//------------------------------// // Gilda x CMC // Story: 2G // by Bysen //------------------------------// You know, going to someone’s home town to visit works a lot better when they’re actually there and not off somewhere for three weeks. “Ponies love surprises she said. Show up unannounced she said…” Gilda mocked Gabby’s words as she flew down from the cloud house where she’d found the note on the door. Who leaves a note on their own door? Well it worked telling her where Rainbow Dash was… or at least where she wasn’t. She had to either cut her losses and leave or wait around in Ponyville hoping it was towards the end of those three weeks. The former means she’d wasted her time coming here. The latter means she’d risk running into Pinkie Pie or Fluttershy. Or one of those other… three? Four? However many other friends of Rainbow’s she’d met but didn’t remember. Gabby had also mentioned some kids, one of them was Rainbow Dash’s ‘sister’ but Gilda had no idea where to start looking and didn’t really want to either. Besides it being the new centerpiece of the town that last time she’d visited barely had a two story building, Gilda did know one of Rainbow’s other friends by name. Sorta. The Princess of Magic. Or... Friendship? There was a pretty big difference there in her mind but everygryth she’d asked seemed to think it was one of those. Twilight ssssomething starting with ‘S’. If any pony knew when Rainbow was getting back it’d probably be her. Gilda landed just in front of the castle-tree-rock-thing. Her brown rear fur matched the ground around the building that clashed with the grass covering everywhere else in the technicolor town. Taking a few steps up the steps, she bawled her yellow talons and knocked on the door that likewise matched colours. Roughly, at least. The purple of the walls was a close match to her feather tips and eyeliner on her otherwise white feathers on her upper body. Not that it was actual eyeliner but ponies always assumed it was make up and not just natural colouring. After a few seconds without an answer, she knocked again. Usually a second knock is harder and louder but Gilda had gone full bore with the first couple of rapps. Third and fourth knocks came before about a minute passed without an answer. Resigning to be obedient, she instead pressed the doorbell she’d been avoiding. “You’ve reached the Castle of the Twilight Sparkle: Princess of Friendship-” “Well that answers that at least.” Gilda muttered and rolled her eyes at the words. “Unfortunately, I or anyone else within the castle am unavailable at the moment. If it is between monday and friday in the hours of 7am and 5pm I am likely at the School of Friendship, seen to your right. If it is outside of those times then I may be out on royal business and may be some time. If it is between the hours of 10pm and 5am, please come back during daylight hours. Unless you’re Princess Luna. If this is an urgent matter, please hold down the button to contact me. Penalties for misusing this function outside of an urgent matter can be up to and including a fine of…” The sound drowned out with distance as Gilda had flown off after being pointed towards the adjacent building. Not that she was heading to it. She just couldn’t be faffed listening to a recorded message. It was between monday and friday in the hours of 7am and 5pm so she could find Twilight there but finding somepony to find somepony seemed like more hassle than it was worth. Plus is she remembered Granpa Gruff’s ramblings right, all of Rainbow Dash’s friends where teachers or something at that school. Which meant if she was going to look around Ponyville with the least chance of running into any of them, now was the time. Something something That school she’d heard about must’ve gotten out. As Gilda left the shop young ponies had flooded the streets. Oddly enough though, barely any of them gave her more than a glance. Unlike most of the adult ponies around here that would stare at her when they thought she wasn't looking. This worked to her advantage as if they ignored her, she’d ignore them. Taking a seat at one of the provided tables, Gilda opened her meal. Hay by itself was the blandest food she’d ever eaten but if she could say one thing that ponies and gryphons had in common it was turning basic food into a real meal. At least, she had it in common with them… and she knew there was a gryphon chef famous amonst ponies so… close enough. She unwrapped her food and prepared to take a peck. But before she could get to that “Beggin’ yer pardon. You wouldn’t happen ta be Gilda now wouldja?” a light