A sense of dread and discomfort loomed in Fluttershy's cottage. The sound of cricket chirps echoed outside, but no one made a noise of their own after hearing Fluttershy's story. Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger had their reasons for being quiet; they were fully aware of what happened with Fluttershy – well, more so than Rainbow Dash. She was there when Fluttershy was pregnant with Scootaloo, but after that she remained quiet until now. Tree Hugger kind of figured out the pieces on her own. Having seen Drift himself, she got some unique vibes from him. Angel raised a brow at her after hearing this story. He knew that his owner used to be a bit of a pushover, but after hearing this 'phase' of hers, apparently she was wacky in the head like a cotton-candy mare he knew. Gilda and Glinda, however, were thrown for a loop when Fluttershy told her story.
“So, let me get this straight,” Gilda said, breaking the silence and wrapping her head by what she just heard, “You wanted to start a family with Drift, even though you were young and in high school?”
“That's right,” Fluttershy replied. “I was going through a... rather odd phase, at the time” she rubbed the back of her head, her cheeks turning a light shade of red, feeling rather embarrassed and awkward for explaining that story.
“And it looks like that phase won,” Rainbow Dash said, crossing her arms and giving Fluttershy a slight scowl, remembering those days of her trying to convince her friend that it was a bad idea; but it failed either way.
Fluttershy turned to her left and drooped her ears. She felt awful for ignoring her friend's warning back then, knowing how Dash always looked out for her at high school, “I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash... I was just so happy... I... I wasn't thinking straight.” She knew she's made some stupid mistakes, especially in high school; but when she was together with Drift, she actually believed that he was the one after he agreed to go out with her. But after she got pregnant and got dumped by him after receiving word of her pregnancy, that seemed to have gone down the drain. Angel looked up at his owner sadly, his ears lowered as he felt bad for her. He knew she was upset with what had happened and it must hurt a bit to tell exactly what happened, but he wanted to let her know that he's here for her as he placed a comforting paw on her hoof. Fluttershy looked to him and gave him a warm little smile, grateful for his comfort.
That was putting it mildly. She'll admit to herself that she's stubborn, but Rainbow Dash would not even consider what Fluttershy did. She let out a rough, frustrated sigh and was about to speak until Tree Hugger butted in...
“Fluttershy, what's done is done,” the hippie mare said in an assuring, comforting voice. “Even if you went through those rough times, it still turned out well in the end.” and she was right. Though she never asked how it all came into play, Fluttershy still ended up having Scootaloo back in her life and she felt happy for her.
Fluttershy looked at Tree Hugger and smiled a bit, feeling a little better about that. Unaware of Rainbow Dash glaring suspiciously at her other friend.
“And how would you know, Tree Hugger?” Rainbow Dash impeded rather aggressively, looking over Fluttershy and glaring down at Tree Hugger; she was sensing some bullcrap here and it was annoying her to no end. She called out Tree Hugger, “You weren't there when all this happened. You don't know anything about this!”
Tree Hugger didn't give no mind to Rainbow Dash's actions, but she did reply calmly just to not make things worse, “I may not have been there, but Fluttershy told me some stories and I can feel the flowing chakra around her and I know when she's troubled.” Not one to toot her own metaphorical horn, Tree Hugger proves once again she is unique among friends. Most ponies don't read chakra as she does. “It's what I do.”
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes slowly and wanted to groan as loud as possible for how stupid Tree Hugger sounded. She couldn't believe the words coming out of this pony's mouth. She retorted and carelessly asked, “You sure you're not on something when you talk?”
Fluttershy gasped a little, “Rainbow, please,” Fluttershy said. “Don't be rude. I know you haven't spent any time with Tree Hugger as much as I have, but what she's saying is true.”
Tree Hugger smiled approvingly and nodded a few times, and joined in this 'tag team', “Besides, it isn't about us. It's about this graceful mother right here,” Tree Hugger complimented. She can tell Fluttershy tries her best to care for her daughter and the animals around the cottage; it must be a real challenge for her.
Rainbow Dash snarled at Tree Hugger and growled quietly to herself, “I think you're missing the point, Tree Hugger. Fluttershy was gonna tell us about her time with he-who-must-not-be-named.” Rainbow Dash corrected or tried to. She wanted to know if Drift actually said anything to her before finding out the 'surprise' they made for themselves.
Tree Hugger felt appalled and her calm demeanor turned into a slight feisty tone. This rainbow mare has no business trying to force her friend to speak against her wishes. She had no right; there was no chill with this mare, “Okay, that is so not cool, Rainbow Dash. You don't get to make a call like that.” she had a vibe, not just a hunch, that Fluttershy would be too uncomfortable. She may have felt a dark presence within Fluttershy's aura before, but she'll let her speak. Once she's ready, she'd try and calm her down if needed, but if not, she knew she cannot force it out of her like Dash is trying to do, “Fluttershy doesn't have to tell us if she doesn't want to. I'm sure it'll be uncomfortable for her.” She frowned mellowly at the cyan pegasus, "It's no use getting feisty-tempered as a dragon and hardheaded as a crumbling boulder over it.. your vibe is becoming really unsettling." She could see Dash's chakra and her aura was ablaze like a dragon's flame, she was trying to keep the peace, but Celestia-damn it, was this mare stubborn.
Her right eye twitched, she could never understand what the buck this pony was talking about, but the way she said it felt like she was insulting her in a way, which was a jab at her pride, “I'll never understand what the heck you just said, but I think that time should be now. You don't get to make any calls either,” Rainbow Dash barked, jabbing back at Tree Hugger that she doesn't have any right, either. If anything, she should just shut up and let Fluttershy talk.
But the banter between these two was actually the one thing that was making Fluttershy uncomfortable. She sunk down a bit and curled up, watching them squabble. Why were they so invested in what happened after she gave birth to Scootaloo? It didn't add up. She just wanted to tell her story and that's it. She let out a tiny whimper as Tree Hugger and Rainbow Dash lifted themselves up with the arms of Fluttershy's chair, continuing their odd argument.
Angel facepalmed upon seeing these two start to argue. Are these two serious right now? It's frustrating enough that Dash is being pushy while Tree Hugger's being defensive, but this is getting ridiculous. 'And I thought I was a pain in the fuzztail.' He thought as he glared at the two ponies. He kept close to Fluttershy and actually tried to shield her from this scene, despite his small stature.
Gilda, however, was growing impatient and very annoyed. Her eyes were closed and trying so hard to find her happy place so she can wait for these two to zip their yaps. Unlike the two arguing mares, she was actually enjoying this story and had thoughts of her own to give. At least, she would tell them if Rainbow Dash and this other mare would shut up and quit ruining her chance. She may have been thinking clearly now, but she was still a griffon and griffons always have a temper flare.
A snarl form on her face, “Glinda?” Gilda said as she opend her eyes and looked at her little sister twiddling at her back paws with her talons. She must've gotten bored with the story and decided to find something entertaining. Honestly, she thought it was cute, but how she wasn't focused on these blabbering mares is beyond her.
Kids.
Gilda humorously rolled her eyes and whispered to her to get her attention, “Hey, squirt?”
Glinda let out a carnal chirp and looked up at her older sister, “Yes, Gilda?”
She motioned her head to the stairs and asked, “Mind checking on Scootaloo? I'm sure she'd like a friend by her side.”
