The Steel-Hearted Pegasus

        Despite the warming glow coming from the little bit of sunlight that shown through the clouds, the scenery of the earth beneath told a different tale. Snow covered nearly all of Equestria, making the entire country nearly white. The low temperature had frozen over most lakes, making them perfect skating rinks for most ponies. The town of Ponyville was preparing for Hearth’s Warming Eve as evidenced by all the holiday décor. While most of the towns’ inhabitants were preparing for the upcoming celebration, others were preoccupied with other important matters.

        In the woods just outside of Ponyville, Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle made their way to the home that lies within. The cyan blue Pegasus was sporting a large black winter coat, which had rainbow colored trimming on the edges, and a gray wool cap on her head. A set of saddle bags rested on her back, filled with any necessities she needed. The unicorn mare wore a similar coat, only it was slightly smaller and was colored green. She had an orange scarf wrapped around her neck and her own set of saddlebags as well. While walking, the two mares took a moment to gaze at the scenery around them. The trees around them may have been devoid of leaves but the piles of snow atop them made them seem like the leaves had turned the purest shade of white. The various sized icicles hanging from the branches reflected the sunlight to create small sparkles that surrounded the area. As much as they would have loved to admire the view for a while longer, Twilight and Rainbow knew they had other business to attend to.

        “So what exactly does Caster need us for?” Twilight asked, still confused by this sudden ordeal.

        “Hay if I know, I’m just as lost as you,” Rainbow Dash said.

        “Well whatever it is I’m sure it must be important. Especially if we have to go out of town,” the unicorn mare said, willing to help her friends.

        “You made sure to grab everything you needed right Twi?” the cyan blue mare asked.

        “Of course, I triple checked my list this morning just to be sure,” she said, smiling proudly. “And I’m sure Spike will be able to take care of the library while I’m gone.”

        As the two mares continued their conversation, they soon found themselves standing outside of Caster’s home. His house, like every other place in Ponyville, had Hearth’s Warming decorations surrounding it, giving off a very festive look. Remembering what they came here for, the rainbow maned pony knocked on the door three times and waited for a response. A few minutes later, the door opened and out came Caster Forge, for some reason wearing his Nightmare Night costume, with some saddlebags on his back. He looked at both the mares with a small smile on his face, which he had noticeably shaven back to his normal goatee look along with getting the rest of his hair cut.

        “Hello Rainbow, Twilight. I’m glad to see you both could make it,” the blacksmith pony said, closing his door and locking it.

        “Not a problem Cast. Now would you mind telling us what this is all about?” Rainbow Dash asked.

        “Of course Dash, it’s only fair that I tell you now in case you decide you’d rather not go through with this.”

        “What are you talking about?” Twilight asked, confused about what was going on.

        “Rainbow, do you remember what you told me yesterday about your old friend Gilda?” Caster said.

        “Yeah, what about it?” the cyan Pegasus asked.

        “Well I’ve thought a lot about it and I’ve decided that’s it time she apologized for what she did.”

        “What?!” the two mares shouted, surprised by this sudden act.

        “Why would you want to go through all this trouble to get Gilda to apologize? You heard about how she acted,” Rainbow Dash said.

        “And that’s exactly why I need to do this,” Caster said, a bit stern. “I can’t let something such as this go unresolved. Besides this is also about that other thing you said. You told me that she was not always like this. I believe that if we talk to her, we can find out what caused Gilda to be, as Pinkie Pie put it, a ‘McMeaner Meanerson’.”

        “So wait, what do you need me for then?” Twilight inquired.

        “I thought you would help things settle down in case the conversation went south,” he put it bluntly. “Plus you’re the best pony I know when it comes to using logic and reasoning.”

        “I see. Well I’ll be glad to help out in any way that I can,” she said.

        “Yeah, well I still don’t see why I should even bother trying to make amends with Gilda,” Rainbow said, a bit of venom in her tone. “Why should I forgive somepony who was rude to my friends and treated them like they were idiots?”

        “Because she was once your friend as well,” the stallion said, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “I realize that what she did was unforgivable, heck, even I wouldn’t had forgiven her a few years ago. But you have to remember that she is your friend and whether you like it or not you need to help her and make up.”

        Rainbow Dash said nothing and looked away.

        “He’s right Rainbow,” the lavender unicorn said. “Whatever happened before is in the past. You need to face the fact that you can’t stay mad at her forever. Besides, haven’t you always said that you were loyal to your friends?”

