//------------------------------// // The Purpose in your Life // Story: Gift of a Griffon // by DragonflyDreams //------------------------------// Gilda rolled her eyes, whilst Gabby continued to stress out over the fact that she didn't possess a wooden cutie mark. It was clear that the grey feathered griffon felt extremely disappointed with herself. Gabby knew every one of her neighbours, and took great interest in their hobbies, likes, and dislikes. However, as Gilda had been out of town for a few weeks, Gabby had completely missed her out. "Gabby... hey... it's okay." Gilda waved her eagle claw in front of Gabby's face, to get her attention. "I mean, sure your cutie marks look great and all, but I don't particularly want one... no offence." Gabby shook her head, unable to believe what she had just heard. "B...but Gilda, you have to have a cutie mark! It's a representation of what makes you so great and amazing! I... I have to make you one straight away!" She exclaimed. "You really don't have to...." Gilda tried to say. "Of course I have to!" Gabby interrupted, "I'll go home right now and get to work on your cutie mark! It's gonna be so cool - just like you!" "Well, I am pretty cool." Gilda flicked her purple hair feathers, "but seriously Gabby, I'm not bothered about a cutie mark, I don't really have any special talents anyway." Gabby gasped and held her face in shock, "That. Cant. Be. True." "Well, I can't really think of anything I'm particularly passionate about." Gilda replied calmly, "So don't worry about it." She turned to walk away, but Gabby quickly caught up and stood in her path. "No Gilda, this is important! You've got to be great at something, and as soon as I figure out what it is, you will have the best cutie mark in all of Griffonstone!" "The best? No... you really don't have to do that...." Gilda replied hesitantly, but to her dismay, Gabby put a friendly arm around her shoulder, opened her mouth wide, and began to sing: *Song Parody of Purpose in your Life from The Fault in our Cutie Marks* (Give the original a listen if you haven't already.) Gabby: I’ll create a cutie mark for you! It won’t cost a single bit! I will help you find your purpose. Gonna be totally worth it! Gilda: Gabby can I stop you there? I really don’t want this. Gabby: I will help you find the purpose in your life. Gabby: Ponies are so great at things, but griffon are great too. And Gilda you're the best there is, just have to find your cue. Gilda: Gabs I don’t have time for this, I’ve got too much to do. Gabby: I will help you find the purpose in your life! Gabby: Do you like to exercise? Spread your wings and soar the skies? Gilda: Sure I mean those are okay, but griffon do that anyway. Gabby: Is there a sport you like to play? Or hobby you could do all day? Do you like to bake or sing? Gilda: I’m not really fussed ‘bout anything. Gabby: Come on Gilda there’s gotta be something you like. Arts and crafts? Or do you maybe you enjoy a hike? Gilda: Please give it a rest, I just don’t really care. Don’t you have stuff to do? Gabby: You could make clothes or boots to wear? Gabby: Maybe scuba diving? Gilda: Theres no water around here Gabby: Maybe race car driving? Gilda: I don’t know how to steer. Gabby: I bet your good at maths and science? Gilda: Those were always so unclear. Gilda: I don’t need to find a purpose in my life. Gabby: Have you tried to shoot a bow? Is there any poetry you know? Can you play musical instruments? Do you know how to make perfume scents? Perhaps you’re great at feather weaving? Gilda: Bored now Gabs. Soz but I’m leaving. Gabby: I think this is a dead end. Looks like I’ve got a problem. Gabby: Please don’t go… what about ice skating or crochet? You’d be great on stage? And surely that’s my best guess yet? Gilda, somehow, I’m gona help you find your purposeeeee.... The purpose in your lifeeeeee…… Gabby posed on her hind legs with her arms and wings spread wide, singing at the top of her lungs to the clouds above. She had been so wrapped up in her musical number, that she didn't notice that Gilda was no longer with her. The tomboyish griffon had set off toward town, to go about her daily business. When Gabby eventually stopped singing, and realised she was alone, she felt rather disheartened. "Gilda says she doesn't want a cutie mark... but is that really true?" Gabby wondered to herself as she made her way home. "There's gotta be something she's good at... something she's passionate about, hasn't there?" She glanced around at the other griffon, they had all been so easy to figure out. Even though many didn't realise it, they all had their own daily schedules, which involved jobs and hobbies they thoroughly enjoyed. Overtime, Gabby had observed each and every griffon and learnt about their different skills and tastes, but Gilda remained somewhat a mystery. Then, it came to her. "I know! If Gilda doesn't want to tell me what her special talent is, I will have to go undercover, and find out for myself!" Gabby spread her wings, and flew back