The Reservation

by Kyuubi325

Gilda (part 1)

United States of America
State of Lincoln
Grovers Refuge
Pearch Estates
5:21 AM

Gilda stumbled through the wreckage around her; the smell of death filled her nose, but she had become numb after wandering through the no-gryphon's land for so long. Her little legs trembled as she struggled to hold her own weight and the weight of a mewling cub on her back. The thick mud offered little stability, but to fall in her condition might as well have been death. So she focused, one talon in front of the other while balancing the whimpering hatchling on her shoulders, only for her leg to suddenly plunge into a sinkhole.

She didn't even scream as she fell over; days of no food, water, or sleep had left her too exhausted. Gilda could feel her filthy pelt become drenched in the thick mud, the cub tumbling off her back into a murky puddle nearby. The poor thing squealed and whimpered as it was soaked to the bone. Gilda stared blankly at the poor welp for a few moments before she, too, began to whimper; with her little strength, she reached out her muddy talons to grasp the cub, pulling them close to her.

How long they lay there, Gilda didn't know, only that they were waiting for the end. But just as she began to close her eyes, she felt a shadow loom over them. The hulking outline of an injured griffin filled her view, countless arrows embedded into his back, yet he stood tall with an annoyed look on his beak. "What pathetic things you are... won't let a warrior die in peace?" He grumbled, while Gilda just stared up at him. "Fine...." The figure began to lean down, opening his beak.

Gilda shot up from her bed; gasping, she clutched her chest, unable to suppress the involuntary shivers running through her body. Her eyes darted around the room before she began to remember where she was, only to let out a started squawk as her off-brand alarm clock began to blare, causing her to swipe at it in fear, sending it flying against the wall. Staring at the dent she made in the wall from sending the clock flying, she groaned and began to roll herself out of the bed. She briefly stumbled but managed to find her footing, slowly staggering out of the small bedroom.

The moment she opened the door, the smell of breakfast greeted her. Staggering through the narrow hallway, she entered the kitchen and living room, seeing Gabby frying up some cured smoked meats in a large cast iron pan with some eggs. Grandpa Gruff just sat in his recliner staring blankly at the TV as it played another long-winded marathon on the History Channel.

"Morning, sis..." Gabby yawned as she flipped the meat and eggs in the pan. "Can you go get Gregory out of his playpen and into his high chair? Breakfast will be ready soon..."

"Ya ya..." Gilda mumbled, trotting over to the corner of the living room where the playpen sat, just opposite Grandpa Gruff. A tan-skinned toddler in a pair of feathered footie pajamas sleepily cuddled a large plush parrot. Gilda smirked, looking down at him for a few moments before he finally noticed her and began to reach one of his chubby hands towards her. Gilda, in response, leaned her head down into the playpen, allowing the small child to touch her beak. Sighing, she leaned down, grabbed the small boy with her talons, and cradled him against her plumage with one of her forelegs.

As Gilda slowly paced past Grandpa Gruff, she tried not to stare at the bandaged stump despite her doubts about his awareness. "Good morning, Gramps. Are you enjoying your channel?" Gilda asked, only getting a faint grunt from the elderly gryphon. She wasn't sure if it was his response or just an instinctive attempt to clear the flem from his throat.

Gilda just frowned as she carried Gregory to his highchair at the table, carefully slipping him into his chair before ruffling his messy black hair. Meanwhile, Gabby was plating breakfast, a simple affair of traditional gryphon cured smoked meats, eggs, served on fried flatbread. Gilda smiled, sitting down at the table, licking her beak, and seeing the food before grabbing it in her talons and eating. "Mmmf... good at always Gabby..."

Gabby smiled as she cut up Gregory's breakfast before setting it down on his tray, taking a brief moment to preen his hair with her beak. "Heh, I try..." She said while grabbing a bowl of porridge with a runny egg on top to Grandpa Gruff, which he took and began to eat slowly as Gabby kept a close eye on him to ensure he didn't choke.

"I'm going to Smithsdale today... you need anything?..." Gilda asked through a mouthful of food.

"Oh... another appointment with Doctor Lee?" Gabby asked, shuffling uncomfortably on her haunches.

"Ya... you should start going again, Gabby," Gilda mumbled as she finished her breakfast and took the plate to the sink.

"I've been... busy with Gregory and Grampa.." Gabby said, avoiding eye contact.

