Gilda and I were soaring over the landscape towards Canterlot, pushing each other around while we raced to our destination. The city was still hours away but she insisted we raced and when she made up her mind, that was going to happen.
"Bronze, you think you can keep going?" She asked over the constant roar of the wind, she must have noticed my condition.
I looked around and spotted a small town in the distance, "Do you think we can get a drink?" I asked, pointing to the town
She looked in the direction of my claw and saw the town, she looked back at me with an angry expression, "No! Suck it up!" she roared,
I raised an eyebrow and sighed, I should have known better than to ask her. She wouldn't give a foal a bottle if it was screaming unless it meant her life.
I took a look at the town we were coming up on, the first thing that stuck out was a large pink building in the center of town. From where I was, the townsfolk looked like ants but I realized they were ponies.
Now, I have never had a problem with ponies, but Gilda, she just had a burning hatred for their kind for an unknown reason. I had asked numerous times, I've even bugged her to the point where she clawed me, but don't think I didn't claw her mean ass back. From the little I know, she would hang out with a filly named Rainbow Dash at flight school, but she ditched her one day for a stallion or something, but what do I know? I'm only her best friend and I don't know jack shit about her past friends. Don't get me wrong, Gilda can be a real bitch at times. But, If you really get to know her, she has a soft side. She hadn't always been like that, after flight school she began to think she was better then everyone, working herself to the limit every time she messed up, I think it was her parent though too, they weren't the nicest griffins ever.
"You know what Bronze, I'll let you stop." Gilda said, "Only for a minute though"
I tilted my wings to catch the air and slow me down effectively, but Gilda, being the daredevil she is, smashed right through a tree to slow her down, digging into the ground like a dud missile, bring the ground up around her.
I landed softly beside her, surveying my surroundings. I noticed we were in some kind of large forest, most likely the Everfree.
"You sure we should be here?" I asked, unsure about the dangerous creatures I had heard about.
She looked over to me and grinned mischievously, "Why? You chicken Bronze?"
She stood up on her hind legs and made her front arms into triangles, flapping them swiftly and making loud "Bawk, Bawk" noises, imitating a chicken,
I had an amazing idea hit my brain like a freight train, I smiled at her and walked towards her,
"Yeah Yeah, stop insulting yourself like that" I said, swinging a claw and slicing off one of the three feathers that stuck out from the top of her head,
I bent down and drank from a nearby pond, lapping up the cold water like some kind of dog.
I felt something push me from behind, throwing me into the ice cold water, drenching my cream colored coat and brown feathers, inhaling some of it as well. Even if it was the spring the water stayed as cold as it would in the winter.
I swam to the top of the water, taking a deep breath of air, spewing the water out of my beak and coughing like a sick old griffin.
Gilda however, was laughing hysterically at the edge of the pond, rolling and holding her rib cage. I however, was not amused. At All.
"Not Cool" I said before grabbing her by her claws and pulling her into the pond beside me, laughing from the look on her face. She came up seconds later, gasping for air like she had been underwater for an eternity, looking at her only made me laugh harder, the now two feathers that usually stuck out on her head were over her eyes, her beak was chattering from the sudden shock of the water temperature, her feathers looked down and her brown coat was drenched. but the most hilarious of all things was the look on her face, she was furious.
We got into a dunking competition, trying to keep each other under water like we were trying to kill each other, which she was probably was trying to do to me.
Then we heard a low, guttural growl from the forest.
We both stopped as if on cue, looking into the forest, which seemed to have gotten darker, making it seem mysterious, evil almost.
My mind went back a few years, me and Gilda were still kids, crowded around a small TV, watching the most nightmarish horror movie of all time, "The Forest 2"
Two mares were swimming in a small pond in the middle of an unknown forest, disobeying the warnings of the nature park owner to stay out of the forest.
"Strange things happen to the ponies who camp in this here forest" The owner had said,
The two mares only laughed, "What kind of things sir?" she asked, stifling a laugh,
The park owner looked around into the nearby wooded area, the camera angle had changed to inside of the forest, where heavy breathing was right behind the camera, telling us that someone was watching,
The camera went back to the owner and he leaned closer to the two mares, signaling them to come closer before speaking,
"They don't come out" He said, his voice completely serious,
The mares laughed and walked past him, joking about him as they walked towards their campsites, The camp owner only sighed and walked back to his post,
In the next scene the moon was full and the owner was sitting inside of his station, waiting for other campers.
