Speak Up Please

by Living Madness


It will not come cheap

“Okay class, make sure to discuss your own views on the sources given, also remember what we talked about in the previous seminars; think about the context in which these sources were written. For instance, what is the pony or griffons occupation, are they Lay pony or a member of the nobility? What audience was intended to read this, is there any commonality between the sources and especially take into consideration their own motivations for writing this source.” Dixon spoke aloud, addressing the entire class as he walked to the first and nearest group of students, with their marked papers in his hand.

Gilda leaned back in her chair, looking disinterestedly at her work-sheet, before tossing it back onto the desk. She turned to the diffident yellow Pegasus by her side, who had not looked up from her lap for several minutes now. Playing with her thumbs, the mare fought to keep her wings in check even as they twitched in agitation.

Gilda shrugged to herself, now was as good a time as any she considered to herself. But where to begin? Well the first and easiest step she thought was an introduction.

“So… you got a name Pipsqueak?” Gilda asked, turning to her partner.

The shy mare’s body shook for a moment, like she had just heard the sounds of a speeding train, she stayed at attention in her seat for a few moments before turning to Gilda. Flicking her sapphire eyes, barred by stripes of her pink mane, she looked up to Gilda before returning her gaze to the floor.

F-ffluttershy” The mare mumbled just above a whisper, if it wasn’t for Gildas well-honed hearing she would have dismissed it as the murmurings of her other classmates around her.

Gilda cupped the side of her head with a hand, “Come again?”

M-my names F-ffluttershy.” The mare practically squeaked out, this time just loud enough that Gilda was at least sure it was from her partners’ mouth.

Gilda scrunched her eyes shut, mediating on her anger and breathing out the irritation cumulating in her chest.
This might be harder than she thought.

“Okay… maybe I should start, the names Gilda.” She announced, hoping that if she started the introduction she would have better results. Gilda held out a scally claw waiting for the mare to return it in kind.

However the mare seemed to be having trouble moving her hand up to Gilda’s, like heavy weights had been strapped to her wrist, every inch seemed to be a struggle. But after a few more moments and possibly spurred on by an irritated growl that was leaving Gilda’s beak, the mare finally brought her hand up towards Gilda’s, for a very brief handshake, before retracting it like a rubber band back to her sides.

Gilda let out a silent prayer for help. Maybe studying for countless thankless hours would actually be far easier than this. She shook the thoughts from her head. She wasn’t a quitter, she was fighter and she was going to get this mare to talk to her even if she had a very likely chance of pulling out her own feathers in the process.

She better not be one of those asshole racists Gilda thought. She had already encountered that in some of her other now more bruised and beaten fellow students. Then again, honestly she couldn’t convince herself that this mare was truly capable of being one; she was taking a griffon history module after all. But Gilda wasn’t above smacking a mare if she found out otherwise.

She sighed once more, she was getting away from her plan. She rattled her brain trying anything she could think of, anything about this mare that could give her the edge she needed. She looked down at the mares green sweater. She squinted as she noticed the wrists were dotted with hairs, it was small light brown and in some cases black, too small to be another pony’s and too many different colours to be pony fur either.

She scrunched her brow in thought, noticing the mare’s bag, it was covered in butterflies, Gilda rolled her eyes at how fillyish it looked. But couldn’t help but notice a pattern in the mare. It was when she noticed the mare’s notebook she found what she was looking for. The notebook cover was swarming with stickers of Cats, Dogs, Rabbits, even a Manticore sticker. Though they were a cartoon, fantasied version of their true forms, it was rather unlikely that this mare was an artist.
Gilda smirked.

“So…you like animals?” Gilda inquired letting the crooked smirk on her face reach up her cheeks as the mare seemed to come to life in front of her. Like some unseen puppet master had retaken control of her strings, the mare turned with a warm smile letting Gilda for the first time see the mare’s full features, previously hidden behind her wall of pink hair.

