//------------------------------// // Griffon the Brush-Off // Story: Welcome to Ponyville, My Foal // by CaleMcManus21 //------------------------------// Same week, different day. That's how I would like to describe the now. It was tough getting Applejack to accept help, but in the end, it was well worth it. All that time was well spent. I was walking along the streets of Ponyville alone with my thoughts. Where am I headed? I have no idea. As I walked, I spotted Twilight, as usual, seeing if there's a book she wants to buy for her library. "Hello Twilight" I said. "Nice morning, is it not?" "Hello Foal" she said with a smile. She then turned her attention back to the selection of books behind the glass window. I walked up next to her and stared at the selection of books. "Now I know you have that one" I said, pointing to one of the books. "I've seen that one lying on the floor, and..." "Twilight, Foal!" I recognized the voice. Turning our heads, we both saw Pinkie Pie. "I'm looking for Rainbow Dash, have any of you seen her?" She asked. "The last time I saw her, she was napping on a cloud somewhere at the park" I said. "Uh... Isn't Rainbow Dash up there?" Twilight asked, pointing upwards with her hoof. I glanced up and saw a rainbow tail sticking out of the cloud. I slapped a hand to my face and groaned. "The last place one would look" I sighed. Twilight and I watched as Pinkie Pie bounce away. "Oh Foal, while you're here, there's something I want to tell you" she said. "Sure, go ahead" I replied. "Spike is suppose to be gathering some scrolls at the Town Hall. Can you go and assist him?" "I sure can" I said with a smile. Twilight watched as I ran off. Making my way to the Town Hall, I actually ran into Spike as he was going in. "Hey Foal, what's the rush?" He asked as the two of us entered the building. "Twilight said that I assist you with the scrolls. I mean you can't possibly carry a lot" I said as the two of us began to gather a bundle of scrolls in our arms. As the two of us exited the Town Hall, a loud thunderclap startled us both, causing us to drop the scrolls. The laughs coming from Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie filled our ears. Spike and I were not amused by this prank they had set up. "Really? Really girls? This is your idea of a good time?" "Relax Foalie, it's only a harmless prank" Rainbow Dash said, still laughing. "Oh... Harmless. I mean you gave him hiccups and..." The sight of a green flame being blown away caught my attention. "Uh Spike, was there anything written on that scroll?" "No" he said as he hiccuped again. "Oh jeez... What will Princess Celestia do if she finds out that you sent a letter without anything written on it?!" I grasped my head and fell on my knees, unaware of the looks Spike, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash were giving me. "I don't want her to think that Twilight is failing her with this kind of stuff!" I began to cry in an overdramatic and really pathetic manner. Spike walked up to me and hiccuped green fire at me, causing me to shut up. "Oh please, Foal. Lighten up!" He then began to pick up scrolls, but as he did, he began to hiccup green fire again, sending the scrolls to Canterlot. "You're right, I should lighten up" I said, unaware that he was gone. I looked up and saw that Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were giving me an odd look. "What?" I asked. "You didn't seem that surprised with the prank. What are you, hard to fool or something?" Rainbow Dash asked. 'Great! How can I tell them that enjoy pranks without mentioning that they talked me into it in the universe I came from?' I thought. My eyes lit up and an idea popped into my head. "I thought you knew!" I said, acting surprised. "Knew what?" Rainbow Dash asked. "That I liked pranks." "You do? Well why didn't you tell us?" "Oh I knew all right!" Pinkie Pie squeaked. I wasn't so sure if this was her playing along with me, her just being Pinkie Pie, or her using her ridiculously good knowledge. After all, she did tell me that she knew everypony here so well, she practically knows everything about them. Stalker much? "Wait, you knew, but you didn't tell me?" "I tried to tell you, but you were so busy practicing for the Wonderbolts, that you've been ignoring us completely" Pinkie Pie said. "Now if you two will excuse me, I'm going to walk nonchalantly around Ponyville keeping my mouth shut about you two pranking everypony." Before I could leave, Rainbow Dash tackled me to the ground. "Why don't you