Gilda’s eyes slowly opened to a sea of shimmering violet that shifted as the sun’s rays trickled across its surface. As her eyes adjusted to the new day, glowing purple scales phased into view along with sharp green spines and a pair of powerful wings that extended from his haunches past his shoulders. Taking the whole dragon into view, a tail as long as herself wrapped back around him, the end barely grazing his lower stomach. Finally, On the other end, the stubby neck she had seen him with years ago now extended a few feet forward where it met his head, two powerful claws resting underneath it.
When she had first seen Spike, Gilda had acknowledged these features as hard and dangerous with a slight hint of fear should she he even land one blow on her. Now, after sharing the past week with him, his whole body had shifted in tone, making her relaxed and comfortable when she identified them. Scales were no longer armor, but a glimmering jewel that danced in the sunlight. Wings were not attack or escape mechanisms, but a way for both of them to leisurely drift amongst the skies. And his arms and claws, which she had worked so hard to avoid during their confrontation, were now a powerful shield which comforted her and protected her from the one enemy she could never cut down: loneliness.
Despite having spent her whole life sleeping alone, Gilda found herself content while she drifted off to sleep beside Spike as he told her stories from his childhood. With no secrets left between them, her trust in him had redoubled, leaving her to rest at the dragon’s side despite the military superior in her head screaming to never put herself in such an exposed state.
‘Also helps that he’s a living heater.’ Gilda thought with a smirk, remembering the radiant warmth that had kept the cool spring night air at bay.
A small part of her wanted to shake the dragon awake, but the peacefulness reflected in his face convinced her otherwise.
‘Besides, I still need to get this whole ‘patience’ thing down all the way. Not to mention, out here there’s no rush. We have all the time in the world.’
Gilda walked over to the cave entrance, stretching out her wings and cramped muscles that had accumulated during the night.
----------------------
Spike’s eyes slowly opened to a blur of brown, yellow, and white that seemingly danced across a soft blue background. As the grogginess drained from his eyes, the colors before him began to take shape. The brown revealed itself in the form of a pair of flared wings that caught the morning’s sunlight, each distinct feather lit up like yellow amber. Below, the wings branched down into a tan-furred body tipped with a swishing tail and powerful feline hind-legs that stretched in an almost exaggerated manner. Yellow razor sharp talons opened and closed in a repeating pattern, their identity matched only by that of a similarly fine beak that rested upon opal-white feathers. Finally, purple splotches surrounded the griffon’s eyes, transforming her into a beautifully exotic creature.
Fully awake, Spike watched the griffon in silence as she continued her exercise. While Gilda’s speed and maneuverability had caused him injury, such thoughts of violence from her had faded from his mind days ago, leaving a trait to be admired. The ritual on display left the dragon entranced.
“Oh you’re awake!” Gilda exclaimed in surprise as she turned towards him with a curious look. “How long have you been watching me?”
Spike quickly let out a fake yawn and stretched his claws above his head. “Just woke up! Was clearing out my eyes.”
“Right,” she responded with a roll of her eyes. “Think you’re awake enough for a morning flight?”
Realizing his ruse was a failure, Spike dropped his act and walked to Gilda’s side. “Depends. Are you stretched enough?”
The griffon gave him a quick knowing smile before launching off into the sun-kissed skies. She slowed her pace to allow the dragon to catch up then flew ahead of him and began speeding through the air, pulling off loops, rolls. and other awe-inspiring tricks Spike had no idea what to call. Throughout her routine, he glided along realizing that trying to do anything close to such maneuvers would most likely wind up with him dead on the forest floor.
“Hope you don’t mind,” Gilda said as she returned to her companion’s side. “Gotta keep myself fast. Flying with you is relaxing, but I was born for speed!”
“Not at all.” Spike said as he drifted along lazily. “Besides, I’m the one who gets a free show!”
“Good point!” she replied with a small laugh.
Below them the Central Wilds extended as far as the eye could see, a collage of green and brown as they flew into seemingly nowhere at all.
