Empire of Mercy
Copyright© 2025 by Daelyx Len Auphydas
Chapter 17: Gryphonnian Standoff
“You know, when I agreed to watch each others’ back at the academy, this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.” Rainbow Dash notes, watching the gryphon on the other side of the room looking, appropriately enough, hawkishly towards the doorway for any sign of intrusion.
“Hey, orders are orders.” Glyndwr retorts defensively without taking her eyes off the door nor talons off her weapon. “Besides, would you really rather be stuck here all alone?”
“I wouldn’t be alone!” Rainbow Dash responds, glancing over at the small crib adjacent to her bed. Any attempt at removing the infant dragon from her bedside had resulted in such a fuss that eventually, the doctor had caved and arranged to have his crib placed beside the hospital bed. Resigned to her fate, Rainbow Dash had resorted to trying to teach the dragon how to say some particularly important words, such as “Rainbow”, “Dash”, “is”, and “awesome” to pass the time. But right now, the dragon is sound asleep, curled up into a torus in his crib like an armadillo.
“Does it really count as ‘not alone’ if your companion isn’t old enough to speak?” Glyndwr points out.
Rainbow Dash sighs reluctantly, but has to concede the point. That isn’t the real reason for her belligerence anyways, that has more to do with not wanting anycreature to witness the torment she’s about to subject herself to. “Hey, Glyndwr?” Rainbow Dash finally speaks up. “Could you hand me the book on that table there?”
The gryphon sprouts up from where she’d been planted and wanders over to the aforementioned book, picking it up and dusting off the cover. “Fundamentals of pan-racial magic theory’...?” The gryphon’s incredulous tone asks the question for her.
“Yeah, yeah, that’s the one.” Rainbow Dash grumbles, taking the proffered tome and wincing slightly in pain as she scoots her way back up the bed into a sitting position. “Twilight left it with me ‘so I don’t fall behind’.” The pegasid’s voice takes on a high pitched, almost mocking tone as she imitates Twilight’s speech.
Glyndwr watches the pegasus with a hint of curiosity for a long moment before shaking her head. “You’re trying too hard.”
Rainbow Dash blinks up from the book, which she had just flipped through the pages of to find her place. “What?”
“To feign disinterest or reluctance. Twilight isn’t here right now, if you really don’t want to study you don’t have to.”
Rainbow Dash clenches her jaw in frustration. “Look, I don’t have anything else to do, okay?” She retorts after a long moment. She tries to turn her focus on the book, but despite her best efforts she can feel her cheeks turning red; not only is it embarrassing for such an awesome pegasus as herself to be caught studying of all things, but doubly so considering that the text is some three or four years behind Twilight’s level. If there is one thing worse than being an egghead, it’s being an egghead that is not even competitive within the category of being an egghead. Furtively, Rainbow Dash glances back up at Glyndwr, halfway hiding her face behind the tome in her hooves. “Just, don’t tell anypony, okay? I have a reputation to maintain you know.”
Glyndwr disarmingly shrugs. “Look, it’s no feathers off my chest, right? Do whatever you need, just pretend like I’m not here.”
But before Rainbow Dash can return to her attempt at studying, a noise from her other side garners her attention; the bundle of purple and green scales by her side has awoken, stretching his claws into the air and yawning loudly. With a quick glance around, as if to make sure he hasn’t been removed from Rainbow Dash’s side once again, Spike wastes no time in pulling himself up onto Rainbow Dash’s bed and curling up by the pegasid’s side, right between her wing and shoulder, prompting a groan of further embarrassment from the pegasus.
A quick glance at Glyndwr reveals the gryphon is making quite the show of looking away, whistling idly in a tune only a gryphon, or possibly a hippogryph, could make. “Ow! Be careful with those things, they’re sharp.” Rainbow Dash mutters to Spike, “Okay, okay, you can stay, just quit squirming so much so I can read.”
Glyndwr averts her gaze, settling back into guarded, pensive silence, falling into thought about the sudden turn her life had taken. She’d joined up with the guard to try and learn some new skills; the opportunity for career or social advancement had crossed her mind, of course, but it had never been her main priority. Even after she’d found herself at the royal guard academy in Canterlot of all places, she had taken it as a stroke of good fortune but assumed that would be the end of it.
