" ... you alright, Gilda?" The gryphon only heard the last part of what Fluttershy was saying. She jerked her head up, blinking a few times. The avian just now noticed her face was almost in her own food. Gilda gave the pegasus a weak smile, and waved a claw dismissively.
"Nah, I'm good. Just thinking." Fluttershy saw through that lie in a second, but decided it was best not to push it. She couldn't get rid of her worried expression, though. Thankfully, Gilda didn't seem to notice. Not in the state she was in. Staying up all night writing that novel was a terrible idea, but the gryphon had been running on the adrenaline of her anger. She hadn't felt tired at all, until she realized that it was time for the second date. In fact, she'd gotten so much done last night. The avian hadn't been sure what had triggered it, but she had experienced a burst of inspiration. She had no idea she could write that fast. Gilda had almost set several pages on fire before she caught herself, and was forced to slow down. But there was still the problem of what had quickly become the novel's biggest sub-plot. The Barbarian had found civilization to be very hard on her, and it's ponies not very accepting. Since the druid lived near a town, she had to bear it, though. Gilda STILL didn't know how to get them together, and that subplot was devolving into something else entirely.
That was frustrating enough. She'd had to stop dead in her writing, because she had no idea how to carry on from that point. And she didn't need that extra frustration. Having to deal with Dash, on top of where she was with Fluttershy, was really beginning to eat at her. She couldn't afford to lose her temper, however, and thus bit it back as much as she could. She liked being here. Despite how boring it was around this cottage, she found it really enjoyable. So it wasn't so much being around the pegasus as it was being on a date with her. But Gilda just couldn't get the words out.
She rubbed at her eyes with her claws, prompting the pegasus to say, "Maybe you should take a nap? You can sleep in my cottage if you want. I won't disturb you."
The gryphon felt a surge of anger rising, but she forced it down. "She's just concerned, Gilda. Let it go." She did, however, raise a talon up to Fluttershy's nose and narrow her eyes. "I'm fine." It came out more harshly than she wanted, and seeing the pegasus shrink back cooled the gryphon down a lot. "No, really. I ... Ya know what? Fine. I guess I could use a nap. But I need to go back to my nest."
Fluttershy found herself more brave at her suggestion being accepted, and stood up on all four of her hooves. "G-Gilda, I really don't think you'll make it there in this condition. Please ... !" The gryphon sighed heavily, refusing to look at Fluttershy. She knew if she did, she would see those eyes. And she couldn't resist those eyes. No pony, gryphon, zebra, or dragon was capable of that.
"C'mon, dweeb, I can't ... " The gryphon rubbed her forehead, taking a weary look to the sky. "Ugh ... Look, you know what'll happen if Dash comes over here?"
"I'll tell her to leave you alone." The pegasus's expression was more firm now. "And if she thinks she can bother someone who really needs sleep, even if it's you, she has another think coming!" Realizing what she'd said, the pony lowered her head, and hid her face behind her mane. "I-I mean ... If you don't want to be bothered by her, that is ... "
Gilda shook her head. "No way. I'll be fine, I'm a tough chick, not a cub." She started to rise, but the sudden rush of blood made her so dizzy she almost fell over again. The avian flinched when she felt Fluttershy support her, pressing her side to the gryphon's to hold her up.
"No!" That was so forceful that Gilda couldn't help but stare in shock at the pegasus. That was a mistake. There was something about Fluttershy's eyes that made her freeze up. Her will drained away. She wanted to back off, to get away from that glare, but she simply couldn't move. "Now listen here, Gilda! You are going to march right into that cottage, go to my guest room, and lie down!" The gryphon opened her beak to protest, but nothing came from it. She was completely freaked out, but Gilda could do nothing but obey as the ranger made her do just that. It was only when that glare was broken that Gilda found herself capable of even moving of her own free will, and she was already in bed. "Now, you sleep tight." That authorative, stern tone was completely gone, replaced by Fluttershy's normal soft, sweet tone.
As she trotted out of the room, Gilda didn't have much time to consider what had just happened before the gryphon fell asleep.
---
Hours later, Gilda woke up. She smelled a dinner being cooked, and jerked up into a sitting position. "What time is it?!" She looked out the window to see the sun had already set. "Okay, it's gotta be like ... 1 LR at the latest. Horseapples, that's still not enough ... " She yawned widely, and shook her head to clear it. " ... Sleep." She still felt tired and grumpy, but at least she felt like she could walk now. Gilda got out of bed, and headed downstairs.
