Park
Goten sat on a bench as he needed a few moments of rest after finishing up a rather intense spar with Bardock. The older Saiyan continued to push the Half-Saiyan every time they trained. That’s not to say Goten hated it. In fact, he grew to love training more every day.
That said, in his current state, he hadn’t been paying attention to the fact that Twilight had been sitting on the bench reading while Pinkie was recounting some story about Rainbow Dash. Now, the two of them were looking at him concerned.
“Goten, you look exhausted.” Twilight stated.
“Being exhausted is no way to have fun.” Pinkie added.
“Huh?” Goten now noticed them. “Oh, I didn’t even see you two there. Sorry.” He leaned back in the bench. “Don’t mind me. I just need to take a breather, and I’ll be good.”
“I suppose.” Twilight stated. “Just be careful. According to the books, training will begin to strain your body without proper rest.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Goten grinned. “Don’t worry. I won’t let Bardock push me to hard nor will I ever do something I don’t want to.”
Pinkie then noticed Rainbow flying overhead. "It’s Rainbow!"
The pink pony chased after the pegasus.
“On that note, I think I’m going to swim in the lake.” Goten declared.
“Alright.” Twilight was back to reading her book. “Have fun.”
Lake
Goten had taken his time to arrive at the lake, but even so, what he found surprised him. Rainbow was collapsed on the ground while Pinkie seemed to have been snorkeling. He thought the pink pony had chased after the pegasus just minutes earlier.
Goten approached only to hear Pinkie say something which caught his interest. “I promise it’ll be totally fun!”
Rainbow sighed reluctantly. “Okay.”
“Did I hear fun?” Goten asked with a grin thinking maybe this was something he wanted to be part of. “Mind if I tag along?”
“Sure!” Pinkie exclaimed. “We could use a little extra help. Come on you two.”
Town Hall
Goten was currently keeping watch on Spike as he collected scrolls and hummed to himself.
Pinkie was directing Rainbow on where to move a cloud. "A little to the left. Now, a little to the right! Now, keep moving leftish but sort of right. Stop! Ok a few centimeters north. Now, just a few smigimeters to the…"
Rainbow Dash had enough of Pinkie's wacky commands. "Pinkie Pie!!!!"
"Uh I mean… perfect!" Pinkie Pie said with a smile.
Goten had a general idea what they were up to well before the dragon moved towards the exit. He gave Rainbow the signal, and the pegasus struck the cloud causing thunder and lightning to shoot out. Spike shrieked, dropped his scrolls, and proceeded to hiccup. This caused Pinkie Pie, Goten, and Rainbow to burst out laughing.
"Pranks!" Goten cheered. “You did not disappoint Pinkie! This is fun!”
"Glad to hear you enjoyed it Goten" Pinkie replied.
"Good one you three!” Spike stated between hiccups and laughing himself. “You really pulled a fast one on me! Hic!"
Spike started picking up the scrolls, but as he did, he accidentally lit them on fire. That meant they were sent off to Celestia. No doubt the ruler would be confused, but that was just a byproduct of the pranks.
Once Spike was gone, Rainbow flew on down from her cloud. “You know, I didn’t take either of you for the prank loving type.”
“Are you kidding?” Pinkie asked. “I love pulling pranks. It’s good fun, and Pinkie loves fun!”
“I may be trying to be more serious as a warrior, but even my idols can have a good time.” Goten smiled. “Before coming to Equestria, I loved pranks.”
"You know, we should keep this going.” Rainbow stated. “What’s say the three of us hang out and prank some more ponies?”
"Just try and keep me away." Goten declared with a grin,
"This is great!” Pinkie declared. “We’re all going to have lots of fun!"
The three of them set off for the Prank Parlor.
Ponyville
The three pranksters had put a bouquet of flowers before Rarity’s door, rung the bell, and ran back to a bush.
"Oh boy this is gonna be good."
"Is she home?"
"She’s home because I can sense her, and she’s walking towards the door."
"There she is!"
Rarity opened the door and smelled the flowers only to come up with sneezing powered on her nose. The fashionista started sneezing uncontrollably causing the pranksters to come out laughing. Rarity looked over at them as Pinkie sneezed from some of the powder in the air.
The group then ran off to their next target, Applejack. They had decided to paint part of the orchard. When AJ saw the apples, she screamed in shock. Eventually, her attention was drawn to the three pranksters’ laughter.
