//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Feathers // by Triscy //------------------------------// "Rainbow Dash, dear, stand STILL!" urged the voice of the fashionista, Rarity to her somewhat unwilling model. The pegasus wasn't all too excited about standing still in the first place, so Rarity telling her to act even more like a statue wasn't all too welcome. Rainbow had to restrain herself from just bailing, and even that was getting hard after being at the boutique for over an hour. "How long is this gonna take, Rarity? I needa bring in a storm by noon or Carrottop and Applejack'll be all over me about their crops! Hurry up!" protested Rainbow. "If you'd just hold still for ONE MINUTE, I'd be able to get this done! You keep twitching when I most need you not to!" Rarity replied through gritted teeth, holding a pin in her mouth as she used her magic to bring a needle through the chestpiece of a new dress she had been working on all day. In and out the needle went, Rarity concentrating hard as she watched the thread make its way through the fabric. Rainbow Dash groaned, but kept as still as possible in order to avoid postponing the completion. "And I'm just about... DONE! " Rarity stated with glee. Rainbow Dash released a huge sigh as she let her shoulders relax. "Great; now can we get this off?" Dash asked, squinting at her friend. "Hold on a minute; I need to take a photo and then I'll get it off for you!" Rarity said, jogging into another room to grab her camera. Rainbow wasn't too thrilled about the idea of the photo, but she knew Rarity wouldn't display it without her permission. It was primarily for her personal scrapbook, which Rainbow had the 'pleasure' of being shown multiple times already. "Got my cameraaaa!" Rarity called melodically as she trotted back into the room, camera floating beside her. "Now give me a good pose and I'll get you out!" Smiling and rolling her eyes, Rainbow had spent enough time as Rarity's model to know that "cool" poses weren't what she considered "good". Taking as elegant of a pose as she could, Rarity snapped a few photos and placed the camera aside. "Alright; let's get you out of this thing." Rarity said, using her magic to undo a zipper on Dash's back. Rainbow didn't move. She didn't want to ruin another dress like she had done last month; she learned that the hard way. After about half a minute, Rainbow was free from her frilly restraints and, with a final nod to Rarity, left without even waiting for a thank you. She was running really late. The door to the boutique burst open as a rainbow flash ran past two colts about to enter. Dash didn't take any notice of them, rushing skyward with only one goal in mind; clouds. Lots of dark rain clouds. She had 'til noon, which was only two hours away. She could clear the skies in ten seconds flat, but filling them was different. "Oh! Hi Rainbow Dash!" came a calm voice from below. Rainbow Dash looked down to notice Fluttershy waving up to her. Rainbow Dash was about to groan, but immediately retracted it knowing how she'd hurt her friends' feelings. "Fluttershy, I really can't talk right now. I gotta get the clouds filled for today's storm ASAP or Applejack'll kill me!" Rainbow said. "Oh! Sorry to interrupt. Well, if you'd be so kind, stop by my cottage after you're all done, please? It's pretty important." Asked Fluttershy, a pleading smile on her face. "Yea, sure. It'll be about four hours or so. Seeya then!" Fluttershy couldn't get in another word before Rainbow darted off. Smiling to herself, the pegasus began the trek back to her cottage, her feet hurrying along with a single goal in mind. "I'm back, everyone!" Fluttershy said, entering her cottage. Critters of all shapes and sizes around the house greeted her in what was like a choir of high pitched little angels. Fluttershy often spent time singing with them, so it was to be expected that they would have some vocal talent. Upon closing the door, the sound of a tapping foot echoed into Fluttershy's ears, as she turned to see Angel standing by the door with an impatient look on his face. "Oh... uh... Hi Angel. I see it's... past your lunch time. I'm sorry; I had to find Rainbow Dash and I forgot to prepare a meal. Let me go fix it up for you!" Fluttershy's voice held in it a feeling of nervousness, not wanting to upset the rabbit. Passing through the living room, Fluttershy began to make her way to the kitchen when the sound of sobs made her stop. Adjusting her course, the pegasus made her way into an extra room where, on a temporary and makeshift bed, Gilda lay asleep. Her panicked motions made it obvious she wasn't having a very pleasant dream. Fluttershy stepped over and, after a short pause, retreated. Fluttershy wasn't going to be on the receiving end of any premature claw swipes Gilda might react with. She didn't know how Gilda was with waking up in the morning. Still, she didn't want to leave her suffering like that, especially after all she had been through. The Pegasus remained indecisive, now contemplating if and how to wake Gilda