Pathfinder and the City of the Griffons (Phil the Time Wizard and SteelEagle)

[RarityDash]

"Awww! I'm so sorry to hear that, Gilly! Why, what was this stupid Pegasi's name? I'll beat her up for you. I travel all over and I'll beat her up, making my friend feel sad like this! That just ain't nice of her at all! Yeah, maybe you were mean and all but a friend doesn't just abandon you because of one incident. I mean, I won't abandon you, so you don't have to worry about that at all with me! I'm the loyalest pony you ever did see!"

Gilda was surprised by these words and the hug that accompanied them. Both made her feel another pang of guilt. Sure it was lame as anything she could name and if there was even the slightest possibility that anyone could see her like that it would destroy her reputation, but it was kind of a little nice in its own way. "I won't abandon you." Those words in particular really struck a chord. Could she still turn around and abandon this pony when the time came? She was really beginning to doubt herself.

"Loyalty only gets you so far. It's good to think you can always trust someone, but when that loyalty, that trust, gets broken it's the worst. I've learned to be loyal to only one griffon and that's myself," Gilda said flippantly, looking away. "You don't need to go out of your way for me. It's kind of a personal matter anyway, and I'm already starting to put it behind me..." The griffon added with a shrug. "But I appreciate the sentiment all the same... Thanks for all that, I guess..."

Gilda smiled a little as she finished speaking. She followed the pony into a particularly run-down disgusting section of sewer that was even harder to bear than the rest of the sewer. Ugh! Gilda flew a little faster, hoping desperately they'd be allowed fresh air soon.

"I think we're almost to the forest near the forest, Gilly!"

Gilda wasn't even sure what that meant. Wasn't there only one forest? How could the forest be near itself? Confused as she was, she was happy. No matter what it was near, a forest would be a good change of scenery after this mess.

"Great. Let's hurry. This sewer is really starting to get unbearable," Gilda said with a grunt of disgust as she increased her speed again.

[SteelEagle]

"Loyalty only gets you so far. It's good to think you can always trust someone, but when that loyalty, that trust, gets broken it's the worst. I've learned to be loyal to only one griffon and that's myself. You don't need to go out of your way for me. It's kind of a personal matter anyway, and I'm already starting to put it behind me...but I appreciate the sentiment all the same... thanks for all that, I guess..."

Pathfinder smiled. Sure, Gilly was weird, but all griffons were weird. There were many more important facets to her response that the talkative mare needed to respond to as she approached the end of the sewer system.

"You're welcome! I'm pleased as punch that you're feeling better about it, Gilly. I don't make many friends and I hate it when they're sad. And of course I guess you can be loyal to only one griffon, that one being you, as long as you're gonna be loyal to one pony, being me. Otherwise, I'd hafta to beat ya up! Haha!" Pathfinder said, laughing wildly as she saw the end of the rather stinky line.

"Great. Let's hurry. This sewer is really starting to get unbearable,"

"I know, right? It's starting to make me feel all dizzy and weird, like my brain is screwed on wrong," Pathfinder replied, bugging her eyes out to drive the point home as she reached into her saddlebag and brought out a crowbar. Before them was a large drainage pipe, slightly askew. If she was right, this was a completely abandoned pipe that led to the forest near the target. If she were wrong, it would be the single worst event of their lives.

Obviously, she had to pop it open. She attached the crowbar to one of the looser parts of the pipe and then stood back and charged it, giving it a mighty kick. The hole jutted forward, but the cover was not yet ready to buckle. She pulled the crowbar out, attached it to the other side, and repeated her charge once more. This time, the cover seemed to blow off and fall down with a loud smack to the ground below. Pathfinder smiled brightly and tossed the crowbar back into her saddlebag.

"After you, Gilly!"

[RarityDash]

"You're welcome! I'm pleased as punch that you're feeling better about it, Gilly. I don't make many friends and I hate it when they're sad. And of course I guess you can be loyal to only one griffon, that one being you, as long as you're gonna be loyal to one pony, being me. Otherwise, I'd hafta to beat ya up! Haha!"

Gilda of course couldn't commit her loyalties to this pony. Pathfinder still didn't seem to get that. She was pretty decent for a pony and Gilda was starting to warm to her, but this pony just didn't understand how it worked with Gilda. It really just was one griffon; one griffon and one pony. That just wouldn't fly.

