trance, looking back to Twilight. She pounded a fist on the table. “No flashbacking! You have to speak.” The pegasus crossed her arms and grumbled something that Twilight could barely hear. “I don’t care that it worked on the crusaders, it won’t work on me.” “Fine.” Rainbow sighed. “I met her at flight camp. All of the ponies, or gryphons I guess, who could already fly were allowed to basically do whatever they wanted for most of the time. I bumped into her when I was looking for a shortcut to the mess hall, and we just sorta connected.” More scribbling. “And you were friends, correct? Even after flight camp?” “Yep.” Rainbow laughed slightly, remembering the old days. “We both lived in Cloudsdale, so we just hung out when we could.” Twilight nodded, falling silent for a moment. Rainbow sat up, trying to take a peek at the paper, but it was too far away. She sat back down, and Twilight spoke again. “Did Gilda- sorry, I’m assuming this is Gilda?” “Uh, y-yeah.” Rainbow glanced downwards. “Did she ever mention her parents?” The pegasus shook her head. “No. But she didn’t live with them. She lived with... well, I think it was her grandpa. It might have been her uncle, though. At any rate, the guy wasn’t her father.” “Another gryphon?” “Yep.” “Okay!” Twilight marked her paper, smiling happily. “Just one more, and we’re done!” Rainbow smiled. “Oh, joy.” Oh boy. Twilight cleared her throat. “What exactly was your romantic relationship with Gilda? When did it start, how long did it last, and was it a healthy relationship, or-“ “Woah woah woah!” Rainbow jumped from her chair, nosing up to Twilight angrily. “These are so not scientific questions!” “Rainbow!” Twilight rebuffed. “These are perfectly normal, rational questions! What’s the big deal?” “Well for one thing, you can’t just go assuming so much about my past with Gilda, even if it happens to be true. And there’s no way these questions are for the report! This is something you want to know about!” Twilight gasped, her feathers ruffling all around her neck. Really, it looked very humorous, but neither of them cared to mention it. “I never! I have been nothing but professional about this! This is just you projecting your issues onto me!” They stopped for a moment, sitting and fuming at each other with death glares. The two stayed that way for several minutes, before they broke eyes and took a minute to cool off. It was difficult for everyone involved. Eventually, Twilight broke the silence, after they both had sufficiently cooled down. “Were you serious about what you thought I meant?” The question was put forth as a question, with a delicate, innocent tone. Rainbow didn’t return it. “Were you serious about your cutie mark?” The question was a distraction, Twilight knew, but she answered it anyway. “...Yeah. Ever since I was little, it’s always been there. I was trying not to think about it too much, but when you mentioned gryphons still had magic, I was so relieved I think I was about to cry. Just... Just to have it back. Even when I wouldn’t acknowledge it was gone.” Rainbow’s ears dropped, as she suddenly felt guilty. She continued listening, determined to be more considerate. Twilight sighed. “Now I know, at least, I have my talent back, but what about Applejack? Or Pinkie Pie? I’m worried about them.” Rainbow gave a soft laugh. “Oh, come on. Applejack can still kick the apples off of trees in a heartbeat, and I bet Pinkie’s going to be throwing her ‘changed species’ party soon. Again.” “I... I actually don’t think so, Rainbow.” Twilight met eyes with her friend. “AJ’s not going to be able to buck. Her bones are hollow! She’s strong enough to, but nothing will happen if she tries. And Pinkie? Well.” Twilight waved a claw. “That’s just a recipe for disaster. Even if one out of ten ponies has a ‘prejudice’, and doesn’t show up, Pinkie will be heartbroken. Not to mention what will happen if she tries to sell stuff at Sugarcube Corner!” Rainbow idly recalled some commotion in town, from earlier that day. “...Nah.” She dismissed the notion. “I’m sure they’re both fine. And now that you know about magic, your’e fine, too!” Twilight nodded. “Yeah, I guess.” Her ears perked up. “Speaking of which, how do you know about that magic? No offense, but Gilda doesn’t exactly seem like the studious type.” Rainbow laughed. “You’d be surprised, actually. Besides, all she ever did was a light spell. Not even that bright.” The pegasus pointed a hoof at Twilight’s hands. “Came