A New Day
For the first night in over three months Gilda was able to get a good nights sleep. There was no reoccurring nightmare, no startling jolt to consciousness, and no lack of sleep. Yes Gilda slept for a full seven hours and never once did she wake up. In the past several months the only time Gilda had been able to sleep for that many hours at once was the night she spent with Rainbow Dash while in Ponyville.
It was a feeling she was not used to, and she hoped that it would remain long enough for her to enjoy it.
"Ah, that actually was not a bad night for once." Gilda said quietly to herself as she hopped out of bed. "Well, I suppose I will go wake Rainbow Dash up and get ready to deliver the days mail."
Gilda exited her room slowly, hoping not to disturb Rainbow Dash if she did still happen to be asleep. Gilda secretly hoped Rainbow Dash was still asleep; it had been years since she had had the chance to wake Rainbow Dash up herself and she found a certain type of joy in the thought. As Gilda approached Rainbow Dash's room however she was met only with an empty bed and a messed up bed spread.
"Darn, she must have woke up already. Oh well, I will just head towards the kitchen and see if she is there. I know that is where I would be this early in the morning."
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As Gilda entered the kitchen she was met with the hearty smile and outspread wings of a blue Pegasus pony who looked like she had already been around the world and back. Her mane looked like it had been styled by the wind itself and her breath was a tad bit heavier than usual. Gilda found it odd that Rainbow Dash would get out and fly this early in the morning, but decided everypony does odd things while on vacation and put it out of her mind for the time being.
"Well hey there Dashie, you look awfully chipper for this early in the morning." Gilda said as she moved towards the chair beside Rainbow Dash and took a seat.
"Do I? I did not notice anything different about myself this morning." A slight chuckle slipped through Dashies lips, "I am not normally up this early back at home, but I had a very good reason for getting up early today." Rainbow Dash replied as her smile grew even more.
"Oh yeah? and what might that be? To help me deliver the mail this morning?" Gilda asked playfully as she gave Rainbow Dash a little nudge.
"Well something like that. You see, while you were asleep I decided to go ahead and deliver all of your mail for the day. That way when you woke up you would not have anything to do and we could spend the whole day together."
Gilda froze where she was sitting, every muscle contracting itself into her very core. Rainbow Dash had delivered the mail for her today? But that was supposed to be her job. As far as jobs went in Manehatten every one of the other ponies were willing to help each other do their jobs but none of them were willing to help deliver the mail. The only ponies who ever delivered the mail in town were Gilda and one or two other Pegasi that Gilda rarely ever remembered the names of. The fact that a visitor to Manehatten was willing to volunteer their time and deliver the mail, and the fact that it was Rainbow Dash at that, absolutely floored Gilda and she felt a tear roll down her cheek.
"Are you alright Gilda? you are not mad at me because I did your job are you?" Rainbow Dash questioned her, concern deeply rooted in her words.
"No, I am not mad, I am just stunned is all. No pony ever wants to do the mail deliveries here in Manehatten. The only reason I took the job was because there were no other openings around town."
"Well, if it means I get to spend more time with you then I have no problem doing it. We do have an awful lot of stuff that we need to catch up on." Rainbow Dash said as she gave Gilda a big hug.
"You are either going to be the greatest thing that ever happened to me or the thing that kills me dead Rainbow Dash," Gilda thought to herself, "and I have yet to figure out which one it is going to be."
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The plan for the day, as of now, was simple. Gilda planned to get to know Rainbow Dash again; figure out what made her tick and get inside of her head. It would not be easy, of this fact Gilda was well aware, but she knew that if she never tried to get Rainbow Dash back she would spend her entire life wondering about what could have been. Concrete in her decision she decided the best thing to do at the time was to take Rainbow Dash to the local hangout spot and let her get used to life here in Manehatten.
"So, Rainbow Dash, There is this really cool spot in downtown Manehatten that every pony who is anypony is at right now. You wanna go check it out with me?" Gilda said with hope in her voice.
"I do not know Gilda, I was actually hoping that me and you could hang out alone and talk some. I had a few things I wanted to talk to you about and I ca not do that if we are surrounded by other ponies." Rainbow Dash said as she hovered in front of Gilda.
Gilda thought about what Dash had just said for a minute. did Rainbow Dash really want to be alone with Gilda this early? After everything that had happened would it really be such a good idea? Gilda tossed the thought around in her head, trying to find some way to make it sound like a good idea.
"Well, do you want to or not?" Rainbow Dash asked impatiently.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure. i just do not know where to go to hold a private conversation in Manehatten." Gilda replied.
"Hmmmmm, how about up there."
Gilda didn't even have to look, she knew exactly where Dash was pointing at.
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As Gildas head broke through the thin layer of clouds that lay between the earth and the sky the only thing she could think about was what Rainbow Dash could be thinking about right now. It was not everyday that Rainbow Dash asked Gilda to sit on a cloud and talk, and when she did it was normally to discuss how things were between them.