Fluttershy was humming as she flitted about the kitchen, preparing food. The sight was rather amazing. Fluttershy didn't simply use her wings to hover from place to place. She didn't only use her legs. It was more like she swam through the air, using her legs to propel her into small hops, and her wings to steer her, and allow her to glide. Given the size of her kitchen, it was very necessary.
It was also one of the most graceful, and beautiful things Gilda had ever seen. The equine moved more like a deer than a pony, and her motions were so fluid, yet they wasted no energy. Movements that should have tired out the pony all too easily seemed effortless. Rarity was graceful as well, but it was a practiced, poised. This was so much more natural. So much less ... Fake. Gilda had spent much of her life in pony lands, and hadn't ever really picked up on much of her kind's habits or ideals. She always thought how poetic gryphons could be about art was stupid, a waste of time. But now she understood what they meant. For a moment, this gryphon was mesmerized by the sight, only able to watch. A soft gasp broke her out of the trance, and she noticed the Element of Kindness was staring at her.
The avian smiled and waved. "Uh, hey."
"Oh, you shouldn't be up yet," Fluttershy fussed as she walked over to Gilda. The gryphon shook her head.
"I know, I know. But I'm good enough now to get back to my nest. You ... Uh ... " She looked a bit embarrassed, and rubbed the back her her head with a claw as she looked around the kitchen. "You weren't cooking for me, were you?"
"W-Well ... " The pegasus shyly looked to the floor, shuffling her hooves. "I was ... B-But I can bring you some if you really have to leave now ... "
"Yea, I just don't want to be around too long. Dash could drop by any second." She admitted she was being a little paranoid about this, but the gryphon reasoned it was better to be safe than sorry. "See you later, I guess." As she turned to leave, the pegasus hopped forwards, and gulped.
"G-Gilda, wait! I want to say something," she hurriedly spoke. The gryphon grit her beak together, and turned slowly, trying to keep herself from snapping at the pegasus. "I really ... I just wanted to ... I mean ... "
"C'mon, dork, spit it out. I gotta go!"
Fluttershy squeaked and quickly blurted out, "IreallythinkIlikeyouinfactIreallyreallythinkiloveyouGilda!"
That was the last straw. The avian couldn't take any more of this. "For Orion's sakes, dweeb! Look, I know I mighta lead you on or something, but seriously! I'm a buckin' gryphon, not a pony! I didn't mean to go out with you in the first buckin' place! It was just an apology, and that damn Pinkie Pie ruined it! AGAIN!" The pegasus just stood there, staring at Gilda with her pupils retracted, and her body trembling. "Don't say you love me! You don't even know me! All I want is to finish this stupid book, get a job, forget about that flip-flop Dash, and get the buck out of this BORING! NOWHERE! LAME! STUPID LITTLE LAZY TOWN!" She didn't notice Fluttershy crying. She was too pissed. It was just like last time she made her cry. She was too angry to care, and she didn't know why. She stormed out of the cottage, and went right back to her nest, fuming the entire way.
---
Gilda's Journal, November 10
So, you might notice that it's been three days since I put in an entry.
This is because I don't give a flying buck. Fluttershy went crying to her friends, and Pinkie was WAITING for me. I know the klutz didn't get to her friends fast enough for that. How did that stupid little pink dweeb know?! Whatever. Long story short, she kicked me out of Ponyville. Well, less her, and more an angry mob lead by her. I guess I can't go back there again.
I'm staying in another small town right now, not too far away from Manehatten. I'm pissed, but not too hard up to forget what Rarity taught me. It was pretty easy to land some temporary work for some money. I just keep to myself in this town, and so far no one bothers me. I just work, and go back home to write my novel. Of course, it's not really routine if I've only been doing it two days.
I don't really know why I'm writing in this journal right now. I guess ... I guess I have to have SOMEONE to talk to. ANYONE. It's not really helping though. Maybe I'll just get back to writing my novel. Maybe I shouldn't even bother. No publisher is going to take it. I can't edit worth a buck, and I don't know anyone around here. I don't want to, either.
At least it's something to do...
---
And so Gilda wrote. Or at least, she tried. No matter how hard she tried, not a single word came to the paper. She didn't have writer's block, she had plenty of ideas. She just didn't want to put them down. The gryphon didn't even want to think of romance, but she couldn't bring herself to move the story on in it's main plot without developing the sub-plot.
She tried to force the words down, but they just felt wrong. Not only that, but she noticed trying to make herself write just made the quality suffer. It went from decent to just barely passable. It was robotic, unfeeling. Her heart just wasn't in it. Gilda was lost, and so was her inspiration. She needed to get out of her house, and do something. Having no recourse, the gryphon headed for Manehatten...
