(CHAPTER 5)
 
>Day STOP RIGHT THERE CRIMINAL SCUM in Equestria
>You are Shimmer Atticus Wing, and it is a beautiful day.
>Usually you just go by Shimmerwing though.
>You've already woken up at the guardhouse, and went for your morning jog, and cleaned yourself up. The sun is shining, it's a peaceful morning, and you have the whole day ahead of you.
>And things are going well for you.
>At least you think they are.
>You've caught your first criminals while on the job.
>Well they ended up not being criminals, but that's not really the point.
>You were complemented by your superior for your quick response to danger and upholding the high standards of the Royal Guards.
>You made amends (at least you think you did) with the ponies, and griffon, you arrested.
>And you even had the day off today.
>You've already had breakfast (most important meal of the day after all), and are ready to start your day.
>The only question is... start your day with what?
>You've been meaning to buy some things for your apartment in Canterlot. Not that you back there much anymore with how often you sleep out at different posts.
>You could try to find Gilda, and see if she was willing to hang out again.
>Or you could simply relax in the Ponyville park and curl up with a nice book.
 
A. Shopping
B. Gilda
C. Park
(B was chosen)
 
>You ponder for a moment.
>What's the point of a day off if you don't utilize it to the fullest?
>Besides, Gilda doesn't know too many ponies in town, so she'd probably welcome your company.
>Or so you hope.
>It was always hard to tell with griffons.
>You had grown up in the Frozen North, where most griffons who had moved to Equestria decided to settle.
>It was almost a piece of griffon homeland placed right on top of Equestria.
>The high mountains, the cold temperatues, the griffons felt right at home usually.
>Your father was a unicorn who specialized in growing all sorts of plants. Specifically on how to create the hardiest of plants that could survive extreme temperatures.
>He was offered an exorbitant sum of money to settle in the city of Base Cleft. Aptly named since it was a city built at the base of Cleft mountain.
>So he and your mom moved there, and that was that.
>Your sister inherited your father's green hooves, but you did not, so you decided to join the Royal Guard to see the lands of Equestria.
>It was only when you were teased during basic training that you realized most ponies were not attracted to griffons.
>You were able to adjust pretty well, but there still were things that confused you.
>Your bunkmates kept showing you pin-ups of mares like Sapphire Shores and Spitfire as 'hot' and 'beautiful' mares.
>Frankly speaking, any female that looked like they would snap like a twig if you looked at them funny wasn't attractive at all.
>Beautiful females were those who could knock a guy out with one hand behind their back.
>And the more you heard about Gilda, the more interested you were.
>She had been through more in the past few days then most ponies went through in a lifetime.
>And most importantly? She was kicking butt while doing so, if the story she had told yesterday was true.
>Now that was hot.
>But those were thoughts to have for later. Right now you just wanted to become her friend first.
>With that thought in mind you set out.
>You remember overhearing Mrs. Pie inviting Gilda to breakfast at Sugarcube Corner.
>Not that you meant to eavesdrop, but sometimes it was just unavoidable.
>But it at least gave you a place to start.
>You start your walk across town.
>Ponies stop you occasionally to make small talk.
>It's amazing how much respect the Royal Guard gets here. You remember the ones posted in Base Cleft were always sort of ignored by every pony and griffon alike. They were scenery moreso than ponies.
>But not here. Here you've already gotten a trio of fillies asking about how to be a guard and if they could get cutie marks in guarding, a free carrot as a snack for later, and plenty of friendly ponies waving your way.
>It was all a bit surreal to be honest.
>But you did enjoy the change of pace. You had gotten to see a fair amount of the area around Canterlot, and you had to admit Ponyville was up there in your favorite places.
>A picturesque community of sorts, if it weren't for the fact that something always managed to pop up every other week.
>But that was perfect for you. A life without excitement wasn't a life at all.
>Eventually Sugarcube Corner comes into view.
>Which is of course is Ponyville's cue for everything to go wrong.
"Help! Guards!" you hear a shout from behind you.
>You sigh. You're off duty... but you have no idea if any other guards are nearby.
 