Suddenly a loud snap! was heard from the forest, the owner noticed and got up out of the chair he was in and walked outside slowly, taking his flashlight but not his gun, when he appeared outside of the station he flicked on his flashlight and shined it in the forest, the camera followed the light until it came upon a large deer, which was grazing on some grass, the owner jumped at first but then sighed in relief.
The owner turned around and was met by the eyes of a tall figure, it stood up on its hind legs and had a black suit on, the thing had a empty, white face, no muzzle, no eyes, no nothing.
A scream was heard throughout the forest.
That's when mom walked in and took the movie out, telling us we shouldn't be watching that kind of stuff.
"Bronze" Gilda said, I snapping me back to reality.
I had missed a lot when I was thinking, a giant Manticore stood at the edge of the pond, breathing heavily and drooling.
"I promise you, we taste nothing like chicken" I said, trying to ward it off.
The monster only lunged at us with all of its might, making such a splash it threw both of us from the water and onto dry land,
"Let's go!" Gilda shouted, spreading her wings,
I got my wings read for flight but a lion paw grabbed me before I could take to the sky, it felt like it could smash my bones like toothpicks,
"Gilda!" I yelled, trying to speak through the intense crushing pain in my body.
The Griffin was already in the air, but was looking back at me, but she looked back to the sky, then to me, then back to the sky, then to me and stopped.
"I'm sorry" She muttered, I had barely heard the coward but I saw how her beak moved,
My eyes widened with fear as the griffin I once called my friend took off without even attempting to help, I turned to look at the monster that determined my fate, it roared in my face, making the feathers on the back of my neck stand up,
Then I hit a Tree.
Hey guys/gals! This is the first fic I've ever wrote, so constructive criticism is welcome, but please try to deliver it nicely and PLEASE don't leave any hateful comments.
"Do ya think it's a boy or a girl?" A voice asked.
Where am I? I thought, regaining consciousness
"There's only one way to find out" A different and more cracky voice said,
Oh hell no!
I snapped awake and dove away from the voices, slamming into something behind me, sending an excruciating pain up my spine.
I screeched out in pain and closed my eyes from the pain, it brought tears to my dry eyes.
"You should not move from position, when you do not know your current condition." A mystic voice said from above me, I hadn't knocked it over, whatever it was.
"Ah'm sorry Zecora!" One of the same voices said,
"We were just checking if it was a girl or a boy!" A voice chirped, it made my head hurt listening to something so high pitched,
"You need not check her, for she has no pecker." The voice said, I had to admit, that was pretty funny.
I fluttered my eyes opened, revealing a large black and white pony standing over me. No, not a pony, something different... Zebra maybe?
I tried to get to my feet but my front right leg wouldn't respond, I looked down to see a cast covering it, whatever this thing was, I sure did owe it.
"Please griffin, rest. When you awake, I will have repaired you to my best" I didn't trust this voice and I had so many questions to ask. But, it was a quite soothing environment and I was tired, so I laid my head down and surveyed my surroundings with one eye, watching the Zebra stir something in a large cauldron. Three fillies stood at her side, staring and bringing her various herbs, grinding up plants and poring liquids into the giant brew. I half expected to throw me into it, but remembered that the two were both equine, so I put my worries aside and went to sleep in the position I was in.
I dreamed of Gilda, remembering the look in her eyes when she left me for dead with that Manticore. A word bounced around in my subconscious brain, torturing me every time I heard it,
"Friend."
I felt a hoof on my shoulder, it was comforting, like something a mother would do to their child after the family pet had died, too bad I had never known that touch, all my mother did was yell.
I was jerked from my dream, it was the Zebra, she had a hood on, covering her large Mohawk, on her back was a large brown saddlebag.
"I am going into town for supplies, when I get back, you will be in for quite a surprise" She said,
I nodded my head and tried to move my right wing a little bit, it moved like normal, but my left wing wouldn't budge, it had been tied to my back in white bandages.
The mare trotted out of the door, leaving me alone inside of her hut.
I sized up the situation at claw, I was in an unknown hut with an unknown Zebra, who may or may not want to pluck the feathers from my wings, I actually tried to get up and make a run for it, but realized my leg wasn't going anywhere, I couldn't have even gotten out of the door before she had gotten back.
