> A Welcoming Apology > by XxsolareclipsexX > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Unexpected Arrival > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A brown griffon with snow white feathers rested her head on her talons, sighing heavily as she stared outside a train car window. Memories of her most recent accident coming back to her as she stared at the sky... Gilda panted heavily as she flew through some dark stormy clouds. After getting told off in front of a bunch of ponies by her "friend" Rainbow Dash, she had stormed off in a fit of rage and hurt, and now she was caught in possibly one of the worst storms in Equestrian history. "Stupid ponies... stupid Dash... STUPID STORM!" Gilda screamed, cringing slightly as a boom of thunder made its way to her ears. Her wings ached and her paws felt numb, but Gilda had to keep pushing forward. All of a sudden, a huge flash of light blinded Gilda's vision, and she vaguely remembered falling before she blacked out. Gilda cursed silently under her breath as she replayed the memory, clenching her talons. She looked over her shoulder at her wings, which were folded neatly against her for the first time in years. They were bandaged, and they itched from their absence in the air. Resting her head against her talon again, Gilda sighed as she saw Ponyville coming into view through the window. The train doors opened, and Gilda took a few hesitant steps outside. She groaned as she gave a stretch, hearing a few satisfying pops on her back. She began walking at a slow pace, hoping to find Rainbow Dash, or one of her friends. She needed to get her apologies over with, and then look into finding a place to stay. However, this would prove to be a much harder chore than Gilda would have liked. All throughout the town square she received looks of disgust and hatred. Probably due to her last visit a few weeks prior. This is going to be harder than I thought, I just hope Rainbow and her friends can forgive me, or at least get me a ride back to Cloudsdale. Rainbow Dash soared through the air as she got started on her morning weather duties. She burst through a bunch of clouds, preparing for a bright and sunny day. Yeah, I totally made the sky 20% cooler... Rainbow chuckled to herself, making her way towards Town Square. However, when she spotted Gilda through the mass of ponies, Rainbow had to do a double-take. What is she doing here? Rainbow landed right in front of Gilda, a hard glare on her face. Gilda could feel the hatred pouring off of Rainbow Dash at that current moment. " You better have a good reason why you decided to come back, our last meeting wasn't exactly favorable..." Rainbow said, and Gilda cringed at the memory. " H-hey Rainbow, just h-hear me out okay? I actually came here to apologize. I realized that I was wrong to make assumptions, or to hurt your friends... I just missed you, and I was real selfish about it. I just want us to make amends and go back to being friends again..." Gilda explained, hanging her head low in shame. Before she could process what was happening, she felt Rainbow pressed against her in an accepting hug."Ugh come on Dash... no mushy stuff okay? " she complained. Rainbow Dash ruffled Gilda's feathers a bit, and they both laughed. "I appreciate the apology, but we won't be 100% until you apologize to my other friends Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. ESPECIALLY Fluttershy, you hurt her the most. She is extremely sensitive after all..." Rainbow Dash explained, a stern look crossing her features. Gilda scratched at the back of her head sheepishly and gave Rainbow a small smile. " Can we do Pinkie Pie first? I want to get her out of the way just in case she throws a party or something... no offense of course!" Gilda reasoned, and Dash gave her an approving nod, chuckling a bit. "Yeah I get what you mean... come on then, and don't think you won't get Fluttershy either. I'm gonna get her to re wrap those bandages of yours... too bad you can't fly though, it would make traveling for us easier." Rainbow concluded, chuckling a little. " Whatever you say Dash, lets get this show on the road..." Gilda said, walking forward as they made their way to Sugarcube Corner... When Gilda and Rainbow Dash walked inside Sugarcube Corner, it was surprisingly empty. There were no customers inside, and the only activity around was Pinkie Pie sitting on a table, a blue cupcake being devoured by the enthusiastic earth pony. Upon noticing the two them Pinkie swallowed her cupcake. " Hi there Dashie! Oh! Your that griffon that was a meanie weeny last time..." Pinkie commented, causing Gilda to lower her head a bit in shame. " Actually Pinkie Pie, she came here to apologize, go on Gilda..." Rainbow said. Gilda looked at the pink earth pony smiling brightly at her, and Gilda couldn't help but return the smile. " I am really sorry Pinkie Pie, I should have talked to you