Gilda took a deep breath before knocking on the door. It swung open instantly, revealing an annoyed Spike.
"You're late. I've been standing here waiting for like five minutes."
"Five whole minutes? Poor you! I had to fly for twelve to make sure nopony saw me come here, but I'm sure standing around doing nothing is just SO exhausting." Gilda replied in a sarcastic, condescending tone.
Spike simply huffed and waddled off, unphased by the comment. "Twilight is upstairs."
" 'kay, thanks." Gilda replied offhandedly. She hovered up the stairs and found Twilight in her room, reading through some random scrolls. "Uhh... hey?"
Twilight's head whipped up in surprise, obviously having been entranced in her reading. "Oh, sorry. I was just looking over some of my old reports to the princess."
"You actually have notes?"
"Well, yeah. How else would I keep tabs on everything I'm learning on friendship?"
"It took me this long to realize how...silly studying friendship seemed until just now."
"Don't get funny with me about my job." Twilight said warningly. Gilda held up her talons defensively.
"Okay, sorry. I didn't mean to insult your hobbi-"
"Job."
"Right. Job. Sorry."
"Okay so step one is probably gonna have to be figuring out if you and Rainbow can even still be friends. That's actually kinda obvious." Twilight said, glancing through some notes. She started sifting through scroll after scroll of notes on friendship. Mostly little things she'd scribbled on compatibility.
"What do you mean?"
"You and Dash are a lot alike, aside from one major detail."
"What's that?"
"Your attitude is appalling in comparison to hers. She's really quite nice to other ponies. She draws a line with rudeness, and even though she isn't good at it, she does know how to use subtlety. I have other points I could make, but I think I've already insulted you enough."
"Are you using this as an excuse to trash on someone you hate?"
"Oh, I don't hate you Gilda. I just don't have much love for you either. After all, you haven't given me much reason to." Gilda's eyes dropped to the floor.
"I guess not."
"And as to whether or not I'm using this situation to trash on you? No I am not. I'm just pointing out the difference between you and Dash that seems to have been behind your falling out. She was obviously offended by the way you treated her friends, and was not happy to see that you weren't willing to accept that she had friends who weren't that 'cool'."
"I get it."
"I'm not sure you do. Take me for example." Gilda quirked an eyebrow. "I'm an obvious 'egghead' right? I live in a library, I've read every book in it multiple times each, I study friendship and send my findings to the princess on a constant basis... I might as well wear a sign that says I'm a massive egghead." She paused a moment to consider her own point. She shrugged and carried on. "Can you see ME as a possible friend for you?"
"Uh... Sure?"
"Honestly?" Twilight asked, obviously unamused.
"Well... no. I can't." Gilda answered after a moment.
"That's gonna be a huge stopper in your friendship with Rainbow. She IS the Element of Loyalty after all. If you can't get along with her friends then she probably can't get along with you, and she's not likely to drop four amazing friendships and...erm...Fluttershy... for you." She finished awkwardly.
"Yeah, probably not."
"Okay, this'll probably go on for a while so I'll send Spike to fetch us something to eat."
"Okay..." Gilda said hesitantly.
Twenty minutes later, they were sitting in Twilight's kitchen, quietly enjoying some hay fries. Well, Twilight was. Gilda was sitting, bored with the odd food that ponies eat. It wasn't worth the widespread panic to explain to Twilight that, as a griffin, she ate meat.
Nonetheless she attempted to enjoy the fries, which in reality weren't that bad. They had enough seasoning on them to make them bearable, and luckily Gilda could digest them. She wouldn't have attended Cloudsdale schools if the food they served wasn't edible. She still preferred the taste of meat. Especially well cooked meat... Fresh off the grill, still leaking out some juices...
Gilda coughed at the thought as she chewed on another hay fry.
"Oh, right. Griffins normally eat meat, don't they?"
"Well, er... yeah, but I'm fine with this, really."
"Okay... if you say so."
"So what are we gonna do about this 'difference between me and Rainbow' thing?"
"Well, we could try to see if you really can't get along with her friends, and if that takes too much effort, then we know it's a lost cause."
"Lost cause? How?"
"We are NOT going to change everything about you for the sake of a dead friendship." Twilight deadpanned.
"Oh... that makes sense." Gilda said, her hope for rekindling her closest friendship beginning to fade.
"Hey." Twilight said gently. Gilda looked at her cautiously. "Looks like you're off to a good start as it is." Gilda quirked a brow again. "Well, we seem to get along. I don't have any complaints."
"Meh." Gilda said offhandedly. "So... what's the plan, then?"
"First off, I'm helping you make friends with my other friends for the sake of helping you with Rainbow. This isn't entirely about you making up with Rainbow. Second, the plan is simple really. You'll just have to make up with Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie before there's any chance that Rainbow will forgive you."
"You really thin-"
"Pretty darn sure."
"Okay, who first?"
"This one will be easy. Pinkie Pie."
"Oh crud."
"Oh hi Gilda! Oh, are you in town to apologize to Rainbow?"
