Old Paths, New Directions

by An-Twan Star

The Future

A deafening silence had overtaken the study, broken only by the soft creaking of the phoenix’s gilded, swaying cage. Philomena herself remained silent, as though she understood the pain of her fellow avian. Gilda was still lost to her memories, her golden eyes unfocused as she absentmindedly played with her jacket zipper.

“Apparently, back when I took the Equestrian Society test, the government was hawking over the results,” the griffon eventually said, picking up her story again. “My top score must have been perfect for their little scheme. The ‘Young Ambassador’ program.”

“Their scheme?”

“Yes!” the exasperated griffon hissed, her talons balling up. “The scheme that landed me here in the first place!”

“I wouldn’t be so quick to judge,” Celestia’s stink eye kept Gilda rooted to the spot. “The Young Ambassador’s program has been a pet project of mine for many years. I created it with the hope that by having members of the different races living and working closely together in a normal, unofficial environment, it would help breed understanding and tolerance in the young generation. It still needs some work, it seems.” Celestia grimaced to herself, pointedly ignoring Gilda’s abashed expression.

“There were several problems with it that year,” the Princess resumed her explanation. “One of the original candidates had to back out at the last minute due to family issues. Questions arose about the suitability of his replacement; she had originally been rejected for a position due to distinctly low grades in many of her studies – math, science, literature, even griffon history, among other things.

“Luckily, the original family was still willing to accept her, but that luck only went so far.” Gilda sent a well-intentioned glare Celestia’s way for using “luck” to describe her predicament. Brushing this aside, the Princess continued. “Due to the shock and pain in her heart, the griffon expressed herself in various unsavory ways to her surrogates and was eventually removed from that household.

“I believe you know the rest.”

Even after Celestia's revealing speech, Gilda still had more questions than answers. She knew from the get-go that the Princess had something to do with it, but even so, the same question as always played in her mind. Why did it have to be her? Just... why?

She decided she might as well ask. “If what you’re saying is true… How did I ever get past the assessment stage to make final placement?”

“There was political pressure from the other side of the table,” Celestia explained. “I wasn’t privy to the wranglings going on back in Gryphus, but I put my trust in my counterpart’s judgment and let it pass. Perhaps I should have given it a closer look?” she asked, one brow raised.

Gilda was ignoring her though, lost in thought as her unfocused gaze wandered the papers on Celestia’s desk. She shook her head. “None of this was my doing, I said as much in that letter. I never wanted to be in Equestria in the first place. I mean, I didn't even know I was a part of the program until I was given the notice. Nogriff ever told me; not my teachers, not my parents...”

“Gilda,” Celestia soothed. “I am just as clueless as to why your parents would keep you in the dark –“

“Ha!” Gilda laughed – a hollow, sarcastic laugh. “It’s prolly 'cuz they were just too busy to deal with a moody teen griffon that almost failed primary school and thought it would be a great way to have her out of their feathers for a few years.” Her sardonic expression softened, clearly revealing the pain underneath. “Come to think of it, they weren't around very often, I guess they thought the servants had me under control and weren’t in the mood to deal with it when they found out otherwise.”

“Oh... I see.”

Celestia waited for Gilda to say more, but the griffon was lost in her memories. She decided best to wait until Gilda was ready to say more and rose from the desk, pacing towards the balcony windows to look over the orange rays of the setting sun.

“Ugh, I'm such a dweeb,” Gilda finally groaned, flapping her wings in an effort to cool her temper. “I can't believe I'm getting all worked up over this.”

“We all have insecurities,” Celestia gazed out the large bay window, the sunset silhouetting her body. “Expectations; beliefs, and problems.”

“Even you?”

Celestia faced the griffon. “Especially me, Gilda. Especially me.

“But,” the princess grabbed up the friendship reports with her magic and filed them away once more. “You can help me with one of those problems.”

The letter on the desk from earlier was opened by Celestia, revealing to Gilda that it was some kind of property deed. “What is this?” she asked.

“After you completed the Young Ambassador program, you enrolled in an equine research position with the Gryphus Consulate.”

“Yeah, and?”

“This deed is to the house that you currently reside in. It and several other Gryphus owned properties around Equestria were recently liquidated – due to the latest round of budget cuts, I’m sure.”

