Dead Birds

by Stray Dog Kane

A few loose ends

(The clock with the “out of order” sign is now gathering dust)

The last couple weeks had gone by in a strange blur for Edward.

First, starting with him helping out on things, before ending up being around to keep the mayor well after she got sick. But the last part was something even he couldn't believe happened.

Despite that, he did check now and then on his little sister. Gilda was now was working odd jobs as a "town assistant". It was a bit of a shock to find she had been responsible for the vandalism in the last week, but thankfully the princess pardoned her. Which was good, the little griffon didn't need more enemies, nor more reasons to sulk.

Plus, seeing her run from task to task reminded him of his own days. What did they say, "walk in another ponies shoes"?

Then again, weren't those nailed? He pondered.

He shook his head and looked on the bright side. The local Ponyville post office gave Gilda a commemoration, as she had helped them go a full week with no accident. The even gave her a raise too.

He still had a message to deliver, and after kissing his marefriend goodbye, he sought out his sister Gilda. Right about then the griffon was at the end of her mail route, assisting the local mail mare.

On arrival, he saw his sister on the job. Which from what he could see involved stopping the other pony from crashing into a chimney. Judging by the look of the townsfolk this was a normal thing to happen. So many griffons would faceclaw at this, but griffons like him would enjoy these little moments. Nonsense can be fun to watch.

"Are you wings on super backwards or something?" Gilda shouted after helping the grey pegasus avoid the collision course she was on, still keeping a grip so the mare didn't hit another roof.

"Nah, just in a rush!" Ditzy Doo replied cheerfully and unshaken. "Mail doesn't deliver itself."

Gilda sighed. "No need to remind me, but just remember solid objects are solid for a reason." she said calmly.

"Will do!" Doo replied with a salute.

The griffon released the mare and shook her head.

While Edward would have enjoyed this double act, he did have something to say. "Hey, sis!" he yelled over. More than a week ago, saying that would have ended badly.

"Hey bro!" Gilda said as she waved back, and he knew that change is good. "What's up?" she asked.

"When does your shift end?" Edward said. "I've got to talk to you."

"No problemo!" Added Ditzy. "I can deliver the rest on my own!" She turned to Gilda. "You can have the rest of the day off, kittyhawk." she said with a nod. "If it's your brother, it must be real important!"

With that the pony was off with a flash.

"Woah!" Gilda yelled after, waving her claws. "Watch out for that..." The sound of timber being hit with a powerful force could be heard in the distance. "...tree." she sighed after.

"I'm ok!" Ditzy yelled back.

"So much for two weeks without accidents," Gilda muttered to herself. She descended to the ground next to Edward. "So what's up? Also, why the heck didn't you visit?" She lightly jabbed him with a talon and pulled him into a playful headlock. "I was in the hospital for cripes sake!"

"S-sorry, really!" Edward answered sheepishly, eventually getting his head free. "Just...a lot of stuff happened on my side of things, between me and the mayor. Anyway..."

"So you got her salt lick after all?" Gilda joked from the mention of the mayor.

"N-no, I didn't get it," Edward stammered back. "It wasn't my...a-anyway..." He took a breath. "Something, kinda happened and I wanted to tell you before I send a letter back home. Maybe you could give advice?" he asked, hopeful.

"You need my advice?" Gilda asked back with some surprise. "What did you get into?"

The guy griffon looked down a bit, not in shame or terror like he was used too. He was mostly awkward on the subject and how fast it came.

"...Marriage proposal?" he finally said.

"Your...g-getting...m-m-married?" Gilda was taking it about as well as he guessed, even he needed a moment when his marefriend asked about it. She snapped back to normal, kind of. "How? When did that happen? Who are…?" She then held her neck and sighed, feeling annoyed at her sudden jabbering. "Who'd you get engaged too?"

"Mayor Mare," Edward answered.

"She must have really liked that salt lick..." Gilda said with a laugh.

"Sis..." Edward held his head. "It wasn't like that." He paused as he put his talons together. "...not exactly anyway," He muttered.

"Heh, sorry," Gilda said, as she helped her brothers head up. "Congrats I guess. Thought you had your eyes on Rarity."

"Well, yeah," Edward said as he scratched his head. "It's just, after a while of working there I got to know her. When I was helping her with her cold...I made an impression, I guess."

"She really likes ya?" Gilda asked, and he nodded.

"Anyway, one thing led to another and...well...looks like I'm getting wed to a town mayor," Ed said as he blushed. “So...yeah.”

"Dad would faint," Gilda smiled as she spoke.

"Mom'll be proud though," Edward said with some pride.

"Yeah." Gilda agreed somberly.

With that, the message was delivered.

"I hope you don't expect a dowery from me, Ed," Gilda added with a pat on Ed's back. "Kinda got problems of my own right now."

"I know, sis," Edward replied with a smile. "Also, I heard something that's got me curious...is Sunshine really in town?"

"Yep," Gilda answered him. "I figured Dr. Fluttershy could help him with his problems, he even insisted on bringing someone else with him. Guess while I was gone he got a friend."

"Jealous?" Ed joked to her.

"I’m more glad he's got other people to talk to," Gilda corrected with a smile. "Seems I was the only person he'd have conversations with."

"Maybe I'll go see him and..." Edward began, but the pair of griffons were interrupted when a pony tapped Gilda's shoulder.

"Miss Gilda?" asked the earth pony.

"That's my name," Gilda replied.

