//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 
// Story: Feathers 
// by Triscy 
//------------------------------//

	"Let's see... balloons? No. Streamers? No. Big cake? Ye-"
"Pinkie Pie! We don't need a party!"
Sugarcube Corner was rather empty, which at this time of night wasn't all too out of the ordinary. Other than Mr. and Mrs. Cake, who were fast asleep in their room, the only active ponies in the house were the Earth pony, Pinkie Pie, and her two pegasus friends who both looking distraught.
"Everyone needs a party, silly! Haven't I taught you that already?" Pinkie Pie replied to Rainbow Dash.
"We don't have time for..."
Dash's reply was cut short as a box of streamers landed on her head. Apparently Pinkie Pie was rethinking her party strategy, but the box of colorful and happy strips of paper didn't really make the pegasus want to smile.
"Where did I put that banjo? Oh it must be around here SOMEWHERE!" Pinkie was, at this point, only talking to herself. At another time Rainbow would be chuckling about this, but the pink pony really didn't realize she wasn't in the mood.
"PINKIE PIE!" Dash screamed at the top of her lungs, immediately garnering the pony's attention.
"Shhhhhhh! The Cakes are asleep! Do you want to..."
"Pinkie, listen to me for once!" Dash said, glaring at her friend at a near Fluttershy-level stare. The party pony finally complied, sitting down and looking at her friend.
"What is it, Dashie?" Pinkie asked, now a little worried as she tilted her head.
"We need your help. No it's not a party, no it's not a gathering, no it's not a meetup."
"Is it a parade?" Pinkie interjected, met quickly with another stare. The excited glimmer in Pinkie's eyes finally dulled.
"Look, it's gonna sound crazy to you, but just hear me out. It's about Gilda."
"Gilda? But she's..." An eerie calm settled over the room as she closed her mouth on her own. The Spirit of Laughter still had trouble realizing when things weren't all fun and games.
"Thank you, Pinkie..." Fluttershy intejected quietly before leaving the floor to Rainbow Dash again.
"Pinkie, I know you only remember Gilda as a big jerk. I can't really explain here and now, but if you come with us we'll explain on the way. She needs help, and we can't give it to her if we can't find her. Your pinkie sense is the only way we'll be able to follow her." Said the pegasus, taking a minute before to breathe a little.
The party pony looked at Dash, confused. She wasn't used to Rainbow asking for favors, which in itself helped her realize how serious the situation was. Gilda was a meany pants. That's what she remembered, but that didn't mean it still applied. It had been well over a year, and even Pinkie had changed over that time. Why couldn't Gilda change, too?
"Oki doki. I just need to leave a note, but I'll come. How long are we going to be gone?" Pinkie asked.
"We honestly have no clue. Could be a few days to a few weeks." Dash replied, a little bit of worry in her normally confident voice. She hoped this wouldn't make Pinkie change her mind.
"Ooh! This is gonna be a big road trip! I better pack party supplies! You guys'll have to help carry some of it~!" Said the party pony, a little bit of pep jumping back into her voice. Rainbow smiled a little.
"Sure."
At this, Pinkie bounced off into another room to gather her things. It was bound to be quite a trip.
They just hoped it would be a successful one.

"Hurry up! A mule could pull more'n you, ya feather brain!"
The port town of Fillydelphia was bustling with traders running to and fro, like a vastly disorganized swarm of ants with hooves. Ships of builds from Equestria and beyond docked in the port, carrying passengers and packages, reuniting and separating families, and earning some lucky foals a grand load of bits from the profits of running their trade. The dock was filled with all sorts of Earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns, buffalo, zebra, and...
"Hey! You trying to imply something, boss?" Grunted a rather irritated mule, overhearing his employer's derogatory put-down.
"Shut up, Mark. You barely do enough work as it is; just be happy I'm not barkin' at you!" Growled the boss, a rather tall and toned dog.