from her talons.” Twilight brought her hands to her face, examining them closely. Rainbow watched her, her heart beating furiously. “D-don’t ask me how, but that’s what she did.” There was a silent moment, that Rainbow hoped would never end. gurgle Tough luck. Twilight glanced back to Rainbow, and stifled a chuckle. “Hungry?” “No!” the pegasus glanced away, blushing again. “..Maybe.” The gryphon laughed again, closing her notebook. “Well, I did agree to buy you lunch.” She jumped out from behind the table, and began to walk towards the door. “I know I just ate, but I’m still ravenous, so don’t worry about-“ Twilight was cut off as she suddenly ran headfirst into Pinkie Pie, who was directly behind the door. With a simultaneous “oof!”, the two gryphons stumbled to the ground in a tangle of limbs. Inside the library, Spike broke into fits of laughter. Rainbow Dash, (not so curiously) did not. She snickered a bit, but got up to help the pair. “Hey, you guys alright?” Twilight slowly pulled herself to her feet. “We’re alright, Rainbow Dash, thank you.” She graciously accepted Rainbow’s help as she regained her balance. “Heya Twilight!” Twilight and Rainbow looked down to see Pinkie Pie, grinning upwards at them like a cheshire cat-bird. “Didn’t seeya there!” Without any aid, Pinkie leapt off the ground, settling into an upright position almost instantly. Twilight chuckled, despite herself. “Hi, Pinkie.” The thought of Cutie Marks passed through her mind. “How are you holding up?” Pinkie giggled, the motion spreading across her alien features with an amusing ruffle of feathers. “Oh, I’m great! I was a bit bummed this morning, but I’m feeling better now! Especially with these treats I baked!” From seemingly nowhere, the manic pink gryphon produced a pastry box, containing some delectably pungent pastries. Wow, that smells amazing, Twilight thought, as her eyes grew wide. I wonder what- No, she didn’t. She didn’t she didn’t she- “Wow!” Spike exclaimed, from behind her. “That smells amazing! What is that?” “That’s a surprise!” Pinkie laughed. “Here, try it!” Before she realized it was happening, Spike had one of the pies in his hand, and was raising it to his mouth. Shitshitshitshitshit- “Wait, Spike,” Twilight panicked, “Don’t-!” Like a train wreck in slow motion, Twilight watched helplessly as her number one assistant ate the pie, expanding his palate in an unfortunate direction. The small dragon’s face made his appreciation of the treat evident. “Oh, man,” he managed to say through a mouthful of food. “This is amazing! New recipe?” Pinkie giggled. “Here, Twilight, try one!” She held out a pie. There was no doubt in Twilight’s mind now, what was in those pies. It was evident when Rainbow had not reacted to them in any way, nor did Pinkie offer her one. While the smell was decidedly enticing, the realization that these were meat pies made her slightly reluctant. “Erm, I don’t think I should.” Pinkie frowned. “Aww, why not? Please? Pretty pleae?” Seeing the look on her friend’s face, Twilight sighed. She took one of the pies, feeling it’s greasy warmth in her palm. It does look good. “Pinkie, is this meat?” She could hear Rainbow and Spike flinch, though they were both out of her field of vision. “...meat?” Spike asked. Twilight’s heart sank a bit at the scared tone of his voice. Pinkie was the only one still smiling. “Yup! Mr. Cake had some in storage. When I got my hands on it, my first instinct was to make cupcakes, or course!” The pink gryphon shrugged. “They’re more like mini pies, but it’s close enough.” Twilight stared intently down at the pie in front of her. It wouldn’t hurt to be cultural, she thought. But after what I read in that book about the farms... No, Twilight. This pie is already made, and something’s going to be done with it. And you’re going to have to talk with Spike about this later, and this will help. You know he’ll need help. She spared a glance at Rainbow Dash, who looked rather out-of-sorts. The blue pegasus just shrugged. The purple gryphon ate the meat pie. I’ve written that twice, now. Twilight’s brain was a battlefield. On one hand, there were so many reasons this was wrong. This had, at one point, been another living, breathing being. It had lived loved and died, and now she was ingesting its flesh. Something completely alien to pony culture, completely taboo, and she was partaking in it. And yet... And yet it tasted so good. The rich, savory flavors of the meat, sautéed in