//------------------------------// // Cara Mia! // Story: Flying Forward // by Tofu-Monstrosity //------------------------------// “Alright, explain this to me again. What exactly happened?” To say that Twilight Sparkle was angry would be the understatement of the century. She was not angry, no, Twilight was infuriated. The fact that her breathing was normal, and her voice level clued Spike into this. Unlike other ponies, Twilight's calculating brain worked best when under high levels of stress, as this no doubt was. She and Spike had arrived back in Ponyville about an hour after they received Rarity's foreboding letter. Celestia was kind enough to lend them a carriage pulled by elite guards for their ride back. Twilight and her friends stood in the main room of the library, all of them present except the topic of their conversation, Rainbow Dash. Applejack sighed, “Pinkie and I were downstairs in Sugarcube Corner talking, while Rainbow was upstairs playing with the Cake twins. We heard a crash and ran upstairs to see a griffon take Rainbow with him.” She said for the third time. Twilight’s mind was racing, however she showed no emotion besides a slight eye twitch. This was concerning to Rarity, to whom it only seemed logical that Twilight be in hysterics now. “Is there something you’re not telling us darling?” Rarity asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence between them all. “I was called away to Canterlot to meet with dignitaries about a growing rebellion in griffon territory.” Twilight started to explain with a heavy sigh. “It appears that our old friend Gilda is leading an uprising, and is threatening Equestria with war.” She looked to her friends with concern on her face. “War? Equestria ain’t seen the likes of war in centuries!” Applejack exclaimed. Twilight nodded in agreement. “Which is why we didn’t want to proclaim war just yet. However after this, I fear we may have to.” Twilight stated, hoofing at the floor of the library while staring at them absentmindedly. Her friends looked to each other nervously. Fluttershy stepped cautiously forward. “We’re going to find her.” She said consolingly to the mare. Twilight turned away from them, her eyes were clamped tightly shut trying to hold back tears. Twilight sighed deeply and turned to her friends, this time letting a few tears fall down her face. “We’re going to Griffonstone.” She announced without taking a consensus. “Twilight, darling, you might be jumping into things a bit fast…” Rarity warned. Twilight glared at her friend. It wasn’t like Twilight to not think things through, that was more like Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow Dash has been kidnapped! What part of that don’t you understand?” Twilight snapped, her worry quickly turning into anger. Fluttershy’s ears fell back in fear and she hid behind Pinkie Pie. Applejack frowned. “You can’t just barge into the griffon kingdom like that!” She rebutted. “You’ll put us all in danger, especially if war is on the horizon!” She growled right back at Twilight. Rarity put her hoof on Applejack’s shoulder as Twilight’s tears now fell more freely down her face. “I’m sorry.” Twilight choked out, slumping to her haunches on the floor, shuddering with grief. Pinkie Pie, still silent from guilt, walked in front of Twilight and sat in front of her. She threw her forelegs around Twilight and embraced her in a hug. Twilight returned it, letting her tears flow freely now. Pinkie Pie let them soak into her fur. Applejack sighed as Rarity took her hoof off of her shoulder; Twilight’s heartbreak was shared between all of them. “Twilight, we gotta think about this.” She tried to reason against Twilight’s emotional outburst. “We can’t just barge in and rescue Dashie. Gilda will probably be expecting something like that.” Applejack reasoned. “I have to agree with Applejack, dear.” Rarity stated, fearing she sounded like Twilight when she said: “We need to come up with a plan.” “Why don’t we go to Griffonstone and ask nicely if the king knows where Dashie is?” Fluttershy piped up meekly. “Now why in the hay would he do that?” Applejack rolled her eyes. “She has a point.” Twilight clarified, slowly regaining her composure as Pinkie Pie relinquished the hug. “The king wants nothing to do with the rebellion. Maybe he knows something.” She deduced. Applejack sighed heavily. “Ah don’t like it, but it don’t seem like there’s much of a choice.” “Agreed.” Rarity added. “Would you like for me to get tickets for the train?” She asked Twilight, knowing full well the train doesn’t go to Griffonstone regularly. “No.” Twilight stood now, feeling more confident now that her friends were in agreement. “I’ll message the princess to send a carriage for us to ride in. We’ll need to be quick.” She said, walking over to her writing desk and pulling open the drawer to fetch her parchment. Instead, dozens of papers fell out, each scribbled on in childish unintelligible doodles. As the papers fell around their hooves, each of the mares could tell who exactly scribbled on them. Twilight didn’t even hesitate as she picked the paper that was the least colored to take a note to Princess Celestia. -- It was cold and damp here. She didn’t know where here was, but she already didn’t like it. When the mean griffon (as she heard Auntie Applejack call him) took her here, he just threw her into this tiny cage in a huge dark room and locked the door. She couldn’t tell how long she had been here, but she was scared. Slowly, the door of the main chamber started to slowly open, pouring light into the dim room. The sudden influx of light hurt her eyes but Rainbow could make out the silhouette of a figure in the doorway. It was a figure that didn’t look much like any pony Rainbow Dash knew. “Well, well, well, we meet again Rainbow Dash.” The figure said in a rough voice. It sounded familiar to Rainbow, who now squinted to make out who the figure was; it was like she heard it once in a dream a long time ago. The figure strode towards her with sure and confident steps. Rainbow Dash pushed herself against the back of the small cage, but it proved fruitless as the figure came into view. She looked much like the creature who kidnapped her. The griffon’s head and chest were covered in white feathers while the rest of her body was covered in brown fur. Instead of hooves she had talons on her front feet and paws on her back. Her appearance fascinated Rainbow Dash. The filly couldn’t stop staring at the beautiful glistening armor that she wore. The breastplate, shoulder guards, and arm cuffs were all ruby in color with gold accents, and she could see her reflection in it. Rainbow Dash’s mouth hung open as the creature before her captivated her. However, this silence only aggravated the griffon. “Say something!” She snapped. Rainbow Dash looked at the griffon and gazed into her gold eyes. “Who are you?” She squeaked out. This only aggravated the creature more as she let out a guttural yell. “Who am I?!” She barked, snarling. “You really messed up your head didn’t you?” Rainbow Dash furrowed her eyebrows, not understanding what the stranger was saying. “You used to be the most awesome pony I knew.” The creature continued. “You didn’t take anything from anyone. You grew into a mare, a mare I thought I knew.” The creature’s voice trembled for a moment. “Then you betrayed me. You chose your new friends over me. I was sent back to the Griffon Kingdom a laughing stock. No griffon would talk to someone who couldn’t even be friends with ponies!” She threw her head back in disgust. “Then, what do I hear? The mighty Rainbow Dash had fallen from the sky and hit her head so hard she couldn’t even take care of herself!?” The griffon pressed her face closer to the cage. “You were so pathetic that the princesses had to step in and try to fix things, but even they couldn’t fix your head.” She threw her head back and laughed. “It was too easy!” She roared. Rainbow Dash couldn’t quite process everything that was just told to her by this stranger. “You’re silly.” She said once the creature stopped her cackling. “Mommy is going to come and protect me!” Rainbow Dash stood in the cage with her signature smirk on her face. The griffon snarled, “No one will find you here Rainbow Dash!” She snapped. “I am Gilda, leader of the New Griffon Uprising and I am going to take everything from you, your friends, and the entire land of Equestria.” She snarled, frightening the filly in the cage.