A. Go help out. Sugarcube Corner will be there when you get back.
B. A day off is a rarity in the guard, you're sure somepony else can handle this.
(A was chosen) 
 
>What kind of pony would you be if you just ignored a cry like that.
>Certainly not one worthy of Gilda.
>...did you actually just think that?
>You shake your head and fly off towards the shout.
>It appears it came from the open air market.
>A thief? A runaway cart? A...
>A giant flower?
>As the market comes into view you see a group of ponies gathered around a bushel of roses that seems to be spinning around.
"Rosey!" One of the ponies calls.
"Don't touch her! It may be contageous!" Another says.
"Where's Twilight? She'll know what to do!"
>You land right outside the group of ponies.
>"Stay calm! I am a part of the Royal Guard. What appears to be the situat-"
>Before you can finish the moving bush leaps towards you. You prepare to defend yourself and then your mouth drops open in shock when you see a pony's head in the center of the flowers.
"Oh officer it's terrible, I've been cursed!" the pony shouts at you.
>And... you're honestly inclined to believe her. You haven't seen anything like this before in your life.
>"Alright, stay calm ma'am. Tell me what happened in detail." You may be freaking out on the inside, but a true guard never shows his worry to civilians.
>The mare, whose name you find out is Roseluck, was setting up her flower stall for market when somepony dumped a bucket of water on her. She saw the tail end of somepony flying off, and figured it was just a mean prank. However, a few minutes later she noticed that roses were growing from her hair. And before long they had spread to the rest of her body.
>You honestly have no idea how to help the mare, and she seems to be getting more and more distraught every passing second.
"Now what in tarnation is goin' on here?" you suddenly hear behind you.
>To your suprise it's Applejack, the Element of Honesty herself.
>"Please stay back Ms. Applejack, the situation may be danger-"
>She pushes you aside.
"Dangerous my hoof! Haven' you ponies ever heard of poison joke before?"
>A giant flower?
>As the market comes into view you see a group of ponies gathered around a bushel of roses that seems to be spinning around.
"Rosey!" One of the ponies calls.
"Don't touch her! It may be contageous!" Another says.
"Where's Twilight? She'll know what to do!"
>You land right outside the group of ponies.
>"Stay calm! I am a part of the Royal Guard. What appears to be the situat-"
>Before you can finish the moving bush leaps towards you. You prepare to defend yourself and then your mouth drops open in shock when you see a pony's head in the center of the flowers.
"Oh officer it's terrible, I've been cursed!" the pony shouts at you.
>And... you're honestly inclined to believe her. You haven't seen anything like this before in your life.
>"Alright, stay calm ma'am. Tell me what happened in detail." You may be freaking out on the inside, but a true guard never shows his worry to civilians.
>The mare, whose name you find out is Roseluck, was setting up her flower stall for market when somepony dumped a bucket of water on her. She saw the tail end of somepony flying off, and figured it was just a mean prank. However, a few minutes later she noticed that roses were growing from her hair. And before long they had spread to the rest of her body.
>You honestly have no idea how to help the mare, and she seems to be getting more and more distraught every passing second.
"Now what in tarnation is goin' on here?" you suddenly hear behind you.
>To your suprise it's Applejack, the Element of Honesty herself.
>"Please stay back Ms. Applejack, the situation may be danger-"
>She pushes you aside.
"Dangerous my hoof! Haven' you ponies ever heard of poison joke before?"
"Are you telling me I've been POISONED?" Roseluck screams.
>You almost have to cover your ears, but that wouldn't be professional...
>Applejack facehoofs.
"No! No nuthin' like that. It's a plant from the Everfree. It just plays a practical joke on you. It's easily cured by taking a bubble bath. Or herbal bath. One of the two... or both... I don't remember which."
>"Wait..." you interrupt, "you're saying that a plant from the Everfree forest did this?"
>Applejack nods.
>You turn back to Roseluck. "You didn't happen to pick any flowers for your store out of the everfree, did you?"
"No! I don't go near that place! I'm not crazy enough to do that!"
>You frown. "In that case, that would mean that whoever dumped the water on you... maybe had poison joke soaking in the water? Does that even work?"
>You look at Applejack for confirmation. She simply shrugs.
"You'd have ta ask Zecora about that. She knows way more about this kind o' thing than anypony else."
>You're about to ask where to find Zecora when a pony flies down next to the crowd in a panic.
"Applejack!" the pony cries, "You gotta come quick! Blossomforth's legs have gone all... noodly!"
>'noodly?' you mouth silently.
"Slow down Cloudkicker, what jus' happened exactly?"
"Well we were on weather patrol along when some jerk peagsus flew by and splashed her with water. We went to go dry her off, and next thing we know her legs are all over the place!"
>You grimace a little at that. Not a pretty picture.
>Shaking your head, you put on an authoritative tone. "It appears that our perpatrator is not content with one victim." You look to Applejack. "You said Zecora knows about what this plant can do?" She nods.
>"Then we have to catch this pegasus, get zecora, and cure these ponies. So..."
 