What had the fillies called her? Zecora was it?
Nothing really mattered to me right now, I was lost and injured. I needed rest and a lot of it.
Applebloom and her fellow Crusaders rushed towards sweet apple acres, she was shocked to see any kind of griffin close to Ponyville since Gilda had come and messed with everypony.
The Crusaders spotted a familiar orange pony bucking apples in the orchard, Applebloom confirmed it was her by checking her cutie mark, a special marking given to a pony when they find out what their special talent is, in this case it was three red apples assembled in a triangular formation.
Applebloom and her friends Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had yet to receive their special marking, making them what others with their cutie marks had called "Blank Flanks." She had met her two friends at a party for Diamond Tiara, celebrating her cutie mark, when she was embarrassed about her lack of a cutie mark, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle stepped in, telling Diamond Tiara that it was good to be a blank flank, they had so much to explore and discover, where she wouldn't be able to experience something as fun and exciting as that. The three had been best friends since that day, searching for their special talents as a team, as The Cutie Mark Crusaders.
"Applejack!" Applebloom called, getting her big sisters attention,
Applejack stopped what she was doing and smiled as the girls practically fell at her hooves.
"Howdy girls, whatcha doin'? She asked,
Applebloom spoke first, "We were all over at Zecora's and-"
"Then wen heard shouting from outside!-" Scootaloo tried to say,
"So Zecora ran out there and-" This was Sweetie Belle trying to talk
"She put a Manticore to sleep!-" Scootaloo again,
"And we saved a griffin!" Applebloom finished,
Applejack began to process the amount of words jammed into her brain so quickly, the word Manticore and Griffin stuck out among the rest, the first thing Applejack could think of was the last Griffin and first Griffin she had ever met, Gilda, and her attitude to the ponies in town, she immediately thought bad of the creature.
"Girls, I want you to stay away from that griffin" Applejack ordered,
"Wha? But-"
"No buts Applebloom" Applejack said, returning to the orchard.
"What's wrong?" Sweetie asked,
"Just, stay away from it" Applejack demanded,
The crusaders sighed and walked back towards town to tell the other ponies they knew.
The door shutting woke me up, it was Zecora. The zebra began to dig into her saddlebag, taking out a few bottles and plants.
"How long have you been gone?" I asked,
"A few hours, but do not worry I have brought special flowers" She rhymed,
She took a small bluish white flower out of her bag and began to trot over to me, the golden rings around her neck jingled a little tune, she must have not been from Equestria, I had never seen so many tribal items, masks were strewn along the walls, each with a special color and marking, two never alike.
She dropped the flower in front of me, scooting it towards me with her snout.
She must have seen the questioning look on my face because she explained what it was,
"It is called winters feather, If you eat it your wing will feel much better." She said with a warm smile.
The rest of the evening was made up of numerous herbs and soups going down my throat, some tasted like expired cough medicine where some tasted like a mixture of fruits. She insisted on me drinking a sleeping potion but I kindly refused, I didn't feel like resting anymore, I thought I saw her mix some with some of the soup, but after drinking it, I knew she didn't. I had even grown to trust her.
"So, what is your story?" She asked, I noticed she hadn't rhymed that time,
"Well..." I started,
I told her about where I had come from, about my family, my name, Bronze Swift, how my father had left when I was still a cub, how my mother had began to be abusive and selfish. I then began to tell her about today, how me and Gilda had been flying over the forest when we needed a drink, she had given me a look I couldn't describe when I had mentioned Gilda's name, but I didn't think anything of it. She gasped when I told her about what Gilda did, how she left me in the Manticore's paw, She then told me how she got me back to her hut in one piece, she had used a special kind of dust on it, blowing it into its face and knocking it out. I got up and hugged her when she said that, if she hadn't have been there, I would probably be in the digestive tract right now. She seemed shocked at the sudden embrace, probably because it was coming from a griffin, we weren't really known for caring about things, one of our stereotypes was that we don't care for anything but ourselves, but, if that was true, I probably wouldn't be here would I? Dad had to have loved Mom at some point to have me... or maybe what they say is true, he did abandon us.
She returned the hug and I stayed there for awhile, fighting through the pain in my front right leg.
"Thank You" I said, breaking the embrace and lying back down,
She nodded.