“Liquidated? Does that mean I’m being... evicted?” Gilda paled at this new development. She knew that eviction was inevitable given how Gryphus was downsizing its political presence, she just didn’t think the news would have come to her like this! She couldn’t believe the Princess would be cruel enough to bring her all the way just for this.

“That would have been the case, had I not stepped in.”

Gilda’s tail and brow twitched at that. “Okay… So, why? And why all the song and dance today?”

“Because I wanted to see you; speak with you. I wanted to know why one of my most reluctant ambassadors seemed to have done everything she could to stay in a land she never wanted to be in in the first place.” Celestia trod back over, her golden shoes clicking softly on the marble. “I’d say you’ve answered that. So now we come to the matter of your future in Equestria, and your home in particular.”

As much as Gilda wanted to just leave right then and not hear the Princess out, the more she thought about it, the more she realized just how fortunate she was. She would have been on the streets, looking for a way too expensive apartment of her own in one of the major cities, or trying to split rent with strangers or co-workers from the embassies there. Either way, her hope of saving enough to return to Gryphus on her own in the foreseeable future would have been crushed if the Princess hadn’t stepped in.

“I have seen that expression on many griffons in my time. I'm guessing you want to break even?”

“I’m wondering what you think that me, of all griffons, could possibly offer you that would be worth a home. So, yeah.”

This time it was Celestia with the sardonic smile. “In that case, I have a new job proposal for you. Or rather a proposal that you take an old job in a new direction.” Gilda cocked her head inquiringly at the alicorn. “In exchange for the home, I need you to take your old studies and turn them around. Instead of telling a story about ponies, tell a story about griffons.”

“Tell a story about griffons?” Gilda asked with a dubious tone. “Me?”

“Yes, you.” Celestia turned away from Gilda and paced back to the window, gazing out upon her setting sun. “One of the advantages of being as long-lived as I am is that I have the ability to actually see history repeating itself. The road that Gryphus and Equestria are heading for now is not one that I wish to travel again if I can help it.” She turned her head back to Gilda. “Are you familiar with The Containment?”

Gilda nodded, at least remembering that much of history class. Having been defeated on the plains of Canterlot and driven from their initial claw-hold in New Yoke, the griffon military turned to their one area of superiority over ponies; their navy. They couldn’t defeat the ponies on their own turf, but they could keep them from going anywhere else. For decades, griffon ships prowled the Equestrian coastline, picking off any pony ship unlucky enough to fall into their clutches. Ponies weren’t as adept at sailing and had never been able to construct ships equal to the griffons.

Equestria could survive on its own bottled up like that, but it couldn’t truly thrive. So, like almost all pony solutions, The Containment wasn’t solved by direct confrontation or force of arms; it was solved by diplomacy. And more importantly, economics. Ponies couldn’t beat the griffons on the seas, so they beat them in the markets. What ponies may have lacked in industrial might was more than made up for in magic. The pegasi, with their weather control ability, were tasked with maintaining optimal growing conditions for many crops farmed by the earth ponies, to ensure maximum yield. Unicorn magic was capable of crafting anything beyond griffon technology. Any goods that didn’t absolutely need to be shipped by sea were either flown to their destinations or were taken by caravan.

“It took us a couple of centuries to win your people over that first time,” Celestia continued, “but eventually we both started to warm up to each other. Trading occurred, consulates were built, and proper international relations were established. I’ve always strived to maintain those relations between our people, as I’ve always believed we’re stronger together than apart. ”

Even though Celestia couldn’t see her, Gilda tried not to roll her eyes at the history lesson and dryness of international politics.

“But, there are always those who believe otherwise, and right now they seem to have the upper hoof. Or talon. You’ve felt their influence directly, it’s why you’re here. The cooling of relations between our peoples has been gradual but by now is clearly undeniable. It started with the first closing of the embassy in Las Pegasus. Along with the embassy, quite a few goodwill programs were canceled entirely. As a result, relations inevitably further soured.” She turned to Gilda once more, her ethereal mane framed by the windows behind her. “Now I have not spent centuries nurturing relations between our peoples just to see it backslide into some self-imposed version of The Containment. This is where you come in.

