//------------------------------// // 10. Griffon the Brush Off - Part 1 // Story: Blaze the Pony Tale // by Wolven5 //------------------------------// “Hoof-biting action overload!” gushed Pinkie. At the moment, she was in Ponyville Park with Twilight and Midnight, visiting during their bi-weekly magic lessons. Teacher and student pouring over a tome as Pinkie continued. “She was like a stunt superstar, flying higher and higher,” Pinkie explained while bouncing about, “and then Rainbow Dash swooped down – Swoosh! – and right before she hit the ground – Shoom! – she pulled up – VRRRMMM!” “Uh-huh,” Twilight wasn’t really listening as she and Midnight continued to read the tome. “And then! She looped around and around like,” Pinkie started twirling about in her attempt to display a visual aid, “Whoo! Whoo-whoo-whoo-whoo-whoo-whoo!” Unfortunately, she twirled a little too much, falling dizzily onto her back. “…Yeah,” Midnight wasn’t listening either. They heard an overhead whooshing and perked up just in time to see Pinkie canter off. “Phew!” Twilight was honestly relieved Pinkie had left, as she turned the page of the book. “Now, perhaps we can have some peace and quiet for your lesson.” “Aw, Twi, don’t be like that,” Midnight smiled in a good-natured way, “it was just Pinkie being Pinkie.” “I know,” Twilight said with weary understanding. “But that pony really has to cut back on the sugar. Now where were we?” “I believe we were here,” Midnight pointed out, “looking over the finer techniques of teleportation. I’m really stoked to try it out!” “Well not until you’ve done the full study,” Twilight insisted. “Even short-range teleportation can be tricky, and this is a difficult spell.” “Aw come on, Twi,” Midnight smiled, “I’ve mastered telekinesis, illumination, Hay I’ve even been practicing controlling natural elements!” “The first two are simple spells,” Twilight reminded him, “and while manipulating the natural elements shows you’re progressing, your progress as a student, as well as your safety involving the magic we practice is my responsibility.” “Aw Twilight, you do care,” Midnight smirked, earning him a telekinetic slap on the head. “Heh-hey!” “Keep that up, my faithful student and you’ll wind up in urgent care,” Twilight smirked back. “By the way,” Midnight brought up as he looked down the path, “where’d Pinkie go?” “I don’t know, but I just remembered there’s a book I wanna buy in town,” Twilight said as she stowed the tome into Midnight’s saddlebag. “Let’s go!” They made their way through town and got to the bookstore, but just before going in… “Hey Twilight, Midnight!” They looked to see Pinkie come up to them, asking, “Have either of you seen Rainbow Dash anywhere?” “Isn’t that her up there on that cloud?” Midnight pointed out, and they all looked to see a cloud just overhead, a rainbow tail sticking out of it. “Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie called out, and they saw the rainbow tail streak away, Pinkie bouncing after the direction it went. The two unicorns shared a confused look and just shrugged. Not too long later, they were in the library, Midnight listening to a lecture from Twilight when they heard the door open. “I’m –Hic! – back…” They looked and saw Spike, annoyed and hiccuping, doing his best not to breathe fire onto anything flammable, carrying one scroll. “Spike, where were you? Didn’t I ask for twenty scrolls from town hall?” Twilight asked. “It was – Hic! – Pinkie and – Hic! – Rainbow Dash,” Spike explained, holding his hand over his mouth and holding out the scroll. Midnight got up and reached to take it when… “HIC!” “Whoa!” Midnight brayed as he leaped back, getting only a few hairs on his mane singed while the scroll went up in flames and vanished in a shimmery wisp, Spike groaning and hiccuping more. “What happened?” “Oh, it was just – Hic! – a little prank – Hic!” Spike waved off, but moped, “Now I have to go back to – Hic! – Town Hall.” “I’ll take care of it,” Midnight volunteered, “You stay here so Twilight can help with those hiccups.” “Thanks, Midnight,” Twilight and Spike both thanked as he stepped out. As he stepped out of town hall with some scrolls in his bags, Midnight recalled a certain part of the story. Spike getting the hiccups from a prank by Pinkie