Dadoneequs Discord(The After Years): A Visit to Griffonstone

>You are Anon
>And you are not happy.
>You sit inside a train, filled with discontent, as you and your darling wife make your way to Griffonstone.
>Diamond wanted to set up a griffon themed "Barnyard Bargains" to further their recent economic growth while spreading the family name to griffon kind and such. A win win for all essentially.
>Well, win win for all except for you. You did NOT want to go to a place filled with griffons. Ever since you lost out on having unlimited cash through chaos magic, plus some dealings with griffons all the way back to your childhood, you never wanted to deal with their kind on any major level. Fucking greedy bastards.
>Ugh, it really sucked not having unlimited cash. Sure, you were rich. But the fact that you couldn't truly go balls off the walls without being judged on your spending was fucking terrible.
>Also..griffons suck...
>"Anon...C'mon, why do you need to scowl like that? You're not a colt anymore, you know? You need to be able to deal with matters like this. You're a Rich, remember?" Diamond looked at you with both concern and aggravation as she spoke. She didn't like the fact that you were just being mopey instead of being respectable.
"...I don't like griffons. I mean, sheesh hun, remember when I was a colt? Remember when I told you that they tried to rip me to shreds back on Nightmare Night? It never got better from there....ever"
>Diamond rolled her eyes at you as she let out an exasperated sigh "You're so petty sometimes. Not all griffons are bad. In fact, the one we're meeting is a personal friend of-"
"Yeah yeah, I know. Rainbow Dash! whoopee dee doo! Because that makes it better, right?"
>Gilda probably wasn't much better than any regular griffon. Just because she became better in that episode, and then later nearly singlehandendly made the economy in Griffonstone not suck with her griffon scones meant jack diddly to you.

>Also, fuck Rainbow Dash and anything dealing with her. The fact your daughter thinks she's "Neato" just because she's fast just aggravates the situation. You could be fast! Super fast!.....but then she says with a giggle "Daddy, you can do anything with your horn. So it doesn't count".
>..the pain...
>"Don't make this difficult, Anon. I need you to behave yourself while we're there. I need this to go smoothly" Diamond leans into you, and give you a gentle lick under your muzzle "Be my hero colt, please? And help your princess. I really want this to work out, alright? And I can't do it alone."
>You blushed, she always knew how to calm your nerves. Still....Griffons.
>But you move your head to look down at her. She was giving you a soft pout, her eyes shimmering. Yeah, she was a master at the art of breaking down your fucking defenses.
>You let out a heavy sigh
"...ok...fine.."
>You gently rest your head over hers as she cuddles into you.
"But if Gilda tries anything, or any griffon really. I'm not gonna keep quiet about it"
>Diamond groans
"....I mean...I guess if they REALLY try something..."
>She groans again
"...C'mon hun, really? Mnnnngh...fine fine. I won't say a word"
>She seemed content that time as she let's out a gentle sigh and lays against you as she closes her eyes "Good enough. I know you'll probably say one or two things. But I can handle it. Just don't overdo it or else you'll be on the couch for a month"
>A MONTH?!?!
>You sigh quietly as your ears droop. But you also lean back a bit to put your forelegs around Diamond. The air was getting cold and both of you weren't in any winter gear yet. She was shaking very slightly, she was cold. And you loved her too much to let her shiver like that.
"Yes dear."

>You kept her close as you imagined the situation in your head. The long and dangerous climb up, the angry griffons, and the shitty food. You were going to have to REALLY hold it in to keep yourself from fucking this up.
>But this trip was important to her, and as her husband. You had to make sure you didn't fuck this up. You were a Rich now, and the company depended on you as well as her.
>You enjoyed the final moments as she cuddled with you quietly. This was one thing that never left you. The safety and comfort of being near someone you loved. And sure, there was also THAT kind of cuddling. But this was fine too. Knowing you were keeping her warm was a massive bonus as well.
>"Anon, can I ask you a question?" Diamond asks, with a dreamy voice
"Hmm? Sure, what is it my princess?"
>she giggles and rubs her head under yours. "Do you remember that day? the day you saved me from those fake foalnappers."
>...Ahh yes, that moment.
"Yeah, heh. Still sorry about waiting so long to tell you the truth on that, I mean, I didn't know it was fake either until a little later myself. Heh, Mom nearly gutted me when she found out...ehehe.."
>You chuckled nervously, yeeeah. You were lucky Diamond was still into you even after you told her.....in your teenage years. If it's one thing you had to REALLY thank Chrysalis for was for them dance moves and the little push the love poison gave. But Spoiled? Woo, Diamond and Filthy saved your ass from being mulched. She auto assumed the worst without even giving you a chance to explain. It took a whole week for her to come around.

>"Yeah, that's the thing." She giggled to herself "I thought you were cute when I first saw you, but the fact you were a blank flank made me think you were just another loser. And hanging with Applebloom didn't help things either."
>....uhh...
"Hun, I don't wanna sound rude or anything. But is there a point to this? You're not regretting anything, are you?"
>"The opposite" She looked up at you with those bedroom eyes "Because the thing I find funny is that if we were older, and I knew that you had such a ridiculous libido, I'd probably..."
>She leaned up to whisper in your ear, the fact she was acting this way was making you feel quite....warm
>"would have taken you home and..." She says even more softly in your ear
>Your breath became bated for her next set of words
>And then there was a knock on the door of your cabin. "Excuse me Mrs.Rich, but we've arrived at our destination."
>"Ahh yes, we'll be leaving immediately after we dress for the occasion. It'll only take a moment" She says to the pony behind the door.
>"Very good" He says before leaving.
>"Welp, we're here Anon. No time to play" She says as she takes one of her saddle bags and takes out a warm sweater like suit and puts it on. She then kisses your muzzle and opens the door and walks out with an innocent giggle.
>DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT! YOU WERE SO DAMNED REVVED UP! FUCK!
"...Y-yeah, I'll be right there with you in a moment..."
>you tell her as she closes the door.

>you sigh as you take your horn and poof up some heavy clothing and climbing gear. While Diamond wanted to be more traditional, you chose to use the convenience of your magic to get you through. Though, ugh, this stuff was pretty heavy. You'd make it lighter but you promised Filthy you'd keep everything relatively of equal weight on anything you poofed up to stay in shape for the family and your loving wife.
>You left the cabin and exited the train to find Diamond waiting for you as she looked up towards the direction of Griffonstone.
>You moved on beside her and looked up with a smirk.
"Welp, are you ready for this, hun? Because this climb? it's probably going to be pretty tough"
>She looks at you, confused "Uhhhh, why?"
"You know how your dad is, No magic when it comes to work. But don't worry"
>you give her a romantic debonair look at you slide your hoof along her back Maybe you could use this moment to impress her....for some extra snuggles tonight.
"I won't let you fall, my dearest"
>"...But Anon, my love" She points a little left of your position. Revealing a lift ran by a griffon. Presumably taking riders directly to Griffonstone. "We're just going to take this up"
>....that wasn't in the episode.
"O-oh..."
>You follow her to the lift. She makes the arrangements and pays what you believe to be an excessive amount to take the lift. twenty five bits, what a rip.
>You both take your seat as the lift starts to go up along it's line.
"...a little steep, don't you think?"
>"It's how it is. I knew things would be pricey here. That's why I brought some extra money with me, just in case" She said, while giving you a pleading look for you not to start complaining.
"...Ehhh...seems like robbery to me"
>"It'll be fine Anon, I promise. I already brought all the money we'll need to survive here. So please, no complaining about prices" She let's out a tired sigh.
"...mnnn, I know I know...Ok, I get it. Things are expensive. I can deal with it"

>She gives you a peck on the cheek "Good"
>When the lift reached the top. You could see that you were both already inside Griffonstone from a side entrance. It looked like the place really was going through some renovations. While not looking too modern, the buildings were no longer in states of disrepair and the streets were cleaner. Too bad most of the griffons that were walking or flying still looked rather mean.
>Then when you turned to the right, you saw a familiar griffon holding up a sign that said "Mr. and Mrs. Rich"
>It was Gilda
>When Diamond noticed, she put on a warm smile and approached her. "Hello, it's nice to meet you again Ms. Gilda"
>"Yeah, yeah. It's er...nice to meet you again too." Gilda said as she looked slightly to the side "So, we're really doing this, huh?"
>Diamond nodded "I'd hope so, I really feel a Barnyard Bargains here in Griffonstone would further improve the economy. As well as help bolster your Griffon scone business"
>"Yeah, it really sounds like it. I just want to discuss with you a few more things about it before I give the go ahead. I paid a lot of bits for that empty spot near the center of town and I just wanna make sure I'm getting my bits worth......Also....Why do you have a guide? And why is he so dressed up? You both took the lift"
>Diamond gave a small nervous smile as she corrected her "Actually, this is my-"
>Guide? Overly dressed up? Hmph, you step forward with a smile and held out your hoof as you introduced yourself with majestic bravado
"I'm Anon Rich. Heir to the Rich estate, Hero Stallion, and son of the great and amazing Discord. A pleasure to meet you Miss Gilda"

>You had to admit, that was pretty awesome.
>But Gilda just eyed you awkwardly. "Yeeeeah, ok. So you're her husband. Alright, I mean. It sounds cool and all but...eh" she shrugs "You're about as much as I expected. Rainbow Dash mentioned you were a bit of a dork. Looks like she was right"
>....RAINBOOOOW DASSSSSHHHH!
>Your eye twitched with anger as you kept up your smile
"You...don't..say"
>"Yeah, but hey. Not everypony is perfect. Makes you happy though, right Mrs.R?" Gilda looked over to Diamond with a smirk and nudged her with her shoulder.
>"No, he's not perfect. But I wouldn't have him any other way. It's why I married him..he's just too cute" Diamond looks over to you with a giggle and winks.
>.....ugh, that's adorable...But dammit. You could already tell this was going to suck

>"Welp, that's introductions out of the way. Let me give you two a tour of Griffonstone, y'know. So you get to know the place so you know what you're workin' with" Gilda said in an unenthused tone as she turned about and waved her talons forward "C'mon, we'll start with the school, and work our way up to the renovated city hall, which used to be a castle by the way, and then the little nest spot you guys have been eyeing, and mind the straw...we got a lot of it and we don't like it being moved too much."
>Yeah, this place was basically a huge next with a bent tree for the homes higher up. And even with the little roads and insteps along the tree. One bad step and you'd come tumbling down.
>You and Diamond followed Gilda around the kingdom as she boredly pointed landmarks out and gave small descriptions on them. Nothing seemingly important. Diamond seemed to agree with you on that point as she moved closer to whisper to you. "I saw your eye twitch, what are you mad at Rainbow Dash for now?"
"...mmnnnnn"
>You groan, the very thought of her making your blood boil.
>"Darling...You realize you both are friends, right? She's not angry at you. I can't even think of why you'd be angry at her" Diamond whispers at you, still confused.
"....Mnnnnnnnnn"
>Diamond let's out a low gasp, then eyes you with a eyebrow raise ".....You're still mad about losing that snowball fight to her, aren't you?"
>You don't let out a grunt this time.
>Diamond places a hoof to her face and shakes her head "Honestly? Really? You're still upset about that? That was two months ago..."
"....She cheated"
>Diamond did her best to keep her cool as to not interrupt Gilda, but she looked like she wanted to clobber you. "...you cheated..."
"How did I cheat?"
>"By using your magic to create a huge fortress with cannons that shot weird cylinder snowballs with faces. Not to mention putting our first born on a flying clown thingcopter with snow bombs with faces. Nopony had a chance against that."

