Loss Chapter 5

>It’s a beautiful day in Canterlot.
>The sun is shining, but it isn’t too hot.
>A cool breeze blows through the city, rustling the autumn leaves.
>The ponies move through the city, the merchants selling their wares to all who pass by.
>You breathe in deeply, relishing in the feeling of the morning air.
>Your flying suit crinkles, but you don’t mind.
>It’s just another reminder of how good your life has become.
>It’s been over two years since Anon died.
>You think about him every day, but you try not to let it get to you.
>Before you can get lost too far in your thoughts, you hear the door to the balcony you’re standing on open.
>“Captain, Celestia wants to see you now.”
“Thank you, Spitfire. I’ll be right down.”
>You smile to yourself; you know you’ve made Anon proud.
>You may not be able to make up for what you did to him.
>But you’ll be damned if you let his training go to waste.
>You are Rainbow Dash, Captain of the Wonderbolts.
>The Hoof and Beak Tournament is in a couple of weeks.
>And you’ve never been more ready.

>“Wake up, Anon!”
>You mumble, turning over in your bed.
>You feel something prod you in the chest, and open your eyes.
>It’s still dark.
>You squint, and see a pair of green eyes hovering over you.
“Greg, what’re you doing? The sun hasn’t even risen yet.”
>The green eyes turn into a frown.
>“Anon, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten! We’re leaving for Equestria today!”
>You groan and sit up.
>You don’t intend to tell him, but Greg was right. It had slipped your mind.
>To be completely honest, you’d been trying to think of other things.
>Part of you didn’t even want to go; you were pretty sure you wouldn’t exactly blend in with the griffons, not to mention as far as you knew your exile was still in effect.
>You doubt they’d be terribly happy to see you.
>Unfortunately, you also really wanted to see the tournament.
>You lean over and tap the lantern on your bedside table.
>The chemicals inside react and glow, giving you some light.
>Greg is sitting on the edge of your bed, smiling.
>You smile back.
“Well then, I suppose we should get ready then?”
 >You get out of bed, grabbing some pants and a shirt as you walk towards the bathroom.
>A few weeks after you had agreed to train Gilda, Abban had come to you and offered you another house.
>One with more than one room, including a kitchen and a bathroom with a shower.
>Of course, you were limited to a max of 2 minute showers.
>Bloody desert.
>Go through your morning routine, humming some song you’d long forgotten the words to.
>Greg hums along with you the whole time.
>As you pull on your clothes, you look at your collection of masks.
>You liked to mix it up sometimes, wearing different masks on different occasions.
>Most of the time you just wore the mask you’d made yourself.
>You pick that one up, feeling the smooth material flow through your hands.
>It still amazes you even after a year. Silk soaked in liquid magic and left to dry under the hot desert sun.
>With some extra tweaking afterwards, you’d managed to make a mask that fit anyone or anything.
>You place it over your face, feeling as it shifts and fits comfortably.
>You hear knocking at your front door.
>You nod to Greg, who takes the form of a sword.
>You put on your belt and sheath, and place him in the scabbard.
>The doors opens as you do so, and you sigh.
“Gilda, could you just for once let me actually open the door myself?”
>“If you didn’t keep me waiting all the damn time, I’d consider.”
>You chuckle and shake your head, walking over to Gilda.
“Yeah yeah, I get it. You ready?”
>“If I wasn’t, do you think I’d be here?”
“Yes.”
>Gilda punches you in the arm.
>You cringe; she always punched the same part of your arm, leaving it in a permanent state of soreness.
>Before you can do anything back, you hear someone clear their throat.
>“As fun as it is to watch you two flirt, we really should get going now!”
>You laugh as Gilda whirls on Ron.
>Regardless of how many times Ron makes fun of Gilda, you never get tired of it.
>Before Gilda can jump on Ron, you place your hand on her head and push her down.
“He’s right, Gilda. We’re going to be late if I let you beat Ron up.”
>“Are you implying you could stop me, Anon?”
>“Are you implying Gilda could beat me up, Monkey?”
>Gilda glares at Ron, but you just laugh again and walk towards the palace in the center of the city.