“Oh yes, I love animals, they’re so interesting and cute, I love everything about them from their cute fluffy snouts to their scally tails. Do you have any pets?” The mare asked in a sincere tone, her eyes alight with a torrent of enthusiasm that Gilda would never have thought the mare could possess.

“Yeah, I got me a pure breed Griffonian Orthrus(1) back home, he’s awesome.” Gilda stated proudly rubbing her claws against her chest like she was dusting them off, a little bit of nostalgia in the back of her mind turned her cocksure smirk into a pronounced smile as she remembered playing with her once little Ghost.

The mare squealed lightly into her hand, causing Gilda to retract a couple of inches, she wasn’t expecting the mare to be this enthusiastic about animals, but heck her plan was working, that’s all she cared about.

“Oh how adorable, I love Orthrus’s especially Griffonian breeds, they always looks so proud and strong. I wish I could take care of one, so I could pet it and take it for walks every day. How old is he, that is, if you don’t mind me asking?” The mare once again leaned forward towards Gilda.

“I don’t mind, so long as you give me your real name miss mumbles allot.” Gilda replied with another cocksure grin placing a scally claw over the side of her chair and relaxing her side against it.

“Oh I’m sorry, I’m not, well I’m not very good around new pony- eh I mean griffons, oh I’m so sorry how insensitive of me I-”

Gilda held up her claw huffing in irritation. “Just, your name?”

The mare retracted a bit “-Oh, um Fluttershy, my names Fluttershy.” She answered sheepishly.

Gilda resisted the urge to role her eyes, of course she would be called that. “Okay Fluttershy, finally, so you like animals a lot right?”

Fluttershy nodded her head enthusiastically, smiling innocent at Gilda. Okay it was time to get a little background on the mare, establish an open dialogue.

“So if you don’t mind me saying Fluttershy, why the heck are you taking history? Don’t you animal dwee- eh enthusiasts usually wanna’ go do something more, I don’t know, do something with more animals in it?”

Fluttershy smile dimmed somewhat. “Oh I do, I mean I am, I help my mom at her veterinarian practice back in Ponyville all the time. But this was the best Uni we could afford and it didn’t cater to veterinarian studys.” Fluttershy turned away briefly looking out the window in the direction she knew as home, she shook away the sombre feeling that gripped her, she was doing this for both of them. “My mom and I don’t have enough money to afford to get joint licences or the official lessons I have to take, plus it doesn’t really matter for now because it’s officially in her name anyway. She wanted me to go out and experience the world, so I came here.”

Gilda furrowed her brow she wasn’t getting the full story. “Wait so why didn’t you take like that dorky biology stuff instead do like a joint honours thing?”

“I did think about Science. But then when I went through the choices, I found out that third year history students got a chance go to Griffonia for the summer, all expenses paid. I know it seems a little selfish, but I was always sort of good at history as a filly and we both agreed it would be a once in a life time trip, I could go see and study all the interesting wild life and griffon medicines while I learn history, I’d never get another chance like this if I took any other course.”

Well that was a goofy reason Gilda thought. Griffonian wasn’t that hard to get to surely, it was simple enough for her. But then again as much as she hated it she was nobility after all and certain benefits and openings were always readily available to her. “Why don’t you just go on holiday instead then?”

“We’ll I, I can’t afford it, not for as long as I would need to study and we’ve had some problems for a while now. Mom thought it would be good for me to go to university, go meet new ponys she said do all the things she always wanted to do and this was the best of both worlds.” Fluttershy chose to leave out the part where her mother teased her about finding that special somepony. Though the blush on her face stayed none-the-less.

Gilda wanted to criticise, say that was dumb and a waste of good bits, but somewhere deep inside her she had to begrudgingly admit it was kind of sweet. A feeling that left a bitter taste in her beak. She was going to have to hit the gym after this, this little pony was already getting to gooey girly for her.

“So you took history? You can’t tell me you actually like this stuffy old egghead thing.”

“Well, I mean not the violent parts. But I do like seeing how Equestria and other countries were made. How friendship prospered throughout the land. It helps me understand that the worlds not all so big and scary. Plus there's so many different cultures to learn from, I think every little helps.”