"This ain't the dark ages, sir. You're just as vulnerable to a lawsuit as any other business in this port." Mark retorted. "And either way you're barely here. You have no clue how hard I really work."
This wasn't new for Merhorse Mailers, a smaller Fillydelphia shipping company trying to grip its hooves into bigger business. The boss wasn't the kind of guy to dish out free coffee, and everyone in the crew knew it. That is, everyone except for the newest crew member, a rather disheartened griffon who wanted to be out of her current situation more than anything. Life in the forest had forced her to gain a work ethic, but she wasn't used to all the heavy lifting her boss expected of her.
"I'm sorry, boss. I'll try again." A meager attempt to interrupt the argument as the griffon gripped her talons around two large crates, spreading her wings to help her pull it along.
"That's better. Now hurry up; we gotta get twenty more crates moved ASAP!"
Mark grunted. He appreciated the fact that the boss wasn't pushing the issue, but he was really looking forward to that lawsuit. If anyone hated his boss more then Mark was a princess. He was always out looking for ways to get back at him for acting like he didn't deserve to exist.
The mule eyed Gilda for a minute, scanning her over like a computer trying to get everything it could. She didn't seem right. Everything he knew about griffons didn't seem like it could ever apply to her, and he knew his fair share of griffons from being in the trade business. It was almost like she just didn't care anymore... like she was a broken shell...
"Hey Mark! Quit eyein' the new girl and get over hea'!" The angered tone of his co-worker snapped him out of his mild daze as he jogged away. He was on loading duty, after all.

"Pinkie Pie, you're holding the map upside down!"
"Duh, silly! How else am I supposed to use it?"
The trio had been traveling for over a week now, and Futtershy was showing the worst of it. She rarely spent more than one day away from her cottage, and the idea of her beloved animals missing her had almost made her turn back on a few occasions. Sometimes she was too kind for her own good, even as the Element of Kindness, as each time she thought of turning back she couldn't bring herself to abandon Gilda. Her eyes sagged, tired as could be. Two sleepless nights had thrown her out of her loop.
Rainbow Dash was getting impatient. She couldn't abandon her old griffon friend either, but seven days of being forced to pace her speed to avoid leaving her friends behind had her itching to try out some tricks. Whenever the conversation had gone dry, Rainbow's head filled with intricate shemes for daring dives and wondrous feats of showmanship.
The only pony out of the lot who seemed to be keeping her sanity was, surprisingly, Pinkie Pie. All things considered, though, she was never sane to begin with, but the party pony thought of this whole thing like a game despite having been briefed entirely on the situation. She was happy to know that Gilda wasn't such a grumpy-gills anymore, even though she didn't have gills. What would be an equivalent term for someone with feathers? Grumpy-fluff? It could work, but it was stretching it a bit. Wait, what had Pinkie been thinking about? Pinkie's response to the whole deal had generally followed this same pattern, otherwise known as a lack thereof.
"How does that make any sense, Pinkie?" Dash asked, wincing a bit as Fluttershy let out a surprisingly loud yawn. The contagious nature of the act made her let out one of her own, but didn't stop her from returning her eyes to the party pony.
Pinkie Pie held the map in front of her as she walked using a strange contraption that she told them she made herself about four days prior. The odd thing was that it had taken Dash all four of those days to finally realize that the map was upside down the whole time.
"Dashie, don't you know anything about anything? If I don't hold it upside down then North will actually be pointing North. Duh."
If there were a drinking game for how many times Dash had blinked in disbelief at Pinkie Pie over the course of their venture, Fluttershy would have passed out at least twenty times from overconsumption. Then again, Fluttershy didn't drink alcohol.
"Pinkie, this means you've been leading us in the complete OPPOSITE direction the whole time!" Yelled Rainbow, angry and frustrated and, for once, stopping.