a sweet marinade, wrapped in a buttery, flaky pastry bun, the entire warm delight surging through her senses with a deplorably pleasurable shudder. Twilight almost decided that she liked it. There was nothing wrong with this, the- “Hello, Twilight dearie!” Twilight turned to see a friendly cow waving at her, as she trotted down the road to Applejack’s. She returned a small wave of her own. “Oh, hello... Muriel, was it?” “That’s right, missus! Don’t worry aboot it, we’ve not met, don’tcha know.” The cow chuckled ruefully. “You have a nice day now, y’hear?” “Thank you! You too!” Twilight trotted on, considerably brighter. “Well?” Twilight was shaken from her recollection by Pinkie, who was looking at her with excitement, obviously expecting a response. After a moment, Twilight opened her beak. “It was good, Pinkie. ...Really good.” Pinkie frowned. “...What’s wrong?” “It’s nothing, just...” Twilight shook her head. She would have to explain this to Pinkie. “There are these farms, in the Gryphon Republic.” Pinkie looked concerned. “Okay...” “And basically, it’s a cow farm. The cows there live lives of luxury, with everything they would ever want to eat or read or do, for a set amount of time. The shorter the time they’re there, the more luxury they’re given.” Pinkie frowned. Twilight kept going. “And, well, when their time’s up, they have a big party with the rest of the cows, and then they go to this big house, where they’re given a shot, and...” Twilight trailed off, allowing the other to make the connection on their own. There was silence. Twilight allowed the others to consider it for themselves. She was most worried, however, about- “But-but-but,” Spike interrupted, confirming Twilight’s worries. “B-but they choose to go there, right? Like they’re poor or something, or they’re in a bad position, and that’s why they go, yeah?” Twilight nodded. “Well, yes. But still.” There was a small plop as Pinkie Pie sat down, on the floor. “That makes sense, I guess.” She sounded lost. “I mean, gryphons have to eat. But I don’t have to like it.” She wordlessly pushed the box with the two remaining pies onto the table. Spike scowled at it. And, much to Twilight’s surprise, responded to the box with a puff of green fire, vaporizing it in a whirlwind of flames. “Sorry about your pies, Pinkie,” he fumed, “but I didn’t send those to Celestia.” Pinkie folded her arms. “It’s fine.” “AND WHY IS THINE TAIL SO LONG?!” Princess Luna the Gryphon bellowed. Before she could finish her thought, however, a puff of smoke swirled in front of her. She flinched, but instead of an explosion, or even a letter, a small white box materialized, containing two small, freshly baked pies, which wafted with a heavenly aroma. She regarded them oddly. “Huh.” Back in the library, the four of them stayed silent for a moment. Eventually, Rainbow coughed, inconspicuously. “Uhh, Twilight?” She tapped her wrist with a hoof. Ooh, right, we should get going. “Right, right. Uh, sorry Pinkie, but we’ve got to go.” Pinkie perked up again, once more her old self. “Oh, okay! Where you guys headed?” Date, Twilight’s brain thought, before she could stop it. Date, Rainbow’s brain thought, entirely unrestrained by any pretense on Rainbow’s part. The two shared a glance. “Ehh, boring egg-heady stuff, Pinks,” Rainbow responded. “Nothing interesting.” “Oh, okay!” Pinkie smiled. “Well, I guess I’ll see you guys later than. Have fuunnnn!” Pinkie shot them a wink, before bounding out the door, leaving only Twilight, Rainbow, and Spike in the library. Rainbow leaned down and whispered in Spike’s ear. “Alright, no more subtle hints. Get lost while I make bedroom eyes at your boss-mother.” Twilight, unhearing, looked at them both oddly. “Uh, should we be going?” Rainbow smiled at her. “Sure! Seeya Spike!” After a moment, the couple pair exited the library as well, entering the cool night air, and letting the door slam behind them. Spike rolled his eyes. Twilight Sparkle, unicorn, and Rainbow Dash, pegasus, had a lot in common. For one thing, they both liked to talk. Twilight Sparkle would talk about anything under the sun to anyone who would listen, as long as she could use several large, unwieldy words, and if the subject had some sort of mathematic or scientific aspect to it. Rainbow Dash would talk about flying, flight records, race times, weather patterns, world records, and the occasional action novel. All of these things easily meshed with Twilight’s preferred subjects