“What I’m asking is that you become an Equestrian ambassador.” Celestia continued over Gilda’s suddenly dumbfounded expression. “You will be undertaking research, much like your original Gryphus Consulate post. But instead of researching Equestria, I want you to research Gryphus, and tell us all a story we won’t soon forget. Any documents you prepare will also be forwarded to my protege in Ponyville. She is very keen to start her own inquiry into the subject as well.”

“So let me get this straight,” said Gilda, picking up her beak from where it had dropped. “You’re asking me, of all griffons, to teach ponies about a subject that I know so little about?”

“Not quite. At least not yet.” Celestia shook her head. “You are approaching this from the wrong angle.”

“So then, how am I supposed to approach this?”

“Don’t think of yourself right now as a teacher. Think of yourself as a student.” Celestia magiced over a thick book from a nearby shelf and placed it in front of Gilda. “I need you to educate yourself first on the matter before you’re capable of educating others.”

Curiosity piqued, the griffon examined the book, glancing at its title and flipping it open to a random page.

“I asked my student which book would best benefit a griffon who wanted to ‘brush up’ on her history, and this one came highly recommended.”

“But, if she’s reading these books and recommending them to me, then why am I needed?”

“Twilight is one of the most brilliant unicorns I’ve ever taught, but in her heart, she is still a researcher. And while all her research is concise and factual, it’s all been gleaned from books like that one. I think she would be thrilled to also hear it straight from the griffon’s beak, so to speak.” Celestia smiled. “And I don’t think she’d be the only one. If we want this story to become anything but the kind of dry, academic research that Twilight would provide, we need to put a real face on it. We need to put entertainment value behind it. Personally, I think that a little wit would go a long way.”

“Hey, if sarcasm is what you need, then I’m your girl!” Despite the downward gaze at the book in front of her, Celestia could still see Gilda’s eyes. She saw the anger and pain she had noticed since the griffon had first walked into her study, but there was now a small twinkle in those golden orbs. A spark, desperate for something new to pass the time, even if it was just research.

“I have a feeling that you’re capable of far more than just sarcasm, Ambassador Goldtalon.”

Gilda flinched slightly at the mention of Goldtalon. Ugh, my official pony name, I hope I don’t get used to it. Even so, it was a job and it would allow her to continue with her plan. She’d certainly put up with worse to achieve her goal.

Folding the book closed, she rested her paw on the cover and took a deep breath before she looked up at Celestia. “Okay. You got me. I’m in.”

The solar diarch favored her with a smile as she resettled her great white wings. “I’m quite glad to hear that.”

Gilda noticed the window behind the Princess, also noting the low angle the sunset’s rays had taken. “Ah, damn!” she exclaimed. “ I gotta get going!”

Celestia looked out the window also, seeming to just realize how late the day had grown as well. “Indeed. This conversation has lasted longer than I had expected.”

Gilda rose from her sitting position, slowly regaining feeling in the back leg that she didn't know had fallen asleep.

Celestia walked to the room’s large glass doors and opened them, exposing the balcony. “You may take off from here.”

Seeing the open balcony, Gilda quickly limped her way there, then limped back to where she had sat to retrieve her history book. After safely stowing the tome away in her satchel, she joined the solar diarch on the deck in the warm evening breeze. Not wanting to waste any more precious daylight Gilda spread her wings and tensed for takeoff, but a stray thought kept her grounded.

She was in the presence of Equestrian royalty. And, even though Gilda was a prideful griffon, she couldn't just... brush her off like that. Could she? Some parting words needed to be said, but a nagging question snuck past her beak.

“Why did she do it?”

Celestia inclined her head at this, her perked ears silently bidding the griffon clarify.

“I mean, there's millions of ponies in Equestria. Why did it happen to be my dream she found?”

“Well Gilda, that is a good question, one that I have no answer for, sadly,” Celestia replied with a shrug of her great head and a languid blink. “It’s something you’d have to ask my sister. I understand the basic premise of dream-walking, but the actual function of 'finding dreams' is unknown to me. Only Luna understands that power. Just like how I only understand my own.”