in the direction of the town. ~*~ It didn't take Gabby long to find Gilda, who was setting up a rustic wooden cart in the middle of the square. The townsquare was a small open area, it was where griffon often came to meet up to sell goods during the daytime. "Of course!" Gabby thought, "Gilda is always baking Griffon Scones and selling them around noon." Gilda's scones had improved greatly in quality over the past few months. They used to look like dull, dry pieces of bread with all kinds of twigs and even small stones stuck in them. However, since those two ponies had visited Griffonstone, Gilda had changed the recipe completely. The scones were now a popular treat, golden brown with additions of honey and cinnamon, baked to perfection. Gabby hid behind a nearby stone well, and peeped over the top to watch. She tried to keep still and observe as Gilda finished setting up her cart and displaying the scones upon the shelves. She placed them neatly, with a separate row for each flavour. Shortly after, a line of customers appeared, each one handing her a couple of bits as they choose a scone. Gabby looked on as each and every griffon took delight in the first bite of their baked treat, and every bite that followed. "That's it!" She beamed. Her ocean blue eyes sparkling in delight. However, Gilda continued handing out scones and taking bits, almost as though she was on auto-pilot. After a while, she barely glanced at her customers, instead gazing at the sky as though she was checking the position of the sun. When Gilda had finally ran out of stock she dismissed the last few customers, who were too late. Then she lifted her claw to her beak and gave a hearty yawn, "Well, thank goodness that's over with." She said to herself, in a bored, dry tone. Gabby's face dropped, "Or maybe not." She thought. It appeared that Gilda's only reason for selling the scones was to make a few bits - she wasn't particularly enjoying it at all. "B...but she still enjoys baking them!" Gabby accidentally lept into the air at the realisation, but managed to quickly land before Gilda spotted her. The brown and white griffon opened her satchel, counting the golden bits she had earned that day. "Well, there's almost enough here...." She muttered, causing Gabby to creep a little nearer in order to hear, "soon I'll finally be able to quit this whole scone business." Gabby sighed and sat down, no longer caring if she got caught. "I guess Gilda isn't really into the baking business after all." She hung her head. "It's just her day job." Gilda glanced over, probably noticing her, but took no head. She spread her large brown wings and prepared to take off. "Yep, just a few more days and I'll have enough for those paintball tickets." She smiled, delighted at the thought. "Paintball tickets?" Gabby bellowed excitedly, Gilda had definitely heard her now. "Gilda likes paintball?" She paused for a moment to imagine it; Gilda wearing stylish goggles and safety gear, carrying a bulky paint gun and firing colourful splatters at other targets and opponents; it really did seem to suit her. "That's so cool!" Gabby cheered, "a paintballing cutie mark will be so fun to make! All those colours and splodges! I can't wait!!" She bounced up and down excitedly. "Gabs, what are you doing?" Gilda finally acknowledged her. "Ahh... Gilda...oh... right..." Gabby considered keeping her breakthrough a surprise, but despite being good at many things, subtlety wasn't one of them. "It's nothing....." She clasped her claws together, "just deciding on the absolute most perfect most wonderful most fitting cutie mark to go with a griffon with a passion for extreme paintballing... that's all!" She winked. "What?" Gilda flicked her head feathers and blinked in confusion. "wait, do you mean... me?" "Well yes! Of course I mean you!" Gabby's eyes twinkled, "I know you said you didn't want a cutie mark, but I just couldn't believe that! So, I followed you, in order to find out your greatest passion, and I've finally found it! You've been working hard, at a job you can barely stand, just to afford some tickets to go paintballing! Now that's a passion if I ever heard one! Your cutie mark is gonna be the best!" Gabby lept into the sky and prepared to fly off back to her studio, when suddenly a claw took hold of her hind leg. "Let me just stop you there Gabs." Gilda gently pulled the eager young griffon back to the ground, "those paintball tickets... they ain't exactly for me." "W.... what?" Gabby looked almost heartbroken at the news. "Nah, paintballing doesn't interest me at all. I hate getting my feathers messed up, and paint is so annoying to get out." She commented. Gilda then noticed Gabby's confused expression, and continued to explain. "Remember I told you that my buddy Rainbow Dash was going on a long training trip with the Wonderbolts? Well, she's always wanted to give paintballing a try, so I decided to get her some tickets as a leaving present. I thought maybe she could take Pinkie Pie or something." "T... that's so