Short Shorts

by Coranth

174. Gilda

As I walked down the main street of Ponyville - heading to Twilight's Castle to check out a book - suddenly, a clawed talon hooked my arm; then, before I could even cry out I was dragged into a small side-ally. Once I was able to regain my senses, fear gripped me as I saw before my eyes a very, very familiar griffin. Her name was Gilda, and - ever since I'd arrived here in Ponyville - she'd had it out for me. She was, by dictionary definition, the very epitome of 'bully'; if there was something she could do to harass me - from hurling insults to outright physical violence - she often got away with it; many were the days when I would come home nursing bruises. I'd started going to great lengths to avoid her--but this time I hadn't been paying attention. Now here we were once again... and the burly quadrupedal griffin hen looked pissed. Breathing heavily through her nares - the small nostrils set into her beak - she got right up in my face, so close that I could feel the heat of her breath...

... and then, into my face, she snarled, "I hear you've been petting ponies, that you've been touching, rubbing, caressing them with your filthy hands ape! Every time I see Rainbow Dash I have to put up with her telling me how good it feels to have your hands running through her fur. All she ever talks about anymore is you! You, you, you! Now," and here she pulled me to her until we were eye-to-eye, "you need to ask yourself one question: 'Why haven't I petted Gilda, yet?' Well?! Why haven't you, huh?! WHY?! WHY HAVEN'T YOU PETTED ME YET?! WHY HAVEN'T I BEEN PETTED, YOU STUPID PLUCKING APE?!" With those words, the she-griffin roared in my face--but then, suddenly, she seemed to deflate, all the fight leaving her as she crumpled to the ground and burst into noisy, shaking sobs, clutching her head in her talons. Weeping openly, brokenly, the poor griffin looked up at me, her expression shifting between one of rage and pleading as she begged, begged, "Pleasepetme...", the words issuing forth as a strangled rasp, as though she could barely bring herself to say them.

Kneeling down next to her, then moving to sit against the alley wall, gently, I gathered the big catbird into my lap... and then, I allowed my hands to roam where they would. As Gilda let me touch her for the first time, as she let me pet her openly and without shame - as she finally felt the touch of my hands roaming over her feathers, then though her leonine fur - weeping she cuddled close to me, holding me, shivering as though cold, another sob escaping her before a new sound filled the air, a combination of a lion's purr, and a pidgeon's cooing. Soon, she wept again, but this time her tears were those of happiness instead of angst, joy rather than anger and rage. On and on and on I petted and massaged her, giving her pleasure through gentle touch and relieving her of tension she hadn't realized she'd been carrying with her for so long... Later, in the ultimate show of trust and submission, Gilda rolled over in my lap, baring her chest-feathers and belly; then she cooed and whimpered softly as I rubbed and massaged over both. Later still, our positions were reversed, and she held me close as she sat against the alley-wall, beak lowered to gently preen my hair...

After that time in the alley, Gilda... well, I guess 'gentled' is the right word. A drastic change took place within her - she became quite shy and unsure of herself, unsure of how to act around others. This was no fault of her own; as it turned out, in Griffinstone, the bigger you were, the meaner you were, the more you could push someone around... the more of a complete bastard you were the stronger you were; the stronger you were the more rights you had, the more property you could own, the more you could rise up the social ladder, and on and on it went. Gilda had acted abysmally towards Rainbow Dash and her friends--because that was how she was taught; it was what was expected of her. When Rainbow's friends hadn't pushed back, the poor she-griffin had been stumped, so she'd tried harder to provoke them that they might finally show their strength by bullying her in return; but of course it hadn't worked out at all, culminating in poor Gilda making dear Fluttershy cry and then the pranks at the party...

Now, however, things were different. Though gentled by my petting, Gilda was still... well, she was still an epic jerk, but now her rage was instead directed to protect me instead of being unfocused; better still, with a softly spoken word or the gentlest of touches, I could quieten her--and she often stilled straight away, looking to me for guidance. I'm not sure what she saw me as. Was I her mate? Her teacher? A friend? Neither of us were sure; all Gilda knew was that I was hers. Her human. And she stated quite simply that she was mine. One move into my home later and that was that. At my urging, she apologized to Twilight, Rainbow and the other girls, especially to Fluttershy; and she wept openly when the butter-yellow Pegasus hugged her, soothing her tears. Now she's here with me in our bed, eyeing me as I finish this p--

*CRUMPLE*

"Hey, I was just about to publish this! Oh, all right then; come 'ere, you silly catbird..."

"Cooo-urrrrrr..."

Comments

[Liaf112]

I love it. Gilda really doesn't get enough love.

[eighter]

8013435
so true