A. Go after the perpatrator, and send Applejack to Zecora's place.
B. Fetch Zecora yourself. You can't let a mare go into the Everfree alone.
C. Go get backup guards. This is too much to handle alone.
(A was chosen)
 
>It doesn't take long for you to decide.
>The Everfree may be dangerous, but you can hardly let this cruel prankster go about unheeded.
>"Miss Applejack. Would it be too much trouble to ask you to go fetch Zecora to help with this outbreak?"
"Well shoot, I was plannin' on doin' that anyway." She gallops off in the direction of the forest. You certainly hope she'll be alright. You don't want to be responsible for letting harm come to one of the elements.
>You turn back to the crowd. "I ask that you all remain calm. If anypony else falls victim to this, please ask them to gather here. Applejack should return shortly with Zecora who will assist all ponies who need the cure."
>"I will track down this pony spreading the Poison Joke. You said he was a pegasus correct?" you ask Roseluck.
>She stifles a sniffle and nods in response.
>You give your wings a stretch and start hovering above the ponies heads. One last quick assurance before you head out should do it.
>"Do not worry citizens, the Royal Guard will not let this crime go unpunished."
>With that you zip into the sky.
>You aren't technically sure if dumping Poison Joke infused water is against the law or not, but you're sure whatever is going on somepony is up to no good.
>Normally it wouldn't be too difficult to track down a pegasus, but it looked like the weather team had been assembling a small rainfall for later, so there was a smattering of cloudcover appearing all over town.
>Of course. Nothing was ever that easy.
>The question was... where to start?
 
A. Start your patrol over the town, looking for any suspicious pegasii.
B. Lie in wait to see if the perpetrator returns to the scene of the crime, or chooses another victim.
(A was chosen)
 
>You decide that lying in wait is not how a proper guard would do things.
>You are a pony of action.
>You head off in the direction that Cloudkicker came from. Blossomforth is the most current victim, so you would reason that the perpatrator is heading in a line looking for victims.
>You wonder where he is getting all these buckets of poison joke water. It would lead you to believe that this is a premeditated act... but why?
>Before you have more time to ponder this, you hear another cry, this one of rage.
>You speed off in that direction to find the most scrawny white pegasus you've ever seen with the BIGGEST wings. Looking closer you see what looks like a weight for a cutie mark.
>It looks like the poor pony is currently torn between raging and crying.
>"Let me guess, pegasus flyby, bucket of water?"
>He nods, choking back a sob.
>"Which way did he go?"
>The pony points in a direction, towards the downtown area of Ponyville.
>You nod, "Head to the market square. A cure will be coming there shortly."
>You speed off towards downtown, hearing a muffled 'muh gains' inbetween sobs behind you.
>You arrive downtown and perch on Davenport's 'Quills and Sofas' shop.
>It doesn't look like anypony here has been hit yet.
>You start moving further into the outskirts of downtown, pausing every so often to scan the crowd.
>You're finally reach the point where there are vitually no ponies around. You must have missed the pegasus...
*splash*
>All of a sudden you feel very cold, and very wet.
>You look up to see an awful colored black and red pegasus flying away.
>You look at the water dripping off your now drenched mane.
>"Oh buck me."
>You immediately take off after the pony.
>You don't know how long before the effects of poison joke take place, so you have to take him down quickly.
>The pegasus wasn't flying away very fast, and you liked to think you were named Shimmerwing for a reason.
>At least a reason beyond having shimmery wings.
>You reach top speed in moments, already considerably shortening the distance between the the two of you.
>The pony seems to sense something is wrong, and turns around just a moment too late.
>You slam into him, violently expelling all the air from his body. The impact drops the bucket, which you can only hope doesn't land on some unfortunate pony.
"Hey what? Get off me!" the pony yells, trying to worm out of your grip.
>"No can do. You're under arrest." you say, pumping your wings to bring him to the ground.
"Wait what?!" his eyes go wide and he starts trying to kick and hit you with his hooves.
>Thankfully disarming and detaining an airborne opponent is pegasus training 101. You catch one of his forearms and twist it around, forcing the pony to spin in midair.
>You move your other arm and pin one of his wings to his back.
"Ow ow ow ow ow!" the pegasus says, now dangling helplessly below you.
>"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be us-" You pause. Something is wrong.
>Your wings aren't flapping.
>This means no one is flapping and both of you are currently plummeting to the ground.
>Your head swivels around to see the fact that you no longer have wings.
>Instead you have a very shiny red cape where your wings once were.
>"Oh... that's not good." You mutter.
"DUDE, FLY UP, FLY UP."
>"I would except I have no wings." You say calmly. You weren't calm, but you can't let criminals know that. Always be in control of your emotions.
"DUDE WHAT? LET ME GO I'LL FLY OH NO NO NO I DON'T WANT TO DIE LIKE THIS!!!"
>You have to make a split second decision.
>You could let go of his wings and order him to land.
>Or ride him into the ground. You know a fall at this hight won't kill anypony. Well... Shouldn't... maybe. But it will at least hurt. A lot.
 
