Within and Without

by Cloudy Skies

Chapter 8

Waking up in the tundra was an unmerciful experience. While it was certainly warmer than it had been during the night, the chill had not yet completely left Twilight. As she woke, it was all too easy to doubt she’d ever feel warm again for as long as they were travelling this cold and inhospitable country. They ate a light breakfast and were moving again soon, eager to try to chase the cold away with movement.

Just as had been the case on their approach, the mountains of Orion’s Breath at their backs seemed to tower over them. Even with a day's march behind them, they ever remained a fixture as the limit of the horizon to their north, behind them. The hills ahead passed by at a swift canter and the ocean drew ever closer as they cut through the tundra.

By the second evening, Rainbow Dash's saddlebags were empty and she could fly freely again, a right she set to exercising right away. The pegasus was darting about gleefully in the open sky most of the time, while the mood among the other ponies was somewhat tempered by the harsh climate and the lack of animal life.

Twilight had asked Dash three separate times about getting the full scoop on Gilda. Rainbow Dash's answer was always the same, more annoyed each time; they weren't in Clawford yet. After the third attempt at prying for information, Dash hadn’t come back down again until it was time to sleep.

It was early in the third day when they spotted a cluster of shapes passing by far above. When Rarity pointed at them and alerted the other ponies, Rainbow Dash burst skywards without a word of explanation to Applejack, with whom she had been conversing. Soon enough, Rainbow Dash was tiny bright blue dot, nearly invisible against same-colored sky.

"Griffins, I suppose?" Rarity pondered aloud. "I imagine she's gone to ask them for directions. I do wish she'd let us know-" Her thoughts were cut short as two of the shapes split from the loose formation and dived for Rainbow Dash. The five grounded ponies could only stare in horror as Dash narrowly avoided them by going up at the last possible second. The griffins nearly collided, but continued their pursuit right after. Fluttershy squeaked and sat, wings pressed tight against her sides.

Twilight didn't even know what she was planning as she gathered her magic about herself, her horn shimmering with raw power without purpose. Rainbow Dash changed direction twice more trying to find a way to descend, but the griffins cut her off and blocked her at every turn, more of the flock joining in the chase, forcing her to fly higher still.

Having gained a little distance, Dash hovered mid-air for a few seconds as the griffins once more closed in on her, and then dived. The pegasus cut straight through the flock, heading for the ground and her friends. Two of the griffins, those who had originally pursued her, followed in a reckless dive. Rainbow Dash went from a speck to a blob to a near-supersonic pony heading straight for them in the blink of an eye. Fluttershy dived to the ground just as Dash landed with a thud near her. Nopony seemed to know what to say or do, and Dash was too out of breath to speak.

For her part, Twilight was still eyeing the sky. The griffins had not stopped, still diving. The foremost one had its claws extended and was seconds away from hitting them. It was close enough that she could make out war-paint on its feathers and some sort of mask on its face. Applejack stood side by side with Twilight now, hooves ground into the dirt. Rainbow Dash was hovering next to them.

Twilight threw a book at the griffin.

It might have been a rather weak gesture from any other pony, but as it was, Gallopileo's Astronomer's Companion shot towards the griffin with such force that Twilight herself was lifted a full stride off the ground from the force of her saddlebags being torn open. The griffin received a heavy lecture that nearly cracked its beak and went sprawling to the ground whilst the other griffin broke off its dive, heading for the rest of the pack.

"Ohmygoodness," Fluttershy whispered, watching the fallen griffin scrabble back upright and test its wings. It winced and advanced on them by paw and claw instead of wing. High above, the other griffins began descending as one.

"Rainbow, what the hay did you do?" Twilight yelled, rounding on the pegasus.

"I didn't do anything!" Dash shot right back. "I was gonna go ask if they knew of Gilda, but they just went crazy and attacked me when they saw me! Tribal griffins are nuts!"

The lone griffin stalked closer, body low against the ground. It looked positively feral, and it was on the prowl. Though they had seen griffins before, or rather, a griffin, this was a different creature altogether. Gilda was apparently quite petite for a griffin.

The red swirls and slashes painted on its feathers lent it a fearsome appearance, and a cracked face mask covered the left side of its face, lending it the appearance of a bull. Though she knew she was probably prone to dramatization, as one is wont to do when in danger, Twilight felt that this creature had as much in common with Gilda as Spike did with a full-grown dragon.

Applejack neatly stepped forward, placing herself straight in the path of the griffin. "You turn and walk the hay away right now," the apple farmer suggested. Twilight glanced nervously up at the sky at the approaching tribesgriffins. There was at least a dozen of them.

"If you can speak, do so! This is very unnecessary. Not to mention barbaric," Rarity suggested from behind Applejack. The griffin made no reply, its eyes past both of them and on Rainbow Dash.