prank with us? It'll be fun" she said, sounding tempting. "After all, you do like pranks." Me and my big mouth. "This is ridiculous" I said as I looked at a container of Sneezing Powder. Behind me, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie both had baskets of flowers and other pranking items in their mouths. "You're actually doing this?" "C'mon Foal, it'll be fun!" Rainbow Dash said as we stopped by Rarity's house. Due to the basket, it was slightly muffled. Pinkie Pie put her basket down and randomly pulled out a vase from beneath it. "Fine" I said as I poured some powder on the flowers. While the two mares put the flowers in the vase, I made my way to the side of the house and hid. 'I could come up with better pranks than this! Thanks to a certain cyan colored mare and the pink one.' Rainbow Dash knocked on the door and she and Pinkie Pie made a mad dash over behind some bushes. I groaned and put a hand to my face. 'I can't believe this....' The sound of the door opening interrupted me from my thoughts. I peeked around and saw Rarity smell the flowers, eventually getting sneezing powder on her nose. As she sneezed uncontrollably, I moved as far away as I could and laughed. As much I hate to admit it, it was kind of funny. I met up with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie back to the center of Ponyville. "Ok, what's next?" I asked. I turned my head saw that they were focusing on Twilight's library. I shook my head and raised my hands up. "No, no, forget it, I'm not going to take part on this one." "Come on Foalie," Rainbow Dash said as she nudged me in the rib. "It'll be fun." "Fine, but if she does find out about the prank, and I'm questioned about it, I'm telling her that I took no part in it and that you're the one who talked me in." "Deal" Rainbow Dash said as she flew off, with Pinkie Pie bouncing behind, sharing the same excitement as the Pegasus. Oh Celestia, I feel like this won't end well. "This is ridiculous" I said as the three of us watched Twilight work on an experiment of some sort through her window. "I can't believe you had me sneak in there and pour disappearing ink into one of her ink bottles." "Shh, here comes the best part" Rainbow Dash said. As soon as the ink vanished Twilight became frantic. It was then her experiment went awry. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie laughed boisterously. I tried not to laugh, but their laughter overpowered me greatly so I laughed along with them. The minute I saw Twilight smirk, I panicked a little and quickly jumped off the tree. Practicing my run-and-jump using Canterlot as my playground payed off. Next up, we painted Applejack's apples using washable paint. The second she stepped out, she caught us painting one of her apples. I quickly dropped the apple and ran off, laughing along with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. Applejack then began to throw the painted apples at us. I quickly dove head-first into a barrel of water and held my breath. Unfortunately, due to my size, the barrel tipped over, spilling water everywhere. Applejack backed away so her hooves wouldn't get wet. I rolled out of the barrel, coughing and spitting water out. Applejack glanced down and saw the paint being washed away. When she glanced up, I was already running towards the exit of Sweet Apple acres. Little did I know, Applejack found the prank (and the predicament I put myself into) amusing. Near a lake, I removed my shirt and hung it on a tree branch to let it dry. Was I embarrassed that I was shirtless? Kind of. Because it was either this, or remove the clothes I'm wearing from the waist down also. Screw that! I'm not letting that happen! On the other side of the tree was Rainbow Dash. She was looking through a giant telescope which she borrowed from Twilight. Actually, I'm the one that asked if I could borrow it. I noticed Pinkie Pie had a squeeze toy in her mouth. Attached to it was a long rope. "Is someone over there?" Pinkie Pie asked, slightly muffled. "Who's it going to squirt? Who's it going to squirt?" "Fluttershy" Rainbow Dash said with a smirk. "WHAT?!" Pinkie Pie asked. She then spat the toy out of her mouth. "I'm gone" I said as I retrieved my shirt and hung it over my shoulder. "This is going a little too far." "Foalie's right. We can't prank Fluttershy. She's so sensitive. Even our most harmless pranks will hurt her feelings." Before I left, Rainbow Dash backed down. "Yeah you're right" she said in defeat. She turned to us. "We need to find someone