The griffon gave a sharp laugh. "You beating me up?Heh. I'd like to see you try," she said with a smile.

"I know, right? It's starting to make me feel all dizzy and weird, like my brain is screwed on wrong,"

These words kind of surprised Gilda. She hadn't been sure this pony was effected by their unpleasant surrounding. She had so far seemed comfortable in this rank sewer. It was actually kind of relieved to hear that even she could be overwhelmed by this.

"After you, Gilly!"

They eventually stopped at a large pipe. Pathfinder pried it open with a crowbar. Gilda started. It was dark. She couldn't see very far inside. Gilda didn't trust it.

"You seriously want me to jump in some unknown sewer pipe?" Gilda started with narrowed eyes. "Yeah... no. What if this isn't the right pipe? I don't want to be the one to pay if you made a mistake."

[SteelEagle]

"You seriously want me to jump in some unknown sewer pipe? Yeah... no. What if this isn't the right pipe? I don't want to be the one to pay if you made a mistake."

Pathfinder couldn't help but roll her eyes at her BEST FRIEND FOREVER'S reluctance to do something as simple as fly through a pipe. Hadn't she looked at all the maps they had? Of course it was the right pipe! It wasn't unknown, it was the oldest, creepiest, and downright best pipe for their mission. Was Gilly as committed as she was? Maybe not, but still, Pathfinder laughed.

"Well come on Gilly, this was the pipe on the map, remember? Geez, never thought I'd meet a scaredy griffon, and especially not be adventuring with one! But I suppose the dark can be kinda scary for griffons, seeing as ya are used to the sky and such," Pathfinder said as she took flight and shot into the pipe.

It stunk.

It stunk something awful. Decaying, almost, rusty for sure. She had to fly slow and sure in order to not crash into the sides, because that was one feeling she would be fine to not feel. Still, after a few minutes, Pathfinder found herself bursting out of the pipe in an abandoned area of the forest. City planning, a great thing!

[RarityDash]

"Well come on Gilly, this was the pipe on the map, remember? Geez, never thought I'd meet a scaredy griffon, and especially not be adventuring with one! But I suppose the dark can be kinda scary for griffons, seeing as ya are used to the sky and such!"

Gilda had to sigh then shake her head. "I'm not scared, okay, I'm disgusted. Big difference. there are something you don't want to do because they terrify you and there are some things you don't want to do just because they're flat out gross..." Gilda explained herself, but evidently it was in vain. The adventuring pony had already flown right through the pipe.

Gilda paused for a moment. The pegasus didn't come back covered in filth after several seconds, Gilda nodded. She really had to do this now, didn't she? The alternative was staying in this nasty sewer even longer. Ugh. Her day had suddenly gotten a lot worse. She stepped toward the pipe, nearly retching in reflex to what she was preparing to do.

"Here goes nothing," Gilda said to herself as she readied her wings. Then she did it, following after the pony. She was a lot smaller, so it got pretty tight, especially since Gilda wanted to make entirely sure she didn't touch the nasty walls of the thing. She flew slow and careful, and even then it was really an ordeal.

Not soon enough the pipe came to an end and Gilda found herself exiting into a forest. She collapsed on dry ground nearby and began to breath rapidly, eager to replace the disgusting sewer air in her lungs as soon as possible. She noticed Pathfinder nearby.

"I'm going to remember this.... If this somehow doesn't end up worth my time, I'm going to remember this..." Gilda started between hard breaths, glaring at the pegasus.

[SteelEagle]

"I'm going to remember this.... If this somehow doesn't end up worth my time, I'm going to remember this..."

Pathfinder chortled as she trotted away from the stinky, stinky pipe and the equally repugnant griffon that flew out of it.

"Well of course you're going to remember this, Gilly. Whether we find it here or the next place, that was an awful smelling pipe! Geeze, I thought griffons were supposed to have all of these orderly cities. That pipe stunk terribly! Gah! I think the only other place that compares was some dank cave in a mountain," Pathfinder said, trotting ahead and flapping her wings to remove the stench as fast as possible. She wasn't a prude, but even an adventurer had to have standards.