Gilda mulled this over, then nodded, begrudgingly accepting the answer. Slapping her talons down on the white marble rail, she pulled the rest of her body up and stood with an expert balance.

When she finally spoke her parting words, Gilda realized just how long it’d been since she’d last said them and how much they meant now. “Thank you. For everything that you’ve done for me, thank you.”

The orange of the setting sun glinted in Celestia’s ethereal mane as the alicorn favored the griffon with a demure smile. “You’re quite welcome. Citizen of Equestria.”

Daylight was precious, and time was wasting, so the griffon took to the skies. She looked to the west and quickly estimated how much daylight the sky would have to offer.

I have about an hour’s worth, which will make this tight. Maybe I could have tried asking for an extension… Nah. Best not push it. Prolly best to not look the – ugh – gift horse in the mouth.

The setting sun drove the flier to strive for more altitude and speed. Just as she left Canterlot airspace, she heard it.

“Gilda!”

It was far enough away that she thought it was in her head. But she swore that it sounded just like –

“Gilda!”

The griffon snapped her head downwards and saw the same green horsefly from earlier buzzing up to meet her. “Urgh, I thought that pony went home,” Gilda growled. Despite this, she still slowed to see if it was something important – which she doubted. Lightning Dust fell in abreast of Gilda and immediately started spouting questions.

“You mind telling me what happened back there? What’d they bring you in for?”

“What?” Gilda was stunned that Lightning knew about what had transpired. “How do you know about that?”

The pegasus’s ears pinned back in embarrassment. “Well, I was kinda, sorta following you to the castle gate and all. Thought maybe, just maybe we could hang out after. Anyway, everything seemed fine, until the guards dragged you away and –!”

Gilda quickly held up her talon. “Woah! Hold it right there! Firstly, I wasn't 'dragged' away, I was ‘escorted.’ There’s a difference.” Usually one involving leg-irons.

Lighting tried to continue but was silenced again.

“And secondly, any business I had with the Princess is private.”

Lightning's face displayed a plethora of disbelieved expressions, her mouth sputtering in unison.

“Y-you had teatime with the Princess?!”

Instead of face-pawing, Gilda decided to play with the pony. She leaned her head back and raised her brow in an aloof expression. “So what if I did?”

The pony was incredulous. “So what if you did?! You were with Princess Celestia, the big mare herself! Why are you so special?”

“Well...” Gilda examined her talons in a snooty fashion. “Because I happen to be a princess of Gryphus.”

The flapping of the fliers' wings was the only sound in the sky.

“Really?” Lightning asked with a flat tone.

“No! Not really. Look, nothing happened, okay! 'Sides, just because you didn't see royalty on the first day doesn’t mean you won't at all. With your position, I bet you will see a lot of them in the future.”

“Yeah, but, you flew off her balcony. Since when does that happen, unless…” Lightning Dust’s muzzle quirked in a mischievous grin. “You're her widdle carrier pigeon, oh yes you are, oh yes you are!”

A younger, angrier Gilda would have easily lashed out at such patronizing behavior. But her mind wanted to take new paths.

“Tch, with the way Celestia fawns over subjects, that may not be too far from the truth.”

“Ha! I hear that!” Lightning declared. “Still not as bad as my mom, though.”

Griffon and pony alike shared a laugh that quickly ended. The former looked at the twilight sky and realized that she had about an hour’s worth of light for her roughly two-hour flight home.

“Yeah, uh, LD, I'd love to hang around and chat, but I gotta jet. Light is wasting away and I don't have the moon on my side either.”

“Um, the moon was full last night, and I don't think it’s changed very much since.”

“Wait, the moon was full?” Gilda asked, dumbfounded.

“You seriously didn't notice the moon?”

“I have to wake up at four-thirty in the morning!” Gilda exclaimed. “Come eight or nine I’m typically asleep. I can’t be bothered to check the sky.”

“Then you should bother to check your calendar.”

“I'll have to do that next time,” Gilda chuffed.

Lighting waved her hoof dismissively. “Don't sweat it, 'tis just the services of your friendly neighborhood Lightning Dust.”

“Alright,” the griffon addressed the mare. “Now that you're done checking on me or whatever, why are you still following me?”

