"I had explained myself as fully as I could. 'I… I was just worried that I was going to lose you. And because I acted like an idiot, I totally did. I understand if you don’t forgive me. You don’t have to. I was a total jerkwad.'
She just shook her multicolored mane. 'We’ve been friends since we were what, six? This might have been a bump, but this won’t break that friendship. Just one catch before I can really forgive everything, though…'
'What?' I asked desperately. 'I’ll do anything. You were pretty much my only friend, Dash. I’ll do what it takes to prove I’m worth it again.'
Dash’s face was kind, but it grew a little more serious. 'You scared Fluttershy. She still doesn’t like you at all, and we hang out all the time. I can’t have two friends that are enemies. We can still hang whenever I visit, but there’s no way you’re going to be able to hang here unless you fix that.'
'I can’t just go back home. It’s like a day and a half away! How do I fix it this late? It’s after ten already.' I was pretty desperate.
She had to think for a moment. 'You can stay here tonight I guess, and I’m not planning on hanging out with her until next Saturday, so… I guess you can stay until then. Think you can fix things with her by then?'
I swallowed hard. 'I… I’ll try.' I had one week to see if I could keep my best friend. This stunk.
'Come on, Gil. You’re the biggest, toughest girl I know, and I know Applejack. You can do this.'
That was last night. It took everything that I had to open up to Dash like that. My best, and oldest friend. If I hadn’t done it that night I don’t think I could have even done it. How would I get that little dweeb- I mean- Fluttershy, who’s not even close to my regular kind of friend, to like me?
It was early when I woke up the next day. Most of Ponyville would still be asleep. They were normal enough for that at least. Though I did learn from Dash that one pony always woke up just before the sunrise to feed the last of the nocturnal animals before they go to sleep. No one would see me. I flew high in the air to avoid anypony walking on the ground, and landed a little ways from her house.
Sure enough, I saw her walking around. ‘Hey, Shy girl.’
She turned to look at me, and dropped the bucket she was holding. Her eyes shrank, and she was inside her house in half a second. It was about the greeting I was expecting.
I rolled my eyes, and walked up to the door, and knocked. ‘Can we talk?’
There was no response.
I knocked again after about a minute of silence. ‘I know you’re there. I saw you go in. I swear a just want to talk.’
She said something that time, but it was WAY too quiet for me to hear.
‘Uh, can you speak up?’ I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but she was just such a cry baby sometimes.
The voice was a little louder. ‘Please go away.’ I barely made it out.
‘C’mon. I just want to talk with you.’ I knew that I could probably break down the door, but that wouldn’t help things.
I heard the sounds of steps going away from the door.
‘Darnit. Fine! I’ll apologize some OTHER time.’ And with that I flew away.” she said staring at the ceiling.
“I don’t really know why I’m telling you, Tank, but it just feels better sharing it. I’ll try again tomorrow.”
As a tortoise I did not respond, but I did blink slowly, and I am an excellent listener. No one knew the plans that I had implemented, and none would until it was too late, but that is an entirely different story. This story is about the gryphon. She spent much of the day at my owners abode thinking of plans of attack on the matter, and complaining about how difficult it was to talk to cowards. My former protector was not always good with confrontation, but she wasn’t a coward when it truly counted. I did not at that time hold the linguistic skills to tell her such. Let’s get on with her story. She spoke with me again the next day after returning a bit later, and in a better temperament.