“You know, a long time ago this area of the Central Wilds belonged to the Griffon Kingdom,” Gilda remarked.
Spike looked at her with a hint of surprise. “Wow, something Twilight didn’t teach me! Where did you learn that?”
“Before you can even begin working as a janitor in the barracks, the captains cram your head full of griffon history.” She sighed. “Mostly about how amazing our past and present emperors are and how ‘The Central Wilds are our rightful inheritance!’ More annoying than educational actually.”
“Sounds like they’re pretty determined to take this land back...” Spike said with a small hint of worry.
“Ha! Don’t worry about it Spike.” Gilda reassured him. “Griffons may be fast by themselves, but when you try to get us all moving together, we fall over each other. It’d be a miracle if the Empire’s army even put a dent on the Wilds in the next thousand years!”
The trees below them suddenly ceased at the edge of a massive cliff, an adjacent wall of rock standing not a quarter mile away. Together, the two bluffs birthed a massive gorge that twisted and turned as it sloped down further into the earth. A large river snaked along its bottom, leaving moss and lichen across the rocks it flowed past.
“Shall we?” Spike said as he lowered a claw towards the winding path below.
Gilda eyed the rocky crags and rushing river like an appraiser judging a jewel. “I got a better idea. How about a challenge?”
“Not a race I’m guessing?”
“Even better,” she replied with a devious smile. “I give you a ten second head start down the valley, then take off after you.”
“A game of tag!” Spike realized. “How do I win?”
“Reach the end of the gorge.”
“What!? But I don’t even know how long it goes!”
“And that’s half the fun!”
Spike looked towards the gorge then back to Gilda. “As soon as the wings come out, start counting.”
The dragon’s wings ceased beating and folded to his sides. After a split second of seemingly hovering in mid-air, he began free-falling into the earthen tear below.
A flash of purple shot out from the gorge as Spike’s wings sprang back open, the strong wind that roared through the crevices sending him rocketing downstream.
‘one...’
The intense burst of speed that had accompanied him as he took off nearly sent Spike slamming into the side of the rock wall. With a swift jaunt of his wings to the left he managed curve along with the valley. Once he was finished narrowly avoiding two more close calls, he quickly grew accustomed to the gorges many twists and turns and allowed himself to pick up speed.
Not even two minutes into his break-neck flight and a disturbance in the air flow tickled his instinct.
The hunter was upon him.
Spike dared to crane his long neck to look over his shoulder. Off in the distance, a brown and white blur was rapidly closing the distance on him.
‘No way! Already!?’
A playful fear suddenly gripped his heart, sending a burst of adrenaline coursing through him. In response, his sinewy wings tucked themselves closer to his now perfectly straight body, causing him to fly down the gorge at speeds he had never dreamt possible.
‘This is what Gilda and Dash must have meant!’ He thought in exhilaration as he dodged past another clump of rocks. ‘Heh. Gilda. I bet she never expected me to-’
Something landed heavily against the dragon’s back, turning all of his momentum downward. Before he could even begin to react he was impacting the river, a massive splash sounding through the gorge.
A surge of water fought against him as he swam back to the surface. As Spike’s head broke through the river, he was greeted by a breath of fresh air and a shrill laughing.
“That was fast dude.” Gilda called out as she bobbed above the water not a few yards in front of him. “But not fast enough!”
Spike let out a groan. “If I had gone any faster I’d have been a green and purple smear on the gorge!”
“Too fat!” She said as she waded over to his side, the river slowly dragging them along. “You must have been sitting around in that cave all day until I showed up!”
“You kidding?” He lifted up his scaly arms and gave a quick flex. “This is all muscle baby.”
“Ha! Come on, you can use all of that muscle to climb yourself up onto this rock.” Gilda pointed towards a section of the gorge that jutted out into the river, cutting the flow in half.
Together they fought the current and latched onto the peninsula’s side. While the outcrop of stone was a few feet higher than Spike was expecting, he managed to lift himself to the top, reaching out a claw towards Gilda as she scrambled up beside him.
