The first stars of the night began to light up as Gilda flapped her wings, aiming for the peak of a nearby mountain. To a pony’s eye, the large blood-red structures that surrounded the pinnacle would seem like simple smudges against the dark earth.
‘Lionsberg. Home sweet home.’ Gilda scoffed in disgust.
While it was true that the ‘town’ housed a considerable number of griffins, you had to be an enlisted soldier to even think of living there.
‘Town, heh. More like a garrison.’
Gilda tucked her wings in and landed in front of Lionsberg’s largest building. The massive fortress was a testament to the Empire’s strength, jutting out from the side of the mountain in an almost absurd manner. Without hesitation she pushed through the double steel doors and glanced about the room. To her left, a small female griffin who looked like she couldn’t slaughter a calf managed the desk. Past the desk, a massive hallway stretched into the distance, it’s walls lined by the crest of the empire: An eagle’s claw and wings back-set by a lion’s paw.
“Name: Gilda. Rank: Soldier of Andune. Number: 46. Dragon’s gone.” Gilda said plainly as she approached the small griffin.
“Oh! Uh... yes Gilda... they’ve been looking for you I believe.”
‘Great. The last thing I need is the sergeant to be ‘looking’ for me. Probably mad as-’
“Well well well. Look who decided to show up.” A deep voice sounded from down the hallway. A massive griffin that almost doubled Gilda’s size began slowly making his way toward her, his face displaying no emotion.
The petite griffin behind the desk slipped away as the sergeant ignored her, finally stopping a few feathers away from Gilda.
“Sir!” She answered with a swift salute. “I understand that I’m late, but I’m happy to report that the dragon is gone and the land is clear for garrison!”
“Okay.” The sergeant said without emotion. “Where’s my hoard?”
‘Shoot.’
“No hoard sir.” Gilda remarked quickly, thinking on her feet. “Probably too young to even have one yet.”
Without notice the male griffin spit on her front right claw and let loose a guttural growl. “Not only are you a full day late on your mission, you’re also a damn liar!”
Usually Gilda would have followed up such disrespect with a quick punch to the head. Too bad this particular griffin would deck her in a single hit. All she could do was recoil as he continued yelling.
“Do you think I’m stupid?!” He screamed, his beak inches from Gilda’s face. “The scout that found the dragon’s cave reported back to ME personally! Gems, gold, and a single piece of treasure! SURE DOESN’T SOUND LIKE ‘NOTHING’ TO ME!!!!”
“But sir! There was a cave in! And-”
“ENOUGH!” The sergeant shouted, immediately silencing Gilda. “Andune’s advisors warned me of hatchlings like you. Little brats who would abuse the protection and good grace of the emperor all for their own benefit!”
Gilda opened her beak to speak only for the older griffin to raise his claw in front of her. “You’re relieved of duty.”
“What!?”
“Consider yourself lucky. Usually I would take you into the back and beat you to a pulp until you told me where you stashed the treasure. Sadly, with the promise of war looming on the horizon, I simply don’t have time anymore.”
“Good!” Gilda shouted in frustration, storming back towards the exit. “While you’re enjoying your war, I’ll be getting high off poison joke! Have fun dying!”
“I expect you out of the city by daybreak!” The sergeant called after her. “If I see you’re still here I’ll-”
She slammed the door shut behind her, the sudden rush of night air helping to cool her rage.
‘Hated being a little toy soldier anyways.’
Still, the sergeant’s warning was not lost on her. She had to gather up what few belongings she had and bail.
Gilda took flight and circled around the mountain. On it’s opposite face a building with multiple layers was set into the peak’s side, acting as a bare-necessities home for the griffins stationed at Lionsberg. While the structure was unique with it’s soft white coat of paint, the ever omnipresent Empire Crest was tattooed onto the once pristine surface, changing it’s perception from hospitable to hostile.
‘Probably a hospital or apartment before this sudden surge of militarism...’
The only way to enter into the compound was through the bottom. Once inside, any griffin could fly up to the storey which their room was located and find their home from there.
“Gilda.” She said as she swooped into the apartment, her perfect and swift entrance nearly frightening the old gray griffin that sat behind the counter.
“Gilda... Gilda... Ah! Here it is!” He said as he tossed her a small silver key.
