Rainbow Dash was bored. Now that they had their peaceful solution, she didn’t have much to do. Twilight and Skitter were taking care of everything.

So after the route for the race portion of the competition was announced, she decided she may as well stretch her wings a bit and try it out. So that morning, she went to the starting line and already saw some Griffons there, stretching and preparing before taking off.

“Ooh! I remember you from last week! Rainbow Dash, right?” A voice called out to her.

Rainbow looked and saw a griffon she vaguely remembered approaching her. “Oh, yeah. I remember you. Gabby, right? The mail-mare.”

“That’s me! We never had a chance to hang out like I wanted, but that’s fine! How are you doing? Here to watch everygriff train for the big contest?” Gabby asked with a friendly smile.

“Eh, something like that. I don’t have a whole lot to do right now so I thought I’d give the course a try. I’m not participating, obviously, but flying the course a few times might be fun. What about you? What are you doing here?” Rainbow inquired.

“I’m here to practice. I’m going to be competing, after all! Just imagine all the griffons I could help if I managed to become Queen!” Gabby said excitedly.

“You? Huh… That’s pretty cool, I guess. Well, you actually seem pretty nice, unlike most griffons. So out of everypony… or every griffon, I guess… you’re probably the one I’ll be rooting for. So, good luck.” Rainbow stated.

“Aww, thank you! I appreciate it!” Gabby smiled.

“Hm… Hey, Gabby? Since I’m here, maybe I could help you train for the race. Two weeks isn’t a whole lot of time, but I might be able to help get you in a bit better shape.” Rainbow offered. She smiled. “I don’t mean to brag, buuut… I am the fastest pony in all of Equestria.”

“Really? You want to help me practice? Sure! Of course! I’m in pretty good shape already since I fly around all day delivering mail, but if you can help me I’d be super grateful! I don’t know a whole lot about big races like this or how to practice for one. I was just planning to fly around the course a bunch as fast as I can every day until the contest.” Gabby told her.

“You as a coach? Don’t make me laugh.” Another voice stated.

Rainbow Dash frowned and looked over at her ex-friend. “Gilda. What are you doing here?”

“Uh, I’m competing, obviously! I’m not stupid enough to pass up the chance to become the next Queen.” Gilda retorted.

“Oh, hi, Gilda!” Gabby greeted the other griffon. “Rainbow Dash, this is my cousin, Gilda! Do you two know each other?”

“Yeah, we do. We used to go to Junior Speedster Flight Camp together.” Rainbow stated.

“So, you’re friends?” Gabby asked.

“Not anymore.” Rainbow grumbled, glaring at Gilda.

Gilda scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I overheard you two talking when I got here. If she’s going to be your coach, you’re doomed. Sure, she talks a big game but she’s not all that.”

“Oh yeah?! Who won most of our races again? Oh yeah, it was me!” Rainbow snapped at Gilda.

“As if! I totally won more often than you! And I looked awesome doing it!” Gilda argued.

“My flank, you did! Anyway, I’m not a griffon so I’m not going to be in the competition so none of this matters anyway! I’m just going to be helping Gabby here get ready! You got a problem with that?!” Rainbow demanded.

“Me? No. It just means one less opponent I need to worry about, with you acting as her coach. See you at the finish line when I’m holding the Idol, dweebs.” Gilda said before flying off towards the starting line to start practicing.

Rainbow Dash snorted in frustration.

“Um… I know it’s none of my business, but why do you two seem so angry at each other? If it’s okay to ask, of course.” Gabby inquired.

Rainbow sighed. “Ah, it’s nothing you need to worry about. We had a falling out a couple of years ago. She treated all my friends like garbage and was a huge jerk in Ponyville.”

“A falling out? So you were friends before?” Gabby asked.

“Yeah. Before I met Twilight and the others, she was my best friend back in Junior Speedster Flight Camp. Not anymore though… You’re really Gilda’s cousin?” Rainbow asked.

Gabby nodded. “Yup! We practically grew up together! She was always a bit mean, but we used to race each other all the time. She’s really fast so I lost most of the time. But I managed to win a few times! From what I’ve seen, she’s gotten a lot faster now. But I have too! I’m sure I can beat her if I work hard enough!”