        The cyan mare pondered on this for a moment. They did have a point, she knew that no matter what happened Gilda was always her friend. But a part of Rainbow’s brain still told her that she got what she deserved. Ultimately, she decided that she needed to help the griffon and rekindle their friendship, even if Gilda would try to turn her away.

        “You’re right Caster, I’m in. I may not be able to forgive Gilda, but I can at least try to patch things up,” Rainbow Dash spoke, looking somewhat confident.

        “All right then, the train we need to catch leaves in about an hour. So I believe we can get some breakfast if you ladies haven’t eaten yet,” Caster said, as they all started walking back to Ponyville.

        “Just one more thing I have to ask,” the Pegasus mare said. “Why the hay are you wearing your Nightmare Night costume?”

        “For one it’s very warm, so it actually has a practical use right now. Plus I rarely ever get to wear it, so I just felt a little impulsive,” he said.

        “You’ve been hanging around Pinkie Pike too much,” Twilight said, with a smirk.

        “Probably,” Caster said, everyone soon joining in a laugh.

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        After grabbing a quick breakfast at the Cloverleaf Café, Caster Forge, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle went off toward the train station. They all bought their tickets and were waiting for the train to arrive. Meanwhile, the blacksmith pony was preoccupied by thoughts of the mare he had recently come to adore. While this sudden trip may have been to get Gilda to atone for her bad deeds, it was also meant as a way to thank Fluttershy for helping him through his time at the hospital. Caster still hadn’t told the two mares about his other reasons, but he knew that when the right time came he would.

        A few more minutes passed before the train had pulled up into the station. At the sound of the whistle, the stallion was brought out of his thoughts as he and his friends picked up their bags and boarded the locomotive.

        “So how long is this trip supposed to last anyway?” Rainbow asked.

        “Well, it took a little work, but I managed to locate the town where Gilda is staying. We should be there by about this time tomorrow,” the light brown Pegasus replied.

        “A whole day? You’ve got to be kidding me, what are we supposed to do?” she said, while the three ponies found their seats.

        “I brought along a chess set if anypony’s interested,” Twilight said, a bit enthusiastic.

        “I’m game,” Caster said.

        Rainbow Dash simply groaned as the train’s whistle sounded again. A moment later, the ponies could hear two cheery whistle blasts from the train and with a rumble that they could feel through their hooves, the train slowly rolled out of the gaily decorated station.

===============================================================

        Gazing out the window of the train, Caster saw the landscape glide by as if it was only a white and amber blur. Partly because he had just awoken from a nap and was letting his eyesight adjust to the passing snow covered fields. It had been a full day since the stallion and his friends set off to accomplish their task. Due to a delay the schedule was set back a few hours and it was currently close to nighttime, as was depicted by the setting sun, which glowed brightly in the horizon. Caster realized that they would be arriving soon and decided to wake his friends, who joined him in the nap.

        He looked over at the seat opposite of him and saw Twilight resting peacefully, probably worn out from reading all the books she brought along. He then turned to his left to Rainbow Dash, who Rarity would currently describe as uncouth.  She had her legs sprawled across the seat, one of them hanging over the ledge, and snoring unbelievably loudly. She also rested her head against his side using him as a make shift pillow. It may have been a tad uncomfortable but Caster didn’t mind, weird things happen when you sleep after all.

        “Rainbow, Twilight, wake up we’re almost there,” the light brown Pegasus said, trying not to raise his voice.

        Both of the mares slowly started to emerge from their slumber. Rainbow realized who she was sleeping on, simply got up and scooted almost a foot away from Caster.

        “Sorry about that,” she said, with a nervous chuckle.

        “It’s all good,” the stallion said, reassuring her.

        The trio just sat there in silence, wondering about the town and what was like. But soon the silence was broken.

        “So how much longer till we arrive?” Twilight asked.

        “We should there in about a few more minutes,” Caster answered.

        “How exactly are we going to find Gilda once we get there?” Rainbow asked, curious on what his plan was.

        “I wasn’t able to find her address, so I suppose we’ll just have to ask around and see if anyone knows where she lives.”

        Before the group could continue the conversation, the train whistle blew, signaling that they had arrived. Quickly, they gathered up their things and went to the car door. As soon as the train came to a complete stop, the doors opened and the three ponies stepped out of the train cars and onto the platform. One thing they noticed about the town was that it looked a bit similar to Ponyville in some ways, but not entirely. The houses had the same straw covered roofs, but the building itself was made out of brick instead of wood. The town itself was also somewhat smaller than Ponyville, not having any major farms or city halls. And just like their hometown, the ponies and griffons had set up decorations for the upcoming holiday.

