Author's Note

Hey Everyone!

It's me, The Author. Hope you don't mind me talkin' a fair bit before the story begins. I have something to say, regarding the story and why I am on such a hiatus.

I'm skipping over the Applebuck Season episode, as you can tell, not because I hate it. Far from it, I like it like every other normal and 'normal' episode of the show. I'm just having a bit of a struggle writing it without it being one to one with the original, and I knew it'd be kinda hard, so this is my own fault. So, I'm gonna make an announcement right here.

I'm not going to be working on certain episodes till I can figure something out on my own later down the line to resolve this issue, or if there are episodes that I just don't plan on covering at all.

I don't know when the next chapter will be, so don't count on me being factory-line fast with these.

Alright, enough of my squawkin'! You came for the next chapter, and that's what you fellers 're gonna get! so I'll give ya what you want. Enjoy!

Griffin the Blast-off

A Boy and his Watch
By TheAlienBrony22

Griffin the Blast-off

[Café Hay, four weeks after Nightmare Moon's defeat]

Ben reclines on a wooden seat, smiling as he sipped on a cup of coffee. "Man, for once, this is a relaxing day. Haven't had one of these since I gave the hero thing a break back in Canterlot." Ben sighs as he slowly sips on his coffee. He soon sits his cup down and reaches for a small plate with a slice of chocolate cake sat upon it. A couple minutes later, the waiter came by, slipping him the bill.

"How would you like to pay, sir?" the waiter asked in a semi-faux French accent. "If you're paying for everypony here, then I'd recommend counting your bits beforehand." they said.

"Of course, I'll just-- wait what!? I'm not paying for everypony, when did I say that?" Ben asked. He checked his bill, and saw a ludicrous number of orders lumped in with his, each one of them helping to amount to nearly two hundred fifty-four bits. "I don't have the money for everyone's orders, I just have enough for me! Who said I was paying for everypony?" Ben asked.

The waiter furrowed his brow, but gestured his hoof to a pony being covered up by a menu. Ben, at first glance didn't know who the pony was, but upon seeing their blue coat color, a rainbow colored tail, and a black storm cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt cutie mark, of course Ben wasn't initially happy, but he couldn't stop a small smirk from forming on his face.

"Oh, I see," Ben was holding back a halfhearted laugh and decided to rip the bill into pieces. "I'll pay for my stuff, thank you. And Dash, here's a point of advice. Run as fast as you can."

the menu flopped onto the table, revealing Dash, holding back a cacophony of laughs, and bore witness to Ben's face, one of his eyes twitching as a devious smirk formed on his face. Before anyone could ask, the pegasus sped off in a rainbow blur like a demon out of Tartarus, all while the echoing of her laughter could be heard getting distant.

"Classic Dash. The Dine, Dash and Deceiver routine. It didn't work for Shining when he tried it, and it for sure won't work on me." Ben remarked. He put the bits needed to pay his end and immediately began running after Rainbow Dash, changing into Speed Demon and blitzing off in a speeding blue blur.

By the twentieth or twenty-first lap around the whole town, Dash was already out of breath, but she still managed to crash safely into a bush as she caught her breath. As she did, more laughs periodically broke out from the pegasus. Speed Demon came to a skidding stop, letting the visor covering his face flip up as he wiped the sweat from his smooth scaly skin. "Okay, Dash. You really gave me a workout, even had me sweating for a bit." the alien remarked.

Before he could utter another word, however, he took notice of a shadow in the lake that he managed to chase Dash towards. It didn't look like a pony, but it wasn't easy to make out either. Thinking it could be someone drowning, Ben changed from Speed Demon into Halibite, diving straight into the water as he swam to the shadow. Dash continued to laugh out, almost as if she were laughing herself to death. Dash stopped and steadied herself, catching her breath as she tried to keep herself from choking on her own laughter. Soon enough, Halibite was sent flying out of the water, only for a huge fish net to catch him as he landed. To no one's surprise, Pinkie was on the other end, laughing.