“If you two are so determined to fight, I suppose I’ll just fly at the tournament instead of you, Gilda.”
>Gilda and Ron look at each other for a moment, before walking after you.

>You all reach the palace soon enough, where the rest of the competitors, as well as all the important political griffons, are arriving.
>You spot Don and Arthur speaking to each other.
>Don looks up and waves, motioning you over.
>You nod to Gilda and Ron, who walk over to join the flyers and their friends.
>The griffons were serious about defense, so each flyer was only allowed to bring one friend with them in order to keep the city defended in their absence.
>You walk up to Don and Arthur, who both smile at you.
>Arthur nods at Don, who begins to speak.
>“Anon, it is good to see you again. Arthur and I have been conversing recently, attempting to solve a small problem. I doubt you’ve forgotten, but from what you’ve told us, you were banished under less than friendly terms from Equestria. Ponies are not quick to severely punish, and so despite your two year absence, I don’t think flaunting your presence would be wise.”
>Arthur speaks up, taking over.
>“Essentially what we need is a good excuse for having a human, but Celestia is no fool. They’ll know, or at least suspect your true identity. So our best bet is to turn you into something… similar to a human, but different.”
>You swear to god if they suggest turning you into a monkey, you’ll snap.
>“And so we’ve decided make you look like a Minotaur.”
>Ah. Much better.
“Well, that’s sounds smart… but how?”
>D: “As you know griffons aren’t the most phenomenal magic users, preferring to ground our technology in science. Of course, that doesn’t mean we are without it. A simple illusion spell, on one already relatively close in stature and physiology of the illusion, is well within our bounds. You’re only a little bit smaller than the average Minotaur; if anyone asks, just say you’re the runt.”
>A: “Just make sure not to hit anything too hard, or else the illusion could break. That includes being punched yourself.”
>Arthur looks over at Gilda, who is currently holding Ron in a headlock as the other griffons laugh.
>You sigh, but beneath your mask you’re smiling.
>If you play this right, Gilda won’t punch you despite pestering.
>As if this tournament could get any better.
“Well then, I imagine you’ll be doing it, Don?”
>Don shakes his head, and Arthur steps forward.
“Oh no, Arthur is far better at magic than I am.”
>You look at Arthur, shocked.
>The whole time you’d known him, you’d never heard anything but dislike of magic from Arthur.
>Arthur chuckles, guessing what you’re thinking.
>“Just a relic of a misspent youth, Anon. Now stand still for a moment.”
>The air around Arthur begins to shimmer as he closes his eyes.
>You take a breath, standing as still as you can.
>A few seconds later, Arthur opens his eyes, smiling when he sees you.
>You pause; you don’t really feel any different.
>You look down at your hands, but they don’t look any different.
>Don chuckles.
>“Never had an illusion spell cast on you before, hmmm? You can’t see it yourself, but right now, I can confirm that you are quite the Minotaur. Good job on the proportions Arthur, very good.”
>You aren’t sure if you believe him, to be honest.
>That glint in his eye could be genuine, but you can’t help but feel it’s mischievous.
>“Hey, where’d Monkey go?”
>You look, to see Ron staring at you intently, momentarily freed from Gilda’s grasp.
>Gilda and the rest of the griffon flyers are watching as well, most of which look confused.
>You look at yourself again.
>No change.
>You smile.
“I’m right here, Ron. It’s an illusion.”
>Ron stares at you for a moment.
>After a moment he nods, a big grin on his face.
>“I guess I’ll be calling you Cow from now on, Monkey!”
>You laugh and turn back.
“Well, I guess you were right Don. Why are we doing this now, though? Wouldn’t it make more sense to transform me on the ship?”
>Arthur shakes his head.
>“I won’t be coming, I’m afraid. I’ve seen enough of these to know the gist of what’ll happen, and I have a shop to run. I’ll see you afterwards though.”
>You suspected as much, but you had still hoped Arthur would come.
>Arthur smiles at you, and pulls out a bag, handing it to you.
>“Oh, by the way, you forgot your kit.”
>You laugh, grabbing the bag from Arthur and opening it.
>Inside are several pouches, containing beakers filled with various chemicals, some basic equipment, and a few vials of liquid magic.