A. Trust him and let his wing go.
B. No trusting criminal scum. He brought this on himself.
(B was chosen)
 
>You really really hope this is a good idea.
>Well, it's not a good idea.
>But you hope it's not a terrible idea.
>You tense and brace for impact. "Sorry, no can do. You'll live. Probably."
"Probably?!" He puts his free forearm in front of his face as his body stiffens. "Oh Celesti-"
*Thud*
>You don't really have time to feel the impact. One moment you're watching the ground rush up to meet you, the next you're tumbling head over hindquarters.
>Fortunately, you slide to a stop soon enough.
>Unfortunately, all the pain decides to hit you at once.
>You cringe as fire shoots through your body from your skull to your hind legs.
>However, you force yourself to stand. Can't let him get away after all.
>You spy the pony laying a couple of feet away from you, unmoving.
>You rush-
>Pain lances through your right hindleg and you freeze for a minute as your entire body seizes up.
>Regaining motor control, you hobble over to the pony. A quick check shows that, thankfully, he did not die, and was just knocked clean out.
>You smile. That turned out alright.
>Although now you had the challenge of somehow restraining him and then bringing him back to the guardpost.
>You grumble, this is not going to be fun at all, not with your head pounding and your leg throbbing.
>Your eye stings suddenly and you rush a hoof up to apply pressure. It comes away red.
>Great. So you've got a bum leg, a head wound, and an unconscious pony.
>All in all that went as well as you could've possibly expected.
>You smile.
>On the bright side you'll have a story to tell Gilda.
>Thankfully, by now ponies who saw your crash are rushing over.
>Looks like you won't have to hobble across town after all.
>You explain the situation to the first ponies who reach the scene. Soon enough you're provided with rope, a wagon, and even a volunteer to pull you to the market square.
>Did you mention the ponies in this town were really friendly to guards?
>Before long you've made it back to the square.
>You hop off the wagon.
>Thankfully it looks like Applejack not only found Zecora, but she also provided a giant washtub that all the afflicted ponies could use.
>You really have to wonder where that came from.
"Shimmerwing, report!"
>You snap to attention, saluting Slab.
>Only you fail to remember your currently out of commision leg, and fall over.
>You grumble and stand back up. "Sir! What do you know about the situation so far?"
"I know somepony has been taking their pranks a bit tooo far... Is that him?" He points a hoof over to the wagon.
>You nod. "I was able to catch him in the act... after I unfortunately fell victim as well. I have not had the chance to question his motives yet."
"Very well. Leave that part to meee..." Slab taps his chin with a hoof, "Also, have you seen Coat today?"
>You shake your head, "No sir."
>Slab frowns.
"I don't like this... Not at all."
>You tilt your head. You don't quite know what's going on, but if Slab is bothered, you're bothered.
"Anyway, get yourself fixed up and checked out at the hospital then report back. If Coat doesn't turn up soon I'm afraid I may have to rescind on your day off."
>You sigh, so much for that. Oh well. Nothing you can do about it now. At least not like this.
>You quickly... well, as quickly as possible, head over to the giant basin and jump in.
>You burst out of the water and look back, and breathe a sigh of relief as you see your wings once more.
>You stretch them and give them a few experimental flaps.
>It looks like one benefit of them not being there during the crash is they're completely unharmed.
>You take off and set out for the hospital. You sincerely hope your leg isn't too busted.
>It's too bad you didn't ever make it to Sugarcube Corner.
>You smirk. 'Gilda will still be around.' You tell yourself. 'There's no need to rush.'
>No need at all.
 