with a more tough personality. So, who shall it be?" She asked. Pinkie Pie and I tried not to laugh. Rainbow Dash had an inked circle around her eye. "Oh" Pinkie Pie said. "We've got someone in mind" she said with a laugh. "Yeah, the toughest one around" I added. I held out a hand to which Pinkie Pie responded by slapping her hoof on top of it. This excited Rainbow Dash. "Oh, awesome! Who? Who? Who? Do I know them?" "Oh, you know them all right" I said with a smile. "Well come on, spill the beans, where can we find them? What prank shall we pull?" She asked, even more excited. "Oh why they're here of course" I answered. "Oh yes" Pinkie Pie said as she pointed to the lake. Pinkie Pie and I laughed harder when Rainbow Dash looked at her reflection. After I was finished laughing, I watched as the two mares laugh together like they were best friends. I then left the clearing without them knowing, with my shirt still slung over my shoulder. I made my way back over to Twilight's library, feeling exhausted. By the time I arrived, my shirt has dried and so I put it on before entering. Once I stepped inside the cool room temperature of the library after being out in the sun, I sprawled on the sofa (which was my bed). I began to think about everypony back home. I wondered if I altered their time. What if I completed my task here, but when I return, they won't remember me. The thought engulfed my mind like smoke. I refuse to believe this fact but there is a possibility of that happening. Of course I remember the rule I was given before I arrived here: 'Don't let Twilight know about the relation between me and her.' If I see Princess Cadance, I must not let her know that I'm her adoptive son. The same thing with Shining Armor. I got up from the sofa, staggered out and fell on my knees. I began to breathe heavily. Why didn't these things cross my mind? How much longer must I endure? Worse... When will Illusion strike next? It's like we're playing Cat and Mouse with each other. Him beng the cat, my mind being the mouse. Time went by and after coming back from my usual routine of wandering aimlessly around Ponyville, I spotted Pinkie Pie and she didn't seem like she was in a good mood. "Hey Pinkie Pie" I greeted. "You're usually cheerful, what happened?" "Hi Foalie, I met a friend of Rainbow Dash and she's meanest friend I've ever encountered!" I stroke my chin. "Hmm" I said. I need to know more about this friend of Rainbow Dash. "I'm on my way back to Twilight's Library anyway. She might want to know about this." "You're right, we should!" She zoomed ahead of me. I've never seen Pinkie Pie this upset before. "So Pinkie Pie" Twilight said as she levitated a book and skimmed through the pages. "Are you sure this friend of Rainbow Dash is really mean?" While Pinkie Pie ranted, I picked up a book of my own and skimmed through the pages. There's got to be more information about griffons. Despite me being in Equestria for a long time, I've heard of griffons, I just never encountered one. Well maybe once or twice. "I've never met a griffon this mean!" Pinkie Pie shouted. "Well actually, I've never met a griffon at all. But if I had, I bet they won't be as mean and grumpy as Gilda!" I don't know... Griffons can be pretty rude. "You know what I think, Pinkie Pie?" Twilight asked. "Hmm?" Pinkie Pie responded, giving her a questioning look. "Well, I think..." She thought for a moment. "You're jealous." "Jealous?!" Pinkie Pie asked. "Green with envy" Spike said. I didn't even realize he was here. "Well in your case, pink with envy." "What?!" I asked. "Twilight Sparkle! I'm shocked." "I'm sorry Foalie, but I don't want to upset Pinkie..." I cut her off. "You just did. And if there's one thing I don't like, it's friends upsetting their own friends. C'mon Twilight. Surely Princess Celestia taught you that." I walked over to the door. "Not only did you upset Pinkie, but you upset me too. How dare you say Pinkie is jealous." I left the library. I walked down the street with my hands in my pockets. "Foalie! Wait up!" I heard Pinkie Pie call out to me. I turned my head and saw her running up to me. I stopped walking and fully turned my body to her. "Maybe Twilight is right" she said. "Really?" I asked. "How so?" "Maybe Gilda isn't really a meanie mean grumpy pants and I'm just a judging judgmental jealous jealousy pants." I noticed a sad look on her face. "What say we stop by Sugar Cube Corner and have some ice cream, or a yogurt..." "How about a milkshake?" She asked. "Ok, that'll do." When we