//------------------------------// // Ties that bind us // Story: Dead Birds // by Stray Dog Kane //------------------------------// Gilda awoke in bed again with a headache again. She didn’t feel woozy this time, just twitchy. With what she just saw in her head, she wasn’t sure what to feel anymore. That wonderful horror made her blood dance in her veins while the rest of her shuddered in instinctive fear. Regardless, she was still a bit too shocked to move. She simply blinked at the ceiling for a moment before letting out a groan. Things were going to get worse again it seemed. “You back, sis?” She heard Edward’s voice next to her. “I guess that...whatever that was must have you for a loop, huh?” She turned to see her brother sitting next to the bed she was in. “You could say that…” Gilda muttered as she got herself up, sitting on the bed. "Where’s Fluttershy at?" she added nervously. “She headed to town for a bit, my guess to report what happened,” Edward said with a shrug. He then saw the look of worry Gilda now had, so he waved his claws with the best smile he could muster. “Hey, don’t worry about it so much. Unlike what you said about Deal, you don’t seem so crazy to me right now.” Despite this she groaned. “You have no idea…” Gilda replied weakly. “About what?” Ed asked. Despite his curiosity, the girl griffon had no desire to explain. “Just...forget it,” she dismissed grimly. “This whole thing bites!” “Um, you're not mad about it, are you?” Edward began, strangely moving to a new topic. “About her knowing….” “Whatever, alright,” Gilda grumbled as she felt her head. “I figure her knowing about me having a loser brother wouldn't hurt me that much at this point right now.” “Heh, could be worse,” Edward joked, even mock cuddling one of her wings with his beak. “What if she knew the time you got drunk enough to call me your little mock turtle?” “I’d bite your tail off,” Gilda coldly deadpanned. “That was one of those things you bury.” “Y-yeah, eh heh,” Edward laughed with a nervous smile, letting her wing go. "Guess that's one for the grave…so how's the head? First you looked zoned out, then you just fell over." "It’s better, I guess?" Gilda replied as she still rubbed it. "How much of that story did I miss out on?” Edward looked grim again. "Oh...well..." He looked aside for a moment and his tail nervously twitched. "Miss Shy…she asked that I don't go into much detail so..." He saw how displeasing that was to her. "She's just worried it will cause a breakdown or something, so I'll just sum up. That cool at least?" Gilda sighed. "Whatever, just how did I end up in a asylum then?" She would take what she could get. “And also, why am I not dead?” "I'll admit, I kinda..." Ed started. "Wimped out?" she said for him. "Yeah," Edward replied with displeasure and a bit of gallows humor. "Seeing Deal go nuts had me run for it, calling for help. The good news was a passing patrol was in the area." Edward smiled a bit. "Guess we weren't the only lost ones out there, huh?" That smile faded though. "We got back to a...bad scene.” While he did look like he wanted to tell her, he kept his beak sealed on it. “I'll spare you the details, but you were out of it. Rescue pony said you were catatonic." "Uh huh." Gilda wasn't too happy with this story, despite her survival. "You weren't hurt though, that was a miracle I think.” And seeing how the girl griffon now looked at him in disbelief, Edward clarified. “They didn’t find any injuries on you, so maybe I just freaked out or someone was smiling on you.” He still had to wonder why his sister only looked more upset by that. “The guards even got Deal, he was just laughing and sobbing as they dragged him away. Then there was this diamond dog we found..." "Sunshine?" Gilda grumbled the thought, already knowing what was coming. "You met that idiot?" "Heh, I named him," Edward said with a silly smile, that only got more humorous as he saw his sisters look of shock. "He scared the ponies and me when he showed up, but then he asked why it was cold. The doc said he must have bumped his head or something, but he seemed nice enough. I got to know him on the cart ride back." "Figured you two would get along..." Gilda said offhand with as she looked aside. "He couldn't remember anything, so we chatted,” Ed continued. “When he told me he didn't have a name I said Sunshine would make a nice one, seeing as that storm had cleared by then. He liked it." Gilda looked at him with narrow eyes. "Are you the reason he wanted to be friends with me?" she asked coldly. "N-no, n-not really," he nervously replied, backing away a bit. "I...may have told him a lot of stories though. Guess he thought