Secret of the Rainbow Pegasi

Inside the hallowed walls of the palace, Rainbow saw even more murals painted across the windows and columns. All of them exemplified and honored the griffon race and its heroes. Tales, centuries old, were depicted in colorful droves, remembering a story that had undoubtedly passed through the mind of many a griffon child from an elder’s mouth.

Yet Gilda and, surprisingly neither Twilight, did not stop to admire the massive drawings. Whatever business they had here had completely taken over her natural snideness, and in Twilight’s case, said business out-prioritized any natural curiosity. Rainbow felt a slight chill wash over her for some reason.

“Palace is big,” she commented. “About just as big as Canterlot’s.”

Gilda nodded. “Yeah. I guess griffons do have it in them when they get their act together.”

The “it” was intentionally left anonymous, and Twilight and Rainbow were left wondering what she meant by that.

All three of them took to the air to traverse the palace much quicker. The bronze-yellow floor swooped below, the cobalt centers and ornate ruby perimeters, becoming nothing more than blurs.

Rainbow thought she saw something next to her moving shadow. Hesitating for a moment, she looked around, finding nothing. She shrugged, thinking nothing of it.

Yet the chill from before persisted; not on her back, but in the palace itself. She failed to notice it consciously, though the hair at the back of her neck stood on end, rigid.

***

Several forms met them at the end of the long hall. Their faces were masked by steel plates, their bodies covered in shining metal. Only a narrow slit revealed eyes that were fierce and suspicious. They carried a set of spears in their talons, and they looked just about ready to launch an attack.

“It’s me,” Gilda said to them, and they visibly relaxed; but they kept their eyes trained upon them. Gilda turned back to Rainbow and Twilight. “Griffon guard. Pretty impressive, aren’t they?” Her tone became prideful. “Picked several of them myself.”

“They seem kinda OP,” Rainbow said. “That’s a lot of armor to be lugging around. Even the Royal Guards aren’t completely covered.”

“I think we make up for that with numbers,” Twilight answered, “not to mention magic.”

Gilda nodded. “Yeah. To keep up with you ponies, we’ve had to up the technological ante.”

“I can see that.”

Gilda turned back to the guards. She raised a talon, giving something close to a flicking motion. The guards shifted their bodies so that they were facing the one on the opposite side. Gilda held up her talon a little longer, before slamming it to the ground. The guards followed suite, banging the ends of their spears thrice upon the ground, the sound echoing throughout the palace.

The door slowly creaked open, like a massive maw. A yellow-and-lapis-blue carpet appeared from within, like the door’s own tongue. The uncanny thought continued further as Rainbow glanced above; she saw what appeared to be stalactites, made of concrete, hanging from above the arch, with banners falling below them. These were the teeths of the door.

She wondered if the design was intentional. It certainly unnerved her, though she tried not to show it.

Gilda walked them in, the sentries and guards watching them with careful, guarded eyes. They saw one lone griffon in front, sitting on a golden throne, covered in glorious robes of amber and ruby. Yet, unlike the sentries that stood by him, his eyes carried not suspicion, but welcome glee. As they approached, he stood, he watched them with careful amusement.

Gilda cleared her throat. “The King Gyps Fulvus!” she announced, loud and clear. She bowed low, and Twilight and Rainbow mimicked the motion. The guards banged their spears on the ground thrice.

The griffon king stepped down from his throne, a content and beaming smile on his face. “Gilda. You know how I feel about formalities when among friends.”

Gilda actually snorted. “Yeah, but you still like the attention, don’t ya?”

Twilight’s eyes bugged out at Gilda’s unprofessional snark. Rainbow, on the other hand, stifled a chuckle.

Gyps merely laughed. “Still got that snark of yours, don’t you?” He eyed the two others, before—to the ponies’ surprise—bending down in his own bow. “Princess Twilight Sparkle and Knight Rainbow Dash.”

“Whoa, what?” Rainbow shot up like a rocket. “Twilight! When did I become a knight?!”