The moment it was in her claws she rocketed up to the 23rd floor, where five doors were built into the mountainside. Unlocking and throwing open the second door from the left greeted Gilda with a gust of stale air. Inside, the room was much like a cave with carved rock acting as walls and a natural darkness eating away at it’s corners.
‘Dangit! Forgot to get the lighter from the clerk.’ She sighed, tapping a claw against the unlit lamp that hung from the ceiling. ‘Doesn’t matter. Not like I have much of anything to collect anyways.’
Gilda made a clean sweep of the room, starting with what little food and money she had left. Next, the bed. Neither the sheets, the mattress, nor the pillow were hers, but she took the pillow anyways. Finally, the small desk against the back wall was littered with trash. Fumbling through the mess, her claws wrapped around something thin and solid amongst the mounds of paper. Straining her eyes, the object in her grasp came into focus, bringing with it a flood of memories.
It was a picture with Rainbow Dash she had taken many years ago back at the Junior Speedster Flight camp. The two had hoof and claw wrapped around each other’s shoulder, friendly yet mischievous smiles plastered on their faces.
‘Dash...’ She growled, almost dropping the photo in her flash of anger.
Something stayed her grip though, and she swiftly threw the photo in the bag with her other belongings.
Returning to the bottom floor, Gilda left her key with the now sleeping clerk and stepped outside. For the hundredth time in her life, she was without a home.
‘Suppose I could go back to Dagger Fels. The delivery service there loved me, so getting a job wouldn’t be too hard. Ugh. So boring though. Not to mention the customers are all annoying.’
Gilda continued to sift through her options in her head, each conclusion ending with memories she would rather forget.
‘Are all of these towns as bad as I remember? Or maybe I’m just cynical?”
Before she could answer her own question, a green light in the distance caught her eye, immediately reminding her of the emerald-illuminated cave she had been trapped in with Spike not even half a day ago.
‘Not a light...’ She realized with a smile ‘but a flame! Finally! I was beginning to think he’d forgotten!’
The green flame coalesced in front of her only to quickly transform into a large pale brown parchment which floated gently into her open claws. On it’s surface, a map containing the mountain they had met in earlier was marked with a red ‘X’ with a similarly colored line connecting it to another mountain off to the south-east. At the bottom of the map, the words ‘letter on back!’ were inscribed with excellent form.
‘A dragon with good handwriting’ Gilda chuckled as she turned the parchment over. ‘Now I’ve seen everything.’
‘Dear Pri Gilda,
Hey! I’ve drawn out the location of my new cave, as you can see on the map. All you have to do is fly to the cave we met in earlier then head directly south-east. The mountain I’m in is pretty noticeable and I’ve highlighted a few landmarks to guide you along the way. Hope you drop by when you get some free time, it was nice having someone to actually talk to!
Your friend,
Spike
‘Friend?’ Gilda’s eyes lingered on the last few lines. ‘Eh. Sure. Why not.’
Looking up from the paper, the vast land known as the Central Wilds expanded until it met the horizon. Forests, mountains, valleys, canyons, rivers and lakes ruled by no pony or griffin, where no sergeants could scream at her or no clerk tell her her rent is due.
‘I suppose I could use a vacation.’ Gilda thought as she leapt from the mountainside and took off into the night.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The streams of light that had cut through to the forest floor only half an hour ago were now quickly disappearing as the sun dipped below the horizon.
For Spike, this was the end of a very very long day. Not only had he done the daunting task of finding a new home, he also had to make sure there were plenty of resources nearby. The dragon had spent from sunset to sunset exploring his cave and the surrounding environment, thoroughly pleased with himself.
‘Nearby lake? Check’
‘Plenty of wildlife? Check’
‘Nice variety of useful fauna? Check’
‘Stream?’ He thought as his large green eyes gleamed with pleasure at the sight of the flowing water. ‘Heck yeah!’
Spike folded his large purple wings and slowly descended into the trees, doing his best not to destroy his new habitat.
‘Now just to clean off a bit, then I can get some nice long slee-’
“Hey!!” A familiar voice shouted at him from above.
He looked up just in time to see a brown blur shoot through the forest canopy, landing between him and the stream.
“Gilda! Wow you made it here pretty fast!”
“Whew!” The griffin gasped as she tiredly turned towards Spike. “That flight is LONG! Coupled with all the junk I have, I wasn’t sure if I WHAT THE HECK!?”
“Is something wrong??” The dragon asked, frightened by her sudden scream.