SELECT YOUR CHARACTER
A. Slab
B. Gilda
C. Rainbow Dash
(C was chosen)
 
 
>Day 20% more sucky in Equestria
>You are Rainbow Dash.
>And today sucks.
>Hard.
>You haven't felt this bad since when you messed up the Spiral Swing that landed you in the hospital.
>The upside was at least you discovered Daring Do from that.
>You don't really see an upside to this situation.
>Gilda came back, and it was so easy to see her and blame her.
>But then she told her story of how she had been doing...
>And then she chewed you out.
>The worst part was the more you thought about what she said, the more you thought she was right.
>You weren't loyal.
>This stupid element should never have chosen you.
>Stupid magic.
>Stupid Gilda.
>Stupid Rainbow Dash.
>You sniffed and wiped your eyes.
>You hadn't slept all night, and now the sun was already shining through the hole in your cloud home.
>The hole you made when you were throwing a fit.
>That was of course after you flew home and cried your eyes out.
>For being a pony that didn't do well with emotional stuff you sure seemed to have a lot of emotions.
>You scrunch your eyes shut.
>You just don't feel like dealing with anything today.
>In fact? Today can just go buck itself.
>...
>You almost expected something to happen after that.
>You're almost dissapointed.
>Your stomach growls in agreement.
>You sigh.
>You probably should eat something.
>But that would mean getting out of bed...
>Bed was safe. Bed wouldn't hurt you. Bed wouldn't make your realize your entire existence was a lie.
>You decide to lie there and see if your stomach forgets it's hungry.
>...
>...
>...
*Growl*
>You sigh. If only it worked like that.
>You sit up.
>It was too bad you hadn't gone shopping in forever or you would have food here to eat.
>Well, step 1, eat. Step 2 find a nice cloud. Step 3 take a nap. And step 4? Deal with all this... this... stupid stuff later.
>Yeah, that was a good plan.
 
 
A. Get food from Sugarcube Corner.
B. Grab something from AJ's
C. Go to the market and stock up.
(B was chosen)
 
>You don't feel like dealing with lots of ponies today.
>Or Pinkie.
>How could Pinkie not tell you who the party was for!
>Eugh!
>That mare sometimes...
>AJ's it was then.
>Hey... you could even talk to her about things.
>Applejack was good at helping you sort out your thoughts.
>That settled that then.
>You roll of the bed and land on all fours.
>You're about to head to your front door when you stop.
>You sigh and walk over to the hole in your wall.
>It's a problem you have to fix... later.
>You grin. Right now it's just a useful shortcut.
 
>You do another lazy loop the loop on the way to Sweet Apple Acres.
>Flying did loads to help improve your mood.
>How could anypony be mopey when they've got the wind under their wings.
>Before you know it, the familiar rows and rows of trees come into sight.
>As hungry as you are, you know better than to just grab an apple from any old tree.
>You swear Applejack had a Pinkie sense just for 'varmits eatin' her apples'.
>Try as you might though... you can't seem to find her.
>What day was it again? You can't remember if it was AJ's turn to run the stall in the market...
>You eventually hear the dull thud of hooves against trees.
>Thank Celestia, you weren't quite sure what you would've done if she was-
>"Big Mac?" you say out loud as you fly to the source of the sound.
>The stallion looks up at you.
"Eeyup."
>"...Applejack isn't here today is she?" you say, defeated.
"Nope." he says as he points a hoof to Ponyville proper.
>"Just great," you throw up your arms in exasperation, "she always hates when I crash her stall time too. Says I distract the customers too much."
>Your stomach grumbles again. "Uh... yeah. There's also that too. I don't suppose I could nab an apple? I'll pay for it."
"Nope." the stallion says.
>You facehoof. Unlike Applejack you still don't quite have talking to Big Mac down. You weren't sure if that meant 'No I don't mind you can have an apple,' or 'No you cannot have an apple.'
>Thankfully, you don't have to clarify yourself as Big Mac tosses an apple up to you.
>You quickly clean it on your coat and take a huge bite.
>Applejack always berated you for eating food too fast, which you also never understood.
>Food was fuel to fly. Eating food faster allowed you to fly sooner. More flying could never be bad.
>"Thanks Mac. But yeah, I was planning to find AJ so I could talk to her about Gilda. I don't know if you ever met her? Anyway, we were friends, and she did some stupid stuff, and I did some stupid stuff too, and then we weren't really friends. That part doesn't really matter anymore anyway."
>"So she straight up tells me that I wasn't very loyal. And I was about this close to sockin' her one, but then I realized she was right... I didn't even try to go after her. I just let her leave and didn't even think twice about it. I'm a failure as the Element of Loyalty. AJ wouldn't let anyone down. Why didn't she get that one? I can do honest. Hay most of the time I say what's on my mind even if I know it's a bad idea."
>You shake your head, getting back on your train of thought. "But then she almost died. Gilda almost died and I wasn't even there for her. Even if we didn't part on the best terms I would want to help her. I mean... I guess I just thought I'd turn around one day and she'd be there and everything would be okay again or something?" You slam your hooves over your head. "Auuuugh! Why is this so difficult!"
>"Whatever. I'm gonna go back to sleep or something..." You say, already flapping your wings getting ready to take off again.
"Nope."
>"...Huh?"
"Listen," Big Mac sighs, "AJ isn't honest all the time. She lies all the time 'bout them 'zines she got under her bed. An' I figure that ain't what them whole elements thing is 'bout. She don't have ta be honest all the time or she gets fired or nuttin', just like you don't have to be loyal every single second. Do ya see Miss Rarity givin' away her house?"
>You're simply floating there in shock. You don't know if you've ever heard Big Mac talk this much.
>You don't know if ~anypony~ has heard Big Mac talk this much.
"Thing is, them elements don't work on an always on basis. Ya use them when ya have to use em ta blast all them monsters n' whonot. Same wit' the whole loyalty thing. Ya don't use it all the time, just when you have ta. An' it looks like you have ta now Miss Dash."
>Your brain is still having trouble catching up... but once it does, it feels like almost everything makes sense.
>"Wow Mac... that was... uh... wow."
"Eeeyup."
>"I don't suppose you have anything else to say now? Specifically about some magazines AJ's hiding?" you say with a grin. You'd have to save that knowledge for a prank some rainy day later.
"Nope."
>You thank Big Mac and fly into the sky.
>What Gilda had said the other day had hurt, because it had made a lot of sense.
>But what Big Mac had just told you also made sense.
>You really weren't the best at this thinking thing, you had to admit.
>You're a decision pony. And right now you decided that.
 