instead of blowing up like that, and I really appreciate the fact that the party was for me..." Gilda said. "APOLOGY ACCEPTED!" Pinkie screamed, causing Gilda to flinch a bit, before bursting into laughter at the way she was acting. She was doing a hoofstand on her front legs and bouncing around in excitement. "Hey Dashie... hehe, can we go?" Gilda teased, loving the blush that appeared on Dash's face from the pet name. " Y-yeah.. we can, Pinkie, we'll see you later okay?" Dash said before turning around and heading out the door with Gilda close behind. Gilda and Rainbow trotted through Town Square again, this time heading towards Fluttershy's cottage. " Now Gilda, i'm gonna have to hope you don't screw this one up. Fluttershy is way more sensitive than any of my other friends, so don't try to sound cool, just be yourself and speak from right here." Rainbow paused as she rested her hoof on Gilda chest. She blushed a deep crimson from the contact, and her tail gave a subconscious flick. "I'll do my best, but like I said, no mushy stuff..." she reasoned earning a chuckle from Dash and a ruffling of her feathers. "I hope I don't screw this up either.... I may have to go super mushy with this one." Gilda thought as she made her way towards Fluttershy's house. > Friendship Changes People > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gilda stared at the cottage in front of her. The only thought that came into her head was "Mushy to the core...". What Gilda didn't realize was that she had said it out loud to herself, earning a hard glare from Rainbow Dash. "Be nice G, don't forget what we are here for..." she said, hovering above Gilda with her forelegs crossed. "Yeah yeah, I got it Dash." Gilda replied confidently. Truth be told, on the inside this was eating at Gilda like parasprites eating food. Just don't say anything stupid, be nice, and don't blush. NEVER blush! Its the ultimate sappy move. Rainbow gave the cottage door a few knocks. Fluttershy opened the door, smiling a "hello" to Dash. However, when her eyes came to rest on Gilda, she pulled Dash inside her cottage, letting out a large "Eek!" and closed the door in fear. Gilda shook her head and let out a large groan. Why me? "Fluttershy! She just wants to talk to you. I promise! She won't do anything mean to you..." Rainbow reasoned from inside the door. " Y-you p-promise?" Fluttershy asked in a whisper, her voice shaken with fear. " I promise, she won't do anything. You know I would never leave you hanging!" Rainbow told her proudly. The door open again, and Fluttershy hesitantly stepped outside. She was now staring straight into Gilda's eyes, they seemed to paralyze Fluttershy in fear, so Gilda decided to just start her speech. " Listen Fluttershy. I am reeaallyyy sorry for treating you the way I did. To be honest, that day I was the one who wasn't paying attention. I'm sure Rainbow told you all the things I did to Pinkie and her, so I was really frustrated. I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me, and we can even beco-" Gilda's speech was cut short by Fluttershy, who had gone over to Gilda and gave her a hug, nuzzling Gilda's neck in acceptance. No matter how hard she fought it, Gilda couldn't contain the blush that appeared on her face. Darn it!!!!! Stupid affection!!!! Rainbow Dash noticed the blush, and couldn't contain the giggles that spewed from her, until it turned into full on laughter. " HAHAHA WOW G! YOU?! BLUSHING!??!!!" Rainbow cried out, tears falling from her eyes from all her laughter. Gilda growled silently, vowing revenge on Rainbow Dash. When she got her breathing under her control. " Hehe, you blushing.. now I've seen everything." she said. Gilda grew a smirk, and decided to 1up Dash. "At least I don't have a pet name! Dashie!" she teased, which caused Rainbow to shuffle her hooves on the floor nervously, a blush appearing on her own cyan face. " S-shut up!" Fluttershy and Gilda both chuckled at this, and they all turned to each other smiling. " Oh my Gilda! That wing injury looks pretty bad. Would you mind if I took a quick look?" Fluttershy asked. She grew nervous, and she added, " Don't worry, I take care of animals, I'll make sure not to damage anything. Rainbow stuck her two bits in. " She's right G, when was the last time you re wrapped the bandages? Its not healthy to keep the same ones on for a long time." Gilda chuckled sheepishly when Rainbow asked her that question. " You were supposed to change them? Hehe, who knew?" Rainbow facehoofed, and Fluttershy let out a nervous chuckle. " Oh dear, come here Gilda, lets get you checked out." she said,gaining a sweet motherly tone. Dash had other plans, she headed towards the door, planning to do some midday flying. " Well I'll leave you two to it, I gotta catch up on my flying. G, make sure you keep Fluttershy company, and try not to act too cool ok? I'll check up on you guys later." Gilda nodded