Gilda looked at him with shock and worry. “Did the wound not close up?? Did some wild animal attack you??”
Spike looked down at his body, realizing it was coated in fresh blood.
“Oh! Uh... no.. I’m fine.”
Gilda relaxed, her worry turning into curiosity. “Then what’s with all the blood?”
“I was... hunting.” Spike said softly.
“Oh duh!” Gilda smacked her face with her claw. “Completely forgot! Dragon’s gotta eat right?”
“You don’t mind?” Spike asked, surprised.
“Huh? What’s there to ‘mind’?”
The dragon gave a sad chuckle. “I’ve spent most of my life with ponies so you could imagine the reaction they would have.”
Gilda laughed and nodded in understanding. “No worries dude! We’re natural hunters as well! Dragons and griffins are kindred spirits!”
“I can’t tell you how good it feels to hear that.” Spike said as the tension left his body.
“Just telling the truth. Anyways, what did you have in mind for the rest of the day?”
“Wash off in this stream then sleep.” He let out a loud yawn. “I’m dead tired.”
“Sounds like a perfect plan.” Gilda agreed as she stretched her wings. “That flight nearly killed me.”
Spike walked past the griffin and stepped into the river. Since it only reached up to his waist, he slowly lowered himself into the water until he lay against the current with only his head above the surface.
“Wanna join in?” Spike called to Gilda who had been watching him with a slight fascination. “Water’s warm and the current against your scales - er feathers - feels great!”
Gilda hesitated. “Eh, I’ll pass. The cold wind kept me from sweating so I feel good as new.” She lied.
“Suit yourself.” Spike shrugged, relaxing against the smooth liquid.
After a few more minutes the dragon lifted himself from the river and fanned out his wings.
“About time! Thought you had almost fallen asleep in there!” Gilda joked as she stood up and grabbed her bag.
“Almost did! Anyways, you ready?”
“Lead the way.”
Spike crouched then launched himself into the air, rapidly flapping his wings to gain altitude. Gilda followed closely behind, darting past the dragon in a matter of seconds even with her heavy load.
“Wow are all dragons this slow?!” She called out as Spike finally adjusted himself.
“Dash said the exact same thing!” He called, causing a laugh out of both of them. “Just don’t go showing off on me!”
The two joked about Dash as they flew lazily through the air, with Spike recounting the insane expectations the cyan mare had placed upon him as soon as he sprouted wings.
“You should have seen the disappointment on her face whenever I actually started flying and she realized I wouldn’t be performing a ‘Sonic Dragonboom’ anytime soon.” Spike reminisced as they landed on the entrance to his cave. “Of course the next minute she was excited again and started coming up with ways I could use my tail to do tricks.”
“Ha! That’s Dash! She may seem a little pushy at times, but she’ll always find the best in you!” Gilda shook her head. “Wish things could have turned out differently back in Ponyville.”
“I’m sure they’d forgive you if you went back.”
“Don’t worry about. At least I kicked myself out. You should be the one complaining here.”
“I try not to think about it.” Spike sighed.
“Look at us crying here. We’re supposed to be relaxing! This cave looks way better than your older one. A lot more stable too.”
“Yep! Hopefully this one won’t fall on us.”
Spike walked to the back of the cave and reached into a small cove, pulling out the brooch he had worn when they last met.
“Nice hiding place, but aren’t you afraid someone will steal it?” Gilda questioned.
“No. This brooch is enchanted so that I know where it is always. It’s a strong metal and gem, but I can’t risk them being scarred, so I keep it in the cave. If anyone ever took it, I’d simply have to take a little trip to get it back, whether it be a few miles away or to the ends of the earth.”
Gilda shuddered slightly at Spike’s last words. “I believe you.”
Spike gave her a sadistic smile, then returned to his normal self. “So how long do you plan on staying?”
“Didn’t really think that one through. How about a week?”
“Sounds great. Got anything in particular you wanted to do?”
Gilda shrugged. “I dunno. I’d really like to see how you hunt. Can’t imagine something as big and slow as you can catch anything!”
“Me hunting?” Spike hesitated. “I’m not sure...”
“Better yet, you teach me how to hunt!”
“You don’t know how to hunt?”
“Well duh, or else I wouldn’t need you to teach me!” Gilda said haughtily as she crossed her arms.
“With someone like you a week is more than enough time to teach you hunting.” Spike said as he looked Gilda over. “I guess I’ll just show you the stuff I know and how I live.”