"Nopony said anything about using magic..."
>"There was a rule about that. You couldn't use it to cheat..."
"I Didn't use it to cheat. Cheating implied I used it to actually hit the other competitors. There was no rule in creating a snowfort with magic."
>"No, but you used a powerful magic nopony else had to create an unfair and unfun impenetrable fortress then shot at anypony who got close to it."
"...Still didn't break any rules."
>"Neither did Rainbow Dash when she told Junior that Applebloom would go on a date with him if he knocked you out of the competition"
"...My own son betrayed me...My soul still hurts"
>"It wasn't that bad..."
"What do you mean? Right after Rainbow Dash told him that, he just turned and crashed the whole clown car into me and the fort. we both lost..."
>"But she still didn't cheat, and you both were still ok. As for Junior, can you blame him? You would have done the same for me if somepony told you I'd go on a date with you, right?"
>You don't answer...
>Diamond gives you a nasty stare "Right?"
"..Y-yes.."
>"Good, now relax. and stop being so cranky. There's no reason to be so petty about it, I swear"
"...Yes dear.."

>".....and right here, on this empty nest for your business. Which of course I am excited to be a part of with my famous Griffonscones...That will be 10 bits" Gilda holds out her talons towards you and Diamond.
>WHAT?! WHAAAT?! THE TOUR WAS OVER ALREADY?! DID YOU EVEN WALK ALL AROUND THE TOWN?! YOU DIDN'T PAY ATTENTION TO IT AT ALL! AND WHAT THE HELL?!
"....wut? 10 bits? That's a joke, right?"
>"....uhhh......no" Gilda gives you a stoic stare as she wiggles her talons.
"Ok look. That wasn't a long tour, and honestly? I don't think it was worth ten bits, heck, I didn't even agree to it really. You didn't mention a price or anything"
>Diamond sighs and just walks past you as she gives Gilda the bits "Here"
>"Thank you" Gilda says with a small smirk as she puts the money away in a little bag.
>..Wut?
"....Hun..why?"
>"Because if you read anything about Griffonstone culture, you'd know any service here costs bits. Besides, it was a good deal. They normally charge 25 bits for a tour." Diamond said as she walked over to the empty plot of land and started giving it a looking over.
"......"
>You were too dumbstruck to say anything about that. You just stared over to Gilda. Who shrugged at you "Hey, what can I say. I like you two and you're a friend of Dash's. I thought I could give a discount just this once. Don't have to thank me or nothen....Really....don't thank me, it makes me look like a dweeb."
"......"
>This was going to just get worst and worst...you can just tell.

>"Anyway, Yeah..." Gilda started to feel a little nervous, rubbing the back of her head as she spoke "I'm kind of excited to get the ball rolling. Griffonstone is doing ok right now, but it could really use the boost, if you know what I'm saying."
>"Well, then let's get that ball rolling. Shall we?" Diamond reaches into her saddlebag and pulls out a contract, and holds it to Gilda as she gives you a quick gaze. "Here's the contract, take your time to read it if you want. We don't want to force you into anything and we want to make sure you're absolutely happy with the terms"
>Prior to arriving, your wife wanted you to use your magic to make things manageable if there was a lack of a quill or table to write on or anything else that would be needed to make Gilda comfortable.
>You use your horn to make a table and quill appear. And place the contract ontop of the table for Gilda to read comfortably.
>"Huh, cool...Alright, let me give this a look through. I'd be able to sell my griffonscones for sure in your shop, right?" Gilda began to slowly read through the contract as she awaited an answer.
>"Absolutely, and portions of the profit would go to further renovation of Griffonstone. You would run the store, hire who you want, and be able to keep a good wage for everypony that works for you as well. It's a win win for everypony." Diamond explains
>"Win win ,huh? How do you win from this exactly again?" Gilda asks as she continues to read
>"Brand recognition, we ourselves don't need to make too much of a profit from it. It just makes our name better known and increases our reputation." Diamond continues to explain
>"Wow, so basically you don't really care if you get bits out of this or not. Weird...Yeah, I'm gonna need to take this home with me. But if it's as good as you say, I'm totally down for signing it." Gilda seemed pretty happy with it so far.

>"That's fine with us, we can meet up in the morning for your final decision. I'm a little tired from the train ride anyway. You wouldn't mind telling us where the closest hotel is, would you?" Diamond asks
>"Oh, yeah, it's down that way. Guess you weren't really paying attention to my tour, huh? I could give you another one if you want" Gilda said with a smirk as she pointed down the path
>Diamond just gives a nervous smile "No no, that's quite alright. Come along my love, we will retire for dinner and rest."
>You loved it when she talked fancier than usual.
>You turned and bowed and pointed towards the path
"After you, my princess"
>You give a quick glare to Gilda....selfish cunt. She should be appreciative that you both were basically doing her a favor.
>You both head towards the hotel, which turns out to be a rather dirty place. Not really well kept with the only thing new about it was the ceiling. Looks like the owner skimped out on fully renovating the place. The lobby itself was cramped, with a single bored griffon behind a desk with keys just stacked behind him. "....Yo, you both staying here or what?"
>"Oh, hmm. Yes, we would like your best room." Diamond kept her composure despite the look and smell of the place. It was a dump for sure and she obviously just wanted the best room to avoid whatever horrors there could be in the lesser ones.
>"Best room, huh? That'd be room 1A...which is...hmmm" He turns around and starts sifting through keys before finding a rusty key with an old "1A" mark etched in "ahh...mmmm....hundred bits a night...not including room service...or cleaning service....or pillow mint....or wake up service....breakfast...uhhhh...lunch...dinner...bath water...Yeah, I think that's everything"
"What?"
>You step up to Diamond's side
"...We have to pay for the bath water?!"
>The griffon shrugs "I mean......yeah? We're up pretty high..so you know. No water. That's why using our pipes cost cash. You could go sleep outside if you want."

"....."
>..this asshole...
"...How about I just put on this horn and turn you in-ngh!"
>Diamond nudges you in the chest before throwing a small coin bag onto the desk. "here you go. Don't mind my husband, he's been irritable lately."
>The griffon takes the bag and gives it a single shake "yep, that's a hundred bits...here you go" He slides the key up and starts to toy with the bag, paying no more mind to you or your wife.
>"Let's go Anon..." Diamond says as she takes the key and heads towards the room
"....cheap bastards..."
>You mutter under your breath.
>When you both arrive in the room. You could hear Diamond let out a sigh of relief in the fact that despite it being overpriced, the room was decent enough and nothing looked old or broken. It was just very plain. You would complain about the single queen sized bed as well but...hehehehehe. At least some good came out of this.
>"I know what you're thinking honey..." Diamond says as she approached the bed and put her tiara on the night stand before letting out a heavy sigh "I must be crazy for wanting to help this place"
>....uhhhhh
"...I wasn't thinking that"

>Diamond looked to you with a smile upon hearing that "Good, I'm happy to know that you understand. I know this place seems pretty rough around the edges. But when I was visiting and I saw those cute little griffons playing around...and then they got hungry and only had some bread to eat....and...mnnn" Diamond frowned as she sat her butt to the ground. Lamenting on her thoughts. "I knew I had to do something. I thought to myself how bad it'd be if our children had to suffer like that. Even if Griffonstone is starting to make a turn around, we need to help it along to reaching it's full potential. You understand what I'm talking about, right?"
"Yes......ugh"
>You start to realize that you should hold that libido of yours, as your wife didn't seem to be in the mood.
>You approached her slowly, which prompted her to lean into you and rub her head along the side of your neck.
"I know you want to help the griffons. I'm sorry for being hostile about it. I promise to REALLY REALLY lighten up the next time we step out"
>"Thank you, that really means a lot to me."

"I know it does, speaking of which..."
>You hopped onto the bed and laid on your side as you gave her a seductive stare
"How about we make this a REALLY relaxing night, ehhhh?"
>You wiggled your eyebrows at her
>"Hmmm..." She looked back at you, with a stare equally as seductive. "You mean you want your beautiful wife, right?"
"..You bet.."
>She leaned over the bed and looked directly at you with a little giggle "You want me to lay on this bed, and let you have your way with me, don't you?"
"Mhmmmm..."
>HERE IT COMES!
>She climbs onto the bed and lays on her side facing towards you, still giving you that seductive little smile. "You want to make me feel warm all over, hmmm?"
>You couldn't help but let out a dumb little titter
"Allll over~"
>"Good..." She slowly adjusts herself and faces away from you before snuggling in a blanket. She then yawns "Do you think you can use your horn to give me a back rub? Pwetty pwease?" She says with a childish tone
>.......dammit...
"...So no...y'know"
>She giggles as she awaits her back rub "Honey, we're here on business. We can't get distracted by things like that"
>...You hated business sooo damn much. But fine, if it made her happy then it shall be done. You loved her too much to see her upset.
>You put on your hand and produced a few magical hands to expertly and gently massage her upper back. Her coos and soft moans we're getting to you...but you had to stand firm, and not give in.
>"....Of course, if everything goes perfectly and you behave yourself. I....might be willing to try one of those "kinky" things you wanted to try with your horn" She says with a soft pampered sigh
>......
>.......
>.....
>Brain.exe not found!
"Do you actually mean that?"