and gave Dash a thumbs up. (Talons up? How in Equestria would you say that? It seems so weird...) Gilda layed down on her stomach on a rug provided, and allowed Fluttershy to begin her treatment. She carefully unwrapped the bandages from Gilda's wings, making sure to make as least contact as possible. Gilda cringed when she saw the state her wings were in. The feathers were positioned awkwardly, probably due from missing out on several preening sessions. She tried to flex them slowly, to allow Fluttershy more room to examine them. A few winces and small grunts of pain later, she got them fully extended. Fluttershy frowned, and gave Gilda a flat look. "What? I told you I never took off the bandages before now." Gilda complained. Fluttershy let out a cute giggle and her face softened a bit. " Oh don't worry, gimme a second." she replied, going into the kitchen and into a small cabinet. It was assorted with all sorts of medicines and ointments, no doubt her stash for dealing with her animal patients. Fluttershy returned with a pink jar under her wing. It appeared to be an ointment of some sort. Oh man! If she puts that on me?! My wings are hyper-sensitive to stuff like that! Contact is bad enough but... OINTMENT! Dear Celestia help me... "This ointment does two things. 1) Keeps your feathers clean and neat, since you don't seem to do a lot of preening. 2) It should help your wings heal faster. By the way, what caused your injury anyway?" Fluttershy asked. " After what I did the last time, I got caught in a bad storm. I got struck by lightning, right in the wings. The doctors said i'm the luckiest being in Equestria. There was no way my wings, or even me should have survived that." Gilda said flatly, the story not exactly entertaining to tell. Being the kind mare she is, Fluttershy put a comforting hoof on Gilda's shoulder. " Thank goodness you survived, no one deserves to lose their lives, no matter what they do negatively." Fluttershy said, giving Gilda a smile. She had no choice but to return it, genuinely of course. " Now its warm, just let me know if i'm putting too much pressure..." Gilda nodded, but had to hide a wince of pain in her wings. They were starting to sting for being flexed so long and not at 100%. " Don't worry, this should only take a minute or two." Fluttershy reassured. Gilda's first reaction to the warm cream was that it felt heavenly. Combined with the sensitivity with her wings, she had to bite her tongue to resist crying out. Fluttershy started with the left wing, making sure to get the pink substance between the feathers, being as gentle as possible. She made sure the cream was fully lathered into the wing before moving on to the next one. Gilda's will cracked at that point, it felt too good at that point. Soooooo Gooooood... Fluttershy hit a sensitive spot on Gilda's wings, and in response she let loose a high pitched moan. She blushed a deep crimson when she realized the sound she had made, not knowing she was capable of making such a sound. Thankfully Fluttershy had chose to ignore the noise, a pink blush on her own face. I gotta remember to ask about that noise later, it was too cute... she must really enjoy this. Fluttershy finished soon after, wiping down the substance after letting it stick for a few minutes. Gilda had to wipe the sweat off of her forehead with a talon. Why was I sweating? Its not hot in here. Re wrapping new bandages around Gilda's wings, Fluttershy sat down next to her, before getting up suddenly, realizing something she had to do. "Oh! Gilda, I have to stop by my friend Rarity's shop to pick up a dress she is making for me. It would be great if you could come along, soften the tension between you and my other friends..." Fluttershy asked pleadingly. All Gilda could do was let out a small groan of frustration, but for Fluttershy's sake she got up and followed her. "Sure i'll come, just as long as I don't end up wearing nothing frilly. One dress on me and i'm coming back!" Gilda taunted, her voice harsher than she meant it to be, but Fluttershy didn't seem to mind it. In fact, she just gave Gilda a friendly shove on her shoulder and chuckled. " Ok no worries, no dresses for you. I wouldn't want to upset my new friend would I?" she said, opening up her cottage door for Gilda to follow behind. When they started their walk back into Ponyville, Gilda put a talon on her chest, getting a warm feeling there and a thought stuck in her mind. "Fluttershy is my friend now..." she thought smiling to herself. > Lots and LOTS of Giggling > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- As Gilda and Fluttershy made their way over to Carousel Boutique, Gilda noticed that the residents of Ponyville looked at her with a more positive attitude. They smiled and waved a hoof at her, and she waved back. Why couldn't they do that when I was with Rainbow Dash? Stupid ponies... As if Fluttershy had read her