of speech, and so the two could speak freely to one another, and almost always enjoy the conversation. While they had radically contrasting personalities, they contrasted well, not as opposites, but as complements. They would often spend lots of time just hanging out together, whether it was in their group or just by themselves. They were also both head-over-heels for each other. Assuming ponies have heels. But, they never did anything about it. Bummer. They didn’t mind, however. They were both more than content to live in mutually assured denial, because things were good, and there was nothing that would make it awkward, or imply that they wanted anything more than what they had. Then Twilight turned into a gryphon. And Rainbow Dash was suddenly confronted by not only her crush, but her not-so-subtly hinted at romantic history. She found herself sneaking glances at the lithe form that walked beside her. She decided to break the silence, mostly to preserve her own sanity. “So where should we go?” Rainbow asked. The pair were walking down the street, standing next to each other, a bit closer than they typically would. “Oh, well, I don’t know, it’s pretty dark out, isn’t it?” Twilight replied. Her head swiveled around as she looked for an open restaurant. “Maybe we should look for more of a dinner thing.” They were the only people in the center of the expansive Ponyville square. “...Is there a new curfew, or something?” Rainbow racked her brain, trying to think of an open restaurant. “Hmm... Isn’t Petit Cheval Magique open? That bistro on Main?” “Petit Cheval Magique?” Twilight began. “Isn’t that sort of-“ Intimate? “Actually, that’s perfect.” She bumped the pegasus playfully as they walked. “I didn’t realize you enjoyed such fancy food, Rainbow.” Rainbow laughed, returning the bump. “Well, not usually,” she replied. “But it’s a really good place to take a date.” The words stumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them. She suddenly found herself petrified, trying very hard to keep up the illusion of a casual attitude and stride as she panicked, her mind reeling. “N-n-not that,” she stammered, “that this is a date! I mean, unless you want to, uhh, that is-“ she laughed, nervously, “I mean if you even are, um, thinking about, at all, uh...” The pegasus was stammering breathlessly. Twilight’s eyes shot open. “Rainbow, are you alright?” Date date date date daaaaa- “I-I think I need to sit down.” Rainbow sat on the dirt, one hoof to her chest, as she began to hyperventilate. Twilight placed a hand on Rainbow’s back. “It’s alright, Rainbow. Deep breaths, deep breaths. In, and out. In, and out.” Rainbow began taking the deep breaths, slowly calming down from her panic attack. Finally, she relaxed, and pulled herself to her hooves. “...Wow, sorry about that, Twi.” Twilight waved a claw. “Don’t worry about it. I get panicky sometimes too, and it helps to know how to calm down.” She smiled ruefully to herself. “Just relax and deep breaths.” Rainbow glanced at Twilight. “...You have panic attacks on your own?” “Well,” she began, “not just on my own. Spike’s usually there.” “Ahh, yes,” Rainbow nodded, her eyes narrowing. “Spike.” The purple gryphoness smiled. “Yep! Spike.” Beat. “So, uh, the bistro? Wanna fly there?” Twilight nearly flinched at the suggestion. “F-fly? All the way across town? At night?!” “Sure!” Rainbow grinned, throwing an arm across Twilight’s shoulders. “Flying at night is the best. And I’ll be with you every step of the way, I swear!” Twilight tried shaking her head, scooting away from Rainbow’s grasp rather desperately. “Oh n-no no no that’s okay, we can walk, I th-think it’ll be fine if-“ “Nope.” Rainbow grabbed Twilight tightly, (for totally safe and sensible flight reasons, nothing else, really, I mean it) and before another word could be said, they were swiftly fleeing from the flat, expansive earth, the rooftops of the town sinking below them, capturing the illuminated streets in little veins of light upon the distant earth, as the pair beheld the expansive night sky, littered with the just the last breath of the setting sun in the west, and the early evening stars in the east. Twilight gripped Rainbow tightly, her eyes darting around madly. But slowly, she began to relax, her wings spreading almost instinctively, as she beheld the beautiful night around her. “Wow...” Rainbow grinned. “Cool, right?” Twilight nodded, daring to lean away from Rainbow, though still not