Rainbow chuckled. “That’s the spirit. But, wow… I can’t believe you two are actually related. You’re so different from each other! You’re way nicer than Gilda.”

“Thanks! But, I don’t know about that. Yeah, Gilda’s a little rough around the edges but she’s not all bad. Believe it or not, she’s actually one of the nicest Griffons I know!” Gabby stated.

“Seriously? Gilda? She’s one of the nicest Griffons you know?” Rainbow asked in disbelief.

“Well, yeah! You’ve been in Griffonstone for about a week, right? So you’ve probably already experienced this, but most griffons won’t even give you the time of day unless bits are involved. Gilda will. She might be a little rude about it but still! Unlike most griffons, she’ll even go out of her way to help somegriff if they really need it. Like if they were seriously hurt or something. She might complain the whole time but she’ll still help them! A lot of griffons wouldn’t do even that… So, yup! She’s actually pretty nice!” Gabby stated.

Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She shook her head. “Wow… If Gilda is one of the nicest Griffons, besides you, that’s actually pretty sad.”

Gabby sighed. “Yeah… It can get pretty bad sometimes… You said you had your falling out two years ago, right? Well, two years ago Gilda came back from a trip to Equestria and she seemed pretty down in the dumps. I tried asking what happened, but she didn’t want to talk about it. If that’s when it happened, then she took it pretty hard for awhile. She’s gotten better but she hasn’t seemed quite as happy since. I don’t know what happened so I’m not going to ask you to try and make up with her or anything. But she is my cousin. So could you please try not to fight with her too much, at least?”

Rainbow frowned but nodded reluctantly. “Fine… I’ll mind my own business as long as she does. Anyway, training. I’m pretty sure Gilda’s gonna be your toughest opponent in the race, if she makes it that far. She’s almost as fast as me, so we’ve got a lot of work to do to prepare you for the contest. Let’s start with some warm ups so you don’t accidentally pull anything while we’re flying. Then we’re going to fly the track as fast as you can. That way I’ll get to know how fast and fit you are and I’ll be able to figure out a good training schedule for you. Sound good?” Rainbow asked.

Gabby nodded excitedly. “Yeah! This sounds super fun! I can’t wait!”

The two of them did some wing stretches and some light exercises to get warmed up. Then they began flying. Gabby was actually fairly athletic, being pretty fast and having pretty good endurance. She wasn’t on Gilda’s level, but she wasn’t as bad as Rainbow feared either. They only had two weeks, so their training was going to have to be fairly intense with rest periods for her muscles to recover. But by the end of it, Rainbow was confident she could get Gabby to a point where her odds would at least be better than they were currently.

Rainbow talked to Twilight about what diet would be best for a griffon to build up muscle fast. Twilight recommended certain types of fish, certain types of seeds, rice, and protein shakes for a balanced diet mostly natural to griffons that was rich in protein and healthy fats and oils while being low in sugar. She even gave Rainbow a two week schedule for meals for Gabby, based on the training schedule Rainbow had made.

The next morning Rainbow arrived with the meal schedule Twilight had made. Gabby had taken time off so she could train for the contest so she would be able to arrive every morning for the next two weeks. It wouldn’t all be the same exercises every day. They had to give her muscles time to rest and rebuild. But they could still do some cardio today to try and help build up more endurance since the course was long and endurance was going to be critical, not just speed.

Rainbow waited for about thirty minutes before she started wondering where Gabby was. She hadn’t decided to drop out, had she? No… It was only the second day and she’d seemed so excited about this! She was probably just running late for whatever reason.

Bored, Rainbow decided to fly the track a couple of times while she waited. She hadn’t had a chance to really test herself on the course yesterday since she was working with Gabby. Now she had a chance.

She approached the starting line and got ready to take off.

“Ugh. You’re back again?” Gilda’s voice grumbled.

Rainbow frowned and looked at Gilda. “Yeah, I am! I’m gonna be here every day until the contest practicing with Gabby, so get used to it! Look, you don’t like me. Fine. Whatever. I don’t want to fight with you. So, you leave me alone, I leave you alone. Deal?”

“Fine by me, loser.” Gilda said, landing on the starting line.