        While he had forgotten the name of the town, Caster knew a little about how this town came to be. After the Great Griffon War from long ago, many small encampments were formed across Equestria to help ponies and griffons who had suffered during battles past. Although they started out small, they eventually grew into towns and communities where ponies and griffons lived in harmony and respected each other’s cultures. He even heard of some interspecies marriages between the two, which was evidenced by the few citizens walking around with both pony and griffon physical traits. Some had bodies of a pony with a few feathers instead of fur and the eyes of an eagle. Others had the lower half of their bodies of lions while the upper half was pony. And there were still many more that he couldn’t count.

        Caster, Rainbow, and Twilight took some time to walk through town and take in the sights. There were some shops set up selling what little produce they had left and other wares before they could start growing food again in the spring. Such as fruit and vegetable shops or places for things like quills and parchment and other home supplies. They even saw a bakery with many different pastries and sweets in the window display and several customers inside the shop. They also caught a glimpse of none other than Gustav Le Grond, Equestria's greatest pastry chef, running the place inside. Soon they came to the center of town, where there was a large fountain that was frozen over from the cold weather, and the blacksmith pony turned to his friends.

        “All righty then, let’s get started,” Caster said, feeling the snow chilled wind blow across him. “This’ll be our meeting spot. If you can’t find anything be back here in an hour, but if you get any information on Gilda’s whereabouts at all you try to find us as quick as you can. Everypony got that?”

        “Absolutely,” Twilight said

        “You got it,” Rainbow spoke, seeming a little determined.

        “Very well, I’ll see you both in an hour. Sooner I hope,” the light brown Pegasus said, as the three of them split up to search different areas.

===============================================================

        Nighttime soon fell upon the small town, letting the multiple decorative lights shine brightly and cover it in a festive glow. Yet while there was an uplifting feeling in the atmosphere, the same could not be said for Caster. He had spent the last forty minutes talking to different ponies and griffons here and there trying to get some information but to no avail. Everyone he asked about Gilda either didn’t know a thing about her, didn’t want to talk about her, or just walked past him as they were busy with other matters.

        Caster sipped out of a thermo cup of hot cocoa, with a few mini marshmallows floating on top, as he sat against the wall of a household, which was colored purple, while he gathered his thoughts on what to do next. The stallion had tried many options from asking anyone on the streets to knocking on doors and questioning those inside. He decided it would be best to just head back to the rendezvous and wait for Twilight and Rainbow to show up. Putting his beverage away in his saddlebag, Caster was about to leave, when something rang in his ear.

        “Hey Caster!” a voice called out.

        He turned around to see the Twilight and Rainbow Dash galloping, or in the cyan mare’s case, flying towards him. They soon came to a stop in front of him as the stallion had questions to ask.

        “Did you find anything about Gilda?” Caster asked, hopefully.

        “Yes we did,” Twilight replied. “We found out where she works and were able to ask the manager where she lives. Though it’s a bit far from here.”

        “That’s perfect Twilight, I’ll let you lead the way,” he said, letting the unicorn mare walk past him.

        “But the manager said something to us before we left,” Rainbow added.

        “And what would that be Dash?”

        “The guy just asked to do the best we could, that she needed all the help she could get right now,” the Pegasus mare said, solemnly.

        Caster said nothing, but still thought about what that could’ve meant. Either way they all soon started to make their way to Gilda’s home.

        The walk took the three ponies to the outskirts of town, where it seemed to be slightly colder than in town. The carved pathway in the snow, lined with stones, which they were following made it a bit easier to reach their destination. Eventually, they came across a single lime green colored house that rested on a small hill, but it wasn’t what they were expecting. The place was run down, the paint was flaking away in different places and there was a hole or two in the roof. Garbage was dumped into a pile at the side of the house, which gave off a slight rancid smell.

        While the sight was a bit off-putting, the group noticed the lights were still on, showing that Gilda was most likely still home. They were about to go to the door when Caster saw that Rainbow Dash wasn’t moving. He went back to her to see what was wrong.

        “Everything okay Rainbow?” the stallion asked.

        “I don’t know Cast. At first I thought I was ready to face this, but now I’m not so sure,” Rainbow Dash said, looking down at the snow covered ground.

        “Don’t worry about it Dash. We’ll both be here to help you two get through this. Right Twilight?” Caster said, the lavender mare walking toward them in response.

        “Of course Caster. We’re behind you all the way Rainbow Dash,” she said, doing her best to encourage her friend.

