Gilda didn’t speak much at breakfast and was more happy to just eat and leave. Then, maybe, she could go back to the guest room and get her story straight for later on. Hopefully alone, and hopefully with Diamond Tiara talking to Apple Bloom about taking that party invite. At least that’d be one problem solved.
After all the things happening now, the griffon needed a moment to think. Well, a moment to ponder the doom approaching for both her and the town. Maybe then she could find how to stop it if she is lucky, or at least somehow warn someone.
Sadly, that was not to be, any part of it.
Despite Apple Bloom trying to at least have Tiara humor the idea of it, the other filly didn’t want to talk about it. For a while she, like Gilda, was content to just eat as Bloom was pulled back to her friends who talked about their own Hearth’s Warming plans.
Scootaloo and Dash, Sweetie Belle with her sister, Apple Bloom and her family.
If this trend was going to keep going it was likely Gilda and Diamond who were going to be spending more time together.
On one hand: the griffon wouldn't be alone for the holidays. On the other: this kid made her uncomfortable, and she had her own problems to deal with. That and the kid may be dead tomorrow, she couldn't forget that detail.
Gilda really needed to tell Fluttershy at some point. But first, she needed check on something.
“Aren’t ya…” she whispered over to Diamond quietly. “Gonna ask?”
“Maybe later,” Diamond whispered back and went back to eating.
Well, she tried.
Gilda finished her meal and got up. Tiara was still eating, and she was unlikely to go after her for now, so the griffon excused herself and headed up to her room. She lay down on the bed, then groaned.
She just realized how hard this was going to be.
What happens to her after she tells Fluttershy? How was the pony going to just go and fix this anyway? A bunch of windigos might be a problem for ponykind, seeing as this time it was a army. That, and just mentioning “The Snark” could end very badly. From the threat of death to worse.
Worse: there was the fact her and Snark did bust up a lot of stuff...and those guard ponies too. That would end in tears, as the griffon shuddered at the thought of how that would turn out.
“It was fun,” the Snark said from under the bed, but Gilda ignored him.
The way she could see it, she was a dead bird either way. The ponies were going to let her have it good when they learned she was the one who caused them trouble.
“I can help you with that,” the Snark spoke again. Gilda still ignored him, or tried her best too.
And what happens after? Even if the mess was cleared up, where was she going to go? She started this misadventure a mess, and she still was one, and she would likely be one for the foreseeable future.
“And I can help with that too, I’m very resourceful,” the Snark didn’t shut up as Gilda continued to try to think.
“Then why am I miserable, geek?” Gilda finally answered him, getting up and holding her head.
“Because you won’t accept it fully,” he replied, popping his head up from under the bed.
“You enjoy it, but you keep saying you don’t. Once you accept it freely, you’ll feel right as rain.”
“Accept what?” Gilda asked the obvious question. “That I’m a monster now?”
“That you are the wolf among lambs,” the Snark replied with glee. “The power from the outside will crush them while you get the last laugh. I know you want it!”
Gilda sighed and went back to trying to ignore him. She just lay back again for a while, as she could hear the Snark hum some annoying tune. If what he told her was true, he was more than excited today.
“Jingle bell, ponies smell, the town is quite a mess,” he sang loudly. “My kin will dine, and the’re out of time, which means they’ll soon be dead.”
Gilda had a realization, if a small one. “Dead people don’t hate, freak,” she said, not looking down from the ceiling. “What are you gonna do about that?”
“Did you know?” the Snark said, rising from under fully as mist and looking down at her like a cloud. “That it’s the living that envy the dead? Seeing as what lives tends to be culpable, and blame flies and bitter grudges grow. One of these days, we'll talk about this and laugh on how simple it all is.”
Whatever little rant he was about to give was interrupted with a knock on the door. He was gone again, like he was never there as usual. Gilda knew that knock was too low to be Fluttershy. It was a kid knocking at the door.
“Not now kid, I got a headache,” Gilda called out, still laying on the bed.
“Can’t we talk a bit, miss Gilda?” said a voice that wasn’t Tiara’s. “Ah jus’ wanted to clear tha air an’ all.” The griffon now knew it was the redhead apple kid.