"Listen, Gabs, I'm the mayor; I can adjust my schedule any way I want; I can take a day or two off during the workweek so you can-"

"I-I said I'm fine!" Gabby squawked, shaking momentarily before covering her beak with her talons. Gregory stopped eating and glanced over at the loud noise, though Gruff just seemed unfazed as he continued to stare forward.

"Gabby..." Gilda nervously clicked her beak but avoided saying more.

"I'm fine... I don't need to bring the bad stuff back up...." Gabby sighed, shaking her head. "There are more important things to do... just like Grampa always said...."

Gilda just finished washing her plate before heading to the bathroom to freshen up. "Alright..."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gilda tracked through Grovers Refuge's cobblestone streets, seeing many local businesses slowly opening up as she made her way to the train station. Various gryphons could be seen slowly milling about on the streets, a veritable flock heading in the same direction she was. Gilda twitched uncomfortably, having so many bodies near her, but she just managed to suppress her unease. Thankfully, the anachronistic brick-and-mortar train station entered her view.

Instead of heading to the platform, however, she made her way to two food stalls just opening for the day. The opposing food stall vendors couldn't be more different; on one side, a Blakiston Owl Gryphon was selling various traditional dried, cured, and smoked meats that hung around him. He leaned against the wooden counter, flexing his burly forelegs, occasionally hucking his wares to commuting gryphons, all while glaring at his competition. A young Japanese woman ran the other stand, resting just opposite him. Her stand was more modern by comparison, with a glass case displaying various premade bento boxes. She seemed so out of place, yet her goods seemed just as popular as her cantankerous rival.

Gilda approached the Japanese woman's stall; upon seeing her, the woman quickly pulled out a rather ordinate-looking wooden Bento. No money was exchanged between them; it was only an awkward but knowing look from the woman as Gilda took the bento from her. As Gilda turned around to head to the train platform, she caught a glimpse of the Blakiston Owl Gryphon blushing as he avoided eye contact, no doubt remembering the... compromising position she found him in with his supposed rival behind his stall. Gilda didn't linger around; instead, she chose to make her way to the train platform quickly, joining the rest of the commuting flock of gryphons while shoving the bento deep into her saddlebag.

The chuffing of a large diesel engine reached her ears; glancing up from the platform, she saw a DFH2 shunting locomotive pulling up with several passenger carriages. The moment it stopped, a boy who looked barely out of high school in a conductor's uniform began to open the doors to the carriages. The boy was nearly knocked over as the flock of griffins squeezed into their seats. As each carriage filled to capacity, the boy would close the doors expertly, working his way through the carriages to check each gryphon's train pass with his clunky barcode reader. Gilda just wordlessly held up her pass for her to scan as he passed. Once that was finished, she slowly slipped it back into her saddlebag, leaned back in her seat, and closed her eyes just as the train began to pull away from the station.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
United States of America
State of Lincoln
New Bethlehem
Golem Station
8:32 AM

Gilda clutched the mewling cub as she rested on the back of the injured warrior, trying to ignore the arrows embedded in the gryphon's back as he stumbled through the wasteland. Nuzzling the chick's head, she tried to shield it from the veritable hell around them. Despite her fear, she couldn't help but sneak glances at her surroundings, only finding more death and mud as far as her eyes could see.

"What's your name, welp?" the injured warrior mumbled through his clenched beak as he slowly wadded through the muck.

"G-Gilda...." She mumbled through the hatchling's head feathers as she continued to nuzzle it.

"and the cub?..."

"I dunno... I found her alone under some... broken eggshells..." Gilda shuttered, trying not to think about it too much.

"I see... I take it you were there when she hatched?..." The warrior asked as he glanced back at her.

"Y-ya..."

"Then you get to name her..." He mumbled, turning his head forward.

"W-what?... B-but..." She stuttered

"That's just how it is... or are you gonna deprive her of a name?..."

Gilda clicked her beak nervously, trying to think of a name, only to feel a small talon grip her plumage. Glancing down, she saw the hatchling grabbing her feathers, and hesitantly, Gilda reached her talon down to stroke the cub. "Gra-... no... that's dumb..." Gilda continued to think before smiling weakly down at the cub. "Gabby...."

"Heh..." The warrior chuckled, glancing back at the two of them on his back. "We're nearly out of here..." He saw the wasteland giving way to rocky hills.

