Pinkamena Diane Pie: Consultant Detective

by Time Pony Victorious

The Disgruntled Griffin (2)

"Come on Twilight! Run!" yelled Pinkie as we weaved past thick pine trees, snow falling all over my face, briefly obscuring my vision.

My gypsy disguise had worked well when we entered the country, but now only served to impede my running speed as the rags had fell over my hooves and threatened to send me head-over-hooves. The night sky provided little light for us, as the colorful pink party pony was practically invisible in the darkness. I was guided by my sense of hearing from the sound of Pinkie and Rarity running.

"Over there!" the gruff voice of Commander Storm Talons roared from behind us.

They were catching up, much faster than I had expected. I ran past another tree only to be pulled back by my shoulders and held against a warm body.

"Shh," Pinkie hushed in my ears, bringing an inappropriately timed blush to my cheeks as I registered that it was Pinkie's body that I was being held against.

"Well, I say that went swimmingly," muttered Rarity to my left. I spared a glance at the unicorn and frowned. The fashionista wasn't looking very fashionable. Her gypsy rags were torn up from the run, dirt spoiled her beautiful face and her mane was absolutely ruined with little chance of a full recovery.

Pushing Pinkie's hoof away from my mouth, I steadied my breathing, to avoid being heard by our pursuers, "What do we do then?"

"I've got a plan," announced Pinkie.

"A plan?" asked Rarity.

"Part one: evade the griffins," she said.

"Good, what's part two?" I asked.

"I'll get back to you on that."

"There they are!" From the trees around us, a dozen of griffins leapt out of the shadows and glared at us. They looked very angry and very formidable.

"Scratch part one…" muttered Pinkie.

And from the crowd of griffins stepped out a large griffin, fully iron clad in a militaristic armor; I wasn't very knowledgeable in the griffin military but all of those medals on his chest made me think that this was a very important griffin.

He focused on Pinkie and his glare intensified. "You…"

"Oh, hello Commander Storm Talons," Pinkie bowed slightly, smiling brightly, "What, uh, brings you here?"

From his expression, I could tell that he wasn't in the mood for pleasantries.

"Arrest them," he ordered.

~==~
16 hours earlier.

We got off the boat and thanked the sailor for bringing us this far, and before us stood the dock of a tiny little village.

"Well… what now?" I asked.

Rarity looked off toward the horizon and noticed the sun was rising.

"Hm, well, he said he'll pick us up at eight… so, that gives us about half an hour to kill. What do you want to do till then?" she asked, turning back to us.

Personally, I wanted to see if this place had a library of sorts but from the looks of things I wouldn't suspect they had anything of much value. The dock underneath us was worn out through time and creaked under our weight; it didn't look like it could hold three mares much less a shipment of apples. In front of us stood the actual village and I use that word as loosely as possible.

It was only a small collection of wooden buildings; the population looked to be a dwindling one hundred or so. The roads were dirt, the cool air blew through the trees, making them sing and wail as if the cold burned them.

"I say we get something to eat!" suggested Pinkie with unbridled enthusiasm. I couldn't help but agree; after all I haven't had anything to eat since Ponyville so many hours ago.

"Yes, I could use something to eat," I agreed weakly.

With that, the three of us entered the village. I feel as though I must rescind my earlier statement when I said that the population was around a hundred, because when we walked through the village it was absolutely deserted. I understand that it was the break of dawn and everything, but everything felt so… dead.

The houses moaned against the wind, echoing off each other and I couldn't hear any other sign of life. No sleeping ponies, no fillies, not even any animals. The atmosphere was, of course, horribly depressing as a result.

"Where is everypony…" I asked.

"Sleeping, perhaps," answered Rarity, "Villages like these are quite common. There is often nopony around simply because of the economic downfall. It must be difficult after all, being far from the Princess's sphere of influence."

That's right, we are far from Equestria now, if we were to get into any sort of trouble, the princess wouldn't be around to bail us out. That didn't help my already increasing sense of fear on this adventure.

"Here," pointed Rarity at a local saloon.

"Oh, uh, I don't drink," I told her.

"You'll learn soon enough," smiled Rarity as she pushed me toward the bar.

