Three Different Endings

She was shocked at the sight of the underweight, scarred, and trembling Discord in Luna's bathroom. It ripped her heart when he noticed her and begged for a break.

It all started when human Dash had finished excitingly chatting with her Equestrian counterpart about teaching her to fly. Slightly embarrassed, Rainbow used her Chaos Magic to give her a headstart in learning.

"Thanks!! And don't worry, we'll get through this together, and stronger than before!"

For the first time, Rainbow felt a flicker of hope that she cautiously kept alive as Dash flew to Canterlot with a long and lingering shout.

Meanwhile, Pie was talking with Pinkie and her coltfriend, Cheese Sandwich, about apology parties, sneaking into the Changeling Kingdom, and designing death traps in order to disable them, as rational ponies do.
Nearby, Rarity and Rares were discussing the pros and cons about living in a nudist society. Next to them, Fluttershy was talking with 'Shy about her animals, and Applejack was teaching AJ how to buck on the farm.

As Dash landed in front of the gates, Dan escorted her to the dining room as a tired Luna nearly stumbled over her presence.

"You're… The human Rainbow Dash, right?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Just call me Dash."

Nodding, she nearly fell asleep then and there, only waking up thanks to automatically magically pinching herself.

"Feel free to use Our room and lavatory. 'Tis unwise for them to be unused. Good day."

She teleported out, leaving a rapidly jumping and excited Dash, Dan guiding her to Luna's room per her request. As he left, she looked around and curiously touched herself, blushing.

"... Still feels weird to be naked and for it to be the default. Eh, at least I'm not going to be here for long. Not about to give up meat or fingers!"

She struggled with the smallest towel, which still covered half of her when folded, and the door, placing the former on her back. Walking into a cloud of steam, her sharp hearing found a sobbing creature inside.

"What the…?"

She used her wings to clear the air, finding the creepiest creature lying in the massive bathtub in the center of the room, sobbing into its claws.
Somehow able to approach silently, she heard it using the voice of the eccentric and wealthy Dr. Discord, Ph.D, thank you very much, as I've spent too much time and money for you to not use it while I help make and clean your messes.

"Why…? Why did you do it…? I… All I wanted was light-hearted and fun chaos while… While… Oh, Celly, you couldn't have taught her better…? And-?!"

"Um, hel-?"

His terrified scream and look of absolute fear as he scrambled to the far side of the tub sent shockwaves through her heart. Seeming to steel himself, he suddenly prostated at her hooves.

"F-f-forgive me, Your Highness! Please, n-n-not today, M-m-my Queen, p-p-plea- not today!
Y-y-your s-s-servant, D-Discord, is still re-recharging his ch-ch-chaos magic, so y-y-you- oh, just make it quick, for the love of Faust!!"

He then curled into a ball while shaking, begging, and wailing harder than ever while she continued staring, shocked at the display. Hesitant, she reached out a hoof and began stroking him, him freezing as she did.
As she continued to stroke and pet him as the puzzle pieces fell in place, she felt unnatural hate and anger ignite in her heart as she gently unwrapped the terrified and near-catatonic Discord and gave him the warmest hoof and winged hug he hasn't felt for the past… eternity.

When she was done she gently released and stepped away.

"... Y-y-you're not Her Majesty, are you? You're h-h-human?"

She smiled kindly and nodded before hugging him again, this time he hesitantly returned it, soft at first before increasing the pressure to where she actually felt firm squeezing.

"W-who else have been torturing you?"

"Step. Away. From. The traitor."

Gilda was curious, despite herself.

News from Canterlot was that another human had appeared not long after Jason, and the ponies and remaining pony-buckers were helping him with something regarding money and a position in Canterlot.
Supposedly, he had been around Canterlot longer than they thought, with theories ranging from the day after the trial to two weeks after, maybe even a month. Another theory was that he had actually been living in the Dragon Lands for years.

Eh, ultimately, not her problem, especially after the flankshow that was the trial that other human had magically set up using that staff.
Returning to her cooling scones, she had made sure to make it and the next batch from the recipe from her, Secret Baking Admirer From Afar.

She has gotten it and others from a griffonness who lived very far away, whose fur and feathers were a sensible light and dark pink, respectively. Unlike one bright pink annoyance of a pony.
Gilda was cautious and made sure to have all the bits she might have wanted in exchange for those delicious scones. It was mind-blowing that she not only gave the rest to her for free, but she also gave her the necessary ingredients and new recipes for free during their second meeting, the week after the trial.

While it was slightly infuriating that she refused to give her her name, nor did anygriff know of any other griffon majority city or town that far away, she wasn't really complaining due to the increased business she had, and how cheering others up were having a domino effect of cleaning up the town and restoring their pride, however slight.

Taking them and the rest of the warm scones out, she found a line of her regulars wrapped around her house. Beginning her sales, she was surprised to find dragons in line as well.

"What brings you lizards all the way here?"

"Your scones, believe it or not."

"You're right, I don't believe it. Blueberry, strawberry, or raspberry?"

"One of each, please."