Both Rainbow and Gilda glared at each other for a moment longer before they both spread their wings, preparing to take off.

As if a starting pistol went off, the two of them launched into the air at almost the exact same time.

They were practically neck and neck. Both pushed themselves as hard as they could, neither wanting to fall behind the other. Though there was no official spoken agreement, it had become a race and both were determined to beat the other.

Rainbow Dash knew it wasn’t smart to push herself so hard this early on such a long course but she wasn’t about to let Gilda pull ahead of her even for a moment. Gilda was obviously of a similar state of mind.

They were approaching the first turn. Rainbow managed to slip past Gilda and get closer to the inside of the turn, letting her pull ahead a bit. Her advantage wouldn’t last long as they came to the first obstacle. She chose a slightly more risky route that would have let her pull even further ahead if she could get through it, but ended up having to slow down to avoid crashing. Gilda chose a route that was a bit easier to navigate. Rainbow’s delay allowed her to pull ahead.

And so it went, both of them gaining and losing ground on each other as they flew through the course as fast as they could. By the middle of the course, both of them were getting tired but both refused to slow down. They passed other griffons who were practicing the course one by one, leaving them completely in their dust. Only a few Griffons were able to keep pace with them at all. Though not many were trying, given they were practicing at their own pace.

Neither of them were willing to let up even as their lungs and wings burned from the exertion they were putting themselves through.

Eventually they reached the starting line again. It wasn’t going to be the finish line during the official race, but for the purpose of practice, the present course was slightly modified near the end so it ended at the starting line. It was for the sake of convenience so whoever was practicing wouldn’t have to fly back to the starting line every time if they wanted to go for another lap. Though the official route had been marked out too and Griffons were free to practice it as well. Some already were, just to learn the proper route so they wouldn’t get confused when it was time for the competition.

Rainbow and Gilda crossed the starting line within a hair’s breadth from each other. If either won, it was by an incredibly slim margin.

“I… won…!” Gilda exclaimed, panting for breath.

“No… freaking… way… I totally… beat you…!” Rainbow retorted.

“Yeah… right! I crossed… the… finish line… first!”

“Like hay you did…!” Rainbow growled.

“I dunno. Seemed like a tie to me.” Another voice said. They both looked and saw Gabby standing not too far away. “Sorry I’m late Rainbow Dash! I accidentally overslept.”

“It’s… okay… What do… you mean… it… was a tie…?!” Rainbow demanded.

“Yeah…! I… so… won!” Gilda panted.

“From where I’m standing, it looked like you both crossed the finish line at the same time. So it was a tie!” Gabby stated.

Neither Rainbow or Gilda were happy with this outcome but they were both too exhausted to try and debate it.

“Fine. A tie… Whatever…” Gilda grumbled as she flew off to go rest and continue training by herself.

“I definitely won…” Rainbow grumbled under her breath. She then shook her head and looked at Gabby. “Hey… If you want it… my friend Twilight… made a schedule… for you… A diet for… the next two weeks…that’ll help build muscle… before the competition… Whew… Haven't pushed myself… this hard… in a while.”

“Oh, sure! I’d appreciate it! And if you need a few minutes to rest and catch your breath, that’s fine!”

Rainbow shook her head. “Nah… Better to keep moving… Let’s just start with some light exercises first… That way I can wind down a bit…”

“Alright. Oh, and I’m happy you and Gilda had fun racing each other!”

“What? No! I still don’t like her!” Rainbow objected.

“So you didn’t have fun?” Gabby inquired.

“No, that’s not… I… Ugh… Let’s just get to exercising…” Rainbow grumbled.

After my announcement, Griffonstone was absolutely buzzing with activity. Everyone was talking about the upcoming contest and after confirming it was indeed the real Idol several noble families had posted guards around the Idol of Boreas, who took shifts. So on top of the enchantments Twilight had put on it, it was also under guard 24/7. People could approach to get a look at it but they weren’t allowed to get close enough to touch the box. If they went past the cordon, the guards would subdue and arrest them.

