Her Little Gryphon

by Rocket

Chapter 1

Gilda wasn't used to crying. Tears came hard for her, a holdover from her younger days when the only way to avoid tears had been to be too tough to shed them. Now, though - she recalled the look on Rainbow Dash's face, the actual look of disgust as her only friend told her off in front of the entire party. She'd waited for long minutes outside of that retarded cake shop, first waiting for Dash to come out to apologize, then hoping that Dash would come out and ask her to apologize, eventually just dithering back and forth, putting her paw on the door several times as she tried to think what she could possibly say if she went back in. Finally she left, defeated, hot tears choking her as she flew.

The gryphon put her face into the cloud and sobbed. She wanted to bawl. She wanted to throw back her head and give a full-throated wail that would crack the sky with her grief, but she couldn't even do that right. Instead, she sobbed awkwardly, the sound muffled by the cloud that hid her face.

There was a fluffle of wings, and the cloud bounced slightly as somepony landed. There was a half second, a quarter second maybe, of bright upwelling relief, of hope, of pure shining gratitude - Rainbow Dash had come after her. She would have given her life for the pegasus, and gladly, in that brief moment.

And then she looked, and it wasn't Rainbow Dash after all. It was the ponies' goddess, Celestia. Her Pegasus Guards, stoic in their gold and white, stood on a cloud a short distance away, looking impassive. Gilda's heart plummeted. Had she really fucked up that badly, that the Sun Goddess herself had come to deal with her? She was horrified, but at the same time, perversely, just a little proud. This had to be some kind of a record, to lose your only friend and piss off a goddess in the same day. She wondered if Rainbow Dash would feel sorry for her after she was dead.

She stood and faced Celestia. There probably wasn't much, if any, point in being defiant, not against a goddess. She didn't intend to beg or cower, though. She wished she hadn't been crying. She could imagine what she looked like.

Celestia took a step forward, lowering her head slightly, closer to Gilda's eye-level. She seemed somehow more mortal, if every bit as regal. Gilda started to step backward before she caught herself. She wasn't going to show fear. She realized that the goddess' mane and tail were changing colours, rippling like a pastel rainbow as they blew gently in a breeze only they could feel. How could she have thought this being mortal?

"May I sit here?"

Whatever Gilda had been expecting, that wasn't it. She nodded mute acceptance, not meeting the Princess' eyes, angry with herself again because she couldn't do this right either.

Celestia folded her legs like any pony, and reclined beside Gilda. She smelled like flowers. Her weight dimpled the cloud, she and Gilda sliding together in the pocket thus formed. The Princess was big up close. Big, and warm, and all gentle lavender eyes and flowing mane.

"You've had a very bad day, haven't you?" The Princess' voice was as gentle as her eyes.

Gilda had trouble reconstructing the sequence of events afterward. It was all something of a blur. What was certain, and in the end what mattered, was that she ended up bawling wholeheartedly, her face hidden against the Princess' warm shoulder, the Princess's neck arced protectively over her, shielding and comforting, like a mare with her foal.

Nor was Gilda ever really sure how much she'd managed to say, and how much Celestia had just... somehow... understood. That she'd only wanted Rainbow Dash's attention... That Pinkie Pie could see Rainbow Dash anytime she wanted... That she'd been cornered into going to that awful party where she didn't know anypony, and everything went wrong, and everyone laughed at her and it all happened so fast that there wasn't anytime to think and now Rainbow Dash hated her and she was sorry, so so sorry, but it was all too late now...

Gilda's brokenhearted wails trailed off gradually into sobs, then slowly, slowly into exhausted silence. She felt empty. She felt like maybe nothing would ever happen again. She hoped it wouldn't. She wanted to lay against Celestia's warm flank forever, and never have Celestia leave her.

"My little gryphon," Celestia whispered into Gilda's ear as she began to straighten the gryphon's mussed head-feathers, gentle as any mother. She licked the tears from Gilda's face with her warm tongue, licked each closed eyelid, taking away the burning of the tears, then kissed the gryphon's forehead. "My little gryphon," she repeated, magicking one stray feather back into place, "You must hate Rainbow Dash for what she did to you, hmm?"

"No!" Gilda began to blink back fresh tears. She had thought the goddess understood. With hot tears welling to her eyes, she began to stammer out her longing for the blue pegasus. The goddess interrupted her, softly reassuring.

"I know. I know you don't. You might be angry with her, but you could never hate her, could you?"

Gilda shook her head and whimpered, not trusting her voice. Celestia paused for a moment to lick away the tears once more. Gilda sniffled, miserable.