---
The bass was far too jacked up for Gilda's tastes. This wasn't her kind of music. But this club, with it's throbbing beats, strobe lights, and thick crowd, was exactly what the gryphon needed to keep her mind off the novel she was writing ... And the town she'd bucked up in a second time. This time for good.
Gryphons weren't too uncommon in big cities, whether they were Equestria raised, or from the Lands Beyond coming to pony lands for a good time. But they were uncommon enough that Gilda got a lot of attention. She soaked it up, and for a while, she forgot her troubles. She was just touching off a weird looking but tasty drink when a stallion came up beside her. "Hey, baby. You new in the city, or just in my heart?" Gilda turned her head, a brow cocked in the direction of the voice. The stallion was fairly tall, bigger than her, and had a green coat and a copper mane. A pegasus. At least, Gilda assumed he was. She was pretty sure she wasn't drunk enough to hallucinate wings.
"You spend all night thinking up that line?" The stallion winced, and chuckled nervously. The gryphon supposed he was cute anyway. "Well, whatever. You gonna sit?"
The pegasus seemed surprised he hadn't bucked up badly enough to make the avian dismiss him, and sat next to her. "Yea, okay, that was lame. I'm Boxcars." Gilda snuck a look at his cutie mark, though it was really just an excuse to check out the male's flanks. A pair of dice, both up on six.
"Yea, I can see that. Whadya want?" Gilda smirked at him. "As if I don't already know."
The stallion laid his fore-legs on the bar and leaned onto them a bit. "I guess I'm just curious about gryphons. Never really got to know any yet."
Gilda let off a "Heh," and looked down at her drink, considering. This guy wasn't a total sleazebag, which was a plus, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to go through with something like this. What would Fluttershy think? She shook her head, growled, and downed the rest of the drink. The stallion flinched, thinking he'd done something wrong and was about to die. "Why do I give a buck what she would think? It doesn't matter anymore. I don't want or need any lame-o's approval!" Slamming the glass back to the bar, she let out a breath at the distinct taste of alcohol. The bartender glared.
"Hey, you break it, you buy it!"
"Up yours, jackmule. It's not broke, so don't nag." She grinned to the green pegasus, who was starting to consider whether this was a good idea or not. The sultry look she gave him made up his mind ... And put up his wings. "So, you comin' back with me? I live over in Wither's Bend."
"Yeees Ma'am!"
---
The light of the morning sun was muffled by the cheap shutters on the bedroom window, and the gryphon lay in bed, wishing that sunlight would buck off and die. Gilda felt ill. It wasn't the alcohol. She didn't drink enough for that. She didn't even have a hangover. What she did have was a sense of shame. Self-disgust.
The stallion hadn't treated her wrong, or bucked and ran. In fact, he was still there, in bed, snoring. She wished he had left last night. Then maybe she wouldn't feel so sick of herself. She also wished she knew why she felt like throwing up. Gilda wasn't a virgin, and she knew she was into males, so none of this made sense. She went out, she picked up a guy, she had sex. That took her mind off her worries, which was what she wanted in the first place. "So why do I just want to cry right now?"
The pony stirred, but she didn't turn to look at him. He stretched, yawned, and sat up. "Hey, you awake?"
Part of her wanted to pretend to be asleep, but that wouldn't solve any of this. "Yea. You leavin'?"
"I wasn't planning on it yet, but ... You sound like you really want me to."
Gilda closed her eyes tightly, gritting her beak, and she suddenly pulled herself up, growling. "Yea. Get out."
The stallion gave the back of her head a confused look, and he hopped off the bed. "You sure? You really look you need somepony to talk t-"
"GET THE BUCK OUT!" She roared, now facing him with a look of fury. It wasn't really directed at him, and Gilda knew it. But he didn't. The pegasus wisely split, but he couldn't help but give the gryphon a sympathetic look as he fled. That just made her more angry. "I don't need your pity!" She yelled after him. He didn't hear it. He was already gone. Tears flowed down the gryphons cheeks as she buried her face in her claws, her anger devolving into grief. She curled up, just sobbing to herself.
It was an hour before she stopped. By the time she regained herself, Gilda felt very drained. She didn't want to move, she just wanted to stare at the ceiling. "I need to go to work, but why bother?" She sat up once more, and shook her head. "That's stupid, Gilda. You're just upset about losing another friend, that's all," she reassured herself. "Yea. That's it." The avian sighed. Crying had made her feel a little better, and now she had an answer to what was making her so down. It gave the gryphon some confidence and comfort to put a face on her pain. Gilda took a quick bath and ran out so she wouldn't be late.
