Dear Princess Twilight,
It has come to my attention that the adventures of you and your friends may in fact come to an end. The ones that sponsor the show have decided to take a new route to try to please the young ones of today. You know as well as I do that the show is now geared to those unforeseen viewers we call ‘The Bronies’.
You must also know that most of our fan base comes with them. It would be a tragedy to have the directors of the show forget about us in hopes of moving it into a new direction. I leave the decision in your hooves now, and trust you will make the right choice. Make me proud my faithful student.
With great love,
Princess Celestia
“That’s the end of the letter.” Twilight rolls up the parchment in her magic and sets it aside on a nearby table. She then turns to her forced house guest who was tied to a chair and gagged. “Being me you must know what I’m thinking.”
The lavender gryphon sits completely restrained on the chair. Claws smoothed off and dull, ropes tying down both hind legs and fore claws, the ball gag in her mouth, the tightness around her wings, and a look of sheer terror in her eye’s. She was currently held in the Golden Oaks Library basement. No dark atmosphere or unusual lighting. The lights were on as normal illuminating the basement as a whole.
It was different than normal. Yes she was a Twilight, be it a gryphon version, but she knew enough to know that the basement was never this clean. The assorted boxes of books, extra writing supplies, wood furnishing for more shelves, the small alchemy lab, and others arrangements that used to occupy the large room was now gone. all that left was a doctor-ish rolling tray that was covered with a white cloth. It didn't even need to be uncovered for her to know what it was.
“So,” Twilight’s gryphon counterpart looked back at her pony form, “all we need is your ‘new friends’ to show up and we can get started.” Princess Twilight was almost to excited to say that.
“Mmm hmmh hhmmm.” The gryphon’s words were simply inaudible.
“Hmm...ok I could use a good laugh.”
Princess Twilight removes the gag from the prisoner in front of her. She in turn takes a few deep breaths to calm herself, all in vain. She dared not scream, for that would only upset her captor or make her want to yell even louder. either way the pony in front would not make a mistake like not put up a sound proof barrier around the room if not the library itself. Finally, the gryphon speaks -
“How do you plan on getting my friends here?”
“What an inspirational question!” The princess stormed up to the prisoner, hooves on her shoulders. “Why didn’t I think of that? I guess that’s why you’re replacing me as the new Twilight Sparkle!” She barked at the gryphon.
“Uh, I didn’t me-” The gryphon felt herself backing away as much as she could, but was cut off by a hoof connecting to the face.
“How do you think they’re getting here!?! My friends! Are they really thinking of replacing me with you!?! Just use your brain for once!” She exploded in the gryphon’s face.
“B-but how?” The gryphon stuttered. “All my friends have wings. Half of yours don’t and some are earth ponies.”
“Just another reason you need to be extinguished from Equestria.” Twilight growled. “You might be me but you obviously know nothing about my friends. Why don’t I just tell you, not like you can get out to help them. You want to talk about earth ponies do you? Fine I’ll start with them.”
Twilight took a deep breath, and began talking about her friends. “To start, Applejack is one of the best runners in Ponyville matched only by Rainbow Dash. She has won every single rodeo in Ponyville ever since she was old enough to compete. She is ranked five in all of Equestria of being the rodeo champion. Her hind legs are strong enough to dislocate a hydra’s jaw, and I don’t know a single pony who is more skilled with a rope.” Twilight stopped and took another breath.
“Then there’s Pinkie Pie.” She continued. “Do I really have to mention her invention, the party cannon. Somehow, the ability to run as fast as Rainbow Dash, her ‘Pinkie Sense’, and her ability to break to fourth wall.” Twilight got right up in the gryphon's face and stared her down. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she was the last to come in just to see how long she can torture her victim.” She sneered, then backed off from the terrified gryphon.
“I’m sure you’re wondering about the others. Fluttershy, for example. Let’s just say that special lessons from somepony, or I should say some minotaur, can do a lot to a pony. Have you actually seen what she becomes when her animal friends are in trouble?” Twilight began chuckling. “What am I saying, of course you haven’t. But I can say this, she isn’t paying for the immense amount of food she need to keep her critter friends happy and healthy. Take away the funding she gets from the show and her special lessons and you have one. Angry. Pony.”
“Rarity has magic which is more than I can say for her ‘uncouth’ counterpart. Is your version a designer like the original? It would be a shame it she wasn’t, you see Rarity is a very creative pony. Especially when it come to tying up a gryphon with a scarf and creating makeshift camouflage. Being the element of generosity see has made some allies over the years.”