reached Sugar Cube Corner, Pinkie Pie had a large glass of milkshake and placed two straws in it. One on my side, and one on hers. I also grabbed some napkins because well, milkshakes are messy. As we sipped the milkshake, we heard laughter from above. Pinkie Pie quickly ducked under the table as I glanced up. "So that's Gilda, huh?" I asked. She nodded, still crouching behind the table. Suddenly, there was a scream. "A rattler! A rattler! Save yourself!" I turned my head and saw Granny Smith walk away. "Why that no good--!" Before I could run towards Gilda, Pinkie Pie grasped me with her hooves. "Wait! Maybe that was a joke and Granny Smith didn't know" Pinkie Pie suggested. "I don't know, pulling a joke on an old timer? That's just crossing the line." "But we can't misjudge her." She's right, but at the same time... There's already something about this griffon that I really don't like. We then saw her coil her tail around an apple and popped it into her mouth. "And what do you call that?" I asked as I pointed to what she just did. Pinkie Pie gasped. "I did misjudge her! She's a meanie pants, and a thief!" She pounded the table so hard, a small splash of milkshake hit me. "Still want to give her another chance?" I asked as I used a napkin to wipe the splash off my shirt. "Yep." "Alright little ones, this way" Fluttershy said as she led a small family of ducklings across the street. "Ok.... That does it" I said. "Where are you going?" Pinkie Pie asked. "I'm making myself a barrier. I'm not letting that griffon...." I was cut off with a commotion. "Hey! I'm walking here!" Gilda shouted. I clenched my fist as I watched the madness. "Foalie?" Pinkie Pie asked. I didn't answer. Instead, I charged forward and slid between the griffon and Fluttershy. I quickly wrapped my arms around the Pegasus and pressed her head against my chest as Gilda roared loudly. "Take a hike!" I shouted as I got to my feet. "We don't want any problems here, griffon!" Did I care that calling a griffon by their race instead of their name was insulting? No. "What was that?" Gilda asked. "I said griffon. What's the matter? Don't like the name? What else should I call you? Pony? Manticore? Sea serpent?" I asked. I saw her fume. "C'mon griffon" I challenged. Gilda raised a claw up and attempted to slash me, but I quickly evaded it. Gilda continued to slash at me but I kept on dodging her attacks. I then threw a punch at her and collided with her face. I turned my attention to Fluttershy. "This griffon has nothing." Just then, she slashed me in the back. I cried out in pain and fell to my knees, groaning in pain. As Gilda flew off, muttering angrily, Fluttershy remained by my side, comforting me. I had three bloodied claw marks running diagonally across my back. "I'm going to kill her" I said with clenched teeth. "I'm going to kill that griffon!" At Sugar Cube Corner, Fluttershy was treating my back. Pinkie Pie had an idea to throw Gilda a party which I can't understand why. Well, she is Pinkie Pie. Not far from me were Applejack and Rarity. "Who's this Gilda I keep hearing about?" Applejack asked. "A friend of Rainbow Dash" I spat. "Some friend she is!" "Foalie..." Rarity said as she trotted over to me. "How dare you snap at Rainbow Dash like that." "I'm sorry Rarity, but I can't be friends with a pony who's friends with a bully. Unless things change, I'm not going to be Rainbow Dash's friend. Now if you'll excuse me." I slowly got to my feet. "I don't want to be around Rainbow Dash. Not while she's with Gilda." I walked to the corner, leaving Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy to look at me with shocked faces. Twilight walked by and looked at me worriedly. "Did those scratch marks come from Gilda?" She asked Fluttershy. "Well... Yes" Fluttershy answered meekly. "She attacked him while he was defending me." "But what he said about Rainbow Dash was hurtful. I should talk to him" Twilight said. "No" Fluttershy said. "Foal has been through enough. Let him relax and calm down. Maybe he'll take back everything he said." "You're right" Twilight said. Fluttershy walked over to Pinkie Pie. "Um Pinkie Pie? About this party?" She asked. "Do you think it's a good idea?" "Don't worry your pretty little head about mean ol' Gilda. Your Auntie Pinkie Pie has got it all taken care of." "I'm a year older than you" Fluttershy said. "Gilda!" Pinkie Pie greeted. I really wish I could sneak out of here, but I couldn't. Not with Gilda and Rainbow Dash standing in the doorway and Pinkie Pie standing in