Seeing the griffin thus distracted, Applejack simply hopped forward, spun on her forehooves, and made to buck it with her rear legs. The griffin was too slow to realize what was happening and caught one of her hooves straight in the face, but not before she swiped out with her talons, catching Applejack on the flank. Applejack stumbled and fell on her side but was quickly up again and facing the griffin once more. Her cloak was torn and she was bleeding from two long gashes on her rear, but the griffin was on the ground, dazed. It tried getting up, but it never amounted to anything more than a feeble scrabbling for purchase.

"Applejack! Are you okay?" Fluttershy gasped, rushing over to the earth pony even as the other tribesgriffins landed in a loose circle around them. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Twilight rushed over to support and surround Applejack, facing the griffins.

"Ah'm fine, sugarcube. It can wait," Applejack said, but she sat down nevertheless. Fluttershy pulled back the cloak and gasped in horror, covering her mouth with a hoof. Her hesitation lasted all of a second. There was work to be done, and she was neither afraid of blood nor a stranger to injury. Calmly but quickly, Fluttershy began dressing and bandaging the wound with single-minded determination, shutting out the world around them.

The griffins, to a one dressed in various paints and masks, began closing the circle step by step, while none of the ponies gave any ground. Even Pinkie Pie, wide-eyed and clearly terrified, stood firm. Rarity’s eyes were narrow and her head low, horn pointed at the griffins like a spear.

Twilight's horn was enveloped in a sheath of purple light, and her mind was racing. She had no idea what to do. She didn't want anyone else to get hurt, but she would not let anyone hurt her friends, either. The magic around her horn flared up, more intense with every second, layers upon layers of magic without direction. Please don't make me do this, Twilight desperately thought. Please don’t make me do this, but I will.

"Stop!" The sharp voice cut through the building tension like a knife, and Twilight was all too happy to let the magic dissipate harmlessly. The speaker was one of the griffins, clearly distinguished from the others by her full face mask, giving her the appearance of a snake. The mask also muffled her voice, but she sounded distinctly effeminate. The very second she had spoken, all of the griffins had taken a step or two back, giving the ponies a little more room. Dash still looked ready to fight, jeering at the retreating griffins.

"We only want the blue one," the griffin said, as if her proposition was a reasonable one. Even Fluttershy bristled at the words and the tone both, but she said nothing, concentrating on holding Applejack steady as she put the finishing touches on the bandages under her cloak. Rainbow Dash gaped and her fury redoubled.

"Oh, you do speak. Well, it's a shame. You can't have her." Rarity's voice was scathing and cold-tempered with condescension. "Why do you want her?"

The griffin shook her head slowly. "She is known to the Blackclaw tribe, but that is none of your concern. Give us the blue pegasus pony. We do not wish to harm any of you, but we will have her."

Within the same second she had finished her sentence, Applejack was up on her hooves again, roaring. "Then you’ll have to go through us!" Pinkie Pie was trembling. Rarity's jaw was squared, and she was scratching the ground with a forehoof, making an oddly imposing sight in the cloak she wore.

Twilight felt a little sick. Her horn was glowing again, brighter with every second, but she had not called upon her magic. Her eyes hurt from the light, but all she could think of was that she would not let them touch any of her friends.

All the griffins were roaring and squawking, seeing the ponies were all ready to fight. Applejack had managed to slip out of the little circle of ponies and had shoved Rainbow Dash into their midst protectively. Rainbow Dash herself was trapped in a press of flanks, unable to get out.

“Let me the hay out right now!” Rainbow Dash yelled, struggling to stand, but even Fluttershy had joined the defensive circle and ignored her, staring at the approaching griffins.

The surrounding griffins drew ever closer, and Twilight felt the edge of her vision blur. She felt dizzy, and the light dimmed. It was only after the griffins reluctantly stopped advancing that she realized that it wasn’t just her eyes playing tricks on her. She was the one causing it, and finally she welcomed whatever was happening, closing her eyes and submersing herself in the river of magic.

To her amazement, she could still see. In fact, she could see everything far more clearly now when she was not held back by her pathetically simple eyes. She stared at the Sun and she did not flinch from the light. Twilight saw the true shape of the Sun, without the corona and the glare. She stared at the Moon through the mountains and the ground as if they were not there. She brushed against them and felt them both.

Twilight left her body alone and visited her memories. She vaguely remembered feeling something like this a long time ago. She also remembered the training she had undergone to try to prevent this from happening again. The memory was a powerful thing, and it was with her still. The feeling of Celestia's hoof on her withers. The calming presence of the princess slowly soothing her, pulling her back up. Being guided back from the strange and quiet place where all was light and dark, yet neither. She could feel Celestia's touch even now.

It wasn't Celestia's hoof, Twilight slowly realized. The hoof and the voice were both Fluttershy's. "T-Twilight?" The pegasus mare's voice was very quiet. Twilight followed the voice back to herself, again conscious, alert and awake. That was more than could be said for the griffins.

A faint line was etched in the soil around Twilight and her friends, outside of which the ground was scored with marks from a blast of some kind. Griffins were scattered around the area like a foal's toys, some of them stuck in a nearby tree. This was made twice as odd by the fact that there were no trees in the area half a minute ago. As soon as she'd completed that thought, the tree disappeared in a puff of magic, reforming as a very confused griffin. The avians previously stuck in the tree fell right on top of him.