The bar, like the rest of the village, was deserted and pretty much dead. Made entirely out of aging wood, everything creaked, the slightest movement made the entire building scream as if in agony. There were dozens of tables and chairs set up, but nothing occupied them, save the bugs and dust. In front of us was a large counter which held a huge supply of drinks behind it and, surprisingly enough, a kindly stallion who sat there, reading a book.

He looked up when he heard us walk in and his eyes blazed with curiosity and kindness.

"Oh, oh!" Putting away his book, he smiled at us, "Welcome to the Watering Hole!"

Awkwardly, the bartender realized his folly and produced a small rag in which he wiped the counter with and offered us seats by the bar. He was a kind stallion, I could tell from the generous look in his blue eyes, his mane was snow white and thinning. His coat was a darker shade of gray and was ragged with wrinkles, he wore very old proper gentlecolt clothes, a yellow shirt with red suspenders and a bright blue bowtie.

He must have been desperate for customers or any interaction for that matter, we were, after all, three suspicious mares who were dressed as gypsies, but he had treated us as if we were royalty.

"Thank you sir," Rarity started in her familiar fancy accent, "What is there to drink in this place?"

"Uh, non-alcoholic, please?" I added.

"Heh," he chuckled, "Unless you'd like untreated water, I'd suggest sticking to the rum."

"What's wrong with the water?" Pinkie asked.

"You must not be around here," he remarked, "Then again, I don't think I've seen gypsies like you three before."

Rarity merely smiled, Pinkie grinned widely, and I just looked nervously around. I knew this gypsy disguise wouldn't work, but I hadn't expected to be found out so quickly.

"We don't have a water treatment system here," he explained, "Closest thing would be… Prance, and that's quite a walk for some water. Our next shipment of treated water should be coming in next week, so, all we got till then is this."

He set down three small glass cups filled with a very strongly scented brown drink. I wasn't very sure about drinking that, but Rarity threw a few bits at the counter and downed the drink like it was nothing. Then she looked at me with a sly smile, "My, this is rather strong, although crude."

"Glad you like it," nodded the bartender.

"Uh, I don't think I'm thirsty actually. I'll drink once we get into griffin country," I pushed the glass away from me and as I did so, the bartender turned right around and looked at me wide eyes.

"Griffin country?!" he cried, "Why in all of Equestria would you want to go there?!"

Rarity glared at me.

"Uh… whoops."

Pinkie had downed her drink and giggled, looking a little tipsy, "We're looking for a griffin, she went missing a while ago and we need to search for her."

"Hey, how come she doesn't get a glare?" I complained.

"She's cute." Rarity shrugged, as if it was my fault for not being as cute.

The bartender huffed and looked at us with a strange expression, as if trying to decide if we're brave or just stupid.

"Anypony knows not to go into Griffin country," said the bartender. "But you lot seem to have the right idea with your gypsy wear."

"It should be fine," Pinkie said, waving a dismissive hoof, "I'm sure we can handle it. After all, we're a private detective, librarian and student to Princess Celestia, and an international master thief!"

He looked at Pinkie quizzically and couldn't decide if she were lying or not, but shrugged and nodded. "In any case, you should err on the side of caution."

"Being safe is such a bore," chimed Rarity, "There's so much fun in taking risks."

"Anyways! I think we'll be going now!" I interjected, pushing Rarity and Pinkie out of the door, "Thanks for your hospitality, sir."

When we were outside, I turned to face the mares with a sour expression. "I think we should maintain a low profile from now on. No telling everypony that we're anything but gypsies!"

"Now darling, what's the harm?" asked Rarity innocently.

"They could be spies! Or otherwise nefarious ponies!"

"I think you're getting a bit paranoid, dear." Rarity patted my shoulder and felt my forehead for any signs of a fever. "Besides, this village is absolutely desolate. Who could he tell?"

"Plus, our disguises will work," supplied Pinkie, "The art of disguise is knowing how to hide in plain sight!"

"Though, a disguise generally turns into a self-portrait. No matter how hard you try, you always end up showcasing your true feelings."

I rolled my eyes, these two had too much in common and I couldn't decide if that was a good thing or something disastrous. "We can continue this philosophical discussion later, when we're behind enemy lines and in knee-deep in absolute danger."

"That's the way!" cried Pinkie cheerfully.

