The Griffon, the Mare, and the Moonbird.

[Gilda]

It had been a day since the group's arrival in devastated city of Canterlot and several long, sleepless hours since Gilda had her last vision. For a time, she sat atop a wall, the last vestige of what was an armor shop, and stared off over the city. She idly watched the activity of ponies, some trying to go about their daily routine as if nothing happened – willfully ignoring the destruction around them as they tried to grasp onto normality between the beats of hammers and rhythm of saws as the more proactive of the ponies were hard at work trying to rebuild their lives back up from the foundation. With her head resting in her talon, propped upon her thigh, she sat thinking, while her other talon pensively tossed a ruffled sack of bits up and down in the air, catching it with each idle toss.

”So... Destrier and the Golem Maker... that mare and the Moonbird?” She mused, claws tapping the feathers upon her cheek. ”And Red Charge... the colt? His mother, Moonbird and Princess Luna. That's some messed up junk, like seriously twisted.” Gilda looked up from her talon and called out, cupping her talon beside her beak channel the call, ”Hey, you hear this ponies?! You're all seriously sick in the head.” She then took a crumbled brick, loosed from the mortar of the wall and chucked it at a wheelbarrow pushed by a pony, knocking over and spilling the refuse within.

“What gives!?” The stallion scolded in protest as he shook his hoof at the griffon.

Gilda stuck her tongue out at him, ”What you going to do about it, hay-muncher? Keep moving before you hurt yourself.” She turned away from the stallon below as she shifted herself to recline across the break in the wall, her tail lazily swatting and sweeping along the wall below her as she nestled against her wings. She tossed the sack of coin in the air once more then snatched it up in the fall, ”But why show this to me, now or ever? What do you want me to do?” She rhetorically asked herself as she stared off into the sky. Pondering where to go from there, she considered her 'side-kicks', though the only one worth her time on this would be Trixie and she was unsure she could handle the pompous mare with her current auditory hallucination induced headache. She obviously couldn't go to Red Charge about this, not knowing its implication. That left one pony she knew, though a risk in of itself, perhaps he held some answers.

Resolved now to figure something out about the mess she overheard, she kicked up from the wall and leap into the air. She stretched her wings as she caught herself on the air as she took a moment to gather her surroundings. "Now, where in Tartarus are you, Starling?" With any direction as good as the other, she shot off to the north as she hoped his distinctive armor would identify him from the air before she succumbed to frustration.

After a good half-hour of flying, Gilda believed she caught the glint of something familiar on ground. Breaking, she dove lower, finding herself over what remained of a cafe beside a park, and there amongst a few turned up chairs and cushions of one armored pony with the distinctive likeness of Starling. Gilda dropped into a landing, planting herself behind the pensive, lost in though he seemed to have failed to notice the predator behind him. She approached, rapping a curled talon across the metal of his flank as she rounded the table. "Remember me? I need to ask something and you're the only one I think I can." She paused to let Starling collect himself, "Know anything about the Moonbird, Destrier, and the Golem Maker? Not the generic grade-school stuff they tell your foals but where the Moonbird actually came from or how it was actually made."

[Red Charge]

Starling turned to Gilda, if he was surprised to see her, she couldn't tell past his visor. He listened to her question and pondered a bit.

"Good morning, Gilda, how are you? Been busy I hear!" The stallion said sarcastically to her quick question.

"The way the Princesses tell it, Princess Luna was down with a very harsh fever, she had lost the will to hang on and brave through it and her parents commissioned the Golem Maker to make the Moon Bird, or he did that of his own accord. Hard to know if you never spoke to the pony. When she got it, she managed to muster her energies and live through the fever. Not really sure how Destrier fits in. The actual making of the Moonbird is a secret I suppose? The Golem Maker was not known to share his techniques."

[Gilda]

"Yeah, I know the basics of it." She said as she dismissed his statement, clearly growing flustered by how she planned to approach this. "You've been around Luna, and the castle, there has to be something more - right? Rumors, legends, things of that nature?" She asked as she sat across from the the armored pony. "Ok, let me back up. Who really was the Golem Maker, do we even really know? And why was the making of the Moonbird such a secret anyway? What didn't they want us to know - or the Golem Maker at least. What if the thing, the Moonbird, wasn't all it seemed to be. Like, how bad would it be... say if it was found Equestria used some, I dunno - just a hypothetical here, 'blood magic' or something so the prissy pony Princess could get a pet? I'm guessing pretty bad."