>You smile at Arthur, closing the bag and pulling him into a hug.
“See you in a couple weeks, Arthur.”
>“Of course, Anon.”

>It’s been a day since you departed from The Wastes.
>You’ve spent most of your time on the top deck, enjoying the view below and the cold air.
>This ship is truly amazing; it made you wish you had a better understanding of engines and… well ships.
>You weren’t entirely sure how it kept such a massive bulk afloat, but your questions were largely ignored.
>Damn engineers.
>Regardless of how it worked, it moved fast.
>While you didn’t know the borders of Equestria, you were fairly positive you were back in Equestria.
>As if to confirm your thoughts, you spot a familiar site appear on the horizon.
>A large mountain, and embedded in it, a city.
>Although you can only see the top of Celestia’s castle at this point.
>Wait. If you can see Canterlot…
>You look down and see it.
>Just ahead of the ship, way below, is Ponyville.
>Your heart aches at the sight, memories you’d put behind you rising up despite your best efforts.
>You can see a crowd of ponies gathering, most likely to look at the massive ship flying overhead.
>You see a massive sign appear at the top of Sugarcube Corner, a large ‘Welcome to Equestria!’ scrawled across its surface.
>You smile, suspecting Pinkie was behind that.
>“It’s been a long time since I’ve been here”
>You start: you hadn’t noticed anyone approach.
>Gilda is standing beside you, looking down at Ponyville.
“Brings back memories, doesn’t it?”
>“Not the best memories, last time I was here.”
>You grimace, knowing how she feels.
>You pat her on the shoulder.
“Well, no need to dwell in the past. You have more important things to worry about, like winning this tournament.”
>Gilda looks at you and smiles.
>“I can’t wait.”

>“Welcome, friends, to Canterlot. I hope your trip was safe!”
>Shining Armor smiles at the group of griffons, bowing respectfully to Don, Abban and Gareth as they move to the front.
>You suppose this is the real test of the illusion.
>You’d only met Shining Armor a couple of times, but you knew him well enough.
>You imagine if you can sneak by the Captain of the Guard, an acquaintance and a unicorn, you can sneak by pretty much everyone.
>Shining Armor lifts outs of his bow, motioning for everyone to follow him, and begins to make his way to the palace.
>You take one last look at the ship, attached to a dock floating in the sky.
>Bloody magic.
>The view at least is amazing.
>Just another perk of living in a city embedded in a mountain.
>“Hurry up, Cow!”
>You turn around to see the rest of the griffons well on their way.
>Ron is waving at you.
>You shake your head to clear it and jog after him as he rejoins the crowd.
>Gilda is beside him, looking at the city warmly.
“You know, we never came up with a name for me if anyone asks…”
>Gilda responds, only half paying attention.
>“Why would anyone want to know your name?”
>Before you can respond, Shining Armor appears and falls into place beside you.
>“A Minotaur, huh? Don’t see many of those in the wastes. What brings you to Canterlot with the griffons?”
>He’s looking forward, attempting to appear aloof.
>You stifle a smile and think.
“I used to be quite a wanderer, traveling all over the world. About a decade ago, I found the griffon’s city, but while making my way through I stumbled upon a young griffon.”
>You nod towards Gilda, who is looking everywhere but at you.
“She was a brash, excitable kid, but that’s not really the important thing here. What’s important is, while I was haggling with a merchant, she knocks over the stand. I’m in a bad position; it tumbles over and breaks my leg!”
>You laugh at this and pat Gilda on the back.
>You see her blush and laugh even more, not knowing exactly where you’re going with this story but enjoying it nonetheless.
“Needless to say, I wasn’t going to be wandering any time soon! But while I lay in the hospital, I had the most wonderful nurse; the very griffon who had landed me in the hospital in the first place! Lil’ Gilda over here had felt so bad that she took care of me the whole time I was in the hospital.”
“I grew attached to the little scamp, and decided to stay a bit longer, even after I had healed. I found a job and ended up settling down in the city. Now, over the years of wandering, I had picked up on a few things, including techniques on how to fly! Not very useful for a Minotaur, obviously, but more than enough for me to help out my griffon friend!”