---
She still felt a little depressed when she got back, but not nearly as much so as she had the last few days. Things were starting to look up for her. She'd worked better today than she ever had, and her boss noticed. Gave her a small bonus, told her to feel better soon. No boss she'd ever had in those crappy menial labor jobs would have ever been so concerned about her. She still didn't want pity, but it made her feel more like she was ... Home?
No. Like in Ponyville.
That made her wince, and she shook the thought out of her head. "Hey, no. Don't think about that. You're feelin' better, don't buck it up." After getting herself something to eat, she plopped down on her bed and pulled that novel over. "Might as well try." Opening the book, she got to work. "First," she reasoned, "I better read a little before where I stopped. Maybe I'll feel more like writing after that." A particular passage caught her eye, and she started there.
---
The pony growled. The foolish druid was blocking her path, and the pegasus was not about to stop. Not even for her. Her eyes were filled with the rage and hatred her people were so known for, and Terra Contans knew she was very lucky her companion could show even this much restraint. "Vehementi, this is not the path you desire! Y-You know this!" The gryphon's abnormally small stature made her look almost like a toy in the path of an angry child. An apt description, considering the current mental state of the berserker.
"I. Care. Not. Stand aside, or I will cleave you as I have my other enemies." She let out an angry snort, digging the hoof that had her axe-like blade strapped to it into the ground. The blade scraped over the stone floor of the castle, letting out a horrible screech.
"No!" She stood firm, despite her body's quaking. She was terrified, yes, but she could not let her new friend through. "If we run now, the authorities will not have time to regroup, and we can escape! But if you continue ... !" She gasped as the pony stepped forward. Terra shuddered and shrank back a bit, but she did not get out of the way. " ... You will die ... "
"Did you not hear me?"
"I heard you. B-But I ... I can't stand to watch you do this to yourself! Your anger is eating you, and I can only watch." Terra's eyes watered as she looked to the ground. "If you are so determined ... P-Please ... Just kill me too, so I do not have to follow you any longer."
The pony scoffed, and raised the leg bearing her blade. "So be it." Before it could fall, however, the timid gryphon whispered something that made the equine stop dead. Something that shocked her from her rage.
"I love you." Vehementi, full of anger still, turned, and walked away.
---
Something was off about all this that Gilda couldn't ignore. It just seemed so familiar. So- "Oh. My. Father. Orion."
---
The gryphon snarled, barely held back by her only real friend. She shouldn't have interfered, though. Gilda wasn't about to stop. Not even for Dash. She was pissed off as all hell, and her eyes were spelling out bloody murder for that smug bastard across the academy's courtyard. Rainbow Dash knew she couldn't hold her back. "C'mon, Gilda, don't do this! It's just gonna make things worse!"
"I. Don't. Care." The gryphon tugged at the pegasus's forelegs that were holding her back. "I'm gonna beat that jackmule's face in, and if you don't let me go, I'm gonna kick your flank too!" The gryphon was utterly surprised when a pale yellow pegasus jumped in front of her, standing on her hind legs with her forelegs spread out to the side. Gilda gave her a flat look. "Oh yay. Flutterklutz. That goes for you too, dweeb. Get the hay out of my way!"
"No!" She didn't move, no matter how much she was trembling. She was scared of the gryphon, but she was a clever pony. All those times Gilda stood up for her didn't go unnoticed, and Fluttershy didn't want her sometimes-protector to get to the always-bully. "P-Please, just forget him ... I-If you beat him up, you'll just get expelled ... !" The pegasus gasped as Gilda broke free from Dash's hold, and stalked up to her. She was far too angry to even think to go around Fluttershy.
"You think I don't mean it, dork?"
"I-I know you m-mean it, Gilda, but ... " The pony shuddered, gulping, before going on, "but I can't let you d-do this to yourself! You want to graduate from this academy more than - than anything! I know you're mad, but ... " She gulped again, and looked down to the ground, her eyes watering. "If you're going to beat him up ... You'll have to beat me up to."
Gilda raised a claw, balling it into a fist. "Sure will." Before she could let it loose, Fluttershy said something that shocked her to her core. Something that made her anger fly away, and her heart flutter.
"I love you." Gilda, full of confusion, turned, and walked away.
