2G

by Bysen

Gilda x Rainbow Dash

Gilda blinked. Other than that, her face was completely motionless. In a combination of disableif, annoyance and surprised. Or more commonly known by gryphons who actually had a handle on their emotions as shock. For starters Gilda wasn’t expecting Rainbow Dash for another day at the least and realistically another after that, maybe more.

“Nice jacket.” Rainbow said after a silent moment passed. She still didn’t get anything from her. “I heard you where in Ponyville, so I double timed it back home. Glad I ran into you out here, looked like you were about to leave. Imagine. Coming all the way here and not catching up with each other.” she laughed and made a dismissive hoof motion at the idea.

“Yeah… imagine.” Gilda finally answered. She was about to leave… but you knew that. She’d already made that choice, choosing to help Gallus. That wasn’t the right word. He didn’t need help, he wanted it. Support Gallus. She’d chosen to support Gallus over staying here and waiting to see Rainbow Dash. So her being here shouldn’t change that at all. Shouldn’t...

Something about Gilda’s tone confused Rainbow. Like she didn’t want to. Sure they weren't that close anymore but last time they’d met they’d at least made up enough to part on good terms. And so for the second time today, Gilda heard the question. “Gilda, are we friends?”

The answer this time was a lot simpler. “Duh.”

Well to her it was. “Uhh… is that ‘Duh, of course’ or ‘Duh, of course not’?”

“What, do you want a hug or something for an answer?” she said, mockingly opening her arms. “Yeah, we’re friends. I guess [b-baka].” whether she misread it or just didn’t care, Rainbow Dash hugged her. Gilda froze. Even falling a little before she started flapping her wings again. Arms still open, she closed one giving her friend a half hug. She’d heard some anecdotes about how good a hug felt. They over sold it. Sure, it was nice, but… that’s about it.

Dash pulled away from Gilda and quickly looked about to see if anypony saw that. There wasn’t anypony for miles. A few dots in the distance over towards Ponyville but nopony out here. “I don’t know how long you’ve been here but… you don’t have to leave just yet do you?” for as cool as Rainbow Dash tried to sound, it came off sounding pretty desperate. Probably because it was. But for how desperate she actually was, she’d sounded relatively cool.

Gilda had half a mind to mock it. She hadn’t been that desperate to see Rainbow Dash herself after all. This time. Last time she came here though… that was a different story. One that nearly matched Rainbow’s now. She’d really missed Rainbow back then and if Rainbow was feeling that way now Gilda couldn’t mock that. But she did have to knock it back.

“A few days. And yeah. I gotta go pretty soon.”

“Oh. Ok. Well, how about we hang out until then huh?”

Gilda sighed. “Listen Rainbow Dash. I’m gonna be straight with you.” and despite the phrasing, Rainbow Dash didn’t even chuckled, feeling that Gilda was being serious. “I gotta go. And you showing up right as I’m about to is making it way harder. So… could you just like… get lost?”

Rainbow turned. “Ye-yeah. Sure. I understand.”

“Damn it. Don’t take it that way!” Gilda said, reaching out to turn Rainbow back around. Which was good for Rainbow too since she’d come from outside of Ponyville and had turned away from it to leave. Gilda, knowing how emotional ponies tended to get, even Rainbow Dash, expected to see tears. It oddly hurt her when she didn’t see any. “I just mean that I have to do something and talking with you is making hard to go and do it.”

“Yeah, I said I understand.”

“That was the worst fib I’ve ever seen…” Gilda rolled her eyes at the obvious attempt to save face.

“So you really gotta go huh?” Dash asked, still seemingly oblivious to how much a question like that was exactly why Gilda wanted her to leave. “Well, uh, just remember. If you ever stop by again, you’re always welcome at my place.” Gilda let out a tiny wheeze of a laugh at that as she pictured Rainbow’s face at the realistion she’d already taken full advantage of that fact.

She quickly played it off though, returning the sentiment. “My place too if you’re in Gryphonstone.” Rainbow Dash let out a similar tiny wheeze of a laugh. Gilda didn’t catch it either.

“Well… see ya.” Rainbow said but didn’t immediately leave, instead lingering for just a moment longer than you would after saying goodbye. But as it passed the norm for how long, she left before it went into an awkward way, much like this sentence went.

She passed Gilda who turned to watch her leave but didn’t do so at top speed, hoping for a “Wait!...” Gilda called out to her. Even at sub top speed, Dash was still able to get a decent distance between them in such a short amount of time. Far enough that Gilda had to shout it. Dash stopped and Gilda flew up to her this time. “Could you do me a solid?”

“Sure!” Rainbow exclaimed excitedly. She seemed far more eager than she should be.

Whatever it was she was expecting Gilda to ask of her, it wasn’t this. “Could you return this jacket to Rarity?” she asked as she began undoing the neck buckles.

“Really? It looks good on you.”

“Yeah… but it’s too hot. I can’t fly all the way home in it.”

“Oh. Well, yeah, sure. I can do that for you.”

Subconsciously Dash had been maintaining level with Gilda in flight. Gilda had been slowly lowering. They touched the ground as Gilda unclasped the zip and threw the jacket over her back, only for it to get stuck on her wings that where still done up. Damn it. It really was well made. She couldn't even feel those where still there. “Argh… could you…?”

Gilda couldn't see it happen from under the jacket stuck over her but pretty soon it was undone and finally off of her. She pulled it off and just saw Rainbow landing once more in front of her with a poorly hidden smile, trying not to laugh at the blunder before her. Well two can play that game.

Gilda took the jacket and folded it. Surprisingly neatly. “Here.” she said, clawing it to Rainbow who took it. “Try get a full refund too. Don’t settle for anything less than the ฿259 I paid for it. And… use it as a holiday fund to come visit me.” 'Hehehehe… that’ll get her to push the topic. Wait… Rainbow Dash still likes prank right? Yeah… yeah of course she does. Welp… already hedged the bet anyway'.

“Yeah, I figured Rarity made it. But… you might be interested to know that Fluttershy probably had a hoof in it too. I can tell her style. I don’t know why but she loves being wrapped up in straps.”

Gilda just stared. She wasn’t sure if Rainbow was joking or if she was completely oblivious to what she’d just implied. Gilda hoped the former. “Yeah, I know.” Gilda pasued. “Thinking about it, could you… do me another favour?”

“Yyyyeah?” she asked, wondering what kind of favour it would be after making a sex joke about Fluttershy of all things.

“Tell Fluttershy… that maybe, we are friends.”

Rainbow Dash really had to find out what the tartaras had happened while she was out of town. That could wait though. “Uhh… is that ‘we, me and you’ or ‘we, you and Fluttershy’?”

Gilda face clawed… left it there for a moment before pulling it back slightly to rub the bridge of her beak with two claws. “Me and Fluttershy.” she groaned.

“Yeah, I’ll tell her for you.” she said. “Is theerrrrre... anything else? Before I go?”

“Na, that’s it.”

“Arlight [not a typo]. Well, See ya. Again.”

“Yeah. Later dweeb.” Gilda put her claw out.

Rainbow raised her hoof and bumped it. “Ha… look who's talking.”

*PFFFffffff….*

And Rainbow Dash took off. Gilda was pretty sure Rainbow Dash was getting out of there before she showed any tears. But totally not because Gilda was heading towards that herself. She had gotten the last word in with her so Rainbow Dash had won that little exchange. And Gilda was fine with losing that one. Although the idea that everything was a competition to her may be the reason she doesn’t have a lot of friends. Na!

Still, the whole reason she’d come to Ponyville had just left. And by her doing too. Just so she could help some possibly mutated, possibly gryphon/pony hybrid she’d met two days ago figure out which one of those two he was.

“He better be grateful.”

Author's Note:

I rushed this chapter a bit because I didn’t want two emotion heavy chapters in a row but I feel like it still turned out pretty good.
That last note in mind, I originally planned to have Gilda be more dismissive of Rainbow Dash but I couldn’t write it that way without it seeming forced.
Also I’ve been trying to put in another song for like 5 chapters now but haven’t found the place to put it. Not that I’m good at writing songs, I just kinda wanna do it.

Deleted scene

Gilda: so did you get the letter I sent you?
RD: yeah
G: You never wrote back
RD: wait… I was meant to write back?
G: god fucking damn it rainbow