"Ah. Well, um. So yeah. You can't have her. Like Applejack said," Twilight finished lamely, breaking the stunned silence. She could be traumatized about the whole affair later.

Dash pointed at the griffin leader who was only now getting back up. "In your face!" the pegasus yelled triumphantly as she crawled over Twilight’s back, finally extricating herself from the circle.

To her credit, the griffin leader did her best to maintain her poise as she walked back to stand before the ponies again. On the other hoof, her ‘best’ was a little marred by the fact that it seemed like every feather on her forebody pointed in a different way. "Okay. I can see we're not going to resolve this here, then." Her voice was a little hoarse.

"How is this not ‘resolved’!?" Twilight groaned.

"Do Ah need to buck your hide from here to Sweet Apple Acres for you to get it?" Applejack asked the griffin. "We got stuff to do here. We're busy. 'Git!"

"Stuff we could do faster if you featherbrains could give us some directions," Dash added, her voice cracking just a bit on that last word. "We just need to find a griffin called Gilda. She should've come here-"

"You're here to find Gilda?" The griffin was incredulous.

"Well, yeah?" Dash was instantly suspicious. "What's it to you? You know her?"

Twilight had never before seen a grown griffin look sheepish. Technically, she still hadn’t, since the mask somewhat ruined the whole visual component, but the griffin certainly sounded sheepish, she thought.

"I... know her, yes. That was our intent. To take you to- uh, well, because of that. I have standing orders from Chief Blackclaw." The griffins were helping each other back up and formed up near their leader, sensing that the situation had been defused. Many of them still tried to stay as far away from Twilight and Applejack as they could. They looked a lot less like scary monsters now. "My name is Brenliana. I'm sorry for... this," their leader gestured at the scene at large.

"If only somepony had agreed to talk before the shoes came off," Rarity muttered as she rolled her eyes at Brenliana. “Or, well, someone, I suppose. Either way.”

"Oh hey, yeah. Gilda's a Blackclaw, isn't she?" Rainbow Dash beamed. "I think we just got lucky, everypony!"

Brenliana's did not seem to agree with this notion or the use of the word “luck”. She sounded positively dour. "Well, we'll see about that yet. The chief is in Clawford. It's where you were heading, yes? At your pace, that’ll take days."

Rainbow Dash crossed her forehooves and snorted. "Is that a challenge? Because I think those are big words from someone who got outflown- er, outflied? Someone who just lost a flight fifteen-to-one!”

"I think she means because of those of us who don't have wings, Dashie," Pinkie Pie giggled. "I'd ask if I can borrow yours, but I think this is a bad time?" Pinkie appeared pensive for half a second before she nodded at herself. "Yep! Bad time! My bad. Bad Pinkie-winkie."

Dash blushed a bright red, but Twilight paid her no mind, instead putting her mind to more pressing concerns. "I think Fluttershy said it would take two or three more days at this pace, yes." Fluttershy nodded at Twilight’s words.

"We'll fly you there, then." Brenliana's offer was simple and earnest. A few of the half-masked griffins were still a little hurt from the fight and looked rather displeased at their leader's words.

"How do we know you won't just throw them off?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Because we don't have any reason to do so, and we're both heading in the same direction anyway.” Bren began counting on her claws. “Because you seem competent enough to save them if we do. Because I don't want to tangle with you after you knocked out my entire flight in ten seconds. Take your pick." The griffin sounded a little sore about that last point. Satisfied with this explanation, Dash shrugged, and nopony else had any protests, though Fluttershy worried that Applejack’s wounds might re-open if she moved too much.

The matter thus decided, their saddlebags were given to the youngest of the griffins while Applejack, Rarity, Twilight and Pinkie each climbed onto the back of the older, stronger members of the flight. They were just about to take wing when Rainbow Dash spoke up. She had been talking to Fluttershy while the others loaded up and got ready.

"Hey, listen, could one of you take Fluttershy, too? She's light as a feather." The blue pegasus looked around and singled out a capable-looking griffin with a very soft and un-Dashy smile. When the only answer she got was a ripple of murmurs that went through the griffins, that smile was gone in an instant. Fluttershy was staring nervously at her own hooves.

Twilight had heard that the griffins were proud and haughty creatures, and if Gilda was typical in any respect, it wasn't very surprising that they would find this funny or odd. She could easily imagine what Dash and Fluttershy were getting at, though. Fluttershy probably wouldn't be able to keep pace with the others, and this was the best option if speed was an issue.

"I thought all pegasuses could fly," the griffin that Twilight mounted muttered.

"I think it's pegasi," a neighbouring griffin commented.

"Pegasuses, pegasi, if they got wings and don't use'em, I call'em snacks." Twilight had a sudden urge to zap the griffin who said this, but decided against it. He was carrying her saddlebags.