"T-then what?...."

"Griffonstone... home...."

Gilda was shaken awake as the train came to a jerking stop, making her grunt. She opened her eyes just in time to see the passengers squeezing their way out; grumbling, she pushed herself up and staggered out. Her beak twitched, tasting the sour, almost garlic-like smell on her tongue. She gagged while slowly tailing behind the flock of griffins out of the station onto the nearby streets and the other commuters from surrounding settlements. Dragons and Kirin joined them and slowly matched to their various jobs at the factories, metal shops, and mills that lined the road. Many of the buildings emitted thick smog into the air as they worked day and night.

As she continued down the sprawling road, the crowd continued to thin out as they split off to their various employers, eventually leaving her walking alone. Her eyes stared at the bus stop that waited at the end of the street; once she reached the bench, she sat on her haunches.

After about 20 minutes, a bus arrived and opened its doors to her. he quickly boarded and tossed a few coins into the bin before sitting at the back. Glancing out the window, she watched the bus pull out of the industrial area. The factories, mills, and metal shops gave way to small businesses and storefronts. As the bus began to slow to a stop, she stood back up and disembarked. Walking down the sidewalk, she approached an ultra-modern-looking retail clinic; slipping past the sliding doors, she approached the check-in.

"Gilda Gruff... I'm here to see Dr Teslenko?" She mumbled tiredly to the anthropomorphic feline receptionist, who glanced at a clipboard.

"Ah, she just finished her last appointment early... you can head back to room 6, Miss Gruff." She nodded her head gently.

"...Thanks." Gilda sighed, passing the desk and down the sterile white hallways lined with boring brown doors. Once she found the right patient room, she hesitantly knocked on the door before slowly peeking in.

The room was relatively simple, with a cheap-looking couch resting on the far wall, a large chair resting on the opposite of it, a coffee table lined with some snacks like prepackaged cookies and chips sitting between, some potted plants scattered about, landscape painting on the walls. It was rather a simple room but far from uncomfortable. Stepping in, she made her way to the couch and lay down on her side, sighing as she set her bag down.

After a few minutes, an older-looking woman with dark brown hair wearing a brightly embroidered shirt and a long skirt sat down in the chair. "Ah, Gilda, it's wonderful to see you. I hope your trip here wasn't too stressful?..." Dr Teslenko asked with a faint accent.

"No.. not really. It's kinda nice seeing so many gryphons on their way to work..." Gilda smiled weakly while shifting a bit on the couch. "In the old days, we just... made due."

"Indeed... How are things at home?" She asked, tilting her head.

"Gregory still isn't talking yet... I'm a little worried... Gabby says he'll talk when he's ready, but... I dunno," Gilda shook her head. "Grandpa Gruff is... still quiet..."

"You worried about his dementia?" Dr. Teslenko frowned.

"It just happened so fast... it's like one day, he's grumbling about how the statue of Grover in the town center isn't grand enough... now he just stares at the TV..." Gilda clicked her beak uncomfortably.

"It's never easy when close family starts to show their age, Gilda... I'm guessing you started looking at careho-"

"No," Gilda cut her off, snorting.

"Gilda..." The therapist frowned but didn't push further. Instead, she decided to change the subject. "Last week, we started to talk about the Gryphon Civil War...."

Gilda inhaled deeply. "Ya... I guess we were..." She shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"What do you remember?...."

"Honestly... not much... it's my earliest memory, and yet... I don't remember much else but... the mud." She shuttered, inadvertently ruffling her feathers.

"What about parents?"

"Nothing... I don't even know if they died or I was just abandoned...." Gilda mumbled.

"Gabby and Gruff?"

"Gabby... I found.... and Gruff... he hauled us out of that mud pit..." she ruffled her feathers.

"Was he a soldier?..." Dr. Teslenko asked.

Gilda seemed to stare blankly for a moment. "Why else would he be there?..."

"The way you made it sound, I didn't think there were any survivors where you were?...." She pressed.

"Heh, from what I could tell when I got older... the survivors who could fly dropped the banners and became bandits... the ones that couldn't... just became more bodies in the mud..." Gilda mumbled.

"What were the banners for?"

"Eh, who was gonna unify the Gryphons, I guess?... a fat lot of good all that fighting did... just reduced the fiefdoms into anarchy..." Gilda snorted.

"and Gruff?"