nice of you Gilda, but... I can't believe the tickets weren't for you. I was so sure..." Gabby rubbed her neck. "Don't worry about it. Like I said Gabs, I don't really have anything that I care about enough to warrant a cutie mark. See ya." With that, the griffon took off in the direction of her home, leaving Gabby alone disappointed once more. ~*~ Back in her studio, Gabby sat at her table scribbling on a blank sheet of paper. She drew a quick sketch of Gilda, then strained her brain tying to come up with a symbol to suit her. "Gilda's laid back... so maybe some sunglasses?" She wondered, "no... that's no good, Gilda has never worn shades in her life, and she gets annoyed when the weather is too hot. She's tough, so maybe a boxing glove? Although she also has a soft side... like a sponge? No... maybe a crab, hard on the outside soft on the... ahh these are just getting more and more ridiculous." She rested her head on the surface. "Maybe Gilda really doesn't want a cutie mark." Gabby wondered, "even so, it doesn't seem right that every other griffon has one except her." Suddenly, Gabby was disturbed by a familiar high pitched voice, calling from outside her open window. "Gabby? Gabby you in there?!" "Grace?" She suddenly forgot her worries and fled to greet her friend. "Gilda said you had something for me?" Grace was a pale sandy coated griffon, she was shorter than most and had a stylish white tipped tail. She was rather pleasant and well spoken, particularly by griffon standards. "Oh yeah! Here you go!" Gabby took the colourful pottery cutie mark from her satchel, and handed it to Grace, who blushed at the sentiment. "Hope you like it, I knew a pottery wheel would be perfect for you! No other griffon comes close to matching your talent!" "Heh, this looks pretty good." Grace chuckled, "I've got to say, after seeing the cutie marks you were making for the other griffons, I was kinda looking forward to receiving one myself." She hooked it onto her own satchel, "thanks Gabby, I'll wear it with pride." Grace gave a smile and a salut, before turning to leave. Then suddenly, Gabby called her back, "Wait... urm..." Gabby paused. She wanted to ask Grace for help, but she wasn't very used to needing help from others and didn't know how exactly to go about it. "Is something wrong?" The small griffon asked. "I... it's just... about Gilda." Gabby replied, "do you maybe... know what kind of cutie mark I should make for her?" Grace raised an eyebrow, then pondered for a moment. "Gilda... hmm... she's pretty chilled about everything. Maybe an ice cube?" She winked. "Urm, yeah, thanks..." Gabby gave a meek smile back and waved goodbye to her friend - she definitely wasn't going to make Gilda an ice cube for a cutie mark. ~*~ The poor grey griffon pondered late into the night, discovering that the more tired she became, the stranger her ideas were. Hours passed by, but she just couldn't shut down. She couldn't bear the thought of Gilda being the only griffon without a cutie mark. Under the light of a single lantern, Gabby tried to make notes of what she knew about Gilda. She considered her to be a strong, fast flyer - but then, so were many other griffon, and whenever griffon competitions and races took place, Gilda was never interested. She had even been nominated for the Equestria games, but turned down the offer claiming that it just didn't appeal to her, and she couldn't care less if Griffonstone won or not. Gabby had once overheard Gilda bragging to Gretta about fun harmless pranks she had pulled during her visits to Ponyville, alongside her good friends Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. However, Gilda didn't so much as tell jokes in Griffonstone, let alone act as a prankster. In fact, she didn't seem to have much of a humorous personality at all. "I wonder... what kinds of other things does Gilda do in Ponyville?" Gabby wondered, "she mentioned attending a string of parties recently, but Gilda has never really seemed like the partying type... at least not in Griffinstone. So, what's different?" Suddenly, there was a knock at her door. Gabby headed downstairs to open it, wondering who could possibly be calling at this hour. "Hey Gabby, sorry to disturb you..." Grace's wide purple eyes startled the tired young griffon. "Grace... wha...what is it?" Gabby asked through a yawn. "It's just... I was just... thinking," her friend explained, shuffling her rear lion paw, "I kinda gave you a pretty dumb idea for Gilda's cutie mark earlier, and I felt a little bad, especially since you put so much time and effort into mine." "Gilda's cutie mark?" Just the mention of that subject was enough to gain Gabby's full attention. "So..." Grace continued, "I tried to do a little research and, well... I think you'd better come with me." She turned and spread her wings, looking back to signal for Gabby to follow. "O...okay..." Gabby didn't want to waste any time asking questions. The two of them headed off through the night sky, in the direction of Gilda's home.