Raising her eyebrow at the medium-sized jewel given to her by the red male as the orange female grabbed the scone-filled bag, she made sure to keep it close.

During the rest of the day, she overheard something about the human also being embroiled in a blackmail scheme against a trio of royals. Interestingly, a majority of the ponies, and all of them pony-buckers, for that matter, were trying to persuade and petition the court to just give him their whole estates.
Their reasoning ranged from, "Those jerks deserved it.", to, "He'll need it to help-." At that point, she tuned it out and continued selling.

At the end of the day, she wearily entered her house, dragging her money bag. Dropping it in her bedroom closet, she proceeded to drop herself into bed, falling asleep instantly.
Fifteen minutes later, she was awoken by firm knocking, there being a multitude of voices alongside the knocking, as well.

Grumbling, she stretched herself from her claws to her wings. Flying to the door and gently opening it with a bang, she politely roared in the face of the idiot who dared wake her up.

"WHO'S THE FEATHERING MORON who woke me up…"

She gulped and nearly wet herself as her wide eyes took in a pissed off squad of armored dragons, the Dragon Lord among them; a serious and lethal looking six-pony group who were clearly Burning Soldiers; a nervous crowd of fellow griffons; and an amused Dan holding a leather blanket.

"Me. I would be that 'feathering moron', Ms. Gilda."

"U-um, w-well, I had just woken up from my nap, Ambassador, so-."

"It's perfectly alright, Ms. Gilda. Or would you prefer, 'Gilda'?"

"N-no. You can- feel free to call me whatever you want."

"I prefer to treat others with respect, so, 'Ms. Gilda' until you're comfortable around me. Name's Dan, by the way."

Nodding, she stepped aside, wordlessly inviting him in, only for him to shake his head.

"I'm here because you are the only young griffon around who commands respect from the whole community, and I need your permission for something."

As he laid out the plan, she thought he was flat-out insane, but glances at the cutting edge climbing equipment the dragons and ponies had, along with the top-of-the-line protective gear Dan wore, caused her to keep it to herself.
The other reason why she was being so cooperative? She didn't want to get gutted and stuffed like a turkey by the infamously brutal, ruthless, and supposedly psychopathic Burning Soldiers. Unless they allowed the dragons to turn her house to ash, first.

Yes, self-preservation is the best way to go.

As she led them to the Abysmal Abyss, the crowd only increased around them until there was a massive crowd of following spectators.

"Why did you need me to come with you? You clearly have everything you need and it's not like anygriff would have cared what you were doing… Until you brought the Idol up, of course."

"I want everything to be as transparent and legitimate as possible, Ms. Gilda. After all, what's a Queen without a crown or symbol of authority?"

"Uh, why me? I'm-."

"The only griffon other than Gabby who took it upon herself to do something about her surroundings. I also have the word of a certain pink griffon about the work you've done lifting up your fellow griffons."

She fell silent at that. As the ponies and dragons finished preparing themselves, Gilda silently mulled over what she was told, then made up her mind.
Before she could retort, a spell was cast on him as he leaped off the cliff, leading to the spectators gasping and Gilda staring at the vacated space in complete bewilderment as he literally dropped through the roiling clouds.

The minutes passed in agonizing slowness, until the team began pulling up the massive amount of rope. Much to everyone's surprise, they were having trouble pulling him up, the minutes passing even slower as the human slowly emerged from the abyss.
As he was placed on the ground and the Heaviness Spell dispelled, he uncovered the leather wrapped Idol and gave it to Gilda, who immediately and gently pushed it back.

"You did it when you didn't need to do it, nor were you forced to. My King."

She bowed, much to his and the other creatures' surprise.

"W-why-?"

Beginning at a normal volume, she quickly grew louder so that everygriff heard her.

"It's all so clear now, Your Majesty. The recipes, the scones, the projectile weapons… You've been working behind the scenes to boost our pride and help us improve without the Idol!
With the Idol, we'll see the improvements pile up even faster than before, and we'll also have the ability to defend ourselves from those who would hurt us!
Long live The King!"

She started the chant, which the rest of the crowd, including the dragons, took up. This caused the ponies to look amusedly at a blushing and confused Dan who was visibly stuttering.
After being unable to get a word out, he was finally able to shout for order, shaking his head and throwing his hands up.

"You want me to be your King? Alright, fine! Gilda, consider yourself my Right-Hand bird-kitty. You choose those who are trustworthy and knowledgeable to supervise various categories in the kingdom, from finances, to war, weapons, food, and so on!
After that, send me the Supervisor for weapons so that we can start discussing further improvements.'

To the same question from various individuals in the crowd, he answered,

'No, she's not going to be my-.'

A gasp rose from the crowd, much to his and her growing embarrassment. Looking at each other, they turned to the nervously questioning crowd and stood next to each other, holding hand and claw with embarrassed smiles to the cheerful roar of the crowd.

'We're not going to, ahem, build a nest, are we?"

"Unless we discover I can lay your eggs, no, not literally. A married, Royal home? Yes."

