//------------------------------// // Your Closest Bonds (Gilda's Poem) // Story: The Big Book Of Small Stories // by LordOfTape //------------------------------// Your Closest Bonds (Gilda’s Poem) Stupid, stupid ponies! They don’t know the mistake they’ve made messing with me I’ll mess them up so bad, they won’t even be able to see straight Especially that stupid pink one ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ They humiliated me in front of a whole crowd They humiliated me in front of Dash Stupid, stupid ponies They’re all so, so lame! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I can’t believe I ever thought Dash would make a good friend Everyone knows ponies are so soft and lame I guess I thought Rainbow was different I guess I had been wrong all along ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I spotted a small clearing the vast stretch of trees that revolved around the clustered forest There was a lake or pond clearly visible through the gap in the trees Lakes were supposed to be calming, right? Well, my wings needed a rest anyways ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I landed with a slight squish on the cool, mossy ground My sharp talons easily dug into the soft covering, slicing the delicate roots from below Each step was the same, squishy yet leaving a trail of small cuts behind me I gazed out towards the lake ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was a normal lake, nothing special, placid and blue like any other I removed my eyes from the tree line and gazed down upon my reflection in the body of water My face was a mess, covered in party gags and some cake But that didn’t bother me, no, the reflection itself wasn’t an issue ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I was angry, my entire body was tensed up with unending fury But that fury wasn’t directed at the ponies It was directed at myself I was infuriated, angry, frustrated with myself ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There was only one other time I truly felt like this It was such a long time ago, almost lost beneath the newer, fonder memories Back when I first started flight school life more than I could handle Until good ol’ Dash showed up and snapped me outta my rut ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I was an alright kid, never wanted to make trouble, always did my best to learn new flying techniques Other students weren’t so keen on following the rules like I did though They made fun of me for practicing and studying, always taunting me or even beating me up Every day was awful, I couldn’t avoid the onslaught of bullying ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One day is tricks and techniques class, I tried doing one of the more complicated tricks It didn’t end well, my wings tied up and I fell to the ground The other students didn’t even bother trying to catch me, But Rainbow Dash zoomed in and caught me before I hit the ground and broke my wings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From there, I did my best to keep Dash around She was the only real friend I made at that dumb school We hung out every day after class, flying or chilling on a cloud She showed me that there really were some ponies out there worth hanging onto ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When I told her about all of the bullying, she showed me how to pull pranks We spent the rest of our years there pranking the other ponies and griffins There was laughter and contentment, but underneath it all, I grew cold and resentful I was truly happy to get back at those stupid bullies for what they did to me ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In my life, it was be tough or get crushed Dash helped me grow tough, but I over did it She was fine with it then, because she didn’t like the other students either, but now Now it’s different, we aren’t in flight school anymore ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I sighed at the thought of having lost the only true friend I ever made The wind from my beak blew into the water causing ripples to shoot out from the center My reflection became distorted and I turned away The ripples in the water made more sense than my reflection did, but they changed, I didn’t ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Excuse me beast of lion and bird, is it you that I just heard?” called out a voice from the forest “Who’s there? Don’t make me come after you” I threatened A zebra walked out from behind the cover of the darkened wood She was wearing some gold bands and carried a sack upon her back, and didn’t seem like trouble ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Violence is not what I seek, for I choose to be quite meek” “Why are you here? Isn’t this place, I dunno, dangerous or something?” The zebra laughed at my response, and pointed to her pack with her hoof “Here I have my pack of goods, to bring back to my house in the woods” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Well I still don’t get what you’re up to” I retorted, trying to stay intimidating “As I said, you could be heard, your voice is loud, with every word” Her rhyming was getting on my nerves really quick, then again I was already mad “I didn’t say anything” I spat back angrily ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “This is true, they weren’t said, but rather thought, inside your head” I looked at the black and white horse blankly Could she really have been reading my mind? “What’re you talking about you creep?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “I am no creep as you say, just observant, are you ok?” she asked, letting on that she could read my face “It’s none of your business, I’m fine” I scowled I tried walking away, but the zebra wouldn’t stop following me “Beat it, I don’t need some tagalong loser zebra!” I screamed at her ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Foolish here, you should not be, all alone in the forest Everfree” she warned “I’ll be fine, it’s just a bunch of tr –” a loud roar from behind cut me off “What was that?”I whimpered, although I tried my best to keep my composure She noticed and trotted up quickly “T’was a beast quite large in size, let us go to my hut and stay inside” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hearing the enormous monster had been enough to keep even a bold natured griffin like me out Her hut wasn’t too far, and the walk was hastened by our imperative pace When we got inside the wooden abode, I let out a sigh of relief I noticed she had been looking at me, and realized that she had seen me scared ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “You tell anyone about this and I swear” I threatened again, shaking my fist in the air for emphasis The forest dweller laughed again “Not in the slightest, do I believe a kind griffin like you, would hurt me” Her words took me by surprise, as no one besides Dash had ever called me nice “What makes you think I’m nice, crone?” I replied, trying to continue with my insults ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “However tough and mean you act, your soul will reflect your true self back” she smiled This random zebra was the first being to ever see past my tough façade Her smile was heartfelt and real, it almost made my emotional walls of steel snap Could this random stranger really care about a jerk like me? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “I’m not nice,” I continued on to see what she would say “I’m a jerk” “Perhaps that is what your mouth says, but it is not what your mind portrays” “Inside you feel you feel you have done wrong, and do believe a piece of you is gone” The rhythmic words pierced through my remaining barriers, I couldn’t hold back any more ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Shut up! Shut up! I’m not that weak little girl anymore, I won’t have you make fun of me like this!” “It’s not my fault Rainbow Dash grew soft and lame with her dumb pony friends!” “I’m still tough, I can still stick up for myself! I only need to care about me, just me!” My breath was heavy and panting, shoulders tensed as I stood on my hind legs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The zebra did not react, she remained purely calm and relaxed She waited patiently for my rage to subside, and then began to speak, softly but with intent “As a child you were scorned, and because of such, a friendship was born” “From that friendship, your one became two, and as you got older, your friendship also grew” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Those who once adored you would do so again, if you were the one they once called friend” “But bitter as your soul has grown, you still have hope to find a home” “Too long have you believed her reason was all because of petty teasing” “For the truest of friends will stick together, in hail or rain or any kind of weather” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ She concluded her small speech with a bright smile and light chuckle My body relaxed and I began to understand what this zebra meant At least, I thought I captured the message of her rhyming I finally dropped my malicious facemask and grinned a truly happy grin for the first time in ages ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ With a deep sigh, I mustered up the will to thank her for her kind words and caring attitude She pointed me in the direction of Ponyville and told me I would be able to leave the forest easily I had to go and find Dash, if for nothing more than to apologize I wasn’t sure if she’d even see me, but Zecora the zebra, as she was called, assured me that she would ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I opened the door and spread my wings, ready to lift off to the skies above the green labyrinth I looked back at Zecora, waving and smiling; I had made a new friend today Lifting off, I was trying to think of what to say to Dash when I heard her call up to me from below “If you’re wry and you lie, then your friendship will die!” she yelled ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “But if you’re true in what you speak, your closest bonds you are sure to keep!”