Dove And Hawk
The grove of timberwolves growled at Gilda.
Obviously, she sneered right back. Man these guys were stupid. And talk about thick-headed.
They had, like, two emotions at best.
Hey, about that. Being that dumb was pretty odd, you know? Even rabbits were smarter than that. Maybe that's the price you have to pay for being part tree. Mmkay, then. So, becoming a plant was probably not a good deal to make, no matter the fringe benefits. Good to know.
The gryphon gave a thoughtful hum as the wolves surrounded her.
Luckily, the stupid bark-brains did feel loyalty. They had a strong desire to see something as an Alpha, the head of a pack. Yeah, it was kind of a weird emotion for a mobile plant to have, but whatever. It wasn't like Gilda cared, was it? Timberwolves just had an urge to obey their leader.
Heh.
That leader was supposed to be a wolf.
The feather glowed as Gilda laughed. She laughed, and the forest cowered.
"So, the Element should have fallen around here, right?" Dash hovered uncomfortably close to Rarity, who was doing her level best to examine the map. Unfortunately, feathers kept getting in the way.
It would be rude to comment on somepony else's lack of manners, though.
"Ahem. It appears so, dear. Yes." The unicorn rolled up the scroll and tucked it into her criminally fashionable saddlebag. "Would you mind taking a quick look around, Rainbow? It would be awfully helpful. Look for some sort of impact crater."
"You got it!" Grinning, the pegasus spread her wings open and vaulted upwards, barely avoiding a street-sign and an innocent pedestrian. Oh, honestly, that girl was an absolute menace. She really did need to be more careful where she flew. Not everypony was as indestructible as Twilight or Pinkie.
While Dash surveyed the area, Applejack leaned against a sculpted wall with an unladylike grunt. "Hey, now. Are we lookin' for a tiny trinket in a great honkin' city, then? Ain't that a mite tricky?" she drawled.
Rarity shook her head. "Not as much as you'd think. The Elements were going rather fast, so the impacts should have been quite noticeable. Or, at least, that's what Twilight said. And I'm sure that mare knows what she's talking about."
She paused. Of course, there was that time with the … and that time with those … Hmm, yes. Perhaps they should be slightly more careful with her advice.
Watching their pegasus companion wobble around for a while, Rarity had just been about to look for a place to sit when Rainbow hurtled back down towards them. That's right, hurtled. The poor dear seemed quite uncertain of her trajectory. Even the landing was far too sudden and awkward to be comfortable.
Looking annoyed but unhurt, the cerulean mare spread her wings to examine them more closely.
"Something wrong, Rainbow?" Rarity asked.
A panicked glance and a brittle smile greeted her. "Uh, no, nothing at all! Everything's fine!"
Hah! The pegasus was 'fine', her flank! Er, pardon her Flanche. No, under that paper-thin coating of bravado, Dash seemed to be quite worried indeed. Of course, Rainbow's wings happened to be crucial to both the other mare's hopes and her livelihood. The Wonderbolts, weather-maintenance, even her special talent …
No, don't pry, dear. The unicorn carefully avoided what promised to be a sensitive subject. "Did you catch a glimpse of the surroundings, then?"
"Oh! Yeah, there's a bunch of holes everywhere! I thought there was supposed to be just one?" the pegasus complained, folding her wings.
Rarity blinked, before nodding thoughtfully. "Perhaps a few pieces of rubble were thrown around. That would only be a problem this close to the castle, of course. Well. That makes this much harder. I suppose we have no choice but to visit them all," she muttered. Creasing her brow, she tried to consider their options with care.
"Sounds like this might take a while," Applejack sighed.
Dash despondently kicked at a loose stone. "I guess. What a pain."
The unicorn came to a decision. "Very well, then. We'll need to record the locations of those craters. Rainbow, if you would?" Rarity cheerfully levitated a pen to the pegasus, who groaned, but accepted the writing implement in her mouth.
With obvious difficulty, the sportsmare carefully sketched out the locations of the crash-sites she had seen from above. Peering over her shoulder, the fashionista frowned at one in particular. Was that place … ? Surely not. The world would not be so cruel.
"Rainbow, darling, was this crater on the roof of that building?" Rarity tapped the map with a hoof.
"Hmuh? Mnah, iht … ptah!" The pegasus spat out the pen. "Blech, tastes like squid. Um, nah, something crashed through the skylight. Lotta shouting going on inside." Dash chuckled.