Twilight recovered quickly, and answered, “Well, considering how you are one of the Element Bearers, I guess that position that makes sense?”

“Does it?” Gyps waggled his eyebrows playfully. “Well, as a war hero, she could be promoted to Sentinel.”

“Before we make Dash’s ego explode any more,” Gilda interrupted, “maybe we should get back to why they are here?”

The king nodded. “We should, but—” There was a low rumble. Rainbow and Twilight looked at Gyps in confusion. He blushed, grinning sheepishly. “Maybe we should get something to eat first.”

Gilda rolled her eyes, but before she could say something in retort, her own stomach grumbled.

“Pfft!” Dash had to shove a hoof in her mouth to stop herself from laughing. She nearly spat it out when Gilda shot her a furious glare.

“Yes, we should,” Twilight said quickly, before a fight ensued. “Lead the way, sire.”

***

The royal kitchens had the courtesy to provide a plant-based meal for the herbivores, while providing traditional griffon food for the king and his guard. As Rainbow and Twilight settled in, munching on the leaves and grasses, they exchanged talk with Gilda and Gyps.

“Yeah, being a guard is great and all,” Gilda said between burps, “but it can get pretty boring. Ever since the war, we haven’t had much to fight. I think our guards are beginning to slack off.”

Gyps actually chuckled. “Yes, well, peace is a well-earned condition. We should be glad we have it at all.”

“Peace in our time,” Twilight said as she chewed on her sandwich. She swallowed. “Such a strange concept. I can’t believe it had to be brought about through violent means…”

“Aw, lighten up, Twi! It was worth it in the end!” Rainbow gave her alicorn friend a hearty slap on the back. “We beat up the bad guy, saved the day, Azrael got the girl—”

“Ah, I see that young Luna has found love?” Gyps smiled. “She certainly deserves to have somepony special by her side.”

“I remember Azrael,” Gilda said, and there was a tinge of red in her cheeks. “He’s… not so bad, I guess.”

Dash cackled. “Oooh, is Gilda blushing?”

“Sh-shut it, Dash!” Gilda bristled, flaring her wings. Her blush only grew darker, and Rainbow’s laughter spread to the others.

“By the way,” Twilight said, “I know that this is nice and all, but why exactly did you want us to be here, Gyps?”

“It’s my way of thanking you,” answered the king. “After all, thanks to your efforts, both Equestria and the Griffon Empire have been saved and secured. I was hoping, however, that your friends could have come?”

“They’d like to, but, well, as you know, Azrael is busy with Luna. Fluttershy and Pinkie are with him, helping out. Rarity’s got her business to tend to, what with a new demand for battle-style clothing among many of Ponyville’s residents; while Applejack is working at the farm.”

“And your young dragon charge?”

“Spike’s… well…” Twilight blushed. “He wanted to stay home and keep the house clean.”

“And knowing you, Twi, you’d let him, even if he argued against it.” Rainbow’s jest was light, and while the alicorn initially fumed at the response, she slowly realized that her friend was just joking with her.

The conversation soon drifted just as lunch dwindled. Plates were slowly being cleared of their portions, and their stomachs became full and satisfied. Rainbow burped. “Man! That’s gotta be one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time! Give my compliments to the chef!”

Gyps smiled. “I’m sure that he’ll definitely like to hear that, Rainbow. Now,” he added, getting up from his seat, “why don’t I give you a personal tour of the entire palace?”

***

When Rainbow was but a young foal living up in Cloudsdale, she used to not have as much of an appreciation of the Earth as she did now. Well, arguably, she still didn’t, but back then it was much more cynical in nature, that dislike. Her father, on the other hand, had a much more open mind, and wished to encourage his young daughter to think outside of the clouds she lived on.

Often, they would simply sit on a cloud in the back of their home, and stare out between an open space. The world below them would circle beneath, and Dash would sometimes think it was like a giant shell of a mysterious creature. She would frown and say, “That’s just the dumb ground, Dad.”