The forest was somewhat decrepit, as if the griffons felt no need to tend to it for many generations and the sewage that once was pumped in was left. The forest felt unnatural, branches disfigured and the grass long and sharp. At least, compared to Equestrian grass. maybe that was normal and Equestrian grass was just timid and frail? She had no honest idea and didn't really want to give it much thought as she trotted by.

They were safe from griffons above by the thick canopy that covered the forest underneath, as well as the sheer ugly nature of the forest. No reason to visit; no reason to investigate. They were safe for now, though Pathfinder found no need to stay in place. They needed to get close as possible to the mansion before they could rest.

"Come on, Gil-Gil!"

[RarityDash]

"Well of course you're going to remember this, Gilly. Whether we find it here or the next place, that was an awful smelling pipe! Geeze, I thought griffons were supposed to have all of these orderly cities. That pipe stunk terribly! Gah! I think the only other place that compares was some dank cave in a mountain,"

Gilda couldn't really argue with this sentiment. This was just disgusting. She hadn't realized her kind let it get this bad.

"Most of the griffons in this city, at least the ones that 'matter', don't ever visit ground level, 'specially not this far outside the city. I can kind of see how they might let things get sloppy out here," Gilda said in a low voice. "That said, this is really pretty inexcusable."

Gilda tried to shake the stench off of her as the pony seemed to be doing but she could still smell it. Ugh. Maybe moving away from this crummy, decrepit forest would help? She sure hoped so at least.

"Come on, Gil-Gil!"

Pathfinder chimed. Gilda followed closely after her. "Yeah, yeah. I'm coming. After that little bit of misery I'm now almost even looking forward to the Silverbeak guards. I can't imagine anything they could do to me that would be worse than that."

[SteelEagle]

"You should be excited to face those guards! What awesome adventure story doesn't have that part where the amazing duo faces off against competition that is so much better than the ones they faced before? One, and no one reads Indiana Pony for a reason!" Pathfinder chortled, skipping over a rock and cantering towards the destination. Her mind started to formulate new passages for the book, which was a valuable use of her time seeing as that was to be her big project post Commander Hurricane helm retrieval.

Gilly the gilded Griffon and Pathfinder the perilous pony continued to trek through the woods, the excitable duo moving at a faster clip as Gilly complained concisely about the ill-maintained forest. Hoof and claw pounded almost soundlessly on grass that felt cuttingly cold and unnatural, crafting unease with abandon, abysmal and unseemly crickets clawing uncouthly underneath the avian affiliates!

"I have a passage for the book!" Pathfinder squeaked with delight, flank checking her saddlebag. A quill and notebook fell out, the notebook being handled directly in front of her face by her wing as she slowly added in the passage. She then tossed it back into the saddlebag and continued her trot for some time until they appeared to be moving, very slowly, higher in elevation.

"Okay, Gilly. I think we're only a few minutes out from where we should rest for the day. Have any fun games we can play?" Pathfinder asked with the greatest sincerity, skipping over a few rocks. Above the trees, they started to hear the sound of massed griffons in flight, squawking and the flight of large numbers sending the very tops of the trees shaking.

[RarityDash]

"You should be excited to face those guards! What awesome adventure story doesn't have that part where the amazing duo faces off against competition that is so much better than the ones they faced before? One, and no one reads Indiana Pony for a reason!"

Gilda had to admit it did seem like a pretty cool thing to be in an adventure story. She could see Daring Do in a situation like that. What exactly was Indiana Pony though? A rival adventure book series? Whatever it was, Pathfinder evidently wasn't much of a fan.

"I have a passage for the book!"

Pathfinder suddenly declared this before whipping out a notebook and pen. Gilda wasn't even surprised by the unusual things this pony did anymore. She was kind of curious about the pony's writings though. She clearly had a breath of knowledge when it came to Daring Do stuff, and she had the first hand experience. She should be able to make a halfway decent story out of that Gilda figured, that was if she didn't flat out suck as a writer. Considering it was Pathfinder, Gilda admitted that was a fair possibility.

"Okay, Gilly. I think we're only a few minutes out from where we should rest for the day. Have any fun games we can play?"

Gilda shrugged at the question. "Most griffon games involve a lot of flying around, which probably isn't a good idea if we don't want to be noticed," she said.

"That said, if you have a game in mind, I'm more than willing. We griffons can be quite competitive, and that goes especially for me. I can't resist a good game or competition," the griffon said with a smirk.