Glinda smiled at that request and hopped off the couch and trotted to the stairs. She was actually thinking the same thing. She just didn't know if she should go or not. She was secretly worried about Scootaloo.
Gilda watched Glinda walk upstairs, but once the little griffon disappeared from her view, Gilda jerked her agitated view back onto Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger and frowned in pure annoyance. That is gonna end. Now!
Fluttershy remained pinned to her chair, feeling cornered by her friends. She wanted to say something but felt like it wouldn't help either way. Why were they arguing so much? It felt like an Angel and Devil were talking, but instead of one angel, they were both devils! She hid her face behind her mane and hoped this would stop soon.
Angel was reaching his limit as he rubbed at his temple and twitched his whiskers about, his left foot thumping at a quick pace. This was to show frustration, and he was definitely frustrated with these two hounding mares. He had been patient with them for this long, but this has gone far enough. One glance at his owner, and he knew that this had to stop. Immediately.
“They should talk to one another and set things right. Quit trying to be a stupid bodyguard always trying to protect her,” Rainbow Dash quipped, getting irked every second this mare talked. She wanted this mare to lay off!
But that wish will never come to Rainbow Dash, “No, they shouldn't. It would disrupt their current flow and set an imbalance between them,” Tree Hugger countered, still not going to let Rainbow's words effect her. This act should be stopped right now, “You need to lower your guard a notch and not be so forceful on her.”
“Lower my guard? Forceful?!” Rainbow Dash said in a snapping tone. “The one being forceful here is--”
A pair of talon claws grabbed both Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger by the napes of their necks and pulled them away from Fluttershy, making both mares shout 'whoa!' in unison. And a thump came down on Tree Hugger's muzzle from a white foot and a slap across Dash's right cheek from a white paw, making the pegasus say 'Ow!' while the earth pony yelped.
With the sudden quiet, Fluttershy peeked an eye out and shyly sat up and sighed in relief, glad to know that was finally over. Her mane slid away from her face as she watched Gilda hold both mares with ease and hung them by the back of their necks while Angel Bunny stood before the three, tapping his foot impatiently with a firm glare. Fluttershy slightly smiled at that and chuckled, thinking of how lionesses would hold their cubs by the nap of their necks. Ironic, actually. Although, she was a bit surprised that Angel, of all animals, was getting physical with somepony other than her.
Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger swing occasionally in Gilda's hold. Her grip kind of hurt and it felt like she was intending to not let go.
“Hey, what gives, Gilda?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking back at her friend.
“Yeah, we were just having a talk is all,” Tree Hugger said, confused by this griffons actions.
That was a load of horse-crap and she had just about enough, “How about you two shut up for once and let Fluttershy talk,” Gilda said with a slight growl in her voice. She gets into Tree Hugger's face, “She's a grown mare who can act and think for herself,” then gets into Rainbow's face “And she doesn't need anyone getting in her business, telling her what to do.” She held the two mares still and looked at Fluttershy who gave her an approving nod. She gave the shy mare an allied smile before glaring at both mares.
Both of them tried to explain their reasoning for this annoying banter, but Gilda simply growled, “I may have changed, but now and then griffons will have angry moments if there's something to cause it,” She glared at the two mares and released a spurt of her anger, “And you two are really starting to cause mine!” Gilda swung her arms and, with a loud clonk to each others heads, both mares wobbled their heads and dizzily mumbled to themselves.
Angel glared at the two and like Gilda, decided enough was enough. After seeing Gilda clonk their heads together, he hopped up to their faces and started letting out a barrage of squeaks, pointing at them angrily and then at Fluttershy normally before facepalming and tugging his ears in frustration as he squeaked repeatedly at the two dangling ponies; he was chewing the two out for being annoying and controlling. His owner didn't need this, and he was sure to let the two know this. He too had his own thoughts to share with Shy about this whole story, but at the moment, he wanted these two mares to shut up and pay attention.
Fluttershy winced at that. That was a bit unnecessary, but she would be lying to herself if she didn't want to do the same thing. Her eyes then widened as Angel started getting a bit... vulgar in his act of 'chewing out' the mares, she spoke up to him before he could get too far "Angel Bunny! That isn't nice!" But judging by Angel's huff and crossed arms as he looked away from the two dangling mares, it looked like he could care less if it was nice or not.
Gilda blinked at this little scene, she didn't quite expect the rabbit to pitch in, but unfortunately she couldn't speak rabbit. When Fluttershy cut him off, she looked to her and asked out of curiosity, knowing she could talk to creatures like this little bunny. Maybe a word of translate? "What did he say?"
Fluttershy was blushing heavily, but wore a face of bewilderment; she heard every word out of Angel, but to answer Gilda, she shook her head, not wanting to translate all of what Angel had said to Dash and Tree Hugger, “I wouldn't dare repeat it.”
Brushing it off, Gilda then got back on topic, glaring at the two dangling ponies in her talons, she gave her own two cents, “Now, if you two can stop acting like a married couple, let Fluttershy deal with her own life like a freaking adult and not like a mindless child.”
Gilda drops Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger, plopping them separately on the couch as Gilda focused her attention back onto Fluttershy, now happy to give her thoughts on the story.
“Thanks, Gilda.”
Gilda shrugged and thought nothing of it, “Hey, I know what it's like having others argue about what you should do in life,” Gilda said. “If I were you, I'd just go ahead and choose what you wanna do. Don't let others tell you otherwise.”
Fluttershy smiled, appreciating that advice. She was surprised, too. Never expecting advice from the one creature that bullied her before. It actually felt alien to her. Almost as if this Gilda was not the Gilda she knew back then; it was remarkable. But when she said what she said, it got her wondering something, “um, Gilda?”
Gilda lifts a claw and stops her, “I'll explain later, Fluttershy. If you want my honest thoughts, I'm glad you're doing well as a mother and Scootaloo seems like she's happy now,” or was until that fight broke out. Probably not the right choice of words, but she wasn't used to giving compliments just yet.
Fluttershy looked towards the stairs and sighed disappointingly at herself, “If only--”
“But.”
Fluttershy looked back at Gilda as Gilda continued, “That's the one side of the story I understand. The other side, I don't.”
“Oh, um, it's complicated to explain, Gilda.”
“Complicated, huh?” Gilda raised a brow, finding it kind of hard to believe. “I understand you're taking care of your daughter. Believe me, I got my little sister to take of,” two totally different situations, but also similar, too, “but what I wanna know is why are you trying to hide her from her father?”
Fluttershy winced and widened her eyes in shock, feeling her body go cold from receiving that question. She shook her head, trying to dodge the question with a lie, “I-I'm not trying to hide her, Gilda. I'm not ready yet, is all.” She giggled awkwardly and hoped Gilda would fall for it.
Gilda paused and stared at Fluttershy with a straight, questioned face, keeping her view only locked on her for a short time. About around enough time for Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger to snap out of their dazed state. Fluttershy kept her eyes glued to the focused griffon, as well. She still hoped she'd buy what she said. Silence engulfed the room, again. No one made a sound while the two had their staring contest. But not in a sense of game and play. Something else was up. They stared into each other's eyes and waited for one to crack.
Until one ultimately did...
Gilda sighed and finally closed her eyes so she wouldn't irritate them, “Well, then, I guess you're right,” she opened them back up and resumed her gaze on Fluttershy.
Fluttershy looked at her surprised and puzzled, but sighed in relief, happy to know she won that pressured round, “I am?”