---
Gilda laughed. It wasn't funny, though. It was HILARIOUS. She laughed so hard she thought she would suffocate. Fluttershy. All that time. And she just forgot. And the best part?
She wasn't really writing about two characters. She was writing about herself. And she missed it all this time, never once suspecting that the pen she used knew more about her than she knew about herself. Laughter faded, and gave way to sobbing. Everything had seemed just fine, everything was okay, and now ... Now all that was gone. She understood now. She understood what she lost.
She'd gotten so angry at Fluttershy because she didn't want to admit she loved her, and now she lost her forever. Gilda picked up the quill. If she couldn't have a happy ending, her characters would, at least. She wiped her tears away, and got to work.
---
Gilda's Journal, November 11
I don't even want to talk about what I figured out today. I'm so bucked. I had everything I could ever want, and I bucked it all up for the sake of what? My pride? I guess that fits, yea. It's already screwed me over on everything else. Why? Because Fluttershy isn't "cool"? What does it matter, anyway...
I finished my novel. Took it to the publishing company. I think it was called Paradise Publishing. Heh. I basically just put the book on the desk, told the mare to give it to her boss, and walked out. Yea, that's not gonna get my book out there, but I finished it. It's off my chest. Back to life, right?
I need a buckin' drink...
---
Gilda didn't even hear that throbbing base anymore. She stared down at the drink on the counter. It wasn't a mixed drink this time, just straight up hard liquor. She was on the fifth such shot now, and she was learning that drinking while depressed just makes things much worse. The avian didn't care anymore, though, she just wanted more. She felt a hoof on her shoulder, and she shrugged it off, giving the offender a drunken glare. It was Boxcars. "Gi'off."
"Okay, okay." He held up his forelegs in a gesture of surrender, but didn't lose the sympathetic look. "I just want to make sure you're okay. I kinda feel like I took advantage of you, or something." Gilda rolled her eyes and slumped over the counter.
"Meh. I wuh s'more vodka." The bartender raised a brow, but poured a shot. As long as she was paying, he didn't care what state she was in. The pegasus, however, put his right foreleg in between Gilda and that glass. "Hey!"
"Look, it's Gilda, right? You're in some really bad shape. If you'd just ... "
She brushed him off, giving him a warning growl. "Jus' shup." She downed her sixth shot, but at least she didn't order another one. The trance music that was on the speakers right now wasn't helping her mood, and she couldn't work up the energy to speak up about her empty drink. The green pegasus awkwardly watched her for a few minutes before daring to speak again.
"If there's anything you want, or need ... "
"Wanna be 'lone. Okay? S'all I want." That was clearly a lie, but Boxcars knew that whatever she wanted, he couldn't give it to her. "Jus' ... Jus' go away." The gryphon laid her face on her own fore-legs, and the pegasus got up and walked off. He gave her a bit of a worried look as he did, heading out the door in short order.
"Do you think you're better off alone?" Gilda jerked her head up, and was about to deliver a stinging retort to the mare that said that, and saw no one was there. Her brow furrowed, and she was about to order another shot when she heard, "Do you think you're better off alone." After a moment in which she considered maybe she'd had a little TOO much alcohol, she figured out the voice belonged to the song that was playing. She looked over to the DJ, glaring, then stopped. There was something familiar about her. She had a very fluffy mane, and a balloon cutie mark. Gilda peered, trying to focus. It couldn't be Pinkie. This was a White pegasus with a blonde mane. But she looked so much like her. At that point, the gryphon decided it was time to go home.
As she was leaving, she stumbled a bit, and her eyes widened. Scrambling for the bathroom, Gilda ducked over a toilet bowl, with predictable results. When she was done, she felt much more sober, and was thanking Orion for that. The music was muffled in here, but she could still hear the lyrics to that song. The only lyrics. "Do you think you're better off alone?"
"No. No, I don't," she whispered to herself. "But it's too late now. I can't go back."
"Do you think you're better off alone?"
"I'm not arguing with a song, dammit!" She wasn't completely sober. Gilda sighed and slumped against the partition separating this stall from the next. "Oh, what's the buckin' point..."
"Do you think you're better off alone?"
"Whycan't I go back? Angry mobs! Yea, that's kinda a damper."
"Do you think you're better off alone?"
" ... No. No, buck that. Buck the angry mobs. I'm sick of being a stupid nag who can't swallow her own pride to save her life. I'm sick of being a jackmule." She burst out of the bathroom and dashed up to the stage. Predictably, a bouncer tried to stop her, but he just got bowled over by the gryphon. Gilda then pointed at the DJ, who blinked at her rapidly. "YOU. I know what you're up to!"