front of them. I was going to sneak out the back door, but there are too many ponies in here. I'm not saying it's cramped, but I could easily spotted trying to sneak out. So I have no choice but to stay here and endure the Pegasus hanging out with that damn griffon. "I'm so honored to throw you one of my signature Pinkie Pie parties!" The pink mare continued. "And I really, truly sincerely hope that you feel welcome amongst us pony-folk." Pinkie Pie extended a hoof. With an annoyed look on her face, Gilda grasped it, only to get x amount volts surged through her body. I cracked a smile when I saw her get electrocuted. But my smile vanished when Rainbow Dash entered the building. "Oh Pinkie Pie, you are a scream!" The cyan colored Pegasus laughed. "The old hoof-shake buzzer!" Her laugh grew a little louder. "Yeah" Gilda laughed a little. "Good one Pinkie Pie." I can tell she didn't enjoy the prank. "Come on G, I'll show you to my other friends" Rainbow Dash said as she trotted away. I remained in the corner and turned my head away from her. 'She's just like him' I thought to myself. "Hey Foalie" I heard a voice say. I turned my head and saw Twilight approaching me. "I noticed that you're the only one not enjoying the party." "It's not the party that's upsetting me" I said. "What is it?" She asked. I looked down at the floor and sighed. I leaned close and whispered something in her. Twilight gasped. "Foalie... Rainbow Dash is our friend." "How am I suppose to believe that? I mean look at them." I gestured to Rainbow Dash leading Gilda over to a bowl of lemon drops. "Vanilla lemon drops... Don't mind if I do" Gilda said. She popped one into her mouth and swallowed it. Just then she began to heat up. "Hot!" She screamed. Twilight smiled when she saw me laugh. "See? I knew you would turn that frown upside down" she said patting me in the back. "Just give Rainbow Dash another chance." I nodded with agreement. "By the way, why are you in a sour mood around Rainbow Dash?" "I'll tell you later. Right now, I'm enjoying watching Gilda make a fool of herself." "Hey G!" Rainbow Dash called. "Look, presents!" Gilda ran over to a table filled with gifts and grabbed a random one. When she opened it, several fake snakes popped out of the container. Several ponies, including Twilight and myself laughed. "Spitting snakes" Applejack laughed. "Somepony pulled that prank on me last month." The annoyed look Gilda was giving made me smile even more. Time went by and while everypony mingled, Pinkie Pie rolled in a large cake into the room. "Cake time, everypony!" She exclaimed. "Hey! Can I blow out the candles?!" Spike asked excitedly. Seriously, when did he get here? I ought to start paying attention to my surroundings. "Why don't we let Gilda blow out the candles, Spike?" Twilight suggested. "She is the guest of honor after all." "Exactly!" Gilda shouted as she knocked him aside. She blew out all the candles but they lit up again. She continued to blow them out but they always lit up again. Just like before, everypony in the room laughed. "Re-lighting birthday candles!" Spike laughed. "I love that prank! What a classic!" "Now I wonder who could've done that?" Pinkie Pie asked out loud. "Yeah... I wonder" Gilda said as she glared at the mare. I saw Spike eat his way through the cake. "Who cares?" He asked. "This cake is amazing!" "Spike!" Twilight scolded. "What?" He asked. "You can't just eat your way through this cake" I said. "Now how are we going to eat it when it has your germs all over it? Not to mention it's rude." "Hey G, you're not upset about those silly candles, are you?" Rainbow Dash asked. "No way. Like I said, I'm down with a good prank." Ha, bullshit. "Come on then, let's have some cake" the cyan Pegasus said excitedly. I walked over to the side and helped put up a poster. "Hey y'all!" Applejack called. "Let's play pin the tail on the pony." "Oh, my favorite game" Rarity said. "Can I go first? Can I have the purple tail?" "I'm the guest of honor!" Gilda shouted as she grabbed the tail. "I get to go first." "Yeah, we should let Gilda go first!" Pinkie Pie said with a smile. Spike approached the griffon with a cloth. "Lets get you blindfolded." While she spun Gilda around, I approached the center of the floor and placed a blob of cake in the middle. "Laugh at this, Gilda" I said with a smirk. Pinkie Pie led Gilda over to the poster, but the griffon didn't by it. "This is another prank, isn't it? I'm going this way!" I stepped aside, smiling. She should've kept moving