"I'm sorry if I upset you, but I wanted you to think about that. You had a fight, and you're both upset, but you don't hate her."

Gilda nodded silently. She could see where this was going, but she wanted to be led by the paw, like a hatchling. She was surprised to find how much she trusted Celestia. Celestia would show her the way out of this.

Gilda lay quietly for a bit, waiting for Celestia to speak. The Pegasus Guards had gone, she noticed, leaving the two of them alone. She wondered when that had happened. She hadn't heard them depart. She felt trusted herself, alone with the Princess. She cuddled into Celestia's shoulder, content to wait.

Celestia's gentle voice finally broke the silence. "She's as unhappy about this as you are."

Gilda glanced up for confirmation, and the Sun Goddess nodded, quiet, reassuring. Gilda tried to picture Dash crying. She didn't like the picture she got.

Celestia waited once more. The silence stretched out. Gilda knew she was being waited on. "I wish I'd gone back and apologized."

The Princess nuzzled, warm sweet breath tickling through the gryphon's feathers. "All of Dash's friends would be your friends too, if you'd let them see who you really are." She gave Gilda a few seconds to savour the thought, terrifying and enticing both at once, then continued, "But let's take care of Rainbow Dash first, hmm? She's alone at home now. She left the party early..." Celestia chuckled as Gilda glanced questioningly at her, "I'm a goddess. I have my sources. Anyway, why don't you go to her, and tell her what you've told me? I promise, she'll listen to you. I know apologizing can be scary, but Rainbow Dash isn't going to use it to hurt you. You know her better than to think that."

Gilda nodded, closing her eyes. She lay savouring the security of the Princess' warm flank for a few more seconds, then stretched, stood and shook herself. The clouds were getting pink. The afternoon was wearing on into evening, but she could still get back to Dash's house before dark. She stood for an uncertain second, wondering how to thank Celestia. Did you just thank her like an ordinary pony, or was something more expected? She settled on "Thank you, Your Majesty", before the pause grew too awkward.

Celestia stood herself. She even did that gracefully, Gilda noticed, seeming to just sort of rise up without effort rather than pushing herself erect. "You are more than welcome, my little gryphon. May I ask one favour of you, though?"

"Sure! ...um, Your Majesty"

"Will you write me a letter tomorrow, and tell me how it went? The village librarian will deliver it for you, if you'll give it to her." Gilda nodded her assent. "Go on, now! Make yourself, and Rainbow Dash, and everypony else happy!"

Celestia watched the young gryphon as she glided down toward Ponyville, slowly becoming a dot lost in the distance. By tonight there would be ever so slightly more friendship in the world, and with that her own powers would increase, ever so slightly. She was satisfied. Lifting the sun into the sky was easy. Getting her creatures to see that everything they wanted was waiting patiently inside themselves - well, that was the actual work of being a goddess.

Author's Note:

Slight reformatting on May 4th, 2014.
Punctuation correction on Sept 5th, 2014.

Comments

[Marrock]

Yeah... that's how that episode should have ended.

[Celestias Paladin]

Not bad, not sure if it would have happened, but still not bad at all. Gilda grew up in Cloudsdale so she would be one of Celestia's subjects, and Celestia would help. So good job ~Celestia's Paladin,Ex Solis et Lunae, Providentia et Prospera

[Chip Unicorn]

This reminds me a lot, in a good way, of a fanfiction about Susan Pensieve of Narnia. (I can't find the original again.) Although she never came back to Narnia, she found her way back to Aslan and to Heaven.

You've rehabilitated Gilda in my mind. Great job!

[gapaot]

I love it. Finally, good story about Gilda!

[Discorded Q]

9112 tell that to [insert the name of the author of at episode]...

but i think that gildy should turn up in season 2 to make amends!!

[Fernin]

Bawwwww Dx

Very nice story. I enjoyed it immensely.

Celestia licking Gilda's tears away was a little disturbing, but then again she's a pony. It really wouldn't make much sense for her to do anything else. Which is something we don't see in FiM fiction that often: ponies acting like ponies. So you definitely get huge props from me for that, and a few more points for writing a genuinely sweet and enjoyable story.

[PotatoJoe]

Thank you. She deserved this.

[ForlanceAbice]

Well, I look forward towards an eventual sequel if you ever decide on it.
Maybe Gilda X Spitfire shipping?

[Neon Czolgosz]

Aww, this is the most heartwarming story about Gilda I have ever seen. Thank you for making it.

[Angelform]

Cute little story

Slightly creepy at the end with Celestia commenting that she gets a power boost from it.

[xonxt]

A great story.