twangy voice came from just to the side of Gilda. There was definitely some sort of accent to the voice but Gilda couldn’t place any pony’s accent for the life of her. Turning her head, Gilda saw the little pony that had asked her if she was herself. While the description Gabby had given her was just ‘A young earthbound, pegasus and unicorn’, they were the only three young ponies in this town that would know her. Well, Gabby’s description was probably more… descript, but that was all that Gilda remembered of it at the least. “Yeah. You’re those ‘Cutie Mark Ca-somethings?” “Cutie Mark Crusaders!” Applebloom answered with pride. “I’m Applebloom, this is Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. We’re friends with Gabby and she told us all about you.” “And Rainbow Dash mentioned you a few times too.” Scootaloo followed. “And Rarity… Rarity…..” Sweetie Belle began and stumbled. “I got nothing. But it’s nice you meet you irregardless.” Unbeknownst to Gilda her thought of ‘That’s not a word’ was mirrored by Scootaloo. “Right. So… Apple Belle, Sweetie something and… I already forgot.” she said, motioning to them in the order introduced. “Uh… not quite.” Scootaloo replied. “I’m kidding Scootaloo.” Gilda replied in a deadpan tone as she finally took the first peck of her hayoli and hay speghetthay [I regret writing that]. Mouth still full “Gabby talked about you too. Excessantly.” “Well it’s nice ta finally meet you.” Applebloom extended a hoof to shake. A motion that had always confused Gilda a little since they didn’t have talons like gryphons used when they shook claws. She had seen them ‘bro hoof’ as those two Beavis and Flankhead colts from flight school had called it. Probably not the only ‘bro hoofing’ those two did. Though, they probably thought something similar about her and Rainbow Dash. Gilda put her claw out and with and open palm high-foured the hoof. A move she knew always through ponies for a loop the first time she did it. “Uh-huh… you too Apple Belle.” she said with a slight smirk before swallowing her mouth full. “No she’s Applebloom. I’m Sweetie B-wait… I thought you said you were kidding and knew our names!?” the filly squealed. Gilda just groaned and turned back to her meal. Kids where a headache. Pony kids where even worse. And that she was at the age she was expected to have some? No. “Well… it’s been great. Really…” taking another peck at her meal. “But I only came here to see Rainbow and she’s not here…“ swallow. “So neither am I after I finish this.” and ate another beakfull. While mostly true, Gilda knew exactly what would happen next. At least, if Gabby was right about Scootaloo being Rainbow Dash’s ‘sister’. Two days. That’s the longest she’d wait for Rainbow or she’d head back to Gryphonstone. “Understandable.” replied Scootaloo and began to walk away. The End. “Now hold on Scootaloo.” Applebloom reached out and grabbed her friend by the tail, pulling her back into the conversation. “Doesn’t Rainbow Dash finish her tour some tahm this week?” “Oh, right. Yeah, the Wonderbolt’s tour ends in three days.” ‘Ugh… fine. I’ll wait THREE days.’ Gilda thought to herself. It wasn’t much of a stretch from two days after all. “But she probably won’t be back for four.” ‘Why does the universe keep doing this to me? Fine. FOUR days…’ “Gotta fly all the way back from her last stop in Guta River.” ‘Screw you universe!’ Gilda thought to herself as her outward expression reflected her silent anger. Guta River was not only in the Gryphon Kingdom but pretty close to Gryphonstone on top of that. She’d flown all the way here when she could've just went like three hours north. That whole two days limit wasn’t arbitrary after all, it was how long it would take to fly back home from here. “Right… that Wonderbolt tour. Was thinking of going. Then I didn’t.” Gilda said, just pushing the scowl from here face beforeclaw. “Doubt I would’ve seen her in the crowd anyw-wait. Oh I swear to the Idol of Boreas if she’s gone to Gryphonstone to see me at the same time I came to Ponyville to see her…” Scootaloo noticed something. Something that she had had the honour of telling Rainbow Dash’s parents… and then remembering how well that had turned out. And knowing how tenuous Dash’s relationship with Gilda was, probably shouldn't be offhoofedly mentioned. “Of course you would’ve seen her from the crowd. Why else would you go to a Wonderbolts show unless you wanted to see her up there with the other Wonderbolts?” much like Sweetie Belle just did. “I’m sorry, I must’ve misheard you… did you just say Rainbow Dash is a Wonberbolt!?” Gilda practically