Applejack retorted by throwing a few of the painted apples at them causing the group to beat a hasty retreat. Goten could have effortlessly caught or knocked away the apples, but where would be the fun in that?
One of the apples landed in a barrel of water which washed off the paint. AJ laughed since she knew she could now wash the apples. Their next target was Twilight. Upon arriving at the library, Goten produced some invisible ink.
“Don’t worry.” The Half-Saiyan smiled at the mares. “I’ll be in and out before she notices.”
Goten sped into the library, swapped out Twilight’s ink for the invisible ink, and was back outside in no time. The group then observed as Twilight wrote some notes. Said notes disappeared, and when she looked back, she was confused.
The unicorn looked from her work back to her notes only for the formula to end up exploding. Once they were done with Twilight, the three of them moved on back to the lake with a fake animal prop that would squirt water at its victim. Pinkie was rather excited as was Goten.
"Who's over there!? Who we gonna squirt!" Pinkie asked as Dash looked through a telescope.
Rainbow chuckled. "Hehe… Fluttershy."
"Hold up!” Goten exclaimed. “A good prankster must know the right kind of pony or person to prank. Fluttershy is not it. She’s extremely sensitive and gentle. This one’s a no go.”
"Goten is absolutely right Dashie.” Pinkie agreed. “Even a small prank could upset her.”
"Yeah, you're both right.” Rainbow sighed. “Hm, if Fluttershy’s out, who will we prank next?”
Rainbow pulled back from the telescope only to reveal that she had a black ring around that eye.
"Oh, I think Goten and I had someone in mind." Pinkie declared while chuckling.
"You mean her.” Goten nodded with a grin. “The toughest mare around.”
"Really?” Rainbow was certainly interested. “Who is it? Do I know her?"
"Oh yeah.” Pinkie pointed at the lake. “You're very close with her."
Rainbow looked in the lake and started laughing causing Pinkie and Goten to do the same.
“Good one you two.” Rainbow stated.
The three of them hi-fived before calling it a day and promising to meet again tomorrow.
Ponyville Streets
Goten moved out to meet with Pinkie and Rainbow. They had planned to meet around where Rainbow’s cloud home was, but the Half Saiyan happened to run into the pink pony along the way. She was wearing quite the get up.
"Hey Pinkie Pie.” Goten walked alongside her. “What's with the getup?"
“Hello Goten.” Pinkie greeted. “This is for this prank I have planned, but I want you and Rainbow Dash present when I explain it. Trust me when I say it’s a good one.”
Goten grinned. “I don’t doubt it.”
The pair had arrived underneath Rainbow’s home.
"Rise and shine Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Today is a whole new day for pranking!”
Instead of Rainbow Dash, a bird-like creature showed herself.
“Hm, that looks like one of the beings I’ve read about since coming here.” Goten thought. “If I remember correctly, that’s a griffon.”
Rainbow then showed herself from a higher vantage point. “Oh, morning you two.” She flew on down to the pair. “This is an old friend of mine. Her name is Gilda.” The griffon landed next to her. “Gilda, these are a couple of my friends. Pinkie Pie and Goten.”
Gilda nodded. "What's up?"
"I think I’ve read up on your species.” Goten stated. “Your species is a combination of various birds and felines. Judging from your features, I’d say lion and eagle are what comprise you.”
"I’m a whole lot of awesome too.” Gilda looked him up and down. “The question is, what might you be? I've never seen anything like you before."
“I’m actually from another world or universe if my guide is to be believed.” Goten stated. “Basically, I’m Half-Saiyan and Half-Human; however, I’m really a warrior.”
"I can attest to that last bit.” Rainbow sighed. “This guy here is one of the strongest beings I’ve met, and his speed is nuts. He can even boost it with something called a transformation. In short, he’s a whole lot of awesome as well.”
"Transform?” Gilda found a lot of what this guy said went over her head, but she had to grasp onto something. “What do you mean?"
“Show her Goten.” Rainbow stated.
“If you insist.” Goten’s hair spiked up and turned fold while his eyes turned teal. "I know it may seem like I’ve only changed my appearance, but this actually multiplies all my abilities by a considerable amount.”
"Whoa.” Gilda nodded impressed. “Okay, this is cool.”
"I agree!” Pinkie exclaimed. “This actually reminds me of the prank I wanted to run by you two. With this transformation, it could be even better.”