As promised, Rarity's ride arrived. It was a rather muscular stallion with a caravan of traveling salesponies. Upon seeing Rarity, the stallion broke out in a grin and hugged her. It occurred to me how strange it was knowing that Rarity had friends out there. Then the stallion began to flirt incessantly at Rarity, and I must emphasize the word "at" because Rarity regarded his advances with the enthusiasm of a cup of water.

Occasionally, she'd smile and brush her mane back embarrassedly, maybe bat her eyes a few times, but I could tell it was just an act. I didn't call her out on it, because I feared that the stallion would drop us off if he knew Rarity was acting, so, I had to sit in-between a mango and Pinkie Pie for about an hour; to be honest, it reminded me of another case Pinkie and I embarked on, The Pony With The Aluminum Crutch.

An hour later, we crossed into Griffin country, and I must admit it was absolutely beautiful. Mind you, I still hold Equestria to incredibly high standards in terms of aesthetic appeal, but Griffin country is a close second.

Rolling lush green hills greeted us along with a huge array of forestry that made my head spin looking at it. Although it was notably colder, everything sort of radiated warmth. In front of us was the entrance to the town and beyond that I could see the cobblestone castle with multiple griffin flags. My sense of anxiety was quieted by the magnificent scenery.

"This is the farthest I can take you," informed our driver. We thanked him and headed straight into the village.

I wasn't sure how quickly it would be until we were signaled out, but then again, I had remembered that everyone around us was at least twice our size so we would stand out horribly.

As soon as we entered the village, we started to get strange looks from everyone. They noticed our gypsy apparel, however, and those strange looks turned into mystical expressions and awe-struck faces.

"See?" whispered Rarity, "They hold gypsy in high respects."

"Art of disguise," added Pinkie pointedly.

"To correct you, we aren't exactly hiding in plain sight if everyone is watching us," I said.

It was only twenty paces before we came across our first curious griffin. He was a tall, imposing griffin with a youthful face and wide eyes, he carried several bags filled with blue cloth and one filled with food.

"M-madams," he stammered while bowing, "I know you must be busy. But, I was wondering if you had any knowledge of my fortune?"

I froze and dared not to offer a response. I knew something like this would happen, none of us, save Pinkie perhaps, had any experience in fortune telling! What could we do besides give ourselves up?

"Oh," droned Pinkie as if she were in a hypnotic trance, "I see your wife is with child and… yes! She will bore a strong male for you, and don't worry, my dear, you will be able to convince your father the worth of your wife if you persist at it."

The griffin had a look of shock on his face when Pinkie spoke, and I figured she guessed wrong until he smiled, "Oh, thank you!" he cried, excitingly bouncing in place, "Thank you madam!"

He ran off like a foal hyped up on sugar, I looked at Pinkie with an incredulous eyebrow. "How?"

Pinkie Pie grinned coyly at me, "You know my methods."

I've learned not to question Pinkie and her methods and only returned her smile with one of my own. We walked, therefore, in silence through the town as griffins would stare at us like we were royalty! Though I can't speak for myself, Rarity was the only one that resembled royalty even in her rags she emitted an aura that was like a million bits.

A few times she caught me staring at her and batted her eyes playfully at me.

I kept my eyes forward for the rest of the trip.

The walk was surprisingly short and as we neared the castle I became increasingly worried about how to approach things. We were simply intending to trot up to the place, saunter right in and begin our investigation incognito?

"Don't worry," Pinkie said suddenly, patting my shoulder. "I've got an idea."

We approached the manor and were stopped by a wrought iron gate flanked by two griffins. They extended their wings to stop us but they looked a tad worried, as if they were afraid we were going to cast a curse on them.

Pinkie stepped forward, grinned at both of them, and said, "We're here to see Commander Storm Talons about the case of his missing daughter."

The guards' mouths dropped. "How did you know that?"

Pinkie walked past them and beckoned us to follow. The griffins didn't miss a beat and opened the gates. "The spirits willed it." Was Pinkie's response.

A few minutes later, we were inside the manor. A servant griffin approached us with a slight frown, he didn't even hesitate after quickly examining all of us he still treated us like the ruffians we were dressed as.

"And who might you be?" he asked nopony in particular.