"I hope so! I've been DJing at this club for years!" The white pegasus beamed at her. "I hope you're liking the song! You looked sad so I thought I'd play a song for you!"
" ... Okay. No. I'm not falling for that. I know you're Pinkie! Somehow! And you know what?! I want to say I'm sorry for being a complete jerk all those times, okay?" The gryphon waved a claw to the side, looking in that direction. The white pegasus followed her gaze, still beaming widely, while waving off the security. "I could make excuses, yea. I could say you were interrupting my time with Dash, I could say you were really annoying me, I could say you were trying to push yourself onto me as a friend. But ya know what? It's all horseapples. I was the jerk, I was the bully, and I'm sorry. And now, I'm gonna go say sorry to everyone else." Gilda took off for the door, and the bouncer, a brown earth pony with a red mane, hustled up to the white pegasus.
"Ms. Surprise! You okay?"
"Yup!"
"Who was that clown?"
"No idea! But she seemed like she needed to rant at someone, so I let her!" Her eyes glanced to the mixing table and she gasped. "Ack! Gotta change the song back to work!" When the bouncer trotted away, Surprise smiled to herself, changing over to the next track. "She seemed like a pretty nice gryphon after all."
---
Gilda slept off her drunkenness. Thanks to her intimate time with a toilet bowl the previous night, her hangover was fairly light the next morning. When she sat up in bed, she took a deep breath. "No turning back now. Good thing this place came with furniture." The gryphon made up her bed, grabbed her journal, and headed for the door. She flew on towards Ponyville, deciding she had a lot of ponies to apologize to, and she didn't remember last night too well. She vaguely remembered apologizing to Pinkie, but that was blurry. So, her first stop was that bakery she worked in. Or at least she assumed the earth pony did. She threw PARTIES there, at least, and the gryphon thought there was a good chance Pinkie was throwing another one if it wasn't her place of employment.
She knocked on the door, and wasn't very surprised to find it immediately opened by Pinkie. "Hey. Look, don't throw a fit, or panic, or anything." The earth pony was just staring at her, expectantly. "I'm here to say sorry. I was a complete jackmule, and I know I owe an apology to a LOT of ponies, so I figured I'd start with you. I know, I betrayed your trust," she continued, not noticing that Pinkie wasn't even trying to get a word in. "But I mean it this time. I kinda had one of those epiphany things, and from now on, I'm not letting my pride get in the way. I really, really, really need to talk to Fluttershy, now. But yea. I'm sorr-" She got cut off as the pink pony stuffed a cupcake into her mouth.
"You talk too much, silly! Of course I'll forgive you! But you better go quick before anypony else starts up a mob or tells Dashie!" The door closed, and Gilda just swallowed the cupcake in her beak.
" ... I dunno why I even thought that would end differently." Taking to the sky again, the avian headed for the pegasus's home. She kept an eye on the ground to make sure none of the town's residents were organizing a good, old-fashioned torch and pitchfork parade. She didn't see anything, so Gilda sighed a bit in relief. Unfortunately, she didn't have the presence of mind to look up. So when she got tackled out of the sky, she was completely caught off guard, and hit the ground hard. Gilda groaned and raised her head, shaking it to try and clear the cobwebs. She had to catch her breath while a quartet of cyan hoofs hit the ground in front of her. "Ugh ... Buckin' Orion, I don't have time for you right now."
"That's just too bad, jerk." Rainbow Dash scraped a hoof along the ground, ready to pounce again, as Gilda pulled herself up. "I thought we chased you out of town?"
"Whatever. You're not going to stop me from seeing Fluttershy." The gryphon took in a deep breath, and set herself, preparing for Dash to make the first move.
"Like hay I'm not! I'm going to kick you into next week!" The rainbow-maned pegasus obliged. She lunged for Gilda, who jumped to the side and spun to face where Dash was going, grabbed her hind-legs, and pulled to the left. The weather pony's own momentum swung her and Gilda around, and the avian let go of her legs. Dash hit the ground sliding, her hindquarters sticking into the air until she finally stopped, at which point they hit the dirt again.
"Dash, you might be a lot faster than me, but you're really predictable. Now, chill, I just want to tell you I'm sorry."
The Element of Loyalty whipped around, glaring at Gilda. She was blushing a bit from being so easily thwarted, but in true Dash style, that wasn't going to get her down. "HA! I'm not going to fall for - Wait, what?" The pegasus was slightly dumb-founded. "Did you just say sorry?"