I also didn't like how that episode ended, especially Twilight's friendship report. About your friends wanting to "spend time with somepony who's not so nice" and "difference between false friend and the one who is true" (actual quotes from the episode). I mean, wtb? That's our moral? How about fear of rejection, jealousy and forgiveness?

Your story, if implemented right, could've been a great ending for an episode. Especially with Gilda writing the friendship report.

[Cleopatra]

Does anyone know how to add a picture that is on your computer and not the internet to a comment?

[LittleSallyDigby]

... well, damn. That was... all I wanted after seeing the original episode, really, and delivered in a shockingly believable way. I am impressed.

[Frazzled Pony]

D'aaaaaw. This fits the "everything turns out alright in the end"-feel of MLP perfectly. The tearlicking is odd at first, but, well, alternate displays of affection usually does that. It's an interesting idea at least, even if it at least strikes me and at least a few others as a little too intimate.

Then again, personal space and touching is very culture dependent, so I can't say it's wrong.

Good work.

[Crom251]

Loved it.

[Spider8ite]

I know that story is from 2011 (very old), but is a great way to see how this episode should have ended. Congratulations, you now with a Dash Stamp of Approval to your story, made by 'Dashie's Library'.
fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/306/7/4/rainbow_dash__s_stamp_of_approval_by_tiwake-d5jpsf4.png

~Spectrum Shine

[TooShyShy]

Great story. It's short, but heartwarming and sweet.

Gilda really needs to come back in Season 5. They already did a reconciliation with Trixie, why not Gilda? I'd at least like to know a little bit of their history.

[SirTruffles]

A tidy little scene here. Have a ribbon:
i.imgur.com/6MrWqNZ.png

[ZaESims]

4959633

She was in the crowd in 'Games Ponies Play.'

[TheGreatSako]

Man...I remember reading this fic before I even made an account on this site. I still love it every bit now as I did then. I absolutely adore the little physical interactions Celestia has with Gilda; all the nuzzling and grooming. The little tear licking part was my favorite touch.

Motherly Goddess Celestia, that protects and nurtures all, is my favorite Celestia.

[Rocket]

6058201 Heya. I'm pleased and flattered that it stayed with you all that time. The story's as much or more about Celestia, of course, as it is about Gilda. IIRC, the first group that put it in their story folder was 'Protect Celestia', which is for stories that show Celestia in her proper character, so that was very gratifying to me. Thanks again!

[Alex Warlorn]

And now that the lost treasure of Griffinstone has come out?

[Rocket]

6774404 Well, I wrote this beforehand, obviously, and had the events in my story happened, then Pinkie and Dash's trip to Griffinstone would have been much different, had it taken place at all.

That being said, I enjoyed the episode. I'd been hoping for Gilda to have a redemption episode since S1. I didn't really find it all that plausible how the gryphons let their city fall apart like it did. People who are that obsessive about money are generally going to be more careful about preserving their property. The greed worked for me better than the ruin, as gryphons traditionally love gold, although it's more a love of the metal itself than as coins or treasure. In Herodotus, the Arimaspi are a race of violent, one-eyed barbarians who steal the gold that the gryphons dig to decorate their nests, so that worked for me.

On some level the ruin of the city did work for me as signifying Gilda's depression at having lost her friend Dash. I'm one of those people who suspects that the relationship was a great deal more important to Gilda than it was to Dash. I think RD acted like a bit of a prat here, staying mad four years onward over something that really shouldn't have been that huge of an incident. I found it jarring when the tone of Gilda's voice changed so abruptly. Never in a bazillion years would I have suspected that Gilda made her living as a baker. Gilda's grandpa was hilarious, and I like that Gilda may have a new girlfriend in Greta.

Thanks for asking!

[King of Kings]

By tonight there would be ever so slightly more friendship in the world, and with that her own powers would increase, ever so slightly.

You know...that makes another story make sense in a rather dark way...

[Vaalintine]

Was enjoyable, until it started implying Gilda is the bad guy and should be the one who is in the wrong and needs to apologize. Yes she wasn't that nice, but she had reason to believe what she said about the party being set up to humiliate her in front of the entire town. That, and Pinkie caused all of this by antagonizing Gilda the whole day and not telling RD she provoked the griffon.

[Rocket]

10117462
Okay, interesting. I didn't really see it that way.

[Vaalintine]

10119321
Most people tend to ignore that in the episode there were problems on both sides, but Gilda is the one branded as the villian of the day when the ponies overlook what caused her to act that way. Twilight even calls Pinkie out on being jealous of Gilda, but neither of them say anything when the party goes wrong, leading RD to blame Gilda.