"Travelers from the Lost Wind," answered Rarity with the poise and elegance of a high-class pony.

"Here to offer our help," I chimed in.

"With what?" he asked, absolutely bored with our mystique.

"The commander's daughter," answered Pinkie.

Again, the servant didn't seem very impressed.

"She's missing," I added. "And we're here to offer our services in finding her."

Turning his bored eyes on me, I gave him my best smile but it probably looked incredibly awkward and forced because he just rolled his eyes and stepped aside. As he moved out of the way, a very large and imposing griffin came out of the door. He had a sour expression on his face and didn't appear affected by our appearances no matter how superstitious griffins may be.

"I've told you, no, we will not discuss these matters until Griffis is located!" the griffin exclaimed, Rarity winced upon hearing Griffis's name.

"Storm Talons, reconsider," a second griffin pleaded although not in a sincere way.

"No!" Storm interrupted. "Razorbeak, I will remind you that this is my house and that you are being treated as an esteemed guest, please don't give me a reason to kick you out."

"Razorbeak?" muttered Rarity behind me. Turning to her, Pinkie and I quietly confided in the fashionista. "His name was mentioned during the wedding, apparently, he is Storm Talon's Lieutenant not by choice mind you."

"What do you mean?"

"Razorbeak is more…. rough and tumble to other griffins, he is the quintessential loose cannon amongst griffin military. Apparently, he had a knack for disrespecting superior officers and was demoted several times on counts of insubordination and was forced under Storm Talon's wing," Rarity explained.

"Sounds a lot like Gilda," I muttered.

"In any case, we need to get inside," Pinkie said. Turning toward the griffin servant, Pinkie put a concerning hoof to her forehead and began to swoon. "Ohh, ohh, I see something."

As expected, the three griffins stopped what they were doing and began to pay attention to Pinkie. I had no idea that their superstition ran this deep because even the skeptical servant lost his disrespectful attitude.

"Who is this?" Storm demanded to the servant.

"A traveling gypsy," he answered quickly but was interrupted by Pinkie's groans.

"You"—she pointed at the servant—" why don't you simply forgive your brother? He has had his problems, but he is still family."

I wasn't very sure how Pinkie deduced this information, but from the look on the servant's face she was correct.

"And Storm Talons, how was the wedding? A festive occasion tarnished by the disappearance of your daughter," she continued. Storm's stony expression softened for a moment. "I can help you."

"And who exactly are you?" Razorbeak asked with a brusque tone.

"I am the Gypsy Bard. This is Moonlight"—she pointed at me— "And Majesty." – Pinkie gestured to Rarity, who smiled rakishly and flipped her mane. "We know of your plight and come to offer our help."

Although Razorbeak was still skeptical Storm Talons let us inside. The place was rather lovely in a sort of scary way. As soon as we entered the manor we were flanked by massive bronze statues of griffins clad in military armor. There were weapons pinned up to the walls and dozens of portraits of famous griffin commanders.

"Easier than I thought," whispered Rarity.

"Easy? That wasn't easy," I countered.

"Well, for you maybe. I half-expected that we were going to break in."

Hopefully, that wouldn't be the case.

Storm Talons led us to Griffis's room. It was a simple room fit for a princess. The bed was huge and adorned pink frilly comforters and blankets, the canopy above it looked big enough to block out the sun. Rarity yelped slightly when she saw the bed, I turned to look at her and her cheeks were rosy red.

"Oh, it's nothing," she said. "I just never got a good look at the bed in the light, prettier than I thought, definitely firmer than it looks."

It was my turn to blush at the implications of that.

Pinkie strode into the room in her usual manner, clinical like a doctor examining a patient as she scanned the room in a manner of moments. I could practically see the gears turning in her head as she made mental conclusions from the evidence.

"Well?" asked Razorbeak. "We've brought you here, what have you to say gypsy?"

Pinkie shut her eyes for two full seconds. When she opened it, she swiftly turned around and headed for the door. "Come on, show me the kitchen."

Her gypsy aura immediately disappeared as she entered her "detection mode" and I could see Storm's fate in her begin to fade. "She can get like this when the spirits become anxious," I quickly amended. "We've no time to lose."