>"Mhmmm. This is a very important trip after all. By setting up a Barnyard Bargains here, we can help fix the economy here through our own business practices. It took me a lot of time making sure what we'll be selling here in Griffonstone to make sure we don't drive any griffon out of business while still providing them with goods they will want to eat and use for their day to day lives. And with some of the profits going into further renovation of the kingdom AND being given as charity to the less fortunate griffons around town. It should really REALLY help the slight greedy attitude problem this place has. But you already knew all that...At least, I hope you were paying attention the last few times I told you anyway." She then giggled as she closed her eyes to sleep "Of course, it'd really help me if you cooperated outside the promise of a night of fun times. To be as princely as I know you...can......be" She started to nod off, and fall asleep amidst the back rub.
>When she conked out. You let out a heavy sigh as your horn popped off, making the hands disappear.
>You frowned at her last words.
>All she wanted was for you to behave, even if the griffons didn't.
>She even offered you awesome times if you managed it.
>And it made you feel like shit. Well, sorta. You had been wanting to use the horn for some kinky sex.
>But at what price?
>You said you could do it, but you snapped at anything that seemed wrong.
>.....ugh
>You leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek
"I promise, I REALLY promise this time. I'll be your prince, and we'll get through this together. Whatever you need from me, I'll do without question. And I'll be courteous and nice no matter how much bullshit is tossed at me....Goodnight my princess"
>You cuddled into her to keep her warm. And went to sleep

>Of course, there was one other issue you had to deal with.
>And no, it wasn't that.
>When you woke up from your lust filled dreams, you moved your hooves about only to realize your lovely wife wasn't there.
"Diamond?! Shit..."
>You say as you wake up and realize you once again overslept...as usual...always.
"GODDAMMIT! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KEEP PROMISES IF I ALWAYS...huh?"
>You noticed a wrapped sugar cube candy on her pillow, it was placed on top of a note.
"...what's this?"
>You take the candy and unwrap it before popping it in your mouth. You then start to read the note.
>As you read, your dread started to leave you. Even though you still felt rather stupid for not setting an alarm.
>The note itself was from Diamond. She wasn't angry it seems, as she had decided to get up earlier than even she had planned. She wanted to use the extra time to explain to the manager of the hotel how he could make this THE place to stay within the kingdom by being more passionate, compassionate, less cheap, and providing the basics to all customers for free rather than making them pay for it. Having more patrons would certainly increase profits despite the extra cost. And given the candy placed on your pillow, it seems the manager may have taken her advice....even if it did taste cheap.
>You snickered to yourself. You wife was awesome.
>You got up and popped your horn on to produce a super smooth business suit upon yourself. If you were going to do this, you had to look sharp.
>As you left the hotel, you had a floating comb go through your mane to make it look it's best by the time you reached the plot of land.

>You even gave a "Hi" and "Hello" to griffons young and old as you passed them by. Some responded much like a friendly pony would, the little griffon children especially seemed much more happy and playful then what you thought they'd act like in the worst times the kingdom had faced,
>Yes, today..you'd do this right and make your wife happy.
>"WHAAAAAAAAAAT?! YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" You hear Diamond yelling in the distance.
>Shit, she didn't sound happy at all!..Dammit Gilda, what did you do?!
>But when you arrived at the plot of land. You didn't see her yelling at Gilda. Instead, she seemed to be angry at some other griffon. An older looking female griffon with a rather stylish red hat with a large rim. Almost like those old hats you'd see women wear in a Noire. She also had a red dress to match. But despite looking classy, she seemed to be angering your wife pretty bad. What happened?!
>Well, whatever it was. You felt like you had to step in and find out what the fuck was going on.
>"...There you are, where have ya been?" You stop, hearing a familiar voice from behind.
>You look back to see Gilda landing behind you with a scroll in her talons.
"Gilda?..mmm, What's going on? Who is that griffon? Why is my wife so angry?"
>"Because that griffon over there, Gwyndylon I think her name is, says she owns the land now. Even says the contract applies to her instead of me. Now, I'm not TOO versed in the old laws of the land. But something stinks around here and I want to know what it is. So I went to the library and found this scroll." She then tosses it over to you "And you're gonna read it. I'm not too good at this bigger business stuff. So just read it and figure out how we can get rid of this dweeb"

"Woah woah, slow down."
>The fuck was even going on right now. You were still trying to figure it out.
"She just came in and said the land was hers? That doesn't seem right to me. And even if it was, she can't be part of the contract. She didn't sign it, right? I mean...."
>You pick up the scroll and open it as you begin to read.
"Even if she bought that patch of land, that doesn't make her entitled to.......oh crap"
>According to the scroll. If a griffon pays the original owner, which in this case is the new council to the city, double the bits of the original price the land was purchased at. Then that new payee gains the land and everything with it. Contracts and all.
>No wonder Diamond was pissed, this shit came right out of the blue.
>But then you realized something, sighed, and tossed the scroll away.
"I didn't take somepony like you to worry about something like this. So what if she buys up the land? So what? We can get another patch of land somewhere else AND in the case of the contract? Cancel it and give you another one. Problem solved."
>Gilda put her talons to her forehead and shook her head "Geez, you really are a dweeb. You can't just cancel a contract here in Griffonstone."
>Back to the insults...course
>You raise an eyebrow at her
"And why not?"
>"Because here in Griffonstone, if you cancel a contract early, you gotta give the other guy a share of your company. Duh..." Gilda mocked
>Patience Anon...patience.
"Fine! Then watch as I handle this personally. Gwyndolyn was it? Nah, she's nothing. I've got this"
>You turn and walk over to the old griffon and your wife. Gilda reaches out to stop you. But then stops and rolls her eyes "Fine, do things the hard way....not like I cared or anything about this place..". Despite her words, she takes the scroll and starts reading through it herself to find some sort of loophole to stop this sudden take over.

>"....You can't honestly expect me to agree to these new terms! Their ludicrous!" Diamond was shouting at this mysterious Gwyndoyln "Who do they even benefit?!"
>"Well, me of course" Gwyndolyn chortled. She looked pretty damn tough for a female griffon, her grey feathers accumulated along her chest in a puff as if it was a show of great strength. And yet her tone was that of an arrogant typical rich bitch. Her size was also rather imposing. "My plot, my rules, and as far as the law goes. I do believe the ball is in my court. And I do have a rather mean serve if I do say so myself. Of course, you could leave. But then we all know what happens if you do" She said with an insidious smirk.
>Diamond didn't have a word to say about that, but she was ultimately displeased by it.
>That is, until you walked over by her and gave her a kiss
"Hey hun, what's up? This riff raff giving you trouble?"
>You look over to the griffon with a smirk. But she didn't seem hurt or insulted...she was intrigued.
>"Anon..." Diamond gave you a timid smile, but then she sighed "...Look, whatever you are planning to do. Don't...alright? I have this handled."
>Gyndolyn scoffed "Hah, this must be the famous Hero Colt."
>You pay no heed to your wife as you give an arrogant smirk towards the griffon
"Hero Stallion actually. Look, Gwyndolyn or whatever? You obviously haven't realized that you made a really terrible decision buying up this plot of land.Sure, you can stand to profit from it by either taking some of our company or the profits of the shop we plan to build. But see, I'm a Rich. And that means I'm very rich. How much would it take to make this whole thing go away, huh?"
>"Anon! What are you-" But Diamond stops when you put a hoof to her lips
"Shhh, my darling. Trust me, with a chat with my Dad and the princesses. I'm sure we can get my little cash problem off my horn. I'm sure it'll be fine"

>"Ahhh, you plan to bribe me, is that it?" Gwyndolyn answered with amused inquisition. "Mr.Hero Colt. Normally, as a griffon of principle....I'd accept such an offer. But you have garnered my interest in another way. Yes, I can see a competitive spirit within you.Not to mention the fact that I sense that you must have had a bad experience with griffons to look at me with such arrogant confidence."
"I just don't like anypony who makes my wife upset. Look, I don't think you realize this but I can give you a KINGS BOUNTY of loot if you agree to my terms. You're a griffon, right? You like treasure..so just take it......Also, Hero Stallion."
>Something about this griffon struck you as odd. It was like she was more interested in fucking everyone over rather than money. And you really didn't like being referred as Hero Colt anymore.
>"I do in fact like treasure. But don't insult me with your silly offer of bits and jewels. Mr. Hero Colt, I am well aware of who you are and the power your horn possesses. And I'm not interested in the money it can provide me when I can bring about my own desires with this contract." She said as she looked boredly at her claws.
>..Hero colt....
"Look, again....Hero...Stallion...Stalllllliioon. Also, what desires? You're a griffon, why would you care about this patch of dirt when you can be rich beyond compare? "
>"Because I'm a griffon with ambition. An ambition that has burned for many a year. But you know..." Suddenly she reached with her talons and grabbed your chin and pressed on it gently as she gave you a sultry look "We could handle this another way, if you're so inclined on retaking this property"
>She was gently stroking your chin, causing you to blush. She didn't look so bad when she gave you that look.
"A-and that is?..."
>Was she a fan? Is that how she even knew who you were?...Did she want to have sex with you for trade?

>"I want to see what you're made of....in a Griffon's duel, a battle of honor. It should be obvious what the stakes are. Especially since victory would mean I would go away with no claim to the land or your company, no questions asked." She turned your head every so slightly with a gentle twist of her talons before letting go.
>Oh...she wanted...to fight?
>This old bitch?! Seriously? Sure why not, it's not like it'd be hard.
"What you're saying is, that if I fight you and win. You'll go away?"
>She nods as she holds her claw out. "Mhmmmm, sounds good, does it not?"
>It fucking does. Hell, this was easy. And she'd be easy. Goddamn, only a few minutes on meeting this broad and you already had an easy victory. Poor bird, you could even forgive the whole "Hero Colt" thing.
"It does, I agree to your terms"
>You reach out and shake her talons.
>"Good, then we shall meet in the city center for our duel tonight. I must say, it is an honor to be able to go talon to hoof with the Hero Colt. You could say that I'm quite an admirer" She blushed
>....oohhh hooooo. Was that it?
"Well, I promise not to play to hard with you then. I mean, we don't have to fight at all y'know. I'm sure we can handle this like gentleponies and all. In fact, couldn't we just make this all go away with an autograph then? Maybe even a photo op? You are a fan right? I wouldn't mind making your day if you made mine"
>You wiggle your eyebrows at her

>"Oh my...tempting. But I'd much rather see what you can do in the field of battle. I've heard you could handle a group of griffons on your own. And that was when you were a colt! It would "Make my day" just to have this honor. You did already accept of course, you can't back down now. Just know, I won't hold back" She said with a sweet little giggle
"Well, if that's what you want. See ya tonight then. And heh, I won't hold back either then"
>She did a small bow shortly after, and flew off to who knows where.
>Easy as pie
"Heh, well that was easy. Right girls?"
>You turn to Gilda and Diamond with a gratified smirk. But holy shit, none of them seemed pleased.
"...Uhhhhh...why aren't you guys celebrating?"
>Diamond was beat red with fury as her eye twitched. She walked over to you and slapped your cheek. "YOU....YOOUU! DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU JUST DID?!"
>woah! what the fuck?!
"Ow! Hey! Hun! what was that?! What do you mean?! I just saved Griffonstone. Why are you angry at me?"
>"YOU JUST BET OUR ENTIRE COMPANY ON A DUEL! OUR ENTIRE COMPANY ANON!" She said as she took deep angry breaths
>...wut?
"..When did I-"
>"WHEN SHE SAID THAT SHE'D HAVE NO CLAIM ON THE LAND AND OUR COMPANY, WHAT SHE ACTUALLY MEANT WAS THAT SHE'D HAVE A STAKE ON IT IF YOU LOST! I TOLD YOU TO STAY OUT OF IT! BUT NO! NO! YOU JUST...AND...NGH!" She slapped you again "AND DON'T THINK I DIDN'T NOTICE YOU BEING ROMANCED BY HER. ALL SHE DID WAS TOUCH YOU AND YOU WERE PUTTY IN HER TALONS. GRRR!" She started to tear up "WHY?!......why?....why didn't you listen to me?.."
>..ahh shit.
"I w-was just trying to...y'know. do my best for you. I wanted to save Griffonstone like you do. I wanted to help Gilda, I mean..look, she doesn't mean anything to me. She just tried to get under my skin..that's all. And c'mon. I'm the hero stallion, I can take her down no problem."
>You try to give her a kiss to reassure her, but she just backs off as she looks at you with a teary eyed frown.

