Gilda snuck in through the same window. No one the wiser, but letting out a sigh she sat down on the floor. She felt like a monster for what she did, no matter how much she just wanted to ruin Ponyville’s day.
“Having doubts, little bird?” the Snark said, already next to her, and not even needing to use the window. “Hm? Letting those little things hold you down?”
“This feels nuts,” Gilda replied, still stoic. She still couldn't figure how she should feel with what she had done.
“What kind?” the Snark purposely missed the point. “Peanuts? Walnuts?”
“We coulda killed somepony!” she shouted back, angry at the white cloud pony. “What the heck's up with you?”
“But it was in good fun,” the Snark defended calmly. “Why put such value in others’ lives? What did they ever do for you?” He looked coy to her anger. “I mean, they did make you their monster first...”
“Don’t mean I want them dead...maybe….” Gilda looked away, back to that nervous uncertainty.
That town had something coming to it, she felt that clearly. Then again some ponies were trying. Then again, again, most ponies were just as happy to see her rot alone. That logic train was starting to hurt again and all she could do was hold her head.
“Do you really think they think this hard?” the Snark said clearly. “For a freak like you?”
“Shut up!” Gilda yelled back.
“They drove you to that point, little bird,” the Snark said, notably without that humor of his. “Don’t you forget!” She looked at him with a cold look. “You remember it, I know you do.” She did, Gilda couldn't help but chatter her teeth at it. “It never leaves you, so live with it!”
“I still didn’t want this!” Gilda defended back. “Why would I just opt to just be a monster?”
“Really?” said The Snark, unconvinced. “I’m in you head, and I look in there too. Now, why won’t you admit how much you wanted to take from your old best friend, hm?” The griffon looked on tensely. “As much as you could, leaving nothing but a ghost story of horror behind?” Gilda didn’t have an answer, she just looked down to the floor. “Hint: more than 5.” he clarified.
“Shut up,” Gilda weakly demanded. She couldn't fight back against this as she held her claw in some shame.
“And now you feel sad,” the Snark added. “Because of that nothing of a pony you talk to, that you allow to lead you around like her little frightened child. Always promising to repair what she tells you are clearly broken, because she believes so. And you hated her for it.”
“Bite me,” Gilda growled.
“Oh, I do that a lot,” the Snark’s odd humor came back for a bit, briefly licking his lips. “But with all they took from you, hate was all you had. That fire kept you warm at night, and with me, alive.” The griffon let out a sigh. “And all that pony will do is remind you of the walls around you, like an apologetic failure.”
“So what?” Gilda said, looking down. If it wasn’t anger, it was despair she felt. “We just keep mulling this over? I got fragging years of this crud on me...” she shivered as she spoke.
“We play, we have fun,” the Snark said, now next to her. He lifted a soft claw to her chin, raising her head to see his soft face. “We teach a race of know-it-alls what happens when you push some bird too far and they won’t take it anymore. No more excuses, no more lies.” Gilda was more than a bit nervous as he looked at her with black eyes as his tone became raspy as his new voice.
“The time will come, when what they think they know will be proven wrong, and the suffering we all feel inside will be known in the ravaging of their people.” His eyes changed back to blue, and his tone much smoother. “It’s why we’re friends after all. Good friends!” he said smiling at her.
“And if I don’t like this divine retribution crud you're selling?” Gilda said when she found her voice, her tone hoping it was firm enough.
“And just let some flutter-pony take what power you have away again?” the Snark cackled at the griffons attempt to counter. “No, you know they would rather die first than admit and fix the faults they say are on you. And while they keep refusing to fix their own.”
“And if I take that bet?” Gilda challenged, pulling his claw away from her. “I’m sick and tired of this crud…and if all you got my heart, you can keep it when I’m dead.”
“Aw, don’t get angsty,” he said. “Get even,” the Snark retorted, waving on of his wispy talons. “It’s the best goal where you are in life!”
“I don’t want to play this game,” Gilda said as she got up, getting as much distance between her and the Snark as she could.
“What’s harder, G?” the Snark asked with blackened teeth in a grin. “Admitting to your hate of ponies, or to hating yourself? Because they both are why you would tempt death like this, like a failure to her own idea of bravery.” Gilda clenched a claw. “Oh, yes,” he continued. “You became a decayed griffon, just like he dreaded.”
Apparently, that hit the right button. Gilda wrapped her claws around the Snark’s neck, hoisting him up and pinning him to the bed. All the while he laughed at her rage.
“You’re just sad you couldn't be powerful like dad was,” Gilda hit him as he mocked. “He prized you to fill in those footsteps, strong and mighty, not a wimp! You're just like his lousy son!”
Pow!
“And you did so well, until…” he continued.
Socko!
“Tigers!” he cackled. “They scared you little feathers off! So you ran to be a flight champion! Less tigers here, HUH?”
Whack!
“So scared of dying before meeting that glory you desired, you fled from death like a little chicken.” he wouldn't stop.
Bagdoon!
“Just like that dumb brother who ran off to seek a wusses fortune!” he said with a smile. “Raging on you smallness in fear, LIKE A BOSS!”
With a roar, Gilda threw him across the room, slamming him into a wall. The Snark didn’t seem too bothered by all the impacts he had taken. His face looked messed up, with bits of blue seeping from the many dents. But no bruise blemished his white features, nor was the smile on his face disturbed. He loved all of this.