>You reach over and ruffle Gilda on the head.
>You see her grit her teeth, and remove your hand before she loses it.
“I do ramble though. Long story short, I’m a coach.”
>Shining Armor looks at you for a moment, his face a toss-up of amusement and confusion.
>After a moment he laughs and shakes his head.
>“Well, I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that. A Minotaur coaching a griffon to fly, huh? Never thought I’d see it! Well then, I don’t know if you ever saw Canterlot in your travels, but welcome anyways!”
>You smile back at him. You suppose now is as good a time as ever.
“Well it was a pleasure to meet you… Shining Armor, was it?”
>“Yup! And your name?”
>Ron and Gilda are looking at you, no longer trying to pretend they aren’t interested in your conversation.
“Call me Brock.”

>“Call me Brock.”
>You scowl as Ron laughs at his own imitation of you.
>You, Gilda and Ron are alone now, making your way to your respective rooms.
>Every now and then you pass a guard or two, but they seem to trust you all well enough to leave you alone unescorted.
>The castle is also big enough that you each get your own room, which is a plus.
>“Really though Cow, that was quite the story. Why the whole decade long time thing though? You don’t exactly look like an old Minotaur.”
“Do you even know what an old Minotaur looks like?”
>Ron ponders for a moment, and then shrugs.
“Anyways, there’s no need to give them a story that could possible connect it to myself. Ten years is a pretty safe buffer if you ask me.”
“And besides, Lil Gilda here really did take care of me in the hospital when I burnt my face.”
>Ron laughs as Gilda shoots you a glare.
>You smile and look towards the end of the hall.
>A pony is walking towards you.
>Gilda freezes up as she spots the pony as well.
>You start looking for somewhere to hide, but the hall is practically empty.
>A moment later you realize you look like a Minotaur, but you still feel nervous.
>The pony spots the three of you, but she’s focused on Gilda.
>Gilda takes a deep breath before puffing out her chest and walking forward.
>Ron hums a tune as he follows her, but steps back as she flicks him with her tail.
>You stay back with Ron, leaning against the wall.
>“Hey, Gilda.”
>“Rainbow Dash.”
>“So, I guess you’re the friend of a competitor? I don’t really see why you’d be here otherwise.”
>“Hah! As arrogant as always I see. I hope you actually have the skills to back it up, Rainbow Crash.”
>Rainbow opens up her wings, twisting to each side to show off her Wonderbolts uniform.
>“That’s Captain Dash, actually. But I guess Guard Gilda is going to show me how to fly?”
>“A lot of time has passed, Rainbow. I hope you’ll find it a humbling experience, getting beaten by some ‘guard’”
>The two face off, glaring at each other.
>You’re not sure, but you think you can see sparks beginning to connect from their eyes.
>You clear your throat and motion to Ron, and you both position yourself between them.
>You force out a laugh, hoping to lighten the mood.
>Unfortunately, they simply shift their glares to you instead.
>You raise your arms over your head, a light smile on your face.
>“Now now you two, let’s keep things civil! You’ll both have time to work out your issues in the tournament, yes?”
>Rainbow glares at you for a moment longer, then shoots one last look at Gilda and shoves past you.
>You feel the illusion flicker for a moment, but luckily she’s in such a rush and doesn’t notice.
>You let out a deep breath and look at Gilda.
>She’s closed her eyes, and is now breathing deeply.
“That went well! I could use a nap, how about you?”

>You lay down on the bed in your room, thankful to have made it.
>It’s been a long day, and you’re absolutely beat.
>You pull off the Greg sword and lay him gently on the bed.
>You see the sword wiggle a moment, but you lay your hand on him before he can transform.
“Not now, Greg. You may not have seen it, but there are cameras in here. They can see us.”
>“Aw man. If you say so, Anon.”
>He gasps as he realizes he said your name.
>“They can’t hear us, can they?!”
>You chuckle and shake your head.
“I doubt they’ve gotten that advanced, and even if they had, it’s not easy to watch as well as listen. We should be safe to talk.”
>“That’s great!”
>You get up and open the window, enjoying the sounds of the ponies in the distance.
>You hadn’t spent much time in Canterlot, but being so close to your old home made you nostalgic.