[SteelEagle]

"Most griffon games involve a lot of flying around, which probably isn't a good idea if we don't want to be noticed,"

The same held true of Pegasi, who were far more willing to explore the near endless dimension of the sky than spend their time in frivolity on the ground. What few games she did know that didn't involve some manner of cloud hiding tended to involve cards, which they lacked.

"That said, if you have a game in mind, I'm more than willing. We griffons can be quite competitive, and that goes especially for me. I can't resist a good game or competition," Gilly said and almost immediately Pathfinder had to search her brain for ideas.

It was a quick search. Her foalhood, where most games are learned, had been spent in the city of Cloudsdale. The name told one all they would ever need to know about it, which meant few skills learned there were of use once on the ground especially when one removed any pony-based idea out of the equation. Without ponies or clouds, cards or boards, few ideas were left.

She slapped Gilly on the wing.

"Tag! You're it!" Pathfinder blasted before galloping as fast as she could towards her destination, which was in the general direction of where they should be going but had the added benefit of being away from Gilly.

[RarityDash]

"Tag! You're it!"

Pathfinder's sudden outburst, tag and subsequent gallop in the other direction took Gilda off guard. Seriously? There had to be no more childish game than this and Gilda thought that having once gotten worked up over a snowball fight against some ponies. Still, after a few seconds, Gilda's thoughts turned from how lame it was to how badly she wanted to win.

"Oh, you are so going down!" she called after the pony, before breaking into her best run. Even though it wasn't so important to her as flight, she had been working on her land speed more regularly ever since having finished in seventh place in the previous years Running of the Leaves race behind a bunch of ponies she knew just weren't better than her. She had already gotten a little faster.

Pathfinder was smaller though, so even though Gilda started to make gains on her, it was a somewhat gradual process. Eventually she was confident in her distances and decided to make a fierce leap at the pony, hoping to tackle her.

"Tag!" she shouted as she finally grabbed at the pony.

[SteelEagle]

"Tag!" Gilly shouted as her powerful stide moved her too fast for Pathfinder to outrun and the pony was tagged.

Pathfinder smiled, as she had no recourse. Gilly could more. That was good. It may have been a silly game but knowing she could eb counted on to book it in case they bite off more than they could chew, as was likely, and they found themselves sealed from the possibility of flight. It was more likely than any pegasi or griffon wanted to believe and rare was the one prepared physically to handle it. Good to see Gilly could.

"Aha, I guess you won then!" Pathfinder said, slowing her gait a she crested over a small hill that offered a few that cut through the tops of the trees directly before the city. Beyond that, the target building. They were still covered, allowing them to perch there and scope out the target for the best time to strike.

"Well, Gilly, I think we're here. Now we wait. We'll have to keep a close eye on the target for when it seems to the least guarded we can make it out to be. Wanna take shifts, Gil?" Pathfinder asked, settling on her stomach and staring ahead at the target.

[RarityDash]

"Aha, I guess you won then!"

"Of course I did. No pony can match this griffon in speed!" Gilda proclimaed, quite pleased with her victory. She felt as if she could almost beat a certain rainbow-haired flip-flopper in a race at that moment. At the very least she could crush those six ponies who finished ahead of her in the Running of the Leaves.

"Well, Gilly, I think we're here. Now we wait. We'll have to keep a close eye on the target for when it seems to the least guarded we can make it out to be. Wanna take shifts, Gil?"

Gilda just nodded as she got into position, next to the pony. "Yeah. Sounds cool to me. You wanna go first? I'm fine either way," she said.

[SteelEagle]

"Of course I did. No pony can match this griffon in speed!"

Pathfinder found this to be unlikely, even if fun to think of. She knew of several Earth ponies off hand who could outrun Gilly, and several Pegasi who could out-fly her. Sstill, it was a wonderful fiction to indulge Gilly in and Pathfinder, if anything, did love to have her friends indulge in fiction.

"Well, you're certainly faster than me!" She said, laughing and clapping her front hooves together in excitement.

"Yeah. Sounds cool to me. You wanna go first? I'm fine either way," Gil-Gil said as she settled into position. Pathfinder looked ahead. The position they were in was perfect. She could see the target and as long as she did nothing stupid, and it wasn't as if Pathfinder ever made stupid decisions, she could observe from safety the goings on of the Silverbeak mansion. She went down to her stomach, front hooves turned inwards and laying against her chest as she nodded.