        The cyan mare stood there for a minute or two longer, trying to regain the courage to face her old friend. She soon took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, making a small puff of fog.

        “All right, let’s do this,” Rainbow said, looking more determined than before.

        With that they all went up to the door and Caster gave it a few quick knocks. They waited for a response but got nothing. He knocked on the door again, hoping the griffon hadn’t gone out. A moment later, the door opened slightly, the hinges making a creaking sound, and stopped due to a small chain. There, standing behind the doorway, was a griffon’s head with golden eyes that seemed to be glaring at Caster.

        “Gilda, I presume?” he asked.

        “Who wants to know?” Gilda responded gruffly, clarifying it was indeed her.

        Caster cleared his throat. “My name is Caster Forge and I’ve come on behalf of a friend of yours. As well as your boss it would appear.”

        The griffon simply gave him a questioning gaze, thinking this was just some kind of ruse.

        “Pfft yeah right. I don’t know what you’re playing at but I don’t have any friends,” Gilda said coldly, scowling through the slight opening of the door. “The only real friend I had completely bailed on me and brushed me off like I was nothing.”

        “I sure hope you don’t mean me,” a familiar, slightly raspy, voice stated.

        The female griffons’ eyes suddenly grew wide at the voice she heard. She quickly shut the door, undid the door chain lock and swung the door open to reveal herself. Normally, from what Caster had heard, Gilda had a well-built frame showing a decent amount of muscle. But now was not the case. She seemed a bit malnourished, not enough to be defined as skinny, and she had bags under her eyes, signifying how tired she must’ve been. However he focused back on the moment as he saw the griffon looking past him and at the rainbow maned pony behind him.

        “R-Rainbow Dash?” Gilda said, softly.

        “Hey,” Rainbow said, somewhat nervous.

        Although she was happy to see her oldest friend once more, Gilda remembered what had happened the last time they met. With that in mind, she immediately changed her attitude from surprised to angry.

        “What are you doing here?” Gilda spat at her.

        Rainbow Dash composed herself before speaking. “I came here to put things back the way they were. I’ve come to help you and to try and put all of this behind us.”

        “Yeah well, you sure took your sweet time making up your mind. It’s been four years and you expect us to just kiss and make up?” she said, her anger steadily rising.

        “Look, I know we both have said things that we shouldn’t have but I really want us to move past this and start over. Besides you need to apologize to a lot of my friends for how you treated them,” the cyan Pegasus said, trying to get the upper hand.

        “Why should I have to apologize to a bunch of losers who made me look like an idiot? Far as I’m concerned they had it coming,” Gilda finished with a smug grin.

        Those last few words got on Rainbow’s last nerve. She then went up to her friend and glared her in the eye.

        “You see, this is what I’m talking about! It’s that stubborn attitude of yours that got you into that situation in the first place. Maybe if you stopped acting like an old mule, maybe I wouldn’t have told you off like that. Why can’t you just accept what you did was wrong and let us help you?” Rainbow said, starting to yell.

        “Well, no one ever said I needed your help to begin with!” the griffon retaliated.

        The argument went on like this for a few more minutes. Caster simply face-hooved, thinking they weren’t going to get anywhere at this rate. He remembered that he had brought someone along for this exact situation, the stallion turned to Twilight who was standing beside him. He gestured for her to try something, which she gladly provided as she teleported in between the two arguing creatures.

        “Enough!” Twilight shouted, putting a hoof gently to each of their chests. “It’s plainly obvious that both of you have your reasons for what you’re doing. But I say, you listen to each other’s side of the story before you start trying to tear each other apart. So can we at least try to act like civilized adults and just talk this out?”

        Neither of them said anything for a while, looking away with distaste on their faces. Eventually they thought it over, feeling that it would be better for to just get it over with. So, with uncertainty sketched across their faces, they turned their gaze back at one another.

        “Fine,” Gilda and Rainbow Dash grumbled.

        As their dispute came to an end, Gilda allowed the three ponies into her home to continue talking. The outside of her house was in poor condition, but the inside did not seem to be faring any better. The wallpaper had been torn in several different places and the wooden floor was worn out and creaked with every step. There was even a noticeable splotch of mold here and there. On one side of the room was an old TV that looked it didn’t even work anymore. The other side had a beat up couch, with stuffing popping out, two chairs, and a coffee table in the center with one of its corners supported by a stack of books. In the back was a small kitchen that looked like it had hardly been used and near it were two doors that lead to a bathroom and a bedroom.