Gilda sighed in frustration, clearly vexed by her own line of questions. She slumped over the table and banged her head against it."Ahh... you know what, never mind. Forget I asked. It's stupid, all this is doing is making me sound like some-sort of dweeb. So yeah, hi, yes I've been busy. It's been terrible and I still hate everyone; how are you?"

[Red Charge]

Starling gestured to her to follow him, "Sounds like you have something on your mind." He said, "Been busy finding well groomed Diamond Dogs and ancient armors of legend?" He asked knowingly.

"As for me, well, I doubt you want to hear the troubles of the Field Marshal. It'd bore your ears off." He led her across the rubble, the place was completely unrecognizable after the destruction wreaked upon it by the Sky Titan, but as if by magic, when they stepped past a certain stone, a familiar manor appeared as though of thin air.

"One perk of the ancient magic, nothing can harm the house that does not know about it. Just like you would have walked through thin air had I not let you in it, so did the Sky Titan's primal lightning pass through it. I was curious myself to see if it held, but it seems that even primal magic cannot, or rather, will not, penetrate this veil." He said, "Though I am sure one such as Red Charge would know more about this than I."

When they stepped through the manor doors, Starling led her to one of the old sofas and sat down. "Sit in my lap and tell me what's bothering you? I promise, I won't have you killed for treason or whatever it is you're afraid of."

[Gilda]

Gilda let out a sarcastic and long sigh as Starling proclaimed his knowledge about what she had been up too. She hated being spied on like this, or at the very least, spoke about. "Great, so everypony knows already? Never realized gossip was a national pastime in Equestria." She bemoaned as she followed beside the armored stallion.

Gilda snickered, tapping the side of her head with a talon, "Hey, dweeb, too late. My 'ears' were bored off long ago." She proclaimed, highlighting the fact griffons lacked what ponies and most mammals would call ears. As the scenery around them changed, now to the familiar stone and dust of that old manor she had first met Starling in. She found herself both surprised and impressed it had withheld the attack, even with Starling's explanation and Gilda's lack of understanding on pony magic made the feat seem all that more impressive. Pony magic, she reflected on, could be terrifyingly powerful stuff.

When Starling led her to one of the sofa's and offered a set in his lap, Gilda just scoffed defiantly, "I'll forgo the lap sitting for now, you're libel to be about as comfortable and distracting as a washing machine." She said as she plopped down on her back on the coach beside him, squeezing her rump in and throwing her back paws on his lap as she relaxed. The snark grin on her beak as she looked down her body towards him suggested she was taking some delight in teasing him so.

With a relaxed sigh she sat the back of her head on the sofa's rest, ”Funny you should mention Red Charge, 'cause I'm ninety-percent sure he's mixed up in all of this. Maybe not directly, maybe so. Can't be too certain yet.” She said as she propped herself up slight with her arms to better face the stallion, ”Remember my new eye? Cassius or whatever it's called. Ever since it was shoved into my skull hole, been having these weird visions and hallucinations. The last two of these... well, it was about the Moonbird, Destrier and the Golem Maker. Now, these last few were only voices but, I've been seeing and hearing enough of Destrier lately to be pretty certain I can tell his voice and let me tell you, what I heard, it was some seriously messed up stuff. Screams, crying, pain, foalnapping, murder, and one brand spanking new Moonbird for Princess Cheese Flanks to pamper." She said, then paused for moment as she realized something possibly important, "Tell me, does the Moonbird ever act... I dunno, odd? Maybe around Red Charge or something?”

[Red Charge]

Starling considered Gilda's words carefully. "I wouldn't know." He answered her question, "The Moonbird has been away to the Northern Barrens since before I was back." The stallion responded, thinking some more.

"Well screams, crying, pain and murder were pretty much common in Destrier's time. Dragon Wars and Prism Wars and all. But specifically in relations to the Moonbird? I suppose it would have to be during the Dragon Wars, before Equestria was dragged into it."

"So what are you saying, exactly? That Red Charge and the Moonbird are related somehow? He would've been a foal at the time. Or are you suggesting that Destrier forced the Golem Maker into making it?"

[Gilda]

Gilda leaned back, contemplating Starling's words, however dissatisfied with them she was. "Has it..." She bemused, "That's lame. Of all places, why there?" She asked, curiously cocking her head to the right as both birds and griffons had a tendency to do.