“That plant band-aid thing was pretty cool, so if you got more where that came from I’m up for it.”
“Alright! Then it’s settled!” Spike dropped to the cave floor, bringing his front claws to rest under his head. “Anyways, I’m going to sleep. I know it’s not much, but make yourself at home.”
Gilda laid down her bag, glad to be rid of the extra weight that had been plaguing her all day. As she removed the pillow and dropped it on the floor, a soft, windy noise filled the cave signifying her companion was fast asleep.
Laying her head upon the pillow after such a long day’s work made her drowsy within seconds. Just before she faded away into sleep, a single amazing thought crossed her mind.
‘I don’t have to wake up for a drill tomorrow.’
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
‘I am the silent killer, the invisible panther in the jungle, the hunter, the PREDA-’
Gilda’s hind leg rustled against a nearby brush, startling the fox she had been sneaking up on. Before she could leap forward and attempt to give chase, the red creature had already darted off deeper into the trees.
‘Damn it’
Overhead, a strong gust separated the clumps of leaves as Spike landed in the forest beside her.
“What did I tell you?” Spike smiled. “They can hear everything. If you don’t crack a leaf, you’ll have forgotten not to breathe and they’ll catch you a mile away.”
Gilda groaned in frustration. “How do you do it? You’re almost twice my size!”
“Patience.” The dragon said slyly.
“Yeah well, I have none of that.”
“I’ll try to keep that in mind. For now, how about we take a break? You’ve been at it for hours now.”
“Agree completely.” Gilda said as she flared out her wings. “Stalking through the forest is NOT my kinda thing.”
“Follow me. You’re probably hungry by now and I got something you may or may not like.”
Spike led Gilda to a small grove he had discovered yesterday, revealing a massive bush with large, black berries hanging from it’s vines.
“Edible?” Gilda asked, eyeing the berries with caution.
“Only during the Spring and Summer.”
“Alright you got me curious now. Why aren’t they edible during the Fall and Winter?”
“During the sunny seasons, these plants want their seeds spread as much as possible so they allow all sorts of creatures to come by and eat it. During the Fall and Winter however, the plant goes into a sort of survival mode, so it turns its berries small and red. These red berries give the whole plant a poisonous effect when eaten so it remains untouched by pretty much every animal, even insects.”
Gilda looked back at the bush in amazement. “How do you know all this stuff?”
Spike gave a sad smile. “Twilight made sure to pump me full of information before I left. Her parting gift, if you will. Beside the brooch of course.”
“Let’s make sure all that cool information doesn’t go to waste then!” Gilda said as she dived into the bush and began devouring one of the large berries, stopping mid chew when she noticed her companion wasn’t joining in. “Not hungry?”
“I uh... lost my appetite for fruits a while back. Just gems and meat for me now!”
“Ah. Got ya. Thanks for showing me this by the way.” She said as she continued eating. “It’ll tide me over until I can snag some meat for myself.”
Spike paused for a second. “If you want, I can get you a kill.”
“Heck no!” Gilda waved him off. “It’s already insulting enough I have to be taught to hunt! I’ll get my reward when I’ve earned it!”
Spike nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer. “We still have a couple of hours left ‘till sundown. Do you want to try hunting again? Or we can just hang out and I can show you around some more.”
“You’re on a roll with this whole nature thing, so let’s go with that. Besides...” She continued, clenching her claws. “I don’t know if my temper could survive another hour of hunting today.”
For the rest of the day Spike and Gilda flew through the Central Wilds, a relaxing spring breeze allowing them to stay adrift without any effort. Occasionally, they would dive down to the surface, inspecting an unique piece of fauna or watching an exotic animal from afar.
“So this is what you used. I was wondering where you had gotten parchment from”
Gilda shifted the pale brown leaf around in her claws, feeling the small creases that made a web like figure across it’s surface. To anyone who simply passed their eye over the leaf, it would appear to be an everyday piece of parchment.
“What did you use for the ink?”
“The berries you ate from earlier.”
“Ha! Figures.”
Spike looked towards the setting sun, shifting his feet nervously. “Hey Gilda?”
“Yeah?”
“I need to leave you for about an hour.”
“What!? Why?!” Gilda asked in shock.
“Look just don’t worry about it.” Spike said as friendly as he could. “Meet me at the stream in about an hour!”