        The look of the entire place made Gilda’s guests feel a bit uncomfortable, seeing the poor state she was living in. The tension in the air was growing as they all took their perspective seats, Caster Forge and Twilight Sparkle sat on either one of the chairs while Rainbow Dash and Gilda went to the couch. They all sat in silence for a while, not sure how to start the conversation. Before anyone could say a word though a somewhat loud gurgle sounded throughout the room. The three ponies turned to see Gilda with a light blush on her face, hidden by her feathers.

        “Well then, before we get down to business I say we eat,” Caster said, removing his saddle bag. “Gilda, feel free to help yourself.”

        They all started emptying out their bags of whatever foods they brought along onto the table. Caster brought out a small tray of assorted crackers and cheese and some thermoses of water or juice. Twilight laid out some plastic containers with fresh fruit and vegetables. Rainbow’s choice of food was a bit subpar from healthy as all she seemed to bring were a few bags of chips, soda, and many other junk foods. All four creatures started chowing down on what was set onto the table, no one saying a word. During their meal though, the Pegasus stallion looked at Gilda and noticed something. She was eating her food much faster than he was expecting. Maybe she was hungrier than he thought she was. But Caster thought better than to bring to his friends attention and decided to let it slide for now and wait till she was ready to talk about it.

        A few more minutes of silence passed after they had all finished eating. No one really knew what to say or how to say it. But eventually the silence was broken when Rainbow Dash got the first word in.

        “Okay G, before we get started I just want to say that I’m sorry. I’m sorry for how I acted against you that day. You have to understand though that I was standing up for my friends when ‘you’ verbally berated them,” she said, getting that moment off her chest.

        “How was I supposed to act huh?” Gilda said, slightly less angry since having a bite to eat. “Those ‘friends’ of yours made me look like a fool with all those stupid pranks of theirs and just kept on laughing at me.”

        “Uggh, how many times do we have to go through this? Gilda, those pranks weren’t completely meant for you, you just set them off completely by chance. It wasn’t anypony’s fault but your own,” the cyan mare said.

        “She is right you know,” Twilight spoke up. “The accident from the pin the tail on the donkey was purely caused by you and you alone.”

        Gilda simply growled, not wanting to acknowledge the fact that the unicorn was right. Nor did she want to be reminded of what happened then.

        “That’s a complete load. I know for a fact that Pinkie Pie set all of that up just to mess with me and get me out of town!”

        “She was just throwing you a party to try and cheer you up. Even you should know that Pinkie would never do anything mean like that to anypony,” Caster said, trying to disprove Gilda’s assumption.

        “Yeah right, that pink spazz attack always kept getting in my way. She just wanted Rainbow Dash all to herself,” the griffon said, getting frustrated by the minute.

        “Gilda stop it. I don’t what your real beef is with Pinkie or me, but you can’t keep blaming others like this. You’ll just end up turning away everypony that tries to help you,” Rainbow Dash said.

        “You really don’t get it do you?” Gilda said, glaring at her old friend. “You have no idea what this is all about.”

        “What are you talking about G? You came to Ponyville wanting to hang out and instead you became a grump who completely turned against me and everypony else,” the Pegasus mare said. “I mean seriously, what reason could you possibly have that made you into such a-”

        “Because I didn’t want to lose the only friend I had left!” Gilda shouted, her voice seeming to echo through and out of the house.

        The entire room fell into silence as the tension started to increase. The only sounds that could be heard were that of the cold winter wind blowing outside. When Rainbow Dash found her voice to speak again, she tried her best to form a sentence.

        “W-what do you mean Gilda? I thought you had other friends back at home,” she said, starting to feel sorry for her griffon friend.

        “I did once, but they all soon abandoned me, like I was nothing,” Gilda said, a solemn expression on her face.

        “What happened then? Please tell us how this all started,” Twilight asked, wanting to get a better grasp on the situation.

        “Don’t worry Gilda, we won’t judge you. We’re only here to help,” Caster said, comfortably reassuring the griffon.

        Gilda was hesitant at first, but knew she had to get it off her chest eventually. So with a heavy heart she let out a quick sigh and began her tale.

        “Okay, I guess it all started when I transferred to flight school here in Equestria. I had a hard time making friends and it wasn’t cause of the attitude I sometimes gave. It was because I was a griffon. Even after the wars ended, there were still some ponies who held prejudice against my kind. As such, everypony I met simply brushed me off, ignored me, and occasionally made fun of me,” the brown furred griffon said, she was sad from having to remember those days.