and Rainbow… Why do I feel like I’m missing something? “Ah-choo!” Midnight looked and saw Rarity stepping past the Flower Fillies’ stalls, wearing a bonnet and sunglasses and levitating a hanky to wipe her nose with. Going over, he asked, “Hello Rarity, ya catch a cold?” “Oh no, Midnight dear,” Rarity waved off his concern. “Just a victim of a little prank.” “Pinkie and Rainbow?” Midnight asked immediately with a deadpan expression. “Oh darling, it was just a little prank,” she assured, “all in good fun.” “Hmm…” Midnight furrowed his brows. He returned to the library and found Twilight cleaning up a mess around the alchemy equipment she’d apparently set up. “Hey Twilight, I got the scrolls. Anything happen?” “Oh just our two favorite pranksters,” Twilight replied as she started outing the beakers and bottles away. “Don’t you think this is starting to get a little out of hoof?” Midnight asked with a light tone of concern. “Well, as long as the pranks are in good fun and don’t harm anypony, I don’t see a problem,” Twilight shrugged, before pointing to a paper she had on her lectern. “See that paper? And the inkwell?” The memories flashed and Midnight guessed, “Disappearing ink?” Twilight giggled, “They got me!” “Twilight, I like pranks as much as the next pony,” Midnight spoke, “but, don’t you think they’re kinda going on a binge? What if this escalates?” “Hmm, maybe you’re right,” Twilight considered, “but I have to clean this place up. Why don’t you go speak to them?” As Midnight walked through town, he considered. Let’s see, they pranked Spike, Rarity, Twilight, who’s next? …Applejack! Midnight arrived at Sweet Apple Acres and was weirded out to see so many apples colored and pattered vividly, and Applejack and Big Mac were collecting them all. “Hey everypony, what happened here?” “Aw, jus’ a little harmless tomfoolery,” Applejack explained as she dumped a basket of colored apples into a tub full of water. “Pinkie Pie and Rainbow used paints tha’ wash right off, no harm done, right, Big Mac?” “Eeyup,” the big red pony chuckled. “RAINBOW DASH!!!” They all looked down the road and saw Thunderlane flying about erratically, and fall into a nearby pile of hay. Hurrying over, the three went to investigate. “Thunderlane! Are you okay?” “No! I am not okay!” Thunderlane popped out and at once they saw he was scratching himself like crazy. “Ergh! When I get my hooves on those two…!” “I knew it!” Midnight’s brows furrowed, “Those two have gone far enough!” After asking around, Midnight found them. They were hiding behind some bushes nearby the pond, Pinkie had something in her mouth while Rainbow was looking through a telescope. “Ish shumwun ovuh ther?” Pinkie asked the rainbow pegasus. “Who’re we gonna squirt, who’re we gonna squirt?” “Nopony, if I have anything to say about it!” They looked to see Midnight, looking cross. But then Midnight gaped at Rainbow and saw the black ring encircling her eye, and quickly realized what Pinkie had done. Stifling a chuckle, he remembered why he was here, and said, “Girls, this pranking’s going too far. Pouring itching powder into Thunderlane’s cloud while he’s napping?!” “Aw, relax, it’s all in good fun,” Rainbow shrugged, “and we’re just about to get Fluttershy!” “WHAT?!” shrieked Pinkie, spitting out the thing she had in her mouth. “No-no-no-no-no, we can’t prank Fluttershy, she’s so sensitive! It would hurt her feelings, even our most harmless pranks!” “Well, that’s very mature of you, Pinkie,” Midnight said with a smirk. But he sputtered a bit when he saw Rainbow, as she frowned. “I guess you’re right,” she conceded. “We need another victim who’s made of tougher stuff.” Midnight and Pinkie shared a knowing look and continued to try and hide their giggling, Rainbow saying, “So… who’s it gonna be?” “Oh!” giggled Pinkie, “I’ve got someone in mind! Heh-heh-heh, the toughest around!” “Awesome! Who, who? Do I know them?” Rainbow asked, when Midnight pointed to her reflection in the pond. “Oh yeah!” he chuckled, “You’re really close.” Rainbow laughed it off, Midnight pointing an incriminating hoof to Pinkie. “Good one, Pinkie Pie!” She held out a hoof, the gesture that meant ‘gimme some hoof’. Pinkie tried to but Rainbow kept jerking her hoof away, and the three of them fell into a