A. Try to find Gilda by yourself.
B. Ask around to see if anypony had seen her.
C. Let Gilda cool off before you find her.
(B was chosen)
 
>Well, you're not going to get anywhere sitting on your hooves.
>You need to talk to Gilda.
>And you be somepony has seen her.
>Shes the only griffon in Ponyville right now, she kind of sticks out.
>You wave farewell to Big Mac, and start leisurely flying towards town.
>Not that you're hesitant to see Gilda.
>You just think it's nice to take it easy every once in a while.
>Not at all because you're hesitant.
>Nope.
 
>With that thought settled, your flight black is relatively worry free.
>You approach the town and notice a whole bunch of ponies gathered in the market.
>Even more strange is you notice Zecora standing on a pedestal talking to all the ponies.
>You swoop down and land next to her.
"Fear not my ponies, and wait for her! Soon Applejack will bring Poison Joke's cure!"
>"Hey Z." You nod, "What's goin' on here?"
"Rainbow Dash, you arrived not a moment too soon. Your help in talking to these ponies would be a boon."
>You're about to say something else when you look out over the crowd. You suddenly realize that you recognize most of the ponies... except that something is 'off' about them.
>"Wait, you're telling me all these ponies got hit by poison joke?"
"That appears to be the case," she nods, "Applejack is bringing an extra large basin, post haste."
>You frown. You must've missed her on the way here. You don't have time for this.
>A bunch of ponies in the crowd were talking in worried voices, and as it usually happens with crowds, you try to talk to the pony next to you, but since other ponies are talking, you talk a bit louder. Now since you're talking louder, the other ponies have to talk louder to talk over you. And soon enough everypony is shouting and freaking out.
>You sigh. Herd mentality sometimes. You jump into the air and put on your best impression of Luna's royal canterlot voice.
>"Alright, listen up ponies! Just calm down. Z here knows exactly how to fix you up, and Applejack, one of the most reliable ponies in this town is currently on the case. So just sit down, relax, and stop getting worked up over nothing."
>You massage your temple with a hoof. "I mean seriously, you guys can deal with pinkie's pranks, but you can't deal with a little poison joke? Get a grip on yourselves! Pony up, calm down, and just relax! Okay?!"
>You glare out at the crowd, which has now gone silent.
>"Good! Great. They're all yours Z."
"Couldn't have done it betterrr myself." a booming voice says behind you.
>"Augh!" you spin around and raise your hooves in a defensive posture.
>To find yourself looking down at a giant royal guard.
>You transition your hoof to hoof combat pose into a hoof running over your mane. "Uh... who're you?"
"Slab, currently in chaaarge of Ponyville royal guard. I should be handle it from here."
>"Oh. Great! I'm in a bit of a hurry anyway." you say as you speed off.
>You only get above the rooftops before you remember why you even came here.
>You swoop back down and call out to the crowd. "Hey, has anypony seen Gilda recently?"
"I saw her leaving Sugarcube corner with some brown pony with a sword and shield cutie mark."
"Really?" Slabs voice echos from behind you. "What was coat doing out there... he's supposed to be on duty today." he rubbed his chin in contemplation.
>"Maybe he brought her back to the guardpost? She didn't get arrested again, did she?"
"I am not suuure what is going on..." Slab shrugged. "But if you do find Coat, let him know I am looking for him."
>You nod. So Gilda was at Sugarcube corner... but walking away with Coat, with a possible destination being the guardpost.
>So you could search those two places. Or maybe one of your friends was free to help look.
 