        “Geez, I can’t believe there are still ponies like that out there. I’m just glad most of my friends aren’t like that,” Caster said, thinking back to some of the insensitive nobles back in Canterlot. “Sorry about that, please continue.”

        “For a while I was kind of a loner, always seen as the outcast. But then one day somepony came along and changed all that,” Gilda turned to the mare sitting beside her. “It was you Dash. You said you were amazed to see a griffon for the first time and became my friend without hesitation.”

        “Well, I didn’t exactly have that many friends back then either. So when I heard about you and how other ponies treated you, how could I pass that up?” Rainbow Dash said, rubbing the back of her head.

        “Even so you always had my back. You kept the others from teasing me, helped me to make new friends, and you also supported me when we both joined the junior Speedsters team. We were truly inseparable in a way and it was a good run. At least, until that day came,” she said, disheartened by the memory.

        “Oh, yeah. I remember now,” the rainbow maned Pegasus said, sharing Gilda’s mood.

        “What happened that drove you two apart?” Twilight asked, more interested as the conversation went on.

        “It was the day after we graduated,” Rainbow stated. “Apparently Gilda was only to stay in Equestria until she completed her education and was to immediately return to her parents in her homeland. I asked if there was anything we could do to keep her from leaving, but her parents were really strict about this. We promised to write each other when we could, but we never really saw each other again after that.”

        The group took a quick break to take in all the information. They took this chance to use the restroom or grab another snack. Caster was still a bit surprised by this turn of events. He hadn’t expected to such a sad yet touching tale of Gilda’s’ life. But still there were some questions that needed answering, and he was determined to hear them. So after using the facilities he went back to the living room to continue where they had left off.

        “So Gilda, what exactly happened after your return home?” Caster asked, waiting to see what changed her all those years ago.

        “After I moved back in with my parents I met up with my old friends. We hadn’t seen each other in years so we just talked about what we had been up to all that time. Soon after I managed to get a job I was able to fend for myself and help my folks pay the bills and whatnot. I hung out with my friends every now and then and we quickly became better friends than we had in years past. It was great while it lasted, but things soon changed,” Gilda said, seeming more depressed than before.

‘I don’t like where this is going,’ Caster thought to himself that look on her face he was all too familiar with.

        “The years passed and one by one my friends started leaving me. They all went to hang out with other griffons, saying that I was ‘yesterday’s news’ or something. Some because of different fads or because those other griffons lured them into gangs and such,” the griffon said, a lump growing in her throat. “In the end though all of my friends had left me. To make matters worse I got fired from my job because of an incident I wasn’t a part of, yet they still blamed me for it! I’d, rather not talk more on that if that’s fine with you.”

        “O-of course Gilda. Feel free to talk about what you want to,” Rainbow Dash said, her heart starting to ache.

        “In only a short time after that my life was ruined,” Gilda said. “I had no way to make money, my parents kicked me out of the house still believing I had some part in that incident, and in the end I was completely alone. Nopony trusted me enough to hire me, nor did they even want to get close to me.”

        “I’m sorry to hear that Gilda. If it’s any consolation I think I know how you feel. There was a time in my life where nopony wanted to come near me either. It may have been because of how awkward I seemed around them but you get the idea. The important thing was always to remember those who are most important to us, and fill our lives with joy,” Caster said, trying to sympathize with her.

        “You’re right Caster, I did remember. When I had finally hit rock bottom I remembered the only other time I was truly happy. That was the time I spent with Rainbow Dash. I soon realized that there was nothing left for me in my homeland and decided to leave and start anew in Equestria, with the only friend I had left,” the down heartened griffon said.

        “So that was when you made your visit to Ponyville I take it?” Twilight asked.

        “Yes, but I wanted to keep my real purpose for visiting a secret at first. Because I didn’t want to ruin our time together by bringing up an issue such as this. When I arrived we just caught up on old times and showed off any tricks we had learned over the years. It was all fine, until a certain pink earth pony showed up.”

        “But I don’t see how Pinkie Pie ruined our time together,” Rainbow Dash said, finally ready to hear what her issue was with her hyperactive friend. “All she wanted to do was hang out with us.”

        “That may have been true, but it wasn’t how I saw it at the time,” Gilda said, a tad ashamed for her former misunderstanding of Pinkie’s intentions. “When she came around and tried to get in on our time together my mind went back to all my old friends being taken away from me by others. Seeing as it was happening again I couldn’t just stand by and had to get her away from you.”

