//------------------------------// // Dying is easy, life is hard // Story: Dead Birds // by Stray Dog Kane //------------------------------// (the doomsday clock now has an “out of order” sign) Gilda awoke to find herself in a bed in a room. It was white, sure, just not quite the one she expected, and that beeping next to her told her enough to know she was alive. She was still too weak to move though, she just moved her eyes to see if anyone is there. Then tried to speak. “Ugh,” was the most she got out. It was enough for her doctor to notice. Well, Dr. Fluttershy anyway. How long that pegasus been here? “Gilda, you're ok!” Shy shouted, overjoyed, and even grabbing Gilda’s claw. “We were afraid we lost you!” She soon calmed herself down, or at least remembered how the griffon had got herself into this. “Why did you do that? I told you to…” She was stern for a bit, but calmed down again. “Well, talk about this later, ok?” Shy said with a smile as she let Gilda’s claw go. “How...long?” Gilda managed to utter out. “It’s been a few days, Gilda,” Fluttershy said softly. “Don’t worry about it, ok? Just get some rest for now.” The griffon nodded, or tried too, and let herself nod off again. Rather she dreaded it or not. As she let her senses slip away again, Gilda realized Shy was still there. The odd pony was likely going to do something, maybe rub her head or kiss it after she began sleeping. It was embarrassing to be sure. Still, knowing someone was still there helped her a lot as she drifted off again. Her dreams weren’t much to look at now, just like they were before all this. No cold sweat, no awkward feeling, just that kind of random she would have expected. When she woke up, she felt better, at least enough to get up again. Being rested was like a new feeling to her, and Gilda now felt more awake than she had in a while. It was a relief to be sure. The griffon flexed her wings while letting out a sigh of relief with a nice grin. Life felt good. “What’s up with you?” said another voice in the room. Gilda turned her head to see an unpleasant looking pegasus in the bed next to her. “Why is some big bad griffon getting nuzzled in her sleep by somepony less than half her wing power?” The greenish, blonde pony gave a mocking smile. “Don’t you got shame?” “Meh,” Gilda replied. “You get used to it. Or gag. Who knows?” She shrugged as the pony rolled her eyes. By the look of it, she’d been through a lot herself. “What the heck happened to you?” “Some freak froze my wings, then I nearly froze to death, then get rescued by some cross eyes loon.” Lightning Dust ranted. “I nearly lose my wings to frostbite, and I had to do a ton of physical therapy…” She paused in her rant to take a breath. “So I’m just peachy griffon! Just peachy!” she yelled. “Could be worse, I guess?” Gilda answered, and she got a raspberry back for it. She simply shook her head. She got up to looked out the window, hoping to clear her head. The weather was calm outside. There was snow piles here and there of big sizes, some notably with foals and even adults playing in them. They all looked happy. It was as if the storms rage was never there with how they were acting. Things were clear, easy. The griffon felt glad seeing as the world didn’t end, even if it looked silly despite the near doomsday. While Gilda was about to go lie back down, and maybe ponder the next problem that was coming, she turned to noticed she had visitors now. She recognized both of them, but only knew one of them. Diamond Tiara was there with, who was likely, her father. “Hey kid,” Gilda said, a bit more weakly than she wanted. “That your dad next to you?” “Duh, do ya have to ask?” Tiara replied, rolling her eyes. “Is it really that hard to tell?” “Sorry, guess I’m still kinda goofy right now.” Gilda said as she put a claw on her head, sitting herself down onto her bed. “And you are?” “Filthy Rich, miss!” Tiara’s father said as he extended happy a hoof and a smile. Gilda simply looked at him with a bit of a muddled look, not sure how to respond. He seemed to notice her reluctance, and smiled sheepishly as he pulled his hoof back. “I hear you helped my poor Diamond with her problems and I wanted to thank you,” Rich continued as he rubbed his daughters mane. “It’s quite a surprise for someone with your reputation.” “I might find more than a few ponies saying that,” Gilda said with a shrug and a bit of a laugh. “But, what are ya gonna do, huh?” she joked. “Will, I’d imagine I would have to thank you,” Filthy Rich replied happily and without issue, missing the point. “I’m glad you were able be there for her when she needed someone.” he added with a proud voice. Gilda would have rolled her eye before to something like this, but she didn’t. She felt a bit proud of the softy-ness for once. “Just remembered, but how’d things turn out on your end, kid?” Gilda asked Diamond Tiara. “I kinda missed that party.” “So did I,” Diamond replied with a laugh. “Remember all that cake we ate? I was way too sick to party…” “Uh, sorry?” Gilda said as she rubbed her head. Despite that let down, Rich