"I'll take first shift. You can take another nap or do whatever you want, and we'll switch every four hours or so. Sound fun? Sounds fun to me!" Pathfinder bleated as she took off her hat and settled closer to the grass.

[RarityDash]

"I'll take first shift. You can take another nap or do whatever you want, and we'll switch every four hours or so. Sound fun? Sounds fun to me!"

Gilda shrugged. "Sounds good," she said as she found a comfortable spot in the grass nearby and laid back.

She got in a good sleeping position, ready for a nap. She wasn't really that tired unfortunately, and she had left the book she had been reading back at the camp. Ultimately, she just lie there and think. A lot had happened suddenly over the last day. Meeting this crazy pony, joining her with intent to deceive, robbing a museum with her, listening to her read that book and liking it a lot more than she'd have ever imagined, almost... kinda sorta making a new friend, plotting to rob the Silverbeaks, going through that disgusting sewer mess and ultimately ending up out here; it had all been quite the trip. It really did kind of remind her of the sort of trouble her and Rainbow Dash would get into back in Cloudsdale.

Rainbow Dash. She'd probably like Daring Do. She'd probably like Pathfinder. They were kind of alike in a way. Gilda supposed she was just naturally drawn to a certain type of friend. if she could even call this pony that yet. Pathfinder was a little weird. She had her lame moments, but she was, in her own way, kind of really cool. Gilda still wanted the helmet for herself too. She didn't really know where this would go from here, and to tell the honest truth, she was quite anxious about it all.

[SteelEagle]

The important thing about an overwatch position wasn't that you had the best view. Obviously that was a key consideration, seeing as a poor position would see the entire venture as a loss. If you couldn't see and mark the target then you would go in blind and while going in blind for a ruin could be a lot of fun, in a city it was pure stupidity. Too many ponies- in this case, griffins- in too small a space equaled disaster for somepony unprepared. But at the same time, she was prepared pretty well and had thought this through long enough that while a good view helped tremendously, it wasn't the most important even if she did still have a good view.

Nor was comfort. That was shockingly important, seeing as somepony who was uncomfortable was less likely to be worrying about much else after a few hours. It wasn't because somepony wa weak, just pony nature! Creatures who sought out the good things in life were unlikely to embrace discomfort when they thought to themselves that with just a few minutes of work, they could make themselves feel comfort. This could distract somepony from tracking the target or keeping oneself hidden. and that always lead to trouble. Luckily, comfort was not a major issue where Pathfinder was, even if the grass smelled funky. Still wasn't the most important thing.

Being hidden wasn't the most important thing either. If you weren't hidden then you would be caught within moments by any alert guard, and that would lead to a very short adventure. It was also extremely hard to find a good place to hide since if you disfigured the environment someone would notice. If you had to keep on moving around to not alert your target then you were spending less time actually looking at the target, meaning you weren't doing your darn job! Pathfinder's position was well-hidden from the target, and she was low behind the grass. So she was in a good spot. It still wasn't the most important thing.

The most important thing was having an awesome buddy with you to switch up with and pal around! Keeping your morale up was important at all times, and luckily, Gilly was the greatest morale boost since a boost bar! Pathfinder didn't need to interact with her to feel better just through her mere presence and as such she allowed Gilly to rest. Still, after a while, she felt the need to talk.

"Hey Gil, whatcha gonna do with all that money?" She asked in a hushed voice, peering from the top of the hill covered by tall grass through the cut in the trees at the mansion.

[RarityDash]

"Hey Gil, whatcha gonna do with all that money?"

Gilda had to laugh. So much for letting her nap... She wasn't really surprised. This pony didn't have the best in the way of an attention span. She didn't however mind in this case as she wasn't really so tired in the first place. She gave a shrug and sat up a little.

"Live off of it as long as I can," Gilda said straightforwardly. "I mean, there really isn't a lot of money to be made as a freelance show flier. I need all the money I can get just to keep a roof over my head."

"Boring, kinda lame, answer I know," she said with a sigh. "But it's the practical one for me."