It seemed to work as Storm nodded and lead us back downstairs. We headed into the kitchen and Pinkie immediately began her investigation, like a bloodhound she had her face to the floor and scrutinized everything in extreme detail.

"My, she can become quite animated when she wants to," remarked Rarity.

"She does that sometimes," I agreed.

"Gypsy, what have you concluded?" Storm asked with uncharacteristic patience.

"You"—she romped up to Razorbeak and stared him down. Although she was much, much shorter than him, she put her best intimating expression and glared daggers at him— "You've done something haven't you? The evidence points to you."

"Pinkie…" I warned.

"What are you babbling now gypsy?" scoffed Razorbeak.

"I don't know yet, but you are the prime suspect at the moment. There's something I'm missing, something important," she continued, ignoring the griffin's death glare.

"Gypsy, what of my daughter?" asked Storm again.

"She was taken," answered Pinkie. "There are clear signs, but there wasn't any force applied. I was hoping to find more evidence in the kitchen, but it's perfectly clean."

"Taken?!"

"Pinkie, perhaps you should exercise more restraint," said Rarity.

"She must've left a feather on you when you took her"—Pinkie began to lift Razorbeak's wings and began to search them— "It's gotta be here."

"Pinkie!" I interjected.

"Let me go!" Razorbeak pushed Pinkie back into me, nearing sending both of us tumbling. "I don't know what you're babbling about gypsy, but you've got a lot of nerve to accuse me!"

"Where is she?!" cried Pinkie, glaring angrily at Razorbeak. "You've done something to her, have you hurt her in any way? Trust me, when I find her, and I will, if she has some much as a single feather out of place-"

"Enough!" roared Storm.

"Mr. Talons, I must apologize for our friend's behavior." Rarity gave him her best smile, trying to defuse his anger. "We are only here to help."

"You make baseless accusations and justify that as help? Whether or not you are gypsies, you won't be allowed to trot about as if you own the place. Leave."

"Storm Talons,"

"I said, leave."

His expression was so terrifying that I couldn't imagine any griffin soldier that would be able to stand up to him. We said nothing as we were led out by the servant. When we were far from the manor, Rarity sighed in defeat.

"What exactly was that, Pinkie?" she asked.

"I'll explain later," Pinkie answered dismissively. "Right now, though, we'll need to wait."

"For what?" I asked.

Pinkie turned to me with that familiar crazy smile. I knew I would hate what she would say next. "Nighttime, we're going to break into the manor."

We spent the next few hours waiting outside of a small café. The griffins were nice enough to us and the shop manager didn't kick us out for fear we would cast a curse on him. By the time night rolled around, the streets were so dark that it was impossible to see. Maybe griffins have some sort of night-vision and don't need any street lights, but I couldn't see anything.

My horn lit up and provided a small light for the three of us and under Pinkie's direction; we sneaked back into the manor. When we neared the manor, I had to cut off my light spell for fear of detection and had to be guided by Rarity's hoof. We veered away from the gated entrance and headed toward the western side where a large tree sat right outside the gate.

Climbing the tree we were able to hop right over the gate. Unfortunately, I'm not exactly the most athletic and fell out of the tree and landed on top of Rarity.

"Ooh, Twilight," she purred into my ears.

I jumped off and muttered a few apologies.

We reached the building, far from the front doors, but had to duck behind some bushes to avoid the roaming sentries. Rarity threw over a necklace of flowers over our necks before the guards arrived. "Griffins have a highly developed sense of smell," she explained. "This will block our scent."

It worked well enough because the guards flew right over us, uninterested in the prospect of three ponies. After they passed, we headed for the first window available. After Rarity performed a lock-picking spell (which I'll have to pick up eventually… you know, out of science) we climbed in through the window and were in the kitchen.

"What now?" I asked, keeping my voice low.

"Over here," Pinkie answered, heading out of the kitchen and toward the sitting room. "I need a light."

I lit up my horn again, though kept the light quite low and pointed it at Pinkie. The pink sleuth ran me all over the room, shining my light in every nook and cranny until we stopped at a door. Pinkie grimaced as she examined the floor and ran a hoof through her mane.

"What's wrong?" Rarity asked.

"I think I know who did it," Pinkie answered.

"Who?"