>"You just don't understand...Business isn't about just doing things your own way blindly like that. I've told you that...I told you to let me handle it. I just needed a day to figure things out but no..you just walked right into her trap. It doesn't matter if you can win or not. It's the fact that you would just risk everything like that without thinking...."
>Ngh....
"Hun..I"
>"No...don't talk to me. I'm going back to the hotel. I need to be alone...I need to think..and plan. Do what you want to do" She says to you as she wipes her tears.
>You reach out to her, but she avoids you before walking away.
>What...What did you do? Y-you could win...She was just jealous..right? You'd never EVER actually do anything like that. She was the love of your life. Irreplaceable.....
>".....Holy cow, you are such a dweeb!" You hear from behind before being smacked on the head.
>D-dammit!
"OW!"
>You turn around to see an angry Gilda, shaking her talon'd fist.
"Why'd you do that for?!"
>"Because she's right you moron! Heck, all you had to do was waltz on over to the city council and offer double what she paid.. But no! You just tried to bribe her and agreed to a duel! A Griffon's Duel! Do you even know how those things work?" Wow, she really did care. You wondered how friendly she was with Diamond to care so much about what's going on.
"You...just fight honorably?"
>Gilda brought her claws to her forehead as she looked up in disbelief "Wow.....you're really stupid. Look, let me give you a quick rundown since you obviously don't realize how badly you could get hurt. A Griffon's Duel can be started by anything....usually though, a duel is started over a single bit some other griffon may have dropped. After that, you both meet and put on safety talons so you can't seriously hurt one another..."
"..Ok, I guess that may be a problem if I COULDN'T CHANGE INTO A GRIFFON"
>You roll your eyes
"everypony is acting as if I didn't think this through"
>She hits you on the head again

>"BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T! YOU'RE THE BIGGEST DWEEB EVER! JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE WEARING SAFETY CLAWS DOESN'T MEAN HORSEFEATHERS. DUELS ARE BRUTAL. GRIFFONS JUST TRY TO RIP EACH OTHER APART ANYWAY!" She smacked you again after yelling, and took a breath to calm down. "Yeah, even though all you need to do is knock your dumb opponent down three times. Griffons usually just go for total destruction. So yeah, unless you go in feathers flying, you're doomed."
>....oh...
"W-well...erm. I mean, I could just beef myself up with the horn and-"
>"Yeah, that's not gonna work. I mean, you could do that. But transforming into a Griffon is already gonna cause your fight to be questionable. Gonna ask you, will you stay a griffon without an obvious unicorn horn sticking out of your head?"
"...Y-yeah, that's not a problem. Why?"
>"Because somepony can call you out if you got it on during the fight. Claim you're cheating. See, before the duel. Both opponents have to agree on what they can and can't use during a fight. Meaning that ugly worm is gonna have to agree you can be a griffon. And even if she says yes, that's probably as far as it goes. Which brings me to my last question, are you a wimp? Or can you actually scrap?"
>Wimp?
"Look, I know I use my horn a lot. But I'm the Hero Stallion for a reason. Plus, I got some official wonderbolt training from flippin Rainbow Dash. I think I can handle myself."
>Gilda entered a battle position, and beckoned you with her talons. "Then show me. Dunno if you know, but seeing Diamond crying like that? It actually hurt me, we became pretty close when we were setting things up. And the way she holds her cider? Yeah, wicked cool. I'm not going to let this whole thing blow up because her husband is a stupid dweeb. So bring it, come at me fast and hard"

>Really, she became that close to Diamond?
>And...nobody had faith in you...was that it?
>....fine...You'll show them!
"Ok then! I'll show you what I can do. Take this!"
>You dash right at her, but she easily hovers up, lands behind you. and knees you right in your nuts. making you fall down squealing.
>"....Well....that was fast" Gilda said as she rubbed her forehead. Frustrated with how easy that was.
"..Wngh...w-what?!..w-w-w-why?"
>"Anything goes in a duel. Wow, you really REALLY are just the worst dweeb in Equestria..huh? Ugh, fine. Get your horn and follow me. I guess I got to be the one to get you ready so you don't end up as a midnight special." Gilda says as she looks down at you, but you were too busy tending to your shattered nuts.
>She rolls her eyes "....C'mon you baby, it's not that bad"
>HOW WOULD SHE KNOW?!
"N-ngh...s-shut up....t-that really hurt..."
>"Tell it to your Dad you wimp, this is serious. So I'm not gonna play around with ya! Now get up, you're embarrassing me"
>After another moment of pain, you took a look around to notice griffons staring at your fallen form.
>......god...how humiliating.
>Done in by your own fucking tactic...
>You take a few breaths and slap on your horn. You transform yourself into a griffon matching your current stature. Which..in griffon form. Looked kind of feeble.
>"....yeah...lots of work to do...Come on..Let's just get this over with..." Gilda could already feel dread as she flew off to some empty mountains just outside the kingdom. After you give yourself another rub, you flap your wings up and follow her.
>......You could do this...You weren't a fucking wimp. You had to do this...for Diamond. You may very well lose her if you fuck up....and most likely your entire family in the process.....yeah..and the respect of your friends....and aunt....oh boy...

>you both land in a secluded spot, all around you were clouds. Clouds in front,below, and above. It was actually kind of beautiful.
"Huh...y'know, they place is kinda nice when you take it all in"
>"Focus you dweeb. Hmm" Gilda was looking at her talons, then snapped a few times at you "Yo, make with some safety dueling gloves, will ya? We're on a tight schedule"
>Pushy...
"Yeah yeah, geez."
>You use your horn to produce safety gloves for both yourself and Gilda.
"That good?"
>"Not exactly regulation, but it's good enough." Gilda then looks at you with a hard stare "And take this more seriously. Because I ain't like Rainbow Dash." Gilda gripped her talons in front of you "You can use that thing to heal up, right?"
"Errr, sorta. Chaos is kind of a finicky thing. I could probably heal myself if I used the horn to treat this like kind of a "Training Mode" sort of thing. But I'd have to have it on me at all times for that"
>"...right, do that then. But don't use it for anything else because when you two set the terms. A griffon form is probably all she's going to be willing to allow. You gotta be smart too, y'know? Because you also get a say in a few of the rules. Anyway, I'm not too good at explaining stuff. So I'm just going to beat the living crud out of you until you can fight back. You ready?" Gilda entered a fighting position once again.
>Can fight back?
"Hey..are you saying I can't fight you at all? Pfft, you just got a luck-"
>"GO!" Gilda flapped her wings, creating a gust of wind that blew dust all around her. As you leaned forward from surprise to even fine where she went. She suddenly came out of the dust cloud, talons forward.
"Shi-"
>Next thing you knew you were taking blow after blow in the chest and face until Gilda knee'd you right on your chin. Knocking you on your back.

"H-how?..I didn't..even.."
>"You're not the only one who has trained with Dash. She's my best friend. Geez, I don't even think I'd need any kind of fighting know how to beat you up. It's amazing how Dash didn't just kick the bucket from frustration." Gilda said as she cracked her talons. "Alright, how about you try coming at me instead? Let's see what ya got you wimp"
>...you were really getting tired of them insults. You could fight, she just played dirty. That's all.
"Alright, heh. This body let's me move a little bit like my old human self"
>You mutter
"PREPARE YOURSELF FOR SOME SHOTOKEN ACTION!"
>"Shoto-what?" Gilda was confused, she couldn't even figure out what that meant.
>But you didn't care, you came at her running, preparing your attack.
"TATSUMAKI!"
>You used your wings to keep you in the air as you span around, leg out.
>"....Uhhhh...." Gilda side stepped you slowly and grabbed your tail, pulling you down to your belly "...ok...that happened"
"Ngh...G-grrr..GRRRR!"
>You got up and tried flailing and scratching at her in frustration.
>She just dodges a little bit before holding you back by the head. "...Ugh...this is just sad." She just slams your face to the ground and jumps back

"...Dammit.."
>"Look, I don't know how Dash trained you and I don't care. You got some power but you aren't using it right! Do you want to lose or something?! Because it looks like you are. Now get up so I can clobber ya again! And this time pay attention! Think of your family for crying out loud!"
>D-dammit
"F-fine...I'll add a little strategy this time and we'll see whats what"
>You'll beat her this time.
>This time, you try zig zagging towards her
>She tries striking your face, but you jump upwards and try to pounce on her.
>She counters this by grabbing at your claws and falling backwards, bringing you along with her until you end up being slammed onto your face.
>Gilda quickly gets up and jumps on you and starts grinding your face into the dirt "You listen to me you meatbag. I shouldn't be able to beat the "Fabled" Hero Stallion. I shouldn't be able to crush you. But I'm doing it. And you? You're pathetic. no wonder Diamond doesn't have any faith in you. If your own kids saw you, they'd see you as the dweeb you are. you dweeb...YOU BIG DWEEB!"
>Diamond?
>Your kids?
>....Junior....he looks up to you...so does Jewely....not so much Illustrious...but two out of three isn't bad.
> What if you did lose due to your own hubris? Where would you all live when the money ran out? You could live with Discord. Junior would find it cool.
>..no...NO
>You're just trying to make the worst scenario into an acceptable one.
>In the end..you'd be a failure.
>You'd be the guy who threw away generations of work away on a stupid bet.
>Filthy Rich...even with his own wife's doubt. Gave you and Diamond a majority of the company to look after in his stead.
>....You can't lose...
"GN...GNNNN..GRAWR!"
>You springed upwards. Knocking Gilda into the sky. But she wasn't knocked out. She dived back down to slam your body. But you quickly rolled to the side, hopped up, and slapped her face as she came down.
"Take tha-WOAH!"

>It didn't really slow her down, she just hopped up quickly and started taking swipes at you.
>You were barely dodging them, unlike yourself, she knew what she was doing. You needed to think of something quick.
>So you did what she did to you.
>You leaned in and raised your knee to kick her in her crotch.
>She stops her attack and narrows her eyes at you "........I'm a girl...you know that right?"
"Yep! HYAH!"
>You slammed your head right into her. You could swear you hurt something snap as she fell back. Dizzy.
>At this point in your life, you knew full well the power of your skull.
>"W-woah...I'm seeing stars here..." Gilda stepped back, trying to straighten her vision.
>You took the opportunity to move in and strike her again and again in a combo.
>She was being slammed about pretty hard. But the pain also brought her back to her senses. She locks her talons with yours and grips hard. Trying to push you back. "That was a cheap trick Anon..I like it. But I ain't going down so easily!"
"Neither am I...You're right. I have a family to protect. Even If I was the one who was stupid enough to put them at risk....All I wanted to do was help you out, help my wife, help Griffonstone"
>"Then you have to do better, c'mon. Stop holding back already! Show me what you got!" She yells back at you.
>Show her what you got?
>You couldn't even shove her back. Even with your training. She was stronger than you, more skilled.
>But griffons go all out...right?
>Yeah...
>You lean your head in and stab your beak into her arm like a dagger. It immediately disables her as she screams in pain.
"...o-oh shit...U-uhm...Gilda! Are you..erm..ok?"