Okay scratch that, Gilda was going to too need to punch something (or someone) now or she was in danger of vomiting up rainbows and sunshine.

Then again she couldn’t help appreciate the irony of it all. A mare who shut herself off from her fellow ponies and hid from the world, would also take comfort in exploring vast numbers of pony’s and cultures through writings of ancient races, it was strangely intriguing to the Griffoness.

Though something else bugged her about this mare. “Funny, you keep saying your mom, what about your old man?”

The mares hand grappled onto her tail that was on her lap gripping it tightly, before retreating back into her wall of pink mane.

“I’d rather not say… If that’s okay with you…”

That was all Gilda needed to know to realise she had hit some sort of raw nerve. She had to play it cool, this could screw up everything she had just earned.
“Ah never mind, I run my beak to much sometimes, let’s just focus on this sheet already.” Gilda quickly added when she got no response from the mare, it took a moment but she at last released her vice like grip from her long tail.

Okay that was close, but Gilda had what she wanted, a name and an open dialogue with the mare, now to move onto stage two.

“So Shy, I can call you that right, since were friends and all now?”

Fluttershy looked taken aback for a moment, looking a little panicked by the griffon’s declaration, but it quickly vanished forming into another soft and harmless smile as the mare nodded.

“So… what do you think of our teacher?”

Fluttershy took on the same shocked expression once more, this time for much longer, her face went a deep shade of crimson as she pondered the question, it only took a moment but to her it felt significantly longer as she edited out her deeper praise for the teacher.

“Oh you mean Mr Dixson? He’s a fantastic teacher, he’s always so thoughtful and caring and I like how he makes everything seem so interesting even when it’s not all that interesting like economics not that I mind economics but sometimes it can be a bit confusing, but his analogy’s make it much easier to remember and sometimes they’re really funny, plus his moustache makes me smile.” Fluttershy finishes her rambling before quickly realising the last part of her praise that had escaped her mouth. Retreating back into her mane once more, she stroked her tail as the blush threatened to take over her entire face as she had slipped out something more than a little platonic about her mentor.

Gilda almost cackled at the mare, this was just too easy she opened here beak to speak but a voice answered the mare that was not her own.
“Well I’m glad you hold me in such high regard Fluttershy I didn’t know I could galvanise you lot like that, that was really sweet of you to say.” The male voice called behind forcing both involved to turn up towards their teacher.

His impish smile and playfully inquisitive eyes stared down at the girls as he brought his hand to twizzle his flamboyant moustache. “You know I was thinking of shaving this silly thing off, I only grew so ponies could tell I was teacher and not a student, weird right? But it happens more than you think, but just for you I think I’ll keep it now.” He chuckled.

Fluttershy fell deftly silent, as Gilda had predicted, Gilda simply shrugged “Yeah it looks less dumb on you, than if some other pony had it, I guess.”

Dixson lifted his head back as he chuckled “Coming from you Gilda I’ll take it as a complement, but unfortunately for my own ego we’re are not hear to discuss me, are we?”

Gilda rolled her eyes simply shaking her head whilst Fluttershy gave a very sombre “No Mr Dixson” like a foal would to a pre-school teacher who had just caught her sneaking outside during nap time.

“Anyway, here you go ladies, Fluttershy your essay was fantastic as always, and I very much like your piece on the evolving lifestyles of Griffonian villages. However you could do with being a little more divorced with your feeling towards the sources. I know it’s important to interpret the sources but remember that the griffons lived in a different time to ours and thought differently than we do now.”

Yes Mr Dixson.” She whispered just barely audible.

Dixon frowned leaning down to be level with both Gilda and Fluttershy across the desk. “Hey cheer up, you still got one of the best scores in the class. I’m just letting you know how you can get that little bit further. Wouldn’t want to see you with anything other than a first degree honours now would we, it would be such a waste of your talent.”

Despite herself Fluttershy looked up at Dixon showing only one of her sombre eyes a flicker of happiness and understanding spoke behind the melancholy. It was all he needed to see, shuffling though the papers in his hand he turned to Gilda.

