The talk with Gilda last night, whilst brief, had at the very least helped her to form a plan. She knew that at some point, she would be forced to tell her friends about her strange eating preference. Twilight would have to be tactful and approach the subject cautiously. Rainbow Dash and Princess Luna, given their interaction and friendships with Gryphons, were the best place to start if she was going to tell somepony. Neither of them would like it, but they would hopefully be the least likely to judge her.
The prospect of telling Princess Celestia honestly terrified Twilight. Which is why, unless it was necessary, she had no plan of telling any of them. At the same time, however, her secret was very likely to get out at some point, and Twilight had to have a contingency plan in place to minimize the panic and potential damage to her friendship with her mentor.
The mare could not remove the nagging fear she had of disappointing or upsetting her past mentor and fellow princesses, but it was something that would eventually have to happen. Lying was an easy way to lose friends. She, of course, had plans should the result be ill in her favour. The gryphon king had kindly offered her shelter, should she ever require it, but, deep down, Twilight had faith in her friends. They may be repulsed by her eating habits, but she knew that they would begrudgingly accept it, yet not without an earful about how horrible it is.
For the moment though, Twilight planned to help herself to a large helping of eggs and bacon. Twilight’s mouth salivated in delight at the prospect of bacon. Grabbing a plate the mare ravenously tore into her meal. Wishing to appease her stomach, the mare quickened her pace, swallowing each bite faster than the last. Over time Twilight had noticed that more and more of her diet had become meat based. Now it was at a stage where she was actually consuming more meat than vegetables and fruits. Her diet was not the only one that had changed. Spike barely touched vegetables now.
The drake in question was idly cleaned his claws which had grown sharper due to his recent diet change. The pudgy baby dragon had shot up in height over the past few weeks, and his head was now level with her snout. With meat available at all times, the drake had been growing constantly for the past few nights. In fact, he was nearly too big for her to carry, and she feared that soon it would be him carrying her around.
Smiling mischievously, the mare flicked one of her wing tips in front of the sleepy dragons nose, resulting in a sharp sneeze. Twilight giggled as Spike muttered darkly under his breath, one of his claws poking her in the ribs, causing her to squeal in surprise.
"Oh dear Celestia this tastes amazing!" Spike laughed mid-chew, his mouth full of sausage as Twilight grimaced. With a sharp flick Twilights wing clipped the drake’s ear causing him to wince.
The quality of food was never any excuse for ill table manners, especially when they were representing Equestria and in the presence of Gryphon nobels. Neither of them could afford to leave a bad impression with them for fear that she embarrassed not only king iron Beak but the princesses as well.
The Gryphon culture was quite different from her homeland, but she had to admit that part of her loved being able to gorge herself here. Eating meat without hiding like a criminal in her own home was a huge improvement. It was nice not having to put on a disguise or cast an illusion charm and, most of all, she didn’t have to worry about receiving looks of disgust. She would have to thank the King for this wonderful meal later.
Twilight looked up from her meal once King Iron Beak strutted into the large room, his eyes locking onto Twilight's. “Excellent, I was hoping I would find you here. I have heard reports from my scouts of an incredibly rare and dangerous breed of boar, not native to my kingdom. I was wondering if you were interested in joining me for a mid-afternoon hunt? Given your performance with the deer, I feel that you would be an excellent hunting partner for my daughter." he said, smiling at the end of his sentence. Twilight paused as she felt the familiar feeling of nausea.
“Cheer up dweeb, I'll hold your hoof if I have to." Gilda snidely chipped in from her seat, Her tail swishing animatedly from side to side.
"Thanks, I... uh appreciate that. ” Twilight grinned sheepishly, her stomach sinking at the thought of hunting again. The boar they were hunting was apparently quite dangerous which was why the king was so eager to hunt it. Killing a dangerous creature was used to show a Gryphons strength and skill. It was not unheard of disgraced or old Gryphons to die whilst hunting to redeem or prove themselves one last time.
Ignoring Twilight's uneasiness, King Iron Beak continued his long tirade about most ponies’ reluctance to hunt. Sitting himself down next to the mare he tucked into his own plate.