>"NGH! NO! HOLY....NGH. I'M BLEEDING ALL OVER THE PLACE HERE!...ngh, get me some bandages will ya?" Gilda said as she slowly got up, and licked at her wounds. She seemed pissed...but not at you.
>You slap on your horn, and cause bandages to appear and worm around her like snakes until her arm was covered with bandages.
"I'm really sorry about that..I just....I got..desperate"
>"...Don't be sorry." Gilda said as she pumped her injured arm a little "That's exactly how you should be fighting. Griffons will do anything to win in the end, rules or not. This was a pretty good move, didn't expect it. You still need a lot more work though. Your trick game is good, but you still stink at the basics. So let's practice on that now. Alright? We only have half the day to get this done"
"Ok...you gonna be alright with that arm though? I could probably heal it up my-"
>"Don't you dare. I want you to remember this. Because that Gwyndolyn ain't gonna play nice Anon. She's pretty old and she looks like she has been lifting some serious iron. I don't know much about her, but she just gives off this feeling like she's ripped others apart before. I don't like it one bit. So yeah, remember what you did to me. Let it soak in. Because you're gonna need to do ANYTHING to win when you fight. Now enough getting all feely and more fighting, got it?"
>You nod with determination

"Got it, teach me everything you can Gilda. I'm ready"
>And with that, you and Gilda trained for the rest of the day. Despite her pierced arm. She did a pretty good job of beating your ass for most of the training. But you were learning. You were slowly learning to counter and even dodge her movements. Perhaps being able to heal yourself with the horn made things easy when you got overly roughed up. But it was a good training tool to get ever so skilled in the art of combat.
>And this training continued further. Until you were able to meet Gilda as an equal...sort of. Mostly..
>It was good enough. Add in some dirty low down tricks...and you knew you were ready.

>It was a brutal session. Everything from pocket sand, rip and tearing, spitting, slamming a rock in one's face, and just plain duking was covered in full.
>In fact, after the training was over and the sun was going down. Gilda and yourself ultimately came out unscathed. even her arm had healed near instantly.
>But you both were panting from all the training in general. Gilda at first called it a day since the challenge was already close, but as she sat. She noticed she was actually feeling ok. "Alright Anon, I think...hey..My arm is ok, how'd that happen?"
>You chuckled as you sat
"Just a little chaos magic at work. Like I said, training mode. In my world, in a...hrm..."
>you pondered for a moment
"In a special game we humans played. Training mode allowed us to fight while regenerating at a near instant rate. So I put it to practice with my magic. Pretty cool, huh?"
>"Yeah, if I knew it was like that I would have fought harder. Tried ripping your head off or something, I dunno. Maybe crush you under a boulder? Nah, I could have tried goring you really bad. That'd be cool, right?"
>You could feel your feathers rustle from those words. ohhhhh, it was a good thing you never really explained how training mode worked at the start...things could have gotten ugly.
"......Yeah....ummm..so what now?"

>"Well, hopefully, you learned everything you needed from that. So the only thing left to do is go to the city square and get things started. But before that..."
>Gilda walks up to you and slaps you in the face. "DON'T BE A DWEEB, OK? Forget morality, forget anything about being a pony. No offense to Dash, but "Friendship is Magic" isn't going to win you any points here. Got it?" She pointed at you with an aggravated look
"Y-yeah, sheesh..I got it."
>"Good, now let's get going" Gilda took off, leading you back to Griffonstone as darkness began to loom in the sky.
>The center itself was alight with many great torches. Griffons gathered to watch the show. You could see Gwyndolyln, without her hat, drinking from a wine glass as she awaits the fight. You could also see your wife down below. She still didn't seem happy. Also down there were four old griffons with fezes. Probably the mayor council of the kingdom.
>"Remember Anon, once the fight starts. You have to do anything to win..got it?"
"I got it"
>"Good"
>Gilda hovers down next to Diamond. And begins to inform her of whats going on. You land in front of Gwyndolyn, but before a word is uttered. You look back at your wife one more time.
"Diamond, I'm glad you came..I pro-"
>But she just held her hoof up, and sighed. staying silent as she whispered into Gilda's ear.
>It was rare to see Gilda with a concerned frown as she looked towards you. It was like a signal that you really did fuck up really bad.
>"Adorable, I see you used your horn to change into a griffon. How quaint"
>You could hear the griffons in the crowd rabble about.
>The council of four stepped towards you and Gwyndolyn and began to speak.
>"That's the guy?"
>"Hmmm, thought he was a pony"
>"Indeed, a griffon married to a pony..how odd..scandalous even!"
>"What do we make of it?"

>"Don't worry boys, that's the pony alright." Gwyndolyn takes one last sip of her cider before tossing the glass back. "He used his little magical horn to transform into a griffon, it's cute really" She says with a sultry glare. She moves close to you and plucks a feather from your head and gazes upon it. "Perfect, again..I'm impressed at how great your magic is. So then, since we're already cutting to the quick. I assume you have your rules in order?"
>..uhmmm
"Do you mean like how we tell each other what we can't do in the fight?"
>"...Yes, if you want to make it sound like a child's brawl. That's exactly it." She then looks at the council "Since he seems to be dumbstruck by a simple concept. I'll go first. I'm alright with his griffon form, but that's it." She looks back at you "I'd like you to remove your horn and give it to the council. I'd also like you to cancel out all your magic aside from that transformation. That's fair? Is it not?"
>...It seemed reasonable.
"Alright"
>You cancel any extra magic
>You remove the horn and hand it to the council
"Good enough? Or do you think I'm cheating?"
>"I believe you. You are the Hero Colt after all. You wouldn't lie..would you? It'd mean an automatic loss" She gave you an arrogant grin.
>The council was poking at the chain of your horn.
>"Look at how shiny it is"
>"Be worth a lot of bits"
>"He doesn't need it, does he?"
>"Hmm, Can't seem to get it off that rubber horn. weird..."
>..Greedy fucks...
"Fine fine, hey!"
>You yell at the council, catching their attention
"Stop that! Also..I have my rules. In which I have none to say. It's a fight between two griffons, right? Seems pretty cut and dry to me"
>You could hear Gilda slap her own face
>You cringed, but hid it by facing away from her and Diamond......that was probably a dumb move.
>The council spoke once more

>"Seems acceptable to me"
>"Quite"
>"Gilbert, the dueling claws if you don't mind!"
>"Yeah yeah, ok you two..here are the gloves. Put em on, and when we give the signal. The duel will commence!"
>"How antiquated, but very well. If we must" Gwyndolyn said with a sigh as she slipped on the gloves.
"Yeah well, wouldn't want things to get too bloody. Speaking of which, shouldn't you take off that dress?"
>"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" She smirked at you
>...Fuck..Don't blush..DON'T BLUSH. WIFE IS ALREADY WATCHING!
>The council held up three flags. One had a crudely drawn version of your pony face, and a crudely drawn face of Gwyndolyn, and the other was for starting and ending the match.
>"Do you think we did good drawing these?"
>"Better than paying for a professional, that's for sure"
>"Let's just get started already..."
>"Yes! Wave the flag! Wave the flag!"
>And so..the flag was waved as Griffons began to cheer.
>Here you go...

>You both blasted off into the sky, meeting each other in the darkening skies.
>She just smirked at you as she began to stretch "I hope you don't hold back just because I'm a girl. I want to see what you can really do."
"Huh, if you say so. So let me ask...juuuust to make sure. Anything goes at this point, right?"
>"Indeed"
"Well, that's just HOLY SHIT WHATS THAT BEHIND YOU?!"
>You point behind her in terror, and just like the goons before her, she looks back.
>You fly into her and slam her towards the ground.
>The council was just looking at each other, a little confused.
>"We forgot to explain that first to three knockdowns is the winner"
>"Or whoever gets knocked out"
>"Doesn't every griffon know that rule though?"
>"Yes, but isn't he a...Ohp! Well, that's a point for the pony...."
>Your flag gets raised to the sounds of cheers. Diamond still looks pissed though.
>Oddly, Gwyndolyn does not. She just flies back up with a smirk "Good trick, I like it. First point goes to you Hero Colt"
>Oh man...this was gonna be easy. This broad was WAY to formal to put up a fight.
"Heh, just thinking like a griffon. Sorry about the dress"
>"Tis fine, tis fine." Gwyndolyn enters an aerial battle stance "Now let's get close and personal. I've been wanting to see how somepony like you managed to beat up griffons for a very long time"
>....wut? But you've done a lot more than that since your colthood. Well, whatever. Time for another cheap trick.
"Alright, let's scrap!"
>You both rush into each other, and while you expected to have to fight for your life on this one. It actually turned out she wasn't too good at a straight up brawl either. You didn't even need to cheat as you easily outmatched her. She's kind of old, so her reflexes must not be up to snuff.

"Listen lady! I'm feeling pretty good right now. How about you just give up right here, right now. And call it a night, huh?"
>"Mr.Anon, please don't underestimate me. I've waited so long to just have a chance to meet you. Not talk to you really, just wanted to face you face to face like this and NGH!"
>You backward flipkick her down towards the ground.
>As you watch her fall, you couldn't help but get creeped out by her. At first, she seemed to just want to take the company by coming out of the blue. You barely knew her, you were barely in the kingdom, and yet it was like she was here specifically to meet you more than anything else. It was kind of scary.
>She hits the ground, gaining you the second point.
>You look at Diamond. And she was looking back up at you. You could see hope in her eyes...finally.. FINALLY.
>All you had to do was bring it home.
>Gwyndolyn once again flew up. And sighed, hitting herself in the head. "Wow, I'm really fumbling today. It must be my age. I'm truly sorry..."
>....ok
"Yeah, look. It's two to zero. And the fight is pretty much over. I know you seem into me and all. And if you are, then wouldn't it be nice to just throw the fight? I'll give you an autograph if that's what you want..photo maybe?"
>But she didn't respond. She just stared at you, with a sudden stoic look. "Let me tell you a story Mr.Anon..."
"...Uhhhh, I really don't have the time...so..uhhh...Yeah, I don't want to make my wife any more pissed than she already is so. Unless you're gonna put up your dukes...I'm just going to knock you down now"
>You rush at her for the final smash....
>But she easily...very easily...managed to dodge and wrap your neck up with her tail. Squeezing tightly enough that you could barely breath.
"Fdfdmmmdfdnnfnfddddd"
>"I insist..." She said as she smirked, enjoying your struggling.
>...oh man..noooope..you could barely breathe at all. Her tail...how the fuck was it so strong?! Even Gilda didn't try something like this.