The only one allowed to get close was me so I could check on everything and make sure there was no foul play, which I did regularly. The nobles weren’t happy letting me have sole access to the Idol, but I was the one who pulled the Idol out of the Abyss, I was its steward until the contest, not them. I threatened to disqualify them and their entire families from the competition entirely, which I had full power to do since I was the one running it. Not wanting to lose the chance to become the next monarch, or have someone in their family become the next monarch, they had no choice but to comply no matter how much they didn’t like it. I was the one who held all the cards.

I’m sure some of them wanted to kill me, but with the enchantment that would teleport me to the box they couldn’t be sure that killing me wouldn’t teleport the Idol away somewhere. Presumably to the bottom of the Abyss where it would be lost forever. So they couldn’t afford to take that risk. There was no such enchantment as far as Twilight knew, but that didn’t matter. The Griffons weren’t unicorns. They didn’t know magic, let alone Changeling magic. So they couldn’t be certain, and that’s what mattered. They couldn’t act as long as that uncertainty remained, lest they risk losing the Idol forever and ruining their chances of gaining power.

There was a small group of Griffons insisting that, according to the wording of the agreement, I was the new Queen since I was the one who pulled the Idol out of the Abyss. I shut them down by telling them my first and only decree as Queen was the creation of this competition and that I would be abdicating to whoever won. I didn’t have any interest in ruling Griffonstone. While having direct control over it and its military could be useful, I didn’t want to deal with whatever political shit storm that would cause. The Minotaurs would probably insist I was some kind of malicious conqueror and might use it as an excuse to attack me to “liberate” the Griffons. Plus I didn’t have the time or energy to fix this wreck of a kingdom, while also preparing for and waging war with Queen Chrysalis. On top of dealing with corrupt greedy nobles and whatever else came my way.

Inevitably the news spread outside of Griffonstone.

About four days after I made my announcement I went to bed for the night.

Almost as soon as I went to sleep, I found myself in the middle of a field on a starlit night with the moon high in the sky. I was in my human form. I could immediately tell this wasn’t a normal dream. And I was proven correct as Princess Luna manifested in front of me.

“Hey.” I greeted her.

“Greetings, Weaver. I apologize for disturbing you but I’m certain you’re already aware of why I’m here tonight.” Luna greeted me, trying to be friendly.

“I’ve got a pretty good idea, yeah.” I nodded. “It’s about the competition, right?”

Luna nodded. “Indeed. To be honest with you, Celestia and I suspected something like this when we heard you were going to Griffonstone. However… Are you certain this is wise? There’s a reason my sister refrained from doing something like this ever since the Idol was lost.”

“I am. I have the situation completely under control.” I stated.

“I’m certain you do… Yet, I fear you may be acting in haste…” Luna told me.

“I’m not. You’re worried about a civil war. I know. There won’t be one. Or if something unexpected happens and it does, I’ll end it myself.” I stated.

“May I ask what you’re planning? If nothing else, knowing would help put my and Celestia’s minds at ease.” She inquired.

“Classified. Twilight and Rainbow Dash are here with me. If you don’t trust me, fine, but they’re the ones who came up with the current plan. Celestia was confident enough to trust Twilight with saving an entire kingdom by herself once, even if visions were involved. So I would imagine you two should have enough faith in her for this.”

“Do not mistake my concern for criticism. We trust you as well. As I said, if you’re truly confident this shall work as you intend I will not claim otherwise. I’m merely suggesting caution and trying to learn the situation so that we might provide any aid you might need.” Luna told me.

Sure they did… They trusted me so much Luna was here talking to me about this the same night they got news of what was happening in Griffonstone, the instant I fell asleep for the night. What a stunning indictment of their trust. But I wasn’t going to voice my skepticism. “I appreciate the sentiment but I don’t need any help with this. Like I said, I have everything under control. In fact, the best thing you can possibly do for me right now is stay in Equestria and leave everything to me. Unless you’re politically obligated to come meet the new ruler of Griffonstone when they’re crowned, I suppose. In which case, do what you have to but don’t be offended when I keep to myself.”

Luna sighed. “Very well… We will be present for the coronation ceremony and we may attend the competition. I assume that’s fine?”

“Sure. Like I said, just don’t be offended when I don’t come talk to you. I’m going to be busy.”