forward. "Wait!" Pinkie Pie called. Too late, Gilda stepped on the piece of cake I placed on the floor and slid, crashing into a wall. "You pinned the tail on the wrong end, Gilda!" Pinkie Pie called. The entire place roared with laughter. I was laughing so hard, I fell over. Gilda snapped. "This is your idea of a good time?!" Yes. "I've never met a bunch of lamer dweebs in all my life! And Pinkie Pie! You! You are Queen Lame-O with your weak little pranks! Did you really think you can make me lose my cool?!" She went over to Rainbow Dash. "Well, Dash and I have 10x as cool as the rest of you put together! C'mon Dash, we're bailing on this pathetic scene!" Rainbow Dash didn't move, shocking Gilda. "Come on Rainbow Dash, I said, we're leaving!" "You know, I was the one who set up those weak pranks at this party!" She yelled. I got up from the floor and made my way over to the corner. I can't bear to see this. "So I guess, I'm Queen Lame-O! And those pranks weren't meant for you, specifically. It was dumb luck that you set them all off." "No way! It was Pinkie Pie!" Gilda shouted. "She set up this party to make a fool of me!" "What? I set this party up to improve your attitude and turn your frown upside down!" As she said this, she turned her head into a 90 degree angle. "And you sure didn't need help making a fool of yourself. You know, this is not how I thought my old friends would treat my new friends. If being cool is all you care about, go find some cool friends someplace else." "Well.... You're just a flip-flop! Cool one minute! Lame the next!" Gilda shouted. I lost it completely. My right hand began to glow a light blue aura. "I suggest you beat it, and find cool friends now!" I yelled. I fired a blast, sending Gilda flying out of the building. "Don't ever judge anypony again!" Still keeping my hand glowing light blue, I slammed the door and locked it. Thank you home for teaching me magic. When the aura vanished, I turned around and saw several surprised looks. "What? I spend my time reading books on magic" I said. "That's not why we're shocked" Twilight said as she approached me. "We all heard that you were so mad at Rainbow Dash, you didn't want to be her friend anymore." "Yeah well... Where I'm from, we tend to say stuff we don't actually mean when we're upset." "So, you're not mad at me anymore?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Not as mad as before" I said. "Now I suggest you apologize to everypony" I said. "You're right. I'm sorry everypony" Rainbow Dash said. "I'm sorry for bringing Gilda here, I didn't know who rude she was. And Pinkie Pie, I'm sorry she ruined that awesome party you threw for her." "Hey, if you want hang out with party poopers, that's your business" she said with a smile. "There's one other person who you have to apologize to" Twilight said. Rainbow Dash turned to me. "Wait, I apologized about Gilda" she said. "I know you did" I said. "But you need to apologize for what you did to me." "What did I do?" "You left me, one of your friends and hung out with a friend who you thought was better than me." "What?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Abandonment is a really big thing for me. It happened once and I don't want it to happen again. The way you acted around Gilda, struck a cord in my memory. I had a friend who hung out with me a lot. And then he met up with another friend, hung out with him for so long, completely forgot about me. Promise me you won't do it again?" "I promise" Rainbow Dash said. "No hard feelings?" She asked as she extended a hoof. "None" I said as I took her hoof but turned it facing upwards, showing everypony the hoof buzzer she has. "Come on Rainbow, I've been your friend for some time now, I know when you're planning to pull a prank on me" I said with a smile. "As for Pinkie Pie..." I grinned. When I shook her hoof, I received volts of electricity. "There's no telling when she'll prank." Everypony laughed along with me. That Night "Foal?" Twilight asked after tucking Spike to bed. "Today... Where did you really learn that magic spell?" She asked. "On nights, when I can't sleep, I read your spell books." "But... How did you learn them easily?" I still refused to tell her where I actually learned them. "Oh... It wasn't easy" I said. True, learning the spell before wasn't easy. "Since you know magic... Can you teach me some of the spells you know?" She asked. I think I made my first strike of butchering up the past. Two more strikes... Then I'm out. And by out... I can never return home.