[SteelEagle]

There were many thousands of ways to spend that money, so Pathfinder couldn't fault Gilly for using one of the more realistic ideas as a base. After all, Gilly was one smart griffon and it would be smart to only wanna use that money to live off of. Pathfinder didn't share the same enthusiasm for such simple ideas, but that had more to do with her own wild imagination that any realistic goal. She preferred it that wasy, honestly. Not being constrained by simple reality was a wonderful wonderful thing.

"That's fine, I guess. I'm going to use my money to pay off all that hospital debt and then restock with much better adventure gear," Pathfinder whispered before coughing to clear her sewer mist clogged throat.

"Freelance Show Flier? That's pretty cool. What have you done in the past? Any cool air shows? Still wanna do it after you get all that money, if only for fun?"

[RarityDash]

"That's fine, I guess. I'm going to use my money to pay off all that hospital debt and then restock with much better adventure gear."

Hospital, eh? Gilda wondered what that was about. This pony had been hospitalized. It was hard to see her contained like that. Was it for some condition, or just on account of the overly reckless way she threw herself into things. Gilda had to wonder about that.

"Freelance Show Flier? That's pretty cool. What have you done in the past? Any cool air shows? Still wanna do it after you get all that money, if only for fun?"

"I've done a few shows around Aquelia. Even a few in Equestria. I pretty much work whatever I can get. Isn't much work for a flier who isn't a part of some team though, and that's not really my style," Gilda said with a small shrug. "And sure I'll still do it. No amount of money will sustain me forever. Besides, like I said before, I just really like flying. I'm not going to stop for just anything."

"Though I suppose I may branch out a little. This has been kinda fun," she said with a laugh. "Perhaps there are other little adventures out there for me to follow?"

[SteelEagle]

One of the keys of a successful individual was surrounding herself with a plethora of competent and successful allies. Pathfinder for more than a decade could count on the companionship and support of Daring Do in all of her amazingness, whether it be her sarcastic sense of humor, intelligence, or never say die attitude, she was a blessing to have. And now there was Gilly, who was an awesome and successful flier even if she failed to realize it. If you got hired without a team to go all over the place, that meant you were respected and valued. Now Pathfinder would be doubly successful!

Then she mentioned maybe attending future adventures. This caused Pathfinder to jump up and clap her hooves excitedly, breaking cover for a moment.

"Ooooh! I have so many cool adventures coming up after this one! I'm looking for the Range of the Chief, an ancient buffalo legend, and there is this ancient mine in the Everfree forest that supposedly is home to some sort of mutant hippogriffs who want to take over the world! I mean that could just be a legend but if its true it'll be so cool! And I have ove a hundred ruins I wanna investigate, never know when one will hold something awesome," Pathfinder said nearly breathlessly, lost in her own vivid imagination.

[RarityDash]

"Ooooh! I have so many cool adventures coming up after this one! I'm looking for the Range of the Chief, an ancient buffalo legend, and there is this ancient mine in the Everfree forest that supposedly is home to some sort of mutant hippogriffs who want to take over the world! I mean that could just be a legend but if its true it'll be so cool! And I have ove a hundred ruins I wanna investigate, never know when one will hold something awesome,"

Pathfinder shot up and went on another rapid fire, unceasing rambling. Gilda shook her head. She couldn't believe this pony sometimes. She couldn't help but think there was something really off in her mind sometimes. She had to be just a little crazy. Gilda supposed that at the very least this made her entertaining.

"Yeah, well I doubt I'll get like you, chasing after any little rumor or lost object of interest. But you know, if I hear about something and I see there's some profit to be made in it, I don't see why I wouldn't check it out. I mean, why not?" Gilda said with a small shrug. "So who knows, maybe we'll meet up again for something. Could happen."

"Oh, and I'd suggest getting back down. You're gonna blow our cover like that," she added with a sigh and shake of her head.

[SteelEagle]

"Yeah, well I doubt I'll get like you, chasing after any little rumor or lost object of interest. But you know, if I hear about something and I see there's some profit to be made in it, I don't see why I wouldn't check it out. I mean, why not? So who knows, maybe we'll meet up again for something. Could happen."

Great success!

Adventuring, like any fraternity, could suffer from periods where many dropped out or lost faith, where few had the fortitude to take part in such grand designs. Rare was the adventurer who went into it full bore. Most took their time softening themselves into it, and while she may start off looking for the sure profit, she would find swiftly that such finds were rare. Profit had more to do with experience and even Gilly the Gilded Griffon would be sucked in by adventure at some point. Once hooked, you couldn't say no to it easily.