“A lot steeper than I thought.” She grunted as she accepted the help.
Spike walked a few steps towards the center of the outcropping, failing to make it all of the way as he collapsed in exhaustion. While the rock was nowhere near as comfortable as his cave, it possessed a certain pleasant warmth it had soaked up from the sun’s rays.
“Already tired?” He heard Gilda pant as she followed his path. “Me too.”
The griffon plopped down beside Spike and together they took in the sights and sounds that the gorge created. Clear blue water coursed by them, the pleasant sound of running water against smooth rock immediately relaxing him. Off in the distance a dull roar could barely be heard, no doubt the river crashing against rocks. Despite it being an obvious sign of danger, it served only to add to his ease, reminding him of a distant booming thunderstorm that rocked him to sleep during this past lonely Spring.
An alien sound invaded his ears as Gilda sighed and stretched out next to him like a cat.
“Ah, this is the life. No boss, no sergeant, no annoying or just outright stupid griffons or ponies, just the sound of nature! I dig it!”
Spike couldn’t help but give a small grin. She may have broken his concentration, but he enjoyed how outspoken she was about her thoughts, a refreshing change from what he remembered in Ponyville - an unspoken but omnipresent tension among the residents that grew as he had become bigger and more ferocious. Nopony would talk to him, tell them how they felt, just lie to him through gritted teeth only for it all to come crashing down that terrible night many months ago.
“Right there with ya,” he responded, shifting to a more comfortable position. “This rock isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Could probably take a short nap here actually.”
“You must be a heavier sleeper than me, because your stomach is growling like a freight train,” Gilda said as she punched him lightly in the gut. “I’d much sooner sleep through a hurricane! Come on, let’s go snag some grub.”
‘That’s strange...’ Spike rose to his feet. ‘I don’t FEEL hungry. Maybe it was something I ate?’
Then he felt it. It started as a sudden jolt in his stomach, as if he was being shocked from the inside out. Suddenly a great sickness came from him, and for a second Spike feared he was about to throw up last night’s dinner. Instead, a second shock rang through his body, mysteriously causing the fire glands deep within his chest to erupt on their own accord.
‘I... I know this! I’ve felt this before!’ He thought, allowing the now familiar feeling to take control.
Gilda stepped in front of him, a look of concern across her face. “You alright Spike?”
‘No!’ Spike quickly spun around and let loose a mighty belch that shot a green flame clear across the outcrop, a long line of black singe against the rock left in its wake.
“WHOA!” the griffon shouted as she lunged back, taking a defensive stance.
“Don’t worry,” Spike said as the flame grouped back together and swirled in front of the dragon’s face, causing Gilda to relax as she recognized the patterned movement from the map in Lionsberg. Out of the glob of green heat a rolled up scroll took form and dropped into his outstretched claw.
Twisting and inspecting the parchment in his claws stirred an infinite number of emotions within Spike.
‘A red band with a golden seal.’ He breathed. ‘Well, it can’t get any worse... I think...’
“What...? Who?” Gilda grasped for a solid question as she watched him carefully work at undoing the scroll.
Spike failed to respond, the adrenaline of the moment a hundred times stronger than his flight down the gorge. With trembling claws, he unfastened the band and left it to the breeze, the strong winds of the crevice allowing the red scrap to flutter into nothingness. The golden seal dropped to the stone below him, the gold on rock producing a soft clack. Finally, the scroll unraveled itself before him.
Dear Spike,
I understand my recent decisions regarding your presence in Equestria has most undoubtedly pitted your mind against me, however, I ask that you toss aside these malefic thoughts for just a few words I have to say, for I come bearing great, miraculous even, news.
The moment I had declared my ruling of your banishment, two great consequences arose, the first of which I had only partially foreseen, and the second which grew from deep thinking upon the subject. As you may have already guessed, the first consequence was that of my precious student, Twilight Sparkle. I had underestimated the true strength of the bond you two shared, and though Twilight saw the logic behind my decision, she shunned me in every sense the moment you left. Even now, so many months after your departure, her heart is cold to me, and in part, her friends.