seemed still in good spirits. “But the Apple family were nice enough to save us a few pies and some nice turnovers,” Filthy added, looking to his daughter. “I was so happy to find you and their daughter were able to put aside your differences. Ah, I would have been there if I could!” he said with a delighted sigh Diamond blushed a bit at that. “Uh, thanks dad,” she said, scratching at the floor. “I-I mean, she was the one who invited me and, well…yeah...” “I was hoping to have our own celebration,” Filthy Rich continued. “Like a family feast!” he excitable noted. “We could invite them into our home, like they were….” as he continued his daydreams, Diamond Tiara looked more and more uncomfortable. Mostly due to the fact the farm ponies were going to her house this time, so Gilda decided change the subject. “How’s your friend doing?” she asked the foal. “Is she getting better too?” “Y-yeah!” Diamond said, and was glad for that change. It also got Filthy out of his odd ideas as well for the moment. “She came to last night, and she was so glad to see me too!” She sounded a bit excited, but calmed down. “She still won’t be out for awhile though, but she’s totally good. Thanks! You?” “I’m glad I don’t have a hole where my heart should be?” Gilda tried to joke. Filthy Rich and Diamond Tiara looked weirded out by it though. “I’m good. Really.” she decided to add. As cool as her last stand could have been seen as, how the heck was she going to try to explain it to anyone? “When do you think you’ll be doing stuff again?” Diamond asked the griffon, ending that train of thought. “You’re are ok enough to do stuff, right?” “I guess,” Gilda answered, as she stretched a bit and let out a sigh. “I’m mostly just tried.” “Wanna hang out in Silver’s room later?” Tiara asked. “Sure,” Gilda answered. “Don’t see why not?” “Awesome!” Diamond replied, then just seemed to realize what she just said. She looked a bit shocked by that enthusiasm she had. “W-well, I’ll see ya then. Bye!” Filthy Rich kindly nodded back to the griffon. “I’m glad you two have bonded so well,” he said, and the pair left. Gilda let herself lay down, letting out a calm sigh. She’d be meeting another pony, likely not as cool as she was again, and just as likely needed someone too. It was still going to be awkward though, for both sides. “You really get along with these losers, don’t you?” Lightning Dust asked mockingly. “Keeps me sane,” Gilda replied, jokingly, somewhat at least. “I don’t like to imagine what I’d be like otherwise…” she added. As expected, Dust figured that was corny sounding. At least by her rolled eyes. The griffon figured she could go for a nap, laying herself down on the bed. While nodding off was her first though to pass the time again, a new pair of ponies came in interrupting it. Fluttershy was there with what Gilda figured was a nurse. “Hey Dr. Shy,” Gilda said to the pegasus. “It lecture time now?” “Soon,” Shy said as she nodded back. “Nurse Redheart needs to do a check up first.” As mentioned, the nurse did a few tests. Blood pressure, checking the eyes, that kind of thing followed. “I see you’ve recovered nicely, Gilda,” Redheart said after checking the griffon’s pulse. “Despite that heart attack you suffered while unconscious, plus the hypothermia, you seem quite healthy.” “Oh, is that all?” Gilda asked. While it was more joking, the nurse and Fluttershy took it seriously. “You heart stopped, Gilda,” Shy answered for the nurse. “We managed too-” But the nurse interrupted her. “Dr. Fluttershy and miss Rainbow Dash needed to give you CPR,” she said as she moved through her check up kit. “Our princess Twilight Sparkle even applied defibrillation to you as well.” “Defib…?” Gilda was about to ask, but knew the answer. “No wonder I remember jolts. I thought I was dying...” “You nearly did miss,” Redheart continued seriously. “But they managed to stabilize you.” She briefly checked Gilda’s wing. “Any pain, tingling?” Gilda shook her head she went on. “Fluttershy might know better about this than I do, but you wing healed fully while you were out.” The griffon only noticed then that her wing was no longer bandaged, like the wound was never there. “Whatever,” Was Gilda’s two bits, those details didn’t matter to her. “So, what happens next?” “I’d say you're healthy enough to leave her soon in a few days, but I’ll take my leave for now,” Nurse Redheart finished and she turned to the pegasus. “I’ll send the papers to you, Dr. Shy.” “Thank you,” Fluttershy said as she nodded. The nurse nodded back and trotted to her next patient. Namely the other pegasus in the room. “Are you feeling much better, miss Dust?” Redheart asked Gilda’s roommate. The pony replied by facehoofing with a groan. “I’m sick of being in bed,” was Dust’s response as the nurse closed the curtain. “How’s that for ya?” Guess things got private now Gilda thought. “...Did she say I had hypothermia?” Gilda asked Fluttershy. “I thought I lay next to the fire when I tried to fight the guy.” “You did,” Shy replied. “But when I got home I found you shivering. And when you stopped, you