Pinkie sat the net down as Halibite got himself untangled, transforming back into Ben. "Double duped in one day, well played." Ben remarked with a grin. Pinkie and Dash then erupted into another cacophony of laughs. Ben would've joined them, if it weren't for a sudden magical force began to pull him away in a moment's notice, leaving the pegasus and the earth pony to their own devices.

[Canterlot Castle, Unknown Chambers]

Ben was now dangling in the air, locked in a room he wasn't familiar with, with his feet tied up as numerous ponies he never met before stared him down as he casually swung in the air, suspended by his feet. "I don't suppose I'll get a chance to speak my peace, do I?" Ben asked, swaying lazily as he dangled upside down. "The blood rush I'm gonna feel is gonna be mind-numbing, let me tell ya."

"Silence, entity! State your name, your race, your place of origin, and your reason for being in Equestria's borders!" A stern voice called out, echoing through the room via some kind of intercom.

"Benjamin Sparkle, Human, I was born on Earth from another universe, but Equestria feels more like my home. It's been my home since I lost my memories at ten years old," Ben looked towards a darkened piece of glass, seeing his reflection, yet no semblance of the room outside of his. "Now, considering Equestria's been like my home, and I've treated it as such, I think my reason for being in Equestria speaks for itself."

"Likely story, 'hyuuman'! We saw you near two of the supposed Elements of Harmony, what business do you have with those bearing them?" The voice commanded.

"You must not be from here, because I too am an Element Bearer. I'm the Element of Humility, for whatever that means to you. Plus, they're my friends. We were just having fun, and they are pretty funny, Dash especially, she knows a good joke or two," For a moment, Ben thought he heard some kind of scoff through the intercom, not like it mattered to him. Ben could've turned into Ghooligan a few seconds ago and be gone before anyone could do anything, and yet, he wanted to see where this could go. "Can I go now? I don't want to have to fight my way out of here just for Princess Celestia to come make a personal visit to Ponyville wondering what reason I had for smacking some wacko five ways to next Tuesday. Plus, last time I just up and vanished without a word, my sister nearly crushed my ribs when I came back."

There wasn't another word spoken when the door near the dark glass began to open up, revealing a feminine griffin. She had a black coat on her panther body with a slim, but thick black tail. Her back feet were uncovered, revealing paws with glimmering golden yellow claws. A section of her wings were blended with her fur, making them black, but the rest of her feathers were a bright, if not just slightly faded brown. The feathers leading up to her head were white, all while a few smaller feathers sprouted forward past her head, feathers that looked to be colored at the tips. The griffin seemed to be dressed in a similar suit that Celestia wore when she came to get him after the whole Paradox situation.

"Huh, Celestia's weird suit must be some kind of new fashion trend making its rounds in Canterlot," the griffin sneered at that comment and gripped its digits into a fist. "Might just have to tell Rarity about this when I get out of--"

"Stop talking!!" The griffin squawked, barely missing Ben's head as she only punched the air. "You're not going anywhere, freak-show, especially not back to that puny pony town!" As the griffin pulled out a small book and flipping to whatever page she was attempting to find, another griffin walked on in, baffled and oddly irate by whatever situation she thought was going on here, "By order of the--"

"Cadet!" The younger griffin frantically closed the book and saluted the older griffin. The griffin looked at the dangling human, who only smiled as he tried to get himself free. "Care to explain what's going on here, Hatchling?" The griffin asked.

"Magister Saike, Ma'am! I finally got word of the shapeshifter that arrived in Equestria," Ben continued to keep squirming, until he finally managed to get both of his hands free. "You'll have to forgive me I didn't get here sooner, Grampa Gruff doesn't take lightly to taking orders like he used to. It took a couple years longer than anticipated to get here, but the threat has been captured."