up. Idea! Just like Rarity, inspiration struck. Quick to move about, Fluttershy set up three or so bells above Gilda, left over from Winter Wrap Up. Tying a long string on, she stepped over by the door, standing far from Gilda, and pulled the string. The bells went off, with Gilda snapping her eyes open quickly. "Wh... what's that!? Those blasted cicadas again?" Gilda cried, jumping up with tears still rolling down her face. It took a moment for Gilda to realize. "Oh... bells?" "Gilda, if you don't mind, you might want to wake up. That is if you're alright with it..." Fluttershy said quietly, dropping the rope from her mouth with a timid smile. Gilda glanced over at Fluttershy, noticing the elaborate set up made just to wake her up. She felt a little pang of guilt at this, realizing that she hadn't been completely forgiven. Or that's how she saw it. Feeling the tears still sliding down her cheeks, Gilda quickly rubbed at her face and put on a more serious expression. Stretching herself out, the griffon stood up to see Fluttershy walking into the kitchen. Not really well acquainted with the cottage despite its size, she decided to follow her. "So what'd you wake me up for?" Gilda asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice. Fluttershy, now concentrating on preparing a meal for Angel and the other bunnies, subconsciously ignored Gilda's question as she entered the Kitchen. Gilda stood in the doorway, awaiting a response but, considering Fluttershy's hospitality, deciding not to rush her. As Fluttershy finished up, Angel hopped into the room. "Here, Angel! Take this out to all the other bunnies. And don't take any extra this time!" Fluttershy said, in her best attempt at scolding the bunny. She handed down a tray, small enough for Angel to carry, of steamed carrots. Angel, looking up at her with an irked expression, tossed one carrot into his mouth to chew on as he proceeded outside with the tray. Fluttershy smiled, but quickly remembered that she'd been asked a question. Turning around, Fluttershy smiled as if to give Gilda some great news. "I wanted to make sure you were wide awake when Rainbow Dash gets here." Gilda's heart sank at this, reflected vividly in her expression. Rainbow Dash was coming HERE? She wasn't ready. Oh, why was everything going so fast! Gilda placed a claw on her face, trying to calm herself down. Maybe it'd work out. Maybe everything would go great. Fluttershy forgave her so easily; maybe Dash would too. Oh what was she kidding? She knew Dash more than a lot of people, and if she knew anything she knew that Dash wouldn't be that quick to forgive her for what she did. Fluttershy was a softie, but Dash wasn't that type of pony. "G...gilda, are you feeling okay?" Fluttershy asked, noticing how the griffon wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea. "Did I do something wrong? Oh dear, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have... I didn't mean to..." Gilda took a deep breath and released, trying her best to calm down. It wasn't helping as much as she wanted, but it did have a noticeable effect on the griffon. Looking up at Fluttershy, Gilda had to concentrate hard to repress her desire to yell at her. She had gotten this far and, knowing what she'd wind up going back to, she wasn't going to mess it up now. "I... don't think I'm ready. I mean... I've been out of that forest for not even two hours, and I don't think... Geh..." Gilda's feet couldn't stay still as she paced around the kitchen. A few of Fluttershy's animal friends looked into the room, hearing the scritch-scratching of the talons against the floor, but Fluttershy managed to put on enough of a face to ask them to leave the two alone. "I didn't mean to. I mean... oh dear... I'm sorry. I didn't think it was too early. I wasn't really thinking about it too much, and I thought you'd want to..." Fluttershy's expression started to show more than a little bit of panic. "No..." Gilda said, holding out her claw to tell Fluttershy to stop. "I'll be fine... it'll be fine." Gilda wasn't sure of herself, but she made every effort to reassure Fluttershy. After all, it wasn't like Gilda could hide from Dash forever. "Okay... when is she coming?" Gilda asked, looking at the pink-maned pegasus who had only just managed to calm herself down. "Oh... um... about three and a half hours now. She has to set up a small storm, as she's been falling behind lately. I hope that's alright..." Gilda nodded, taking a breather. She had time; she could prepare herself. She could formulate a strategy... wait, strategy? She wasn't that great at that; she and Dash were always the gung-ho type. Gilda's mind went spinning for a second as she started to think up ideas of how to deal with Dash. Would a direct approach work? Should she go slowly? Wait, what if Dash changed a lot since she'd been gone? It's been a year, and she herself had changed a lot. That had been evidenced quite clearly by the fact that she was right now in Fluttershy's house after she had been found crying of loneliness in the woods. "Okay, okay. I