"I honestly just do not get it, what better thrill is there besides hunting down your meal? I will never understand the thrill an equine gets from eating hay. Where is the sport of plucking grass from a meadow and frying it?" he laughed, in between mouthfuls snapping up a chicken leg, cracking the fragile bone with his beak.
Twilight was grimly reminded of how dangerous Gryphons were. It amazed her just how easily their beaks could shred flesh and crunch bone. Given that the front half of their bodies were avian, they did not possess the ability to chew properly, which could make meals unpleasant. Like piranhas with wings, gryphons could shred a bovine’s carcass down to bone in minutes.
Smiling pitifully, Twilight followed the king and Gilda to the others, already having second thoughts about the hunt.
-----------
“Uh Dweeb are you trying to give away our position to every feathering creature in the forest?” Gilda growled. The two of them had been searching for two hours and despite the brash gryphon’s boast of being one of the best trackers, the two had still seen neither hide nor hair of the boar.
Gasping, Twilight collapsed beside a rotting log, sweat trickling down her forehead. Two hours of climbing uphill in search of the boar had left the mare exhausted and in dire need of a drink.
“Pathetic.” Gilda growled, turning her back as the alicorn glared at her rude partner. “Wait here and I’ll go fill up your canteen.” She huffed. One of the main rules of the hunt was that it had to be done on hoof, or claw in the gryphon’s case. This made the hunt more “thrilling”, as the king had put it. The tradition also tested Gryphons tracking and stalking skills.
Twilight was starting to regret hunting as her aching hooves began to throb uncomfortably. Around her, the cacophony of animals and insects kept the mare on high alert. Gryphonia’s many forests were renowned for their exotic and dangerous predators.
Slung across her back was the bow that she had used during her first hunt. She had been given the bow as a sign of respect for killing the deer. It was no secret that many Gryphons viewed ponies as inferior, or at the very least weak, but by hunting with them and successfully killing something, she had proven her worth as a hunter and fellow team player.
snap
Twilight’s ears perked up as she looked around for the source of the noise. Her ears flickering from side to side, looking for any indication of where the noise had originated from. Smiling, Twilight relaxed, it had most likely just been a deer.
SNAP!
Twilight flinched as yet again another branch snapped, this time from behind her.
“Hello... Gilda, is that you? Twilight called out. The mares ears swiveled from left to right, trying to pick up any trace of noise as she got to her feet. The Alicorn’s tail twitched in annoyance. Assuming it was Gilda, Twilight wandered over to the edge of the small clearing. The colossal trees blocked most of the light making it hard to locate the source of the noise. Small strands of light that escaped the trees clutches allowed the mare to see the outline of nearby trees.
“Gilda this is not funny! Come one we ha—.” A speeded blur slammed into the mare’s side pushing the two of them into a bush as Twilight went to scream. A claw wrapped around her mouth made the mare freeze as Gilda’s face filled her vision. Placing a claw to her beak the avian pointed to a spot near the back as the two sat in unabated silence.
A sharp snort made the alicorn freeze as a giant form appeared from the darkness. Twilight felt terror well up inside her being as she took in the sight of the beast. Its eyes gleamed menacingly in the low light, its fur a ghostly white as a pair of mangled tusks protruded from its mouth.
Towering above both herself and Gilda, the two watched as the beast lumbered into the clearing and headed straight for her bag. Twilight twitched as the boar tore into it; scattering books and quills as it scavenged for food. Its body was coated in scars, and to Twilights disgust, a few spears. Its left eye was a milky white to go with a gruesome scar.
This was the rare species of boar that the Gryphons had been desperate to hunt. The thing was bigger than even a manticore. She had been expecting a medium sized boar, like the ones that lived in the Everfree back home. Not bigger than Big Macintosh, but this thing easily dwarfed them.
“Whats the plan?” Twilight stuttered with a shaky voice as Gilda grimaced, a look of uncertainty appearing on her face for the first time. Great, she thought, neither of them had any idea how to even tackle the beast, never mind kill it. Pulling her bow from her back the mare moved painfully slow as Gilda watched her.