Next, the second consequence was of my realization of my responsibility to you. It was I, after all, who ordered your egg recovered, who allowed your egg to be used in magic tests, allowed you to serve Twilight after your unexpected birth, and who allowed you to live the majority of your life amongst my people. Despite your natural urges, you were, at heart, a citizen of Equestria. Thus, I felt it was my duty to personally assign and oversee a whole Magic Research and Development Group to combat this unfortunate hindrance.
These past few months have been marked by a repeated number of failures on the project, and even I began to lose faith myself. Still, we persisted, and our experiments birthed forth an astounding piece of discovery that I predict may find uses even past you.
Come to Ponyville and return to Twilight’s side while beholding the creation which alters nature itself. No more must you hide yourself alone in caves nor feast upon those weaker than you. You can return to the life you once had, igniting Twilight’s heart once again and reuniting with old friends. Come back to Ponyville, without fear of banishment.
I shall be waiting for you when you arrive.
Princess Celestia
Spike craned back his long neck and let loose a roar of happiness that echoed down the gorge.
‘This is it. We can go home. Twilight. Rarity. Applejack. Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash. They’re all waiting for us! I can already smell the cedar of the library while Twilight reads, hear the latest fashion successes and failures from Rarity, see Rainbow Dash show off her newest trick, taste Applejack’s newest pie, feel the soft fur of Fluttershy’s pets, and Pinkie... heh. Wait... We? Us?’
Spike paused for a moment then nearly slapped himself. ‘Of course! Gilda!’ He took solace in the fact that his mind had at least already included her beside him.
The dragon spun back around, expecting an elated griffon to pounce upon him in shared glee. Instead, she had unknowingly slipped the parchment out of his claws and was in the process of reading it herself. While she gazed upon the message, her face changed from confusion, to disgust, and finally contorted itself in anger. Finally, she lowered the parchment, her eyes lit up in a fiery rage.
“Alright Spike,” she breathed, seemingly on the verge of exploding. “Forget hunting. Let’s go find some Turnabout Berries and spend the rest of the day writing out a letter telling this witch to go screw herself.”
Spike recoiled, confused by Gilda’s reaction. “What do you mean??”
Now it was Gilda’s turn to be shocked as she gave him a look of disbelief. “Did we read the same letter?”
“Yes, I’m allowed to go back to Ponyville!”
“Oh, so you skipped over the other ninety percent of the message and focused on the one piece of good news. Gotcha.”
Spike merely gave her the same confused stare as before.
“HELLO?! SPIKE!?” She screeched, throwing her claws into the air. “Look at this junk! ‘natural urges?!’ ‘unfortunate hindrance!?’ ‘an EXPERIMENT!?’ What are you a lab rat!? Not to mention, it’s glaringly obvious she wants you simply to get Twilight to worship her again!”
“But... Twilight and...” The dragon stuttered as if lost in a trance.
“Listen to me Spike!” Gilda shouted. “If you return to Ponyville praising Celestia for accepting you back, you’ll have proven everything she had ever put against you right in her mind! Not to mention, we still have no idea what this little ‘creation’ of hers is. From what it sounds like, it could change who you are, or worse, WHAT you are!”
Spike shuddered at the thought of being a pony for the rest of his life. While the idea seemed cool for a day, having it forced upon him forever was a frightening idea.
“No,” he responded, shaking away such thoughts. “If it was something like that she would have told me in the message.”
“Then consider this: You’re still Spike the dragon. Nothing has changed from the last time you were in Ponyville until now except for ONE thing. You’ve grown bigger. Now do you really think that all of those stupid ponies are all of a sudden going to stop being afraid of you when you get back?? Dream on Spike!”
‘She’s right.’ He thought, bringing his claws to his head in despair. ‘No. I have to try. There’s got to be a way...’
“Then I’ll do things differently this time.” Spike declared. “I’ll be more social, more informative, let them know I mean them no harm.”