Right. Even though that sounded quite amusing, Rarity still grimaced. You see, she happened to know which stuck-up aristocrat lived in that particular penthouse apartment. Prince Blueblood. Gossip travels like nothing else, and the magazines she liked to read were always quite liberal in their details. Besides which, the unicorn could admit to herself that she had been rather obsessed with the idea of royalty. That had not ended well.
If there was the slightest chance an Element was there, that could mean she'd have to associate with that mannerless boor of a stallion once again.
No, Rarity wasn't particularly happy with that idea.
"Let's leave that one until last, shall we? That building has a lot of stairs, after all," she extemporized, hoping the others would buy it.
"Eh, whatever." Rainbow shrugged.
Applejack seemed similarly unconcerned. "Yeah, Ah don' really mind. Ah know ya don' like walkin' that much."
Why, the nerve! How rude. Just because something was true didn't mean one had to say it!
Still, perhaps it was a good thing for Rarity's friends to think her lazy. Better than having them pry into her extremely unsuccessful love-life. Goodness knows where that would lead, especially if Pinkie caught a whiff of it. That mare had no concept of restraint, or privacy. Nor, come to think of it, solitude, melancholy, composure, or sugar-free foods.
In sum, keep up the mask, and don't let your feelings show. It's all for a good cause, dear. All for a good cause.
"Yes. That is exactly the reason why I do not wish to go there unless we must. Thank you for your understanding." Rarity stretched her cheeks into a rictus of a smile. "Well, then. Let us get going!"
Twilight hated dirt. She always ended up eating the stuff. Metaphorically, that is.
Well alright, occasionally it happened literally. Like now.
It tasted terrible.
She'd get up, but she simply couldn't. How strange! Usually this amount of magic wouldn't tire her out so drastically. Come on, a few teleports? Okay, that was more than a normal unicorn could manage, but princess Celestia had told Twilight that worrying about efficiency was never going to be an issue for her. In fact, the unicorn hadn't been this tired in years! Perhaps she was still drained from the fight with Discord.
Oh, that must be it. The Elements were involved, so who knows what could have happened? Shenanigans, probably, the cheeky little things. They seemed to enjoy making thaumaturgical physics go and cry in the corner. Heh, that was a funny image.
Was Pinkie still talking?
"… and so I told him we weren't that kind of store, but he didn't listen at all! So I got out my …"
Yes she was. In this kind of situation, Twilight almost welcomed the earth-pony's antics. They made a useful distraction from her sharply reduced magical ability. From the loss of her special tal—
No. Don't think about it. Just listen to the soothing sound of Pinkie-babble. That's right.
Wait, what? That was totally inaccurate.
Sorry, hold on.
"Er, Pinkie? That's not just incorrect, it's technically illegal. You're not qualified to promote ponies. You're not even qualified to receive a promotion. Fluttershy isn't a soldier, and you're not an officer." Twilight tried to explain herself clearly. Speaking slower usually helped.
Pinkie folded her forelegs stubbornly. "I am, too! I'm a Chancellor!"
Usually.
"… That was just a play, Pinkie. It wasn't real," the unicorn pointed out, while massaging the painfully tender skin around her eyes.
"Then what is real?" the baker gasped.
Twilight sighed. "This … I don't … No. Sorry, Pinkie. I'm not going to debate existential philosophy with you when we're trying to save the world." The librarian slumped back down to the comforting dirt. Arguments with the exuberant earth-pony always ended up confusing both of them. Two different world views colliding.
"Then let me promote Fluttershy!" the perplexing pink pony in question insisted.
"Ugh, fine. Whatever," Twilight mumbled. Her headache was more pressing, anyway.
"Private Pansy!" Pinkie bellowed incredibly loudly.
"Fluttershy," corrected the pegasus.
"Private Fluttershy! Ten huts!"
The yellow mare complied as best she could.
Well, okay. They were pretty good drawings. Twilight would give them an eight out of ten, if she was grading them. Could have done with more style, and the fourth from the left was architecturally unsound, but not bad for a rush job.
"I hereby authorita-tatively promote you to Medical Officer Super Private!" Pinkie stroked her un-bearded chin in a suspiciously beard-stroking manner. "First Class," she added, as if that somehow made a difference in any regard.
Fluttershy squealed with joy at the ornate, and utterly fictitious title.
Twilight resolved to heal as fast as possible.
_______________________________________________
Stirring up a breeze with her wings, Fluttershy gently floated back down.
"Um, I … I didn't see any craters at all, Twilight. Sorry," the newly-promoted pegasus apologized.