were cold to the touch.” “Oh…” Gilda said with a sigh. Maybe it was her new knowledge for things, but the griffon knew where she was when that happens. “What did you do?” She was almost afraid to ask. “Pretty sure you had to warm me up first…” “I got you a warm blanket, some hot water…” Fluttershy listed for a moment, before a bit of a blush came. “I...even held on to you...to make sure your body heat came back.” Gilda let out an aside cough, and apparently Shy knew why. “When you were shivering again, I knew you were stable enough for me to go find help.” “Thanks, I’m pretty sure I nearly lost it then.” Gilda said, more than a bit awkward. “Practically about gave up then too.” “Are you ok right now?” Fluttershy asked while looking at Gilda with a serious look. “Because this might get rough…” “Lecture time?” Gilda said as she knew the answer. “Yep,” Fluttershy added, and there it was. “Guess so,” Gilda sighed, aware of what was coming. “Lay into me.” “Why did you do that Gilda?” Shy asked with some anger. “Mr. Discord told me you took more then one of those pills. And when I came home to find you on the floor, you then...started shaking and you skin was cold and...” She went to detail that was not technically clinical, as she went on. Then pausing for breath. “I thought you were going to die. You made me and the other ponies really worried.” “I...I thought I could stop the Snark.” Gilda answered honestly, looking down. “Maybe beat him, using that happy dream effect....stuff.” She could see Shy looked a bit upset on that. “I kept thinking you guys were screwed because of me, and maybe I could fix it...maybe...” Gilda was feeling more and more ashamed as she explained herself. “You could have died Gilda,” Fluttershy added. “How would that help anyone?” “Uh, It worked?” Gilda replied simply with a grin. Shy put a hoof on her head she could tell that was the wrong answer. “Sorry, guess I lost it again...” She rubbed her arm as Fluttershy sighed. “I told you to avoid anything drastic…” Shy said in a disappointed tone. “What if you failed? What then?” “I’d be dead, maybe taking him with me,” Gilda replied without excitement, looking away again. “You guys would be safe. And me?” she sighed. “Well, not much of value would be lost if...” Shy looked more disappointed at that. “That guy kept going under my skin with that. I mean, considering…” The pegasus responded with raised her hooves, gripping Gilda’s head and forcing her to look her in the eye. “What about me?” Fluttershy said in a serious tone. “Diamond, even Rainbow Dash would be crushed if it turned out that way.” “You serious?” Gilda asked, wide eyed. “Her too?” “Dash was there…” Shy said slowly. “She even told you if you died on her she’d never be able speak to you again.” Shy kept her tone. “All this was a shock to her too. She hugged you when you started breathing again, glad you were alive.” “Even after all the bad stuff I did?” Gilda asked, still shocked. “She still wanted to save you,” Fluttershy answered, finally letting the griffon go. She went back from that serious look to her soft one. “It’s what it means to care about others. You aren’t alone here, G.” “I...kinda learned that too…” Gilda stated with a bit of a smile. Still, there was one burning question. “You think she’ll visit at all?” She could not measure the amount of how awkward feelings she felt right now. For all she could tell, she was blushing as she looked down and twiddling her talons. “It’s a tough subject…” Fluttershy said as she looked uncertain. “She hasn’t said anything. I guess it’s still hard.” “For both of us,” Gilda said as she let out a sigh. “Maybe we’ll be on speaking terms again someday, huh?” She let herself smile there, if only for a moment at that odd hope. “What did you see there?” Dr. Fluttershy changed the subject. “In that dream you had?” “Stuff,” Gilda poorly summarized. “Think a huge carnival, like a town full of it. Pinkie must have loved to see it.” “Er, you mean would have loved to, right?” Shy asked with a confused voice. Gilda knew what strangeness would have been caused if she tried to explain that line, and simply moved on. “Beyond that, everything was...nice,” she continued with some enjoyment. “You and the others were there, everything was sweet too. Sometime, when I let it, I kinda just wanted to stay there. Enjoy it all.” She shook her head. “Still, I knew what I had to do. So I faced that guy” Dr. Shy drew closer as she asked. “Was it scary?” she asked. “Facing him alone?” “Uh, yeah,” Gilda replied, realizing how not excited she was to tell . “He tried scaring me, and then I struck back, then he pulled out the huge form and…” She trailed off at the memory the Snark gave her, the shape of it. Doctor Shy looked like she was about to ask why she had paused, but Gilda continued. “That...when he dug into my head and...well, that part was...bad,” Gilda said with a pained look. “Like your worst nightmare, ya know?” “It’s ok if you don’t want to talk about it,” Fluttershy reassured. “I remember it was talking about that gate of delirium thing too,” Gilda