“You really think so?” Goten changed back to normal. "If it can help, I’m in.
Goten absolutely missed home, but he had to admit it was nice to be more liberal with his powers rather than feeling as though he should be ashamed. Training with his mom, and later his brother, were really the only times he got to flex his power.
"What about you Rainbow Dash?" Pinkie asked.
"Actually, I’m sorry you two.” Rainbow stated. “I know I promised we’d go pranking today, but this is the first time I’ve seen Gilda in a long time. I really want to fly and hang out with her for a bit. Hopefully, we can prank later.”
"Oh, okay.” Pinkie stated sadly. “I guess we'll catch up later then."
Most would probably assume Goten would be less mature about the situation, but he understood how much you’d want to spend time with someone. After his father came back, even though he hadn’t known him, he wanted to spend every second with him.
"Goten, you want to come flying with us as well?” Rainbow asked.
"As tempting as that sounds, I think I’d like to spend some time with Pinkie.” Goten smiled. “Maybe, we can do that tomorrow.”
“I understand.” Rainbow smirked. “Hey, you got to race Gilda one or two times at least.” She looked at her friend. “Like I said, Goten’s speed is insane. I don’t think even you can beat him.”
"Just how do you think he’d beat me?” Gilda questioned. “The kid doesn’t even have wings.”
"I may not have wings, but back where I come from, it’s not uncommon for others like me to learn how to do it without them." Goten lifted off the ground. “Like this.”
“Alright, you can get off the ground, but how fast are you?” Gilda questioned. “I think we should do as Dash said and race.” She looked up at a cloud. “That cloud there should be a good marker.”
“If you really want to race, it could be fun.” Goten nodded. “Alright, let’s do this.”
"This is going to be good.” Rainbow smiled. “What do you say Pinkie? Want to enjoy the show?”
"Heck yeah!" Pinkie exclaimed.
Rainbow Dash smirked as she knew Goten was going to win. After realizing the guy was out of her league, for the time being, the pegasus pony could take more joy in moments like this. Moments where the opposing creature had no idea what they were getting themselves into.
"3. 2. 1. Go!" Gilda exclaimed.
Both took off, but Goten’s speed was far beyond Gilda’s to the point that he was already hovering above the cloud. Being a Half-Saiyan, he couldn’t stand on it, but he could have a leg through it.
“I got…” Gilda had touched the cloud and thought she won only to notice Goten slightly above her. “Wait… what?”
“That’s the way Goten!” Rainbow shouted. “Show her how awesome you are!”
Rematch!” Gilda gritted her teeth. “We’ll go from here to that mountain top!”
Goten nodded. "Sure."
Rainbow counted them off while Pinkie had some balloons tied around her to be in the air as well.
"Alright, get ready you two.” Rainbow declared. “3. 2. 1. Go!"
The two of them took off. The mountain was not far for either of them considering how fast they could move, but Goten was just much quicker. He was already on the mountain top while Gilda was beating her wings with every ounce of strength she could muster.
As a result of her putting everything into it, Gilda hadn’t noticed Goten until she arrived. “Again! No way!"
Goten was just sitting there looking at the blue sky above. “Oh.” He had heard Gilda. “Hey there.” The Half-Saiyan gave her a genuine smile. “You were right. That was fun.”
"That’s the way Goten!" Rainbow Dash cheered.
"Anyways, I think that’s enough racing for one day.” Goten stated. “Hey Pinkie, what are we going to do?”
"We should go get some milkshakes!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
"Yay milkshakes!” Goten exclaimed with a grin. “Later Rainbow and Gilda.”
"Yeah, later you two.” Rainbow returned.
Goten flew slowly alongside the floating, pink pony only for Gilda to call out to him. “Hey, I got to admit that your kind is pretty fast."
"Same goes for you!” Goten had turned and waved back at her. “Really, I had fun! Bye!”
Park: Later…
After some milkshakes with Pinkie, Goten ended up helping the Cakes by delivering some sweets. Once he was done, the Half-Saiyan decided to head to the park for a bit. Little did he know that some helicopter contraption would be coming down.
"Whoa!" Goten flew up and caught the contraption before lowering it to the ground. “Hey, are you…” He noticed the pink earth pony in the seat. “Pinkie? Oh, are you okay?”
“Thanks for catching me, Goten.” Pinkie shook her head and dusted herself off. “I’m honestly just mad.”