“I am going to aim for its head. When it strikes I want you to grab your spear and aim for its eyes. If we can blind it, we have a chance.” Twilight instructed, Gilda went to argue, but was cut off by Twilight. “Just do it.” the mare hissed, not in the mood for any back chat. Glowering, Gilda gave a small nod of understanding.
Slowly pulling the string to full draw, Twilight breathed out. It was now or never.
“NOW!”
It's ba-ack!
Honestly, if killing things is all it takes to earn griffon respect, they would worship humans.
Feh, I could wipe out the life on an entire planet. Killing is pointless once one has evolved into supreme energy being.
THE GRIFFONS ARE HUNTING ENDANGERED SPECIES!!!
They're as bad as the Chinese!
Clearly, a crime such as this must be punished via nuclear strikes upon all their major cities!
NOOOOOO! We were not finished with the editing.
Twilight is gonna eat well tonight.
5076577
While that's quite true, you must look at it from every angle. Twilight here has discovered something about herself. She's found that she enjoys the taste of meat. Something her culture tells her she should be damned and ostracized for. Even knowing this, and struggling to come to terms with herself because she is, in the eyes of everything she's known up till now, a monster. Now imagine you had to deal with something similar... And then found a group that not only welcomed you despite your "monstrous" nature, but shared in it. You'd come to feel a sense of belonging.
This is basic human nature. This is how cults, religion, cliches, and so on all form. A shared trait or ideal, and as such I stand by my previous comment. Sure, coming to truly know yourself is a life long journey, but to be true to who you believe you are is something everyone struggles with daily. Twilight here, while she may seem weak willed, is just finally allowing herself to admit that this is who she believes herself to be now, and reveling in finding a place that accepts this.
5076508 Yea our species ability to kills thing is so overpowered that we do it without thinking about it. ><
Wow, Twilight turned into quite the huntress all of a sudden. Oh of course, the boar wrecked her books, no wonder she wants to kill it.
Interesting! I've seen and agree with a lot of comments on the "unpolished" nature of the later chapters, but the premise is an interesting one, and definitely a good time to introduce a Twilight/Gilda dynamic. I will be following this.
5076508 What about sentient deadly viruses that literally kill while unconscious?
Oh goodie, I was beginning to think you abandoned this project. Please don't leave me hanging. I've got this in my favorites and will eagerly be awaiting the fate of Twilight and the boar.
I've got two reactions to this:
Yay! New chapter!
-and-
Gah! Short chapter AND cliff hanger!
5076814 Short? Its the second longest chapter in this story?
5076691
Humans OP, Jesus plz nerf
Sorry, couldn't get to this on a day's notice because school. But you can't stop me from editing so easily!
So here's what I got:
Reading much of the first section left me thinking 'is anything going to happen this chapter, or did he just release this to show that he wasn't dead?' And in the very first few paragraphs, it just seemed like you were summing up the previous chapters. Ideally, you shouldn't have to remind readers of what happened last chapter.
hitting Spike with her wing is something a griffon would be used to doing, not Twilight, if we're going by the show and the previous parts of the fic. You could add something to the story by showing her surprise at her own actions, but it seems like you skipped that opportunity.
Humans can also crush bones to get at the bone marrow, but this can be bad for digestion if the bone splinters (I tried that with sunflower seeds... ). Also, the reason humans can do so with our jaw muscles is due to the placement of the back teeth right next to the hinge. The only ways griffons would be able to eat bones would be if they regurlarly sharpened their beaks, if they had strangely elongated jaws that extended behing their face, or if they crushed the bones in the backs of their beaks by continually chewing it with their mouths open. While the third option may be considered disgusting by many ponies, many griffons will look for extremmly rabid chewing when choosing a mate.
Thank you for subscribing to griffon facts.
The hunt seemed to be pretty well written. I could practically see the boar rummaging through Twilight's books just like a normal boar would. However, I was confused about what happened to gilda when she wasn't answering. It was like she disappeared for no reason and without warning, and it was frustrating.
I think you need to work a little on showing vs. telling, especially when scenes are more thought based than action based.
5076518 Actually IRL not native species are considered pests and can be hunted/fished all year long long. In some places it is actually illegal to catch and release non native fish.
