Chapter 17: The Golden Griffon

Rainbow Dash watched the battle before her with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. She watched in shock as Gilda got tossed around like a rag doll. Her father was beating her with very little difficulty. Rainbow Dash hated seeing her new marefriend like this. She did everything she could to encourage Gilda but the brown and white griffon just couldn't compete with her father's brutal fighting style.

Meanwhile Gilda's mother was watching the fight with a much different thought process. She enjoyed what she was watching. She and her husband had disowned Gilda ever since she befriended Rainbow Dash so she didn't even see Gilda as her daughter but instead as a traitor. She grinned maliciously as she watched the fight that was taking place before her eyes.

"This is what she gets for being a weakling." she said with an arrogant smirk on her face.

Rainbow Dash glared at Gilda's mother with more anger than anypony had ever seen. Her friends saw the rage and hatred in her gaze and they were scared. They had never seen Rainbow Dash like this before in their lives. They had seen her angry on multiple occasions but it was never like this. It was as if the rainbow maned pegasus was now the physical embodiment of anger, rage, and hatred. They knew that Rainbow Dash was very close to her breaking point.

"Only a pathetic weakling like her would befriend mules." Gilda's mother said nastily.

At this point, Rainbow Dash finally snapped. The rainbow maned pegasus lost all control over her emotions and she didn't care at the moment.

"I've had enough of you!" she screamed as she launched herself at Gilda's mother and fought against her. Rainbow Dash was venting all of her anger towards the female griffon as the duo battled ferociously against each other. Her friends tried to help but Rainbow Dash wasn't going to allow it.

"Get away!" she yelled at Lightning Dust and Applejack as they tried to help her fight against Gilda's mother. "I'm taking her down all by myself!"

The two females kept up their battle for a while. Gilda's mother was nowhere near as skilled in combat as her husband was so she wasn't anywhere near good enough to beat Rainbow Dash. The light blue rainbow maned pegasus pony assaulted the female griffon with a relentless barrage of attacks until Gilda's mother finally collapsed on to the ground. Rainbow Dash stared at her enemy as she managed to calm herself down a bit.

"At least she's outta the way." Rainbow Dash muttered as she returned her gaze to the fierce battle that was taking place between the two generals. The rainbow maned pegasus was stunned to see that Gilda wasn't even standing anymore. Gilda was crumpled on the ground and her father was advancing towards her. The male griffon grinned as he raised his razor sharp talons to deliver the final blow to his daughter.

No. Rainbow Dash thought. I can't lose Gilda like this.

Quick as a flash Rainbow Dash sprinted towards the fight and shoved Gilda out of harm's way but unfortunately she got smacked by the griffon's fist. Rainbow Dash was sent flying but she got back up and glared at Gilda's father with a fiery hatred.

"So the mule defends the traitor." the griffon muttered. "Doesn't matter. As if either of you will actually be a challenge."

Rainbow Dash charged towards the griffon and attacked. The duo fought against each other but it was clear that Gilda's father had an advantage. Griffons were naturally stronger than ponies and pegasi like Rainbow Dash weren't known for their strength. The griffon general drove Rainbow Dash back with an onslaught of attacks. He had a really arrogant smirk on his face as he lazily blocked all of his opponent's attacks. Then he knocked Rainbow Dash right off of her hooves and she fell to the ground. Gilda's father smirked and raised his claws to finish off the rainbow maned pegasus pony. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and waited for the blow to come.

Gilda meanwhile had opened her eyes after being sent flying. She was in a complete daze as her light purple eyelids slowly fluttered open. Her golden yellow eyes widened in shock as she saw what was happening. Her father was now leaning over an unmoving Rainbow Dash with his claws raised. Gilda knew what her father was going to do and then something in her mind snapped.

Before Gilda knew it, her body was now being surrounded in a bright golden aura. This display caught the eye of every pony and griffon in the area. Gilda's entire body glowed a bright golden color as she stood up from her fallen position and stared at her father. The arrogant male griffon was astounded at what he was witnessing. The glow then began to fade away and jaws dropped in shock all around the area. Gilda had transformed into a completely different griffon than what she normally was.

Gilda's body had now taken on a golden color that was similar to the aura that had previously surrounded her. Her head had taken on a lighter shade of gold while her wings were darker than her body. Her eyes were surrounded by golden feathers as she glared at her father with intense anger and hatred. The aura faded away and Gilda's friends realized what had just happened.

"It can't be." Gilda's father whispered in shock. "The Golden Griffon?"

Gilda glared at her father and every griffon in the audience knew that she had turned into the griffon from legend. They couldn't believe what they were witnessing but it was real. Gilda glared at her father as he regained his composure and returned her gaze of hatred.

"There's no way you can be The Golden Griffon." Gilda's father said in shock as his daughter glared at him. "How could such a weakling become someone so powerful?"

"Because you attacked the pony that she cared about more than any other." Twilight Sparkle told him. "Because of you Gilda found her true strength and power."

Gilda nodded her head and then she spoke to her father in a loud voice.

"And I'm gonna use this power to kick your tail and end this fight!" she yelled as she charged at her father and he ran straight towards her to resume their battle.

The two griffons met and continued their fight from before. Gilda seemed like she had been completely refreshed from her transformation. It was like she had gotten all of her energy back and was ready to fight on for however long it took for her to defeat her father. The two griffons dueled against each other as the entire crowd watched in shock and awe. Gilda's friends cheered her on as she fought against her father. Rainbow Dash got up and her pink and purple eyes widened in surprise as she stared at her newly transformed marefriend.

With a change in Gilda's appearance came a dramatic change in the battle. Gilda was able to block almost all of her father's hits and she quickly countered with her own. Gilda's father was stunned at how well his daughter was fighting. He tried to take his enemy down but none of his attacks worked. His wife got up from the ground but she was far too weakened from her battle with Rainbow Dash to help him. The two griffons kept on fighting until Gilda gave her father a very powerful punch to the gut which caused him to fly back a few feet and crumple to the ground. He got back up and glared at his daughter with as much hatred as he could muster.

"No!" he shouted. "I'm not losing to some pathetic traitor! You'll pay for that Gilda!" Then he charged straight at his own daughter in an attempt to finish her off.

Gilda didn't say anything in response. Instead she roared at the top of her lungs and her roar could have been heard for miles as she charged towards him and a golden glow once again formed around her body.

The two griffons met once again and Gilda quickly attacked her father with all of the hits that she could deliver. She gave her father punch after punch after punch. The male griffon was getting punished by his daughter and he couldn't fight back or escape from her attacks. Finally Gilda landed on last tremendous punch to his face and he fell to the ground and collapsed. He tried to get back up but he failed. Gilda had won the battle. Her friends and army cheered for her as her body lost its golden color and returned to its normal state. Gilda glared at her father and then Rainbow Dash ran up to her and hugged her.

"You were awesome G!" she yelled as she flung her forelegs around the griffon and held her in a tight hug.

"Thanks Dash." Gilda said as she hugged Rainbow Dash in return and clutched at her for support. Gilda's time spent as The Golden Griffon had weakened her immensely. Rainbow Dash kept her standing until Gilda managed to regain her energy and stand by herself. Gilda's father got up and glared at his daughter. It looked like the war had finally ended but Gilda's father was determined not to give up.