"Okay. It's certainly not your fault, Fluttershy. But I just don't understand." Twilight worried her bottom lip, theories flashing through her mind. "Were my calculations wrong?"
A cotton-candy mane twirled around its owner's hoof, presumably sparking an idea. "Hey, maybe somepony caught it before it hit the ground! In a giant catchy-mitt!"
Huh. Well, ignoring the last part of her answer, Pinkie made a valid point. "Yes, I suppose that is possible. Catching it, I mean. But you may have noticed that ponies have trouble catching anything, let alone when the target is traveling at such high velocities. At that point, a mouth isn't going to cut it. No, any hypothetical culprit would have to be a pegasus in flight to even stand a chance, considering their superior reflexes and the obvious utility of a much longer distance to decelerate in. However, the closest pony settlement is halfway back to Canterlot, so … the point is pretty much moot."
And it looked like Pinkie was somehow confused at her incredibly clear and concise answer.
Oh, what more do you want? It didn't get much simpler than that!
Fluttershy blinked. "So nopony lives here at all?"
"Not really. Technically, this is a disputed area bordering on Gryphon Kingdom territory, so settlers …" Twilight paused. Then she gasped. "A gryphon! Of course, a gryphon could catch it! They frequently fly over here!"
"Ah, like Monsieur Gustave? He was very nice. I did so like his éclairs." The yellow pegasus smiled at the memory.
"Yeah! They were super-yummy! So we just need to find a gryphon, right?" Pinkie looked like she wanted to whip out a magnifying glass and deerstalker hat.
No. That particular scenario had to be stopped at all costs. The baker's deductions were almost always mind-bogglingly wrong.
Instead, Twilight turned to the pony who could actually provide information. "Fluttershy?"
"Oh, of course! I'll ask the little animals if they saw anything." With a fluid flick of her wings, she floated back into the air.
"Be careful!" a crestfallen Pinkie shouted. The pegasus happily waved a hoof in response.
As Fluttershy flew upwards, Twilight took the time to examine the earth-pony out of the corner of her eye. There was something suspicious about her friend. After a few seconds, the unicorn had formulated a rudimentary hypothesis.
The twitchiest of all the ponies she knew … wasn't twitching.
It was sort of depressing how the absence of a symptom could be a cause for worry, but it was a legitimate concern! In all the time Twilight had known Pinkie, the hyperactive party-pusher had never stopped moving. She never slowed down, she never got tired, and she always, always twitched. Even while sleeping.
Now she looked oddly calm, comfortable in her skin for once in her life. For any other pony, that level of tranquility would have been normal.
On Pinkie, it looked terrifying, and for very good reason.
Twilight bit her hoof in thought.
If the unicorn admitted it to herself, she had recently become a little too dependent on the ridiculously-useful but poorly-named 'Pinkie-sense'. Heck, by paying close attention to the type and volume of the earth-pony's twitches, Twilight could actually begin to predict the immediate future. Sometimes before Pinkie knew it herself. An 'itchy nose' for wild animals, a 'pinchy knee' for scary situations, the categorization made an odd kind of sense once you learned the code. It was all in the combinations. After many secret tests, the librarian had gathered enough data to write a really excellent essay. She had turned it in for extra credit in her lessons. The princess had given it an 'A'.
But back to Pinkie. For the baker, those signals never stopped. The mare had obviously learned to tune out most of the minor stuff, but when something was about to fall, her overly-curly tail twitched like clockwork. It happened every time, without fail.
The unicorn shuddered to think what a total lack of information would mean to the other pony. Something she took for granted, just gone. Like Twilight's magi—
Stop it. That was temporary. Get a grip.
Right. Anyway, psychologically speaking, the librarian had noticed Pinkie trying to boost their little group's morale. Especially Fluttershy's.
True, that was how the saccharine baker usually reacted to any given crisis. 'Giggle at the Ghostly' was her default setting. Laughter was such a fitting trait for her, that it sometimes became hard to tell apart her moods. Was she really happy, or just pretending? Angry or just faking it? Scared or totally fearless?
But this? No, this looked serious.
Because Pinkie looked serious. And somehow, that just seemed wrong.
"So …" Twilight subtly fished for information. "Is it your Pinkie-sense?" For a given value of 'subtle'.
"Huh?" A blank stare.
Yeah, that didn't work. She'd have to be even blunter than that.
"You, er, seem distracted," the unicorn tried to mention casually. "Is your Pinkie-sense acting up?"