“Gilda you did pretty good as well, your writing is strong and you also have some good points, you defiantly have an knack for interpreting the writers motives and thoughts. But you need to read more than just the hand out sources I give you. You can’t just use secondary ones from other historians it’ll only get you so far.”
Gilda snatched the sheet away from his hand folding it haphazardly into her jacket without even looking at it “Yeah sure, whatever.”

Dixon sighed “Look I know you’re a bright griffon, I don’t know why you’re like this. But you don’t apply yourself enough. Why don’t you come down to my office this Friday, we can do a one on one, I can take you through some stuff, help you on the right track, who knows it could be fun, plus you can do a bit of practice on your class presentation I’ll give you some feedback, what do you say?”

Gilda again rolled her eyes “I’d rather give myself a swirly in the stallions’ toilets if that’s okay with you.”

Alex messaged his temples with his fingers sighing once again. “Okay Gilda if that’s what you want, but my offer still stands if you change your mind.”

“I won’t” She answered as Dixon turned from them to his other students.

Gilda huffed, the nerve of that jerk, first he insults her in front of the whole class then he comes up trying to butter her up with fake help, she knew he’d be out for her, it was another trap. But she was better than that, better than him.

“Huh, can you believe that…“ Gilda stopped as she turned back to her classmate who was at this point red in the face, this time it was not from blushing the mare was furious it almost scared Gilda, the look she was giving her with those eyes it was enough to make her blood run cold.

“I can’t believe you would treat Mr Dixon like that, he was only trying to help you and you dismissed him like he was nothing!”

Gilda was taken aback. “W-well what did you expect he insulted me in front of the class I ain’t gonna’ take that from him.”

“Well maybe he was trying to stop you from being a big bully and yelling that history was boring, you know how hurtful that would sound to dismiss something some pony teaches? He was being far more pleasant about it than you were!”

Gilda opened her beak but through sheer force of will clenched it shut, damn she was so close, she wanted to scream at this mare, thrower into a locker and slam it shut, but something about the mares stare kept her at bay.

“You’re just another sheep like the rest of them, you don’t understand.”

“I understand alright, I understand that you’re just a big mean bully!” Fluttershy declared loudly, huffing as she caught her breath. Some of the heat left her cheeks and she turned back to the class. Immediately her eyes bulged wide open as she looked around. The whole class was silent, staring with their mouths agape. She even swore she heard a pin drop in the distance.

“Is everything okay back there?” Dixon called back to Gilda and Fluttershy standing up straight he gave them a knowing look, his eyebrow raised and his previously adorned smirk replaced with a neutral almost calculated frown.

Fluttershy stuttered, what had just happened?

She had all but blacked out for a moment, she turned to Gilda, who was facing forward emotionless save for the scraping of her talons against the old wooden desk, each scrape taking layers of the aged oak with it.

“Everything’s Fine.” Gilda replied grinding her beak together, she wasn’t even looking at the teacher, her thoughts were far away it was all she could do to divorce herself from the terrible anger she had boiling inside her.

A moment paused as Dixon walked closer to the two “You sure?” he inquired.

“Did I stutter!?” Gilda replied turning her terrible predator like glare to Dixon. Most of the students immediately turned away not wanting to catch the griffons ire, if the rumours were true, sacrificing their curiosity and gossip was a gem worth trading if it meant not being on her bad side.

Another moment passed. The tension in the air was almost palpable, crushing all around it like an enormous bolder. Both teacher and student stared at one another, neither one showing any desire to back down.

Then as quickly as it came the moment passed, Dixon simply smiled. “Well okay then, but save some passion for the questions debate okay?” He turned away before turning back as if he had forgotten something. “Actually Gilda, do you mind joining this group at the front so we can make it even. Fluttershy you could move to Twilights table so you’re not alone back there.”

Gilda didn’t even flinch as she continued to stare at teacher for a few more moments before turning her eyes to Fluttershy. “Gladly…” She venomously whispered reaching for her belongings and marching past the teacher to the trembling group in front.