Her dad would then say, “It’s more than that, Dashie. It’s the world we live in.”

“We live in clouds! We’re pegasi!”

“Most certainly we are, but have you ever thought that we weren’t always like that?” Then he would begin some strange tale about how their ancestors were of the Earth pony race, and only evolved into pegasi when the situation demanded it. This was all, of course, before the unification of the three equine races, he would explain.

He always had a love for the ancient, even archaic, ways, though he lacked any hard magic himself. Though, she supposed there was one form of magic; his voice. The way it would swirl around her, loving and intelligent all at the same time. No other pony could compare to the way he explained the world to her. He and his prism mane would flail and flow through the heavenly wind, just as strong as the gale from which it rode.

Then he would go off on the various wonders down below. The ponies, while lacking wings, seemed constantly wanting to head to the heavens. In some regions they would build great, tall structures that pierced the sky, always reaching for Celestia’s sun. Others, they would craft marvelous temples, made of glass and gold. But he would also remind her to love the simple things that the ponies below had.

“They have their own families, their own lives, their own stories. We are all connected, Dashie. Not one of us is ever alone.”

His words were sometimes cryptic, and it would take some time before she understood them. Nevertheless, she would nod and say, “I understand,” even when she didn’t. She figured she’d understand eventually; after all, this was her dad. She understood him well enough, didn’t she?

The two would sit on that cloud until the sun came down and the moon came up, and she would find herself still thinking about the world below. She would not feel a wanting to feel soil on her hooves for many years; perhaps it was these conversations that planted the seed of travel in her mind, that spurred her to leave Cloudsdale for the small town of Ponyville.

Her father had done so much to teach her about the world below, she would later realize, whilst in her cloud home, wrapped up in blankets, wanting to feel his familiar warmth.

It would never come.

***

Dash’s face contorted into an upside-down smile, and her eyes danced in the light of unease. The memory of her father flashed in front of her, only to fade away before she could catch it. She figured it was because she was tired from the tour.

The tour had finished long ago. They had spent it exploring throughout the various halls and wings of the palace. Each one had glass ceilings that allowed sunlight access. In every room, there were tons of jewelry and ornaments adorning the sections and nooks and crannies. Where the griffons had gotten so much, she guessed it had to be from previous wars. Maybe against ponies, or the southern aquarians. She had learned as well that there were some dragons who lived near the empire; perhaps that explained where the gold came from.

A guard knocked his spear on the ground, pulling her out of her thoughts. “I will lead you to your chambers,” he said, his voice muffled by the mask. She simply nodded, too tired to respond, and he turned, gesturing for her to follow.

They walked in silence. Her hooves clopped against the velvet carpet, while his armor clanked softly with each movement. Massive columns passed, and like stony sentries they watched them.

Dash found herself suddenly unnerved. She fought the feeling off as best she could.

Eventually they reached a simple wooden door. The guard pulled the latch and allowed her entrance, closing it softly behind her.

Not much could be said about the room that hadn’t already describe the rest of the palace. Much like the larger establishment that it was a part of, it had numerous jewels, ornaments, and rich, deep colors that wrapped around in a brilliant circle of hues. It reminded her very much of a princess’s room; she had to ask if Twilight ever had one of these growing up in Canterlot. Then she remembered that Twilight probably had a similar room at the moment.

In the center was a large, queen-sized bed, complete with a silk blanket and hanging curtains. They matched the covers and the canopy that rested above the mattress with sturdy wooden posts. Just looking at the bed, seeing how comfortable it was, made her feel even more tired.

In a daze, she walked over, ignoring her surroundings. The thought of sleep after such a long travel and after an even longer tour brought her eyes to a close. She fell forward, and somehow her body managed to find reason in itself to wrap her in the blankets. She mumbled something to herself, the meaning lost already, as the darkness crept forward. Her head buried in the pillow; she hunched up, close, and sighed.

Kind of like a cloud, was her last thought, before the light of her conscious state went out.