"... I think I'm okay with that… Dear."

"Probably the same thing here… Honey."

The wedding was scheduled for the middle of next week.

"Diamond Tiara, we are very disappointed in you."

Behind their desks stood the Principals, usually nicknamed, 'The Twin Princesses', due to their nearly royal-like behavior. At that moment, she was desperately trying to stay upright and keep her lower body dry.
She gulped as she glanced back and forth between them and the towering Gilda, who was in front of the door leading to the hallway, hands clasped behind her back, glaring.

"W-w-what did I-?"

"Principal Luna" interrupted, her slitted eyes opening and staring into her soul.

"You very well know what you were planning to do, Ms. Tiara. Be glad that it is her sister you are primarily dealing with and not Nightmare Moon. She is dealing with more important things than one little bratty upstart who didn't think things through."

At that, a chair moved and caught her as she realized that Nightmare Moon wasn't a myth, and those Seniors were justified to be terrified. She numbly nodded as NNM softly smiled, before setting her face into granite as she wore a military backpack and marched out, Gilda following.

"Now, what were you thinking of doing with the information you had?"

Her stuttering and slight shaking didn't help matters. A couple of minutes passed before she gained the courage to speak up.

"T-tell the world that there are other humans in trouble, a-and that we should try to do something."

Thinking it over a bit, Celestia walked from behind the desk and sat next to her, a comforting aura around them. Diamond's shuddering took a bit to dissipate, but when it did, she felt more confident. Just not enough to suppress the tears that suddenly appeared as she hugged herself.

"I-I-I thought I was going to be beaten to an inch of my life, or a coma, after my phone was destroyed! I-I-I-!"

She cried, releasing the emotions she had inadvertently held back. After a bit, she stopped hugging herself, wiping her face with an offered napkin.

"... I, I wasn't sure what I was expecting… Thinking back on it, I only would have made my life and my family's, and the life of everyone else in the school and their families, bad and maybe even worse.
The government would have probably come into town, and even if they didn't, there could've been some poor, delusional soul who would have tried to force me to do something… Maybe even-!"

"Do not go there, Diamond Tiara. Your information will never be released. You are safe."

Nodding, they stood up, D.T leaving while pulling out a spare phone and deleting the backup.

Only to stare at a blank backup folder where it was supposed to be, and quickly realizing this wasn't her phone.

"That… That…! Gilda."

Meanwhile, she gave her boss Tiara's phone as they were traveling to the local ROTC just outside the city.

"This will be the evidence needed. Once you've returned to the school, give young Diamond 500 cash for the trauma she suffered and another thousand to replace her phone."

As they approached the gate, a special, silent alarm swept through the camp, throwing the upper hierarchy into subdued terror as they called for their superior.

Nightmare Moon had arrived, and she wasn't there for candy.

Thorax was downright horrifying the way he dispatched the attacking yaks when they threatened to throw, "annoying and lying griffons!" into jail, after almost crushing them to death, of course.

Pharynx did his part, of course, but in a way that they were merely put out of action with a twisted leg or knocked out.
They escaped by transforming into parasprites, entering the Friendship Express, and hiding in the luggage car, panting from the fight.

"Next time, older bro, I start, negotiations!"

"Hah! I'm, sorry you, didn't, get to see a race, join the growing, 'Griffon Empire'. What's the new total?"

Pharynx flopped his yellow, fat little body on the nearest suitcase handle, catching his breath.

"If I'm correct-.'

"And you always are, younger brother."

He returned the grin.

"There are five races joining this new, what's officially called, 'The Preservation Alliance'. There's the griffons, obviously; the ponies, with only select ones in Canterlot and Ponyville in the know; the dragons are in the process of accepting Dan as the Dragon Lord's Rid-. That's not what it means, and you know it, Thorax.
There's also the human world, with Royal Blood back in the Spy Hive keeping us in the loop. The Zebras have joined with Zecora being their Ambassador. They're bringing in potions and advanced natural magic.
As to the Griffon Empire, the Dragons are considered joining, only if Dan rides Em-.'

He glared at his dirty-minded brother, who returned an innocent look.

'-Ber, alone, which the Griffons are grumbling about, but are politely discussing, I hope.'

"Any other griffon wants to speak up against my husband and I?!"

The remaining members of the council attempted to bow in respect, but their wounds and broken wings prevented them to.

As they limped to the mildly amused Burning Soldiers for magical healing, she returned to a lightly clapping Dan, a custom forged sword and shield on his waist and back. Beside him was an impressed Ember, riding equipment already worn. Gilda focused on the latter.

"You were that confident in me, huh?"

She shrugged, holding up her right claw with a ring that neatly matched the one on Dan's left hand.

"I would've been the queen in your stead once they suffered some light burns."

Gilda shook her head while pointedly wrapping her tail around Dan's waist, which he quietly moaned about.

'Anyway, I'm sure that we now have the numbers, skills, and help for when we find a way back to Dan's world. Only problem is that we still need offensive and defensive weapons, both long- and short-range."

"At least they're doing much better with the Ooze replacement."