"I'll take you. Hop on and hold on," Brenliana said before the situation could devolve. The griffins seemed surprised at this, leading Twilight to wonder if a taboo had been broken, or if it was just usually not done. As Fluttershy reluctantly settled on the griffin leader's back, they could practically hear Brenliana smirk behind her mask. "It’s a shame, we apparently have no more pairs of strong wings in the flight."

The griffins who did not carry ponies looked sullen at that, and the ones who did, laughed along with Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash.

Once in the air, Twilight realized a number of things. One was that she was, yet again, thankful for the cloaks. Another was that the cloaks could only do so much when you soared through the sky. They must have made quite the sight, the cloth billowing in the wind. Third, she recognized that while she wasn't exactly afraid of heights, she had at the very least a healthy respect for potential drops exceeding a thousand strides in length.

Even so, as it turned out, there was a limit to how long you could cling tightly to a griffin's neck without choking him. Twilight eventually relaxed simply because she had to. She forced herself to think of other things, looking around to see how her friends were doing.

Rarity was chatting with her chaffeur a small distance away. Applejack looked like she was going to be sick, and Pinkie Pie was talking non-stop to her new friend amidst whoops and cries of 'Faster!' Fluttershy, riding with Brenliana, was too far ahead to see clearly. With all of her friends occupied, Rainbow Dash still flying circles around the entire pack as if to prove a point, Twilight let her mind wander. There was still something missing.

She’d found that she was still looking for a seventh pony among them. Twilight imagined she could see Luna flying at her side and smiled a little at the thought. The princess would look straight ahead, unfeeling and cold until she noticed Twilight was looking at her. Then she’d turn, and what?

Look at her as if she was stupid? Perhaps she should. Perhaps Twilight was stupid. In her little daydream, Luna would tell her that she’d seen something, but never explain what. Frustrate her with the barest of hints of the secrets of the world, unusable fragments that meant nothing by themselves. And Twilight would thank her for it because she didn’t want to hurt her. She didn’t want to hurt a goddess of immeasurable power. The very idea actually made her snort with laughter, and the griffin under her gave her an odd look.

So she was crazy and stupid both. She could accept that. What else could explain it? She knew something was terribly wrong with Luna, even if the others tried to ignore it or didn’t believe it. Her friends didn’t shy away despite the warning signals, and they were probably all idiots like that, but Twilight was dumber still. Twilight drew closer, just like she’d probably freeze and starve to death on her porch watching the stars if she didn’t have Spike to take care of her.

---

It wasn't until late in the afternoon that they could make out Clawford on the horizon, and the growing darkness kept pace with them for a while, preventing them from making out any details until they drew much closer. Pinkie Pie's attempt to get Rainbow Dash to play messenger for a remote game of tic-tac-toe with Twilight had failed, and the griffin Twilight rode wasn't particularly friendly or chatty. As a result, the unicorn mare had precious little to do except watch the landscape around them as it was claimed by the night. They flew too high to see any evidence of life below except for a single sighting of a herd of antlered animals.

There really was beauty to the place, though. As they neared the ocean, the surrounding mountains became fewer and smaller, and Twilight could already see a myriad of islands of varying size out past the coast. Clawford was built partially on the flat ground where a river terminated in the ocean, but most of the city was situated on the face of a lonely mountain nearby.

Considering the inaccessibility of Cloudsdale, it really didn't come as a surprise to Twilight that the winged griffins would use the mountains. On the other hoof, the griffins could walk on clouds just like pegasi, yet there were no cloudhomes about. Furthermore, the pegasi expressed no interest in the mountain near Ponyville. Were these differences simply cultural?

"Rarity!" Twilight yelled, trying to get her unicorn friend’s attention. It took her a couple of tries before she was heard over the roar of the wind.

When she did notice, Rarity leaned over to say something to the griffin whose back she borrowed. The griffin smiled pleasantly and nodded before gliding over to fly close by so they could chat.

"Thank you ever so much, Thorvin. What's the matter, Twilight?" Rarity asked.

"I think I need to borrow some writing supplies from you. I have enough material to write a dozen letters to the princess by now," Twilight explained.

The fashionista laughed and nodded. "I'm sure we can arrange for-"

"Hi! What's cookin'?" Pinkie Pie interrupted. She was standing on her hindlegs, balancing on the griffin who carried her as if he were a surfboard. Rainbow Dash was flying nearby eyeing her with a mixture of admiration and horror, no doubt ready to dive if she fell.

"This buys me five minutes of silence afterwards, yes?" the griffin-turned-surfing implement asked, hope plain in his voice.

When they finally began their spiralling descent towards Clawford, it dawned on Twilight exactly how different this was from any pony village or city she had seen. The dwellings near the river were mostly single-story houses made of mud bricks or soil, and there were racks of gutted fish drying in the air all around the houses. It was clear that it was a permanent settlement, and a fishing village at that, large stone structures dominating the shoreline.

The majority of the town of Clawford, however, was on the nearby Mount Blackclaw. A distance that would be a major hassle for an earth pony or a unicorn pony was a non issue to a population of griffins. It would take a matter of minutes to fly between what Twilight couldn't help but think of as two communities, not one.