Luna nodded. “As you wish… You went to sleep rather late. I was just speaking with Queen Amore before this. She would like to speak with you too. Shall I bring you to her dream or bring her to yours?

“You can do that?” I asked.

Luna nodded. “Of course! Sleep and dreams are my domain. I can do many things with dreams.”

I shrugged. “Alright. Bring me to her dream, I guess.” I stepped closer, ready to follow her.

She smiled. Her horn began to glow for a moment and a crystalline door appeared nearby. She opened the door and we both walked through.

On the other side we found ourselves in Queen Amore’s castle in her throne room. She and a stallion I didn’t recognize were sitting on two thrones watching as three foals were running around playing with each other. Two fillies and one colt. Each of them bore a resemblance to Amore and the stallion next to her. This must have been her husband and kids, I realized.

She saw us and the other ponies faded, but she maintained her smile. “Ah, there you are. Thank you, Luna, for the pleasant dream. Short though it was.”

“Think nothing of it. I will return you to your dream soon. But you wished to speak with Weaver so I have brought her.” Luna stated.

“Indeed I did. Thank you.” Amore nodded.

I approached with a casual wave. “Hey. Sorry for interrupting your dream. I’m guessing that was your family?”

Amore waved a dismissive hoof. “You needn’t apologize. I was the one who requested your presence. And yes, indeed. My First Husband and my three foals… Such a beautiful dream… My first died before getting to meet the other two, so it’s nice to get to see her interacting with them, even if it never came to be in reality.”

“My condolences.” I stated.

“I appreciate it. But I haven’t asked Princess Luna to bring you here to speak of myself or my late family. Rather I wish to speak of you and your foals. Your eggs are doing quite well. I have devised a contraption to bathe them in a steady stream of love constantly. They appear quite healthy. At the rate they’re developing I suspect they may hatch within the next… Hm… Fifteen days or so? Possibly sooner, possibly later. It’s only a rough estimate. I have no idea how long Changeling Eggs typically take to incubate and I do not know if the steady stream of love is making the process faster. So I cannot provide hard numbers.”

That hit me like a punch to the gut. So soon?! I was hoping I had more time… To be fair, it had been 24 days, or there about. That was already an incredibly long time for a bug, but I was hoping their size might mean it would take them a lot longer to develop. Two months, maybe? The fact it was happening so soon… Shit… “Thank you for the update. I appreciate it.” I told her, unable to hide the stress and anxiety in my voice.

She smiled and nodded. “Of course! If I had a better means of contacting you to keep you informed, I would have been giving you reports quite regularly. Sadly, I do not. So when Luna came to speak with me about the recent news, I thought I’d use this opportunity to update you. I asked her to inform you, but she offered to bring you here to speak with me directly. So of course I accepted. Speaking of the recent news, I realize there may be some risk, but would you like for me to bring the eggs to you? With them so close to hatching, I can’t imagine you would want to risk not being there when they do. I would ask you to return to the Empire soon, but as you are busy with this competition I realize that may be impossible. So this is the best alternative I can think of, unfortunately. I can, of course, ensure no one knows of them and they stay fully protected”

I shook my head. “No. Absolutely not. I’m pretty sure Chrysalis has Changelings here. There’s no way she would pass up the opportunity to target my eggs if they learned they existed and you brought them. Even if you kept them secret from everyone, I don’t want to risk it. If I have to miss them hatching, so be it. It’s better I miss it than put them at risk. I accepted the fact I might not be there to see them hatch when I left them with you to deal with this situation in Griffonstone.”

Amore nodded. “I suspected as much. And quite honestly, I agree with your decision, sad though it is. Especially considering this revelation that other changelings are in Griffonstone. I simply wished to give you the option, considering how special of an event this is. I wouldn’t dream of denying a mother the opportunity to see her foals hatch.”

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. Why did this have to happen so soon? Why not several years from now, after all of this crap with Chrysalis had been dealt with? It would have still been difficult to come to terms with, but I’d have been able to manage it. But now? Right now? So soon after the end of the world right as I’d been thrust into the middle of all this crap? The universe must have seriously had it out for me.