Hoofsteps (or should that be pawsteps?) interrupted us. I shut off my light and ducked behind a couch. Pinkie hid behind a grandfather clock and Rarity in a corner behind a curtain (though she complained that the curtain was hideous).

A shadowy griffin stepped into the room; I couldn't make out his features in the pitch black and ducked behind the couch when he turned toward me. He passed my hiding spot, oblivious to my location, and I noticed something in his mouth. It looked like a bag and it rustled as he moved, I could faintly smell the scent of food: fruits and veggies. A guard taking a midnight snack?

A pink blur led me to Pinkie's hiding spot. Pinkie was waving her hooves frantically at me when we made eye-contact; she pointed toward the kitchen then at me. Nodding, I began to sneak from behind the couch toward the door. I kept myself low to the ground and moved at a snail's pace and after what felt like an eternity I made it to the door and almost ran into the kitchen.

Pinkie and Rarity rejoined me.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"Not sure, but we should get out of here. I know where Griffis is," Pinkie said.

"Where?" demanded Rarity.

More rustling and talking came from the sitting room. "Who's there?" the voice asked.

Pinkie pushed me toward the window and I was half-thrown and half-jumped out. We ran where we came in from but the gate still imposed as a large obstacle for us. When we neared the gate, I wrapped my forelegs around Rarity and Pinkie and teleported us right outside.

Landing with a severe groan, I scrambled to get to my hooves as I heard shouting from the manor. Pinkie pulled me back up and we all ran for it. We headed down the street, past dozens of cafés and probably waking up half the neighborhood and rounded a corner.

Pinkie pulled me back and pressed me against the wall. The sounds of the search party quickly died down, I heard them fly off in the opposite direction. Thanks to our little necklaces we were invisible to their noses!

"Oy, you there, what're you doing?" a youthful, yet still intimidating, voice asked. I turned and saw a young griffin soldier before us. His armor was too big for him and he looked much smaller than any other griffin I saw here, but he still looked at us with a fierce expression.

"Oh, apologies," said Rarity with a fake high-pitch giggle. "We were just lost, but we've got our bearings now, thanks!"

"Hold it right there," he commanded with a slight squeak in his voice. "I'm taking you to the commander."

"That isn't necessary ," tried Rarity.

Pinkie was gearing up for a fighting, quickly looking over the griffin to decide how to take him down. I could tell this was going to get messy fast.

"What are you doing?" A familiar voice asked from behind us. Turning, I saw the tall, imposing frame of…. Gilda?! Gilda the Griffin, perfectly clad in armor, stood behind us with her usual bored expression and sneer. The young soldier stiffened when he noticed the insignia on Gilda's collar.

"I asked you a question private," said Gilda with a commanding voice. "What are you doing?"

"Uh, sir, I mean, ma'am, I mean sir—"

"Now private!"

"I-I was apprehending these ponies. They were acting suspiciously and may have broken into Commander Storm Talons' manor."

Gilda looked at us with an expression that either read shock or that she was impressed. "What's your current assignment at Storm's manor?"

"I was hired to guard the outer perimeter," he answered.

"And if these ponies really did break into his home, they must've gotten past you, correct?"

"U-um, yes."

"Then what makes you think you can just apprehend them so easily without back-up?"

"I—"

"Go on. Find the others and we can deal with these ponies then." The soldier hesitated but Gilda glared at him harder and he nodded, running off with his tail between his legs.

"Gilda, what're you doing?" I asked.

"Saving your sorry flanks, now hurry up, get out of here. You guys won't have any time before they arrive."

"Wait, but why? We can get Gilda to vouch for us. You can help with finding Griffis," I insisted.

Pinkie shook her head and patted Gilda's shoulder. "That soldier is still a greenhorn, intimidated by Gilda's rank as captain but he doesn't know who she really is."

"What? Who?" I looked at Gilda who was blushing beet red.

"Griffins don't like fraternizing with ponies, we're kinda prideful like that. This goes double for any griffin in the military," Gilda answered.

"What does that have to do with you?" I asked.

"I… sorta kinda got myself involved with a pegasus in Ponyville," she admitted sheepishly.

"Oh… Oh!"

"Anyways!" she interrupted, still blushing furiously. "We have to go before they get back—"

"There they are!" A griffin cried.