>You sigh and head back to the bed, turning off the solitary light and relaxing.
>“Anon?”
“Yeah Greg?”
>“Do you think Gilda will win?”
>You smile.
>Greg had been watching Gilda fly for a while now; you guess he’s a fan of her now.
“I don’t know, Greg. But I’ll tell you this much; her odds are looking good.”
>Greg is silent at this.
>You pat the sword, and settle back into bed.
>The tournament starts tomorrow.
>You can hardly wait.

>You hear knocking on your door.
>No sleeping in this morning.
>You had woken up even before Greg… or at least, you thought you did.
>It was hard to say if a sword was asleep or not, and he didn’t say anything when you’d gotten out of bed and showered.
>You open the door to see Gilda.
“Morning! Shouldn’t you be getting ready?”
>She scowls at you.
>“Of course I’m ready. I just figured I’d make sure you were, Mr. Always Asleep.”
>You laugh at the nickname.
“Whatever you say then. Go on ahead, I’ll see you out there.”
>You turn back to grab Greg, putting him on around your waist.
>You turn back to see Gilda standing at the door still, staring at her feet.
“Um, Gilda?”
>“Sorry… Brock, but I just figured it would be nice if we went there… together.”
>You stare at her for a moment.
>She doesn’t stop looking at her feet.
>You shake your head and walk over to her.
>Kneeling down, you put your hands on her shoulders.
“Gilda. Don’t be nervous. You can win this; it’s what you’ve been training for all this time!”
>“I know, it’s just… I’m more shaken up by Rainbow Dash than I thought I’d be. You had said she’d probably be in the Wonderbolts, but seeing her in the uniform…”
>You flick her on the beak.
>She starts and glares at you.
>You glare right back.
“Don’t be stupid, Gilda. I’ve trained you for two years. You’re better than she was when I last saw her, and you reached that point a year ago. You can win this, but you’ll lose if you go in thinking you can’t win!”
>You stand up and pat her on the head.
“Stop being such a wimp, go out there, and show everyone who the best flyer is.”
>Gilda glares at you for a moment longer.
>Her eyes soften, and then she really throws you off.
>She pulls you in and gives you a hug.
>You start, not entirely sure how to react.
>After a moment, you hug her back.
>You hadn’t expected her to ever give you a hug. Ever since she punched you the one time you’d hugged her, you assumed it wasn’t her thing.
>After a bit, you pat her on the back and pull out.
“We should get going then, hm? Wouldn’t want to be late.”
>You both start walking, enjoying the silence.
>Ron joins you about half way to the tournament grounds, and yammers on for the rest of the way.
>So much for the silence, but you don’t really mind.
>You reach the entrance for the competitors.
>You and Ron wave off Gilda as she gets ready to walk in.
>Gilda looks at you and nods before walking in.
>You smile and nudge Ron, and the two of you walk through the audience entrance.
>The stadium is impressive, you have to admit.
>Meant to replicate the Cloudsdale’s stadium, the walls are made of white marble and polished to shine.
>No cloud seats, but instead, embedded in the hills surrounding the stadium, there are platforms of grass.
>You take a seat at one higher up, a sign designating it as the seat for the visitors.
>The stadium is filling up, a rainbow of ponies taking their places.
>You look up to see a marble box across from the griffon’s platform.
>Inside are the three princesses and your old friends.
>You smile as you see Pinkie Pie bouncing up and down.
>Celestia is laughing as she watches Twilight attempt to calm Pinkie down, to no avail.
>Looks like not much has changed since you’ve been gone.
>Except… Fluttershy looks distracted.
>You’re not sure, but it looks like she’s just staring into space.
>She’s probably just tired.
>After a few more minutes, Celestia stands up and begins to make her welcome speech.
>You only half pay attention, as at the same time the competitors have begun to enter the field.
>You see ten ponies walk out to match the ten griffon flyers that had flown over with you.
>You spot Gilda and wave lightly, but she’s focused.
>A few of the ponies are wearing Wonderbolt uniforms, but not all of them.
>You weren’t actually entirely sure if the Wonderbolts had ten flyers; you’d tended to drift off when Rainbow Dash used to talk about them.