But things are different now. Sure, her new duties don’t come with any change in rank or status, but she’d been called before the princess herself and told, more or less, that she’s one of the most trustworthy cadets in Canterlot. For once in her life, her ‘proud’ gryphon heritage had actually come in handy.
That train of thought is promptly derailed at the sound of approaching hoofsteps, and Glyndwr immediately jumps back to attention. Grah, pay attention! This is your job! Glyndwr internally berates herself even though there’s no external sign there had been any lapse. As she pokes her head out into the hallway, the guards outside are already greeting the intruders.
“My niece here was friends with the princesses’ protege back in Cloudsdale. She says she came straight to Canterlot when she heard about the attack.” Nimbus Kicker, a higher-ranking member of the Royal Companions, is explaining. Behind her, a small gaggle of fillies follows along; a lavender pegasus with blonde mane who somewhat resembles the older guardspony, a timid buttery-yellow filly with a pink mane hiding behind her friends, and to Glyndwr’s great surprise, another gryphon.
The other gryphon and Glyndwr stare distrustingly at eachother even as the guards out front allow the fillies through. Glyndwr hesitates, backing up into the room; The explanation sounds believable enough, sure, but it could just as easily be a ploy to get somepony in the room with Rainbow Dash for an attack. Granted, the fillies hardly look the part, unarmed pegasi (and gryphon) as they are, but it could just as easily be the case that the assassins are counting on just such a ploy. Momentarily, Glyndwr ponders if she should call for reinforcements with the magical artifact strapped around her ankle, just in case.
Before she can make up her mind, the gryphon of the encroaching group speaks up. “What are you doing here?” The incredulity in her voice is palpable, as she looks Glyndwr up and down. “You’re barely older than I am! What, were you too good for Gryphonstone? Just who did your parents bribe to get you positioned in Canterlot?”
Oh great, a proper Gryphonstonian. Glyndwr suppresses an internal groan. She had only met with gryphons of the more ‘mainstream’ gryphon culture a talonful of times, and each one had been ... Taxing, to say the least. In a way, it’s somewhat surreal, seeing how ponies probably see her most of the time. Turning her head to look the other gryphon in the eye, Glyndwr appraises her icily with severe distrust. “I’ve never been to Gryphonstone. Now, if you want to see Rainbow Dash, you’re going to have to-”
Before Glyndwr can continue, the cumulative group is distracted by an interjection from a particular bedridden, prismatically maned pegasus behind her. “Gilda!? Is that you?” Rainbow Dash calls out, hastily removing Spike from her shoulder and hiding the textbook underneath her mattress.
The till-now spooked silent yellow pegasus surges forwards at the sound of the voice. “H-How is she doing? Um, I mean, i-is she going to be okay?” The worried voice of the yellow filly asks Glyndwr, trying to peek around the corner.
Glyndwr glances back to Rainbow Dash unsurely. Of course, she did mention she had a gryphon friend back in Cloudsdale. Obviously Rainbow Dash recognizes them, but even so, she needs confirmation before she can just let them through; she wouldn’t be much of a guardsgryph otherwise, would she? “Are these your friends?”
Only after Rainbow Dash nods affirmation, does Glyndwr sigh and back up, leaving just enough space to let the ponies in one by one. The yellow one flies in first, taking up position next to Rainbow Dash’s bed and immediately starting to fret over her. Before the others can rush in, Glyndwr places herself firmly in the way.
“Alright, listen up! I’ll let you see your friend but only one of you can be close to the bed at a time! Got it?” Friends or not, any unknown pony is still a potential threat. Any one, Glyndwr is confident she can take, and if she needs to call for backup it will arrive nearly instantly courtesy of unicorn teleportation. So as long as the ponies keep their distance, it should be safe enough...
Gilda glares at Glyndwr, cramming her face close to the other gryphon. “And why should I do what you say? The guards already let us in.” Gilda hisses out, narrowing her eyes. “Are you even a real guard? What kind of gryphon works in Canterlot? Maybe you’re the one we should be suspicious of.”
Glyndwr grimaces, places one talon firmly on Gilda’s chest and shoves her back, planting herself between her and the injured pegasus behind. “Keep your distance.” Glyndwr dictates icily. “Regardless of your feelings about it, I am still considered a guardspony within these palace walls, and my word goes.”