griffons looked cool too." Gilda face clawed again. "Um, sorry?" "If you told him the mock turtle story...I swear to the storm eagle..." she added, now moving her claws. "Nonononon, just those bits of nice childhood and the singing," he said, and Gilda cracked her claw at that. "And that you hated it, told him not to bring it up!" he said in a panic, fearful of getting hit. "You still had that goofus deciding I was his special friend, Ed," Gilda grumbled back. "He just wants to be friendly, sis,” Edward reassured her. “Even those guards were surprised he meant no harm." He looked serious for a moment. "Did he ever get his memory back?" "Nope," Gilda answered simply. “”He doesn’t seem to be all there either.” "Guess he got hit with something fierce too, huh?" Edward said, and got up from his sitting. “You good? I got to get back to the mayor's office.” “Woah, they the ones that put you up?” Gilda said with a bit of surprise, pointing a talon. “How’d that happen?” “Being broke for one,” Edward said with a sheepish look. “Got some temp work for rent so I’m doing pretty good. Once I find something better, I wonder how I’ll thank her?” “Get her a block of salt lick?” Gilda answered, and figured she’d take a jab at him. It worked, seeing as Edward was annoyed. “Like I have the money for that!” he replied with an unhappy grimace. “That stuff isn't cheap and besides, why do you want the mayor inebriated?” “Humor,” Gilda simply said with a grin. Edward rolled his eyes. “Geeze…” he added, rubbing his head. “You remember how you burnt the top of your head?” That question got Gilda a dirty look. “Not on being funny, just...something that came to mind.” “The hat helps hide that bald spot...still, that was a good memory when we were little.” Edward replied, and took his hat off for a moment, briefly tapping his still burnt scalp. “We should work on a project like that again." He had a nervous laugh on that memory. "Just with less magnesium sulfide next time, alright?” He seemed to notice the odd look his sister was giving her. “Uh, G?” he asked, wondering why the girl griffon was looking so wide eyed. “Uh, nevermind,” Gilda said as she rubbed her own scalp. “Some things change, some things don’t, huh?” “Just keep getting better, kay?” Edward said with a nod, putting his hat back on. “Least this Hearth’s Warming will have you doing something other than sulking by yourself.” “Whatever,” Gilda replied, as she still wasn't excited for it. Edward walked to the door and gave her a wave as he left. “I’ll see ya later sis, I’ll visit again sometime,” he said, and Edward left. Gilda let out a sigh. While she would have just gone back to laying back in bed, waiting for the arrival of Dr. Shy for her diagnosis, there was one bit of business to attend to. She promptly looked under her bed. “How much of that did you hear?” she said to the pony under it. “How do you keep knowing I’m there?” questioned Pinkie Pie. Gilda looked up, well down a bit. “Don’t ask me,” she said to the pink intruder. “Why do you think I keep worrying I’m going crazy?” ”Maybe if you embrace the jolly parts, you won’t keep worrying all the time!” Pinkie replied, being cheerful as usual. “Can we talk about this not under the bed at least?” Gilda said pulling herself up, and finding Pinkie on the bed already. “That’s better,” she said without missing a beat with a bit of deadpan. “Did ja know everypony’s worried about you?” Pinkie said with worry. “Even Twilight wonders what happened to you!” ‘Great…” Gilda said with a groan. “I’m not headed back to that asylum now, am I?” “Nuh huh!” Pinkie Pie replied, shaking her head. “Fluttershy insisted you're ok where you are…” Then she snapped her hoof, some how as usual. “...Oh, and that asylum had a big escape thing happen.” “Escape thing?” Gilda asked with a raised brow. “When?” “Last night!” Pinkie replied, tilting her head . “Don’t you read a newspaper? Or listen to ponies who read them?” “Like I would,” Gilda said with less excitement. “I got enough of a headache as is.” “Oh!” Pinkie jolted suddenly. “Fluttershy’s home, see ya later!” The pink pony ran for the door, opened it, gave a wave back and closed it behind her. Said door lead to the closet. Pinkie Pie was likely home by now--and how would the griffon guess this? The logic both made, and didn’t make sense. Gilda rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. “Wish I could do that,” she said to herself. She’d ask, but the answer would likely have her bouncing around as well with a playful giggle. And she doesn’t do bouncing, same for giggling. The griffon also didn’t feel like waiting for Fluttershy to come upstairs. She needed to talk to her, now!