For all her life, Gilda has been living in an alien society. Feared by ponies and shunned by the few griffons living in Cloudsdale, she has spent her life largely adrift. The only times she never felt alone were those when she was around Rainbow Dash.
Now, five months after being brushed aside for her rude behavior, Gilda has come back to Ponyville. Her hope is to spend the holidays with her old friend as they've always done, that maybe their relationship isn't wholly over. But those new friends of Dash’s are still complicating things, and Gilda's lingering, crushing depression isn't helping matters either.
Out in the woods north of town, away from ponies and their irritating antics, the griffon finds something different. It doesn’t complain. It doesn’t judge. It is accepting and it is unforgiving.
But, above all else, it is silent.
Created for the EqD 2014 "Friend Off"
Edited and beta read by Nightwalker
Mildly edited and cleaned up in December of 2020.
Takes place during season one.
Now with Spanish translation. Thanks to SPANIARD KIWI for that.
You paint a fine picture. I'm a big fan of Gilda reconciliation stories
Wow... just wow...
I absolutely love everything about this.
The story idea
the way you describe everything
the characterization.
Just wow...
Only thing that could have made this even better would have been to actually describe her week in the woods, no matter how bare it might have been, to give it even more impact.
But still, this is absolutely fantastic and I can't wait to read more.
Thanks for this piece of art
Very nicely done, sets the right feel...
Have some sad risen, it goes with the chapter:
I'm also pissed that Gilda didn't get a chance of redemption so far in the series.
Considering all that they have achieved so far, with Twilight even becoming an alicorn, Gilda should have realized her mistake for taking them as uncool and wanting nothing to do with them.
Trixie is good and all, but Gilda is Rainbow's bucking childhood friend, they have been together at the academy for a long time. So why does Trixie get a chance on redemption, and Gilda doesn't? I think the writers should have set a priority here, hopefully she gets an episode in season 5, it was a long time coming.
Kotor,
The first thing I did after reading your comment and listen to the music, was go into my Steam library and install Risen. Never played it before, but there's a time for everything, right.
We need Gilda, and other griffons in the show. Maybe something involving their nation. Twilight has solved more than enough domestic issues. Its time for something international.
5582758 I just thought the music fits the atmosphere, especially with all the somber mood and the snow.
Let's see if Rainbow can understand Doubtful considering she has never been on the recieving end of racism herself
Er… Anachronic order? Flashback? Or just a dream?
5585671
A little of all three.
Gilda has issues. Time to see Zecora. She knows racism
How can this get any better?
Syrup? Are you trying to make this clean or steamy?
5588772
Maybe just sticky?
5586074
Now that this... a pairing I don't think I've seen before. Huh. Certainly be hilarious, as Zecora wouldn't take any of Gilda's BS.
That has the potential to be very cool. If rhyming zebras weren't so much a pain in the rear to write I might tackle myself.
Hmm, that Zecorda pairing sounds neat.
(WARNING: HEADCANON)
Maybe it would go a little like this. Gilda doesn't like regular, lame ponies. And all the wild looking masks Zecora has, coupled with the fact that she lives in the Everfree, makes the zebra cool in Gilda's book. I think that maybe Zecora was displaced by the Gryphus-Zebracan war (think zulu war) and emigrated to Sunbuttland. Maybe the war went south for the griffon's and Gilda was forced to seek amnesty in the same place after (HEADCANON) the state of South Gryphus fell. They tell both sides of the story, and become friends.
Just a quick idea I came up with.
5588939
Just the paring itself sounds cool and I don't think it's been done before. If only Zecora wasn't so hard to write.
Yeah, sure.... write in some underlying romance, too.
Damn...
If this gets any closer to the perfect fanfic, I feel like I'll have to pay you for writing it
5588772 My mind, do not tempt it, I just cleaned up in there!
And that, folks, is my sophomore story, Snowbound, all wrapped up. What was originally supposed to be a one shot ballooned into six chapters. I think the extra meat helps to 'flesh' out the story. See what I did there? Now I can start moving on to other story ideas.
Thanks to everyone who read, liked, and favorited this story. I would give you all vanilla lemon drops, but teleporters haven't been invented yet.
And a big shout out to Nightwalker, for proofreading, editing, and contributing several great ideas.
There can never be enough Gilda stories.
ATS
great ending to a great fic.
are you considering a sequel?
5592920
Thank you very much! It was an enjoyable partnership as always. I'm glad you approved of my contributions to it. All in all, we turned out a fine little fic, no question there.
5592920
I agree. You can never have enough Gilda. Good job fleshing out her backstory.
Hope to see more from you.
5582723 nope from the looks of things they will continue making the other 5 look bad just they can continue to pound the creator's pet that is twilight down our throats
5719763 ... what has that to do with my comment? You're referring to that they promote Twilight over all her other friends, yet it was clear in season 4 that she still has flaws and issues.
That's not what I was talking about.
I was talking about that Trixie, as a side character who is unrelated to any of the main 6, got a chance on redemption, while Gilda, who was Rainbow Dash's goddamn childhood friend, meaning here lies a very deep connection, gets no second episode at all, to resolve their differences.
If Gilda was so jealous of Pinkie interrupting her time with Dash, she was just visiting after all, then doesn't that mean Dash is really important to Gilda? With that in mind, shouldn't she contemplate eventually and come back to ponyville, or shouldn't dash visit her and make good on what happened?
There is a whole opportunity of friendship lectures and morals buried under this idea, so why don't make an episode about their reunion? Trixie barely had any friendship lesson to offer.
That's whats bothering me the most.
5588939 That idea sounds great, I love it!
5720248
So I know that I'm a bit late on this reply, but I was checking this author's stories out and happened to find this and thought I'd say something.
The thing here is that both of them are very prideful, and have a hard time acknowledging that they are wrong. I feel it is very likely that neither of them would go seeking the other for fear of seeming soft or lame or what have you. It was always my headcanon that the two both miss each other tremendously, but are simply too boneheaded to get together and work it out. At least until The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone came along and ruined it.
6146489 I'm not watching season 5 yet, still got some episodes of season 4 to watch, but I did get the information that there was an episode that finally included Gilda again.
Even if judging by your reaction, it was handled questionable.
At the very least I have closure that Gilda got another episode, it's just a bit annoying that it took 5 seasons for her to get another chance, while Trixie only needed 2 seasons.
DESPITE GILDA HAVING A DEEPER CONNECTION TO RAINBOW, AS THEY WERE CHILDHOOD FLIGHT PALS.
they banged >:3