"I'll have to deal with Gruff later. As of now, Gilda, cut the human down and let him go back to Ponyville! He's in good graces with Princess Celestia, so unless you want to know what banishment is like, get him down from there this instant, that's an order!" Gilda, despite her hesitation and uncertainty of her superior's orders, begrudgingly complied as Ben slumped down to the floor, completely free of his dangling entrapment. "I swear the messages are getting slower and more problematic to deliver back to Griffonstone by every passing day."

"I have to ask, ma'am, why did you want me to let it go? It's a shapeshifter, it's not something we're used to seeing! This monster is like, some kind of unholy spawn of Tartarus!" Gilda looked at the human as it now towered over her, rubbing their aching head and seeming a bit disoriented. "Look at it, it's disoriented!"

"How long has he been hanging upside down, Hatchling?" Saike asked.

"About a couple to maybe seven hours, why?" Gilda confirmed.

"No wonder he's disoriented, you witless baby bird, he's suffering from a head rush!" Gilda ducked her head as her superior barked out orders. "Ponies might be able to take more punishment, but that's because they're ponies, but this is a human! He might be capable of some pretty strange things, but that doesn't mean he's like every other pony."

"Gee, talk about me some more why don't ya? It's not like I'm literally in the same room right now," Ben shook his head and felt the odd sensation in his head fading. "I mean come on, how would you like it if I just called you a ravenous, heartless monster that just so happens to actually have feelings worth hurting, and then say no offense right after? Wouldn't be that great, now would it?" Ben remarked.

"Apologies, Benjamin Sparkle, I thought you would've left by now." stated Saike.

"I would've if I knew where I was, or which way the exit was," Ben looked around, feeling the large metallic walls, then the near-synthetic feel of the darkened glass. Suddenly, he brought his gaze back to the griffins. "Wait how do you know my name? As a matter of fact, who are you, and where am I?"

"You're back in Canterlot. Specifically, you're in a section of Canterlot Castle. You'll have to forgive the sudden summoning, Gilda's new to doing her job within the vicinity of ponies. These pastel-colored equines helped secure Griffonstone's safety from foreign threats long ago, it was only fair we lent a claw or two when they required help," A visible sense of uninterest formed in Gilda's eyes as she walked towards the door. "Gilda, on the other hand, has little to no friends to help affirm my statement, except that rainbow pony back in your little town. She believes that she's better than mostly everyone, and as such, Gilda was actually one of our best members till the incident."

"That has to suck, not having friends, aside from Dash anyways. I managed to get a slight rise out of you, yet you still tried to do things by whatever rules your little group has, I can at least respect the restraint. Plus, you were just looking out for a friend to keep them out of danger or trouble, I can respect that too." Ben remarked.

"Come to think of it, I think I just figured out the perfect punishment for you, Cadet. I haven't been able to find out a proper punishment for the incident, but being demoted to the rank of cadet was just the start," Saike pulled Gilda away from the door and had her sit up straight. Ben could see a serious lack of interest or real enthusiasm in her eyes. "Cadet, starting now for until you report back here, you and Benjamin are going back to Ponyville, and you're gonna learn a thing or two about humility. You're gonna learn that nothing is always about you, your actions have consequences, and how your temper needs tempering. You got that, Hatchling?"

'So she's gonna learn about something, fantastic. I can just drop her off at the library and let Twilight try to teach her something while I go about my day,' Ben thought to himself.

"After all, who would be a better instructor than the self-proclaimed Element of Humility, Benjamin Sparkle!" Saike finished, a genuine sense of gratification in her eyes. Ben and Gilda's eyes shot open wide.

"I have to learn something under him?!" Gilda squawked, astonished by the prospect of being educated by him.

"I have to teach her?! I'm not qualified for that!" Ben exclaimed.

"I've already made up my mind. If she wants to resume working this job, and keep her position, she needs to learn how to improve herself, improve her actions towards others. You seem like you know what you're doing, and it saves me more than enough time to deal with less paperwork." Saike walked out of the door, only to call out one more request, "Let me know how things turned out! That's an order!"