"The mail mare is stuck in my roof." The fact the pony was telling this as though it was a regular occurrence had Edward giggle a bit.

"Breaks over, I guess," Gilda said with a shrug, not at all bothered by her days off ending. "See ya later bro, I got a few things to sort out." She flew off with Edward smiling after her.

“Glad you stopped trying to be like dad, sis” Ed said mostly to himself. “Life’s happier this way.”

If this kind of crazy is what he could expect in this town, he was going to enjoy settling down here. He nodded goodbye to the other pony and headed to Fluttershy's cottage.

Sunshine was easy to spot, he was trying to fish in a lake not far from the pegasus pony’s house.

"Hey Sunshine!" Edward called out. The diamond dog’s tail and ears perked as he hopped in surprise, nearly dropping the rod he was holding.

"Er, huh?" Sunshine turned around to see the griffon. "Eddy? That you?" he asked.

"Yep," Edward said as he lept forward. "How goes it?"

"It good," stated Sunshine with a nod. "Shy and Trembles get along real well."

"How about you?" Edward asked with interest. “You doing good?”

"Me good too." Sunshine answered. "Dr. Shy nice! Told me, she worked with other people that are big and..." He tapped his head for a moment. "...make ponies nervous she said."

"Yeah..." Edward rubbed the dogs head as he fluttered above. "Don't worry, you're in good hands, Sunshine."

"Me know!" Sunshine replied, nodding his head with enthusiasm.

"Just wondering…but why are you fishing?" Edward asked as he pointed to the pond. "You caught anything yet?"

"Not caught anything," Sunshine added with a shrug, looking back to the pond. "Try to catch cuttlefish."

"Why cuttlefish?" Ed asked.

"Give pretty bird bones back," Was Sunshine’s answer.

The guy griffon stood there for a moment, not sure what the dog was on about. He shook his head, Gilda would know more about this he hoped.

"Haven't seen her in while, she ok now?" Sunshine asked back.

"Yep, she's ok," Edward said and saw this as a good time to sit next to the dog, watching him go back to his fishing. "She's doing great! Maybe one of these days we can play cards or something."

“That sound fun.” Sunshine said with a smile.

For a moment, Edward had to wonder what to do next. Reminisce? Ask about that breakout some time ago? Maybe a tell the nice dog cuttlefish are in the sea, not a pond?

The last one had him chuckle.

"Um, h-hi?" a voice cut Edwards thought off, and he turned to see a teal pony who seemed to tremble when he saw her. "Wait, y-your’re not G-Gilda."

"Names Edward, hi." Ed said with a friendly wave.

"Hello Trembles," Sunshine added happily. "He a nice griffon." The pony had a silly look on her for a moment, likely due to what the dog had described him as.

"O-oh," Trembles said as she calmed herself, trotting over to them and sitting down. "Fluttershy said lunch is in a hour, and she wanted to know you wanted anything other than the salad," she asked the large dog without any fear.

"Me good, just no onion," Sunshine answered back. "Do cuttlefish taste good?" The pony looked at the dog for a moment, and rubbed a hoof on her neck.

"...I don't think you will catch any in that pond." Trembles added, slightly nervous.

"Let him dream," Edward added with some humor. "He might catch something though, right?" The dog nodded. "So, who named you Trembles?" he asked the pony

"It's just a nickname he gave me," Trembles giggled. "My real name is..."

Unfortunately, the pony was interrupted when Sunshine recast his line with the hook catching on to Edward’s hat, pulling it into the lake.

"MY HAT!!!" he yelled, instinctively covering his head. "Sunshine!"

"Sorry sorry sorry," Sunshine said as he practically cowered, despite being the tallest one there. "Get hat back, get hat back," he repeated as he pulled his line back.

"Um...you..." Trembles started, pointing a hoof, but Edward cut her off.

"I know, bald spot, don't need to rub it in," he stated as he put his claws down.

"It’s not that," Trembles said as she shook her head. "You have horns!" she said with surprise.

Edward was now wide eyed, quickly feeling his scalp. As he already knew the fur had not suddenly grown back there, but the tusk like horns were a new compliment.

Despite Sunshine handing his hat back, all the griffon could do was realise what the mayor's joke was from a few days ago was about involving horns. Though to be fair, he did have other thought at the time with a mares forelegs around him then…and he couldn't help but blush.

"Um, hi?" Trembles waved her hoof in front of his beak to snap him out of it. "You're blushing and..."

"No, no, I'm fine, fine, ok." Edward stammered, taking his wet hat back. He took a moment to wring some water out of it before putting it back on. "It's just something that male griffons will have grow on them. Dad said it was a symbol of great strength."

"Eddly fight monsters?" asked Sunshine without irony.

"Not really, just...when did those go in?" Edward asked, more or less to himself.

With how long he'd been used to wearing that hat, out of personal shame, those horns could have come in at any time and he wouldn't have noticed.

He then had to wonder about that odd look his sister gave him several days ago. Did she notice this first and couldn't believe it either?

"Guess old Gregor won't just faint, I think he'd owe me an apology.” Edward ended his inner monologue with a smile.

“Mean Gregor apologize to Eddy, me proud!" Sunshine said with his own joy, giving the griffon a hug. And, just like the last time, the dog forgot how strong his forelegs were.

"Can't...breath..." Edward gasped as Trembles did her best to tell the dog to let go.

After that event, and some conversation, at least Edward walked away knowing Trembles name.