gaggle of giggles, not noticing Fluttershy looking curiously at the fake turtle on the other side of the pond. The next day, it was late morning, Midnight enjoying a walk when he saw Thunderlane in town. “Hey Thunder, feeling better?” “Yeah, those bath-salts Rarity gave me did the trick,” Thunderlane sighed, still remembering the bliss. “But I guess I can’t stay mad at Pinkie and Dash, it was a pretty good prank.” “Well, I think those two will lay off the pranks for a while,” Midnight was happy to report. But at that moment, they heard a sigh and were surprised to see it came from Pinkie, as she walked past, saying, “Hey Midnight, hi Thundy...” Seeing Ponyville’s resident party-pony looking a bit glum didn’t bode well, so they decided to talk to her. “Hey Pinks! …What’s up?” “Not me, that’s for sure,” Pinkie replied as they took a seat on a public bench. “What’s wrong?” Thunderlane asked. “Rainbow and I were gonna do some more pranks today!” Pinkie explained, “But when I showed up beneath her house, she’d made plans with another friend.” “Who, Applejack?” Midnight asked. “No, Gilda,” Pinkie said, and Thunderlane instantly looked troubled. “Gilda? As in Griffon Gilda?!” “You know her?” Midnight asked. Thunderlane sighed and said, “Yeah, from me, Rainbow, and Fluttershy's days back at Junior Speedster flight camp. Those two were tight back then, but whenever Rainbow wasn’t around Gilda was a jerk to everypony.” “How so?” Pinkie asked. “She treated all of us like dirt,” Thunderlane growled at the memories. “I tried to tell Dash but she’d never listen and always take Gilda’s side. Gilda always put up a very convincing act to make Rainbow believe her.” “Well, maybe she’s changed since then,” Pinkie suggested, “In fact, I’m gonna go catch up with them! Maybe they’ll wanna do some pranks now!” Pinkie bounced off, Thunderlane shaking his head, as Midnight asked, “Was she really that bad?” “Worse,” Thunderlane confirmed, “and I highly doubt that pussy-cat with wings has changed at all.” Later on, Midnight and Twilight were having an extra study session, when in walked Pinkie, looking like somepony had replaced the sugar in her cake with salt. “I can’t believe her!” “Is this about Gilda?” Midnight asked. “Rainbow’s griffon friend you mentioned?” Twilight asked. “That’s her! And she’s meaner than a minotaur seeing red!” Pinkie griped. “What happened?” Midnight asked. “Y’know, I thought she and Rainbow were just catching up before,” Pinkie explained, “but Thunderlane was right about her!” “Now, Pinkie, are you so sure that this friend of Rainbow Dash’s is so mean?” Twilight asked, as she perused a book. “Yeah!” Pinkie exclaimed, “She keeps stealing Rainbow Dash away, she popped my balloons, and she told me to buzz off! I’ve never met a griffon this mean. Well, actually I’ve never met a griffon at all, but I bet if I had, she wouldn’t have been as mean and grumpy as Gilda!” “You know what I think, Pinkie Pie?” Twilight spoke up, everypony look at her, “I think… well, you’re jealous.” “Jealous?!” Pinkie echoed in disbelief. “Green with envy,” Spike added as he sat at the foot of the stairs, reading a book, “well, in your case, pink with envy.” “Well, yes. Jealous,” Twilight nodded. “Listen Pinkie, I don’t wanna upset you but just because Rainbow Dash has another friend doesn’t make Gilda a grump.” “Now hold on there, Twilight,” Midnight interceded, “I don’t exactly know where of I speak, but even Thunderlane mentioned that Gilda wasn’t exactly social back when he, her and Rainbow were in flight camp, and he also mentioned Gilda put up an act so Rainbow would always believe her and take her side.” “Well, as you said, Midnight, we don’t know where of we speak,” Twilight reminded him before readdressing Pinkie, “I mean, perhaps it’s you Pinkie who needs to improve her attitude.” “Improve my attitude?!” Pinkie shrieked before blithering, trying to conjure more words of argument, but she just screamed in frustration before storming out with a loud slam of the door. Twilight, Midnight, and Spike all shared uncomfortable looks. “I don’t think you handled that well,” Midnight commented. “Just let her cool off,” Twilight responded in a blasé tone. “Actually, I think I’d better go see if she’ll be okay,” Midnight insisted, stepping out.