"Oh no." Gilda thought in her head as she landed on a cloud beside Dash, "Right now is not the time to be talking about how things are between us." As Gilda thought about it more though she realized one very important thing, would there ever be a "right" time to talk about how things were between them? Gilda wanted to, she really did, but she knew that if she got wrapped up in that conversation right now there would be no way that she could control her words or emotions. She reasoned inside herself that this conversation would not be the one that she was fearing and prepared herself for whatever lay ahead.
"So Gilda, how has life been here in Manehatten lately?" Rainbow Dash asked hoping to break the awkward silence that had set between them.
"Oh it has been alright; delivering papers and mail in the morning and keeping myself relaxed and rested at night." Gildas answer felt more forced than she wanted it too and she hoped that Dash would not notice.
"Well that sounds simple enough."
"Yeah, and what have you been up to?" Ah, more natural, exactly how Gilda wanted it to be.
"Well, before this much needed vacation I was head of the weather team over in Ponyville. Yeah, I know it sounds like fun, but after awhile it starts to get stressful and I need some time off." Rainbow Dash replied as a tired smile pranced across her mouth.
"And that is why you decided to come here right? To get away from all of the chores and responsibilities in Ponyville?" Gilda liked where this was going, nothing close or personal yet, just nice, easy small talk.
"Well, I also came to see you as well Gilda. It has been awhile since me and you talked and I wanted to see how you were doing."
Gilda felt her stomach turn at the conclusion of Rainbow Dashes last sentence. Yes it was true that Gilda had prepared herself for this sort of thing, but that did not mean that she knew what to say once there. It was like an earth pony skydiving for the first time; it did not matter how ready for it they were when they got in the hot air balloon, when they reached the peak of the flight and had to jump they would still have no idea what to do. Gilda swallowed hard pushing more back than just fear and began to speak.
Well Dash, I have just been so busy here trying to keep the mail moving and..." Rainbow Dashes hoof met Gildas lips before she could finish her sentence and she instantly fell silent.
"Do not do this Gilda, not now. You have no need to make excuses right now. It was me who told you to leave when I did and me who stayed away as long as I have. It has not been easy for me but I just had to get to the point to where I could believe in myself enough to do this."
A solitary tear rolled down Gildas cheek as she listened to Rainbow Dash speak and she instantly knew the real reason why Rainbow Dash had come to Manehatten after all. She had not come to "relax" and "get away", no she had come to make amends with Gilda. It was touching to Gilda to know that Dash still cared but she had to be sure not to let Rainbow Dash know it.
"Ha! Rainbow Dash not believing in herself to do something? That is a new one." Gilda quickly felt a hoof nudge her side and she knew that Rainbow Dash would soon let the topic go.
"So, you really are the mail Griffin here in Manehatten after all?" Rainbow Dash asked Gilda as she lifted herself into the air.
"Yeah, and I am the best you will find in these parts." Gilda was always one to brag whenever the chance arose.
"Then prove it, slowpoke." and with that Rainbow Dash sped off into the clouds.
"Oh that is totally not fair, I will show her." Gilda reeled herself back, spreading her wings behind her, and with a burst of energy shot forward in hot pursuit of Rainbow Dash.
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That night Gilda decided to make Mushroom stew with Daisy and Daffodil sandwiches. It was a meal Gilda had not ate much since moving to Manehatten and it held an odd sense of nostalgia in every bite. It was like eating a little piece of history and it left Gilda not sure how to feel. On one hand she was absolutely thrilled to be eating this sort of meal with Rainbow Dash again, but on the other she still believed that any meal with Dashie could be the last one with her. The feeling left Gilda unsure on how to approach any situation involving Rainbow Dash and she constantly became uneasy when their personal lives were brought up. She hoped it would be a simple phase; something to get through and be done with, but she knew that no such luck would befall her.
"Wow Gilda, this stew is so good. What all did you put in it?" Dash said through large mouthfuls of stew and sandwich.
"Oh, nothing too special; just some mushrooms and carrots with a hint of potato and a small bit of garlic." Gilda was happy Dash was enjoying the meal, she had tried her hardest after all to make it as perfectly as she could.
"So, what do you have planned for us to do tomorrow Dash?" Gilda asked Rainbow Dash as she slowly sipped the warm soup.
"Well, I was thinking that maybe we could go to Cloudsdale and watch the Wonderbolts take on the Filly Fantasies in the top flier competition tomorrow."
"The Wonderbolts were performing tomorrow?" Gilda thought to herself. Gilda sat for a moment in silence as she thought about last week. Had there been an announcement that she had missed? She sure did not think so, she never missed any bit of news that came through the city. If the wonderbolts really were performing in Cloudsdale tomorrow then surely she would have known about it. She reasoned to ask Rainbow Dash how she found out about the performance, hoping to look somewhat knowledgeable about the goings on of her former home town.
"Oh yeah, they are performing tomorrow. Say Rainbow Dash, how did you find out about the performance tomorrow anyway?"
"Oh, through Rarity of course!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she finished off the last bit of food in front of her.
"Rarity? how would she know about the Wonderbolts performance tomorrow anyway?"