went on. “What is that thing anyway?” “Something that gives me pause,” Discord was now there too, sitting in a folding chair nearby. “If only a little bit.” “Because it starts ripping your brain apart?” Gilda asked him with a shrug. While the memory itself felt physically draining, by the look of the thing sitting there he’d seen it. Or at least understood it. “Think monsters within and without, Gilda.” Discord said, again without being completely clear. “I’ve...never ventured too far into it. Nasty place.” he said as he gestured to the griffon. “What did you think you saw in it Gilda?” “I...thought I saw happiness,” Gilda answered without enjoyment. “It felt cool and...terrifying at the same time. I snapped out of it, and it only got worse.” It was draining her the more she remembered it. Fluttershy put a hoof on the griffon’s back, her to realize she had started to tremble from what she’d seen. “Guess, that was the part where you saw me shivering…” Gilda said to the pegasus. “I was way over my head then…” “That does tend to happen when you go head first, dear,” Discord stated as if it was most obvious thing in the world. “You were in luck the lovely life guards were available.” He brushed Shy’s mane on that statement, and she back smiled at him. “Do ya know what’s beyond it?” Gilda asked, even if the answer was going to be more strangeness. “The Snark kept talking about how something he was after being past it.” “I can guess, at times,” Discord said as he tapped his noggin. “Maybe he thought ultimate power was there?” he said with a shrug. “Maybe worlds beyond? But sometimes, I see other words there, not just dreams that fade away. And other times…” He had a rare soft smile now. “I see a light, telling me the reason for where I am.” “Sounds special,” Gilda surmised. “Of it is!” Discord replied. “It’s just a matter of how deep you go, or how much of you comes back. It’s just as likely to fly over your head though.” “Or drive me insane…” Gilda muttered grimly. “That too,” Discord said with a smile. “Are we rid of the Snark now?” Gilda blinked at that question. “Let’s say I noticed the storm lost it fury all of a sudden.” “He burned up,” Gilda replied with some excitement. “Nothing was left either, I didn’t even let him get away.” She scratched her head as she explained. “Still, I’ve heard enough to know I was lucky.” “Well, if it’s some consolation, you slew a nigh immortal creature.” Discord added, now behind her with an arm around her shoulder. “How does that to cheer you up?” he said as he poked her beak. “Do I get something honoring it?” Gilda asked proudly with some optimism. “Like a metal? Maybe, one of those stained glass windows showing my awesomeness in the face of bad stuff or whatever?” “In honor of you great feats!” Discord suddenly said proudly, now across from her. “Here a sandwich!” And Gilda was now holding said sandwich. She lifted the top slice and saw grilled chicken, fatty tuna, tomato, and lemon butter! “Awesome!” was Gilda’s response. While she was about to eat, the sandwich disappeared just before her beak bit into it. Ending with her biting into nothing. “Hey!” she yelled back at the snake walrus. “Sorry!” Discord said with a playful tone. “No foreign food or drink, outside designated areas!” Gilda sighed as Fluttershy gave the lizard thing an upset look, but still looked like she found some humor to it. “Don’t worry about it,” Shy said. “Whatever, I’m not hungry anyway…” Gilda grumbled as looked back to the pony. “So, what now? What are the other ponies planning to do with me after all this?” “I spoke with Twilight, who spoke with the other princesses.” Shy replied as Gilda felt tense “No, you aren’t going to the dungeon.” The griffon felt relieved then. “But…you are expected to pay for the damages though.” Now the griffon’s eyes shot open as her beak dropped. “How the heck do I pay that back?” Gilda yelled. “I don’t even got a job!” Fluttershy had quickly gone back to the “duck and cover” position. “Um, Twilight will fill you in,” Shy answered, still covering her head. “Please don’t be upset.” Gilda sighed. “Sorry,” she said. The pegasus got back up as she asked a question that now had some extreme importance. “...Am I still crashing at your place?” “We'll see,” Fluttershy replied with some confidence. “Technically, you seem well enough to be back on you own, so I may need to get a new patient in.” “You got anyone in mind?” Gilda asked. “No one right now,” Fluttershy said as she rubbed her mane, looking aside. “Do you know anyone?” she asked, looking back. “I might,” Gilda said off handed. “A name came to mind awhile ago.” “That’s great!” Shy said with a bit of excitement. “Who is it?” “Got to wonder…” Gilda began, asking a question she had forgotten to ask for the longest time. “...Why are you working as a shrink anyway? Never had much reason to ask before.” “She did wonders for me,” Discord answered for Shy with a smile. “I can tell…” Gilda replied as she faceclawed and groaned. Things are still quite silly, but hey? It was ok though. At least now she could have fun in it, right?