Gilda wrapped Pinkie and I under each of her forelegs and Rarity with her tail and took off. She flew toward the forest but with our combined weight and the frigidly cold weather she slowed down significantly.

"Land over there!" Pinkie pointed at a small clearing and Gilda took us down there. We nearly crashed into the snow-covered ground but Gilda managed to stabilize seconds before landing.

"Gilda, I need another favor from you," Pinkie said once the griffin let us go.

Gilda scoffed and brushed off her shoulder but listened regardless. Pinkie leaned up to the griffin's ear and whispered her request, Gilda's eyes widened but she said nothing and simply flew off.

"Now then, it's time we run!"

~==~

And so here we are. In the middle of a freezing forest surrounded by dozens of griffins, Commander Storm was flanked by Razorbeak his servant who, bizarrely enough, was clad in his own armor. Pinkie held up her forelegs in surrender and tried for a placating smile.

"Now, now, I'm sure we can talk this out," she said. "I told you before, I'm here to help."

"You pose as gypsies, infiltrate my home, make false accusations and now resort to breaking and entering? It seems to me that you are here for everything but helping," Storm snapped.

The griffins closed in but Pinkie jumped and removed her rags to show off her bright pink mane. "Okay! Look, I'm Pinkie Pie, I'm a consultant detective and I came here intending to help you find Griffis, all right? Sorry that I had to lie to get in, but you wouldn't have let me in otherwise, now stop, I know where she is!"

Storm held up his paw, stopping the other griffins. "Where?"

"Oh, please Commander. Don't listen to this pony, she's obviously lying! A spy sent by the Sun Pony herself!" cried Razorbeak.

"Or! Somepony who's right, who knows where Griffis is. You'll never know if you arrest me," argued Pinkie.

Storm Talons paused for a few minutes, considering the detective's words and for a moment there I thought he was going to actually arrest us. But, he said, "All right, explain."

Pinkie grinned, happy to be in control of the situation. "My first suspicion was that she was taken, after all, a griffin simply walking off by herself is very hard to miss, especially considering who her father was. Naturally, my suspicions led me to everyone in the manor. No offense, but you were my first suspect"—Pinkie unmistakably pointed at Storm Talons, who glowered in response— "You were the most likely and it wouldn't be hard for you to make anyone disappear."

"You… dare—"

"No, sir," amended Pinkie. "I told you, you were my first suspect. But I cleared you after seeing her room. Untouched and not a trace of evidence suggesting you despite the fact that the room hasn't been clean since her disappearance. So, that leads us to you"—she turned to Razorbeak— "A rough and insubordinate griffin with no respect for your commanding officer. You had the means and motive to take her, after all, she would be a very good bargaining chip for your rise in the ranks after being demoted so many times."

Razorbeak stepped forward, as if to smack Pinkie, but Rarity and I stood in front of him absolutely defiant. The other griffins quickly detained and held Razorbeak back, who growled in protest.

"Razorbeak?" Storm Talons shook his head. "You accuse him again?"

"Not exactly," answered Pinkie. "It wasn't him. There's no evidence supporting that, plus, it wouldn't make much sense, no griffin would be stupid enough to do anything to Commander Storm Talons daughter."

"Then who?!"

Pinkie Pie raised her hoof and pointed… at the griffin servant. "Wing Gust, that's who you are right? Saw your accolades in the sitting room, very impressive military record."

"You… how dare you accuse me!" Gust cried.

"Oh, it wasn't all you though. You didn't steal her away in the middle of the night or anything, you simply walked her out of her room and made her disappear… because she told you to."

This time it was Storm Talons turn to become flabbergasted. He shook his head furiously and turned to Pinkie with an absolutely livid expression. "Are you saying she ran away?!"

Pinkie nodded.

"And why would she do that?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Pinkie pointed toward the sky where two griffins came into sight. Gilda and Griffis following her. They landed in front of Storm Talons, Griffis awkwardly pawed at the ground as her father looked properly confused.

"Griffis! Where were you?!" He asked, hugging the small griffin tightly.

"The cellar underneath your house," answered Pinkie. "She's been hiding there this whole time, assisted by Gust who made sure no one would go down there to find her. That was you bringing food down to her, wasn't it Gust?"