“Oh yeah, of course.” Gilda said in a surprisingly chilled tone and crossed her arms.
Fluttershy was thrown back by this sudden change. But she was still relieved and happy her dodge was a success. She smiled calmly and said, “See, I told you I wasn't--”
“Why are you trying to hide yourself from him?”
And the cold feeling came shooting back into her body like it was some kind of injection.
“W-What?”
***Fluttershy's Cottage's Hallway***
Glinda walked up the stairs and looked back, pondering about what her sister and her friends were talking about. Well, kind of. What Rainbow Dash and that dreadlock mare were talking about was pretty boring. She felt bad about what Fluttershy went through, but why wasn't she letting Scootaloo see her dad? Curiosity was eating away at the little griffon and she wanted to know! Shame she didn't say anything to them. Then again, would they even listen?
“Wish I could hear more of that story,” Glinda said with a sulk. “Rainbow Dash and that other mare were being so rude.” But she immediately reminded herself of what Gilda told her.
“Oh yeah, Scootaloo,” she'll ask Gilda what happened later. She treaded down the hall, pitter-pattering her small paws and talons before stopping in front of Fluttershy's bedroom door. Scootaloo was in here, right? She tilted her head in thought. She wasn't too sure. She looked to her left and right and saw two other doors, but they didn't have any signs on them. She shrugged to herself and took a guess with the one door in front of her.
She reached up and was about to knock but paused herself, recalling what happened earlier. She widened her eyes a bit. That fight between Scootaloo and her mother was pretty intense. She retracted her arm and thought to herself, “Wait, If I knock, will she be mad at me?” she could only imagine what would happen in her anxious mind. One knock and Scootaloo would burst out from that and yell at her in a fit of anger. “It's kind of like what mom always did,” she said to herself. Remembering that was a nightmare in itself. But she could still knock, if she wanted, too. Scootaloo isn't her mother and chances are she won't get mad, right? She was hesitant to knock and the conflict in her head wasn't helping, she sighed disappointingly, frustrated in herself, “Maybe I should just walk back? I don't want to disturb her.” She quietly backed away and turned around, but her legs halted and she reminded herself, again. “No, Gilda asked me to do this. If I told her I didn't do what she said, she'd be mad at me,” she had to fulfill it; heck, maybe this was another way of her saying to make a new friend. The first time wasn't all that great.
She then sat down and pouted angrily, “Dumb Diamond Tiara. Using me like that. I just wanted to make friends and she used me,” she growled a tad. She had to do this and she had to do it now. Otherwise, she'd be a wreck. She walked back to the door and reached her arm up as she reminded herself “Okay, you can do this, Glinda. Just talk to her. how hard can it be? She's not Diamond Tiara. And she's not my mother. You can do this.”
Her talon was inches away from the door, but in a cruel twist of fate, the door swung open and Scootaloo stood right in front of Glinda. The sudden appearance made her talon screech to a stop as Glinda flinched in surprise and shock a baby chicken peep coming out of her as her talon was only inches away from Scootaloo's nose.
Glinda widened her eyes and jumped back, landing on her haunches, “Scootaloo!” she looked up at the filly and tried to make a casual smile, trying to make it seem like nothing happened. “H-Hey there. Um, I was just... uh... I was...”
Scootaloo blinked a few times and raised a brow, easily catching on to Glinda's poor acting, “If you're trying to make yourself look cool, you might need some practice,” Scootaloo teased. “Did you want to hang out with me?”
The little griffon nodded and suddenly went on a talking frenzy, kind of like Pinkie Pie, “Y-Yeah. My sister was talking to Fluttershy and the others about school and then Rainbow Dash and that other mare – can't remember her name – started arguing and I got bored. Then Gilda wanted me to see how you were doing. Well, we both thought that. She's downstairs--” an orange hoof pressed against her beak, stopping her.
“Whoa, whoa, slow down, Glinda,” Scootaloo said, removing her hoof from Glinda's beak, “I don't have a problem with you wanting to hang out with me.” Scootaloo smiled and motioned her inside, “Come on, we can talk about this in my room. We can play a board game or watch a movie. Plus, I heard you mumble behind the door.” She snickered as Glinda blushed embarrassingly.
Those things Scootaloo said, however, caught her attention. She tilted her head as she walked in passed Scootaloo, “Movie? Board games?”
“Yeah?” Scootaloo said confused, closing the door. “You've never watched a movie before or played any board games?”
All Scootaloo got out of her was an innocent, adorably confused face and a simple shake of a fluffy head, “Uh-uh, not a one.” She looked around the room and saw a queen-sized bed with drawers next to the head of the bed. She looked to her right and saw a weird gray box-like thing in front of the bed. She tilted her head and approached it, tweeting in amusement, yet mystification, “At Griffonstone, we always come up with ideas to have fun. But, it's very rare for me.” As she mentioned Griffonstone, she can recall the types of fun that her fellow griffons tend to 'play' around there. 'Fun,' she thought, 'Ha! More like painful wrestling or paying a bit every time you wanna play a different game. I'll never understand why everygriffon has to be so greedy with bits.'
Though Glinda was told by her parents that they as a species are a proud regal race, she hardly found that an excuse for every griffon to be rude to everyone. It wouldn't hurt them to crack a genuine smile or not ask for bits every 5 minutes over a simple question.
Scootaloo walked up to Glinda, curiously, “So, you don't have a TV or have any like that back home?” Scootaloo asked. “And what do you mean by 'rare'? Are other griffons that bad that they wouldn't want to play with you?” She never went to Griffonstone, but Rainbow Dash did tell her some stories. At first, she didn't believe her that griffons were all that bad, but to hear one say others 'very rarely' play with her was just not right, at all. “There has to be one griffon that's gotta be your friend, right?”
Glinda shook her head a little, “No, we don't have this 'thing'” – she points to the TV-- “or any board games. It's outside or you don't 'play' at all.” She dipped her head and let out a slow exhale before giving her a confirming nod, “Griffons would rather roughhouse than play anything else.” she turned to look at Scootaloo. “Compared to my other siblings, I'm the runt.”
Scootaloo was surprised by this revelation. She never expected to meet a runt face to face, “That explains why you're smaller than me. Last time I met a griffon, she was twice the size of me and my other friends.”
Glinda raised a brow and had no idea who she was talking about, but she kept explaining as best she could to Scootaloo, “And by 'rare', I mean there is only one griffon who played with me and actually acted like a friend to me. We hardly see each other because he goes to a school,” she then smiled brightly, “But, thanks to that place, we became pen-pals. Most of my time was always writing back to him when he sent me letters. It was very fun.”
Scootaloo smiled at that. Glad to know at least one griffon was giving Glinda attention. Being a runt must be very difficult for her. 'Wait, School?', Scootaloo thought for a moment, 'She doesn't mean Twilight's friendship school, does she?' if that was the case then that would be something. Glinda being pen-pals with one of Twilight's students. It's actually pretty cool. And seeing that there's only one griffon in that school, she had to ask, “Who's your pen-pal, Glinda?”
Glinda smiled and tried to surprise Scootaloo, “You might not have met him, but his name is Gallus.”
Nope, definitely from Twilight's school and she thought correctly. It didn't take a genius to figure that out. Truthfully, the only student she's met was Sandbar and not the others. She was busy with other things to go find them, but Gallus's name was mentioned a few times by Sandbar.
“Gallus, huh? That's pretty cool.” Scootaloo said, playing off that she's surprised.