        Rainbow Dash took a moment to process this information. In a way it sort of made sense. Gilda was only being so mean to her friend because she was trying to assert herself, saying she wasn’t going to back down. While it was an immature means of doing so, the cyan Pegasus believed she could understand her friend’s reasons and forgive her for that fault. However there were a few more things that she still needed to explain.

        “Okay Gilda, I think I can forgive you for that. But there are a few things I still want an answer for,” the rainbow mare said, not wanting to sound aggravated. “Pinkie Pie told us that you stole some food while you were in the market; care to explain that?”

        The griffon looked away from her friend. “I had barely eaten in the last few days and had no money to pay for food. I could barely think straight, which may have also been why I acted against Pinkie Pie, so I just grabbed the closest thing I could.”

        “Fair enough, but does that also explain how you lashed out at Fluttershy in front of the whole town and made her cry?” Caster said, part of him still angry for that incident.

        “Honestly Cast, that wasn’t why,” she said, not feeling proud that moment. “I was just being me at that point. I’ve always given attitude at wrong times and I guess that was a prime example. I still kind of feel bad about that, I hope she might be able to forgive me for that.”

        “I’m sure she will, as long as she’s willing to give you a chance of course,” the light brown Pegasus said, glad to know what her reasons were for that event.

        “So I believe we all know why Gilda reacted the way she did at Sugarcube Corner,” Twilight said, with everyone nodding in agreement. They all assumed the griffon thought it was a ploy from Pinkie to get her out of town so she could steal Rainbow Dash from her. Of course all of them, including Gilda, knew that wasn’t her plan in any way. “Why don’t you tell us what happened afterwards?”

        “When I had my little outburst and left, I knew I couldn’t return home. There really wasn’t anything waiting for me. So I wandered Equestria for a while until I eventually came here, looking for work and a place to stay. But word of what happened in Ponyville soon reached this place and a lot of people turned a blind eye towards me. It was only through pure luck that my boss, the only good pony that I know here gave me a job as a laborer at his shop. He even fixed me up with this house, it wasn’t much but it was all he could do. And well, the rest is history,” Gilda finished, relieved to have finally gotten all that weight off her chest.

        When all was said and done, Rainbow Dash was truly surprised. She had never expected her oldest friend to have endured so much pain. What made it even worse was that Gilda never told her about it. But that didn’t matter now. What was important now was helping her to get through this.

        “I’m, I’m so sorry G,” Rainbow Dash said, trying her best to speak. “I-If I had known I would’ve-”

        “No Dash, it’s all right you don’t have to say anything. Really this is all my fault, it’s my fault for not telling you in the first place. If I had just told you what was really going on, maybe things could’ve been different,” Gilda said, looking her friend in the eye.

        “But I should’ve known how you were feeling at the time. I’m supposed to be the element of loyalty for Celestia’s sake, yet I can’t even be there for somepony who’s suffering in the dark.”

        The room was silent for a minute, as the two of them were having a hard time figuring out what to say next. Feeling the need to continue this conversation, Caster decided to speak up.

        “Look, the point is you both kind of messed up. Everything that has happened up to now is in the past. All the two of you can do now is try to forget the past and move on,” the stallion said.

        That seemed to be enough for them as they appeared to relax. Most of their apprehensiveness went away, but the two of them remained quiet. They knew what to say yet they were afraid to speak. Wanting to get it all over and done with, Gilda made the first move.

        “Rainbow Dash, can you ever forgive me for all that I’ve done?” the griffon asked, hoping she would say yes.

        In a flash, the Pegasus mare was by her side, wrapping her in a tender hug. “Only if you can forgive me as well Gilda.”

        There was nothing more to be said. The two of them just sat there, embracing one another and uttering apologies here and there. Despite both of their tough personalities, Gilda and Rainbow Dash shed a few tears, happy to have become friends again. Twilight and Caster said nothing, not wanting to interrupt the tender moment playing before them. When the scene had finally settled down, the two reunited friends withdrew from each other as Rainbow spoke up.

        “So G what say you move in with me? It’d be a nice way to start fresh and build yourself up again,” she said, hopeful to have her friend be around her again.

        “I’d like that Dash, but are you sure I won’t be a bother?” Gilda asked.

        “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got plenty of space and a guest room that you can use.”

        “All right then, sounds good to me,” the brown furred creature said, enthusiastically giving her friend a hoof and claw bump. “But there’s also one other issue I need to deal with.”

        “What’s that?” Rainbow inquired.

        “I still have to find myself a job. I can’t live with you forever, I’ll eventually have to find my own place and live on my own,” she said, in a matter of fact. “But I doubt anypony’s going to hire me after that incident.”

        That was true. Everyone realized that some of the ponies back home still didn’t think too highly of Gilda for how she acted. So it would most likely be hard to convince them that she had changed. They all tried to think of something but nothing came to mind. But then Caster Forge had a brilliant idea hit him. He just hoped that she would agree with it.

        “Gilda, I have a proposition for you,” he said, putting on a smile.

        “What is it?” Gilda asked.

        “Well things have been getting a little busy at my shop and honestly the work’s getting to be a bit much for me. So, I’m going to offer you a chance to work for me at my forge. You’d basically help bring me whatever supplies I need, assist me in delivering my product, and anything else that comes to mind. I make a very good salary so I can pay you a decent wage for now. However I expect your best performance while on duty. This is a very serious job I do and I will be very strict if you give me reason. So on that note do you think you can handle it?” Caster said, thinking how nice it would be to have an assistant.

        Needless to say, the griffon was overjoyed to know that she was handed this job so easily. “Of course Cast, I’d be more than grateful to work for you. And I promise I’ll do my best while I’m on the job.”

        “Glad to hear it,” Caster said. “So now that that’s all been taken care of, why don’t you go pack whatever you need and we’ll all head down to the train station.”

        “Sure thing ‘boss’, just give me about 20 minutes and we can get out of here,” Gilda said, heading to her bedroom.

        “I’ll help you out G,” Rainbow Dash said, going with her.

        While the two of them went off to get ready, Caster and Twilight stayed in the living room to put away their food and other supplies.

        “Hey Caster,” Twilight spoke up, grabbing his attention. “I just wanted to say thank you for making all of this possible.”

        “It was nothing Twilight, just wanted to help some old friends make peace with each other,” the blacksmith stallion said, as a thought entered his mind. “That, and I also wanted to repay a favor for somepony.”

        “Really? Why would you want to go through so much trouble just for this pony?” the unicorn asked.

        “Simply put, I’m repaying a favor that I should’ve done a long time ago,” Caster said, trying not to give too much away.

        Confused by what he meant Twilight simply shrugged it off, not wanting to pry any further. After a few more minutes of waiting, Rainbow Dash and Gilda came back with the latter carrying a large set of saddle bags. The whole thing appeared to have everything she would need for the future. When they were positive she had everything she needed and turned off all the appliances, the four of them exited the house right before Gilda locked it.

        Before they made their way back into town, the griffon took a moment to look back at her home and then at the house key in her claw. After a moment of thought, she let the key drop to the ground, the snow making a soft crunch. Gilda knew she would never come back to this place and was certain that no one else would want it either. With that out of the way she left with her new friends to start her new life, as the discarded key was buried beneath a pile of wind-blown snow.

===============================================================

        The next train was not to arrive for at least another two hours. This gave Gilda the time to say goodbye to her boss and longtime friend in the town. There were a few heartfelt moments between the two, but in the end all the pony could do was wish her the best of luck. They also promised to write each other every now and then, a sure sign of a lasting friendship. Afterwards, they stopped at Gustav Le Grond’s to grab one last meal. Gilda seemed to stuff herself silly with nearly everything on the menu, nearly emptying her friend’s wallets. They didn’t mind, anything to help someone out.

        When that was done Caster, Twilight, Rainbow, and Gilda went back to the train station and waited for the train to come. They all talked about what the griffon’s new job would be like, to how to break the news to everyone back home. The time passed away and soon the train rolled into the station as they all grabbed their things and went aboard.

        “Again, I want to say thanks Cast,” Gilda said. “If it weren’t for you planning all of this I probably wouldn’t be where I’m heading now. This all really means a lot to me.”

        “No problem Gilda, I just wanted to put this whole dispute to an end,” Caster said, as he thought now would be the best time to explain his other motive. “Another reason in particular was because I wanted to have you apologize to Fluttershy so that I could repay her.”

        “Wait, what? You did all this for Fluttershy? What could you possibly have to repay her for?” Rainbow Dash asked, surprised by this turn of events.

         “I wanted to repay all the time and kindness she’s given me these past few months and show how much that has meant to me,” the light brown Pegasus replied, giving a slight grin. “That, and because I’m in love with her.”

        Both Gilda and Rainbow Dash’s jaws nearly hit the floor from what they just heard. Twilight gave a light hearted chuckle, seeing that he finally came to terms with his feelings. And soon the train doors closed behind them, giving them all the time they needed to discuss this information.