Back on the story though, I really liked this chapter however I'd really like an explanation in the story as to why Twilight and Spike are growing so much from eating meat (much higher protein intake or something magical?).
Keep up the good work!
5076975 Twilight is growing very slowly and spike because he is a dragon and his body is making up for years of malnutrition
5076837
Really? *checks first 4 chapters* Huh. I guess it just seems short?
5076992
It's because not much happens. Twilight got up, ate breakfast, got invited to hunt boar, then packed her things and left. There are enough things to make this not look like a normal morning routine, but that's pretty much what it is.
Found this via the feature box, an interesting concept, eagerly looking forward to more!
Celestia "How was your trip to the Griffin Kingdom?"
Twilight "Well I found out I'm an omnivore. Oh and here have this boars head I killed as a souvenir."
o.0 "......"
Loving carnivorous Twilight! Is she getting a growth spurt like spike due to her change in diet?
That's your plan, Gilda? "Just Do It!"?
5076518
You do realize that an endangered species is just an animal that, once cleaned and skinned provides a unique taste experience with a little salt and pepper.
5077551
Uhm, that's Twilight's plan.
5077091 fc04.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/250/2/9/scootaloo_by_speedingturtle-d497gzf.png :
Yum
5077425 It really wouldn't surprise me if Alicorns secretly complement their diet with meat for all that extra muscle and magic generation. They just "forgot" to tell Lil'Twily that.
5076986 I'm going to take this to mean that Twilight is going to turn into a Nightmare Moon-Style Dragon-Eye'd SharpTooth'd Awesomehorse
(Offical NMM Race 100%canon trufax) AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO THAT WILL CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE.
Except for writing more and proving me wrong, I guess. IT'S A WIN WIN FOR ME.
Hrrm. Theory 2; She's becoming a Draconequus. Discord is comprised of pieces of all the Species he's eaten and his powers are a conglomeration of the same. Disord'll be WELL impressed that she's part Erymanthian Boar
Theory 3; Something completely different!
Though I do wonder what Discord thinks of meat. He does appear to be partially comprised of carnivores
5077690 Being honest I like the theories and for the first you are closer than you probably think you are but just wait and see how this pans out
oh my a giant boar
also i wonder how her friends will react when Twilight spill the beans hehe
Fluttershy would probably go ballistic.
Pinkie might get sick
Rarity might also get sick then pass out
Rainbow may get sick or dont know what to react
Applejack i think will be not sure aswell and maybe get a little sick
For Luna and Celestia hmmm i dunno
I usually hate to say "show, don't tell", because it tends to be used as a golden rule by critics won't don't have anything else to say... But...
Well, the first part of this chapter is basically made of "Twilight felt this way" and "Twilight thought about that". Spike was standing right there, wasn't he ? It would have felt much more natural to simply see Twilight and him talk about those things, instead of what the narrator had to say about it. Or maybe that's just me...
Anyways, it's nice to see this story still going on. Keep it up!
5077871 Agreed.
That being said, I find this immensely entertaining. You have earned yourself a fav and a like.
When the boar wrecked her books I thought she was going to tackle it and tear it's throat out with her teeth.
hmm... that might still happen depending on how this fight goes.
5077755
So you think they are all just going to throw up?
I would imagine Fluttershy being the best with it since she deals with and feeds carnivorous animals.
Pinkie would use it as an excuse to throw a party, like anything else.
Dash used to be friends with Gilda and wouldn't really care.
5077755 I have a feeling Luna wouldn't be too bothered. I suspect her night guards might be meat eaters at least in part. And who knows what Nightmare Moon did.
Nitpick: you don't hunt boars with bows. You use a sturdy, broad-bladed spear, with a crossbar below the blade, to stop the boar from getting at you and goring you to death once you stick the blade into it. Boars are nasty.
Awww, hurting and no dragon assistance? Boo!
Well, this may go from, MLP to MH, real quick. Fuck the bow, Twilght, better get that magic going!
giant boar?
......*grabs Phoenix Blade and Shield* OH YEAH BABY, COME TO PAPA, AH HAHAHAHA!!!