Before Gilda could respond the dragon took off into the sunset.
“AN HOUR! I’M COUNTING!” She shouted after him.
Gilda spent the next hour flying around the vicinity of Spike’s cave. Discovering new types of fauna and life that they had missed earlier. Eventually she found herself staring at a flower that constantly looped its color scheme between purple, blue, and red.
‘Why is this so boring all of a sudden?’ She thought as she flicked the flower with a claw. ‘Do I really need the commentary of that oversized lizard to enjoy myself?’
The griffin ended up landing by the side of the stream twenty minutes early. As the final hour of sunlight began, the forest started to darken, creating a strong feeling of growing loneliness.
‘Spike... where are you?’ Her thoughts went back to how he had left her, an awkward smile and a nervousness clear in his eyes. She had seen this countless times before, mostly at Junior Speedster Flight camp. Just when she thought she had made a new friend, they would tell her they needed to something ‘important’ and dashed off, never to be seen again. Whether it was because of how she had acted or simply because she was a griffin she’d never know.
‘Have I been abandoned? Did I do something wrong?’ Gilda began to panic, followed by a flash of rage in her eyes. ‘If he leaves me here alone, I’LL FIND HIM AND-’
“You alright Gilda?” Spike said from her side.
“WHOA! I mean, yeah. Was just falling asleep from how LATE you were.”
“Wha-? Pretty sure I’m actually a bit early...”
“I’m the one who just broke away from an on-the-dot daily routine. Believe me, it was longer than an hour.”
“Good point. Anyways, it’s almost dark. I’m going to wash up, then we can head in for the day.”
Spike once again waded into the river and positioned himself as he had done yesterday, enjoying the relaxing warm current. Gilda watched him as she shuffled her claws anxiously.
“Wanna join in?” Spike repeated the same question from yesterday. “Or do you think Turnabout Berry juice looks good on you?”
Gilda looked down at her chest, a black stain blotched across the once pristine white feathers.
“How did that get there?!”
“Looks like someone never learned their table manners.” Spike joked.
“Alright that’s it! Move your scaly butt over, I’m coming in!”
Spike moved to the other side of the stream just in time to avoid the pouncing griffin, droplets of water spraying across his face as she hit the surface.
Gilda slipped under the water only to quickly resurface a second later.
“Wow!” She gasped as she took a breath of fresh air. “It’s not as cold as I thought it would be! In fact it’s kinda warm! Feels good too.”
“Told you.” Spike said smugly. “I was worried you’d keep up those excuses and never get cleaned.”
“Excuse!? It wasn’t an- how did you-”
The dragon laughed. “Oh come on! You told me you hadn’t even broken a sweat the entire flight while you were sweating right in front of me!”
Spike’s laughter cut off as a giant wave of water was splashed into his face.
“Hey!” He looked down to see his companion hiding a snicker. Almost as if in reflex, he splashed a wave back at her.
A moment of shock came over her as she was doused, followed quickly by a malicious grin. “Now you’ve done it! En garde!”
Gilda launched herself at him, visions of their previous fight causing him to instinctively recoil. Instead of slashing at him, she wrapped her claws around his stomach and pulled the dragon underwater.
Not wanting to be bested, Spike wrestled her down with him and the two playfully fought to keep each other’s head below the surface. While Spike outmatched her in pure strength, he was surprised at how little he had to hold off against griffin.
The rushing water combined with an even match had them exhausted within minutes. Both adversaries crawled out from the river half-gasping half-laughing as they collapsed upon the bank, the last rays of light fading from the forest.
“Well.... I’m... I’m clean! Crazy tired though...” Gilda gasped.
“Same.” Spike breathed in response. “Let’s... head back to the cave and get some sleep...”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“What the heck are you doing again?” Gilda asked curiously.
Spike dug fervently into the side of the mountain, tongue hanging out in anticipation. “There are gems here! I know it, I can smell them!”
“You can smell gems?”
“Oh yeah, guess I never told you that about dragons did I?” He said as he ceased digging for a moment.
“What do they smell like? No, what the heck do they taste like?!”
Spike’s eyes lit up as he continued his digging. “Like a combination of candy and fruit! And the best thing? They’re actually good for you!”
“Good to know why your so anxious you’re nearly drooling!” Gilda jeered.
“It’s just I haven’t had some in a few days and- AHA! JACKPOT!”