The griffins were clearly aiming for the mountain settlement. They soared past dozens of small plateaus and caves before finally landing high up the mountain. Hooves, rearpaws and foreclaws touched down gracefully on an empty part of the huge plateau, clearly a designated landing zone. A number of caves dotted the mountainside nearby, each easily able to fit a dragon.

In addition to the caves, numerous dwellings dotted the area and the other, nearby plateaus. They were not simply ramshackle piles of stones, but fairly elaborate stone houses. While they lacked doors and windows, the designs were complex enough that Twilight figured this was due to a lack of materials and little else. They had seen very few trees, after all.

Once the ponies and their cargo was safely delivered, the griffins were quick to shed their masks and store them in a nearby cave before scattering. Some went to nearby houses and were greeted by their families, some disappeared into caves, and others still flew over the edge of the plateau and headed for the village below. It reminded Twilight very much of watching the guard units go off-duty after a drill outside the royal palace. The only thing missing was Brenliana shouting "Dismissed" at the tail-end of their flight.

Instead, Brenliana had waited while the ponies took in the sights. "Welcome to Clawford," she said with a smile. Removing her mask, she looked like any other griffin, if not for her painted feathers. Twilight wondered how griffins told each other apart, lacking in bright colors and cutie marks.

"Well. It's certainly, ah, solid," Rarity offered.

"It's bigger than what you can see. The caves go deep, and there are more roosts above and below, though I guess it's hard to appreciate it all without wings." Her voice was almost melodic without the muffling effect of the mask.

"Thank you for the lift. I, ah. What do we do?" Twilight asked, looking around. None of the other ponies looked like they had more of a clue than she.

"That's up to you,” Brenliana replied. “You said you needed to go to Clawford, and I've taken you to Clawford. The chief's up top, obviously. I've done my part!" With that, before anypony could reply or protest, the griffin took off, flying higher up the mountain. None of the griffins around them seemed to pay them any mind except for the occasional curious glance. They all went about their business heedless of the lost ponies.

"They were nice!" Pinkie Pie said, looking around, oblivious to their predicament.

"Yes, very nice. I love being stranded on a mountaintop. It is, in fact, my most favorite thing ever," Twilight growled. Applejack was clearly with Twilight in this, but she only offered the tiniest of nods to go with her frown, looking very green and queasy. Apparently, flight did not agree with the earth pony.

"Aw, we're not stranded!" Pinkie disagreed. "I'm sure Rarity's griffin friend could help us get off this rock. And Dashie is great at flying. Even Fluttershy could flap-flap those little wings and get us back down if we really wanted to!"

"I- okay, maybe you’re right," Twilight admitted, puffing out her cheeks. "And this is where we needed to go."

"Uh-huh," Pinkie nodded, relentlessly optimistic.

"But we're not going anywhere else just yet until you-" Twilight pointed at Rainbow Dash. "tell us everything. I am not facing the leader of this community until I know what the hay we're even doing here!"

Rainbow Dash looked very uncomfortable. "Uh, Twilight, this isn't a very private place, is it?" The pegasus pony of course had a point. They stood on a plateau that was quite clearly central to the community, dotted as it was with dwellings. It was about as private as the Ponyville village square. It didn’t help that it was only marginally warmer here than it had been mid-flight. To top it all off, the darkness was near absolute now. Soon, it would be hard to see anything at all.

"Um, I kind of agree," Fluttershy said. "And besides, I think Applejack could use some rest. I really want to look at the bandages again, too."

Twilight rubbed her face with a hoof and groaned, relenting. "Fine. But I am serious, we're getting to the bottom of this. Luna only suspected something was wrong, but I know that you know more than you've let on, Rainbow. If not, this trip is a huge waste of time. If Gilda is here, and this place really is as cheery and happy as a pile of rocks could ever be, what the hay are we doing here? And why do they want you?"

"I told you I'll tell, jeez, Twilight!" Rainbow snapped.

"Great, great. Now which of these caves is the Clawford Bed and Breakfast?" Twilight muttered.

As it turned out, it was the second cave from the left. As Brenliana had suggested, the city was a lot larger than one would think after having seen just one of its "floors”. The spacious and well-lit cave entrance they were directed to quickly opened into a massive complex. From the central cavern, dozens of smaller caves branched off, each marked with signs announcing shops and services, one of these being the Clawford Inn.

It took a while to get the proprietor of the inn to accept Equestrian bits, but Pinkie finally sealed the deal by offering him some brightly colored streamers and paper fans, rarities to the point of being luxuries in the land of the griffins.

"My expectations were slightly lower than this, I must admit, however minor a victory that is right now." Rarity sounded almost appreciative as they entered the room they had rented.

Twilight had no idea how the griffins worked the interiors of the caves, but deep in the tunnels stood room #9's fully functional wooden door, perfectly fitted into a door frame. The inside had an almost perfectly even floor covered in carpets and furnished with everything one would expect of such a room, including two large beds. There were even pictures along the walls, perhaps to make up for the lack of windows. Somewhere in Scandineighvia there was a griffin artist with a wonderful knack for drawing landscapes.