"Is it because you crashed this weird contraption you got here?” Goten questioned.
"No, it’s Gilda.” Pinkie stated. “I only wanted to hang out with her and Rainbow, but she doesn’t seem to want that. First, I was using balloons to keep up with them but then she popped them. Once I resulted to this, she made me crash by stopping the propeller.”
"Really?” Goten questioned. “She may have been a little cold, but ultimately seemed nice. I really want to believe you Pinkie, but I got to see this for myself.”
The Half-Saiyan knew he should probably believe his friend; however, didn’t that apply to Rainbow Dash as well? He didn’t want to believe a friend of his could have such a rotten sounding friend.
“All the things she did really happened.” Pinkie stated.
“I’m sorry Pinkie, but I need to see this for myself.” Goten stated. “I’ll keep an eye out for Gilda. In the meantime, why not talk to Twilight? She’s smart, so maybe she has some advice for you.”
“I guess.” Pinkie sighed before walking off. “See you, Goten.”
Goten rubbed the back his head before sighing and walking off intent on finding Gilda.
Streets of Ponyville: Later…
Goten had yet to find the griffon, but that was about to change as he rounded a corner. There he noticed Pinkie Pie sitting at a table before seeing that the party pony was focused straight ahead on Gilda who seemed rather angry.
“Hm, the other ponies seemed apprehensive with her around.” Goten observed. “Could it be she’s had some bad interactions with ponies?”
Goten was going to approach the griffon until he noticed Fluttershy leading a group of ducks, which took her full attention, meaning she wasn’t watching the griffon in the path. As a result, Fluttershy bumped into her.
“Hey!” The griffon called out.
Fluttershy faced her. “Please excuse me.”
That did not appease the griffon. “I’m walking here!”
“I’m sorry.” Fluttershy started to back up. “I-I was just trying to…”
The griffon mocked her. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” She approached Fluttershy. “Why don’t you just watch where you’re going doofus?”
Fluttershy was frightened, and it only got worse as the griffon roared. This sent the kindhearted pegasus running and crying.
“She just made Fluttershy cry!” Goten thought angry that one of his friends had been hurt. “Looks like what Pinkie told me holds more weight than I thought.”
“Ugh, please.” The griffon stated. “All these lame ponies are driving me buggy. I got to bail.”
She took off and Goten decided to follow. Pinkie had already left intent on doing something about Gilda in her own way.
Outside Ponyville: Field…
Gilda had landed in the field just to get away from all those annoying ponies. She couldn’t believe Dash was even one of them to begin with. If you asked her, she should have been born a griffon instead.
“Hey!” Goten landed and glared at Gilda. “You made one of my friends cry, so you need to apologize.”
“Really now?” Gilda turned to Goten clearly still angered by her experience in Ponyville. “The way I see it, I don’t need to apologize for nothing, so why don’t you buzz off.”
“If you don’t like Ponyville, why don’t you leave?” Goten retorted. “Seriously, how do you think Rainbow would react knowing how you’ve treated Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy? They’re friends of hers just like you.”
“She wouldn’t care.” Gilda stated. “She doesn’t need friends like them.”
“You know that isn’t true.” Goten argued. “You know how loyal she is to those she cares about.”
“What’s your deal creature?” Gilda growled. “You act like you know anything about me. You assume the worst of me just like most every other lousy, stinking pony. You’re no better than them.”
“I don’t need to assume anything.” Goten retorted. “I saw the incident with Fluttershy. She was leading baby ducks, bumped into you, and tried to apologize. You’re the one who roared at her sending her running with tears in her eyes. There’s nothing to assume.”
“You’re annoying just like that Stinkie Pie.” Gilda stated. “Just get lost.”
Goten could see this was getting them nowhere, and he had enough wits about him to know that he shouldn’t fight Rainbow’s friend. That is why he decided to try and hold his anger down. He had to tackle this from another angle.
That angle was trying to connect Gilda with stories he heard of Piccolo. According to those stories, and a bit of what he saw, the Namekian was rather aggressive. His brother had told him of how he used to be. Perhaps, he could come to better understand Gilda.
“Gilda why do you dislike ponies so much?” Goten questioned “You know Fluttershy merely bumped into you, so what’s your deal?”
He was hoping Gilda’s anger would get the better of her, and the Half-Saiyan was right.