"Oh! Nope, I haven't felt anything odd," the earth-pony denied. The statement seemed almost believable. Almost.
Twilight kept her eyes skyward, pretending to watch Fluttershy whizzing around. Even ready for it, she almost missed the next statement. That was because the words were uncharacteristically soft. Hesitant, even. It was a very unusual tone for the party-maniac.
"That's the problem," Pinkie muttered under her breath.
Oh dear. Hypothesis confirmed.
Then Twilight was startled from her thoughts when twigs and leaves began to fall down from the treetops.
"Aah!" A distant cry echoed.
The unicorn stood up, the horror on Fluttershy's far-off face finally registering. "Something's gone wrong," she breathed.
"Fluttershy!" Pinkie shouted. "What happened?"
Quickly landing, the pegasus galloped straight over to the startled earth-pony. Burying her face in the other pink mane, the yellow mare began to cry softly.
"F-Fluttershy?" Twilight felt horribly out of her depth. Curse her social ineptitude! "Are you hurt? Injured in any way?"
Pinkie hugged the distraught pony back. With time, Fluttershy's sobs slowly turned to hiccups. Two teary eyes lifted to meet the librarian's gaze. "I … I can't … I can't understand the animals anymore!"
Crowds began to gather as Luna carefully descended into Ponyville.
She had to be cautious with her injuries. It was true that most of the burnt patches on her coat had mended already, healed by her nature as an alicorn. However, several remnants of her battle with Celestia remained. Her mane was lightly crisped. Her skin was new, tender, and raw. At least two of her ribs were still broken. No, Luna wasn't at her best, but at least she no longer appeared to be at death's door.
Then a chorus of gasps sounded out as Disorder flopped to the ground behind her. "I … much prefer teleporting … myself," he gasped.
Luna shot him a glare. "As do I. 'Tis unfortunate then, that neither of us have the power left to do so. If only one of us was not forced to do battle with her own sister," she acidly replied. She might have been holding the slightest of grudges. The slightest.
Disorder rolled over to grasp at his heart. "Oh! My poor emotions! You wound me, my dear. No, it's hardly my fault that you remain injured. I could have easily restored you to full health, had I not been attacked so viciously, in a most unwarranted manner." He smirked.
She cracked. Shoving her face into his, Luna forced the disgusting creature to blink in shock. "Unwarranted? You are scum, Discord. Ruthless, uncaring, hateful scum. So for once in your worthless life, why not take some blasted responsibility?" she hissed. "It would make an interesting change."
"Yes, yes, responsibility taken," the draconequus laughed easily. "Excuse my rudeness, Princess."
She forced her grimacing face into a neutral expression, and turned to the whispering townsfolk. It was useless to try and reason with a psychotic. Besides, she needed to manage the crowd. The ponies were becoming restless.
Wait, was … was that a dragon? It was young, but it looked familiar, somehow.
Never mind. "Ponies of … Ponyville!" she fumbled. Curse it. A good first impression, wasted. What a foolish name for a town. "We request your aid in a matter of national importance! Can anypony inform us of the location of an impact crater nearby? Two incredibly dangerous items crashed somewhere around this locale."
There was no clear answer until a large red stallion pushed to the front of the muttering crowd, nodding seriously at the injured gods. "Sweet Apple Acres," he slowly explained. Admirably concise, the fellow seemed to be.
Luna put on her best official smile. "Excellent! We ask for your help in locating this area. Is that acceptable?"
It took the oversized pony at least ten seconds to nod twice. Ah. The farm-pony might have been concise, but he certainly wasn't in a hurry. "Eeyup," he added, after some thought.
The princess forced herself not to scowl. "Very well," she said. "Lead the way."
"Applejack, darling!"
"Hm?" The farmer turned to see Rarity picking her way slowly across the rough cobblestones. "Somethin' wrong?"
The unicorn huffed, sweeping her mane back. "Oh, honestly! You can't just wander off, dear. Rainbow isn't back yet! If we leave now, we might never find her again in this crowd."
Whoops. Applejack sat back down under Rarity's piercing stare. Well, shucks. Now she felt pretty darn guilty.
Before long, Dash trotted back to the group, shaking her head. The unicorn leaned over to whisper in Rainbow's ear as the pegasus scribbled out a circle.
Wonder what they were talking about?
The cerulean mare joined glares with Rarity, to form some sort of terrifying double-glower, pointed straight at the earth-pony. "Wait, AJ? You were seriously just gonna leave without me? Yeah, that's really not cool."