Fluttershy was quick to order Applejack out of her cloak and up on one of the beds, something the farmpony did with only a minimum of protests. Within half a minute of entering the room, she had her herbs and ointments out.

While she was getting increasingly worried by how often they had needed Fluttershy and her medical supplies, Twilight knew Applejack was in good hooves. Instead, she turned to Dash. The chromatic pegasus looked very irritable the second noticed Twilight looking at her.

"Yeah yeah, getting to it," Rainbow Dash groaned.

"I'm sorry. I just really think-" Twilight began, suddenly feeling a little bad about pressuring Rainbow Dash.

"No, you're right. Just be quiet and let me talk. I've been thinking a lot about how to say this," Dash interrupted with a hoof-wave.

"Manners," Rarity huffed, but she sat down on the free bed nevertheless. Twilight joined her, while Pinkie took a seat on the floor, leaning back against the bed.

"I first met Gilda at Junior Speedster flight camp," Rainbow Dash began. Twilight glanced over at Fluttershy immediately, surprised that she hadn't mentioned it. Noticing this, Dash interrupted her own story with a sigh before it even had a chance to begin.

"No, not flight school. Flight camp. I chose to go here. It's, um, whatcha call it? Voluntary? The tag line was 'An initiative for talented fliers'.” Dash stuck out her tongue and rolled her eyes at the no-doubt practiced line. “Pegasi came from all over to attend. Griffins aren't exactly a common sight, but there were, er, exchange students. At least, that's what Gilda said she was."

"Anyway, Gilda was pretty much the only gal I got along with there. The rest were just trying to cramp my style, but Gilda, she was cool and quick. She told me where she was from, and that she hadn't really been ‘allowed’ to come here. She kinda just ran away from home to see what else was out there, and she ended up in Equestria. Since she loves flying, she signed up at flight camp when she heard of it. She lied to the instructors." Dash paused, shaking her head. "I guess that's why we got along so well, heh. We were real close, and she talked a bit about why she left."

Fluttershy put her finishing touches on Applejack's flank, having dressed her cuts neatly, and the farmpony quietly said her thanks. The room was otherwise still entirely focused on Dash. For once, it was attention that the chromatic pegasus did not seem to enjoy.

"Turns out she's the daughter of the chief here, and she's expected to help with clan business. She says her dad’s an idiot, and she doesn’t care, so she ran away from it all. I... I told her I thought that was a stupid thing to do, just running away, but she just wanted to fly and be free. I know that feeling,” Rainbow Dash smiled at something only she saw, eyes glassy for a moment before she caught herself. “Uh, we kind of didn’t say anything more about that. End of story, kinda. Well, until some big griffin bullies showed up at the camp one day. They took her home. She said she didn't want to go, but they just took her. I tried to stop them, but... what could I do?"

Despite her words, it looked like the memory still pained Dash. "I tried," she repeated, her voice cracking. "And I wanted to go after her, but one of my camp instructors stopped me, heh. He told me I shouldn't, and not in a nice way. Wouldn’t let me go. My wings still hurt when I think about that." She winced, though she was still smiling.

"So Gilda is a tribal princess?" Pinkie asked, head tilted ninety degrees.

"Uh, no. Or, well, sort of? I don't know, she never used that word," Dash admitted.

"That's not the end though. She came back. I mean, we met her," Twilight pointed out, eager to hear the full story.

"Yeah, yeah, that." Dash began pacing the room, her hooves muffled by the carpets. "She came back earlier this year like you say, knocked on my door one day. It was all cool at first. I didn't really ask. We just had fun, and it was cool to see her." She glanced over at her friends apologetically, particularly at Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. "I... wish I could say she'd changed, but I think I have changed a little, too. She was always kinda loud, but never mean. Buck, I don't know, but it didn't work out so well anyway, did it? I’m sorry, guys."

Fluttershy said nothing, and Pinkie Pie was just giving Dash her most supportive smile.

"When I got home after the party she crashed, she was waiting at my house," Dash said. Twilight blinked at this, and judging by the others' surprise, it was obvious that Dash hadn't told anypony.

"Gilda had been crying. She had fled her tribe again because her father wanted her to marry a griffin from another tribe. He was okay, she said, but she didn't love him. She wanted to choose her own mate. And, uh. Yeah, apparently she'd been in love with me since Speedster camp but hey." Dash said the last bit very quickly, as if hoping nopony would catch exactly what she'd said.

"Oh," Pinkie Pie said, eyes wide and her mouth forming a perfect circle. The others were various shades of utterly quiet.

"I didn't ask for it!” Dash said, voice hoarse. “And hay, I didn't know what to do about that. I still don't! I'm, uh, not interested. She's not exactly my glass of tea. Not anymore anyway."

"Cup of tea," Rarity corrected.

"I don't really drink tea anyway," Dash countered sourly.