“Why wouldn’t I dislike them?” Gilda questioned. “Every pony I’ve ever met has only seen me as someone to make fun of. I’ve been insulted time and time again until I grew sick of it. Even Ponyville, a place Dash speaks highly of, is like every other place I’ve been.”
“What happened to make you like this?” Goten asked.
“You really want to know?” Gilda questioned still angered. “Fine, I’ll tell you. It all starts with my home. Everyone’s either a jerk, obsessed over some hogwash of a legend, or both. It goes that we were no different from most dragons in that we were just as greedy as they are said to be.
That changed when some mythological king found a mythological idol. Possessing this idol filled every griffon with pride and made our kingdom majestic. This supposed idol brought our species together and gave us an identity throughout generations until our last king’s reign.
During his reign, some creature fought our royal guard and stole the idol. During his getaway, lighting struck a stone bridge plunging them into an abyss. The legend ends with the griffons living miserably, ever after.” Gilda shook her eyes. “Like such an outlandish story could be true.
The truth is that Griffonstone is an utter wreck. The buildings all have holes, and no one will help you without bits. If you don’t have them, you might as well not exist. It’s all I ever knew growing up, and it’s what made me want to leave.
At first, I didn’t care where I would go; however, my love of flight and improving myself led me to Equestria’s Junior Speedsters Flight Camp. I thought that’s where I could belong, but I was wrong. When I entered Equestria, ponies viewed me as something to despise.
Guess I can’t blame them given the nature of griffons. Anyways, I eventually ended up at the camp only to be harassed by three stallions who made me think this was some lost cause. In that moment, I contemplated going back to Griffonstone, but then Dash defended me.
She became my first and best friend. She looked out for me and instilled confidence I never had before. We trained together right up to our final exam of our first year. We partnered up and displayed a routine which earned the first perfect score the academy had seen in years.
It also earned us a place in their advanced class; however, we weren’t to be placed in the same class or even in the same dorm. Most of the higher ups were biased towards me. When we found out, Dash marched into that office to find out why they made their decision.
They made it because I was a griffon while she was a pony. They felt I would eventually drag her down. Dash tried everything to change their minds. Nothing worked, so she gave them an ultimatum. Either make things right or she’d leave. They refused, so Dash dropped out.
I wanted to do the same, but she knew how important becoming the best flier I could be was to me. She made me promise to stay and prove them wrong. I honored that promise by improving myself every day until graduation where I was honored as the best flier.
Of course, Dash and I kept in touch. In the end, I decided to visit her. After all this time, I’d finally get to see my best friend again.” She shook her head. “I didn’t even get a day. Pinkie just kept interrupting. At first, I thought she was alright like you.
She didn’t hate me, so that was a good sign. Still, I wanted time with my best friend. I started by drawing Dash away, but as Pinkie kept coming back, I stated to hate her. That said, I never meant her harm. My anger just got the best of me.
At least she seemed to finally take the hint. Then, Dash had to take care of some clouds, so she left me to explore Ponyville where my troubles continued. Ponies insulted me to my face and behind my back. By this point, I was done. In the end, you saw what happen.
Honestly, I didn’t mean to do what I did with that yellow pegasus; however, this did make me look around. It was through this that I realized Ponyville was making me act like other griffons. That’s not me nor is it who Dash made friends with. Now, we’re here.”
Goten had listened to everything Gilda said, and it helped him sympathize with her. He was trying to come up with the right thing to say because his first instinct was pity; however, he knew what someone with pride would want.
“I now understand you better Gilda.” Goten nodded. “It couldn’t have been easy being with griffons who act as most do while being different from them. In my opinion, you’re caught between two ideals. What griffons are and what they could be.
Whether or not that legend you told me is true, I think pride is something that exist in every griffon. These kings are unimportant because based on what you said, you want acceptance, but that is difficult when your race has a bad reputation.
That’s why you should be the change you wish to see in your race. Clearly, there must be some good merits to griffon kind just as there are bad in pony kind. You have a unique chance to take the good of both to create something new.”
“What are you saying?” Gilda asked.
“What I’m saying is, you want change, so strive for it.” Goten stated. “Learn from ponies rather than reject them, take that knowledge back to your people, and take charge. Change will not happen on its own. My father could attest to that given how many people he’s changed.”
Gilda scoffed. “You’re talking crazy.”