mind, she explained, "I guess everypony has forgiven you since they see you hanging out with me. You did hurt me the most..." Gilda gave a sheepish smile. "I did say sorry didn't I?" she teased and Fluttershy giggled. "Yes, yes you did." she responded. "Oh goodie! We're here!" Fluttershy said excitedly, pointing towards the towering building that looks like it came from France. "Another mushy place huh?" Gilda thought to herself. Fluttershy gave a few knocks on the door, and Rarity opened it, her mane a bit messy and her red glasses on the bridge of her nose. "Why hello there Fluttersh-" Her greeting was cut off when her eyes landed on Gilda, who resisted a sigh of frustration at how many ponies would be cut off by her appearance. "And what are YOU doing here, i'm pretty sure you've overstayed your welcome when you hurt my dear friend Fluttershy." Rarity said in a flat tone. Fluttershy put a hoof on Rarity's shoulder so she could get her attention, before explaining. " Actually Rarity, Gilda apologized, and now I consider her a friend." Rarity raised an eyebrow and gave Gilda a quick look over. Rarity's eyes gleamed with mischief, and came up with a sinister plan to prove Gilda's loyalty. "Ok then... prove that you've apologized to Fluttershy." Rarity challenged. Gilda stared at Rarity wide eyed for a moment, before giving her a sly smile. "What did you have in mind?" She asked. Rarity gave Gilda another threatening leer before her features softened and she explained the deal. " I need you to model a dress for me, you must wear it for at least 3 hours without breaks and we must do it today!" she explained, barely able to hold in giggles of joy. Fluttershy and Rarity burst into a small fit of giggles, while Gilda stared wide eyed and a pink hue on her cheeks. "W-What!! No way! I don't do dresses. Fluttershy! Don't make me wear a dress please?!?" Gilda pleaded, giving Fluttershy puppy dog eyes. However, Fluttershy wouldn't have any of that. "Now now Gilda, you have to prove yourself to my friends, and if this is one way to do so, then you will do it respectfully." Fluttershy stated, giving Gilda a hard glare that was just short of her famous "stare". Mumbling curses under her breath, Gilda had no choice but to fall victim to Rarity and her measurements, fittings and all the things Rarity does to make a dress. When it was all set and done, Gilda was in a frilly maids outfit. It was black and white and in a apron looking fashion.Rarity made sure to accommodate for Gilda's injuries, doing her best to be gentle with her wings. The tail hole was placed awkwardly high, making Gilda's butt show more as well as more 'intimate' areas. Doing her best to suppress a blush, Gilda looked at Rarity with slight hatred. "How long do I have to wear this thing?" Rarity gave Gilda a satisfying wink before replying. "At least 3 hours, so right now its 1:30PM, you can return the dress at 4:30 and no earlier." she said teasingly. Gilda face-taloned and gave a huge groan, earning another giggle from Fluttershy, who couldn't suppress her blush that well. Heading towards the front door, Fluttershy waved a hoof at Rarity. "Well Rarity, it seems that your a bit busy with 'certain matters' and i'll stop by later to pick up my dress." Rarity nodded and gave both pony and griffon a smile. For each person it meant something different. For Fluttershy, it meant that Rarity would see her later. For Gilda, it meant that this day was going to be hell. "Can it get any worse?..." Gilda thought, not realizing she said that out loud. Fluttershy giggled again before turning to face Gilda. " I have to babysit some robins for a little while, I hope you don't mind. Maybe you can occupy yourself by apologizing to my other friends so all the tension will ease up." Fluttershy suggested, putting up a hoof to her chin in thought. "In any case, you can meet me at Sugarcube Corner around 3 o' clock if you want. Oh! And don't forget to keep that dress on!" Fluttershy teased, earning a growl from Gilda. Fluttershy giggled again before taking off into the air and waving a hoof goodbye to Gilda. Oh great... well, time to be nice to Fluttershy's friends. Let's see who's first.. hmmm. Gilda was lost in thought, until she saw the library in the distance. Twilight! Ugh! I hope I don't have to read for her! Finally getting her thoughts together, Gilda slowly started walking towards the library... > BAD NEWS!!! PLZ READ! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear readers, I am sorry to inform you that the author of this story xXsolareclipsexX is my mother, who passed away on Auguest 5th, 2013 from a severe heart attack. It pains me to tell you that because of this... I am cancelling this story as ofher request. However, if you wish to read from me, her daughter, my username on this site is x4ever_alonex. I'm saddened and sorry to tell you this bad news... I hope you enjoy my stories as much as hers.