She then growled and let her head fall freely back into the rest of the sofa. "This doesn't help at all. I mean, really? That was a common occurrence!? Further confirms that you ponies are a sick bunch." She retorted, crossing her talons indignantly. "I dunno! Why I asked you, I vaguely know your history, even when I gave a flying flip. When this happened, could have been anytime, all I know is yes, Red Charge and the Moonbird are, infact, related. It's his freaking mother - I think." She slammed her talon over her forehead, clearly frustrated that she just revealed her cards. "Ugh, why did I say that. Listen, I dunno if what I've been seeing or hearing is true, but that - that has been bugging me since I ran into Big Red when I got here."

[Red Charge]

"So you're saying the Moonbird, like your great uncle, is actually a pony trapped in a golem?" Starling asked, putting two and two together, "You think that's why Destrier adopted Red Charge? Because he killed he used his mother's soul for it? That would mean Destrier and the Golem Maker are both accessories. Now that is NOT common. The Eye showed you this?" He inquired.

"I'm glad I'm not you. Telling something like this to Red Charge, it'll take away the one pony he admired, he saw Destrier as a parent, from the way he talks about him. If this was known back in the Eclipse Crisis... catastrophic."

"Guess having a very powerful artifact like the Eye has its own problem. So let's look at your options, you could tell Red Charge, which would crush the only parent figure he remembers. You could tell Princess Luna, who would probably feel horrible and then tell Red Charge, which would cause option a to occur anyway. Or you can tell no one, forget about it. It's of no consequence to you, it's something that happened over a thousand years ago. Right?"

[Gilda]

As Starling's line of reasoning rolled on, Gilda let out a long frustrated snort through her beak. "I said I don't know! Yeah, I mean, that's what I gathered from this stupid eye but, I have no proof, nothing but what might as well be me slowly going insane." She slumped against the couch, exhausted from the mental gymnastics of trying to piece this together.

As Starling started to lay out her options, she rolled over onto her side, away from him as she stared off into the room. "Buck, those all suck. I barely know Red Charge, and what does the word of some griffon mean, especially when I got nothing to back it up. Probably just swat me away or institutionalize me. I'm certainly not going to go to the princess without something concrete. As for just sitting on it... why would the eye trigger this? That's what is bothering me most. Sure, could just be a coincidence, yet I can't shake the feeling I'm suppose to do something about it." She paused in her thoughts as she contemplated other options. "Wonder if there's more I'm missing, the big picture. Why is it important now? Hmm, could ask that purple smart pony, what's her name, Tangy Sparklers? Have to run by her place to grab the scaly runt anyway - I think, still not sure how all this destiny stuff works or what we're 'suppose' to do next." She said as she accentuated with air quotes. "Also pretty sure she despises me, no surprise, some losers just can't handle all this awesome."

[Red Charge]

"So you believe in destiny now?" Starling scoffed, "Didn't peg you as one of those. You think the eye has it's own will? That it was your 'destiny' to find it?" He asked, "Don't forget, Destrier was a powerful mage, during the wars, I'd wager he unleashed more magical power than all unicorns in Canterlot put together. It's more than likely that it left some residue behind. How you interpret whatever's happening to you is up to you. But saying destiny... it's a bit much. Everything you accomplished in your life is a result of your hard work and your judgement. To not acknowledge that is to belittle yourself."

The stallion poked her, "And that's just lame."

[Gilda]

Gilda shrugged off Starling's scoff, "If you asked me a week ago, I'd have said you're an idiot for believing in things like 'destiny' or 'providence'. That was, of course, before I accidentally wound-up in the Everfree Forest and just so happened to bump into every single one of my great-to the nin'th degree grandfather's best war buddies in the tomb of Destier's armor. Of course the Core Hounds may have had a little help in pushing us together." She defiantly crossed her talons over his chest, "Now tell me how that is all just a big ol'coincidence? Yeah, weirder things have probably happened but it certainly was awfully convenient."