If looks could kill.


“And that was the first steps in cementing a united Griffon tribal front elected in a kurultai, or as I like to remember it birds of a feather flock together.” Dixon finished with an impish smile and a dramatic clap of his hands while the rest of the class groaned at the awful joke, he didn’t seem to mind.

“Okay class, that about wraps it up for today, make sure to keep working on that presentation and if you have a questions don’t hesitate to come to my office.”

Fluttershy’s anger had left her a long time ago, now she just felt unwell, she hated feeling like that, she didn’t even know what hit her. Not even Twilights friendly nature and well-meaning reassurances that she was in the right helped sooth her aching soul. The dismissive attitude of the griffon got deep under her skin, something about how she belittled him just made her blood boil. She wanted to scream at the griffon, call her all sorts of hurtful names she had only just managed to reel herself in enough to just putting her point across.

But now that the moment had passed and her emotions had time to lie still once more she felt ashamed of herself. Even if Gilda had been in the wrong, that was no way to act. She knew enough about the griffons’ reputation, everpony did, she was just being who she was. She wasn’t even that bad considering some of the other stories floating around. Even Fluttershy’s dear friend Rainbow Dash had a habit of being dismissive and ultimately rude at times. So why did it hit her so much harder now?
Well, she knew the answer to that particular question, but it didn’t make her feel any better. Her mother had raised her better than that she scolded to herself, Gilda was just trying to make a friend and Fluttershy just yelled at her over nothing, well almost nothing. Even if Gilda new the reason for Fluttershys rage it was not right, she had to make it up to Gilda somehow.

She owed her that much.

The class began to disperse, the vanguard being spearheaded by Gilda as she barged her way passed the other ponies and out the door without saying a word.
Fluttershy panicked as she watched this, she had to catch Gilda now. With haste she stuffed her notebook into her bag and without even thinking she flew over to the door, unaware that she was still currently in a conversation.

“So you want to come join me in the—wait Fluttershy! Where are you going?” The familiar voice of Twilight called out from the classroom as Fluttershy turned and raced around the corner.

“Sorry Twilight” Fluttershy whispered mostly to herself, another apology to be made, she mentally reminded herself as they began to stack up around her. But this was more important for her own inner element, she couldn’t let Gilda go without saying her peace.


One thing she had to give the disgruntled Griffon, she was fast, Fluttershy must have looked through the now empty campus at least three times to no avail.
Slumping down against her locker she conceded to defeat. Her soul bore heavy as she lamented over the recent memory and the hurtful words she had used against Gilda. She wished she didn’t have that dark beast inside her. It was hard to awaken but once out it was something beyond her control, she knew how others must have felt when they were on the receiving end of its terrible form. She knew what part of the family she inherited that gene from. A single anger very similar to that manifested itself in pony form many times back in the foal hood days, an anger that not even her mother could save her from. The remnants of that dark time lay inside a part of her she hatted most and hid from all.

Though it was not in her nature to hate, she was only equine and primal emotions were not something so easily swept under the rug.

She sighed, turning the combination of her locker she let it fall open. Once again staring at her tabby that had fallen asleep in the nest of cloth she had made for it. She carefully scooped it up into her arms and placed in gently into her bag, putting the books from before in the tabby’s place in her locker.

Staring into the locker her eyes focused on everything and nothing as she embraced the dejected mood that engulfed her body, making her feel almost too heavy to move. Sighing she finally closed the door of her locker and immediately shot back as a large brown figure replaced its previous spot.

“You know, I’ve broken ponies muzzles for less than what you said to me back in class.” Gilda growled, her tone and stare were enough to convince anypony that that was a fact, not a boast.

Fluttershy stared slack jawed at the griffon. Her body wanted to back away, run as fast as she could like she always did in situations like these. But her inner resolve, her need to do right by the griffon held her firm.