"He... was on his way becoming another body... before we accidentally woke him up.."

"He carried you out of the mud pit, I assume?" Dr. Teslenko asked.

"Ya... when he reached to grab us... I assumed..." Gilda shook her head. "Never mind..."

"You feel indebted to him, don't you?" the therapist asked.

"Do you know what it's like to just break down... to not fear death... but to pray that it comes soon?" Gilda stared at the woman, who stared back with a similar expression.

"Yes..." Dr. Teslenko inhaled, steadying herself. "it's not something most people understand."

Gilda nodded her head, not pushing further; the look in the therapist's eyes was enough for her. "He saved Gabby... and me... not only that... he gave us a home..." Gilda smiled sadly.

"Tell me about Gryphonstone..." The therapist asked.

"It wasn't a tourist destination after the war, that's for sure... Guess they drafted all the roosters who could swing a sword or hold a spear... nothing but the young, hens, and old left in the end..."

"I can't imagine that was good for the economy..."

"You think? Everygryphon from the Blacksmith to the Wheelwright was called up.. even their apprentices, I guess...." Gilda rolled her eyes. "The place didn't get better with age... but Gruff made sure we were safe and fed... that's more than some cubs got." Gilda crossed her forelegs.

"Food was scarce?" Dr. Teslenko hummed in thought.

"The farmers I remember near Gryphonstone were pretty old... I guess their younger kin got conscripted,... and when food gets scarce... creatures can become unfriendly. I got better when I was older... But for a while, you never ate outside and always ate quickly." Gilda clicked her beak.

"Makes sense." The therapist nodded her head again. "You once mentioned you used to sell scones..."

"Ya, Gruff's family recipe, he even got me a food cart so I could sell them around Gryphonstone..." She smirked. "I have no idea where he got it, but he gave it to me so I wouldn't have to work in the mines."

"Ah, I've heard about the mines from my other Gryphon patients... not much money in raw material extraction..." Dr. Teslenko glanced back at Gilda from her notepad.

"No... we got paid by the cartload... and well, if you weren't tough or smart, you'd be cheated out of your bits..." Gilda mumbled.

"Gryphonstone was rather dependent on trade with Lin-... I mean, Equestria, I take it?"

"The Gryphon Talon was worthless after the war... most farms were raised for miles in every direction... all we could do was work the quarries and old mines and hope the ponies were generous enough to give us what we needed to last another year..." Gilda mumbled.

"But not you?"

"Heh, some Gryphons managed to irk out a living above ground, Gimme Moore managed to open her family's old shop again... she was greedy git, but she wasn't much better off than other grifs... Gustave owned a small stew cart... before he ran off to Equestria to try and work as a chef...." She hummed.

"What about Gabby?"

"Well... unlike me... she was able to finish her education in Equestria." Gilda leaned back her head and seemed rather proud. "She worked so hard at the Cloudsdale Flight School and even managed to get a job at the Equestrian Postal Service thanks to her grades..."

"You weren't able to finish your education?"

"No... after a few years, I started noticing Gruff wasn't looking so good when I'd come back during the holidays..." Gilda clicked her beak nervously. "Found out that he had been working... I guess you'd call it double... or maybe triple shifts in the mines to pay for my education in Equestria... that would have been a lot for a rooster a quarter of his age... but he..."

"Wouldn't do it anymore?"

"Oh, he could do it...would do it... but me getting a scroll that qualifies me to work jobs that an uneducated pony could get in Equestria wasn't worth him killing himself..." Gilda shook her head.

"I'm guessing that wasn't a fun conversation?"

"Nope, thankfully he was too sore from the mines to get out of his chair while he yelled at me..." Her beak cruved into a smirk. "But I managed to convince him that if I stayed in Gryphonstone, I could take some of the burden off him so we could send Gabby to get an education... she was always too soft for Gryphonstone.." Gilda clicked her beak again, sighing.

"You really care about her, huh?" Dr. Teslenko asked, smiling gently.

"Seeing her smile always made Gryphonstone more bearable..." Gilda ran her talons over her beak.

"Yet you wanted her to leave?" The therapist asked again, prying deeper.

"Isn't it normal to want you dau... I mean, little sister, to have a better life?" Gilda quickly corrected herself.