"Well, Rarity was actually assigned to design the new outfit that the Wonderbolts are going to be wearing tomorrow." Rainbow Dash was now hovering around the kitchen, searching for something more to eat.
"Huh, no kidding." the brown and white Griffin slowly rose from her chair and began to head for her bedroom.
"Hey Gilda, where ya going?" Rainbow Dash called to her from the kitchen as she took a muffin out of its box and began to eat it.
"I am going to turn in for the night Dash. It has been a long day and we need to be up bright and early tomorrow if we plan to make it to the show."
Gilda quickly entered her bedroom at the end of the hallway and shut the door. Once inside she proceeded to pull every drawer out of the dresser and toss every last piece of clothing inside the closet onto the floor. She was searching for something, something that she kept very close to heart. Back when Rainbow Dash and Gilda were in flight school Rainbow Dash had injured her wing and wound up in the infirmary. The blue Pegasus spent three days in the infirmary waiting for her wing to heal, and Gilda spent nearly every waking hour she could keeping Dash company. When Rainbow Dash was finally released from the infirmary she went into town and bought Gilda a small necklace with a picture of herself inside of it.
"It is so that you never forget me, just in case we do not see each other after flight school."
"Dash..."
Gilda was brought back to reality in a snap, tears flowing over her cheeks. It had been years since Rainbow Dash and Gilda had been in flight school but all of the memories still seemed so vivid and real.
"Ugh, where the hell is this damned necklace!" Gilda yelled as she fell to the floor. "I know I had it in here somewhere, it has to be here, it just has to."
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Gilda spent the next hour searching for the small golden necklace that Dash had given her while remembering the golden days of flight school.
"Hey Rainbow Crash, bet you can not keep up with us." Hoops and Dumb-Bell said.
"I am not in the mood guys, can't this wait until tomorrow?"
"Heh, she must be tired Hoops, guess we will just have to come back tomorrow," Dumb-Bell said.
"Yeah, looks that way Dumb-Bell." Hoops said and then suddenly pushed her off of the cloud she was standing on.
Rainbow Dash had little time to react before she felt the floor drop out from underneath her. She was falling; and it was not a normal everyday fall, but more over a fatal plummet to solid earth. She knew that if she did not do something soon she would hit the ground at near terminal velocity and be killed on impact. The thought of death scared her, being the young filly that she was, and she fought with all of her might to make her wings move. She tried and tried to change the direction she was moving but was met with failure every time. After several unsuccessful attempts at saving herself she finally gave up and prepared her body for the impact.
"Do not worry Dash, I will save you!" a golden brown Griffin called out as she shot towards Rainbow Dash like a rocket. Her speed was marvelous and Rainbow Dash had to do a double take to make sure what she was seeing was real. This Griffin was defying the laws of nature and moving at speeds that should not be possible by any living creature. It amazed Dash to see such aerial acrobatics as this and if she survived she would be sure to talk with this Griffin about her moves.
Gilda made it mere seconds before Rainbow Dash hit, wrapping herself around Dash and tumbling through the grass for a few hundred feet. When the dust cleared and the two were able to stand Rainbow Dash was the first to speak.
"Wow! That was so cool! You were so fast, and, and, you saved my life!" Rainbow Dashes eyes glowed in awe and then a realization hit her, "Wait, how did you know my name?"
"Oh, I saw you beat Fluttershy in a race across the camp grounds yesterday and thought it was really cool. I asked around until somebody told me who you were." Gilda chuckled as she finished her sentence, realizing how silly it must sound.
"Oh, so does that mean I am famous now?" Rainbow Dash flexed her wings and struck a valiant pose.
"Yeah, sure. My names Gilda by the way, in case you were wondering." Gilda beamed hoping she had impressed the pony known as the fastest filly flier in the camp.
"Gilda huh. Well Gilda, you are really awesome and I can not wait to get to know you better."
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"Heheh, yeah Dash, I could not wait to get to know you better either. Seems we got to know each other a little too well though." Gilda tried to chuckle but was met with weak whimpering and more tears. It had been years since Gilda had had the chance to cry like this, and it felt good to let it go. The last time she had cried like this was the day she buried her parents and she promised that she would never cry again. "Well mom and dad, looks like I could not even keep that promise for ya."
The tears continued for a good fifteen minutes until Gilda could not cry anymore. She felt exhausted, her energy drained with her emotions but she still could not find sleep. Her mind just kept flashing back to Rainbow Dash and how badly she wanted things to work out. The problem was she did not know how Dash felt about the situation and at this rate she never would.
"Ugh, Dash, I love you. You will never know how much you really mean to me, but I am hoping to help you get there." Gilda quietly walked out of her room and down the hall, Rainbow Dash now peacefully asleep in dreamland. "Do not try to follow me Dash, I do not want you to get hurt."
Gilda slipped into the kitchen and pulled out a piece of paper from the counter drawer. She also took a pen from the drawer and began to scribble down a short letter to Rainbow Dash for the next morning.
"Goodbye Dashie, I wish you well." and with that Gilda was gone.