Okay, Applejack had to admit, she messed up. Walking away without a backwards glance was a pretty rude thing to do. Especially to the Whatsit of Loyalty. She should probably apologize.
The farmer rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Um, sorry, Rainbow. Ah guess Ah got a little antsy. Didn't mean t'leave ya behind, or anything."
Dash snorted irritably. "Seriously? I was gone for, like, five minutes. You couldn't wait that long?"
"Ah guess? Mah bad. Thought you'd be back quicker. Was there a reason why you didn't use yer wings? Cuz, Ah coulda done it, if there weren't no flyin' involved." The farmer noticed Rarity wince at her comment, and busy herself with the paper and quill. That was kinda weird.
Rainbow took a step back in shock. "A-are you saying I'm no good without my wings? I'm just as fast as you!"
What? That wasn't what Applejack meant at all! She was offering to help! Dagnabbit. There she was, shoving her hoof in her mouth, as usual. She was just about to clear up the misunderstanding when Rarity gasped.
"Goodness," the mare blinked guilelessly. "When did you have wings, Applejack? Did Twilight do that lovely butterfly spell again?"
This was getting confusing, now. "Uh, what? Rarity, Dash said that." Wasn't that obvious? You can't get that kind of thing mixed up! Something fishy was going on.
"Oh, sorry, dear." The dressmaker seemed unfazed by her mistake, turning back to the map. "I wasn't looking, and your voices really do sound very similar." Sure, Rarity. Thanks.
No, hang on, that tale was just plain old hogwash! Her and Rainbow sounded nothing alike. Who was that unicorn trying to fool?
The infuriated pegasus threw up her forelegs in anger. "Great! Yeah, I'm totally replaceable! Just slap a rainbow wig on your head, and then who needs Rainbow Dash? Nopony!" Boy, she was sure getting worked up over nothing. This needed some damage control.
The earth-pony put on her most comforting sheep-herding voice. "Now, calm down there, sugarcube. You'll always have something you do better than everypony else. That's what cutie marks are for, remember? You'll never lose your special talent." Not that Applejack could remember what it was. Lightning? Something like that.
Gah! Woah, now Dash looked really mad! Was it something the farmer had said?
"Y-you! You really—" Rainbow turned away, scrubbing at her eyes. With a heavy swallow, the last remnants of tears were replaced with fire. "Well, w-who cares what you think? I don't! You're just a dumb earth-pony! A … at least I have wings!"
What.
A nervous laugh came from the sidelines. "Well-have-fun-talking-but-I-think-I-see-the-next-crater-bye!" Rarity took her chance to make a break for it.
Yup. That was probably wise.
With a stony expression, Applejack held eye-contact with Rainbow. The furious pegasus was pawing the ground, and absolutely spoiling for a fight. At the moment, the farmer felt really inclined to oblige her.
"Y'know, Granny Smith used t'say that the Apple family don't need no fancy horns or wings t'be great. We haven't had a pegasus or unicorn born in generations o' Apples. Jus' solid backs 'n strong hooves. So any insult t'earth-ponies is the same as insultin' mah entire family. Every last one of 'em." Applejack spat. "Now, Ah don't mind if you call me a few names. That's fine, Ah've got plenty thick skin. But nopony; nopony insults mah family."
Feathers flew.
"Oh, come on, Fluttershy. You'll have to walk on your own sometime." Twilight was clearly getting exasperated. "Pinkie can't carry you forever."
"It's … alright!" the burdened baker wheezed. "I … don't … mind!"
Fluttershy shook her head tearfully, from her position curled up on the earth-pony's back. No, Twilight was right. It wasn't fair for Pinkie to have to carry her just because she was miserable. She was being a burden again. She should go.
Slowly, the pegasus stretched out her wings, and was shocked when the air suddenly moved.
In the blink of an eye, she was swept upwards in a perfect spiral, almost reaching the treetops in her unexpected ascent. The mare froze, expecting a painful crash when she landed. But when she cracked open her eyes, she was floating gently back down to the ground, eventually landing safe and unharmed.
What was that? She had only opened her wings! She hadn't even started to flap!
"W … wh … wow, Fluttershy!" Pinkie bounced right back up from being forcefully pressed into the forest loam. "That was super-duper flying!"
The pegasus stepped back slightly, fighting down a blush. She'd never been complimented on her flying before. Surely the earth-pony was just being nice. "R-really?" Fluttershy squeaked.
"Yu-huh!" the party animal confirmed, beaming widely.
