Alone
Gilda sat in her room alone. It felt like a whole day had gone by since she got home. She couldn’t talk to anyone, and even if her parents were there, they’d just shun her like they always did. They were way to busy with their jobs to even care about their own daughter. Truth was that they didn’t even mean to have a child, and the only reason they kept her around was so they wouldn’t raise any controversy. Still, she felt like she should have never been born, or at least be born to a different family.
But then there was Rainbow Dash… She was the first pony that opened up to her. Never would she have imagined that something would happen. Not even her own kind treated her so well. For the first time in her young life, Gilda felt that she had a friend. If only she were here now right now…
******
Rainbow Dash was just finishing her homework. It wasn’t the most exciting thing she could be doing, but her mother would kill her if her she didn’t, so there she was. Almost at that same time, Firefly walked in. “How are you doing,” she asked.
“Bored… Do you really need to know this stuff?”
Firefly looked her daughter in the eye and smiled. “Yes, we do.”
“Okay… Do you know what we’re having for supper?”
“Stir-fried vegetables.”
“Sounds good.”
“Oh, and who was that griffon who was with you?”
“Oh her?” Rainbow switched to a nonchalant tone. “Nobody… Just a new student…”
“Uh-huh… Is she nice?”
“She is.”
“That’s good. Does she have a name?”
“Maybe… Gilda I think it was…”
“I see… Were you nice to her?”
“I was.” Rainbow finally decided to drop the tone. “Also, she has been to six schools.”
Firefly raised an eyebrow, “Six schools? Are you sure that’s what she said?”
“Yep. Turns out her parents are ambassadors.”
“Oh… Wow, she seems like a neat girl.”
“She is.”
“Do you think her parents would mind if we invited her over?”
Rainbow widened her eyes, “Really? She could come over?”
“Well, not today, I’m sure her family already has plans, but maybe you could ask her tomorrow. Plus I don’t have her phone number.”
“Oh. Probably should have asked. Oh well.”
“Yeah, you can ask tomorrow for her number...and if she has any plans on Saturday…”
“Hm… Good point.”
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Firefly walked over to the door and answered it. This pony looked very similar to Rainbow Dash, except he was a male and had a darker shade of blue. “So how are my favorite girls in the whole world doin’?”
Firefly put her arms around Rainbow Strike’s neck and pressed her lips to his in a kiss.
“Ew! That’s just gross you guys,” Rainbow frowned.
Rainbow Strike looked at Dash. “You think it’s gross now, but someday you’ll be doing it too…”
“Me? No way! I’ll be too busy rocking Wonderbolts shows and being awesome to kiss
boys.” Dash shivered, “besides, boys have cooties.”
Both parents laughed.
Strike embraced his daughter in a hug, “So does that mean you and your mom will be my girls for a while?”
“Yep.”
“Yes,” Strike exclaimed, excitedly.
Both girls looked at him, amused by his reaction.
“Well, Firefly, I think we’d better let Miss Dash get back to her school work.”
“She already finished,” Firefly replied.
“Wow, already? Well, guess that means I'll have more fun with BOTH of you." Strike grinned.
“And she made a new friend today.”
"You did?"
“Yep. Her name's Gilda, and...she's a griffon..."
"A griffon? Wow, I haven't even met a griffon,” Strike said, “Is she nice?"
“Very.”
"Yeah. Dashie can tell us all about her over dinner."
"Sounds good to me. Smells good, too."
"Well then, let's eat."
*****
Gilda sat at the dinner table alone, like almost every day. Even if her parents were here, there would still be silence in addition to the awkward stares. Gilda took another small nibble of her fish. At least the food was good. It’s not that the vegetable soup was bad, but she just preferred to have a little meat. But she'd take eating the soup and having Rainbow over over the loneliness and fish any day.
When she had finished her meal, she put her plate in the dishwasher and headed to her room. She turned on the television and started flipping through the channels. Finally, she came across the show Griffengers. She sat on her bed and watched the television show.
She didn’t know what it was about the show that she liked. It was a bunch of griffons wearing different colors of spandex and fighting different monsters every week, not to mention the fact that they fight with a giant robot after the monster grows. It seems like a silly idea, yet the storytelling managed to reel her in. Now she even has the toys for it.
She watched the show until it was her bedtime. She turned the TV off and started getting dressed for bed. When she had finished dressing, she got into the bed and draped the covers over herself before drifting off to sleep.
******
Dash had just slipped into her pajamas. She was just about to get into bed when she heard a knock at the door. "Come in," she called.
The door opened to reveal Firefly. "Hey, Dashie, just wanted to tell you 'good night’.”
"Okay, good night."
"I love you."
"Love you, too."
Firefly smiled, gave her daughter a kiss on her forehead, and left.
Rainbow Dash got into the bed and closed her eyes.