Glinda chirped and perked up with a cheering, somewhat bragging, smile, “Yup!” she hopped a bit. “Gallus is my pen-pal. When I write to him that I moved to Ponyville, he'll be surprised, too.”
“Move to Ponyville?!” Scootaloo said in a more surprised tone. “You're moving to Ponyville? No wonder you've hung around with Diamond Tiara.” It made sense now. Glinda showing up randomly and hanging around ponies. Why Diamond of all ponies was beyond her, but it still surprised her nonetheless.
Glinda tilted her head in confusion, “Yeah, didn't the teacher tell you I was a new student?” Glinda asked Scootaloo.
That might've been one part she slept through. Cheerilee's have been so boring that she sometimes sleeps through them. It took either Applebloom or Sweetie Belle to wake her up before Cheerilee noticed.
“Um... yes,” Scootaloo responded with a little lie and awkward smile, hoping Glinda will fall for it.
Glinda kept her head tilted for a few seconds, before bouncing her head straight with a naive smile “Okay!”
Close call. She was glad this tiger-striped griffon was so gullible, otherwise, this would've gotten really awkward. Scootaloo gave herself a mental high-hoof before realizing what kind of griffon Glinda was. 'Orange coloring with black stripes? And I thought Griffons were only half-lion and half-eagle? Glinda's half-tiger. This is awesome!' she thought to herself, feeling rather excited actually. Another opportunity was presented to her and she was going to take it. To have a griffon like Glinda as a friend would be very cool.
“So, wanna watch a movie?” Scootaloo asked, receiving an enthused, twinkling glance from Glinda. Scootaloo tried so hard not to laugh, but that pretty much gave her the answer. “I'll take that as a 'yes'” she said with an amused chuckle. She approached the TV and turned it on. It made hissing sounds, but Scootaloo quickly turned down the volume. She reached under and pulled out five movies.
“Okay, I have five movies,” she turned around, “which one do you – uh, you okay?” she saw Glinda hiding under the bed, shaking like a leaf.
“Th-that was scary.”
Scootaloo took a moment to think and looked at the TV, confused, 'Must've been the hissing sound that spooked her', she looked back at Glinda with an assuring smile. “Ah, don't let this thing scare ya. It does that a lot. Mom tends to forget to turn it down when the sun goes down before turning it off. It doesn't bite.”
Glinda crawled out from under the bed, “Are you sure?” she asked. The hissing sound of the static from the TV reminded her of that frightful fight earlier with Varan and that scary-looking bear. “I-It kind of sounded like... like... like that your giant lizard. When he got angry...”
“Course I'm sure!” Scootaloo said excitedly. “You've got nothing to worry about here. This place is safe and the animal's outside won't hurt you either, not even Varan.” Though when she said that last part, she reassured, “I promise Glinda, you're safe here.” She sheepishly rubbed the back of her head, I'f anything, I'm sorry Varan scared you like that... again.” I honestly don't know what got into him.” She honestly didn't; her Komodo Dragon is usually so well-behaved and chill, but his violent, angry outburst left her concerned. But deciding to deal with him later, she shook her head and focused on the task at hoof: hanging with her new friend.
A thought then occurred to the little griffon: how did she get a scary animal like Varan? Did she raise it? Did she adopt it? Glinda was in mental spiral. But the sounds of clanking quickly brought her out of it. She looked down and saw five different boxes with pictures on it, “What are those?” she asked.
“Movies,” Scootaloo answered excitedly as she pointed. “I have Acrobatic Hawk, Atomic Zilla vs. Queen Medorah, Hotel Pransylvania, A Nightmare on Elf Lane and Midnight.”
Glinda crawled out from under the bed and took a look at the movie cases. It took about a minute before she finally decided, “This one,” she pointed to Midnight.
Scootaloo let out a slight chuckle at her choice. Of all the movies she had to choose.
“W-What?”
“Oh, n-nothing,” she said, trying to calm herself down. “Just you choose a movie everyone makes fun of. Worth a watch, but great to watch with friends just to make fun of it.”
Glinda was slightly confused, “Did I pick a wrong one?”
Scootaloo shook her head, and quickly assured her, “No, no, it's not that. You picked a great movie. What I'm trying to say is that it's a dumb love story about a Vampony and a Werepony,” She waved a hoof as she explain, very poorly, “Vampony stallion falls in love with a Werepony mare and clans of the two go to war because of their love. It's pretty generic, if you ask me.”
Having that explained to her, she still wanted to watch it; it sounded sweet and intense. She picked her first movie, and she had to see it. Glinda clapped her talons together and eagerly asked with the same eager, twinkling eyes, “Can we still watch it, anyway?”
Scootaloo was almost thrown a back by this but shrugged to herself and nodded, “Yeah, sure, why not. I could use a good laugh after what I went through,” She said in a passive-aggressive tone as she brought the tape out and went to go put it in the VHS.
Glinda tilted her head a bit, letting out a canary tweet, “Are you still mad at your mother?”
She put the tape in and answered, annoyed, “Yeah. I love my mother, but I just wish she'd let me see dad,” She walked back to Glinda and sat next to her, “Every time I ask her, she just dodges my question or just flat-out ignores it. It's so frustrating, I can't take it any more.”
Glinda looked up at Scootaloo with a sad frown, “I'm sorry to hear that.”
Scootaloo shrugged, “It's not your fault. My mom can be overprotective. Wonder if she got that from the animals?” She chuckled at her own joke, but wondered about something, as well.
“Hey, Glinda, why are you moving to Ponyville, anyway? Did your parents decide to move, or what?”
Glinda looked away. She was silent for a few seconds before responding, but not in a really happy tone, “It wasn't my parents. It was Gilda. She wanted to move to Ponyville and she brought me along.” Glinda looked depressed, all of a sudden. Something about that question brought back some memories she would've gladly forgotten about.
***“I can't believe this!” Gilda's voice yelled at her parents. “I can't believe the two of you!” She sounded really mad.
Glinda sat alone on a wooden chair, keeping her eyes cast down and having tear streaks run down her eyes. Her parents had been arguing again, but this time it had gotten worse. Way worse since her sister Gilda is involved. Out of all her siblings, Gilda is more the cool-headed one, but boy, was she scary when you cross her.
“So, that's it? You're just going to leave Glinda all by herself while you two head your separate ways to Grover-knows-where?” Gilda's voice spoke again from her parent's bedroom, and she sounded disappointed.
“It's just the way it is, Gilda...” Their father, Lionel, reared his tan-feathered head at his eldest daughter, “Guster and I don't want anything to do with one another, anymore, but we can't stay around just for Glinda...” he let out a frustrated squawk. “If anything, she would've left the nest by now, just like her other siblings did.”
“It's not that we don't love you or Glinda, Gilda... it's just... we need some time apart from one another,” Their mother, Guster, uttered under her breath, “In completely different locations.” One look at Guster and anygriffon could tell that Gilda got her looks from her, except that Gilda's 'bangs' are light violet while Guster's was sky blue. “Glinda can't always depend on us...”
“Oh, will you two stop lying out your tail-feathers?!” Gilda's voice made not only them but Glinda jump as she heard that all the way from her spot. “Glinda's too young to understand what you're doing... you carry on what you're doing right now, she's not going to stand a chance. She's too small to fend for herself!”
Glinda winced. What was her sister and her parents talking about? They've been yelling at one another for quite a while.