>Either way, you were interested to see if the flyers that weren’t in the uniforms could surprise you.
>The crowd begins to cheer, Ron included, as the flyers rise up into the sky, a platform waiting for them.
>You look up to see Celestia has sat down once more.
>You guess you missed the whole speech.
>As the flyers settle down on the platform, you notice several rings float down and begin to hover.
>The rings are all different colours, ranging from black to white.
>The last flag in the sequence is both; to be specific, a checkered ring.
>All in all you count a few dozen, all spread out across the stadium.
>The flyers get into place as a voice, some kind of announcer, begins to explain what the first part of the competition will be.
>Each flyer has a small ring attached to them, which will record which of the larger rings it has passed through.
>The goal is simple: fly through all the rings, and reach the checkered ring first.
>You look at the rings; they aren’t too complicated, but most are close enough together that the average flyer couldn’t go through them full speed.
>Of course, for Gilda, she should be able to maintain a high pace without risking missing one.
>Rainbow too, if she hasn’t gotten rusty.
>A pony raises a flag over his arms.
>You can’t hear him, but you suspect he’s countin-
>He waves the flag, and the flyers rip off the stage.
>Right off the bat, you notice mostly griffons are in the lead.
>Despite being the best flyers Equestria has to offer, in a competition of straight speed, it seems the ponies are at a disadvantage.
>Before you can assume they’re at a loss though, you notice one of the griffons veer off track a bit.
>It loses control as it reaches the next ring, smacking off the edge and tumbling downwards.
>A large safety net covers the lower section of the stadium, but the griffon steadies itself, shaking its head and flying back up to the rings.
>A gap begins to form between the faster flyers and the rest, and two stand out.
>You lean forward, watching as Gilda and Rainbow fly side by side through the rings.
>Their wings barely miss touching the sides of the rings, but it isn’t luck.
>They know how much space they have.
>The next ring is above them, and both twist upwards towards it.
>As they reach the ring, Gilda manages to bend through it faster, and gains a lead.
>Only one more ring remains before the finish.
>They fly through it, Rainbow Dash hard on Gilda’s heels.
>A large stretch lies between the flyers and the last ring, but they both begin to pick up speed with no more need for control.
>You can already see the air contorting around both of them.
>You lean forward as they zoom past where you’re sitting, a large gust of wind blowing by with them.
>You can hardly see them now, but suddenly they’re both through and the race is over.
>The rest of the flyers are only just making it through the upper ring, and are looking shocked.
>In fact, most of the audience is looking pretty surprised as well; you guess not many of them had seen your two students really try their hardest.
>You laugh, causing the griffons and ponies nearby to look at you strangely.
>A moment later a screen appears in the sky surrounded by purple magic.
>You look at Celestia’s box to see Twilight’s horn glowing.
>On the screen is a slow motion viewing of the last moments of the race.
>As they passed through the ring, Rainbow Dash just managed to get past Gilda, her hoof not an inch ahead of Gilda’s claws.
>You sigh as the ponies begin to cheer, and the griffons clap quietly.
>You look back to Celestia’s box to see some of the ponies looking nervous, especially Pinkie.
>You follow her eyes.
>She’s looking at Gilda.
>You lie back onto the grass; you remember that Gilda seemed sad about Ponyville.
>Perhaps she had a bad experience with Rainbow’s friends?
>Or maybe Twilight and the rest are simply surprised to see someone as good as Rainbow?
>The announcer breaks into your thoughts, and you sit up again.
>A new set of rings are floating down, but these ones are smaller; you’re positive only one griffon or pony could fit in at a time, two uncomfortably perhaps.
>The rings are different colors this time, but something about what they’re made of looks familiar to you…
>The announcer is still talking; it seems that instead of all the competitors flying at once, this time they’ll be going one at a time.
>The goal is to complete the obstacle course with the fastest time.
>However, it isn’t so simple; touching the rings will increase the time of the flyer by 5 seconds.
>You smile and pat Ron on the back.
“Gilda has this one, I can guarantee it.”
>Ron looks at you for a moment, then smiles back.
>The first flyer, a griffon, gets ready to go through, and the flag pony counts down.