Gilda still rolled her eyes as she got up. Maybe she could scare her off or something? Still, she opened the door to find Apple Bloom doing her best to look cheerful…and the feeling was mutual. Gilda figured she didn’t need more trouble today.
“What?” she asked with a sigh of annoyance. “What is it?”
“Ah’ know ya’ll trying to help Diamond Tiara,” Bloom replied with a serious look. “Yer even trying to help convince her ta accept that invite ah gave ‘er.”
“How…?” Gilda said as she held her head with a grumble. “How much of that talk did you hear, kid?”
“Well….” Apple Bloom rubbed her hoof into the floor timidly. “We woke up wit’ that kettle whistle an…” She could see Gilda’s mood was not improving. “Much ah it, an ah ain’t here to accuse ya or nothin,” she admitted.
“So what?” Gilda asked as she still rubbed her head. “You trying to make something of it?”
“Well…” Apple Bloom looked unsure how to answer, and Gilda was about to just shut the door to go back to brooding, but Bloome seemed to notice. "Ah just wanted to know why?” she said quickly. “Ah mean, it’s nice of ya to try ta help an all, an I appreciate that.”
“She reminds me of how miserable I am,” Gilda deadpanned.
Bloom looked at the griffon wide eyed. “Wha’s that supposed ta mean?” she asked with surprise.
“Meh,” Gilda said, as she didn’t feel like answering. It would take too long, she thought. “It don’t matter, but that kid needs someone. And, seeing as you offered it, I think your party could help her.”
“Ya really think so, miss G?” Apple Bloom looked excited to know that fact.
“Yeah,” Gilda answered as she rubbed her claw. “That kid seems to get along with me, but I got enough issues right now to deal with so-.” It was then the little foal looked inspired by something.
“Maybe if you came?” Bloom quickly added with a smile.
“What?” Gilda uttered, wide eyed and wings up.
“Ah mean, I might haf ta talk to ma sister a bit on that,” Apple Bloom continued as she looked aside. “But if’n it can get DT outta that funk, ah don’t see why not invite ya.”
The griffon was still wide eyed, and curious, and a bit creeped out.
“Why are you so dead set on getting her to this party anyway?” Gilda had to ask. “She doesn’t like you guys from what she keeps telling me.”
“Caus….” Apple Bloom looked a bit sad on that fact. “Ah think it’s mah fault.”
“The heck?” Gilda uttered in response.
“If’n it weren’t fer me talking ta that mad pony, she’d…” Bloom began to tremble as she spoke.
“Hey, if you didn’t know what he was, it’s not….” Gilda tried to keep this from getting more dramatic, as she needed less of that right now.
“Ah know, he did all that,” Bloom hung her head. “I jus wanna help her not haff ta spend Herat’s Warming alone, ya know?” She looked back to the griffon with the sad look she had.
“Yeah, I do,” Gilda replied looking away for a bit. “So, maybe you feel like you ruined her holiday? Wish to fix it and stuff?”
“Yeah!” Apple said with surprise. “How’d yall…?”
“Lucky guess,” Gilda face clawed. “I can tell this is going to be a long day.” she sighed as she looked down.
“Wha’s wrong?” Apple Bloom asked then. “Wha’s it gonna be long?”
“Stuff,” Gilda replied simply. “Lots of stuff I need to figure out.”
“That’s why yer here, right?” Apple Bloom asked with a kind smile. Said smile started to melt down as she saw Gilda wasn’t agreeing. “Ya wanna be left alone now?” she added awkwardly. Ya said ya had a headache…”
While a yes was the first response, Gilda mind wandered to the thing that wouldn't leave her alone in her head. She needed to tell someone after all about what was coming soon.
“Can you ask Fluttershy if she can get me a early session?” she asked the foal. “I got a lot to talk about right now.”
“Sure!” Apple Bloom said as she nodded quickly. “Ah’ll tell her right naw.” She left, heading downstairs.
Gilda shut the door and went back to her sulking. Her mind went to something new, or perhaps old, feeling this could all be Dash’s fault. In a long, drawn out way for all of her misery.
She was sick of it continuing to go that way.
“Then do something about it,” the Snark stated in her mind. “You really should.”
“Shut up,” Gilda snarled back at the creature in her head.