Forcing every syllable out she began to speak the apology that she had been rehearsing in her mind for hours now. “G-GGilda I’m really sorry for how I acted, I may have had a problem with how you talked to Mr Dixon, but that was no excuse to yell at you like that. I really am sorry and if it’s any consolation I want to make it up to you and I still want to be your friend.”

Gilda turned away shrugging her shoulders, she seemed nonchalant but Fluttershy knew that was an act. Years of dealing with Dash and her subtle tomcoltish mannerisms had taught her well, the griffon was hurt and terribly, terribly angry. "Huh- the griffon shrugged and turned away- some friend, if this is what I can expect from ponies, maybe I was right to fly solo!"

Fluttershy bit her lips whimpering softly, did Gilda have any friends at all? Was Fluttershy the only one she had reached out to? That must have been it, her reputation was well know and infamous enough that even Fluttershy had known about bits of it, she was strong, she was troublesome and she had a tendency to let her claws do the talking, ever story of hers held these themes but unspoken was the other theme that no pony mentioned when gossiping about her.

She was always alone.

The ache in Fluttershys chest became even more unbearable.

"Gilda please I didn't mean it, I just... I'm not usually like that I swear… I can’t help myself sometimes, please let me make it up to you."

The griffons head perked up, she turned looking over her shoulders an unamused glare iced over Fluttershy.

"Oh yeah what could you do for me?"She replyed bitterly.

Fluttershy ducked lower into herself at the griffons harsh tone. "Well, well I- I mean if you want I could help you with your work, Mr Dixson said you were having trouble with your essays. Maybe…Maybe I could come round and help you... that is if you would let me."

The griffon turned over fully leaning her shoulder against Fluttershy’s locker she still towered over the bashful little mare. "So let me get this straight. First you explode at me during class and then you say I'm too dumb to do my own presentation?

Fluttershy whimpered "Huh, no! That's not what I mean, oh I'm sorry I just want to help you please." She held her hands together bringing them up to her chest.
The griffon looked the mare up and down a few times before finally locking eyes with Fluttershy. Those amber pupils felt like they bore into her very soul "Well there is something you could do for me-”

"Anything!" Fluttershy interrupted, so caught in the moment she didn’t even realise how she was acting. Her own kind nature giving her the unintentional courage to talk to Gilda who had not a few hours ago scared her literally stiff.

The griffon fished through her black satchel snatching a few papers from it.

“These need to be in by Friday, but I got a big Hoofball game coming up and I can't do them in time if you could help me by finishing them then I can consider you and me even.”

And just like that the confidence left Fluttershy as she stared at the familiar papers of the class assignment. "G-Gilda I can't do that, we’re supposed to do this individually, it would be cheating.”

Gilda lifted her brow, "it’s not cheating if it’s just two friends helping each other in their time of need, way I see it it just proves you have my back… or do you still not want to be my friend?”

Fluttershy’s ears pinned back against her head. “I do! B-bbut Gilda we’re supposed to learn these things ourselves if I do this you don't learn anything and I don't think that would be a very good thing for a friend to do.”

Gilda smirked wrapping a claw around the mares shoulder.

"Course it would Shy and it proves you have my back. I'll forgive you for the nasty stuff you yelled at me... and since you got my back then I got yours, which means I can help you with your little problem."

Fluttershy felt her wings unfurl slightly she didn’t like the way the Gilda had phrased that last part "P-pproblem?"

"Your little crush…”

The yellow veterinarians looked like she had seen a ghost as all colour left her face, how did she know! Fluttershy yelled internally Who told her, wait… maybe she just thinks it’s one of the stallions she had hung out with, she considered. Everpony did always tease her for hanging out with that enormous red stallion known as Big Mac back in Ponyville, not that she could help it. The Apple family were her mother best customers, she practically had to be around Big Mac at least once a week, not that she minded, he was kind and gentle despite being a behemoth of pony kind. But it did little to stop the tide of gossip and playful jabs her friends threw her way.

“I-I don’t know who you mean…” Fluttershy lied looking away from Gilda showing all her tells, she was always a terrible liar.

Glida rolled her eyes. “You really going to make me say it?” she groaned circling around to Fluttershy’s front.