“...Fine. If you two really feel that way, then who gives a flying feather anymore? Screw you two!” Glinda heard a door slam and footsteps coming her way. She looked up to find Gilda coming to her and scooping her up in her arm. “C'mon, squirt... we're leaving.”
“Leaving?! When will we be back? Where are we going?”
Gilda sighed lightly before looking at her little sister, “I don't know where, but I know we're... we're not coming back to Griffonstone.” Seeing her concerned look, Gilda quickly added, “It's not because of you, Glinda,” she sneered, a vulture squawk uttering in her throat “it's more likely mom and dad being stubborn pains in the a--”
“Gilda, w-what's going to happen to us?” Glinda's question cut her off and left her thinking. She didn't want to stay in Griffonstone, that's for sure. But, where would they go? If only Dash were around to give her advice on where to go...
Wait!
“Glinda, we're moving out of the nest. Just you and me.” The thought of Dash instantly gave her an idea of where to go: Ponyville. “And I think I know where we can go.”
“W-Where, big sis?” Her little sister asked, which she answered to give Glinda hope.
“We're going to pay a certain friend of mine's hometown a visit.”***
Glinda's eyes looked a little glossy. She may be a bit too young to understand, but she felt as if she had something to do with her parent's split-up. Gilda said it wasn't because of her, but still, it hurt to just think about it.
Scootaloo looked concerned. She placed a hoof on Glinda's shoulder, “Hey, I didn't mean to dig into something I should've. If you're not ready to talk about it, I won't ask.”
Glinda looked up at Scootaloo and nodded, appreciating that. She looked to the TV Screen as the movie started. Then all focus was on it rather than what just occurred. It's as if that little depression moment never happened. She let out an adorable dove-coo when the Vampony Stallion showed up at the start of the film.
Scootaloo chuckled, 'note to self, Glinda gets easily amused'.
By the time the second act of the movie came up, Glinda kept her eyes glued and Scootaloo nearly fell asleep; the movie was so boring it was a good way to get some good sleep. That is until she faintly heard Glinda call her name.
“Hey, Scootaloo, who's that in the picture?”
Scootaloo snorted and aimlessly looked around, “wha? Huh?” she rubbed her eyes and looked down at Glinda, and said in a dreary tone, “What did you say, Glinda?”
Glinda pointed up at the picture on top of the TV. While she was enjoying the movie, her eyes trailed up to a picture of Scootaloo with someone else; a dragon, maybe? Scootaloo gazed at the picture of her with Spike and yawned out loud, “Oh, that's Spike. He's a friend of mine that lives around here.” She made a poor gesture of a castle to Glinda, “Big castle on a crystal tree. Not hard to miss.” She chuckled at herself.
Glinda gasped enthusiastically, having seen that castle before. A dragon lived there? This small town was full of surprises. And it made her feel better knowing that not just ponies live here in Ponyville, but a dragon, as well! Ponyville may be a very great place to live in. Aside from a few bad fillies and colts, she'll learn to love it here.
“Think we can meet him, someday?”
Scootaloo's eyes shot open and rosy-pink blush marks suddenly appear on her cheeks. A look of shock appeared on her face and she had to come up with an excuse. Something to distract Glinda from knowing, “Uh... maybe? Maybe.. we can..uh... oh, look, The vampony meets the werepony,” She snickered, mockingly, “Check this out, this is gonna get corny in a second.”
Glinda perked her head and tweeted like a canary and focused back on the screen, seeing the light-blue Vampony and yellowish-tan werepony lock eyes. At first, Glinda didn't know what to think, all they were doing was having an argument about what they were and who they were from. It really confused her and she couldn't understand why. Shouldn't they be friends first?
Scootaloo, however, watched the movie with the same blush on her face. Instead of seeing the vampony and werepony, she pictured herself and Spike in the same scenario in a later scene. Seeing herself in his arms, locking eyes and about to kiss, it made Scootaloo's blush intensify. And it was only a mere thought. Scootaloo suddenly felt a little woozy and lightheaded and she could've sworn she felt steam burst out her ears and nose. She aimlessly looked at the screen and ignored everything around her. Okay, maybe this movie was a bad idea. For the past few months, Scootaloo has had a crush on Spike and she tried so hard to deny it. She still had a hard time believing she told her mother and she was worried she'd tell Twilight. She thought about the times she and Spike would hang out and cause pranks just like Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. It became frequent and it really showed her how awesome Spike could be. During those months, she started feeling something towards the purple dragon and she couldn't really explain what it was. Yet, she's still trying to deny it. She looked away from Glinda.
'Oh, am I really falling in love with Spike?' Scootaloo mentally asked herself. 'He's supposed to be one of my friends. Why am I falling for him?' Her mind slowly spiraled out of control. She couldn't figure out why she was attracted to him. But, she had to keep it locked up. She doesn't need Spike to know, because it would feel awkward for the both of them. 'Okay, maybe picking this movie was a bad--”
“Scootaloo?” Glinda tugged softly on her fur to get her attention.
Scootaloo snapped out of her mental breakdown and looked down at Glinda, “W-What's up, Glinda?”
“The vampony and werepony separated. What was all that about?”
Scootaloo looked at the screen and watched as the two characters made their departure, “Well, the vampony and werepony decided not to get into a fight because they couldn't bring themselves to do it. So, they left to go talk to their clans or something.”
“Oh, well, now it's on the werepony. Is she alright?” Glinda asked, not really knowing what was going on with the werepony. They watch as the werepony talks to her sister and begins to reveal her true feelings: she was in love with the vampony.
“Well, it doesn't take math to know what she's thinking of. She likes the Vampony and that other werepony” – she points to the brown werepony – “is her sister. She's a good listener and always tries her best help her in any way she can.”
“Oh!” Glinda smiled and looked at the screen, happy to know the werepony has someone to help her. She can relate to that.
“Oh, boy, here come the cheesy parts,* Scootaloo said, in a sarcastic tone as the werepony began to explain to her sister.
Fluttershy's Living Room
“I'm not trying to hide from him, I swear!” Fluttershy said, cracking under the pressure from Gilda's question. Angel tried to guard her from the griffon as he eyed her suspiciously, wondering what she's up to when she asked that.
Gilda had her in the bag. A reaction like that was the perfect indicator that this spoke more volumes than her previous one and that Fluttershy was indeed hiding something, “Your reaction says otherwise, Fluttershy.”
“Um, Gilda? What are you doing?” Rainbow Dash asked, confused. “Are you trying to scare her into answering?”
“That's not a good idea,” Tree Hugger obliged, agreeing with Rainbow, for one. “If her aura is not going to change color, then her blood pressure will surely rise.”
“Will you two shut up,” Gilda bonked the two mares on their heads and temporarily dazing them. “I'm not trying to do any of that. If you'll let me finish, I was going to say something else.” Fluttershy already told the truth by action. But, deciding for her was not an intention she wanted to do. “Fluttershy, what I'm trying to say is, you—”
“I don't know what he'll do...”
“What?”
Fluttershy looked away, grieving about the mere thought of seeing Drift, again. Drift harmed her in more ways than anyone could imagine. He used her like a toy, hardly paid any attention to her, barely gave her affection, what she wanted and all he cared about was her looks. He didn't harm her physically, well, aside from that day. But, not only that, it was herself that ruined her own life, too. She made stupid decisions, was blinded by her own love to see what Drift really wanted, didn't listen to the one friend who tried to be her voice of reason and she got what she wanted, but what she wanted abandoned her. She wanted to start a family, she didn't want what came after until she was older. But now, the only thing that came out of her life... was Scootaloo. And she was happy to have her back into her life; deep down she just wanted her family to be whole.