As the doors closed, Gilda and Ben looked at each other, both of them uncertain of how this could end, and swallowed down a difficultly large lump in their throats. "So, how do we get out of this place and back to Ponyville? Because I've got one way, but I need to know you're okay with it." Ben regarded.

"I know the way out," Gilda brushed her tail against the Omnitrix, making it flicker yellow for a brief moment. She sneered as she approached the door. "Just follow me, and try to keep up, hyuuman."

'This is going to be a long day, I can tell,' Ben transformed into Ghooligan, phasing through the rooftop of the room as Gilda scrambled to find him.

[Ponyville; The Next Day]

Gilda, now out of her suit, walks alongside Ben, who was already getting some less than friendly glances from passing ponies, or was it Gilda that was getting these looks, either way, he couldn't seem to tell. "Yeesh, either one of us isn't popular, or I'm not as well-liked because of association." Ben stated.

Gilda scoffed, letting a smirk form on her face. "They're just jealous. Very few individuals can ever hope to know what we do, let alone be a part of the Plumbers, which basically means we're super powerful enforcers of the law. We can do what we want, when we want, and go wherever we want, and do whatever we wish to do, and do it like how we want to do." Gilda looked over and noticed a pony nearby, her smirk slightly faltering as she feels herself coming to a slow and sudden stop.

Ben noticed the sudden change and figured that he'd at least ask what was wrong. "Uh, you okay?" He asked. Gilda stayed quiet, so Ben decided to try and follow where her eyes were looking, noticing Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie strolling through the market, conversing about something. "I see you have your eyes on Dash and Pinkie, is there perhaps, something you wanna say?" Ben inquired.

Gilda shook off the sudden change in her attitude and let a stern expression form. "It's nothing, definitely not for you to know in the first place. Compared to me, you're a rookie," The griffin was about to take another step and keep moving, until she heard laughter. Gilda ducked down behind a stand and poked her head to the side, seeing Dash and Pinkie laughing while Spike goes into a hiccupping fit, sending loads of scrolls away in green flames. "Man, it seems like Dash hasn't changed a bit..." Gilda quietly remarked.

Uncertain as to what exactly the griffin was up to, he knew Dash and Pinkie well enough to know that they always enjoyed a good laugh, though with how Gilda was acting, she seemed to be stifling any joy she was feeling watching the practical joke unfold. Gilda sighed and retreated, seeming almost melancholic, or nostalgic. Whatever the case, Ben could just tell there was something off.

"Hey, why don't you wait right here, and I'll go get us something to eat, my treat." Ben offered. Before Gilda could respond, let alone question the sudden gesture, the human was gone, like a ghost in a dense fog. In reality, while Gilda was distracted, Ben jumped past the stand she was hiding behind and approached Dash and Pinkie, who seemed eager that he showed up.

"Ben! Where'd you up and go, dude? Haven't seen you since yesterday. You didn't go and fight some bad guy without us, did you?" remarked Dash.

"It's nothing to worry about, just a slight mix-up on someone else's end that was easily cleared up. Speaking of, I was wondering something... did you have any other friends, before meeting me and the others?" Ben asked.

Rainbow Dash was caught off-guard by the question, but something in her said that everything would be fine. "I mean, I was friends with Fluttershy and Pinkie before I became friends with you, Twilight, AJ and Rarity, but how far back are we talking, Benji?" Dash asked, her curiosity piqued.

Ben cleared his throat and took a deep breath before looking the rainbow mare in the eyes. "Were you friends with a griffin, by any chance?" Ben asked. Dash's eyes widened, signifying that something in her mind got brought back to the surface. Dash's relaxed and laid-back attitude quickly became skeptical, suspicious and very uncertain as she got up in Ben's face. "Dash, if there's something you wanna say, there's no shame in telling the truth. My mom always taught me that the truth would set you free, so if you have something to say, don't be afraid. You're amongst friends, there's truly nothing to worry about." Ben reassured.