The now meek servant nodded, but Storm paid him no mind as he focused entirely on Griffis.

"You hid from me? Making me think you were stolen! Or hurt?!"

Griffis nodded shyly.

"Why would you do that?"

Griffis looked at Rarity for a few moments before taking a deep breath. "I had fallen for a unicorn, father."

Every griffin, save Gilda and Gust, recoiled. Storm's expression was one of absolute shock and disbelief.

"It was the night of the wedding, I had went upstairs to my room where she—"

"She?!" Storm interrupted.

Griffis nodded again. "She was there, waiting. And then she—"

Storm Talons shook his head, stopping Griffis's recollection. "No, don't. Tell me, who is this unicorn?"

"Father…"

"Who?!"

"Me." Rarity stepped forward puffing out her chest and jutting her chin upward. "I am the unicorn she fell for."

"You.." Storm turned to Rarity, ready to pounce but Griffis quickly stopped him from approaching.

"No, father! Don't!" she pleaded. "Don't hurt her!"

"She deceived you! She is a unicorn who seduces you, not taking into account of your feelings Griffis!"

"That's not true," I said, stepping forward. "Rarity came with us to find her. She was so concerned about Griffis that she risked life and limb to help her."

"It's true," nodded Rarity unafraid of Storm's wrath.

"But…" Griffis smiled weakly at the fashionista. "You do not return these feelings, do you Rarity?"

Rarity smiled, under the moonlight she looked radiant in spite of how raggedy she was. She held Griffis's paw, patting it comfortably. "You are a lovely griffin, and I certainly enjoyed the night we had"—Storm Talons' face reddened at that—"But I do not love you like you love me."

"Of course…" muttered Griffis sadly.

"Oh, Griffis, my silly little Griffis. Remember what I told you? Smile. A lovely girl like you doesn't deserve to wear a frown. You should be more confident in yourself." Griffis beamed at Rarity's words then leaned in to kiss her. Storm and every other griffin turned away, and I blushed as Griffis held a passionate kiss with Rarity.

When she pulled away, Rarity looked baffled and blushed. Griffis giggled. "Looks like you can be caught off-guard."

The rest of the night was a lot more peaceful than I expected. Storm allowed us to spend the night in the guest room of his manor (though he kept a few guards outside to make sure Rarity doesn't sneak out for some… pleasantries with Griffis) and in the morning we were given a ride back to Ponyville.

Griffis had explained to him that she hid away out of fear of Storm reacting poorly to her falling in love with a unicorn and wanted to, eventually, sneak away to Canterlot to find her! Storm didn't look very happy, but he had accepted Griffis's choice and even thanked us for finding her before she managed to run away for good.

All's well that ends well.

… Well, except for Gilda who was called out for her exploits with an unnamed pegasus in Ponyville. Pinkie, Rarity and I came to her defense but surprisingly enough it was Storm who eventually defused the situation. So, thankfully, Gilda wouldn't be stripped of her rank and Storm turned a blind eye to her attraction to this pegasus.

Nothing of what happened there was reported Storm's higher-ups or Princess Celestia and the whole mess was swept under the rug. Naturally, since I am publishing all of this, the names and certain events were changed and altered to protect their identities.

Though, I think I did manage to deduce who Gilda liked. I won't say her name, but I can tell you that she has a really bubbly personality.

Comments

[Reisentanith]

...Gilda X Derpy? That's a new one.

[Time Pony Victorious]

2154120

One of the first stories I read on this site featured a Gilda x Derpy pairing. Originally, I was going to choose Rainbow Dash but decided against it because I like Derpy a little more

[Time Pony Victorious]

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[DarkwingSnark]

Okay, now I'm going to have to look up Derpy/Gilda to even see how that pairing would work out. XD

Another great case! I must say, i'm starting to like your portrail of Rarity MUCH more than the original. I like how she's pretty much turned into a Catwoman-esque character. Villian, yes, but she can choose when she wants to be the hero and when she wants to be the criminal. And, oddly enough, her generocity is shining through way more. I think it also shows just what kind of pony she is, when she does crimes to help others.

Anywho, I'm rambling. Another enjoyable chapter. i'll be looking forward to the next one.