“Am I?” Goten asked. “You clearly long for change, and the only thing stopping that change seems to be you.” He looked at the griffon. “Be the change you seem to want; otherwise, your people will remain as they’ve always been.”
Gilda said nothing, so Goten dropped the subject. “Look, I get Rainbow Dash means a great deal to you, so you have to understand you’re not the only one who means something to her. At the rate you’re going, you’ll lose her friendship.
“Hey, if it helps, I assure you that Rainbow’s other friends will accept you because they accepted me. Realistically, If I were in your place, I’d talk to Rainbow before giving establishing other bonds a shot.”
He smiled. “If it helps, you’ve already made a new bond with me. Of course, it all comes down to you and the effort you’re willing to put in.” Goten started to walk away. “I guess, what you must decide is how much Rainbow means to you.”
Goten decided to leave it there and took off. Once Goten was gone, Gilda looked at the sky as she was left with her thoughts.
Rainbow’s Cloud House, Later…
Gilda entered Rainbow’s home and saw the cyan pegasus pacing before noticing her friend. “There you are G!” She walked over. “Jeez, when I told you to spend time in Ponyville, I didn’t think you’d be gone this long.” Rainbow noticed something off. “G, are you okay?”
Gilda took a deep breath. “Dash, I have something to tell you.” She looked away. “A lot to tell you. Much of it, I should have told you before.”
Rainbow looked at her friend concerned, but Gilda walked over to the table causing the pegasus to do the same. The griffon then told her everything she’d told Goten. The legend of her people, her life in Griffonstone, her experience with other ponies, and her side of things in Ponyville.
Gilda sighed. “I’ll understand if you can’t forgive me Dash. Honestly, I’m still uncertain about ponies; however, looking back on it, there are things I regret.”
“G, it’s alright.” Rainbow stated. “I can’t say I approve of how you treated Pinkie or Fluttershy, but I understand where you’re coming from. I don’t blame you for not telling me.”
“How can you not blame me?” Gilda questioned. “How can you understand what I’ve done?”
“G, you’re one of my best friends.” Rainbow approached her. “Realistically, I should apologize. Both for never noticing your problems with ponies and undercutting this time together. That said, I can’t just be your friend. Fluttershy, Goten, Pinkie Pie, and others are my friends to.”
“I understand Dash.” Gilda closed her eyes. “I came to realize that you being my only friend made me a bit possessive.”
Rainbow smiled before hugging Gilda. “Looks like we have something more to train than our physical skills, right G?”
“I think you’re right Dash.” Gilda hugged her back. “Provided you still want me around, we can help each just as we did before.”
“Are you kidding?” Rainbow pulled away with a smile. “There’s no way I’m turning you away after everything I’ve learned. In fact, you can move in with me.”
“Thank you, Dash.” Gilda sighed. “I should also apologize to Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Applejack.”
“I’m proud of you G.” Rainbow stated. “Fortunately, you’ll have the perfect opportunity since Pinkie is throwing a party for you.”
“Pinkie’s throwing me a party?” Gilda questioned. “Dash, she saw me do the things I did.”
“Pinkie isn’t out to get you.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body and likely thinks your awesome because she knows I’m awesome. It’s way more likely she’s throwing this party to loosen you up.”
“Alright, I trust you.” Gilda stated.
“Great, let’s go.” Rainbow stated. “Also, that hug never happened.”
Gilda immediately nodded. “Agreed.”
Sugarcube Corner
The party was in full swing with various ponies chatting away about Gilda.
Twilight stood across from Goten and Fluttershy. “So, you two met Gilda. What’s she like?”
“Oh, um… I’ll tell you later Twilight.” Fluttershy stated meekly.
Goten nodded. “Honestly, it’s not my place to say much, but what I can tell you is that she’s got a sense of pride and ponies tend to misjudge her.”
“Really?” Twilight asked. “Well, you seem to think she’s overall aright, so I’ll trust you.”
Fluttershy looked at Goten surprised. “You actually got to know her?”
“Definitely.” Goten nodded. “Sometimes, you just got to take the time to understand someone before concluding anything about them. Back where I’m from, most of the friends my father and brother made were once bad guys, to varying degrees, who changed for the better.”
“I see.” Twilight nodded.
Fluttershy was still uncertain about Gilda given her earlier experience with the griffon, so she approached Pinkie Pie who had been busy greeting other ponies. “Uh, Pinkie. About this party for Gilda. Are you sure it’s a great idea?”