Jutting out from the massive concave Spike had dug into the mountainside, hundreds of multi-colored gems sparkled against the sun and reflected across the two’s widening eyes.
“Holy cow.” Gilda breathed.
“It’ll take a lot of the day for me to ferry these between here and my cave. If you want to just chill out you can... huh?”
Spike was surprised as the griffin reached over and pulled out an armful of gems. “Didn’t you just want to relax?”
“Things change. Deal with it.” She jabbed, then quickly smiled at Spike. “Now let’s get these gems back to the cave!”
Gilda took off towards his cave, leaving Spike with a small grin on his face.
After they had ferried the clump of gems, Spike left Gilda alone once more despite her loud protesting.
‘Now I’m getting curious. What the heck is he doing?’
When the dragon returned, she once again reprimanded him for being late as they cleaned themselves in the stream. The strain they had put on their bodies throughout the day washed off as they relaxed and enjoyed the warm water.
Gilda whistled as they touched down at the mouth of the cave. “Dang we did good work today.”
An enormous pile of gems now laid at the back of the cave, making Spike’s mouth water. “Thanks for all the help Gilda.”
“Don’t mention it! This was nothing compared to a drill anyways!” She said as she fluffed her pillow.
Spike began to lay down for sleep before a large blue gem caught his eye. Technically there was nothing unique about this particular gem compared to the rest in the pile, but something about it awoken a feeling inside of him he hadn’t felt for a long time.
‘Where have I seen this before...?’ Spike thought, struggling to remember.
“Gilda?” He called as he plucked the gem from the pile.
The griffin was just about to flop down on her pillow when he turned around to face her.
“Yeah?”
“I want you to have this.”
Spike passed the gem carefully into Gilda’s claws, causing her to grin.
“For all that hard work huh?” She chuckled. “I though I told you not to mention it!”
“No.” Spike said, trying to find the right words. “For just... being here. Just being you.”
The gem in her claws had seemingly transformed as she glanced down at it again. No longer was it a simple pretty light blue, but a radiant and luminescent ocean that shifted in her gaze and breathed a warm wind against the cool night air.
“T-thanks Spike. It’s... ‘Cool? Awesome?’ …beautiful.”
Spike opened his mouth to respond, but the peaceful silence that had risen between the two urged him to remain quiet. He instead went to the back of his cave and laid down, giving Gilda one last smile before closing his eyes.
Even as a soft snoring rumbled through the cave, Gilda’s eyes were still entranced by the gem between her claws.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
‘I’ve got you now!’ Her thoughts were a wildfire as Gilda shot out from the brush at her prey.
The moment the tip of her beak exited the foliage, the deer she was hunting raced off into the forest, disappearing into the trees.
“URRRRRRRRRGH!” She growled, slamming the ground.
“Almost! But not quite!” Spike said from behind her.
“That was perfect! Tell me what I did wrong!?”
“You need patience. You have the stealth, you have the speed, now just wait for the opportune moment. If you had just waited a few more minutes for the deer to start grazing, you would have had a perfect opening.”
Gilda began to complain, then shut her beak when she realized he was right.
“Again?” Spike asked.
“No. If I missed another today I’d rip the Central Wilds in two.”
“Alright then! Turnabout Berries it is!”
“Another joke like that and I’ll chuck those berries at your head!” Gilda joked, causing both of them to laugh as they took off.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The whole day had been spent hunting, leaving Gilda’s whole body aching after constant stalking through the forest. All of her pain disappeared however as she sat on her haunches next to Spike, gazing up at the stars at the exit to his cave. She had always taken them for granted, but now, here, they stretched across the sky, a map of her past life and a vague prophecy of her future.
“You were so close today.” Spike said in support. “I think tomorrow’s the day.”
“I’m not one to disappoint.” Gilda smirked in response.
Looking back towards the stars, nostalgia overwhelmed her as she remembered back to her childhood.
“You know, all of this hunting and star gazing reminds me of my grandfather.” Gilda reminisced. “He would always sneak me out of the house and take me star-gazing during the night. Then he would tell me about how griffins used to live in caves and hunt.”
“Wow. Where is he now?”
“He passed away when I was a teenager.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be!” Gilda said with a sad smile. “Since my parents never gave me any attention, I was never given the dreadful opportunity of taking him for granted. I still remember during his last days he would always tell me ‘I’ll tell the gods to keep a lookout for you when I get up there!’”