>"A long time ago. There was a great griffon thief. Strong and powerful and never failed a heist. His talons were so strong, so sleek, that he went by the name of "Sharp Claw"..."
>What the fuck was she talking about?!
>"One day, during..what should have been...an easy and small job. He ran into a strange colt. This colt proceeded to destroy Sharpclaw and his crew with such odd powers that even Sharpclaw himself couldn't believe it. So much so, that he had to be relocated to an asylum as he heard odd music playing...music that never stopped as he babbled about flying limbs and ghostly monologueing. His claws themselves, shattered like his conscious"
>You tried biting at her tail with your beak, but it was ridiculously tough. and she wasn't flinching at all.
"I-I don't know what you're talking a-about!"
>"This griffon...he had an older sister. You could say that she was the brains to his brawn. She was the one who planned every heist. She also loved her brother dearly. But her brother? He couldn't even recognize her anymore...all thanks to that colt...The hero colt....Does it ring any bells now? Mr.Anon?"
"N-noo....geez! T-this can't b-be legal!"
>Gwyndolyn flew into a rage as she choked you harder
>"YOU PUT AWAY MY BROTHER AND RUINED HIS MIND. ON THE NIGHT OF NIGHTMARE NIGHT ALL THOSE MOONS AGO! WHY WERE YOU EVEN THERE?! WHAT CARE DID YOU HAVE FOR THOSE FLIM FLAMMING DOLTS! THEY WERE AS MUCH A SET OF CRIMINALS AS ME AND MY BROTHER!...." She then calmed down as she looked at you with dagger filled eyes. "But no matter, taking everything away from you will suffice. HYAH!"
>She punched you in the gut, making you lose the rest of your breath.
>while you were dazed, she slammed you into the ground.
>She had gotten the point, and so did you....

"....oh no....you gotta be fucking...kidding...That guy had a sister?....ngh.."
>It was a little late for this kind of revenge...wasn't it?! sheesh!
>You slowly began to stand as you started getting your composure.
>"Anon, what happened?! Sheesh! How'd you let her get you like that?! You were doing great so far!" Gilda commented in surprise.
"Ugh...I think she let me get those first two points..."
>"W-what do you mean? Why would she let you get that close to winning?" Gilda was surprised "Seems like a dumb thing to do"
"It's..uhh..complicated..and..."
>You stop when you notice Diamond looking at you with concern. She was reaching her hoof out to you, but when you noticed. She pulled back, and looked away.
>You....you had to get serious.
"Gilda, I know we don't know each other too much. And I know you think I'm a dweeb. But I need a favor."
>Gilda understood the severity of the situation, and nodded "What is it?"
"If anything happens to me. Tell my wife that I'm sorry. That I'm a big fuck up and should have listened to her. That I failed as a husband and a father. And that I can never make up for losing if it happens. I'm a loser...The best I can do is try to win this. If she hates me even after that. Then she can have the kids and everything else. I'll just go live in the badlands where I belong."

>You knew Diamond could hear you. And you meant every word. This was your fault...down to pissing off this bitch of a griffon.
>"Don't be a dweeb! Sheesh, we trained the whole day as hard as we could. Just beat the crud out of her you moron!" Gilda barked at you.
>you just chuckle, and smile at her
"Y'know, it's only been a day. But at least you care. I guess that day when Pinkie and Dash came to Griffonstone really did change you, huh?"
>"...How'd you know about that? did Dash tell you?" Gilda seemed a little surprised. She didn't think that'd be too relevant to mention out of the blue.
"You could say that...well, better get back to the fight."
>You fly back up. It was a score of two to one. All you had to do was knock this red dressed bitch out and you'd have victory. She just got lucky...thats all...

>You rush back at her
"Ok Anon, you're usually cocky. She must have been fucking stalking you through the news and other shit. So that means she knows you're cocky. Which means..."
>You eye her as you quickly approach
"She probably expects you to rush at her, yeah. That's it. So if I get near her and dodge, I could move in and strike. She'd probably try defending her head, so if I do some body blows...HA!...That's gotta work!"
>You quickly rush at her, and just as you predicted, she threw a punch right as you got in her face.
>You dodge back, and go for the body blow as she guards her face.
>From this point, you unleash blow after blow after blow
"Yes! YES! I'm doing it! FINALLY, I DO SOMETHING RIGHT FOR-GNNNNAAA!"
>Suddenly, she easily manages to slug you right in the gut with her knee.
>You hover back and look at her as you hold your stomach and realize you hadn't done any damage at all.
"W-What?!..b-but how?"
>Gwyndolyn just smirks as she grips her talon'd fist. "Diamond encrusted leather armor, son...HYYYAAGH!"
>Suddenly, her feathers jutted upwards as she tensed her entire body. Her muscles suddenly pumped up as her dressed ripped. Revealing a thick brown armor with small diamonds popping out every few inches.
>Holy fuck...She's ripped!
"Armor?! But that's cheating!"
>She chortles at the sound of that "Oh my, is it? I do remember a certain idiot saying I could prepare as I wish for this fight. No rules, remember?"
>That fucking bitch! She hid the armor under her dress so you wouldn't make a rule call on it.

"Yeah...no rules...Fine then, looks like we're just gonna have to scrap."
>"Oh...I'm going to enjoy this." She punched her talon into her other talon.
>Here you go, years of fighting prowess in the making right here. the only target was her face which limited your options. But...you had to do it. You had no choice.
>You started with a left, right, and another left. A knee, you even tried to drill at her with your beak. But every punch and kick you made was countered or blocked by her. "You idiot! You can't beat me in a straight up fight! I've trained for so many moons for this moment. Day in, day out! Until I could finally take my revenge!"
"Geez! Lady...get a hobby!"
>"SCHEMING WAS MY HOBBY! AND YOU TOOK THAT TOO!"
>Christ....
>It went from you throwing punches to her throwing punches as you desperately began to block each attack. Doing your best to put your gaming reflexes to the test
"C'mon...C'mon..."
>Counter attack, thats the only way.
>Her strikes were coming at you faster and faster. You waited until she was throwing them with reckless abandon and made your move. You dodged to the left and struck her in the face.
>But oh no...you had one more move up your sleeve.
>You flew a little higher as she tried to recover, and brought your head down upon hers
"ULTRA SKULL CRUSHER!"
>You slam your head right into hers as hard as you can.
>But something went wrong.
>She slides her head up along your head until your beaks were practically touching.
>She then grabs your beak and punches your neck. Sending you back a bit.
>"And now, let's really CUT into the issue!" She tenses her talons so hard, they tear through the safety gloves.
"What?! That can't be legal!"

>"I still have em all, DON'T I?!" She starts to swipe at you and claw you up "HUH?! I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU SO SORRY THAT YOU RUINED OUR LIVES! YOU'LL PAY!"
>You couldn't defend yourself, even holding up your arms, all she did was slice into them.
"S-shit! T-this isn't TV Y at all. Ngh...."
>Truly, human interference was not kind to this griffon's fate.
>Eventually, you couldn't guard anymore. You tried making a quick retreat to give yourself some breathing room. But she grabbed your leg with her ridiculously powerful tail. Flung you up, and uppercutted your gut.
"Ngh...nmmm...N-now..Shoryuken..works.....ngh"
>She catches you by the neck as you fall, and slowly pokes her talons into the upper layer of your neck feathers and skin.
>You couldn't say a word, all you could see was a blurred vision of her crazed sinister smirk.
>"You idiot. Like I said..I know everything about you. Including that amazing skull of yours. You didn't think I'd train myself to deflect heavy blows like that? To divert some of the force away from it's target? Some hero colt you are. I expected better. I have no idea how my brother lost to you. But it doesn't matter, you're going to suffer just the same."
>Your only response was to spit blood at her and smirk.
>But all she did was lick it up.
>Yeah....totally not TV Y. Not even PG at this point.
>"I'm going to make you suffer. I want everypony, including your wife, to see how pathetic you really ARE!" She punches you in the guy, making you whine in pain. "I'm going to take your livlihood!" She claws your face. "You're going to be the ZERO colt when I'm through with you!"
>She spit back at you after smashing you up a few more times. "Pathetic, you can't even fight back. Tell you what, I'm going to drop you. And if you stay down, I'll let you keep your life. But if you come back up.....Pffft" She slowly drags her talon across her neck "End of the line..."
"...."

>She let's you go as you plummet down to the ground. The crowd gasping in horror as Gwyndolyn cackled in mad glee.
>Before you hit the ground however. Gilda rushed forward and hovered a few feet up to catch you, landing on her back as you both hit the ground.
>The council looked at each other in confusion
>"Is that allowed?"
>"Gee, I don't remember. He does seem pretty hurt though"
>"Think we can keep the chain if he crokes?"
>"Probably"
>Gilda gently put you on your side as she stood up to check on you "Anon, geez! What happened?! She's murdering you. Like, REALLY murdering you!"
>You coughed, and looked up at Gilda with a cringe due to the pain you felt.
"I messed up..like....I really..rea-"
>"ANON!"
>Diamond slammed into Gilda, knocking her aside as she held your head, panicking, scared. "What are you doing?!"
"U-ummm.....fighting?"
>you could feel her tears come down on your face. She began to hold onto you and sob. "Anon, stop. Just call the fight..please.."
"W-why?...What about the company? the kids? the house...everything.."
>"I don't care! It's not worth losing you. How could I even explain this to them?! What about Crown Jewel? I don't think she could take it...."
>You chuckle a little
"Eh, she's strong. Besides, Illustrious probably would be ok with it."
>Diamond suddenly growled in anger as she raised herself and hit your shoulder "That's not funny! HOW COULD YOU-..huh?"
>You were able to gently block her hit as you looked at her with a faint smile.
"This is my fault, my darling...my princess. And as a prince, I have a duty to do. I already screwed this up.. alot more than I should have. Heck, this whole thing wasn't even a power grab. She just wants me to suffer..."
>"...W-what are you talking about? Just call the fight!" She yells at you
>You shake your head

"...Can't...I just...can't. I screwed around like an idiot for too long. And yeah, even if I win. I probably won't change that..but right now?"
>You slowly begin to stand in a stagger.
"It's time for me to be a man....stallion...guy"
>You give her a kiss. And a thumbs up with your talons.
>Before she could say anything more, you use as much energy as possible to fly back up. leaving a heavy gust of wind and dust in your wake.
>You fly up to equal height, and stare at her with deep seriousness.
>"...Oh, so you do have a death wish. what a shame, I wanted you to give up so you could see your wife leave you for the worthless meatbag you are." She said as she boredly looked at her talons.
"Shut up...I'm not done yet..."
>You cough up some more blood, and wipe it from your beak.
"It might be a little edgy, but I'm going to send you straight to HELL!.....Tartarus....WHATEVER! PREPARE YOURSEGNNNNG!"
>She rushed you faster than you could react, and stabbed her talons right into your chest.
>"You're done." She takes her talons out and grabs you in a bear hug as she starts to fly up at blinding speeds.
"....nnngggghhh"
>You could barely take it, you could barely breath as she went to the highest point she could reach.
>You looked up at the night sky. And saw beauty in the stars and moon for the moment you were there before she turned and started heading downwards like a bullet.
>"Say your prayers! Because at this speed? You're gonna end up in Haysia! HAHAHAHAH!" She cackled as she nearly broke the sound barrier.
>The clouds themselves bent to her speed, when she was sure she was close enough to send you down at maximum velocity without crashing herself.