“If I see Drift again, I don't know what he'd do,” Fluttershy said, “That's why I try to hide Scootaloo and myself from him. I don't know what he'd do if he saw us. ...Saw me, again.” Fluttershy hid her face behind her mane. She didn't know what to do. She whimpered a bit, trying to prevent herself from breaking down in front of Gilda.
Angel lowered his ears as he looked at his owner with compassion. At last, they knew the truth of why Fluttershy was reluctant to see Drift after all this time, she was afraid... afraid of what he'd do to her. Would he hurt her again? Would he even feel bad? Whatever the case may be, Angel brushed it off before stroking and brushing Shy's mane as he sat on the left arm of the chair, comforting her as best he can.
Gilda felt bad for Fluttershy. Even to this day, those scars have not yet healed. She can kind of vouch for that, giving she made her decision to raise Glinda without help from her stubborn, selfish parents. Plus, it didn't help that two of her other friends were giving her different decisions. She looked at Tree Hugger and Rainbow Dash disappointingly as they came to before looking back at Fluttershy. She didn't care what these two thought, she needed to know.
“I'm sure he'll feel sorry for what he did. I met him earlier today.”
Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger looked at Gilda as if they felt so betrayed by an ally – Rainbow dash, especially.
Fluttershy popped her head out of her mane wide-eyed and slack-jawed, “You met him?!” That revelation completely floored her and she was shocked beyond recognition. “What did he say?”
Gilda slightly leaned her head back from that sudden reaction, “Whoa, okay, cool the flames and listen carefully.” She straightened her neck as Fluttershy tried to keep a cool mind, “He didn't say anything about you. When I saw him, he was scared of me, really.” Which wasn't a hard thing to do. She was intimidating, but she was used to it. “I was looking for Glinda and Rainbow Dash quickly introduced me to Drift.”
Rainbow Dash gasped in betrayal, “Gilda!”
“Wait?” Fluttershy looked to Rainbow Dash confused and suspicious. “You found Drift and you didn't tell me? Why?”
The look in Rainbow Dash's eyes spoke volumes. Her body shook a bit from anxiety and her mind went blank for a second. But, thanks to Gilda, she had to say something, “I-I wanted to say hi, too. Heh.” Rainbow dash lied. This was out-of-character for her, but now she didn't know what Fluttershy was gonna do. “It's been a long time since I last saw him, I--”
“liar!” Gilda said sternly, not falling for this bullcrap. She saw the actions Rainbow Dash was giving off and she remembered what happened when they were talking to Drift, “You still haven't answered my question when we were talking to him,” she pointed a claw into the tuff of Rainbow Dash's fur, “You owe us an explanation.”
Fluttershy looked more confused than she already did. She didn't know was going on or what was Gilda talking about? What was Rainbow Dash hiding?
“Yeah, Rainbow Dash,” Tree Hugger intervened, thinking she was gonna be a free mare, “What's your explana--”
“Don't think for a sec you're not involved in this, either, Dreadlocks,” Gilda interrupted while keeping her eyes on a panicked Rainbow Dash. “You're hiding something, too.”
Tree Hugger widened her eyes and closed her mouth shut. She didn't expect the griffon to pick up what she's hiding. She then looked to Fluttershy who glared betrayed eyes at her.
Angel crossed his arms and looked at Dash disapprovingly; She met with Drift and she didn't say anything? 'What the heck, Dash?' He wiggled his whiskers in annoyance. There were actually some days he even wondered whyShy was friends with this one. Though his eyes widened as Gilda tells that Tree Hugger also was involved. Now he was hopping mad; these two involved themselves in a business that was not their own, and they have the gall to try and force Shy into making the decision of going to see Drift or not? This was unacceptable.
'I never thought I'd say it... but I'd give anything to be able to speak Ponish right now so I can really tear into these two idiots,' He thought as he clenched his little fists, shaking in absolute frustration.
“You, too, Tree Hugger?” Now she was in a world of confusion. She looked at the two mares before her confusion turned to anger. She crossed her arms and frowned at them. “Okay, stop, please,” she asked Gilda and Gilda gladly retreated herself away from Rainbow Dash as Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger looked at Fluttershy like guilty puppies.
“Meeting Drift without telling me? Keeping something from me since High School? Having Gilda Involved? And my new friend keeping something from?” Fluttershy growled angrily and annoyed. She snapped, “What is going on here?!”
Both Tree Hugger and Rainbow Dash flinched at this outburst. One of them had to say something, but they were too frightened to speak.
“On second thought, no, I'll choose,” Fluttershy beamed her glare at Rainbow Dash, “Rainbow Dash, I want to know what you did.” Of the two, Rainbow Dash's case had her interest peaked. “What did you and Gilda do and what did you do today?”
Rainbow Dash shivered anxiously. She was used to getting in trouble, but in this case, it was a different scenario. She looked at Gilda who crossed her arms and gave her a frustrated glare, “I...” she looked back at Fluttershy and sighed in defeat, “I asked Gilda to join me because I wanted to teach Drift a lesson and get revenge for you. He hurt you, so I figured I'd might hurt him back with some help by my side.” She then looked to Gilda, “And if I told you why, you wouldn't tag along. Or maybe you wouldn't have cared and tagged along anyway. ”
That... was actually accurate. Gilda thought about that and it actually made sense. If she knew the reason, chances are she still would've joined anyway and not cared what the reasons were. Again, she wanted to join for fun. Looking back, she really was stupid back then. Gilda looked down in question and shrugged, “Okay, that's a fair point. I would've jumped in, anyway.” Tensions were calm, but the storm was still above them. “But using me like that was still not cool, Dashie.”
She nodded and felt pressure in her chest, “I know, I know. I'm so sorry, Gilda.”
“Don't apologize to me,” she pointed to Fluttershy, “apologize to her once you're done explaining”
Rainbow Dash looked at Fluttershy with guilt and shame all over her face. Guess it's all over now. She sighed, and explained, “It wasn't just today. I've seen Drift more than once. And I've been trying to get him to go find you and apologize to you.” She started to wallow up as Fluttershy's eyes started to widen. “I was just trying to help you. He knew what he did was wrong and he had to face it – face you. I wanted you and Drift to meet and hopefully work something out.” She took a few breaths and continued, “He's Scootaloo's dad, he needs to know.” A tear shed down from her eye, “I didn't even think of how you'd react.”
Fluttershy widened eyes contorted into a disappointed glare. She didn't say a word, and there was no need too. She felt betrayed. Her own best friend went behind her back and tried to force the one stallion that hurt her to apologize without consent from either of them. One one hoof, there was some good intentions to that: bring justice to her and finally get an apology. But on the other hoof, Rainbow Dash had no right getting in her family business. As much as she wanted to feel grateful for trying to help her, she just couldn't bring herself to say it. She was so angry with Rainbow Dash, she couldn't even think of what to say. Now she could only imagine what Tree Hugger was hiding.
“Tree Hugger?” Fluttershy asked in a stern tone with a cold glare.