“Gods??” Spike asked, his interest piqued.
Gilda looked away shyly. “It’s nothing. Just some stories he used to tell me about different griffin gods and goddesses and how they would come down sometimes to visit the earth."
“Can you tell me about them? If you don’t mind of course.”
“Oh, sure.” She said, surprised that Spike hadn’t scoffed at the idea. “There’s Andune, who is the leader of the gods, Beckaning, the controller of the weather, Terrascar, who shapes the earth..”
Gilda recounted with near perfect accuracy the names her grandfather had passed onto her, leaving a description for each which she explained in excitement.
“... Carniven, the god of war and...” She hesitated. “Gilda, the goddess of the hunt.” She said softly.
Spike’s eyes widened and he turned to look at the griffin, her head down as she looked away from the dragon.
“I know, it’s funny.”
“Not at all.” Spike said strongly. “Every race has their own legacies, their own beliefs to teach.”
“Thanks Spike.” Gilda turned back towards him. “It’s just... growing up with around all of those ponies... they’d always laugh at me whenever I brought that stuff up. Ponies have Celestia and Luna, living proof of their beliefs and stories. We griffins have... nothing.”
“And that’s amazing.”
“Huh?”
“Where’s the fascination, the hope, the imagination when your goddess is just standing there in plain view?” Spike questioned. “Besides, ponies? They live in their own little world where they control the weather, nature, the earth...everything! What about out here? Outside of Equestria? I can see a griffin god shaping the earth or a goddess stalking her prey through the forest.”
Gilda failed to respond, awed by the dragons words.
“As for the name? I think we can both agree you’ve earned it.”
“Not yet.” Gilda said with determination. “But tomorrow I plan to fix that.”
Spike nodded, the power of her statement still ringing through his ears. “I believe you.”
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
‘Wait for it Gilda.’
The buck stopped in the middle of the grove, looking around cautiously. Gilda’s mind screamed for her to simply leap out and grab it, but she silenced herself and stayed in place.
As if teasing her, the buck trot throughout the grove several times over, stopping every few feet to sniff the air.
‘Come on EAT!’
Satisfied with his search of the area, the buck knelt down and began nibbling on upon the leaves of a nearby bush.
‘You’re mine.’
Gilda snapped out of the bush, catching the buck as he was raising back to his hooves. Before the deer could even begin to struggle, she swiftly sunk her beak into it’s neck, causing it to go instantly limp in her claws.
“YESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!” She shouted in triumph dropping the carcass and throwing her arms into the air.
“Well, you were right.” Spike said, clapping as he came up behind her. “You didn’t disappoint. Not only did you get your first kill, it was a full grown buck at that!”
The griffin had the biggest smile on her face as she looked up at Spike, then back to the buck. “Now to enjoy the reward! Shall we?”
“What?”
“You were the one who taught me how to hunt, so you get some of the meat!”
“Uh... no thanks. I’m not hungry.”
Gilda cocked her eyebrow at the dragon. “Hmph. Fine. More for me then.”
As she dived into the carcass, savoring the taste of fresh meat and licking the blood from her beak, she noticed Spike gazing at the buck with wanting eyes, his mouth hanging slightly open.
“You sure you’re not hungry?”
“What? Oh yeah! Not hungry at all! Hey, I gotta leave you for an hour, meet me at the-”
“AGAIN!?” Gilda shouted. “You do this everyday! Just what the heck are you doing?”
“Stream. Hour.” Spike responded, taking off into the sky.
‘Oh no you don’t.’
Gilda paused to create some distance between her and Spike, then leapt into the air and began scouting. Off in the distance, a purple blur against the clear blue sky was quickly fading from view.
‘Gotta stay low, just above the trees so he doesn’t see me.’
She followed the dragon until he descended into the forest then swooped below the trees herself. Utilizing the same techniques Spike had taught her over the week, she stalked through the forest, not a single twig cracking under her stabilized weight, not a single brush rustling as she slipped through the foliage.
Finally, the purple dragon came into view. Through the clearing of trees, Gilda had a perfect view of Spike as he moved through the forest. The sight made her shudder. Despite being twice her size, he moved like liquid through the brush, his eyes fixated on his target: A wild boar eating a bush of Turnabout Berries only a few paces away.