"O-kay," Twilight said, trying to collect her thoughts. "But, and I'm sorry to say this, that doesn't actually explain everything. Why did Brenliana recognize you? Why are they so insistent that we should see this Chief Blackclaw?"

"Beats me!" Dash exclaimed, sitting down and throwing her hooves up in the air. "I don't know anything else. I'm trying to tell you what I do know, but I have no idea!" She exhaled slowly and puffed her cheeks out. "Okay, after she told me, we may have yelled at each other a bit. Or a lot. She said that if she went back, her father would punish her for having left, maybe force her to marry. She was scared."

"And you let her go?" Applejack asked.

"I said it wasn't my problem," Dash said, looking like she’d finished an entire jug of lemon juice by herself. "That's the third bucking time I abandoned someone like that."

Pinkie Pie made to walk over to Dash, but the pegasus got up and headed towards the exit, avoiding her. "Gonna go for a flight," Rainbow Dash muttered before slamming the door shut after her. Pinkie swallowed and hung her head.

"Ah reckon the chief ain't none too pleased with Rainbow Dash, then," Applejack said, pensively rubbing her chin with a hoof. "Question is, what're we gonna do about it?"

"We're going to stand by Rainbow Dash, of course. It’s only proper, and she would do the same for us," Rarity said with a shrug. Applejack nodded and echoed the shrug.

"I wonder if she's going to be okay," Fluttershy said, still looking at the door through which the other pegasus had disappeared.

"Of course she is. She's got us," Pinkie Pie said, putting her smile back on and bouncing over to the beds again. "Right?"

"We're all there for her," Twilight agreed before a great yawn seized her. "We just need to take it one step at a time. And right now, I think a good night's rest is a great first step."

Fluttershy, however, looked unconvinced. The butter-colored mare stood silent while the other ponies got ready for bed. When Twilight finally slipped under the covers next to Applejack, Fluttershy still hadn't moved.

"Fluttershy?" Rarity said, making her name a question.

"I have to go find her," Fluttershy said.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, darling. If any of us can manage themselves here, it's her," Rarity said as she put her night mask on. "But if you truly believe she is in trouble, then we'll all go." Twilight nodded at this without hesitation, even though the bed felt heavenly.

"Without wings, I don’t know if that’s such a great idea,” Fluttershy said, though she smiled back at Rarity, clearly thankful for the offer and support. "But she's hurt. She hurts twice as much for every time she thinks she’s failed her friends. No matter how many times I tell her it's okay, that I don't hate her for what happened after flight school, she never listens."

Fluttershy's eyes were glossing over, but she did not acknowledge the tears that formed. "I have to make her understand," Fluttershy finished, heading out the door before anypony could protest.

Twilight looked around at those friends of hers who remained in the room. "So, who's next? Anypony else want to storm off? Pinkie? Rarity? Applejack? Is it my turn?" She didn't so much as smile at her own joke, already regretting saying it. Slamming her head down on the pillow, she closed her eyes tightly, annoyed.

"Ah'm sure they'll be fine, Twi'. Just get some rest now. Please," Applejack murmured at her side.

"I know. I just remembered Luna's words way back," Twilight admitted, feeling keenly the distance that separated her from the princess even now. "I know she’s said this at least twice, but it’s so easy to forget. This isn't really about Gilda. Or, at least, not just about her. It's not just about Trixie or Blueblood either, is it?" Twilight looked meaningfully over at Rarity.

At the mention of Blueblood, Rarity had turned over on her other side, facing away from Twilight. Within minutes, the only sounds in the room was that of ponies sleeping, and Twilight soon followed them to a dreamless oblivion.

Comments

[Dark0592]

really good chapter, but please more!

[Thespurgin]

Must... read... more...

I really, REALLY like this story for some reason. The length of the chapters seems a bit longer than you need (I have noticed some of the linebreaks being perfect chapter-breaks that have gone unused) but I'm not complaining. The way you've painted Luna, and indeed many of the mane characters has gone into surprising depth of personality detail, something I doubt I could even contemplate if I were to write like that. The adventure plot is alluring, and at the same time there is enough personal interaction that it almost qualifies as SoL, which I also enjoy.

At the same time, it's nice to just see Pinkie being Pinkie (even if the nibbling on tails and manes is new... maybe she misses muffins?) Twilight being her typical introspective self, Rarity pining away in typical Rarity form, Applejack being herself (though I might think I am just not quite getting her typical southerner drawl... perhaps it's because she's out of sorts for being on the road so long?), and Rainbow Dash being flighty. The concept of Gildash as a BACKSTORY is an interesting thing I'll admit, though yuri has always been something I frown upon, and Fluttershy has been a bit more skilled in medicines thanI would have thought. I know it's a logical chain of thought to assume that treating animals for so long makes being a field medic a given, but somehow... the fact that it's not explained just confuses me a bit. Nothing much.

[Dracmatais]

"This buys me five minutes of silence afterwards, yes?" the griffin-turned-surfing implement asked, hope plain in his voice.

Best Comedy Line EVER!