"Uh, no? Dashie you're a pegasus pony; of anyone, I'd expect you to know how to follow a map. I mean for hay's sake, we're almost there now!" Pinkie retorted, stopping as well to point a hoof over the horizon.
"What do you mean we're almost..." Dash couldn't finish her sentence before the glittering lights of a night-time Fillydelphia was spread out before them. At this point an alcoholic Fluttershy would have taken another sip.
"Pinkie Pie, you are so random."

"Alright, show's over folks. Now get outta here."
Gilda groaned, walking out of the portside warehouse with a good sized bruise on her eye. Way back when, Gilda would tell everyone she got it in a fight that she won. Now she just didn't want to talk about it. She just didn't want to bring any attention to it, which was hard with how bad it looked.
"How'd ya get that shiner, newbie?"
"Buzz off!" That's what she wanted to say, that's what she tried to say, but what came out was more of a whimper right before glancing away from the troublecausing mule who followed her out of the warehouse. She hadn't seen him at all since he mixed words with her new boss earlier that day, and she wanted to keep it that way.
"Hey, ya gonna answer me?" Mark sped up a bit to get ahead of Gilda, turning his head to look back at her face.
"If I say no, can I leave?" Gilda's voice held no malice, just a tired pleading.
"What's wrong with you, griffon? You don't honestly think you're gon' survive in a big city like this with an attitude like that?"
Gilda scowled at this, his first question bringing back a bit of her tempermental attitude.
"Leave me alone, dweeb. I don't wanna talk with someone like you." She retorted, speeding up her pace. Much to her disdain, the Mule seemed to be playing deaf as he sped up to match her.
"That's more like it. But seriously, I ain't trying to be a jerk. I'm just trying to give a newbie some fair warning. That boss o' ours is possibly the biggest jerk you've ever seen."
"I've seen worse." Gilda groaned, not sure why she even bothered replying to him.
"How worse?" Mark smirked.
"Wipe that grin off your face."
"No need to get snippy. I said you should have an attitude; ya don't have to act like our boss." Mark complied with her request, despite his retort, now frowning a bit. "You griffons really are all temper. Don't any of you know how NOT to be a jerk?"
"Shut up." Gilda said. Her feet stood like stone on the sidewalk as Mark turned to look at her. "Why the heck do you care? I'm just here to work, eat, sleep, and pay for my own tiny little apartment. I don't care about anything else anymore, and that certainly doesn't include you."
"Oh, seems like we've got a drama queen." Mark poked, chuckling a bit before shifting expressions. "Cry me a river. You think you got it bad? You got nothing."
"Nothing. You're right; I've got nothing." Gilda grunted, opening her wings to leave the ground mule below her.
The mule stood, a frown on his face. She wasn't all too friendly. Just as he was about to turn, Mark felt a few drops of water on his face.
"Weird; there's not a single cloud in the sky."

"This place really is a dump." Gilda grumbled, standing in the cramped apartment. Luckily the roof was high enough for her, but that didn't mean it was very spacious otherwise. A pull-out bed that also served as her couch stood nearby a radio. Gilda didn't pay much attention to it as she walked by it to inspect her kitchen, connected directly to the main room. A one room apartment. As far as she was concerned, minus the cramped space, it was much better than her nest.
Nest. Gilda frowned at this, shaking her head and trying to think about something else. She came here to forget everything that had happened, and that nest would certainly hinder her goal. Gilda sighed, closing the door to notice a small piece of paper attached. A letter? She couldn't help wondering if Rainbow Dash had read her letters. The griffon groaned to herself. No! Don't think about it.
"What's this letter about anyway?" She muttered to herself, breaking the silence in the room as she tore it off the door. Gilda couldn't help rolling her eyes as she realized it was just a generic welcome message. She took no time finding the trash bin as she rolled it up tight and threw it in.
"Yea. Home sweet home."

"Fillydelphia? Why would Gilda be here?" Fluttershy asked, a bit confused. "She was living in a forest before this. Why the sudden change?"