Just as he was beside the boar, it froze, instinct telling it to run like crazy while also instructing it to eat. A few days ago, Gilda would have wondered why Spike didn’t attack right then.
Spike waited until the boar went back to eating then quickly sprung from the brush, snapping the squealing boar up with his powerful jaws. A moment later, a loud crack rang through the forest and the boar fell silent.
‘Not bad... not bad at all!’
Gilda began clapping as she approached the dragon, causing him to wheel around in shock.
“You didn’t disappoint. That was impressive! Now why did you have to leave me behind to do this? Afraid I might mess you up?”
Spike sighed, laying the boar against the ground. “No. I just... didn’t want to be seen like this.”
“What?” Gilda asked, not expecting such an answer. “I thought we went over this! I’m cool with you eating meat! Heck, I just downed a buck myself!”
“I know! But it’s me! I’m not fine with myself eating meat!”
“I don’t understand.”
“Remember what I said about having to leave Ponyville because Celestia made me? She didn’t just make me leave randomly!”
“What did you do then??”
“Fluttershy, the yellow shy pegasus. You might have met her during the party?”
Gilda’s mind wandered back to her final day with Rainbow Dash, cringing as she remembered her encounter with the shy pony. “Uh, yeah I remember her.”
“I had been hunting in the Everfree without anypony noticing, so as time went on, I got more and more reckless, hunting closer and closer to Ponyville. Fluttershy was walking through the forest, looking for herbs and she... she saw me.”
“And with her crazy love of animals...” Gilda continued, piecing the puzzle together.
“Right. She was scared and ran to the library, basically trying to convince Twilight that I had become her worst fears: A dragon that endlessly gorged on any animal smaller than itself.”
“Why that little...!”
“Please don’t hold it against her Gilda.” Spike said softly. “If she had known it would lead to my banishment, she wouldn’t have said anything.”
“I won’t.” Gilda said with a nod.
“Twilight wrote out a letter and had Dash fly it to Canterlot. By the time I returned to Ponyville, Celestia was already at the library waiting for me. I confessed everything, how I’d been hunting for months, how I HAD to eat meat now and gems alone would make me sick. After a night of consideration, she gave me a few days to say my goodbyes.”
“But why do you feel so guilty that you have to hide your hunting from me?”
A small shaking overtook the dragon’s body. “The look of horror on Fluttershy’s face... the fear all of my friends had of me the first few hours after the incident... I just...”
“Spike, I can never understand what it feels like to be cast out for something you can’t even change. But I want you to know that out here, there aren’t any princesses constantly watching you, no ponies you have to be careful with, no impossible rules you have to struggle to obey. The only other being here is me, and I’ve already told you that I’m more than ok with who and what you are.”
Spike calmed down and stopped shaking as he took a breath to relax. “I just never want to have to go through those first few weeks of being alone. I had lost everything... all of my friends... everyone I loved...”
Before her companion could fall back into depression, Gilda instinctively stepped forward and gently wrapped her claws around the dragon’s stomach.
“For what it’s worth, you have me now.” She whispered, resting her head upon his warm chest.
Spike’s dim eyes immediately lit up into a fiery emerald as the griffin embraced him. Without wasting another second, he placed both of his claws between her neck and shoulders, pulling her closer.
“Worth more than I could have ever dreamed of.” He whispered back.
Any awkwardness the sudden affection had brought along with it immediately dissipated, igniting a fire
within Gilda she had never felt before.
“Gilda?”
“Yeah?”
“Please... don’t leave tomorrow.”
“Me leaving is the last thing you need to worry about.” She said softly, rubbing her head against him.
Neither of them had to speak another word, their simple embrace conveying the thousands of thoughts, emotions, and feelings that they had gained for each other over the past week
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Celestia rubbed her temple with one of her hooves in frustration as the haughty griffin left the throne room with his beak turned in the air.
“Scribe.” She called out, her tired tone betraying her royal image.
“Yes, my princess?” A lowly earth pony answered from the foot of her throne.
“Put it on record that relations with the Griffin Kingdom are now top priority.”
A small scribbling held the dead silence that threatened to grip the room at bay. “It is done.”
“I was also promised an update on R&D #4’s project.”
“Yes my princess, I have it on record that, despite a bit of struggle at the start, positive results have started to show from the majority of the test subjects. Estimation time is set for either a few more days to a full week.”
Celestia breathed a small sigh of relief.
‘Finally, a bit of goods news.’