letting go. “It’s... incredible. Does it always look this beautiful?” “Yeah. Not only at night, all day, 24 hours. But it’s hard to see much of it from the ground. Up here, you get everything.” “This is nothing like when I flew in Canterlot...” Twilight inhaled, deeply, enjoying the frigid air. “This is unforgettable.” Rainbow watched Twilight, as the lavender gryphon’s face darted around in wonder, a small smile growing at the corners of her beak. And Rainbow couldn’t help but smile a little, too. “Yeah. Unforgettable.” Then Twilight leaned too far and broke off from Rainbow. Rainbow Dash, being a sane and rational pony, expected that Twilight was paying attention, and broke off so she could fly on her own, as she had claimed she could. Twilight was also sane and rational. Still, she didn’t react... ideally to being let go. Her deep purple wings clamped to her sides and she began to plummet towards the earth, screaming with fear. Rainbow blinked, as the object of her affections vanished from her sight. “Oh, crap.” Without another second of hesitation, she dove downwards, determined to catch her. “This seems to be a recurring theeeemmmmeee!” She yelled over the wind, as it ripped across her face from the descent. Twilight looked with fear at the rapidly growing ground. On reflex, she held up her claws, to defend herself. On another reflex, she unconsciously reached for her magic. Rainbow was a mere few feet behind her. They were both another mere few feet from the ground, approaching fast. Then Twilight’s claws shone with a brilliant white aura, a staticy, crackling thing, that popped and lit like a firework. It encompassed the pair, and they both vanished, leaving the empty Ponyville street abruptly and eerily unnocupied.. Across town, in a crowded bistro, nothing remarkable was happening. Ponies in their booths chatted to each other, enjoying the fine food and the impeccable service. And when I say impeccable, I mean impeccable. Butlowe, the head waiter, a grey pony in a suit coat with a pencil moustache, prided himself on a steady, quick service, for all of his guests, with no questions asked. While it wasn’t his restaurant, it was his pride and joy, and he worked hard to make sure that the waiting service at Petit Cheval Magique was, above all else, reliable. So, when a staticy white explosion resounded through his waiting room, depositing a frumpled pair of fliers upon the ground, he didn’t even flinch. “Good evening, madames.” Butlowe was, of course of course, cultured enough to recognize a female gryphon from a male. He retrieved a pair of menus from the seater’s desk, and offered them. “Do you have a reservation?” Twilight managed to extricate herself from the ground first, pushing one of Rainbow’s limbs out of the way. She looked at Butlowe with a vacant expression, before slowly coming to her senses. “Uh... no, sorry.” Butlowe nodded. “Quite alright, madame, we have several tables available. If you would just follow me?” It took a few minutes for Twilight and Rainbow to get to their feet, and they graciously followed the waiter to a booth, the red faux-leather cushions and white tablecloth beside a window, which overlooked the darkened Ponyville streets. They graciously took their seats, still slightly dumbfounded at their reception. Once they were settled, Butlowe handed them the menus. “I will be back in a few moments to take your order. Would you care for any drinks this evening?” Twilight and Rainbow exchanged a quick glance. “Um, water is fine for now, thanks.” “Of course.” Butlowe bowed his head, and quickly departed. Twilight looked forward, blinking, taking a moment to attempt to process what had occurred. She stared numbly across the table at Rainbow, who was glancing over the menu. The pegasus smiled. “Ooh, pasta.” Twilight was aghast. “Pasta?! After all of... that just happened, and you’re thinking about pasta?!” Rainbow nodded. “...Yeah?” Twilight grabbed the menu angrily. “Rainbow, this place is known for their ravioli!” “Oooooh.” Rainbow turned the menu over. “Manchego and olive? That sounds awesome.” “It is.” Twilight picked up her own menu, glancing over the items. An hour later, several emptied plates littered the table, as well as an almost-empty bottle of the ‘house red’. Both Twilight and Rainbow were laughing, their faces leaning close over the table, within inches of each other. “You’re joking!” Twilight exclaimed. “No, I’m serious!” Rainbow laughed. “Gilda would do this