Gilda tried not to laugh from how confused the pegasus looked, and she mostly succeeded. She couldn't help a bit of a snicker, and when Dash glared, the gryphon lifted up her claws. "Hey, whoa. You just looked so confused there. Yea, I'm apologizing. I've been a real nag, and I know it. I realized it before, but I wasn't really tryin' to change or anything, ya know? But ... After what happened with Fluttershy, I'm not too hard up to admit I'm a real jackmule. I want to change that, but I can't." She settled down again, frowning, and tried her best to look sincere. "Not unless you let me, okay? So, I'm sorry. Sorry for calling you a flip-flop, sorry for getting so pissed at your friends, sorry for bullying Pinkie. And I'm ESPECIALLY sorry for telling you off when I was the one who deserved a nagging out." She looked down and to the side, considering if there was any more. " ... Oh yea. But I'm totally not sorry for saying Twilight was adorkable."
Rainbow listened as Gilda talked. The gryphon was surprised that she hadn't just cut her off. While that was a good sign, she really wished she knew what was going on in her old friend's head. Eventually, the pegasus smirked. "Yea. Twi is pretty adorkable. I'll give you another chance, Gilda, but if you buck it up this time, I swear-"
"If I buck it up this time," The gryphon cut her off. "I probably won't want to live anymore. Even if Fluttershy won't forgive me, I'm not about to walk out on you and Rarity. She's my friend, I guess. Are you?"
Rainbow Dash didn't even think twice. "Yea. I am, featherface. But I still think you should stay away from Fluttershy."
"C'mon, Dash, I-"
"HEY! EXCUSE ME!" A pegasus just about dropped out of the sky, and spread his wings just enough to not crash onto the ground. As it was, his landing was still fairly harsh. When the dust cleared, Gilda could only gape at the green coated, copper maned stallion that was brushing himself off. He had some saddle-bags over his back. "Uh, sorry. I was excited just to find you!"
"BOXCARS?!" Gilda's mind had only just kicked back into gear when she yelled out his name. "What're you doing here?!"
When his ears stopped ringing, the pegasus shook out the daze. "Uh, well, see ... I'm here about your book."
"My book. What, it was PUBLISHED?!"
"Aheh, not yet." He rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish grin. Dash just watched this exchange, more than a little perplexed.
"Then how the hay do you know about it?!" Gilda kept herself relatively cool on the outside, but on the inside, she panicked. "Oh man, did that mare at the desk read it?! Did she pass it out to her friends? OH MY FATHER ORION, IS EVERYONE IN MANEHATTEN LAUGHING AT ME?!"
"You gave it to one of my receptionists, remember?" Gilda's brain shut down again. "Uh ... Hello?" Boxcars waved a hoof in front of the gryphon's face. Eventually, she shook it off, and pushed his hoof away.
"You're - You're the guy who ... "
"Yea, I'm the guy who runs Paradise Publishing." At the extremely flat look both Dash and the avian gave him, he coughed and lowered his head. "Yea, uh ... I was young, okay? I kinda won the company in a game of poker, and didn't know what to call it."
"Soooo, lemme get this straight." Dash grinned over at Gilda, who very quickly gained a nervous expression. "You wrote a BOOK."
"Yea! It's not really that great right now, but with some editing it'll be amazing. I saw it on my desk, I saw your name in the cover, Gilda, and I just had to read it. It's full of mechanical errors, pacing problems, and some issues with sentence flow. But the characters are gripping, almost real! It's as if you were writing about yourself!"
"Yea, heh. That'd just be stu-" The gryphon was unfortunately cut off as Dash went for Boxcars's saddle-bags, and with a few protests from him, she managed to get said book free.
"Is that so? Let's see the dirt!" She flipped it open to a random page, and started reading. Gilda jumped at the pegasus, but she took to the air, then plopped down on top of the avian, pinning her.
"Gimme that, dweeb! Don't you dare read that!"
"Wow, fantasy, Gilda? You're a nerd?"
"Dash, I swear if you don't give me that book, I'll ... " Gilda started cursing up a storm, and Dash got very quiet. It took the gryphon a few moments, but she noticed how her old friend wasn't throwing insults back at her. "Hey! Are you paying attention to me?!"
The rainbow-maned pony closed the book, and tossed it to Boxcars. He fumbled with it, eventually catching it between his forehooves. "Okay, Gilda. Go on. Go see Fluttershy. I won't stop you. But you better not break her heart." The avian's cheeks went totally red as Rainbow Dash lifted off of her, and she just laid there for a moment, perfectly still. "Well? Go on! I'll keep your publisher buddy busy."