“Don’t worry your pretty, little head about mean, old Gilda.” Pinkie patted the pegasus’ head. “Your auntie Pinkie Pie has it all taken care of.” She noticed Gilda and Rainbow, so the party pony moved over to them. “Welcome to the party Rainbow.” She then looked at Gilda. “Gilda! I’m honored to throw you one of my signature Pinkie Pie Parties. I hope you feel welcome.”
Pinkie held out her hoof, but there was still hesitation on Gilda’s part to interact with this pony. That said, the griffon was aware she needed to make amends. She swallowed her pride and reluctantly bowed.
“Stin…Pinkie Pie, I apologize for my behavior.” Gilda stood. “I let my bias impact my judgment of you. It has been years since I saw Dash, my first friend, so it annoyed me that you’d intrude on our first day together in years.”
Pinkie went wide eyed aa this put everything into a new context. “So, I was interrupting your first day together in a really long time.” She nodded. “Oh Gilda, I’m sorry. Can we start over? I promise to give you time with Rainbow Dash whenever you need it.”
Gilda looked at Pinkie before looking around the room. “You put this party together for me despite how I acted.” She nodded. “Alright, we can start over.”
Pinkie glanced at a buzzer on her hoof; however, she decided to save the pranks and focus on making this the best party for Gilda. “I hope you two enjoy the party!”
The party pony bounced away from Rainbow and Gilda.
Rainbow put a hoof on Gilda’s shoulder. “I’m proud of you G.”
Gilda gave a small smile. “Thanks Dash.”
Twilight and Goten, like many others in the room, had noticed what happened.
“What was that?” Twilight asked.
Goten nodded. “That was a step in the right direction as far as I’m concerned.”
Twilight looked at Gilda and rubbed her chin in thought. The griffon then noticed Applejack getting some punch. Rainbow noticed this and decided to give her friend some space on this one as she walked over to Goten and Twilight.
“Hey Goten.” Rainbow stated. “I just wanted to say thanks for helping Gilda.”
“I won’t say it was easy after what I observed, but I guess I’m a better guy than I thought.” Goten shrugged. “Still, the moment I saw what she did, and a good bit after, I thought negatively of her. Guess all anyone needs is a chance.”
Rainbow nodded. “Well, I’m glad you gave her that chance.”
“I am to.” Goten smiled. “Despite her past and actions, I think Gilda is a good creature.”
While they were conversating, Gilda approached Applejack. Before the earth pony could say anything, the griffon, with great reluctance once more, bowed. The earth pony was both confused and apprehensive when faced with this.
“I apologize Applejack.” Gilda took a deep breath. “Your grandmother may have told you she was terrified of something today; however, what she didn’t know was that it was I who scared her. I am sorry. I promise, I will apologize to her as well.”
“You were the one to scare my Granny Smith!” Applejack shouted angrily.
This naturally drew attention.
“I did.” Gilda grit her teeth. “I was in the wrong.”
“You’re being honest with me.” Applejack was shocked since the stories Granny had of her few encounters with Griffons weren’t anything like this. “I’ll tell you what. You help out on the farm for a couple of days, and we’ll call it even.”
“Thank you, Applejack.” Gilda shook the hoof.
Applejack let go. “Welcome to Ponyville, Gilda.”
Fluttershy took note of this. While there was apprehension, the other ponies were starting to warm up to Gilda. The shy pegasus looked at Goten and reconsidered her current feelings on the griffon to the point that she approached them.
Gilda noticed the pegasus. “You’re Fluttershy.” She bowed reluctantly for hopefully the last time that day. “I am sorry for roaring at you. Rest assured that it was not my intention, and it won’t happen again.”
“I accept your apology.” Fluttershy was relieved. “Thank you.”
Pinkie bounced over. “Alright everypony, let’s get back to the party and have a great time!”
The pink pony’s excitement broke through the moment making everyone smile.
Later…
Twilight stood back and observed the party. Goten, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Gilda were drinking punch and talking while Pinkie had blindfolded Rarity to play pin the tail on the pony. Seeing this, and thinking over the day, gave the student a great idea for her letter to Celestia.
“Dear Princess Celestia,
Today, I learned not to judge others by their covers. Doing so makes it easy to label them and hard for one to judge someone on who they really are. That’s why it’s important to look beyond the cover of the book to the contents of who they are.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle”