2G

by Bysen

Gilda x Fluttershy

“Is it?!” Gilda stepped forward as she nearly yelled. “Is it really?”

“I-I mean… I haven’t seen you in quite some time. And I thou-” Fluttershy began.

“Strange. Because I seem to recall running into you about twenty minutes ago.” she said, stepping closer until she was less than a pony’s length away from the pegasus. “You didn’t seem so happy to see me then.”

Rarity stepped in between the two. “Please. There’s no need to raise our voices.” she said with neutral words but looking at Gilda. She turned to Fluttershy, placed a hoof on her chest and gave her friend a reassuring smile. “Now, I believe You had something you wanted to say, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy nodded and broke eye contact with Rarity to make it instead with Gilda. She then immediately broke that too to make it with the floor. “Well?...” Gilda asked. It was something to Fluttershy that Gilda was at least willing to let her talk. Looking away from the floor and briefly to Rarity first she finally reconnected with Gilda’s gaze.

“I just thought that… it’s good to see you again, um, despite how… I um, may have acted when I uh, ran into you. N-not like how I ran into you last time. But um-” Gilda growled at the memory from a number of years ago now when she’d last visited. How Fluttershy had ran right into her, flank first. Fluttershy let out another sound that could only be described as ‘eep!’.

“What I’m sure Fluttershy means to say is-”

“SHUT UP!!!” Gilda turned to Rarity and shouted, a vain [somehow through the feathers] visible on her neck. Rarity went wide eyed, pulled back and raised a hoof curved up against her chest. She turned back to Fluttershy. “If she has something to say… then she can SAY IT!”

Gilda returned to Fluttershy. Shivering, hiding behind her mane to no avail, their eyes locked once more. Though Fluttershy’s where down to pin pricks. Gilda kept her eyes locked to and stared [little did she know…] at the mare in front of her. Rarity shifted uneasily, not sure if she should say anything. She was unable to help her friend at that moment but luckily, as the next moment came, Fluttershy began to calm.

Still shakey, she had at least stopped being so literally. “My last day at flight school, you yelled and said awful, awful things… but you’d never been mean to me before then. Well, maybe a little. But nowhere near as much as those other foals. And no more than to Rainbow Dash. We never spent any time together ourselves but when we were both with Rainbow Dash you never seemed to mind me being there. Gilda… are we… where we ever… friends?”

Normally Gilda would consider this a win as as soon as Fluttershy had finished, she hung her head and looked away breaking their gaze. But whatever Gilda had expected, this had taken her aback. It even tugged on a few strings that she managed to quickly cut most of. But with genuine kindness in her voice she said “Fluttershy…” and reached a claw out and gently placed it under Fluttershy’s chin, lifting it to face her. When Fluttershy, doe-eyed looked back at her she added. “I never liked you.”.

“O-oh…”

“But I respected you.” Gilda added, pulling back and turning to leave. “You HATED being there. But you where there trying to make yourself a better flying. And I thought that was so cool. And then you left. To live on the ground. To give up.” and though she tried to hide it, the reason she’d turned away, she wasn’t crying, but her eyes watered just a little. Blinking it back in and knowing/hoping that was all of it, she turned back towards them. “You followed me here, had a ton of chances to come up to me and say anything. Instead you skulk around, not even very well, and come in through some backdoor, chat up the shopkeeper and get her to take your side doing what you should’ve done by yourself because you needed someone else's help to say ‘Hi’. That… THAT is why I don’t respect you anymore.”

Gilda was huffing. It had all turned to anger. She didn’t notice herself but flame was coming out of the sides of her beak and the occasional small gaught bursting forth. It wasn’t too common but gryphons [canonically] breathed fire when they got mad and she was barely keeping this entire building from burning down in her rage.

Fluttershy, for her part, was not doing what Gilda had expected her to be doing. Cowering, hiding, even running away. Instead she just looked shocked. As Gilda panted and the flames began to subside Fluttershy said “That’s not true at all!”

Gilda’s scowl held as she raised an eyebrow in bewilderment at such a blatant, laughable lie. “Really? Then why didn’t I see you come through that door?!” she motioned to the front door she herself had entered.

“Oh, no, that part’s true…” Fluttershy retreated her head as she said it. She came right back with “But what you said about leaving flight school. That’s… that’s not how it happened.” she said with confidence clear in both tone and posture. And if Gilda didn’t know better, she’d have believed her.

“Is that what you tell yourself?” Gilda scoffed.