“I think it’s about time we took this to bed…” the Snark answered Gilda’s new look of fear. “I’ll forgive, and you can…”
She knew what was coming, and as fast as she could, she bolted for the bedroom door. Gilda slammed it closed behind her in the hallway as she looked at her options.
Running, calling Fluttershy, maybe just trembling there. Why did it have to be three?
“My little bird,” the Snark said in a sing song voice, now down the hall, next to Fluttershy’s door. “Do you really just want to cuddle with a mare now? For shame! What would they say?”
Gilda tore like heck, the Snark behind her. She knew she couldn't hide, not physically anyway, not if he was in her head. The best she could think of was running from the bloodied pony and then do her best not to think of it. If what Shy and snake boy said made sense, the less she can think she can see him the less he could.
From downstairs, to the kitchen, to the basement. Maybe she could hide in the dark?
She tried her best to not imagine him following her, believing this might help. If what she knew was still true about those things on the other side was, the less she thought about it the safer she was as well. The griffon kept repeating this mentally, quite panicked.
But to be fair, this is close to impossible when you panic. Please note, thinking about not thinking about it is a bit--thinking about it. Funny that.
The Snark just kept calling after her. “Come on!” he sarcastically reassured the frightful griffon. “Don’t be like that, it’s for your own good after all! And those ponies could do worse...much worse you know!”
She passed through the kitchen as he called, opening the basement door, and went down the stairs into darkness a terrified blur.
“Bak-bak-bak-bak, chicken,” the Snark continued. “Little chicken. Like a little chicken running from a real alpha predator. A saber tiger maybe?”
She made sure the lights were off, and hid under the desk. Sure, her limited dark vision was a wrinkle in her plan, but that’s why she closed her eyes. “You’re not here,” she said to herself. “I’m not hearing you. I’m just thinking about….”
“What if I pulled wings off a fly-shy?” Gilda felt a jolt when the Snark said that. “Oh, good to have your attention! Like I could, but it’s a nice thought. Sure, I’m not there, but I am for you!” She could hear his hoofsteps going down the stairs slowly as he hummed a simple, playful tune.
“You’ll wake up again, don’t worry,” he added in a mock reassuring voice. “Just a matter that simple numbness, you understand right? You’ll live!” He had a laugh. “You’ll always live!”
Gilda, however, did not like waking up numb. Just the thought of that “brain freeze” made her tremble at the memory of her eyes white and body weak in bed. Her breathing quickened as she got frantic, digging into the desk drawers, hoping for something to help.
Some papers, some books, but that bottle she recognized. He eyes lit up with it’s contents when she opened it. It was full of those pills for dreams! She popped one into her mouth.
“Let’s see you smile now,” Gilda said with the bitter pill in her mouth.
“Why?” To her cockiness, she got out of hiding behind the desk seeing the Snark on the other side of it. “You really think that will work?” he said, and she responded by swallowing the pill dry. “Oh no.” the Snark dead panned with mock shock. “How unexpected…”
While Gilda would have been content to close her eyes and wait it out, the Snark wasn’t letting her off that easy. She felt cold claws grab her sides.
“You think your little dreams will stop me?” the Snark yelled, cold breath was hitting her face. “Did we forget where you go before you dream? Eh, little bird?”
It was then Gilda realized she just messed up again. Even though she couldn't see it, she could feel those icy claws melting into her body, forming around her like a cold sludge.
Gotta think! Gilda thought, trying to shake herself free with panic racing faster and keeping her eyes shut. “How do I get out of this? There has got to be a way…!”
“You can’t ignore me forever,” the Snark said playfully.
He was right. She could feel that chill covering her entire form, her bones, her organs, chilling like ice inside her body. It hurt, and that slime was now closing on her neck, slowly reaching for her head. She was going to drown in it.
Gilda decided to face him, being one of her dumber moves she could imagine. It didn’t matter, she figured she was lost. She opened her eyes and that beyond was there, that void surrounding into infinity.
So was that mass that had engulfed her. Glowing eyes, like bits of ice, seemed to drift in “The Snark” creature’s body as she could see the parts of her own already trapped in him.
“Get off me!” she yelled as she struggled. It was then she realized that he wasn’t moving. He had stopped, the burning chill was now caressing her neck as she felt a growing reason to gag fill her guts from how ill it made her feel.
“Did you really think I was gonna?” said a distorted voice burning in her head. “You just took a step out of my day! Not only are you beneath suspicion, but now have a lot to explain when you wake. It hilarious!” The Snark’s laughter scratched her skin. “Just look at your face!”
“T-then what are…” Despite the warped humor in it, Gilda was still in some shock.
“Go on!” he said loudly, his pseudo form letting go of her. The icy mass of slime pulling away from her body, leading to a rush of sensation that likely would have made her puke otherwise. “Dream you pissant little dream, cry at it, let yourself feel broken again. But when you wake…”
His laughter echoed in her head as her body trembled at the memory of the still consuming chill, even as her body warmed.
Gilda was left to drift again, helpless and unable to move. On the bright side, she wasn’t worth killing, and that fact made her skin crawl and blood boil. She really was worthless to anyone.
She could see more of them, the other windigos and other strange shapes that wandered around her, just watching as she drifted by. Cold eyes and cold forms that followed her slow movement with disinterest.
Not an action, just open contempt, or so she thought in her mind. The blowing sound of dry leaves was all she could hear now. Even the Snark seemed far away and she felt more alone from it.
She didn’t feel like feeling anything when the light shifted.