As if Rainbow Dash didn't feel guilty enough, Tree Hugger was on the same level. She was trained to keep herself in check and keep her aura in balance, but in this state of situations, she was feeling cold and scared. She looked at Fluttershy's aura and saw it had changed from yellow to red. Fluttershy was not happy and... her daughter was involved in her situation! Tree Hugger tried to speak, but she choked up on her words. She didn't know if what she was hiding was far worse.
“Hey, dreadlocks?” Gilda grabbed her attention. “It's okay, don't tear yourself apart, just relax and tell her.”
Gilda was right. She needed to relax and tell the truth. Scootaloo was involved, but if Fluttershy heard her intentions, she'd probably get more slack than Rainbow. She took a long inhale and held it before slowly releasing, “Okay, when Scootaloo and I were in Ponyville to get groceries, we came across Drift and Scootaloo was talking to him.”
As if her fears were true, Fluttershy's anger came out in a sudden burst like a geyser, “You met him?! And you had my daughter talking to him?!” Fluttershy leaned over and nearly fell from her chair, but her rage-coated eyes were on Tree Hugger. She was thinking Tree Hugger openly told Drift and made an ultimate betrayal just like Rainbow Dash
Gilda, Rainbow Dash and Angel were stunned.
'Okay, now I see why Dreadlocks was hesitant. Whoops,' Gilda thought.
'This was a bad idea,' Dash's own thought added.
'Now you really bucked up, hippie,' Angel's thought concurred as they stood there speechless
Tree Hugger flinched in fear and waved her hooves and tried to reassure her, “Wait, it's not what you think. I didn't say anything. I was trying to keep her away. Scootaloo and Drift don't know. Honest!” She was scared out of her mind. She knew Fluttershy would get angry, but not this demonic. “My mistake was letting Scootaloo talk to him, I admit that. But it was a casual talk. I didn't say much, at all. Just small talk. I didn't say anything to Scootaloo, too. I was trying to keep you and Drift apart because the auras will collide and create a huge emotional storm.” She looked to Rainbow Dash and pointed to her, “That's when she showed up and tried to ruin everything.”
Rainbow Dash snarled and glared angry daggers at Tree Hugger. The nerve of this pony! “Me?! If you kept Scootaloo from knowing who her father is, she would still be having arguments with Fluttershy. You saw what happened out there!.”
Tree Hugger shook her head in denial, “If I told her, then everything would collapse and Fluttershy's life would be in more danger than it already is.”
Gilda looked at these mares annoyed and out of patience. Both of these mares have no business trying to set Fluttershy's life. And frankly, she's had enough. But the sudden red face of Fluttershy says it all right there.
“uh, girls?”
“Her life was already in danger when Drift knocked her up!”
“Girl?”
“And it's going to get even more dangerous if she sees Drift, again. You are so blind!”
No point in trying to stop them, so, Gilda leaned back on the couch and braced for impact. If she wasn't gonna stop them, well...
Angel tilted his head at Gilda and turned to look up at Fluttershy. His ears drooped and his irises shrank at the upcoming terror about to approach. One look at Shy's red face was all Angel needed to know exactly what Gilda was thinking, this wasn't going to be pretty. He stepped back and joined Gilda on the couch, bracing himself as he covered his eyes, not wanting to watch.
Then it happened. Like a volcano of molten rage, Fluttershy erupted, “Shut up!” Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger scrunched up like cats and immediately halted their argument. These two have bickered quite enough. Gilda and Angel said nothing as the onslaught commenced.
Fluttershy's face was light red. Her eyes beamed raw rage at her two cowering friends. Her breaths were heavy; almost as if a bull was snorting at them, “How dare you two,” She said in a fed-up tone. She huffed heavily out her muzzle. She was done with this crap. “My life is not something for you to make. My life is not something for you to fight over. My life... is none of your business!”
And right there was a stepping stone for Fluttershy: let it all out. Gilda couldn't be more proud. And, for a timid pony, it's always the quiet ones. Honestly, her anger is similar to her's now that she thinks about it. Then again, she is a protective mother.
Angel smiled proudly at his owner; finally, she's speaking out that it's her life, and that it's her choice on whether she goes to see that stallion or not. Seeing her tell these two off herself felt... relieving, in some way. It meant Shy's asserting herself in this situation and she's got this.
Tree Hugger and Rainbow Dash huddled back and endured the onslaught that is Fluttershy's rage.
“You two have no business trying to make decisions for me. If I wanted help, I'd ask for it. Instead, what do I get, heads flying over me trying to decide for me. Well, I got news for you two … I can make my own decisions!”
'You tell 'em, girl' Gilda thought, nodding in approval.
“Next time you pull stuff like this, talk to me first instead of going behind my back and making decisions without someone knowing!” Fluttershy lashed, her anger was coming to a close when she panted steamy, angry breaths out. Then she slowly started to calm down.
It was quiet for a moment and Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger uncurled their bodies and looked at Fluttershy with frightened, apologetic eyes. But those eyes were not gonna save them from what they did. Fluttershy's anger was set and stone and mere apologizes were not gonna cut it.
But Fluttershy had one more thing to say...
“As far as I'm concerned, Gilda has been the voice of reason here, and she used to be my bully!”
Gilda was thrown aback by that. She blinked a few times and processed that. Must've been another thing she forgot in high school, “Huh, completely forgot about that.” This picture really has got something wrong here, but she couldn't help but chuckle to herself at it.
Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger flinched, again, but straightened themselves up, still a bit shaken from that monstrous outburst. She's probably gonna need a lot of time to cool down after that.
“F-Fluttershy, we didn't mean--”
“No, Rainbow Dash, you and Tree Hugger have done enough,” Fluttershy snapped at her like a little filly. This was ironic in so many ways. “I don't want to hear any more of this and don't want you two to do any more of this. From now on, you two are going to answer to me if there's something that involves me or Scootaloo. Got it?” Fluttershy was going all commander mom on them, it almost made Gilda want to burst out laughing.
Tree hugger tried to intervene again, “B-But...”
“Got. It?”
“Y-Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am,” both mares said simultaneously. They don't want to go through another one of Fluttershy's rampages like this one. They now know she's outright angry with them that they refused to talk any further. Because if they spoke again, they'd most likely get in even more trouble.
Gilda sat up straight and crossed her arms, looking at Fluttershy with the same approving smile and nod, “you done, Fluttershy?”
Fluttershy lifted herself back and sat back on her chair, panted from that verbal warpath. She spoke in a calm, exhausted tone, “Yes. Dear sweet Celestia, I needed that out.” As if she wasn't going through enough pains as it is. First the orphanage, then planning to remodel the house and now this. She needs a break or something.
“Need anything to calm your nerves?”
Fluttershy nodded, rubbing her temples to prevent a headache from coming on, “Y-Yes, please. S-Some tea wouldn't hurt,” She pointed to her kitchen, “I have a full jug of peach tea in the fridge.” Tea was always a good way to calm her nerves. If it wasn't her animal friends calming her nerves, it was sure going to be some nice tea.
Gilda nodded and got up and walked away from the two silent mares to go get some tea for Fluttershy, “Gotta say, that was pretty awesome.” She was impressed with that breakdown. Maybe ponies and griffons aren't as different as she thought.
“Oh, thanks, I guess.”
Angel smiled proudly at his owner; finally, she's speaking out that it's her life, and that it's her choice on whether she goes to see that stallion or not. Seeing her tell these two off herself felt... relieving, in some way. It meant Shy's asserting herself in this situation and she's got this.