5080273 Could be something but some just fish then release it! I mean we have seen fluttershy feed fish to otters so she either buys it or feeds them fish that have died.
5081017 Deer's are not sentient and it is a a requirement by all who visit Gryphon lands. I inherited this story and have so far done two chapters for it so whilst in some ways I see your point if Twilight has to chose between upsetting a very powerful ally or killing a "dumb animal" then I can assure you that her logical side will choice killing. Also One thing that I want to do is show meat as in a way giving her a more ruthless personality. not extreme but like she knows logically that killing a deer is better than pissed of Gryphons
very nice to see this series progressing... :)
however, please stop the LUS...
My brain feels like refried bean right now, I don't need to be thinking about who 'the mare' or 'the avian' or 'the drake' is... Just use him, her, or their actual name. It isn't worth it and it adds nothing.
If you think about it this way, by doing that you are making the reader do work which is pointless. It isn't fun to determine 'the mare' = twilight, and when in the same paragraph referring to twilight it is almost annoying. Don't make your reader work, reading should be easy and fun, not hard.
You do this only if it is fun, for instance if a character is of unknown you can refer to them by characteristics because that is the best way to refer to them. However at that point it may be a good idea to use that once or twice before giving them a self imposed name by the characters.
ex. Twilight = Egghead. This works because it is somewhat revealing of character and being used/said by a character in context can be funny.
Anyways, my 2 cents on how to make your writing better.
5081017 Omnivore Twilight?
This is to go even further beyond!
5081077 Idk. The whole point of reading an MLP fanfiction instead of a book is that there's ponies in it And maybe it was just your brain feeling like refried beans, because I didn't have to think too hard to figure out who the characters were
Then again, it might just be me having a lot of patience with this story as I've been following it for a year now.
5078290
This. So much fucking this.
5081017
Why would Twilight be so against killing non-sentient animals? Is is biological? No, it's not. It may be cultural, but scientists are more likely to break cultural taboos because they value abstract reasoning and 'questioning everything' more, and if Twilight's tummy is getting the rumblies for meat...
derpicdn.net/img/view/2013/5/29/335985__safe_twilight+sparkle_rainbow+dash_pinkie+pie_fluttershy_rarity_applejack_animated_screencap_edit.gif
Heck, I eat meat all the time, and though I've never killed anything before, I'd be completely fine with killing an animal by endurance hunting if it was going to be eaten. And the meat has to come from somewhere anyway, so I don't see why killing non-sentient animals for food is the same thing as torturing sentient animals for pleasure.
When Twilight gets back to Equestria, she will hole herself up in the basement of the library for a week while she makes a magic bow that needs no physical arrows and would only need to have a charged crystal changed out of it about once per month. The first one will be Twilight's own, and will continually get upgraded as time goes on. The rest will be mass produced for all of the guards. Special ones will also be made for certain ponies, namely the other element bearers, the princesses, Shining Armor, and Derpy for some reason.
4.bp.blogspot.com/-YuSZz22zErY/U6w_tTy0ebI/AAAAAAAAGww/f8I17mzRl48/s1600/Sonic_Arrow_Mod_CW_01.jpg
In addition to firing energy arrows, it's also got blades in case your prey decides to attack you up close and personal. Stabbing is not recommended though.
5085511 d.facdn.net/art/ponythroat/1396050086.ponythroat_mawsandbirds.jpg
Twilights battle cry.....''BACON!''
5077678 then how come neither Celestia nor Luna were able to stomach even a single bite when visiting the Gryphon kingdom?
5080294 that is *incredibly* painful and cruel to the fishes, just because you put them back into the water doesn't make up for the fact that you poked a hook through their cheek and then dragged them out of the water by it.
5088908 (Pertaining to Fishies)
Yeah, it would suck if that happened to you. But fish can barely feel the hook, because their lips are not very fleshy. Often times a fish can swallow and embed a hook in their throat and not react until you reel in to recast. And, well, better than having the life literally beaten out of you, which is the alternative.
5137903 Given how fast some go and their build yeah they are perfectly equipped for eating fish and other small sea creatures.