“I don’t have a crush with anypony.”

Gida smirked.

“I didn’t say it was a pony…”

Fluttershy wings were now at full attention as she backed away from Gilda, almost losing her footing in the process.

"How do you, I don't, did Rainbow Dash, oh how could she do this to me!" She yelled out not able to form her sentences properly, as she raced back over to Gilda, stopping just short of the griffon. Fluttershy placing her hands onto the griffons chest pleadingly. “Who told you?”

Gilda swiftly and somewhat roughly pushed her hands away from her chest holding them away from her as she looked into the air trying to work out who Fluttershy was just talking about. "Rainbow dash, Rainbow Dash? Is she the blue pony in Ms Spitfires class?"

"So she did tell you--

Gilda looked back down at Shy, snapping away from her trail of thoughts. "What? No! I just notice her sometimes shes actually pretty cut--cool shes pretty cool for a pony I mean!” Gilda laughed weakly, secretly glad the mare seemed to be too busy having a mental break down to notice that slip up.

“She didn't tell me nothing, I just figured it out on my own, you really aren’t that hard to read little filly."

Fluttershy eyes the floor bringing her long pink tail into her hands and stroking it in thought "You couldn't possibly--"

"You stared at him straight for three quaters of an hour, you smile when he does, you get all flustered when he talked, you blush when he complemented your work. Heck you practically had a fit when I told you I knew and what's more your face couldn't be any more red. Face it, it’s pretty obvious even if you didn't just basically admit it to me right this second."

Fluttershy couldn’t breathe the knot in her stomach was back with a vengeance, she felt dizzy this was just too much for a shy pony to take. "I-I please, please don't tell him, I just don't know what I'd do if he found out."

The griffon chuckled to herself "Relax Mumbles, like I said, we’re friends right? Friends keep friends secrets, so long as you have my back this Friday right?" she said waving the papers in front of Fluttershy’s face.

Fluttershy looked up at Gilda, she stared at the griffon for the longest time, until she was brought away by some warm wet substance that was dripping down both cheeks she brought a hand to it and looked. Oh, she was crying, of course that was it, she was finally caught she was at the mercy of this griffon, Gilda was holding all the cards and it was Fluttershys’ fault she had revealed her hand without even realising it. She could either do Gilda dirty work, or she could loss the respect of her teacher and secret idol. Either way it was a lose lose situation and it was her own kindness, her moral compass that had screwed her over.

Time went by in quite passing. She didn’t know how long she had been there or why she was now slumped down against her locker judging by the wet stains on her chest if must have been a few minutes or so, she turned back to the griffon, confused by the fact that no comment had been made or why she was even still here. She had what she needed she had made a fool out of Fluttershy like many before her. But still here she stood.

The Griffon was looking at Fluttershy, with a look she had not seen in the griffon before, was it pity, or contempt? She couldn’t say. Whatever it was it had enraptured the griffons mind for an uncomfortable amount of time.

The griffon gave a world weary sigh as she bent down to Fluttershy, offering the mare a cotton napkin she had in her jacket. “Here, use this.”

Fluttershy didn’t meet the griffons eye but she gently plucking the napkin from her claw and despite everything gave the griffon a quiet “thank you.”

Another sigh escaped the griffons’ beak. “Ah jeez filly don’t act like that, I said I wasn’t gonna’ tell nopony, I ain’t a nark.”

“It’s not t-that it its j-just I’m tired, tired of ponies taking a-advantage all the time, it happens every s-single time and I just, I just want one thing from somepony, it’s so hard being kind and expecting the best in somepony only to have them take advantage, can’t I just have one nice thing?”

The griffon cupped the Pegasus’s cheeks with her talon turning the mares gaze up to meet her own.

"Griffonia I don’t know what you did but *sigh* you do jump to conclusions way to easily mumbles, I said I'd help you with your little problem didn’t I?”

“What?”

Gilda slumped down next the pony. “Does ever pony here have earmuffs on, I said I’d help you dweeb, I’m not gonna’ take advantage I just wanted you to do me a solid once or twice jeez don’t you do that for your other friends.”