Gilda grumbled then, realizing something about herself, spoke feverish and aggitated. "And what have I actually accomplished? I've been wandering Equestria for the last few years doing jack-all aside from stealing and getting into fights, lost my best friend, lost my eye only to have this -" Pulling down on the bottom of her Cassius eyelid with a talon."Thing, jammed in there. Oh and don't even let me go into detail again about what happened with the changelings. I can barely sleep anymore, thanks to that little trek. Buck, if it wasn't for the random times I black out thanks to the eye, I'd never get a proper break from it all." She rolled out from the couch, landing like cat upon all fours. She stretched her wings and dusted off her shoulders. "Maybe Destrier planned this whole thing from the start, put some sort of wheels in motion way back in the day. Even still, 'destiny' may as well be the word for it." Her talons tensed up as she grabbed her forehead, just under the crown feathers. She squawked in pain and kicked out her hind leg at a table stand beside the couch. "All this talk has given me another headache."

[Red Charge]

"What's this, self pity?" Starling said in disgust, "From you, nonetheless. You saying this is too big for you? You, who, if I recall correctly, caught the Grey Shadow, tricked the TRICKSTER himself and blew him, this ancient deity, sky high? You, who obtained the Eye of Cassius, though Griffon and through grit and determination alone stopped your body from rejecting it? You, who was the first Griffon to have ever set claw in a Changeling Hive? Who had trekked through zounds of Core Hounds, discovered the hidden tomb of Destrier and fought off his skeletal guard?"

He looked at her sternly, "You're going to tell me that you, who's done more than some admirals in your kingdom have, are going to tell me you've achieved nothing? Because if you are, then I feel my time is wasted here."

Starling made sense, of course he made sense, that much was obvious. The finite tone of his voice however, made what he said beyond argument. Destiny or no Gilda had done all of those things and not because some higher power granted her any power, but with her own wits. She may have made mistakes that any person, griffon or pony could have made in their life. But she had also performed feats that most of both could never dreamed of.

[Gilda]

Gilda grumbled as she plopped her rear against the dirty, dusty floor, her head slightly ajar to avoid Sterling's gaze. ”Well, when you put it like that.” She mumbled, crossing her talons and grimacing. ”Fine, whatever. You're right. Still can't I have just one moment to self-pity every now and then. I'm not one to let this show in public, consider it a privilege. Besides a girl has got to let it out once and awhile, last thing I need is... like an ulcer or something. And wait?!”

She jumped up to her paws and talons and addressed Starling with unsettled prevarication. ”How did you know about the skeletal guards? I mean seriously, who is chronicling my life!? If that blue illeist nag of a lame mule has been gossiping about me behind my back, I swear to everything, I'll turn her horn into a paper weight.” She rhetorically threatened, cupping her talon as she thought of how best to strangle a pony and the delight she would surely feel afterward. She took a moment to vent before taking a deep breath, ”Unless it was the mutt or the runt. Ugh, why did it have to be them. I'd take that pink sugar blob over all four of them anyday.”

[Red Charge]

"We asked and Trixie and Spike told, what did you expect to just stroll on back here with a Diamond Dog and have no one ask questions?" The stallion chuckled, "No we asked a lot of questions, YOU, were lucky to have gotten away when you did or they'd have kept you up all night, like the others two." He got up from the sofa and brushed against Gilda as he walked past her, inspecting one of the landscape paintings on the wall.

To Gilda's comment about 'them', he replied,

"With all the Core Hounds wandering around and with Diamond Dogs having tripled their numbers, it seems that they were at least capable to keep you alive well enough. Or was it the other way around I wonder?" Starling teased, "I don't know, you don't seem as fit as you were when you left..." He took the opportunity to look her over, "Been slacking on your workouts, have you?" He said, nodding his head at her tauntingly.

[Gilda]

Gilda half nodded, half shrugged after Sterling assertion that how could they possibly walk into Canterlot without being questioned. She hadn't really considered it, not as if she considered Bowie to be much of a Diamond Dog. More of a puppy really, the kind which follows you around the room with an innocent, albeit, clueless look plastered across its muzzle. "well I've always been good at avoiding the authorities." She stated matter-of-factly.

Gilda took Sterling's next question with a hint of resentment, of course it was because of her they got out alright, yeah the others helped but they'd have been Core Hound gravy if not for her. "Pfft, yeah they helped, but not like they had any experience - Bowie could barely even hold his stupidly heavy sword. And hey!" She scolded, blaring her fist at the pony playfully, "My workout routine is fine, see how you look after a few weeks without sleep or meat - or like hay, whatever, and see how you look. I've been living off what pony-feed I can eat and cider. Not exactly protein rich. Now unless you got a dead rabbit under that armor, lay off my figure. Still better looking than any of the prissy mares around here"