Dash stared into Ben's green eyes for what felt like hours, then she backed off. A frown had formed on her face, even if she still looked riled up, almost as if she is reminiscing on something. "If I tell you the truth, will you promise me that you won't freak out?" Dash asked.

"Dash, you do know who you're talking to, right?" Ben raised the Omnitrix to her face, only for the Pegasus to push it out of her view, brushing her hoof against the faceplate, in-turn causing it to, once again, flicker yellow for a brief moment. "Bottom line, Dash, I feel like I've seen stranger things already. If this did make me freak out, I'd be both surprised and disappointed in myself." Ben remarked. Dash glared at Ben, and Ben sighed. "Alright, fine. I cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. There, now, how about you start at the beginning?" Ben asked, finishing the motions of a Pinkie Promise.

Dash took a deep breath and sighed, all while Spike and Pinkie sat and listened. "Yeah, I was friends with a Griffin. Best friends, even. But the keyword about what I'm saying, is that I was. Now I'm not, because they had other priorities and left me behind, end of story." Dash stated.

"That doesn't sound like a full-story, more like a long story, but it was cut short in the midst of its production." Pinkie stated.

"Yeah, surely there's more to the story, right Ben?" Spike asked his older brother.

"That's all you need to know, that was the gist of it." Dash stated.

"That's a load of hooey and you know it, Dash!" Gilda squawked out, causing both Dash and Ben to cringe.

Gilda moved forward from her hiding spot, seeming not-so thrilled to be regarded with such mediocrity and lack of detail. "I thought you were going to get us a bite to eat, not chat with your pony pals all day." Gilda remarked as she glared at Ben.

"I was, but I figured it'd be great to know just what exactly happened for you to have history with Dash," Ben could see Dash forming an angered expression on her face as she and Gilda made eye-contact. "After all, any friend of my friend, is a friend of mine. Let's just be cool, no need to scream and no need to--"

Before Ben, Pinkie and Spike could even blink, Dash and Gilda rammed into each other, getting into a serious wrestling match against each other. Ben stepped back carefully, witnessing how Dash held the griffin in an impressive chokehold, only for Gilda to break free and put the pegasus into a full-nelson, swatting the pony in the face and stomach with her tail.

"Fight... there- there's no need to fight. That's what I was going to say." Ben winced as the two kept on violently attacking each other.

"Oh boy, this definitely got out of hand. Benny, do something!" Pinkie urgently stated.

"Uh... right!" Ben quickly activated the Omnitrix and moved it to Gemstone's icon. "Sorry, you two, but I can't let this fight escalate!" Ben slammed down on the Omnitrix, only to be transformed into a rather unsightly creature.

In Ben's place was some kind of creature, almost a mockery of a griffin. It towered massively, being almost as big as a Manticore. It looked like some kind of cross between a Blue Jay and a Cougar. Its wings were wide, the feathers began to shine with a deep blue color, accented by black stripes and white plumage sprouting from its body. The cougar part of the creature's body was as white as the creature's plumage, almost making the creature look like some kind of divine variation. The griffin had golden cuff bands on its wrists, letting the golden shine contrast to its black talons. The Omnitrix seemed to be firmly attached to the creature's abdominal area.

The creature let out a bellowing mix between a caw and a guttural roar, letting its blackened beak show off several sharp fangs resting within. The pegasus and the griffin stopped fighting and looked up towards the towering griffin figure, "You two still wanna try fightin', or am I gonna have to get involved 'ere?" The creature inquisitively bellowed. The voice was smooth, rich, and sounded slightly Irish, but had a bit of grit to it. Dash immediately backed off, whereas Gilda straightened herself up, saluting to the griffin that towered before her.