A. Check out Sugarcube corner
B. See if they're at the guardpost.
C. Check if your friends are available to help
(C was chosen)
 
>You grumble. You knew that if you spent all day looking for Gilda then your resolve might fade and you'd find an excuse to postpone it to tomorrow, and then the next day, etc.
>Element of Laziness maybe.
>You had to find her today, even if that meant getting help.
>And when you needed help from your friends, while you knew anypony would be willing to help you, you knew Fluttershy wasn't always the most effective at, well, getting things done. And Rarity would find a way to complain about the work. Pinkie Pie was a complete toss up on the possibility of either helping or hindering you...
>So that left Twilight. Reliable, and hopefully she'd have some griffon locator spell.
>Not that things were ever that convenient, but hay, you could always hope.
>With that thought in mind, you speed off to the library.
>You always appreciated how Twilights library was smack dab near the middle of town. Always could get to it quick if you needed the bookworm.
>You briefly wondered if the Princess had planned it that way.
>Or maybe Twilight.
>You wouldn't put it past either of them.
>Spying an open window, you angle yourself just right and pull in your wings at the right moment to shoot yourself like a cannonball into the tree house.
>Doors simply took to long.
*Pomf*
>...
>That wasn't the satisfying sound of knocking off all the books on the wall.
>You pull your head back and open your eyes. You note that you appear to have ran into a giant pillow being levitated in the middle of the room.
>Oh she was getting goooood.
"Rainbow Dash, I would appreciate if I didn't have to reorganize my books the moment after I get home." Twilight said, gently levitating the pillow, and you, to the floor.
>You laugh, "Heh, aww Twilight, you know it's just my way of saying I missed you right?"
>She pinches the bridge of her nose.
"Be that as it may, I was planning on organizing my notes I just took this afternoon, so unless you plan on helping me out with that, I don't really have time to hang out tonight."
>You scratch the back of your head. "Uh, yeah, as fascinating as that would be, I'm actually... uh... well here's the thing..."
>You shut your mouth and stare menacingly at a spot at the floor. You know what you wanted to say, but it was always so difficult to get your mouth to cooperate.
>"Do you think you could help me find Gilda to apologize and stuff? I really bucked up. Big time."
>Twilight stares at you for a moment.
"Gilda?" Twilight puzzles, "Wasn't that the griffon who came to visit you way back when?"
>You nod. "Look, I'd love to tell you the whole story, but I should find her before I lose my nerve. Do you have any way you can like... magic up a Gilda detector?"
>Twilight gives you one of those looks that she often gives you. It's a cross between 'magic isn't just there for your convenience Rainbow Dash,' and 'oh but I just had a really good idea for a spell that I really want to test out now.'
>You had gotten pretty good at reading Twilight's looks. To be fair she wasn't a very subtle pony.
"Well... I could in theory utilize what Rarity has taught me about her gem finding spell and modify a few portions to possibly locate griffons... I'm not quite sure how well that would work."
"But on the other hoof I've been playing with a modification of the 'Want it, Need it' spell which instead affects an individual and directs them towards what they want, and or, need at that moment in time."
"I'm not sure if either of those would work, but if you're really in a hurry to find her now, either one of those could help you out. Otherwise I'm afraid you're on your own."
>You frown. As much as you trusted Twilight as a friend, sometimes playing guinea pig to her spells wasn't all that an attractive idea.
>It really seems like she isn't in the mood to help you search on hoof either, so it's either all or nothing here...
 