"Er- yeah..."
"So why are you talking to m- OH! You want to make up for being mad at me, right? Well, don't worry! I forgave you a long time ago. Although, it wasn't to your face so I guess I should say it now." She walked up to Gilda, closed her eyes, and said in a formal tone, "I forgive you." Then she broke back into a ridiculous grin. "Feel better?"
"Uh... yeah. A bit."
"Great!" And with that the pink mare turned and trotted off happily. Gilda was left staring in complete confusion.
"When I said she'd be easy, I thought you would at least need the coaching I gave you." Twilight murmured as she walked over and watched Pinkie go.
"I did, too..." Gilda suddenly shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Who's next?"
"Uhm... Well you didn't really do anything to Applejack, and if she believes you when you say you're sorry then you should be good."
"Okay. What do I need to know about Applejack?"
"You're asking me like this is some kind of covert ops mission." Twilight muttered. She started walking towards the edge of town and Gilda followed suit. "Okay, she's the Element of Honesty, so she never lies and she's really good at spotting a liar, so don't even think about trying it. She's a hard working pony and I bet, if she won't listen, then some kind of assistance with labor will get her attention. I think you'll figure out the rest."
"You call this coaching?"
"Hmm?"
"I was on the Stormball team for Celestia's sake. The coach back then would yell and holler, an-"
"Do you really think that would help in a social environment?"
"I don't really care what would help in a social environment..."
The walk to the orchard was silent and without interruption for the two unlikely acquaintances. They arrived and found Big Macintosh tending to a damaged section of fence near the gate.
"Hi, Big Mac." Twilight said politely. He looked up from his work and smiled warmly at the pair in front of him.
"Well, howdy Miss Twilight, and who is this ya've brought with ya?" Twilight nudged Gilda in the ribs with an elbow.
"Ow! Er- I'm Gilda."
"Pleased ta meet ya Miss Gilda. I'd shake yer hand, but my hooves are a bit full." He replied, showing the hammer in one hoof.
"That's okay, Big Mac, we were just here to see Applejack. Where can we find her?" Twilight asked.
"She's out buckin' apples. Ah think ya might find her in the East field."
"Thanks, Big Mac." Twilight said. She led the way to the East Field through a series of twisting paths. Gilda followed her, only a few steps behind.
Eventually, they started hearing a constant thudding sound and from there they just followed their ears. After a few minutes they arrived in a clearing, to Applejack's surprise.
"Well howdy, Twili- Gilda? What in the hay are you doin' here?"
"Well, I was here to-"
"Ya know what? I don' much care. You ain't plannin' on screamin' at Pinkie Pie or verbally assaultin' Fluttershy again, are ya?"
"No." Gilda said, taken aback by Applejack's obvious displeasure. She'd never done anything to Applejack, had she?
"Oh... I forgot to mention that she was about as mad at you as Rainbow was..." Twilight muttered while Applejack moved on to buck another tree.
"That would've been nice to know." Gilda muttered back. Applejack examined the tree she'd just bucked for additional apples. Satisfied that she'd gotten them all in one buck, she turned back to Gilda, having not noticed their little tangent.
"Good. So, why're you talkin' ta me?"
"I wanted to apologize to you for what I did last time I was here."
"Ya do, do ya? Well good for you. Why are ya talkin' ta me about it?"
"Erm-" Gilda glanced over at Twilight, who simply shrugged.
"An' Twilight. Are you helpin' Gilda with this?" Applejack wasn't accusing, merely curious.
"Well... yes."
"Why?" Again, merely curious.
"It's a broken friendship, Applejack. I firmly believe it has a chance if at least one pony er- griffin has the will to fix it." Applejack eyed her for a moment, then simply sighed.
"Alright. Ah fergive ya, Gilda. Ah ain't quite sure what fer, but Ah fergive ya." She bucked another tree.
"Jeeze, I'd figured it'd be harder than this." Gilda noted as they left the orchard.
"Me too..." Twilight seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. "At this rate, Rarity should be pretty easy as well, but Fluttershy might not be. I don't know how she felt about you treating her the way you did, then Pinkie throwing you a party."
"Erm- I guess that wouldn't feel like the best thing would it?"
"Not really..."
Gilda was quiet for a moment before speaking up again. "Did you mean what you said earlier? Do you really think this could work out?"
"Of course, everything has a chance to happen, and anything is possible. I've seen all kinds of things happen that nopony would believe was possible until it had happened. I mean, Discord made clouds out of cotton candy that rained chocolate milk. How could you and Rainbow rekindling your friendship not work? Besides, I'm beginning to think there is something different about you." She looked over at Gilda who looked back at her. For a moment, the two locked eyes, both with a seemingly surprised, wide-eyed look on their faces.
After a moment of this oddity, Twilight suddenly jerked out of those amber eyes and back into reality. She coughed as she turned away. "Moving on."
Gilda, for her part, readjusted her forehead feathers the way she did when trying to maintain 'coolness'.
"Right."