Ben could see the fear in the griffin's eyes, and all he wanted was to stop the fighting. 'Ah frackin' great. Way to go, Sparkle, ya try to break up a fight between your friend and someone she knows, and ya go overboard. Thank the gods that the princesses weren't here tah see such a display. Lest I be thrown in some kind ah friendship dungeon. Must certainly beat just bein' in chains.' The creature thought to itself. In a flash of red light, Ben was reverted back to his human form, looking less than thrilled about having to scare one of his friends, let alone know that Spike and Pinkie had to see such a thing.

Ben sighed and looked at the two, "I'm sorry you two, but one of you needs to explain, or I will become that thing again, and you won't like how that ends for either of you. Capiche?" Ben warned. Dash nodded, as did Gilda, letting herself be at ease as she seemed disappointed. Ben couldn't tell what she was disappointed at, or rather, who she was disappointed in, but he just wanted an explanation. Ben was still feeling a bit riled up the moment he became that weird griffin thing. "Good, now someone start us off." Ben instructed.

Dash stepped forward and took a deep breath, trying to shake off the scare as best she could. "Gilda was my friend, once. It was back when I first went to flight school..."

11 years ago...

[Cloudsdale Flight School]

Within the clouds was an obstacle course, several young pegasi were preparing for another flying lesson, all while a young Rainbow Dash is smiling, beaming with confidence as she stretches out and prepares herself to fly like she's never flewn before.

'In case you don't know, Ben, we Pegasi are taught at a young age to fly, that way we can master flying as we get older. Pegasi, as you've seen, can control, manipulate, and re-direct the weather. Flying is a major part of that, but for others, flying was a chance to be free of restrictions. Something me and Gilda shared in common.'

Rainbow quickly sped off through the air, flying to her heart's content, bursting through clouds, shaping them with her incredible speed, and feeling the cold wind through her mane. Soon enough, she landed on another cloud, one with a house of some kind just resting on it without much issue. Rainbow hid behind a corner and watched a younger griffin be abandoned. Rainbow looked on, feeling pretty bad for the abandoned Griffin, until she squawked and roared out in a fuss, causing Dash to smile and chuckle a little bit.

The young griffin looked over and groaned, walked over to the pegasus and shot her a glare, growling. The griffin didn't expect for the pegasus to smile and laugh more, only to be pulled into a tough hug. Soon enough, the two started to talk and conversate, learning more about each other as they raced each other, flying through the air, doing tricks and stunts as they had a great time.

'Gilda was essentially just trying to get by. She comes from a place known as Griffonstone, the home and origin of most Griffins. Supposedly, it was like, really lavish and everything was pretty cool there, but she explained to me that the kingdom fell on hard times, so she left to try and scrounge up bits to bring back home. I met her when she was turned away by some pegasus who refused to give her money. After feeling sorry for herself, she just roared and let that guy have it. Soon enough, she saw me slightly laughing at her aggressive fit, and we eventually learned more about each other, learning to lean on one another when things got bad, or sometimes much worse.'

Dash and Gilda landed down on the ground, saying their goodbyes and going their separate ways.

Dash smiled at the memories, only for her smile to falter as Gilda looked away from the others, "She rarely kept in touch through letters, until they finally stopped coming. No more stories, no more meetups, we grew apart. She left me behind for no reason, but I got more friends now, like you, Fluttershy, and Pinkie! So, it's not all bad." Dash remarked.

Ben looked over at Gilda as Pinkie pounced onto Dash, hugging and squeezing her as she constantly stated how nice of a friend she is. "Gilda, do you have anything to add, or correct if Dash got something wrong?" Ben asked.

Gilda whipped around, gritting her teeth as Dash looked Gilda in the eyes. She was pretty mad, and the tears whelling up in their eyes was pretty evident that something was clearly not explained. "I didn't leave you behind for no reason, I had to do what I thought was right! If I wanted to keep my position, I'd have to cut all ties, burn every bridge, and get the job done, no matter the cost!" Gilda remarked.

"What are you talking about? You make it seem like you had to disappear." Dash scoffed.