Besides, it'd be fun to bop around some ruin and see her there. maybe they could be friendly rivals? There were too few instances of that in the adventuring world. It'd make for a great series, too, how the two great friends went their separate ways after finding the Helm but kept on running into one another. That would be completely unique, she was sure.

"Oh, and I'd suggest getting back down. You're gonna blow our cover like that,"

Pathfinder sheepishly grinned and slid back down.

"Sorry. Got excited about the prospect of going on all sorts of adventure with somepony else. Adventuring can be really lonely and I was just getting all of these awesome ideas about what to do with you on an adventure together, like two best buddies solving all the mysteries. But now I'm thinking it'd be even cooler if we went our separate ways after we find the Helm but kept on bumping into one another on our own separate adventures. That'd be cool too," Pathfinder whispered excitedly to her best friend forever and ever before settling back under the grass and scanning the horizon like a hungry, hungry hawk.

[RarityDash]

"Sorry. Got excited about the prospect of going on all sorts of adventure with somepony else. Adventuring can be really lonely and I was just getting all of these awesome ideas about what to do with you on an adventure together, like two best buddies solving all the mysteries. But now I'm thinking it'd be even cooler if we went our separate ways after we find the Helm but kept on bumping into one another on our own separate adventures. That'd be cool too."

Gilda gave a small nod. "Yeah. Sounds more practical to me. No offense, but you seem like the sort that jumps at the first word of any adventure," she said with a laugh. "That's just not me. I gotta be sure it's gonna be worth it."

Gilda gave a small shrug and sighed. "But all things considered, you're pretty cool for a pony. I wouldn't mind meeting up with you again someday," the griffon looked down as she spoke. It was kind of hard for her to even say things like that aloud; it was just kind a lame thing to say, she figured. Still, at that moment, it seemed like the thing to say.

[SteelEagle]

No offense could possibly be taken. It wasn't an insult; it was the greatest compliment Gilly could have given her. NBo true adventurer let the possibility of adventure itself pass by, whether profit was possible or not. To do otherwise was a betrayal of adventure itself, and it was that exact mindset that allowed such mysteries to remain mysterious for generations. She was proud to have an attitude and code that allowed her to have adventures and solve mysteries of the world, and Gilly's kind words warmed her heart.

She reached out and gave Gilly a crushing hug.

"Awww! Thank you! That's so sweet of you. I do jump at the chance to have an adventure at any time, with or without profit! I thought no one would ever understand me, but you do! You're super smart, Gilly!" Pathfinder said, eyes watering as she felt the need to cry. She held back only because of her own desire to not look like a baby in front of her awesome new friend.

"And I wouldn't mind seeing you again, too. Best friends, right?" Pathfinder said, nudging her super best friend gently before looking forward at the mansion.

It would be fun to run into Gilly a few more times, especially since having a Griffon along for the ride would prove invaluable. They had claws and this one had cunning and wit, plus she was really sweet and kind. She almost felt like crying due to joy.

[RarityDash]

"Awww! Thank you! That's so sweet of you. I do jump at the chance to have an adventure at any time, with or without profit! I thought no one would ever understand me, but you do! You're super smart, Gilly!"

Gilda didn't know what to say to this, especially with the smothering hug that accompanied the words. How did no one else understand this? It was perfectly apparent after any length of time with this exceedingly silly pony. Pathfinder didn't seem like a hard pony to "get". She was a simple individual. There didn't seem to be all that much hiding in the depths with her. She was just a goofy pony with a passion for life and a thirst for adventure.If other ponies couldn't figure this pony out they were stupider than Gilda had even figured.

"And I wouldn't mind seeing you again, too. Best friends, right?"

Best friends, huh? This pony trusted her too much. It was kind of sad really. Gilda was beginning to feel sorry for her, especially knowing for a fact that she wasn't the type to be trusted. This pony was just gonna get hurt at this rate, which sucked because Gilda really did think she was pretty cool.

"Friends...? Yeah, I guess we're friends by this point," she said with a steady nod. "Though from my experience you can't count on friends for everything. Gotta make your you're still able to stand your own feet."

Gilda gave a sigh. "How's it looking out there?" she asked, noticing the pony staring ahead.