>You were going to hit the ground....like a bullet.
"...Sorry my love...Sorry Dad...Junior...take care of Jewely ok? Illustrious?....err...Aunt Fluttershy...thanks for always cuddling with me when I needed it....I guess I reall-"
>You didn't even have time to finish. All you could see was the white light of death shine in front of your eyes.
>And then there was dust...dust everywhere...
>"Did he hit the ground?!" Gilda asked,s he was shielding her eyes from the burst of wind and dust that spread across the ground.
>"ANON! ANON! SAY SOMETHING!"
>Everyone was confused, even the council didn't seem to know how to call the point as they heard no crash to the ground.
>And then?
>You came flying out of the dust cloud, talons forward as you flew at Gwyndolyn at the same speed you fell at.
>"What?! Impossib-GNG!" She didn't even have time to speak as went in talons flying at speeds beyond anyone could comprehend. Despite your injuries, you seemed more powerful than ever before.
>You just focused on your attacks, and your focus was one hundred percent. Perhaps even beyond that.
>"My claws, t-their burning?!" Your punches were so focused, so quick, that they were actually burning her talons to the point where her gloves suddenly burst into flame.
>She threw the gloves off as quick as she could as she tried to back off. She was demanding answers. "How?! You can't! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! TELL ME! TELL ME HOW!"

>But you paid her no mind nor answered her pleas. Instead, you only had one thing to say.
"Stay away from my family...."
>You rev back your talon'd fist, and punch her. You punch her in the gut so hard that her armor unravels as she's sent into the horizon.
>You smirk to yourself as the crowd suddenly bursts into cheers below you.
>The council held up your flag. Giving you the final point at they consulted each other.
>"But she didn't hit the ground though"
>"I don't think she's coming back though..."
>"We get to keep the chain though right?"
>"Ummm, let's just give it back..I don't want to be banished to the moon in such a way"
>You landed back to the ground where the fight started and started to wave to the crowd who cheered you on for such an exciting fight.
"Thank you! Thank you! I know, I am quite great"
>"...woah.." Gilda said as she approached you "How...how did you do that? That was nuts!"
"Ahh, it was just a thing I do. Amazing, wasn't it? Err...Griffon...girl"
>"Griffon Girl? what? Oh man, you do look really really beat up though. Hate to say it, but toughing those injuries out might be a bad call. You may need to go to the hospital." Gilda said as she looked to you with worry.
>But then Diamond approached "Anon..." She says as she gives you a hard stare
"Ahh, there's my dumpling. What did you think of my victory? Amazing? Spectacular? Dazzling?"
>She narrowed her eyes at you "Anon, can I speak to you...alone?"

>"Are you mad at him? But he just won...bah, you ponies are weird. I'm gonna go take advantage of the moment and take some orders for Griffonscones. Y'know, since I'm part of the party that won" Gilda walked off, but she took a moment to whisper in your ear "Good job, you ain't that much of a dweeb after all"
>After Gilda walked away. Diamond took you back to the hotel. It worried you just a tad. You wondered what she had planned for you.
>When you both entered your room. She looked at you with a sigh and shook her head.
"What's the matter sugar bear?"
>"Cut it out "Dad", you're creeping me out" Diamond said, feeling a little uncomfortable.
"...Ahh, so you figured me out."
>You chuckled as your pupils turned a burning red, your eyes a shining yellow.
>In a burst of light, you reveal your true form as you hold Anon's horn in your grubby paw.
>You are Discord, the ever so delightful spirit of chaos.
>Quite a transition of perspective, no?
>You bow in front of your daughter in law with an accomplished smile on your face.
"Hello my dearest Diamond. It is a pleasure to see you this evening, I hope you've been well"

>"I haven't. But..." She sighs in relief "I'm glad to see you. I almost thought Anon had really gotten hurt. But, weren't you and Aunt Fluttershy supposed to be watching Crown Jewel?"
"Ahh yes..Well, I suppose Fluttershy is watching her now at this moment. I must say Diamond, you and my son really did produce a very beautiful and adorable little filly. Just as nice and sweet as Fluttershy herself. In fact, Fluttershy had mentioned that she wish she could see both your's and Anon's faces as we threw the little one a plush parade! Very exciting...for her at least."
>Diamond gave you a smile...though you had a feeling that it wouldn't last long. It never does in these situations. "Ahh Dad, that sounds really sweet.....Fluttershy is the one directing this right? You're not just using your magic willy nilly hoping for something to stick....right?" She gives you a serious stare
>You start chuckling as you waved your paw
"Of course, of course. Fluttershy is a master of all things animals and soft. Even if the animals in this case are made of fluff. But...what makes you say Anon didn't get hurt?"
>You found it curious that she'd say such a thing.
>"Well, that was the plan..right? He called you over and you both pulled off a very realistic victory. I admit, it's not very usual Anon would finally think using his head like that. But, It just...I guess I really got worried there. I thought I was going to lose him." She looked down with a soft frown.
"...Oh, oh nonono. He's....wow, when I got there? He looked like he got more rearranged than my living room"
>She looked up at you inquisitively "....What do you mean by that?"
>You shrug

"Ahh, wellll. You see, your daughter was having a fun time being on the main float of the parade when her creepy little doll apparently told her that Anon was in trouble. Silly I know, but...apparently that warranted her putting the parade on hold and begging me to go see if Anon was alright. I didn't think it was worth checking in on personally. But you know Crown Jewel, she can get pretty upset if she thinks anything bad happened to Anon. And that got Fluttershy going."
>you let out a soft chuckle as you rest your head on your talons
"I simply couldn't disappoint them if they were so insistent on it. So I poofed in to check on things only to see Anon being...."
>You raise your paw as it rips itself apart into cubs.
"Torn apart, so to speak..by some griffon with a little grudge or some such"
>Diamond's eyes suddenly went wide at this part for some reason
"So..being the amazing father I am. I made a switcheroo at the last second and sent that griffon flying into the horizon with a spectacular blow. As for Anon, Well....he's safe in Ponyville. I warped him to the front steps of the hospital so he sh-GNNNN!"
>Diamond pulled your head down by the beard as she looked at you with a crazed angry look "ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT HE ACTUALLY GOT HURT?! AND ALL YOU DID WAS PUT HIM ON THE FRONT STEPS?! NOT EVEN INSIDE THE HOSPITAL BUT THE FRONT STEPS?!"
"...Errr......yes?"

>"HE LOOKED LIKE HE COULD HAVE KEELED OVER AT ANY SECOND AND THATS THE BEST YOU THOUGHT UP?! WITH ALL THAT MAGIC YOU HAVE?! I SWEAR! I SWEAR ON YOUR GRAVE WHICH I'LL DIG MYSELF IF I HAVE TO, THAT IF ANYTHING HAPPENED TO MY PRINCE. THEN YOU'LL BE VERY VERY VERY SORRY! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?! DO YOU?!"
>You smirked as you detached your beard and poured water up onto your chin to grow a new one. Then you chuckled.
"Oh Diamond, pleeeease. He'll be fine, I'm mostly sure of that. Besides..."
>You lean down and look at her with a cocky smirk
"What could you do to me anyway? I'm the master of chaos. And Anon's father, I think I know a little more about him than you do"
>You give her a small boop on the nose
>Diamond just growled at you at first. Then she calmed down, took a breath, and looked at you with her own cocky smirk.
>"It's not what I can do. It's what Aunt Fluttershy will do once I tell her how you're acting. And what would Crown Jewel say? I know you have a soft spot for her too...also? I wouldn't let Junior hang around you anymore. How's that? Sound alright?"
>You went silent for a moment.
>You gulped
>And pleaded
"N-now let's no do anything hasty. I was only joking, ehehe. No need to be THAT extreme."
>You snap your talons.
"There, now the hospital should be closer to Anon so he'll be inside of it.....hmmm"
>You rubbed your chin as you pondered
"...That is how it works, right?"
>Diamond looked to you with tired eyes. "Dad, please. No more joking. Just promise me he'll be alright. I'm scared.."
>....Hmmm, that look...perhaps the time for joking had passed.
"Diamond, my dearest and only daughter. I promise you, Anon will..."
>Should...
"Be alright, come now. If you are truly worried, then let us go and check on him together. Shall we?"
>surprisingly however, Diamond shook her head. "As much as I'd like to. I still have business here. I have to redraw up a new contract, reacquire a new building permit, and make sure nopony else tries to double up on me"

"that sounds dreadfully boring"
>"It is, it's a good thing my father in chaos is going to help me skip hiring a good construction crew. I think it'd be nice to have the Barnyard Bargains I plan on having built be built tomorrow. Gilda wouldn't object to running it with a few workers she had planned to hire. In the meantime, you can stay here with me for the night and regale me with tales of my husband's colthood. Y'know, when he wasn't around me"
"...That sounds even more boring"
>"I wonder if Aunt Fluttershy would think that"
>You cringe
"I don't think you understand, such a thing could literally be the death of me."
>"Then don't make it boring. Besides..." She looks at you with a pout "Don't you want to keep your only daughter company? I don't want to be alone by myself...pwease?" She bats her eyes at you
>...Well then
"I suppose. It's not every night I get to impress a normal pony with some acts of chaos. And I suppose, you being my daughter in law and all that I could show you a few tricks from my side of the family."
>You then realize something about one of her previous set of words.
"By the way,Would you truly be that lonely if I just left"
>She takes a moment, and nods "The business world is a lonely place. It's one of the reasons I brought Anon along with me. He always knows how to make me smile..."
"Hmmm, then I suppose that I'll take a page from the element of laughter and make sure the rest of your trip is a pleasant one."
>Diamond moves in and gives you a gentle hug
>"Thank you Dad"
>You feel a smile come on as you gently hug her back.
"I'm just happy to be here. You'd think with a story title like that that I'd be the most prominent character. But really, how many times have I even appeared in these one offs anyway?"
>She looks up at you confused "What?"
"...ahaha, ahm. What I mean is that I think we need....another perspective change." He says as he snaps his tail fur.
>You are Anon and god are you in pain as you lay in your hospital bed.