“Last is our own Wonderbolt-To-Be Rainbow Dash. Arguably the most athletic pony in Ponyville she is the fastest flyer in Equestria. In fact, both Dash’s can fly. Fact, both are extremely fast and have their own advantages in the sky. Fact, pony Dash is the only one of both versions to have extensive training with the best flyers around and is the only being in history to pull of a Sonic Rainboom.”
“We have more combat experience. We have a better arsenal of magic and weapons. We have allies, we have gods on our side. Did you really think we would sit by and let you takeover while our live went to Tartarus?”
The gryphon was completely silent.
“Didn’t think so?” Twilight pulls out a mirror from under the cloth with her magic as well as pulling up a chair next to her captor taking a seat. “Why don’t we see what your ‘friends’ are up to. Applejack seems like a good start.”
Twilight casts a spell on the hoof held mirror as she settles into her seat.
“Time to see which of our friends can best who.”
Applejack ran through the forest, her heart pounding as she feared at what was behind her, herself. She has been running for almost an hour now and it is taking it’s toll on her body and what’s left of her energy. The ropes around her wings weren’t helping her situation at all.
Finally Applejack made it to the edge of the forest. Once she knew she was safe and so of her breath caught back up to her she clawed at the ropes. It took longer than she would have liked but her claws had been filed down some. She was free yet again. There was almost no time to waste, her fears would have caught back up to her soon enough.
Opening her wings she rubs down the sore spots before taking off. Or at least that’s what would’ve happened if she hadn’t seen an apple out of the corner of her eye collide with her face. Whatever happened right after was a blur. Her vision came back slowly to the sight of an orange pony leaning against a tree eating an apple.
“Come now, why would ya run away from little old me? Am ah not yer friend?” The pony version of Applejack was calm as she talked before taking another bite of the apple.
“Please just let me go.” The gryphon whimpered as she backed away.
“Oh ah can’t do that sugarcube. Twilight wants ta have a word with ya, and ah intend on givin’ a few ‘words’ of mah own.” Applejack chuckled as she tossed the apple aside, beginning a slow walk towards her gryphon counterpart.
Gryphon Applejack jumped in an attempt to fly off, but didn’t get five feet in the air before being lassoed around the waist. She was pulled down to the ground with a hard thud. Pony Applejack had wrapped the rope around her counterpart’s wings so she couldn’t fly again. It would seem that Applejack was rushing her task, but in reality, it was nothing but experience. She flips her feathered captive on her back.
“Yer pathetic. Evolutionary speakin’, yer the one who should have me on mah back. Truly a sad thing, but then again, ah’ve got somethin’ ta fight for. Mah family.”
“I wasn’t trying t-” An apple was shoved into her mouth.
“Ah don’t care what ya got ta say! Now listen here, as true apple ah will protect mah family till the day ah die. If ya really were me then you would know that. That just proves that ya aren’t.” Pony AJ leaned in real close to her ear and whispers, “An ah’ll bet you don’t even have a family.”
The gryphon used her hind legs to kick herself off of her pony captor. In the process the gryphon kicked Applejack, who was sent flying away, and landed with a loud thud on her back. She recovered quickly, only tilting her head up to see the non-country griffon lunging at her, claws ready to strike. The country mare let her enemy come, waiting for the last second to counter. She uses her hind legs to buck the incoming griffon in the chest, sending her crashing into a tree, knocking her out cold. AJ got up, barely phased by the desperate struggle, and walks over to the unconscious body.
“That was weak, yer supposed to be a well respected farmer, not a weak legged flier. Applejack is country pony, yer not.” Applejack mocked the unconscious gryphon.
Applejack tied another rope to her captive, and puts the other end of the rope in her mouth, and starts dragging the gryphon towards Ponyville.
“Hahahahaha. That was funny.” Princess Twilight was laughing at the display she and her counterpart had just watched via the enchanted mirror. “I must say she did have me going for a second. Then AJ used her superior strength to literally knock some sense into her.” The lavender griffon began to get teary eyed as the image of pony Applejack was dragging away her friend. She was lightly assaulted by the princess in the room with slaps to her face.“Cheer up. You’ll see her real soon. In fact you’ll see all your friends in the near future.” Twilight sneered sarcastically.“I will always believe in my friends.” Gryphon Twilight spoke half heartedly, and Princess Twilight picked up on that.“I believe in them too. But that’s not going to stop my friends from tearing them a new plot hole. Now before you get all emotional on me, lets see how Pinkie Pie is doing.” She had to stay strong, for her friends. They would find a way. If any thing, Pinkie could triumph over some weak party pony. Unlike the other earth pony this Pinkie wasn’t a walking muscle factory. She just had to believe.