A. Griffon locator spell
B. Want it need it spell
C. Nevermind, you'll hoof it.
(A was chosen)
 
>"I think I'd prefer to not have the whole town go crazy over me. I have enough of that already." You grin.
>"But the first one sounded good. That way you don't have to cast a spell on me... right?"
"Correct." Twilight nodded. "You won't be involved with this one. Anyway, just wait right there. This shouldn't take too long."
>You occupy yourself as Twilight levitates some notes out of a nearby desk and starts mumbling to herself.
>If this does work you'll have to thank Twilight later somehow.
>Name one of your stunts after her? Nah, too much.
>Prank one pony of her choosing? Ooh that could be good.
"Alright, ready."
>"Great," you say, snapping your head up, "So, uh, how does this work. Are you gonna just end up pointing in a direction like Winona does when she finds an animal on the farm or what?"
"Not quite, Rarity wasn't too clear on the details, she was finding it hard to put into words other than 'oh you just know darling.'" Twilight says as she makes air quotes with her hooves.
"I'm hoping it's one of those types of spells or feelings that becomes clear once you experience it."
>You nod. and step back as Twilight closes her eyes and her horn begins to glow.
>She opens her eyes as she sticks her tongue out of the side of her mouth.
"I... I think this should be working? But I'm not really getting anyth-WHOA."
>You watch as it looks like Twilight is yanked off her hooves by an invisible force and dragged to the door of the Library.
"Wait wait wait, this isn't supposed to happen!" Twilight says, flailing her limbs around trying to find purchase, and latching onto her doorknob.
>"Uh, stay calm!" you shout as you fly over to her. "Just cancel the spell or something!"
"I can't!" she looks at you with panic in her eyes.
>"What do you need me to do?!"
"Go find Rari-"
*Groan.... CRACK*
>And with that Twilight's door is pulled out of it's hinges, and Twilight is pulled backwards with a garbled cry.
>You fly out the Library after her. It looks like the magic isn't letting up: Twilight is already rounding the corner of one of the nearby buildings.
>You look around in a panic. It sounded like she wanted you to get Rarity.
>But you couldn't just leave Twilight like that either!
>It was times like this you wished you could move fast enough to be in two places at once.
 
A. Go get Rarity
B. Follow the floating Twilight
C. Find somepony to help.
(B was chosen)
 
>You give one last glance towards the direction of Carousel Boutique before seeing Twilight slip out of sight.
>That nailed it. Twilight wanted you to find Rarity, but there was no guarantee she'd be able to help in this situation either.
>Right now you were there, and that was good enough for you.
>You speed off, rounding the corner and almost barreling into a stack of barrels in your rush to catch up to Twilight.
>You see she's still being dragged, but has regained some semblance of balance using her wings.
>Despite the situation you smiled, it looks like those flying lessons you had been giving her had been helping after all.
"Rainbow! I told you to go find Rarity!" Twilight berates you, still trying to tug against her horn.
>You scowl at her, "And what was I supposed to do after I found her? Considering the fact I have no idea where you're going, how did you expect us to find you? I don't have a 'find Twilight' spell after all."
>Twilight strikes a thoughtful pose, which just looked plain odd to you since Twilight was still moving backwards.
"That's a good point Rainbow Dash, I didn't think of that."
>You momentarily strike a triumphant pose, "Haha! I thought of something you didn't! Oh, watch out for the wagon by the way." you mention casually.
"What?" Twilight spins her head around.
>Sure enough she was heading right towards an unattended wagon. She scrunches her eyes closed, and you're about to speed ahead and pull it out of her way when she abruptly changes directions right underneath you.
>You tumble over yourself in the air, trying to correct to the correct direction. It looks like she's being pulled downtown?
>You shrug, the most you can do for her now is make sure she doesn't run smack dab into things.
>You speed in front of Twilight, shoving objects and ponies out of the way. Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, nopony really seems bothered by this...
>This goes for a while, and to be honest? You're getting pretty bored of it.
>By the look on Twilight's face she's about had it with this too.
>It seemed like her horn was leading her to the outskirts of town at this point. Not too many ponies were around here at this time of day.
>Or... at all really.
>And then, to Twilight's and your surprise, Twilight slams into the front door of a building.
"..... is it over?" She groans, pulling herself off the ground.
>"I... I think so?" You say softly, scared to have yourself proven wrong.
>The two of you look at each-other, and both double over laughing.
>"W-what the heck was that?" you say, finally regaining your breath. "Your horn just went *pwooown* and just start dragging you along and you're just like 'ugh make it stoooop' and that part you were getting dragged along your face and your butt was sticking straight up!"
"I, uh, I'd prefer to forget about that part. Heh..." Twilight says, blushing, "And I honestly have no idea what that was. Maybe I didn't perform the spell right?"
>You look at the building, and gesture a hoof in it's direction. "Or maybe you did?"
"Well," Twilight smiles at you. "Only one way to find out."
>She grabs a hold of the door with her magic and swings it open.
>To reveal...
>...
>An empty house.
>Well that sure was anticlimactic.
 
(END OF CHAPTER 5)