thing with her wings, but they were so large, it just looked weird!” “Pfft hahaha.” Twilight’s forehead met the table. There is an interesting phenomena, when two individuals have a subject they both wish to broach, but are reluctant to do so. Even the smallest amount of alcohol will loosen tongues greatly, as the words needed not to be fetched from the depths of said individual’s mind, but merely from the forefront. As such, Twilight and Rainbow Dash started off on the idea that they were on a date. “Hee hee, I hope you don’t expect me to do that, Dash.” “Oh? And why not?” Rainbow giggled. “This is a date, isn’t it? Hah!” “Well, I did buy you dinner, heh.” Twilight looked into Rainbow’s eyes. “Does that make this a date?” “Only if you want it to be.” The pegasus giggled, waving her eyebrows suggestively. Twilight couldn’t help but laugh at the absurd gesture, and Rainbow quickly fell into it behind her. “Ah-heh.” Twilight looked down fondly at the empty wine glass in her talons. “Oh, dear, it seems I’m out of wine.” With a thought, one of her claws lit up with a small, staticy white glow. A similar glow encased the glass. She idly twirled her glowing finger, and the glass spun with it, tilted over the table. Rainbow looked on with an appreciative eye. “Say, you’re getting pretty good at that.” Twilight nodded. “Yeah, it’s not too different from usual, once I figured it out.” “Yeah?” “Yeah.” Twilight released the magic, deftly catching the glass in her claws. “When I first tried to reach my magic, I freaked out because it wasn’t in my head anymore. Magic usually comes from the mind, at least for Unicorns. But Gryphon magic runs along the spine, oddly enough.” Rainbow blinked. “And when you figured that out, it was good as new?” “Oh, Celestia no.” Twilight shook her head. “The magic’s weird, too. Mine usually is a steady stream of tingly, warm energy, whereas this is ice cold, and fizzles and pops a lot. It takes some getting used to.” She smiled. “But it’s really kind of a unique experience, you know? I never thought I’d get such a hooves-on experience with another type of magic like this.” Rainbow wasn’t really listening. She was more enjoying the look on Twilight’s face as she explained something, which she thought was just awesome. Because really, Rainbow’s a huge romantic doofus. Twilight noticed the pegasus smiling vacantly at her. She grinned, despite herself. “...What are you looking at?” Rainbow took a moment to regain focus. “...Huh? Oh, uh-“ She coughed, conspicuously, straightening her silverware. “Nnnnnothing. Not really.” Twilight exhaled, briefly, before leveling her gaze at Rainbow’s. “...Rainbow, is there something you wanted to tell me?” Rainbow’s mouth opened and closed for a few minutes, before she finally stammered a response. “Y-y-yeah, actually.” Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “And?” “....Well-“ “Twilight! Rainbow Dash!” The tender moment was interrupted by the loud voice of a small child. They both looked beside their table to see Sweetie Belle, breathless, staring intently back. “W-would you come and talk to my sister? She’s gone a little crazy.” Unbeknownst to Twilight and Rainbow Dash but knownst to us, Sweetie Belle had been on her own little adventure in the past six hours. One that involved magic, running, risk-taking, and the events between a certain earth pony filly and a certain dragon in the South Field. It’s too bad we’ll never hear this story. Ever. Twilight exchanged a quick glance with Rainbow, before addressing the small unicorn. “Um, Sweetie, what exactly do you mean by ‘crazy’?” “Weeelll, she’s muttering to herself as she sulks about the Boutique, doing weird things with her dresses.” “Oh, Sweetie. That’s normal, especially for a mare like Rarity.” “But this time, she has a gryphon that I’m pretty sure is Pinkie Pie tied up in a chair, and I don’t think it’s to model fetishwear again.” This got their attention. Twilight and Rainbow were on their feet in an instant. “Okay, Sweetie, we’ll be right there.” Twilight hung her head in Rainbow’s direction. “Rainbow, would you mind staying and dealing with the bill?” “Don’t sweat it, I have a tab here.” Rainbow waved a hoof at Butlowe, who nodded in return. “Alright then, I guess.” Twilight raised her claws, which had already begun to glow with a bright, staticy aura. “Hang on tight!” There was a loud bang and flash of light, and suddenly all three were gone, leaving nothing at Petit Cheval Magique but