“Following you!” Lightning sputtered. “You're the one who won't stop! Besides, I don't plan on returning to Cloudsdale anytime soon. So you don’t need to worry about being disturbed by little 'ol me –”

“Dust?” Gilda interjected softly.

“Yeah?”

“You-you're alright. For a pony.”

Lightning grinned. “Yeah, I have that effect –“

“What you did back on that roof, that rarely happens for me. Most ponies are either too afraid or too intimidated to approach me. I mean, just because I look different doesn't mean I am.”

Gilda expected some sort of wise-crack about how sappy this was, and was surprised when it didn't come. Instead, Lightning was holding out her hoof.

“Well, it was my first real day on the job, and you were a long hauler like me, so I couldn't resist. And honestly, it looked like you needed the company.”

Gilda silently agreed with her, even if she would never admit it.

“Plus you looked awesome.”

That brought a smile to her beak. “Well now, I can't lie, I am pretty awesome!”

I just wish my awesomeness didn't get in the way so much.

Seeing Lightning's hoof still outstretched, Gilda reached out her talon but stopped. She then balled a fist and knocked it against the hoof.

“Hah,” the pegasus laughed. “I knew there was a little pony in you.”

Gilda practically bristled at the allegation. This only succeeded in causing all her feathers to puff up, something that did not go unnoticed by Lightning Dust.

“Pffft! Bwahahaha!”

“Tell anypony and they’ll never find your body, Dust,” Gilda growled at her.

Lightning defensively threw her hooves up. “Woah now, no need for that.” She leaned in close. “Your secret is safe with me.”

“Oh yeah?” Gilda challenged. “I'm sure it is.”

Another mischievous grin stole across Lightning’s muzzle and she dipped closer to Gilda. “Well… there is one way to make doubly sure that nopony knows about your ruffled feathers.”

“And what would that be?”

“Let me feel them.”

“Oh ho ho! I see what you're playing at,” chided the griffon, swerving away from the pegasus. “No, you have to earn that right first!”

Already knowing that Lighting would play dirty with big eyes, Gilda was forced to compromise.

“Ugh, fine! How about this then. Next time I molt, you can have all the crappy feathers. Do whatever you like with them; preserve them, throw 'em in the trash – hell, make a pillow out of them to practice your lame pick up lines on.”

“What?! I wasn't hitting on you!”

“Oh, sure, sure you weren’t,” Gilda playfully mocked her, narrowing her eyes and bobbing her head. “It just looked that way. I believe you. Totally.”

A stark silence befell the two, something that was unbearable to one of them.

“Was it really that lame?”

“Oh no, Dust. 'Let me feel them' is a great pickup line!”

“I didn't mean it like that! I swear!” Gilda could swear she saw red on the pony’s turquoise cheeks and it wasn’t from the sunset.

A rumbling, gurgling sound hit both their ears.

Lightning looked at her own stomach. “Uh, hey. Wouldn't you know it, I'm late for a date with dinner.”

“A date?”

“Yes, Gilda. With dinner.”

“Is that what you call her now? Maybe you’ll introduce us sometime.”

“L-like you have any room to talk! Your stomach's been howling the whole time.”

As soon as Lightning pointed it out, Gilda felt the hunger pains hitting hard.

“Ugh, well the Princess didn't give me any crumpets or whatever those things are that rich ponies eat.”

“Yeah,” Lightning replied. She shrugged. “Guess we should get home and feed the beasts, right?”

“Yeah, guess you’re right. Later, Dust.”

The pony broke away and, finally, headed home. “I'll be seeing you next week!” she shouted to the griffon.

Gilda shook her head. Not like I have a choice.

---

A few hours later found Gilda on the doorstep of her home. True to Lightning Dust's word, the moon shone brilliantly and offered more than enough light for the return trip. Despite the new developments, she entered the house the same way as always – tired and hungry. Her satchel and jacket were shed and dropped on the floor by the entrance; she couldn’t be bothered to properly hang them up right then and was thankful just to be out of them. A spot of leftover fish from the fridge partially helped alleviate her gnawing hunger. But instead of putting her to sleep like it usually did, the fish helped to recoup some lost energy.