Amore approached me and wrapped me in a hug. “I’m sorry, Weaver. I know well how stressful this situation must be for you. I was in a similar position during the Umbral Wars. I know the hardships of having foals during a time of war. I am here for you and shall do everything within my power to ease that burden for you.”

“Thanks… I appreciate it. Seriously. I have no idea where I’d be right now if it weren’t for your help.” I genuinely meant that. I didn’t know what I’d do without her. I would never have found a steady supply of food for my hive, in the form of the love crystals she made. My eggs would be in serious danger because I’d have had no choice but to bring them with me, or put off the Griffonstone mission until after they hatched. I would have one less ally I was sure I could trust to support my Hive rather than bowing to Equestria. Hell, I’d probably be outright dead right now if Twilight hadn’t managed to un-crystallize her in time after we got back from the Shadow Prison.

“Certainly.” She released me and smiled. “Well, here’s some good news. Radiant Hope finally woke up a week ago. She’s recovered enough physically that she’s already up and moving around thanks to Equestrian medicine. She’s completely heart broken by what happened in the Shadow Prison and seems to be in denial thinking there must be some kind of mistake, but she’s recovering. Having Sombra back and by her side appears to be helping, and it seems to be good for Sombra as well. They are both speaking with therapists from Equestria. I have high hopes they will eventually recover mentally and emotionally, even if it takes some time.”

“Good to hear, I guess.”

“Indeed! Neither of them seem to be fully aware of it yet, but I’m quite certain the two of them are in love. Cadance agrees as does Shining Armor. The three of us currently have a bet over how long it will take them to realize their feelings for eachother and for Sombra to propose. Would you like to join in?” Amore offered.

I shook my head. “No thanks. Their personal lives are none of my business.”

Amore giggled. “True, but such things are normal between friends, are they not?”

I gave her a confused look. “Friends? I met Radiant Hope for all of five minutes and I was Sombra’s enemy. Sure, I saved Radiant Hope’s life in the Shadow Prison, but I would have done that for pretty much anyone. I wouldn’t exactly call us friends.”

“I would disagree, at least with you not being friends with Radiant Hope, but so be it. I’m considering letting Sombra out of house arrest so he and Hope may attend this competition you’re holding in Griffonstone. What are your thoughts on the matter?” Amore asked.

“That’s a horrible idea. Like I said, I’m pretty sure Chrysalis has Changelings here. They’re probably either going to attack or try to sabotage the competition somehow. It could be dangerous. And sending Hope to a place the Changelings might attack so soon after everything that happened? No. It would be better for them to stay in the Empire. Especially if they love each other like you think. That might make them targets as potential sources of food for Chrysalis’s hive. So one or both might end up being kidnapped and fed on.” I told her bluntly.

Queen Amore frowned in disappointment for a moment before nodding. “Hm… Very well. I simply thought it might be good for them to get out of the Empire for a while and attending this competition seemed like an excellent way for them to spend their time. I’m confident Sombra could easily defend himself and Hope should they be attacked. However, experiencing such an attack might put undue stress on Hope during a time where she’s in a fragile state of mind. So I suppose you’re correct… A pity. Were Chrysalis’ Hive not an issue, it might have been good for them.”

We continued talking for a while. Eventually we said our goodbyes and Luna led me back to my own dream.

This was probably the first night since I arrived in this world that I hadn’t had any nightmares at all. Even though my nightmares were always interrupted and turned to dreams by Luna before they could go on very long. Either way, it was nice to have at least one night without even part of a nightmare.

Author's Note

So I went back and added up all the days that passed since Taylor laid her eggs. It's been either 24 or 23. There's a little awkwardness in Chapter 19 I think, with Twilight and Rainbow approaching Taylor at night that makes it a little ambiguous. So I decided to just say 24. And Ostrich Eggs, which I'm using as a sort of vague basis (mainly due to their size, despite the fact every species eggs hatch at different times seemingly independent of size, so the comparison is completely arbitrary), apparently take between 36 and 45 days to hatch. So by the time the contest happens, in about 10 days, I think, Taylor's eggs should actually be pretty close to hatching. If they haven't already, considering Amore's been blasting them with Love constantly. That was unintentional, but its kinda interesting that this is how it worked out.