"But the wing-movement couldn't … Hmm." Twilight looked strangely contemplative. "Fluttershy, I hate to do this while you're so upset, but can I ask a favor of you?"
"Oh, of course!" She agreed immediately, glad for the diversion. "I'm happy to help!"
The unicorn nodded. "Then, could you try lifting Pinkie into the air?"
Fluttershy looked over to her pink friend, who sniggered, and dutifully held up her forelegs. "Um, okay?"
What a strange request. It was probably impossible, anyway, seeing as she could barely lift Rainbow Dash on a good day. This would be much more difficult, as an earth-p … Woah!
"Wheeee!" Pinkie laughed in her trembling grip, easily suspended in the air.
Twilight rested her chin on a hoof. "Hmm. Just as I thought. Fluttershy, you've somehow radically increased your wing-strength. To my admittedly untrained eye, you now appear to be at least comparable to Rainbow Dash, who the Wonderbolts think is a fantastically talented prodigy. Did this begin at around the same time as when you lost your abilities of animal-communion? Ah, please don't cry! I'm sorry, Fluttershy."
She wiped away a tear. "T-that's okay." She was just reminded of Angel for a moment. The pegasus was heartbroken at the idea that she'd never be able to understand her adorable bunny friend again.
"Haha!" her cargo giggled. At least Pinkie was having fun. That made Fluttershy feel a little better.
The unicorn scholar on the ground seemed less amused, staring off into middle distance. "Yes, it seems likely that losing your bond with the Element of Kindness has changed you in several ways. But …"
"Heehee!"
Twilight glanced at the chuckling Pinkie, her brow knotted. "I can see how Kindness might let you speak to animals, but why would it cripple your flying abilities? No, this doesn't make sense. I'm missing something."
"Hoohoo!"
"Pinkie, please," the librarian admonished.
"Sorry."
The pegasus gasped as realization struck. It was her Kindness that gave her the ability? "Oh! So, if I get my Element back, I'll be able to talk to all my animal friends again?"
"It's possible. Maybe even probable. It might also remove this new skill at flying, though." Twilight gave a tired shrug. Fluttershy's surprisingly light passenger gave her a reassuring grin.
Okay. She nodded fiercely, her path decided. "T-then let's go!" Forget having good flying skills, this was important!
In one smooth move, she darted down, and grabbed a startled Twilight. Flipping the two ground-bound ponies onto her back, the determined yellow mare took off at a blistering speed. It would have been very impressive if it hadn't been in the wrong direction.
The unicorn on her back quickly corrected their heading, and the trio were soon rocketing along – traveling in the right direction this time. They flew due north.
North, towards the steep slopes of the Gryphon Kingdom.
She was faking it.
The maid was forcing a smile onto her face as she cleaned his brow. Blueblood could tell.
He was an expert on forcing smiles.
To be perfectly honest, the Prince could understand her trepidation, given that the last four maids he had ordered to enter were lying insensate on the floor. It was still rather rude, though. He had rapidly figured out how to stop eating ponies!
Well, either that, or he had become 'full'. Somehow. For now, at least.
In any case, the reasons mattered not. Eventually, the maid finished, wringing out the damp towelette as she waited for further orders.
Feeling better after the attention, the prince spared a second to brush down his suit, before turning to the worried servant. "Very good. Your assistance is no longer required. See that these ponies get adequate care, will you?"
"At once, your Highness." The maid trembled with relief, and curtsied deeply. She quickly began tending to one of the comatose medics lying nearby. Yes, the prince was simply too magnanimous.
Blueblood sniffed, and swept out the door, headed for the Royal Thrones. One of his 'aunties' would be getting an earful about this catastrophe, that was for sure! Somepony had dared to attack a noble on Equestrian soil. Heads would roll!
Unnoticed in his rush, a blood-red crystal remained curled around his throat, tucked behind the collar of his suit.
Rarity looked mad.
Distracted, Rainbow wobbled, and fell back to the ground. Ah, dammit! She just couldn't manage more than a few seconds of flight at a time.
What the heck was wrong with her?
As she slowly inched into the air for another go, Dash decided to try talking to the grumpy-looking unicorn. "So, uh, I guess it's not that crater either, huh?"
"No, dear. It wasn't." Yeah, Rarity looked mad. She also looked tired, bruised and disheveled, and kept viciously attacking the flagstones with her shins, for some reason. It didn't look like much fun, so Rainbow was a little unsure why the normally fussy mare insisted on doing it. Maybe it was the fashion? "Not to mention all these ponies wearing gray! Quite frankly, it's wearing on my nerves. I refuse to believe that gray is the new black!"