have a good amount of time. I can figure this out. How has she changed? A lot? A little?" Gilda asked, finding it hard to get used to the concept of asking for help. "She's... um... well, not too different. She's still a lot like you remember, but she's... I don't know, calmer? Well, not really, but... it's hard to describe, you see." Fluttershy stuttered out. "Point is she hasn't changed much." Gilda summarized. As Fluttershy nodded, Gilda swapped back to her strategy mindset. "I need to tend to some of the animals, Gilda. Are you going to be okay on your own? Is there anything else I can do to..." "I'll be fine, just... go do whatever. I need to be alone for a bit, anyway..." Gilda said, taking a second to realize how contradictory that statement was. It was still true, though. She didn't want to be truly alone, but she did need a moment to herself to think about the upcoming confrontation. Well, she hoped it wouldn't be a confrontation. As Fluttershy stepped out, Gilda pulled up a seat at a nearby table, presumably where Fluttershy ate her meals every day. Leaning her elbows on the table and cradling her face in her open claws, Gilda poured all her concentration into battle strategies. In her head, she sat across from Rainbow Dash on a warzone. Like a board game, Gilda placed her infantry on the board and, as she waited for Dash, she played a rather odd game of chess in her head. "Mighty grateful, Dash! This here storm'll set us up straight fer Applebuckin' season!" Stated Applejack, thanking her friend for a job well done. Rainbow smiled, nodding her head. "Glad I could help. But I gotta go; Fluttershy wanted to see me for something." The pegasus mentioned, floating up a bit higher. "Well, then ah won't hold ya here. I'll be seeyin ya'll, Dash!" Applejack said, waving farewell to Rainbow Dash. She looked up to watch as she flew off, a rainbow trail following her, before retreating into the barn. The storm wouldn't be all too pleasant for the pony folk. As the barn doors shut, the air went out of its way to move aside for Rainbow Dash, blasting a path to Fluttershy's cottage just outside of the Everfree Forest. Her mind remained occupied throughout the flight, curious of Fluttershy's reasoning. Did she need help with the animals again? Dash made guesses here and there, but in the end just decided to wait and find out. All of five minutes passed as Rainbow landed on her friend's doorstep. Pausing for a second to catch her breath, having flown for the past three hours straight, the pegasus folded her wings in and tapped on the door. The sound of hoofsteps echoed through the cottage, though very lightly, and in less than a minute Fluttershy opened the front door. "Hey, Fluttershy. What'd you need me for?" Dash asked. Dash looked up to see Fluttershy with a very worried expression. Tears streamed down her face, and if Rainbow Dash knew anything, the sound of Fluttershy crying was one of the most depressing things she could ever hear. "Fluttershy what's... what's wrong? Don't cry!" Dash said, trying to comfort her. "G... Gilda's..." Fluttershy stuttered. "Gilda? What'd she do to you!?" Dash asked, anger settling in. She expected the worst. She couldn't really see a trashed cottage, but she could barely see any of it at all. Maybe the animals were hurt? That'd be devastating to Fluttershy! She'd go beat that griffon senseless if she had to. "She left..." Fluttershy stated. Rainbow couldn't help but just stand there and blink. Why was that a problem? She was so confused. "Please... come in... I think you might... might want an explanation." Fluttershy said, retreating back inside. With nothing but a strong curiosity at the top of Dash's mind, she didn't hesitate to follow her friend inside. It was now early afternoon in the Everfree Forest, and the animals were moving every way possible. High above the trees flew a rather clumsy griffon, nearly blinded by her tears. She couldn't stop crying. She'd made an idiotic move; she left. She couldn't take the pressure at all, and she just had to leave. Did her chess game mean nothing? Well, it wasn't like she ever played a full game of chess. Now twenty minutes into her forest venture, Gilda finally approached her self-made solitary confinement. Nothing seemed out of place, which didn't provide her any comfort. It made her feel like nothing had changed or, rather, that they had only gotten worse. Landing in the one empty corner of the nest, Gilda brushed her tears away, trying to calm herself down as much as she could. She had to strategize again, but this time the plan was for how she could avoid two winged horses. If she knew much at all about Fluttershy, she'd never abandon her so easily, and Rainbow Dash would probably try and beat her into a pulp for making Fluttershy sad again. She had to leave. Gilda looked about her nest, trying to find some spare parchment, but was greeted with nothing but the many letters she had, already covered in ink, crumpled, and definitely not reusable. Trying to think fast, Gilda turned to the thick trunk of the tree she