[Caroline]

Nope, just could not take the epicness of this story and went to finish it on EqD all in one night when I should have been finishing random responsible things

Soooo worth it though xD I'll probably re-read it as you edit it too, but man your ability to describe the cities, simple trots through the jungle, snow, rain and green hills was so vividly clear. Please excuse me while I look for more fanart of this fic.

Somehow, I couldn't get the song "Stuck here on the moon" out of my head the entire time I was reading this fic. It just randomly stuck so well with the later chapters xD.

[Pleaseworkforonce]

hmm RANDOM FLUTTERSHY ATTACK
yay!

[Cold in Gardez]

This is a good story and you should feel good.

That said, hurry up and upload the rest! I don't get many opportunities to download things in Afghanistan.

[Donnys Boy]

I really like the pacing of the story, which I think I already mentioned, but it's still true so I'll mention it again. Really like the pacing. It's nice to have time to get a sense of the scenery and some conversation between the characters, especially as there are multiple subplots occuring simultaneously. All in all, it just lends the story such a feeling of ... breadth. It feels like we're on an epic journey.

Other things I like include the subtle development of the Twilight/Luna relationship, the revelation of just why Rarity is so fixated on the disaster with Blueblood (which hurt my heart a bit to read--oh, Rarity, I wish I could hug you), and the continuation of the subplot involving Fluttershy and Rainbow's friendship. I also admire and appreciate the way you've been able to write conversations with six or more characters all taking part, which is something I have the hardest time doing. (Almost always I split characters off into groups of two or three to talk, because I have such a hard time writing conversations with more characters than that.) It allows for all of the Mane Six to get good "screen time," and that really adds to the feeling of togetherness and friendship, I feel.

I think my most favorite part from this last batch of chapters, though, was the scene where the griffons go after Rainbow Dash. I LOVED how all of her friends surrounded her in a protective circle and got ready to fight for Dash--that is a beautiful moment, something that is simple but says so much about these characters' relationships with one another.

[Cloudy Skies]

423421 I've always favored longer chapters, actually! I guess it's a bad habit if it's experienced as disruptive, but re-chapterizing it right now would be a bit of a pain, sorry! All the same, thank you for reading and for your comment; as this was written in the season gap, hearing that the characters aren't monstrously off and OOC is incredibly comforting.

425369 Oh dear, if you finished it in one night, you deserve a medal, thank you!

427462 Afraid there's no way around the romance, sir or madam! It's still very flattering that you choose to read on despite this, though.

428984 Thank you! I'm working on it, I swear! I'm trying to do as many chapters as possible during the week and upload chunks in the weekend. I may actually speed it up a tiny bit due to some RL deadlines + being done with my current in-progress fic.

431643 Pacing is one of those mysterious, oft-frustrating things that are so hard to control - at least for me. If you feel it works, I have to admit it's dumb luck, not skill on my part. Thank you all the same, though! I am incredibly curious to see what you think of Rarity, going forward; I've gotten some mixed feedback on her bit. I wonder what you feel about the TwiLuna too, but that's a given, considering its central nature. I hope not to disappoint. (Not nervous at all. No sir.)

The scene you highlight though, that's very interesting; when I was editing, I gave it a look and wondered if I needed to change it up. I worried it might make Dash look "weak" somehow (long story; I worry I don't do Dash justice) but if what you took home from it was the strength of the bonds of friendship, then I'm glad I didn't!

435827 Would you believe that it was unintended? I am aware of the meme, but it was entirely subconscious!

437292 This was written before Discord was announced/known and certainly before S2 aired, but it IS interesting to think about how new (and conflicting) canon fits (or doesn't) into this, hah.

[EonMaster]

For some reason, this adventure reminds me of 'It's Dangerous Business, Going out your Door', and I can't place my finger on why.

[Lurks-no-More]

Enjoying the story quite a bit; it's a good adventure fic with tantalizing hints of well-done shipping, and a very good read overall.

So, since things seem to be getting colder as they go south, this places Equestria on the southern hemisphere, then? Or are you going with a flat world, with the Scandineighvia nearer to the rim?

[drankito]

Well, so far so good. The only reason I'm leaving a comment here is because I'm trying to figure out if I should know what all three of Dash's abandonment moments entail. One concerns Fluttershy and Gilda each for certain... but I can't think of what the third would be! It's certainly not from a show episode since this is pre-season two. Hmm... I just feel like I'm not recalling something completely obvious here.

At any rate, I very much enjoy the story so far. Very few grammar/typo issues with good writing makes this read very nicely and I enjoy the way you've gone about developing the characters. I get the sense that this will very likely end up fitting within your "When Earth Meets Sky" series as far as shipping goes, based solely on Pinkie's behaviors. Though, at this point, I would have to guess that Fluttershy once had a crush, or at least very strong feelings of some sort, for RD in the past (which I think she's gotten over, but our Dashie can't let go of her guilt). The shipping elements themselves, other than the obvious Twi/Luna that's building up, doesn't get in the way of the story's progression. I'll give more detailed thoughts later!