a rattling wineglass. They appeared upstairs. Twilight could instantly hear Rairty downstairs, as the manic unicorn presumably was talking aloud to herself. “Alright, Sweetie, you stay here. Rainbow and I are going to go try and calm your sister down, okay?” Sweetie nodded, and the two adults headed down the stairs. As they opened the door and began to silently creep down the steps, the Boutique came into sight. Rarity was, in fact, pacing the floor nervously, as various scraps of cloth and half-finished garments were strewn across the floor. Near the door, Pinkie Pie the Gryphon was tied to a chair, her head tilted to the side as she was out cold. “Yes-yes-yes-yes,” Rarity muttered. ‘Yes, I could do that, couldn’t I, couldn’t I, couldn’t I. Couldn’t I? Or could I? There would be no way to dispose of the feathers without leaving evidence. And would it be wrong? I don’t think so. Don’t think so. Don’t think so.” She constantly changed direction, wandering all over the display floor. As she moved, continuing to talk to herself, she caught sight of the stairwell, and the two figures cautiously moving down it. Her eyes widened. “H-huh? What are you doing here, Rainbow? And why is that beakie with you?” Twilight cringed a little bit at the slur, but remained silent. She instead nudged Rainbow. Rainbow winced, but spoke nonetheless. “Heyyyy, Rarity. Why do you have Pinkie Pie tied up?” Rarity stared dumbly for a moment, before she tilted her head. “...Huh? I don’t have Pinkie Pie tied up. I just have that beakie who looks like Pinkie Pie tied up. She came into my bedroom through my window, just like daddy always said.” “Rrrright.” Rainbow shrugged. “Well, you see, Rarity,” Rainbow supplied, as she gently continued down the stairs and onto the Boutique floor, “that gryphon there is actually Pinkie Pie.” “...Wh-what?” “Yep! You see,” Rainbow continued slowly towards the unicorn, “when they were up in Canterlot, there was a little accident, and they turned into gryphons! Ha! Isn’t that funny?” “S-so..” Rarity bit her hoof anxiously, looking at Pinkie Pie again. “So that’s Pinkie Pie?” “Yes.” Rarity peered between Twilight and Pinkie. “A-and that’s Twilight?” Twilight managed a small wave. “Hey, Rarity. It’s me!” The white unicorn bit her lip. “How can I be sure? Daddy always said that beakies are tricky.” She gestured with her hoof. “Trick tricky beakies, they can never be trusted, that’s what he said.” “Rarity.” Twilight stepped forward, cautiously maintaining a safe, innocent distance from Rarity, as she tried to approach the unconscious Pinkie Pie. “It’s me. Really. I’m Twilight. I’m not trying to trick you, and I’m not trying to hurt you.” “W-well...” Rarity turned her gaze between Rainbow and Twilight, not settling on either. “I’m not sure...” She finally landed on Twilight, fixing her with an innocently mistrustful expression. “How can I be sure?” Rainbow heard a noise behind her. While the other two spoke, she turned around, to find Sweetie Belle sneaking along the back wall. Rainbow’s eyes shot open. “Sweetie!” she whispered. “What are you doing?!” Sweetie held a hoof to her lips, and silently continued to crawl along the floor, as she approached Pinkie Pie’s chair. Twilight noticed, too. Her eyes flicked briefly behind Rarity’s back, but she didn’t say a word. “Rarity, please. It’s me. I’m not going to hurt you, I’m not going to do anything. I just want you to untie Pinkie Pie, and then we’ll leave, and the next time you see us, everything will be back to normal.” Rarity began to nod her head, but stopped. “...Hang on, what were you looking at?” Her head whipped around to see Sweetie Belle, her hoof reaching for Pinkie’s ropes. Rarity exploded. With a blast of magic, she slingshot Sweetie Belle back up the stairs, before pivoting on her heels to face Twilight, her face twisted into a snarl. Twilight backed away as fast as she could, panicked. Rainbow jumped behind her, and she raised her claws. “Rarity, calm down.” “Corrupting my sister?! With your venomous honey in her ear?” She growled. “I...I knew it! None of you are to be trusted! It was all a trick!” “Rarity!” Sweetie Belle shouted from the top of the stairs. Rarity turned to face her sister. “Now now, Sweetie Belle, I told you to stay-“ Oh, Celestia, I don’t know what I’m doing! Twilight’s claws glowed brighter, and she hoped to Tartarus that this would work. Then her claws erupted into a giant explosion, shattering every window of the Boutique.