chose for her home and, taking in a breath of air, brought out a talon. The scratching noise was almost unbearable. Not because it was loud, or high pitched, but because she knew it meant another long trek to find a place she could even consider anything near being "home". Her message was short, but it would get out as much as she could manage saying at this point. It only took her two minutes to finish the letter in wood. Removing her talon from the trunk, Gilda opened her wings wide. She made one last glance at the pile of letters. She couldn't take them; they'd weigh her down. It would take too long to destroy them, too. She'd just leave them there; it'd be the best apology she could ever leave. The sun remained bright that afternoon as a winged silhouette flew into the horizon. It had taken a while to explain everything to Rainbow Dash, and the pegasus could hardly believe what she had been told. Why didn't Gilda find new friends? Ones that she would consider cooler? Everything she knew about the griffon seemed to feel wrong now. Had she really caused her old friend to break down so completely? "Fluttershy, you mentioned she lived out in the forest?" Dash asked, looking up at the saddened pegasus. "Well... um... yea." Came the timid reply. After everything had been explained, Fluttershy seemed to sink into her own head. She was now acting extremely timid, especially in front of her own friend. "Can you get me to her nest?" Fluttershy simply nodded. Rainbow turned aside, walking over to the cottage door and bringing it open. "Let's go." Dash said. "Wait!" Fluttershy replied, seeming to regain a little of her composure, but not much. "Um... I need to tell all the... all the animals where I'm going..." Dash sighed. "Quickly. Do it quickly." Rainbow stepped outside to wait for Fluttershy. Even though this gave her a few minutes to ask herself questions, she really didn't want to. She wanted answers from Gilda, and waiting around was driving a hole in the soles of her feet. The timid pegasus, making her farewells, stepped outside the cottage beside Dash. Without a word, she started to fly, followed by her impatient friend. She didn't speed up, but she made an effort not to slow down either. Rainbow Dash wasn't the only one who was tired. "This is her nest?" Dash questioned, perched on the edge of the large woven home. "Yes." Fluttershy said. She sat inside the nest in the one empty spot where Gilda had slept for so long. "I never knew she could craft so well." Rainbow said, admiring the handiwork on the nest itself. She'd never really known Gilda as much of a constructive person in the first place, so this came somewhat as a surprise. Fluttershy said nothing, deciding to let Dash make her own observations. They both knew she wasn't going to come back here, as the shakily carved letter on the tree made full note of that. "I'm gone" was all it said, followed by a sloppy signature. It didn't take any time at all for Dash to notice the hundreds of letters lying about the nest, which brought a curious look to the pegasus' face. She didn't know Gilda to be a writer either. "Did she mention anything about these letters?" Rainbow asked, and to this Fluttershy shook her head. "I never noticed them. I was too busy concentrating on her." said the timid pony, a little more courage in her voice. Dash leaned over to remove one letter from a stick it had been pierced on. Uncrumpling it, the pegasus glanced over it. Dear Dweeb Crash, You made a lame-o mistake, Crashie. You know you woulda never gotten anywhere if you hadn't met me. I made you what you are, don't deny it! You would have been nothing if I hadn't hung out with you, and the way you sided with those dweeby ponies just shows how much of an idiot you are. Hope ya feel happy, ya scuzzball. Gilda Dash, with an angry flick, stabbed the paper back onto the stick. Who did Gilda think she was? This letter was a lot more like the Gilda she had known. The pegasus sighed. She had written hundreds of letters; were all of them like this? An embodiment of her hatred? Dash reached out, this time grabbing an unpierced letter lying on the bottom of the nest. Dear Rainbow Dash, I was wrong. Rainbow Dash blinked at this. She was confused; this was clearly Gilda's handwriting, but admitting she was wrong? Curiosity gripped at her as she kept reading. Dear Rainbow Dash, I was wrong. I was an idiot, and it took me this long to realize. Cloudsdale just felt empty ever since I lost you, and for a long while I just thought it was because I couldn't stand all the pegasus ponies. But it wasn't them. Everything just felt empty without you. I tried to make excuses for months, but living in the Everfree Forest showed me how much I deserved that dunce cap back in Junior Speedsters. I made a horrible choice, and just went and made myself into a pain. I ended the only thing that I could ever really grip. Our friendship. I just want it back... I j--- The rest of the letter was blurred into incomrehensibility by blotches of what could only be tears. Not all of them were Gilda's, though.