>He waves the flag and the flyer sets off, making its way through the rings.
>It twists and turns, making good time.
>As it gets further along, however, it begins to slow down as the rings placement becomes more and more complex.
>Near the end, its wing skims a ring, causing it to change colour.
>You lean forward with a jolt as you finally realize: those are your rings!
>Did they go through your house and get the formula?
>You feel a bit irked, but you suppose it makes sense: why wouldn’t they take your stuff if you were banished for life?
>The screen appears back in the sky, and a placement board with 20 spaces appears.
>The first place is filled with the griffons name and time:
>Amman, 67:32
>67 seconds, then? Not too bad for a starter time.
>You sigh and lie on the grass, your rings still on your mind.
>You listen for Gilda or Rainbow’s turn to be called out, but it seems Celestia has a bit of showmanship in her.
>After what feels like an eon, you hear Rainbow’s name called.
>You sit back up and watch as she takes her place at the beginning of the obstacle course.
>The board is filled except for two slots now, the best time sitting at 59:43.
>The flag waves down and Rainbow flies off the platform.
>Within seconds she’s already made it past the first dozen rings, her wings bending and curling to avoid hitting the edges.
>As you watch her, you can tell she’s improved; by how much, you aren’t sure.
>She twists up and down, making her way through the last set of rings.
>As she skims through the last one, it looks as if she may have touched it.
>The crowd holds its breath, but after a second it becomes apparent the ring won’t change colour.
>The first place slot is replaced with Rainbow’s name, and a new time: 42:33.
>The crowd breaks into a roar as their favorite flyer blows away the previous times by a long shot.
>You clap as well, impressed.
>That was still masterful flying; Rainbow has kept up her skill level, there’s no denying that.
>You pat Ron on the shoulder once more; Gilda can win this.
>Gilda’s name is called, and the griffons on stage as well as the competitors cheer loudly; the griffon’s best bet is up to plate.
>A few ponies join in as well.
>Looks like Gilda has won a few fans already.
>The flag falls, and Gilda is off as well.
>Gilda creates a gust of wind as she flies through the rings, barely slowing down to choose the next ring before finding the next one.
>You can see her training now; weaving through the rings as you pulled them in increasingly difficult patterns.
>You smile at the thought of this obstacle course; rings that don’t even move won’t phase Gilda at all.
>Hardly after it began, Gilda flies through the final ring.
>Not even any close calls, you resist the urge to cheer before the time comes up.
>A few nerve racking moments later, and Gilda’s name appears at the top of the list.
>Her time?
>38:95
>You jump to your feet and begin to cheer, the rest of griffons following a second after.
>Ron hugs you and you laugh.
>The ponies in the stadium are a mix, some cheering, most simply clapping.
>Gilda and the rest of the competitors fly down to the exit as Celestia gives some closing words, reminding the griffons and those with tickets that there will be a feast in the castle later tonight.
>Tomorrow, the final part of the Hoofs and Beak Tournament will conclude, and the winner will be decided.
>You think you know who will win.

>You are Fluttershy.
>Your head is hung low as you walk through the crowds of Canterlot.
>A few ponies attempt to talk to you, recognizing you as an Element of Harmony, but you ignore them.
>Your mind is stuck on Anon.
>It’s been two years since Twilight got him killed, but the ache still remains.
>You’ve been plotting to get her ever since, but you just can’t seem to find the right tools.
>You look back at the stadium, sighing and trying to hold back tears.
>You know how much Anon loved to watch Rainbow fly; you know he’d have given anything to watch this tournament.
>You start to turn away from the stadium, but something catches your eye.
>Iron Will?
>Why’s he talking to a griffon?
>You start to walk towards him, hoping he can help you with your Twilight problem.
>As you get closer, you breathe in deeply.
>You know that scent. But it couldn’t be.
“…Anon?”
>The Minotaur’s head perks up, and he turns slowly around towards you.
>You sniff, and tears begin to rush down your face.
“ANONNNNNN!”
>You charge and tackle Anon in a hug.
>He shimmers for a moment, and your tears come out faster.
>Anon’s here. It’s really him.
>Anon’s alive.

End Chapter 5