Dash had absolutely no idea what that meant, but it sounded frilly and boring. Whatever.
"Psst, Rainbow," Applejack whispered to the pegasus.
No way. She glared at the earth-pony. "Yeah, what do you want? I thought we weren't talking."
"Since when?"
"Uh, since our fight?" It was, like, five minutes ago. "It was kind of a big one. We both said some pretty terrible things to each other, remember?
The orange mare smiled at her. "Ah don't recall any fight worth naming."
Really? Oh. Well, that was kinda nice. Honestly, even though Applejack had made her gloating a little too personal, Dash was the one who had taken the argument below the saddle. If the farmer was going to forgive her, the pegasus supposed she could do the same. It was only fair.
"Ah, fine, what did you want to talk about?" Dash stopped trying to take flight, in favor of walking besides the farm pony.
"Have y'noticed Rarity actin' a little … strange?"
Strange? Rainbow glanced up at the unicorn, who was cursing at the road for ruining her hooficure. "Um, not really."
"It's jus' … she seems less …" Applejack waved a hoof vaguely.
"Prissy?"
The other mare tilted her head with a wince. "Well, Ah suppose, but there are nicer ways of puttin' it. She's sure become mighty clumsy, though."
That wasn't on purpose? Huh. "So that's why she keeps kicking the road."
"What?" Applejack squinted quizzically at her. "Anyway, go ask her fer one of her shiny rocks. Ah wanna try somethin'."
"Eh, okay." Rainbow raised her trembling wings experimentally, then lowered them swiftly, tucking them away. "But I … I think I'll walk." Her voice cracked slightly, and she hurried away before the other mare could see her expression.
_______________________________________________
"Okay, sugar. Ah want you to tell me which stone is yours."
Applejack had balanced a rock on each hoof. One of them was a randomly-chosen pebble, while the other was a smooth, polished gemstone. Rainbow wasn't a jewel-fanatic like Rarity, but the difference between them was blatantly obvious, even to her. Great.
And this was supposed to help? Yeah right.
Rarity seemed to share her opinion, as she raised a dismissive eyebrow at the farmer. "What in Equestria is this all about, dear? We should really keep moving. It's going to get dark, soon."
"You'll see." The earth-pony hedged, remaining tight-lipped. "Pick out yer rock."
The dressmaker hemmed and hawed. "Hmm, well, if you're sure. I'd have to say … they're both equally nice?"
Applejack's gaze bored into the unicorn.
Rarity clicked her tongue. "Oh, fine. The one in your left hoof."
"This'un?" The orange mare raised the stone in question. "Yer sure?"
"Yes, I'm certain, Rainbow."
Applejack only nodded grimly in response.
Unlike the farm-pony, Dash was just plain confused. What the flying funk was that? That was a seriously strange conversation. "Rarity, what are you talking about? That's not your stone. That's just a dumb rock!" Then the last sentence sank in, and the pegasus flared her wings in annoyance. "And for the last time, I'm not freaking Applejack! Stop confusing us!" she shouted.
"Ah knew it," the earth-pony confirmed. "Y'can't see a hoof in fron' of yer face anymore! Somethin' musta happened to yer eyes. S'why you've been stumblin' around like a sheep on salt-lick."
"… What?" Rarity was flabbergasted.
Blunt as usual, Applejack helpfully cleared things up. "Yer goin' blind, sugarcube," she said.
"I … why I don't even … what … what happened?" The unicorn struggled to speak, her voice weak. "Oh my stars! Is this … connected to Rainbow being unable to fly?"
"What?" The farmer quickly glanced over at Dash. Argh, no! Rarity!
"I can still fly just fine!" she shouted in denial. "I just don't feel like it. Right now."
Wow, that sounded weak, even to herself. But it was better than having another argument. Rainbow was still nursing the bruises she got from the last scuffle. Earth-ponies hit hard.
"Uh oh." Applejack's eyes slowly widened. "Ah've been havin' trouble thinkin'. This continues, Ah might ferget mah own name."
The three looked at each other in worry. What was going on? This was crazy!
Dash swallowed. "We gotta get those Elements back, fast."
The manticore groveled at her talons.
Gilda's totally cool, pink feather glowed as she surgically eroded the foundations of the beast's will. Serves the jerk right for scaring her like that.
Besides, this felt good. She was totally, blissfully in control! Oh, awesome didn't even begin to describe it.
Wait.
Something was coming.