screamed! “Um… yes?” Sweetie Belle answered, cringing away from the towering gryphon. “Huh… never thought she’d actually do it.” Gilda said with an odd combination of mostly surprise mixed with a small amount of both jealousy and pride. Although there was a touch of anger in there too. They hadn’t seen each other in X years. Hell, she’d seen Twilight Sporkle more recently than Rainbow Dash. Even if they had been on bad terms with each other, surely she would’ve mentioned she was in the Wonderbolts if she had been at the time. She better not have been. “Heeyy....” Scootaloo interjected. “You’re not upset that say, someone other than Rainbow Dash was the one to tell you. Right?” Rainbow Dash had been cool and Fluttershy had been an extreme case but she’d forgotten that ponies can get upset over the littlest things. “What? Who would be upset about that?” Gilda replied, breaking away from her thoughts on when Rainbow had become a Wonderbolt. There was something so foreign to Gilda about caring so much about others. Sure, she cared, just not to the same extent where every little thing had to be treaded on like a full nest. Yet that about them, though she didn’t like to admit it, had helped Gilda out more times than she could count. And that she’d grown up around ponies had rubbed off on her more than she consciously knew. She didn’t really like gryphons either. Although, as far as she could tell, neither did any of the other gryphons and she could just be over thinking that. Not to mention putting it that way, she didn’t really dislike ponies anymore than she disliked gryphons. “Really? How could you not think she’d become a Wonderbolt?!” Scootaloo chimed in. “You were there when she did a sonic rainboom right?” “It’s a figure of speech kid.” Gilda deadpanned. “Right… I knew that.” “Sure you did…” Gilda mused, thinking about how this young pony kinda reminded her of Rainbow Dash she’d known as a kid. “Hey, you know Rainbow Dash right? She’s like, your ‘sister’ or something. Does she still keep that spare key under her door mat?” “Door mat? No, it’s in her mailbo-oops…” definitely reminded her of Rainbow Dash. It almost made Gilda worry about the students Rainbow was teaching. “Well then…” Gilda began before finishing the last of her lunch. “I’m going to be staying there for the next few days. Think she’ll mind? Don’t answer that, don’t care.” “Can gryphons even stay in cloud houses?” Applebloom asked. “Yeah. I thought you had a gryphon at that school of yours. What is Rainbow even teach you anyway?” and then the idea that Rainbow Dash was a teacher hit her. Those poor, poor students. “We don’t go the School of Friendship.” all three of them said in unison but each with a different inflection. Scootaloo dejected, Sweetie Bloom gleefully and yellow one matter-of-factly. All followed by “Jynx, you owe me a soda.” Applebloom took the lead with “Ugh… well as ah were saying, we don’t go ta the Twilight’s school. But we do know all the students that do. And you must be talkin’ ‘bout Gallus.” “Did he fall through the clouds that time when Cozy Glow did the thing with magic?” asked Sweetie Belle. “No, he was one of the one who caught all the others” Scootaloo answered. “And so did Rainbow Dash. I still think we should be in that school instead of just tutors. I could’ve helped save them too!” Sweetie Belle, seemingly more oblivious than usual spoke up with “No you wouldn’t have.” “Ugh!... I so would’ve. I mean, I can glide fine once I caught one of them!” “What? No, I meant because we’d be in a lower year than them. Not because of…” “Wait… you can’t fly?” Gilda said, almost shocked. “She said it, not me.” Sweetie Belle quickly said, trying to direct this off of herself. “I’ve seen new hatcheds that can fly. How did Rainbow Dash take you as a ‘sister’?” “Guess, she’s just a better pony than you. Hmmph… I can see why she doesn’t talk about you much.” Scootaloo turned and left. “Let’s go girl. We have a tutoring appointment with Candied Mexican.” The other two turned to follow. Sweetie Belle took a moment to look back and say "Well uhh, it was nice meeting you. Goodb-... bye.” Well… she couldn’t say she didn’t deserve that. Of course Gilda couldn’t help but feel a bit mad too. She hadn’t meant to say it as an insult, it just kinda came out that way. She’d been genuinely curious about a pegasus who wouldn’t fly, yet alone being taken under the wing of a great flier like Rainbow. Gilda and some other ponies had joked about Fluttershy not being able to fly but really she just wasn’t good at it was all. And speaking of Fluttershy, there she was over there… leaving!