Gilda shook her head slowly, her reaction one of anger, shock, and sorrow. “So this is it then,” she growled. “After over a week of hanging out and listening to you rail on about how much better life is here with me, your willing to just pack up and go flying back to Ponyville without a second thought!”
“Gilda I’m not just leaving you behind! I want you to come with me.”
The griffon threw her head back and laughed mockingly. “No.”
“What do you mean?? If this is about your last visit, that was YEARS ago! They’ve probably completely forgotten by now!”
Gilda hesitated before resuming her outburst. “Because those ponies are still the same idiots I had to put up with back then. Nothing will change, and I’ll end up having to deal with them not only for just ONE day, but the REST OF MY LIFE!? No way!”
“If you hadn’t have thrown a fit you’d have found out that they’re no worse than I am!” Spike shot back in frustration.
Gilda suddenly relaxed, her flared wings folding slowly to her sides. “Thrown a fit huh?”
“Look, that’s not what I meant...” He began as he realized his mistake.
“It’s fine,” she said, raising a claw and sending a wash of relief through Spike. “You’re right. You ARE no worse than them. You’re also no better.”
“But-”
“You can go back to Ponyville and knock yourself out trying to appeal to those morons,” she seethed. “As for me, I’ve heard enough.”
Gilda suddenly shot into the air, pulsing her wings to pull herself out of the gorge.
“WAIT!” Spike shouted, rocketing after her.
The griffon paid him no heed, disappearing over the sides of the rocky crags. Despite his swift ascent, Gilda was just a small blotch against the blue horizon as he shot out of the crevice.
----------------------
‘Turn back around.’
‘No’
‘The one person to show you any sign of companionship in years and you lashed out at him and ran. How familiar...’
‘IT’S NOT MY FAULT! He’s blinded himself into believing those hair-brains will show him any sort of affection! Not to mention he’s going back to PONYVILLE. Don’t you remember what happened there?’
‘Would Ponyville REALLY be worse than any of the other towns you’ve skulked through over the years? At least in Ponyille, you wouldn’t be alone.’
Gilda froze in the air as her muscles turned on each other and fought for control. For a moment, she almost turned around. Then the elephant in her mind sprang forth, reminding her of the main fear she had going back to Ponyville in the first place.
‘Rainbow Dash’
She imagined herself bowed before the rainbow pegasus, pleading for forgiveness, a cocky smile spreading across Dash’s face as if she had been expecting this moment ever since Gilda had stormed off long ago.
That was it. The thought returned her to her original course, and further away from Spike. It was such a petty reason, and her mind screamed at her for it, but it was enough to tip the scales.
‘That’s it!? Your leaving because of THAT!?’
‘Going back would mean defeat, and I don’t lose.’
Gilda shut out her thoughts as she continued her flight, an overbearing shadow of sadness and loss hanging over her that she had not felt for many years.
----------------------
‘The brooch. That’s all. Leave the gems. To Ponyville!’
Spike’s mind raced as he looked over what remained in his cave. Seemingly satisfied, he turned around and spread his wings, crouching his legs to take off.
Nothing happened. His legs stayed locked and something ate at the back of his mind, telling him he had forgotten something.
He swept another gaze across the cave. Nothing forgotten.
‘Except for Gilda’s bag’
Spike cringed. He had tried to simply ignore it at first, but his mind wouldn’t allow it. The brown bag sat there against the side of the cave, stirring the emotions and memories he had felt and gained over the past week.
‘Maybe she’ll come back for it and I’ll have another chance at talking to her!’
Despite the promise of Twilight and her friends just a couple day’s flights away, the dragon left the mouth of the cave and stood at its center, eyeing the bag.
‘I’ll wait here for another day.’ He settled. ‘She’ll come back for it. After all, what’s one more day out here to me? I have the rest of my life to spend in Ponyville!’
Spike laid down in front of his gems, staring at the opening as he anxiously waited for the amber griffon to come storming in.