Gilda wanted to sleep, but her heart had different plans. Swallowing the last of the cold fish, the griffon went into her least favorite room, the study. Instead of the usual half-hearted writing about ponies that Gilda used the room for, she was in there for much different reasons. She examined the bookcases that flanked the room, full of equestrian knowledge. That would have to change soon if she was to pull off this new endeavor. But, for now, all that was needed was a space for the new addition. Gilda pried an opening on the shelf for the book and groaned in frustration when she realized where that book was. I’ll let Future Gilda get that one.

So instead, she sat before the veritable mess of a desk and gathered up all the loose – and now redundant – research papers into a loose stack. With the space mostly cleared, she could now organize all her quills and different colored inkwells at the top of the desk. Finished, she gathered the stack of documents in her talons and stopped briefly to consider her new role.

Ugh, tell a story about griffons? I'm gonna have to sleep on that one.

Gilda opened the drawer for copied documents, and as she placed the papers in their final resting place, her talon brushed against something hard. Without seeing it, she knew exactly what it was. She hadn’t set eyes on it since it was unceremoniously shoved to the back there almost two years ago. The glass-less frame she pulled from the drawer contained a faded picture of two fliers who had just graduated Junior Speedsters. The fledgling griffon in the picture had head feathers that were a dark, juvenile brown, speckled with adult white feathers that were just coming in – and the pony had a prismatic mane. Their smiles told of different, happier times. A small shard of glass that stubbornly clung to the corner of the frame told the latest chapter of their story. But instead of bitterly throwing it back in the drawer, she drew it closer.

You were the first pony that gave me the time of day in this godforsaken country, she thought. But those days are gone...

After having a moment with the photograph, Gilda stood back up with it and left for her bedroom. With one talon holding the frame and the other trying to finagle out the shard, she was forced into a bipedal walk, which wasn't a problem for the griffon. Once she freed the glass and tossed it in the trash, she crawled onto her bed. As she laid down on the comforting mattress, all the stress put on her body from flying all day began to show. Sleep would help with that, she just had to hope she could come by it soon.

Gilda rolled onto her side facing the nightstand and stood the picture up in its rightful position. Over the past few years, the griffon had gone through a plethora of emotions over what that picture meant; from rage at Pinkie Pie for coming in between them, to anger and loathing at her own insecurities, and finally to sorrow over Dash's rejection of her. If they were better friends, they would have reconciled, but stubborn pride on both sides was their downfall.

It was you that told me to find new friends, but I never felt ready...

Gilda lay unmoving in the bed, with eyes glued to the picture, trying to travel back to the time it was taken. She placed herself in her own skin back then and wondered if she had changed at all since then, or was she still the same sarcastic, spiteful fledgling in the picture.

...Until now.

She was torn. While the day had not presented her with any new opportunities to leave the ponies for Gryphus forever, she was still on course for that goal. But what was there for her, really? A family that had shunned her and sent her away, and a society she had never felt a part of and only grown further apart from due to her many years away. Here was a home, here was… a friend. One new, cool friend. Either stay for her and fulfill Rainbow’s suggestion – or return to a homeland that had nothing for her. The choice bounced around Gilda's head until the sandmare claimed her once more.

Only for you, Dash.

Comments

[Seether00]

Looks like Gilda's made her choice.

She is kind of another one of Celestia's students now... sort of. Mistreated by both peoples, she would be the one to bridge the gap.

[NobleValor]

If it's only four chapters long then how come the incomplete tag is still on it? Unless you're gonna build from here! (I really, really hope that's the case! )

[nightwalker]

5331688
The tale is done, but the story is not. If that makes any sense.

An-Twan I known wants to return to this 'verse and this pairing, as do I. We'll see what the future brings.

[PresentPerfect]

Wow, I'm really impressed with how you turned this around. :D You get a little mired in the backstory and world-building, but I would read the heck out of Gildust friendshipping (or just normal shipping). Their dynamic is great, and your Gilda is drawn up well. Good job!

[kotor511]

Another mischievous grin stole across Lightning’s muzzle and she dipped closer to Gilda. “Well… there is one way to make doubly sure that nopony knows about your ruffled feathers.”
“And what would that be?”

“Let me feel them.”

Yes please let her "feel them"