"Yes, I suppose it is." Dr. Teslenko nodded her head. "During one of your earlier visits, you mentioned another Gryphon... but it seemed to upset you too much to talk about... Gavin, I-"

"N-No!" Gilda squawked out before clamping her beak shut with her talons. "S-sorry... I'm n-no ready t-to talk about him yet..." She struggled to stop herself from hyperventilating.

Dr. Teslenko said she had touched a nerve and clicked her pen; she could tell that one name was enough to end their appointment for the day. "You seem to hold Gruff and Gabby in high regard... I'd like to explore that during your next visit if that's alright?... would you like to relax for a bit before you leave?"

"No... I-I'm alright... and ya... I'd like that..." Gilda unsteadily got off the couch, tossing her bag over her haunches, slowly dragging herself to the door. She gave the therapist a forced smile before stumbling out the door with a worried expression as they watched her leave.

Gilda stumbled out of the clinic, making her way to a nearby deserted park, quickly sitting down at the first bench she saw. How long she sat there, she wasn't sure. Instead, she just tried to settle herself down. Her chest tightened painfully as she struggled to suppress her panic attack. Glancing at a nearby grove, she started to try and count the number of trees in an almost religious manner. She repeated the process repeatedly despite knowing how many trees there were. Slowly, her chest loosened, and she was able to lean back on the bench, catching her breath.

She slowly dug her talon into her saddlebags before pulling out her bento. She wasn't starving, but it was around lunchtime, and she preferred to keep to her schedule. Taking a deep breath, she opened the box, revealing what was inside. The smells of fried cured meats made with traditional gryphon seasonings slowly wafted into her nose. The meat was artfully cut in the shape of rose peddles with various green pickled vegetables cut into the shape of a stem, all on a bed of fluffy rice. On any other day, it would be mouthwatering, but today, her stomach was uneasy from stress.

Still, she pulled out the chopsticks from the side of the bento and began to eat, staring into the distance. Just as she was beginning to try to savor the meat, her phone began to ring. Gilda swallowed and set the lunch down before reaching into her bag and pulling out the rather plain flip phone. She flicked it open and pressed it to the side of her head.

"Hell-"

"Gilda!!!" Gabby's shrill shriek nearly caused Gilda to jump.

"Gabby? What's wrong?" Gilda stuttered, nearly spitting out her food.

"Gregory and Grandpa Gruff are missing!" She shrieked.

"What?... How the Tartarus could they be missing!? Gregory is a toddler, and Gruff doesn't leave his chair unless we coax him.... a lot..." Gilda felt her chest tighten.

"I-I dozed off on the couch a-and when I woke up they were both gone! I-I looked everywhere; they just aren't here!" Gabby sounded increasingly panicked.

"Gabby, I'll take a cab straight home." Gilda quickly jumped off the bench and ran out of the park, leaving the bento behind as she desperately searched for a taxi.

Author's Note:

Been awhile, hasn't it? Hopefully you all enjoy this chapter, and look forward to the next one as it's just on the Horizon...

Comments

[CrimsonS4ge]

Masterful storytelling. I was really immersed in this chapter.

This backstory is also my new official head-canon for Griffonstone. It being a hollowed out shell because of a devastating civil war a decade prior makes waaaay more sense than griffons being too mean to each other to manage a society or the Idol Borealis being the only thing that used to hold the griffons together.

[soundtea]

Awww, given how they're both war orphans, makes sense Gilda and Gabby would adopt even a human who was likely orphaned as a result of the war.

Also this might be the first nod toward Equus races being very friendly toward humans in the story so far with the two food vendors.

[Clawfoot]

Gregory huh? I see what you did there.

[J-90]

11870348
Agreed. Sounds much more believable, compared to the Equestrias, most likely censored/"hArMoNiZeD"(in this verse(?)), 'picture-book'-version.

[PirateLord93]

First, I was surprised to see Gilda a mother to a human.

Second, HOW COULD YOU LEAVE IT AT SUCH A CLIFFHANGER??!!??!!??!!

Hopefully Grandpa Gruff was only taking Gregory out for a stroll and it's not someone with malicious intent.

[Blue Cultist]

"bowl of porridge with a runny egg"
Is that a discworld reference I see?

[ultrapoknee]

I hope this isn't going in the direction I think it is.

[Bronyhood of steel]

Interesting

[soundtea]

11883994
My bets are either that (fragmented memories of Shining), or a sympathetic guard that helped her during her lobotomized stay in that big playroom in Canterlot Castle.