>It had been a couple of days since you arrived at the hospital.
>The first to visit you was Fluttershy, who had received word from Discord that you were there.
>Apparently your wife was really working him over. Even disregarding Filthy Rich's wishes of doing everything legit in favor of using magic to speed things along, the way you would do it.
>If you didn't fuck up, she wouldn't have to have done that at all.
>Fluttershy was doing her best to keep your spirits up. But even she couldn't help get your mind off of it.
>Around the third day of your hospital visit. Fluttershy had brought your daughter, Crown Jewel along despite there being school.
>She was just too worried to focus, and wanted to be by your side. Fluttershy felt it would help ease the tension.
>Or in this case. On your belly over your blanket. Just looking at you as she laid down, wagging her tail slowly.
>"C'mon Daddy, you got to eat it all up so you can feel all better!" Crown Jewel said as she looked at you with worried shimmering eyes.
>Fluttershy was gripping a spoon with her wing as she pat Jewely on the head. "You shouldn't push your father Jewel. He's still very injured, but don't you worry. This soup is going to help him get all better. Now come on Anon, open up."
>Oh god.....why?! It's the fucking shit she gave you back when you were a colt.
>But you couldn't just make up an excuse not to eat it. Not with these two here.
>You hesitantly opened your mouth as Fluttershy fed you. "There we go. Swallow slowly Anon, the doctor said your throat is still healing and you shouldn't make any big gulps."
>you slowly swallow, cringing at the taste.
>"Yay!" Jewely cheered as she held up her weird Chrysalis doll. "Look Chryssie! He did it! He's going to get better now!"
>Still, having these two here did make you feel better. Jewely's upbeat attitude and Fluttershy's motherly care made for a very comfy combo.
"Yeah, this stuff works pretty good Jewely, I'll be out of here in no time."

>you chuckle
"Jewely, are you sure you don't mind missing school? You know I'll be ok, right?"
>She nodded "I don't mind. You're more important than school Daddy. And when Aunt Fluttershy said you were worried that Mommy was going to be mad at you, I knew...I just knew. That I had to be there for you so you wouldn't be scared. I know you don't like being on the couch...it's very lonely. And being in a hospital is super lonely. And I couldn't let you be lonely. And look!"
>She held up her doll towards you "Chryssie doesn't want you to be lonely either. So she came along too. She mentioned that she really REALLY wanted to see you like this. I guess she meant that she was really worried about you."
>...That doll...Who gave that to her?...And why did it feel like it was mocking you? If Jewely didn't love it so much...
>That griffon was stalking you pretty bad. Maybe someone who knew of your relationship with Chrysalis gave it to her to spook her, and it ended up having the opposite effect.
>...strange...
"Yeah...hehe"
>you gave Jewely a simple pat on the head, which made her smile in glee.
>"Anon, you really shouldn't stress yourself too much over this. Diamond loves you, she'd never leave you. And think about all the good things you've done for her. Remember the charity show in Phillydelphia"
"...Yeah, the one for the schools. I remember...heh"
>you snickered
"Bringing that kid's book to life with my magic did impress everypony there."
>"Oh! I remember when Mommy and you came home! You both looked so happy! I was happy about you both being happy too! That I just wanted to snuggle with you two! And we did!" Jewely said with a smile
>Ahhh yes.....there was no promised sex that night....heh...dammit.
"Yup, one of the greatest nights of snuggling ever. Because you were there Jewely"
>"Yay! I knew it'd make your night perfect if I was there!"

>...hehehehe...heh
>"Awww! See Anon? Everything is going to be ok.You worry yourself too much sometimes. Now, let's get another spoonful in you. Ok?" Fluttershy says as she holds the spoon near your mouth.
>...ugh...
>You take in the bite as you notice Jewely holding the doll towards her ear. "Oh...erm..ok"
>She then looks at you with big curious eyes "Daddy, Chryssy wants to know something"
>Aww, poor little gal. Probably has an embarrassing question that she's passing off to her doll.
"Ok, what does "Chryssy" want to know?"
>"What do you think of the queen of the changelings?"
>..wut?
>"Jewel, what kind of question is that to ask your father? She was nothing but a meanie. Who didn't really like anypony. She nearly destroyed Equestria!" Fluttershy didn't have an intimidating tone, she just wanted to remind her that Chrysalis was evil.
>Which she was....
>...Still
>Jewely's ears drooped as she looked down and hugged her doll. "I-I know. But she didn't sound too bad when Daddy was talking about her in the story. She sounded like she would have been a nice aunt if she...you know..wasn't evil."
>"Jewel..." Fluttershy said, feeling a little bad for speaking out. But she was there during the Raptorian attack. And even before, when you were a colt. She remembered that you were being manipulated by her. That's how she felt anyway.
>You put your hoof gently on Jewely's head. Which makes her look up at you with sad eyes.
>You give her a big smile
"Ahh Aunt Fluttershy, she wasn't too bad when she wasn't doing her whole scheming thing. I mean, without her. I'd probably wouldn't have been able to marry your mother, Jewely. She really helped us bond and stuff. Even taught me a thing or two about elegant dancing."
>"Really?!" Jewely said in surprise "If she didn't help, you and Mommy wouldn't be my Mommy and Daddy?"
>adorable the way she put it

"Yeah, that's pretty true actually. She helped a lot with our early relationship and taught your dad a few dance moves...in a weird way. But it worked..sorta"
>"Dancing? That sounds dreamy" Jewely let out a soft giggle "I hope, when I meet my prince, that he's a good dancer. Dancing is nice"
"I'm sure he will."
>You gave her another gentle pat.
>"Chryssie had been teaching me to dance. And she's really good too! So I've been learning a lot. Oh! What's that Chryssie?...oh!" Jewely leaned her head towards the doll, then looked to you with a sweet smile. "Do you still have that autocar thingie, Daddy?"
>"Autocar thingie? Anon, does she mean that thing in Discord's basement?" Fluttershy shivered "I remember getting curious and trying it out. I suddenly felt....like a monster...I wanted to go very fast and make other ponies eat my dust. It was a horrid feeling. I wish you'd get rid of it"
>Ahh, the feeling of speed. Something Rainbow Dash herself is pretty arrogant about. Fluttershy obviously couldn't handle such a feeling.
"Ahh, I can't. Call me crazy, but I feel like I should keep it. It reminds me of some of Chrysalis's better moments. Aunt Fluttershy, I really mean it. She would have been great if she reformed like the rest of the changelings."
>"Like Scrappy? I really like him! He's so cute!" Jewely said with a cheer
>"...mmm" Fluttershy didn't seem too keen on it at first. But she pondered, and then said "But if she did reform, like Discord did. Well, I suppose I wouldn't mind too much. I remember when she pretended to be your sister. She was always so pleasant and nice. She even taught me a knitting technique from a civilization I never heard of....if I had to say something about that. I guess it'd be that there was some good in there that just wanted to get out."
"Yeah..and...huh?"
>You almost thought you saw the doll move...
>"Daddy, are you ok?" Jewely looked at you with concern

"Huh? ahh, nah. I'm fine. More than fine. Since I have the best Aunt and Filly looking after me"
>Jewely looked a little stunned at that though "Daddy! What about Aunt Starlight, Aunt Twilight, Aunt Pinkie, Aunt Dashie, Aunt Spoon, Aunt Rarity, Aunt Applejack and Applebloom, Aunt Scootaloo, A-"
"Ahrm.....yeah..erm..I get it. Sorry Jewely..."
>She gave you the biggest hug she could muster "It's ok Daddy, I know you don't think of what you should say sometimes"
>...O-ouch...
>It'd be another day until you were well enough to move again.
>Diamond had returned home they day you were let out of the hospital.
>You were waiting for her in the study. You weren't much in the way of moving still and had stayed there for the rest of the day of your recovery. Junior had taken it upon himself to make you your dinner rather than the maids.
>...he used his horn to make you more of that soup...
>...that taste was chaotic enough...god....
>As you did your best to chow down. You hear the door open, sending chills down your spine.
"...Honey?"
>"Anon..." It was indeed Diamond, when she saw you. You had expected a scowl. But she rushed up to you immediately and gave you a hug.
>It was very painful
>"Anon! My prince! You're ok! When I went to the hospital they said you went home and I thought you were being stubborn again! I'm so glad you're ok!" She cuddled into you as you whined silently
"...I-It's g-great to s-s-seee....ohhh....ok..hun..pain..pain"
>"Oh!" She let you go "You're still recovering, right?"
"Y-yeah....erm...so umm..you're not mad at me?"
>Diamond sighed and shook her head "Are you worried about when you nearly ruined the Rich family lineage?"
>....ouch..
"Y-yeah"

>"Well, as long as you don't tell mother. Then I've gotten over it by now. I'm just glad you're ok...once I finished with my business in Griffonstone, I had Dad teleport me back to Ponyville. I just wanted to get back to you as soon as I could"
>You chuckled at that
"What happened to doing things the Rich way?"
>Her comforting smile turned into a scornful look near immediately "Do you want me to smack you?"
>You chuckle sheepishly
"S-sorry..I was just teasing"
>She shook her head, then smiled at you "It's good to know that you're still the same even when you're still in so much pain. I'm going to give you a nice relaxing massage when we go to bed tonight"
>She notices your ears perk up
>"Not that kind of massage"
>Your ears droop
"...heh...ahm...well, erm. Yeah..."
>You started thinking back to the final moment of the fight. When you thought it'd be your last.
"I am really sorry though. About everything...I hope I didn't scare you too bad when I went back for that final point."
>"You did...but you also reassured me about something, you know"
>Hmm?
"What's that?"
>She gives you a soft kiss on the lips "That you'd give your life for me and the kids if that what it took to protect us. That despite being super ridiculous sometimes that you really will try your best even if it's not too great sometimes. And that despite you complaining, you came with me anyway. You always come with me whenever I ask. I can deal with you complaining forever if it means you're at my side"
>...oh god...that last part sounded awful.
"...Do I complain that much?"
>"You do, but I have a feeling that this experience will make you better about it. Oh! Um, I was going to bring you some Griffonscones. Gilda wanted you to try them. But when the kids came to welcome me back...well...I thought it'd be better for them. You don't mind, do you?"
"It's alright. I'm just glad you're home and not mad at me. I felt like such a screw up"

>"Well, erm...Dad did bring up a point that you could have thrown the match and THEN used your horn to have her thrown in prison given the fact she was a criminal. Or you could have used the horn BEFORE and do that too, or just...y'know...scare her off before we knew she was. But, what's important is that...you're here, and you're alright, mostly" She giggled and gave you a peck on the nose
>you sighed with a weak smile
"You really know how to poke at me, don't you?"
>"Well, you'll never learn if I don't. Don't take it too personally, my prince. As long as you're the Anon I fell in love with and DON'T go after any mare...or griffon. I'll always love you. Just..please, next time. Think things through a little more and....hmm?"
>She looked around as the study began to turn into a moonlit sky.
>She looked forward, and saw you in a princely garb with a crown.
>She looked at herself. She was in a beautiful dress and had a crown of her own.
>She blushed, but then gave you a stoic stare "Really? While you're hurt? What did I just say? hmm?"
"Eh"
>You shrugged as music could be heard filling the starlit void.
"You had a busy couple of days, the least I could do is fill in the days I missed with a dance."
>You held your hoof out towards her
"What do you say, my princess?"
>She takes your hoof as she smiles warmly, shaking her head "You're so dumb sometimes. It's not my fault if you feel sore after this"
"It'll be worth it"
>And so, you both danced a royal dance. Although, when it was over you'd feel the pain reaccumulate upon yourself. It was worth it...for her.

The end