The gryphon swept her head to the south, only to find herself snarling at the plant-cover in the way. She couldn't see past all these stupid trees! Grah!
Fine. Have it your way, world. Gilda reluctantly tucked her kick-ass magic necklace under her wing for protection, allowing the terrified manticore to escape. This had better be good, or somebody was going to be paying in blood.
And it wouldn't be her.
One psychic blob divided into a triplet of minds. They grew closer, each throbbing with enough complex emotions to baffle the gryphon. Huh. These weren't just animals. What were they, gryphons like her?
She brushed against their thoughts to check. Happiness, sadness, bravery, fear … love.
Ew, gross. That was a heckuva lot of love. Disgusting.
Slowly, above the foliage, a speck of darkness expanded into three joined silhouettes.
Oh, wait, they were ponies. That would explain it.
Yuck.
Fluttershy gently put her friends down, calmly walked behind them, and tried very hard to disappear.
Of course, Twilight couldn't really blame her. Gilda had proven to be an enormous bully, willing to lash out at anyone. The last time the two had met, the timid mare had run off in tears. The fact that the pegasus was willing to stay in the same clearing as her tormentor was courage enough.
Then the gryphon recognized them. "Oh, it's you dweebs. What do you want?"
"Dweebs?" The pink earth-pony next to her gasped in outrage. "Who are you calling a dweeb, you … Oh no! It's meanie-face Gilda!" Um, a little bit behind the times there, Pinkie.
Gilda ground her beak. "What did you call me, freak?"
"A meanie! Because that's what you are!"
Oh, wonderful. Twilight groaned. "Pinkie, do you even know what diplomacy means? We need her help."
That razor-sharp, gold beak let out a bitter chuckle. "My help, huh? Yeah, that's not gonna happen. Scram, nerds."
"Ah, please wait!" the unicorn pleaded quickly. "We just need to ask you a question, that's all. Did you see any necklaces or jewels fly by here?"
"Flying necklaces?" The words disdainfully dripped out of the gryphon's beak.
Er, yes. The premise was kind of ridiculous, so Twilight couldn't blame Gilda for being incredulous. Perhaps an explanation would help? "I know it sounds strange, but it's no ordinary necklace! The power it holds could be very dangerous in the wrong hooves. We need to make sure we recover it, as fast as possible!"
Smiling darkly, the gryphon stretched her limited facial structure into as much of a sneer as it could allow. "Oh really? Then it's a good thing I don't have hooves, morons." A shimmering crystal dangled from her claw.
Twilight sucked in a sharp breath. The shape was different, but that color! "It's pink! Fluttershy, your Element!"
The pegasus uncovered an eye, her fear temporarily overpowered by her hope.
That hope was immediately dashed when, grinning even wider, the gryphon hooked the jewelry around her own neck. "Yeah, I think I'll be holding onto it for a little while longer. Beat it, losers."
Fluttershy covered her eyes back up.
With a throaty growl, Pinkie stamped a hoof. "Argh! Everything you do is so mean! Stop making Fluttershy sad, you grumpy-guts!"
"Or what?" The gryphon gave the three a raking, condescending look.
"You … aargh! We'll take back the Element, no matter what!" the earth-pony yelled.
Gilda barked a short laugh. "Is that so?"
"Yeah!"
"Pinkie! What are you doing?" Twilight whispered harshly. How in Tartarus did this situation deteriorate so fast? Unbelievable. Not even Rainbow Dash was this antagonistic.
"Ha. Haha! Hahahaha!" Rising into the air, Gilda cackled loudly.
Hmm, very theatrical. Not exactly innovative, though, was it? Nightmare Moon had pulled that stunt off much better. Six out of ten.
"I'm too busy to deal with you twerps right now. So instead, I'll let you have fun with my new … uh …" The gryphon tapped a claw against her beak. "Friends."
Really? It took her that long to think of an overused cliché? That's just sad. What a terrible villain Gilda was.
Wait, what did she say? Friends. Oh, that wasn't a good sign.
With a creepy hum, a twirling, pink feather pulsed a visceral red in the afternoon sun. A scratching, scrabbling sensation burrowed into Twilight's mind. It felt like rats were trapped in her skull, slowly trying to claw their way out. A heavy rhythm began to thump in the background, a two-beat percussion of the Element's power. But that sound. That sound! It was so familiar, so very familiar.
That deafening noise was a heartbeat, impossibly loud. The trees seemed to shake from the force of the blows.
"Sic 'em." Gilda laughed.
And the trees began to howl.