“Yes. It is. Because it’s true.” she stood there. Holding her ground and keeping eyes locked. Gilda wasn’t sure if the pegasus remembered that about her but if she did, Gilda had to win now and held eye contact without blinking. Fluttershy blinked. But she didn’t look away. It wasn’t until Gilda narrowed her own eyes that Fluttershy’s mannerisms shifted back to their usual as she physically shifted backwards too. “Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to try and stare you down. I just… I just, want you to know…”

“You don’t think you quit?” Gilda asked. Fluttershy, looking away now, shook her head 'no'. Gilda heavily, audibly exhaled through her nostrils. She continued to stare at Fluttershy, even if she wasn’t returning the look. And while that would usually be a win to her, it somehow didn’t feel like one right now. She moved her gaze to Rarity, who without moving her head, shifted her eyes from Fluttershy to Gilda.

A sheepish smile cracked Rarity’s face. “Well then, now that that’s out of the way. Why don’t we see if that jacket fits. Fluttershy, would you assist me in the back room?” she said as the jacket alit in blue magick. “That is of course, if you’d still like the jacket?” she asked very posingly, practically a statement more than a question.

“I… guess…” Gilda replied.

“Wonderful. It won’t take a minute.” as she ushered her friend back behind the counter and into the workshop. Gilda didn’t know this but in the hyperbolic time chamber of her studio Fluttershy took a solid five minutes of calming before she could help with anything. That was only five seconds outside however. Gilda, for her part, did realise that’s likely what was happening, just not how long it was actually taking. And that asking if she still wanted the jacket was Rarity's way of keeping her here in the meantime.

Eventually, though not long, more than a minute, Fluttershy came out by herself with the jacket. “It’s ready.” she said, moving it from her back to the counter just beside Gilda. The gryphon stared at the pegasus for a moment. The exact moment Fluttershy’s eyes caught her’s was the moment she turned to look at the jacket instead.

“Gotta admit. You’re fast.” Gilda said, reaching out a claw to grab the jacket. It didn’t look like it had been added too but was clearly differently sized. Without anymore words she put a claw through a sleeve and it went perfectly down to the ankle/wrist. She then threw it over her back and shifted her wings until they went through their holes. The wing covers seemed they where the right length now too.

“W-would you like some help with those?”

Gilda paused. She’d said it herself earlier. How the hell was she meant to do up the belt on her wings without someone else to help her? Would she like help? No. Did she need help? Unfortunately, yes. “Sure. If you want to.” she extended a wing out horizontally to where Fluttershy could reach it. Although it was still a small bit above her from their size difference. With an elegance that Gilda didn’t expect from Fluttershy, she gentle began flapping her wings and took a perfectly level flight to reach it. “Subtle…”

“Oh. Was it that obvious I knew you’d need help with this?”

“The hovering. Don’t pretend like you’re not putting effort into it.” Gilda remarked as Fluttershy finished up the buckle to the exact right tightness. Gilda turned to face the pegasus.

“Oh, well I’m… is it meant to be hard?” Fluttershy accidently bragged as she came to a landing. Hovering at a stable level wasn’t hard, but it wasn’t easy either. And from what Gilda knew of Fluttershy, albeit from Xteen years ago, easy was hard for her. Medium like this would be extreme on that scale.

“Forget it.” Gilda offered her other wing to Fluttershy and clasped the zip at the bottom of the jacket together before zipping it up. Fluttershy took flight again and did it up while Gilda reached the collar with her zip. She looked over her shoulder at Fluttershy and waited for her to finish before walking over to the mirror the second she was done. She saw Fluttershy fly softly to just behind her and land in the mirror before looking to herself in it.

Again, the jacket should look absolutely ridiculous [and it still kinda did] but somehow it suited her well. The collar was zipped but the belts weren't done up and with the zip seemed redundant. Guess they could be used to tighten the folds so that they could be loose over the face or right up against it for warmth. Flapping her wings, she found she had much more of a range of motion in the jacket than she’d thought she would’ve.

“Do you like it? I helped Rarity make this one.”

Fluttershy had asked just an instant before Gilda was about to ask ‘How much was it again?’ and almost didn’t want to ask it now. But even if it wasn’t practical for right now, it would be good come winter. Not to mention it was an amazing jacket and cheaper than she’d thought. Though more than she’d ho- damn it. “You made it?”

“Oh yes. I’ve helped Rarity with a number of her designs. As a seamstress, a helpful eye or even a model.” she accidentally bragged once more. “This one was certainly the former and I’m quite proud of it. And I have good news too.”