Gilda came back with a cup of peach tea and gave it to her. She sat back down between Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger. She can make her own decisions, so, wouldn't hurt to ask.
“So, have you decided?”
Fluttershy took a sip of her tea and tried to think of one. Her meltdown gave her a slight headache, but she still gave Gilda an answer, “I can't really decide right now. It's hard to choose.” She looked at the three in front of her and took some thoughts, “Well, then again, it's hard to decide when three options are given to me.”
All three of them looked at Fluttershy, confused.
“Well, one wants me to go see Drift. One wants me to stay away from Drift. And you want me to decide for myself, right?”
Gilda snickered and gladly answered, “Duh. It is your life, after all.”
Fluttershy perked up and smiled sweetly, saying in agreement, “Exactly. But I can't really decide. Three different opinions, it's hard to choose.”
“Are you wanting someone else's opinion?” Gilda asked.
“Would be nice,” Shy nodded, wanting someone else's opinion on this as she found herself in a little fork in the road in this decision.
Angel looked up at Shy before gently tugging the curl of her mane, catching her attention as she looked down at him. He squeaked gently at her, talking to her in a way that only he can. He squeaked out the words from his thoughts 'Fluttershy, as much as I wanna help in this situation, I know it's your choice alone, it always has been. But, if there's one thing, I want you to know, it's this....'
He whistled to one of the doorways which got the attention of a few of the smaller animals, such as Hummingway and his friends, Fuzzylegs, Mr. Otterton, and his family, Mr. Mousey with his wife and kid, Slithers the snake and Mina the kitty. They gave Fluttershy a smile as they peeked in, giving her their undying support and love. Angel stands before them as he squeaked to Shy with a loyal smile
'...No matter what you decide to do right now, me and the rest of the critters support you. And whatever you decide, we're with you until the end.'
It lifted Fluttershy's heart that her own animal friends were being supportive and loyal like this. They respect her choices and even if this was a big choice to make, their love and support lessened the pressure. "Thank you Angel Bunny... my little friends..." She brought the small animals into her arms for a hug which they happily accepted. She kissed Angel's head and smiled at him, "You're such a good bunny." She then wondered "But I don't really know who else would--”
Suddenly, the phone next to her began to ring, making her flinch and almost dropping her tea. It drew the other's attention, as well.
“Well now, I think you might have your answer.”
Fluttershy tilted her head in confusion before placing her tea down. She reached for the still ringing phone and answered, “H-Hello?”
“Hi, Fluttershy!” Fluttershy held the phone back from her ear as an excited, semi-flamboyant voice came bursting out of the phone. It was almost loud enough for Gilda and the other two to hear.
Gilda looked at Fluttershy confused and somewhat worried. Whoever that was on the phone, seemed more of a pain than these two sitting beside her.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, knowing full well who that is.
Angel pinched the bridge of his nose as his brows furrowed, realizing who exactly was calling. That one pegasus who brought a bunny lawn gnome here for him to befriend, which was short-lived.
Fluttershy sighed and really wanted to hang up the phone right now to save herself from suffering any more pain, but she had to reach out and answer. So, here goes nothing. She placed the phone on her ear, and greeted under her breath, “Hello, Zephyr Breeze. How are you doing?”
“Oh, just fantastic. I got a job at a local animal barbershop and things have been going so well,” Zephyr said, very enthused.
The other girls looked on in worry. Angel looked rather mortified, but Fluttershy was outright frightened, worried about the animals. But she reluctantly asked, “And, how are things going?” She feared for the worse, praying for a miracle for Zephyr and those little creatures.
“Well, it's going pretty well. Um, you know how you're always busy with animals at home and at the vets? Well, turns out, I have a knack for making great animal hair-styles. One day, I had a Dalmatian come in needing a simple haircut, the owner loved the bow I picked for her dog.”
This threw Fluttershy for a loop. She'd expect to hear a disaster, but this was new indeed. And Zephyr doesn't sound so narcissistic about it.
“Oh, that's good to hear. I'm very proud of you, little brother,” words she never thought she'd hear come out of her mouth.
'She has a brother?' Gilda thought. Learn something new every day.
Tree Hugger was beyond surprised. She saw four aura streams and Fluttershy's own aura. She was unaware of Fluttershy having a brother. She didn't see his aura stream. She squinted her eyes and took another look. She saw a space between the mother's and father's aura. Tree Hugger focused and saw... an aura thread. Tree Hugger raised her eyebrows and looked in utter shock. How could she miss this? She was so confused. She placed a hoof on her head and leaned back on the couch. 'How are auras that small?' She asked herself that.
“So, how are you? What has my older sister been up to, Fluttershy?” Zephyr asked, interested because it's been a while since they talked.
“Well, I've been decent. And...” an idea suddenly came to her, “I'm in a situation right now and I need a second opinion. I'm actually glad you called.”
“Oh? Really! Boy, do I have timing,” he chuckled to himself, “What'cha need, big sis?”
Fluttershy explained to Zephyr about the whole story of what's going on. How she's been raising her daughter and the situation she is currently in. Every detail from beginning to end. And it threw Zephyr in more loops and twisted his mind at what's been told to him.
“So, any thoughts?”
“W-Well, uh, for starters, I'm an uncle and you want to know if you should see your baby-daddy, again?”
Fluttershy blushed embarrassingly and nodded, “That's about it. Sorry for not telling you sooner. So, any thoughts, baby brother?”
“Honestly, I'd go with the griffon on this one.”
“Yes! Score two for me,” Gilda cheered.
Fluttershy looked at Gilda and chuckled before asking, “You think so?”
“Yes. It's your life, Fluttershy. You made some bad decisions. Believe me, I should know, because I made some bad ones myself,” he openly admitted to her, “And we all have to live with them. Besides, heh, you sure made a decision that gave you a neat gift. Well, a gift for the whole family, honestly.”
Fluttershy was speechless. Zephyr was right. She did have an amazing gift given to her. She did put her in an orphanage, but she never actually left. She wasn't there for Scootaloo physically, but she was there in spirit. But now, she has her back in her life and she couldn't be happier. So, it's time she returned the favor by making her happy.
“Thank you, Zephyr. That means a lot. You've been a big help.”
“Hey, don't mention it, big sis. I'm always here if you need me. And I'd like to see my niece, too.”
Fluttershy giggled softly, “Of course, Zephyr. You'll meet Scootaloo soon.”
“Can't wait. Well, I better get off here. I actually do have a date of my own to go, too. And it's... almost time! Oh man, I'm gonna be late. It was nice talking to you, big sis. But I have to go. Bye!'
The phone beeps and Fluttershy hangs up.
The three girls and the critters look to Fluttershy in wonder. Angel hopped over to her and climbed onto her back, reaching her shoulder. He saw a smile appearing on her face and he returned it with a confident and proud nod, making a determined face.
“So, have you made your decision?” Gilda asked, curiously.
Fluttershy gave them a confident smile and nodded, “Yes, I have.”
Tree Hugger, though still in trouble for what she did, gave more courage than Rainbow Dash gave at Fluttershy shocked and disbelief look. She spoke out, confused, recalling a certain moment, "I thought you said you didn't have any siblings?"
As much as she didn't want to talk to them right now, Fluttershy will give Tree Hugger that, only once, she may have goofed on that one. She looked at Tree Hugger slightly embarrassed and slightly chuckled innocently, "Okay, I may have been hiding more than just my ex-coltfirend."