"I dunno, but she's definitely here. No mistaking my Pinkie Sense!" Pinkie confirmed, smiling at her friends. "Don't worry; I grabbed enough bits for a hotel."
"Pinkie, how the heck did you know we'd need a hotel room?" Dash inquired.
"Um... hoof flex? That always means I'm going to need money, Dashie." Came the simple response. Dash didn't bother blinking, just flying a little ahead.
"So where are we gonna stay anyway?"
"I. Need. Sleep." Fluttershy stated, sleep deprivation making her a little more blunt than usual.
"Don't worry, Fluttershy! Auntie Pinkie Pie's stayed here before way back when she worked on the rock farm!" Pinkie Pie stated reassuringly.
"I'm still a year older than you. Just find the hotel room." Fluttershy groaned in response, walking after Pinkie as she hopped along.
"You seem like a grumpy-pants, Fluttershy. Are you really that worried about your animals?" Pinkie asked, hopping along.
"Spike isn't the best caretaker, from experience." Fluttershy said. "I mean, he's a nice guy, and he's willing to help but... oh I need sleep..."
"We all do, Fluttershy. Let's find that hotel already." Dash interjected, looking left and right.
"We're already here!" Pinkie said, turning off the sidewalk into an alleyway. The two pegasi followed, wondering why they were going down here. This didn't look like it was leading anywhere.
The path continued for a bit, ending in a quick turn to the left before an abrupt stop in front of an oddly shaped door. Pinkie didn't hesitate to knock, but the look of the place sent a shiver down Fluttershy's spine.
"Are... are you sure it's safe, Pinkie?"
"Of course I'm sure! Why wouldn't I be sure?" Pinkie asked, just as the door shot open and a hoof dragged her inside.
"Pinkie Pie!" Fluttershy yelped. Upon her cry, Dash turned and flew over, about to charge through the door way, stopped only by the sound of giggling.
"Hey, Uncle Punch!" Pinkie said, giggling as her relative gave her a friendly noogie.
"Hey, what's my favorite niece doin' all the way out here? Come to visit little 'ol me?" asked the Uncle. Uncle Punch towered over Pinkie, a very fruity red coat with a short, dark-red mane that he didn't seem to spend much time maintaining. The large colt's cutie mark was that of a common pouch used for holding fruit punch.
"I came here with my friends. Not to be a party pooper, 'cus you know that's the last thing I want to be, but we're not here to see you sadly." Pinkie said. "I need a favor, Uncle."
"Name it and I'll do it if I can." Said Punch. "And dun' worry about the visiting thing, sweetie. You know you threw me a birthday part just last month. How can I repay ya?"
"We need to stay here in Fillydelphia for a few days, hopefully no more. We're here to find a friend who's gone missing. I brought some bits, so I can pay if you need me to." Pinkie explained.
"I can get you a room, sure. I'd love to be the hospitable and giving Uncle too, but I'll have to accept your bit offering. Hope ya don't mind me being a bummer, but business ain't been all too good lately." Uncle Punch replied.
"Oh it's okay, Uncle. We would have had to get an expensive hotel if it weren't for you. Oh! How silly of me! These are my friends, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy!" Pinkie said, stepping aside to point a hoof at her pals.
"Hey! A friend of Pinkies is a friend o' mine. Put 'er there!" Said Pinkie's uncle, holding a hoof out to Fluttershy who timidly accepted. The shy pegasus didn't expect how strong a hoofshake he was going to give, shaking her up and down. Fluttershy attempted to recover from a sudden bout of dizziness as Rainbow Dash accepted his hoof next, taking his handshake a little more in stride.
"The extra room's upstairs. Head down this hallway and take the third right, then head up the stairs 'til you get to the third floor and it'll be the first room on yer left. Hope it has enough room for all three of ya."
The three walked inside, too tired to keep questioning how safe it was. The promise of a bed was stronger than anything else.