“And what’s that?” Gilda asked, turning her head from looking at Fluttershy in the mirror behind her to facing her, at least with one eye.

“It’s a gift.”

“As in free?”

“Yes.”

“And you can just… GIVE this to me?”

“Of course. That’s what friends do.”

“I’ma stop you right there.” Gilda turned even further, from side eyeing Fluttershy to being right in front of her and invading her personal [ponysonal?] space. “I told you before, we’re not friends. I don’t like you. And no jacket will change that. Got it dweeb? We. Are not. Friends!” her voice just a fraction below what would be considered shouting. She wanted to make this clear.

“I… I…” Fluttershy began.

“Why do you care so much? Even back in flight school, did you even think I was your friend then?”

“No, but I-”

“Then why are you trying so damn hard? It’s embarrassing, really.”

“I… was talking about Rarity. She let me choose what to do with the jacket… because that’s what friend’s do.”

“Oh.” yeah… one of them was certainly embarrassed now.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think you’d be offended by it being just given away. I know how gryphon can be when it comes to bits.” slightly racist… but not un true. “I should’ve known that getting something you think is valuable for free could be bad too.”

“No. No… it’s fine.” Gilda replied, though she turned to looking back at the mirror as she did. Partly because she didn’t want Fluttershy to take back the offer of a free jacket, but mostly because she genuinely felt bad. She wasn’t totally unfamiliar with the concept of kindness and generosity, having started her friendship with Greta after giving her a free muffin. And thinking of those two concepts she felt as if there was somehow a link between them and these two ponies… na.

Gilda stood looking at herself in the mirror, eyes locked on herself but not really inspecting anything. Just staying put to avoid possibly locking eyes with Fluttershy. If she did… she’d probably look away first right now. A long moment passed in silence until Fluttershy walked up beside her and turned slightly to face Gilda. “I think it looks good on you.”

It was nowhere near as long as the last silence had been but there was another brief yet noticeable pause between Fluttershy, and Gilda’s “Thanks.” as she turned her head to meet Fluttershy’s gaze. Luckily for Gilda, as she turned back and broke the stare, Fluttershy did so too. “You didn’t need that unicorn’s help you know.”

“What do you mean?”

“Sneaking around and having to have someone with you just to say ‘hi’. Super lame.”

“I know… at least, I know that now. But… it was something I thought would be hard for me. And I thought that maybe, having a friend there with me when I did would make it easier. And, even if I didn’t need it in the end, it did help. That’s what friends do. They help whether you need it or not.”

Gilda didn’t hear the last few words after that one particular line. The first time she’d heard it she’d been amused. The second time angered. But this third time… “Oh funk…”

“Excuse me?”

“N-nothing. I just… I gotta go.” she turned and headed for the door. The jacket she was wearing was still free right? Hope so because she was leaving in it. She grabbed the door handle and pulled. The bell rang and she stepped out. But before she left “Fluttershy.” she called back. “It was… nice seeing you again.” before she stepped out and the door slowly closed behind her.

With a few flaps that barely felt like they had anything at all strapped to them, Gilda took off. She knew/hoped he hadn’t left yet and flew out of Ponyville. Not too far, but far enough that she could watch all ponies flying around it for any that where coming out of it and heading east. Not that Gallus was a pony. That’s just all she could see at the moment. He was Fluttershy at this moment. Which was a weird analogy. But I’m sure you get the comparison.

So she waited there. Hovering about, though not the delicate steady hover Fluttershy had done before. A rough, open air hover that dropped about half a metre and then rose again between the flaps of the wing. She waited for quite a while too. Long enough to think she may have already missed him and she’d have to make a choice of going back into town to look for him or start flying to Gryphonstone to try and catch up with him.

Taking another look around, she finally saw the pair of blue wings flapping in her direction that she’d been waiting for. “Oh you have gotta be shitting me.” she muttered. With incredible speed and a near instant stop, she was suddenly face to face with…

“Hey Gilda. Long time no see.” said Rainbow Dash.

Author's Note:

So these where my notes for the last 3 Gilda chapters. Doesn't really seem like 3 chapters worth but that's what happens when you spend half a chapter describing jackets...

Plan:
Laugh leave
Run into fluttershy
Eep gtfo… w/e
Go to that cloth shop. Maybe a cool jacket like that punk mare in that photo there
Looks around, talks a little, leaves
Fluttershy comes in
Something something thats what friends do
Oh, this is her? [punk ratity]

Also, if you can't click the hyperlink in the story, this is the jacket she's wearing.
http://imgur.com/a/3yD3Ayp
It's so stupid... I love it!