"I'm a Plumber, Dash! That's just a part of my job, to do what I must, disappear like I didn't exist, and follow orders. You have no idea how hard it really was, to just cut ties with the only pony who understood the struggles, the only pony who ever understood me, it made what I had to do, so much harder. I don't visit, write, or get back into contact anymore, because I couldn't accept what I've done!" Gilda gritted.

"Wait, what does fixing a bunch of busted pipes have to do with--"

Before Pinkie could finish that question, Ben put a finger over Pinkie's lips and whispered into her ear. "It's not that kind of Plumber, Pinkie. Eventually, we'll ask Princess Celestia about it, but right now, just let them have this. I feel like this was long overdue." Ben explained. Pinkie nodded her head and simply stepped behind him, as did Spike.

Dash overheard what Ben had said, and with that in-mind, she continued listening to Gilda and her aggressive words. "I have been trying so hard, to try and think of ways I could make it up to you, but I just can't deal with the fact that there's nothing I can do! I lost my only friend because I couldn't show up. My job demanded that I take care of stuff back at Griffonstone, the former glorious staple that defined the griffins, now reduced to a seriously poor, bankrupt, trashy dump!" Gilda cawed, her voice cracked as her words echoed throughout Ponyville.

Several ponies had begun to turn heads as the griffin was red in the face, taking deep breaths as tears streamed down her face. Dash looked at the griffin, her expression lessening as she slumped to the ground and broke down, silently sobbing. "I-I'm not cut out for this... I'm gonna lose my job... *hic* I truly lost everything, all because I didn't .." Gilda lamented.

Dash sighed and trotted forwards, helping the griffin to her feet and embracing her into a hug. Dash could see a lot of ponies looking at them, and Ben decided to play damage control and get prying eyes away. "Alright everypony, nothing to see here! Keep all eyes and ears to yourself and go back to your previously enacted business. Go on now, you don't see us trying to barge in on your problems!" Ben called out. Several ponies began to back off, and before Ben could even wonder what would happen next, Dash flew off with Gilda by her side.

Ben looked at Pinkie and Spike, who seemed just as unnerved as he was, then looked back to Dash and Gilda flying away. 'Man, I feel as if today went one direction, then immediately drove right into a dark service tunnel, and then stayed there. Well, things can't possibly get worse from here, can they?' Ben cautiously thought.

Ben walked over to Pinkie and Spike, hoisting Spike on his shoulder as he walked besides the pink pony. "You think everything'll be fine, or will this just be another case of 'old friend gets mad, tries to sway old friend into being their old self again, only for it to backfire and the old friend becomes a problem'?" Pinkie asked.

Ben raised an eyebrow at such a question, mainly because he didn't know what exactly that meant. "I think everything'll be fine, but for now, let's just give them some space, let them work things out together. They need to solve this themselves, and only between themselves," Pinkie smiled as Ben ruffled her poofy pink mane into a more poofy mess, and also made sure to remember his words. "Besides, I can't solve everyone's problems. Give things enough time to settle in, and all it takes for chaos to ensue, is to watch one variable suddenly be added, and it creates chaos like yeast causes bread to rise." Ben stated.

"Or like how adding potato chips to a chocolate cake can create unexpected moisture, and a pleasant crunch." Pinkie remarked. Spike and Ben looked at the pony in confusion, only for her to smile and pull a slice of cake from her mane, with slightly baked potato chips protruding out from several angles, even merging with the chocolate frosting layered on top. "Don't knock it till you try it!~" The pink pony said in a singsong tone.

The brothers looked at each other, shrugged and plucked off pieces of the cake to eat. The three walk off and go about their business, still curious as to how things between Dash and Gilda will turn out. "You know, Gilda doesn't seem that bad for a griffin, just someone who hasn't had the time to properly socialize." Spike remarked. Ben smiled.

"Just give it time, Spike. Time heals all wounds, but it takes patience to mend those wounds."