“Yeah…I guess I do, sorry I guess just didn’t believe you before... Sorry.”

Gilda shrugged allowing the comment to slide for once.

“This ain’t no different, just a few dumb questions and you can stop your sobbing and get your goofy monkey thing, easy eh?”

Fluttershy didn’t know how to feel at this moment, thinking back to what the griffon had mentioned, she did say she was going to help. Had Fluttershy once again misjudged Gilda, Celestia she did, she acted without thinking once again, she vilified Gilda’s intentions. She was trying to be a friend and she judged her like a book cover. She hadn’t even done it consciously this poisonous situation was getting to her. Had it really gone that far, was her loving need for this man already brought her this low? How long until this would seep into her friendship with the girls, with her animals with her own flesh and blood. Whatever it was it ended now. It ended with Gilda.
She accepted Gilda’s claw which threw her back up faster than she thought, Celsestia she was strong she thought.

"You, you can help, how?" she whimpered out sniffling away the rest of the tears.

Gilda just smiled, it was an actual honest to Celestia genuine smile, one Fluttershy realised was a rare commodity in the griffon, rarer than a thousand diamonds. “Leave that to me, I got this, meet me tomorrow at around three and bring me that paper, completed, you got me.”

"Oh I'm so, so sorry I can't I'm meeting Rainbow and Rarity at three at her class, I promised I'd help model for her, she needs my help catching up with her essay.”
Gilda rolled her eyes. "Fine I'll just meet you there, wait is that the one in 303?”

Fluttershy nodded eagerly.

"Alright have it done by tomorrow and I'll get this ball rolling, come the end of next week he'll be all over you and don't go yellin’ to no pony about you helping me, this is all just between you and me and the monkey got it." She threatened with her eyes lifted a talon she teasing stroking the mares cheek moving away just as Fluttershy wings sprung out to full attention following an high pitched “Epp” from the mare.


Gilda strolled down the corridor, she turned one last time to see the mare, smiling as she watched the mare jump up and down a few times with a quite girly squeal before grabbing her bag and bolting off down the corridor.

Gilda chuckled

“Too easy.”

Wait! She screamed internally, what the heck just happened?

She physically slapped herself across the beak, what the buck was that! She were supposed to use this filly, not play buckin’ matchmaker. She had her by the wings she was hers for the taking, buck was she going soft?

This was a bad idea she began to realise, was the risk of being around this mare worth the reward. Should she just cut her losses, make up excuses to distance herself from this potential mistake. She couldn’t go through this again, she couldn’t let anyone get close, not like that, there was a reason she was alone for most of her life friends made her slow and weak and it wasn’t going to change because of some foal and her waterworks.

She’d cut this off now.

But...

No.

It’s not hard, all she had to do was just set this up and she’d be done, she didn’t have to actually be her friend or anything.

Another voice screamed in her mind one that she had always held to be the rational side of her, the one now screaming that she shouldn’t go through this again.

“Gahhh!” Gilda roared punching a locker in frustration her fist made a near perfect indentation in the metal, her claw tingled and burnt as the sensation of pain climbed up her hand and she growled again, she heard a gasp from the side. Turning she saw a pair of ponies stopping in front of her.

“What the buck are you two clowns lookin’ at!?” She roared standing up and flaring her wings to full attention.

Both pony’s quickly backed away to leave Gilda with her thoughts.

She massaged her brow as the memory of moments ago with Fluttershy crying. She looks so helpless, so defeated, yet it wasn’t pity Gilda felt when she did what she did, no pity could be easy to explain and ignore. Something in the act seemed so genuine, that was the cry of a beaten down mare, something Gilda had experianced only once before. Fillies like that didn’t cry like that over nothing, this was a mare that just wanted one thing in her life to go right. A feeling that Gilda could relate to.

“Fine...fine damn it, I’ll help the stupid mare!” She announced to nobody but herself.

But the help will not come cheap. No, not by a long shot.