Gilda didn't need to be told twice.
---
The avian knocked on the door. She knew Fluttershy was in there, because she'd seen her run in. Trying to get away from Gilda. She'd had to steel herself to not cry just because of seeing that. The love of her life was terrified of her. But she'd fix that. She had to. She knocked, and knocked, and knocked. The door was never answered, though, and Gilda sighed heavily. "Fluttershy ... I know I hurt you. I'm sorry. I can't make up for what I did and said. I seriously want to punch myself in the face, but I think I punished myself enough last night with all that alcohol." She let off a humorless chuckle. This silence hurt a lot more than anything that happened last night, but the gryphon wouldn't say that. It'd just make Fluttershy feel worse. "I know you don't want to see me, but I think if I never said any of this, I'm not gonna be able to live with myself. So here goes." She took a deep breath, and sat on her haunches.
"When Dash started hanging out with you, I was jealous. I didn't want to share my friend with anyone else. But the more she hung out with you, the more I started to think you were my friend too. But ya know, I couldn't admit it. I was the most awesome thing to ever happen to the academy. Almost everyone respected me. Looked up to me. I couldn't be caught dead with a loser like you."
"So that's why I was your friend off the radar. I stood up for you when I could. I guess you noticed though, you were always the smartest of us three. You fell in love with me, didn't you? That's when, I bet. You told me too. I think that's when it happened. See, Fluttershy, I ... " Gilda couldn't stop the tears. they rolled down her cheeks and fell onto the Element of Kindness's doorstep. " ... I love you too. I was already crushing on you after a bit, I just didn't want to admit it. There was something about how nice you were to everyone, I guess. My exact opposite. That's what I liked about you. You were so nice, but so ... So ... So shy. Heh. I wanted to hold you, tell you everything would be alright when you were sad. But I was scared. I was too proud. I could only think about what others would think, and I ended up just convincing myself that I should care too much myself." She wiped her tears away on her wrist. She didn't even notice the door slowly and quietly opening.
"I guess what I'm getting at here is that I love you, Fluttershy. I love you. I'm not good at mushy stuff. I am when I write, I guess, but not when I talk. It's weird how that works. But yea. If ... If you want me to go away, leave you alone? I will. I just wanted to make sure you knew that I was sorry, and you knew how I felt. S-So ... " That was the first time Gilda had ever stuttered when she wasn't drunk. " ... Will you forgive me? I don't deserve it, but-" She lifted her head, and stopped short when she saw the pale-yellow pegasus standing in the now open doorway. Fluttershy stepped forward and wrapped her fore-legs around Gilda's neck, squeezing gently.
"I forgive you, Gilda. And I'm glad you feel the same way." Gilda slowly wrapped her own fore-legs around Fluttershy, closing her eyes and leaning her head onto the pegasus's neck. Fluttershy returned the favor. Gilda couldn't believe how soft Fluttershy's mane was. The avian gently dragged the hook of her beak through that long fur, preening it. She was crying, but she didn't care anymore. She didn't care what anyone thought.
"Yea ... So am I. If I missed out on you, I'd deserve anything I got." They remained in silence for what seemed like forever, but eventually, a carrot smacked the side of Gilda's head. She blinked and looked to the source. Fluttershy noticed her movement, and looked in the same direction. A rather peeved looking rabbit held up a stop-watch, and pointed into the house. "What's with the shrimp?"
"Oh! I'm sorry, Angel! I completely forgot about the soup! I hope it's not burned!" She rushed in, leaving Gilda on the doorstep. The avian hesitated, wondering if she could enter. Fluttershy leaped back into view in that same graceful manner she had in the kitchen, and that made Gilda smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't invite you in! ... If you want to come in, that is ... "
"Duh. Maybe this time I won't buck up so bad, too." She stepped in. "Oh, and Fluttershy?"
"Y-Yes, Gilda?"
"You're still a dweeb. Just my dweeb."
"I think I'm alright with that."
~~~
(Author's Note: I swear, 1000 Words from Final Fantasy X-2 came on when I was writing this last scene. The game had it's faults, but it's music was not one of them. This concludes this particular romance, and I'm going to leave the next pairing up to vote:
1. Mayor Mare and Big Mac, as I'm PRETTY sure was requested. One shot, straight up romance.
2. Zecora and Applebloom. I promise, no foalcon. This one is going to be pure comedy.
3. Any other pairing. I might turn down pairings that I find way too hard to do.
Gentlemen, put in your ballots.)