Birds of a Feather

by AbstractThought

Rating: teen
Tags: Pinkie Pie, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Comedy, Romance, Fluttershy, Gilda
Length: 9469

Pinkie Pie sees Gilda and Fluttershy making out and misinterprets the whole thing.

Pinkie Pie was coming over to Fluttershy's house to invite her to a party when she witnessed a shocking scene: Gilda trying to eat Fluttershy's tongue! She immediately knew she had to get her friends so they could stop that mean griffon before it was too late. After all, why else would Gilda have her beak in Fluttershy's mouth?

Published 2013-06-02 04:20:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-06-02 04:20:02 UTC

Flock Together

Birds of a Feather
By AbstractThought

Pinkie Pie bounced with bright spirits down the road to Fluttershy’s cottage, hoping to invite her to her latest party: a party celebrating Gummy’s first haircut. Her other friends had already accepted, though for some reason they seemed genuinely confused about Gummy getting a haircut in the first place. That didn’t really bother her though, considering they seemed confused about half the time she spoke with them. Oh well, as long as they were smiling the rest of the time, what did it matter?

Pinkie came up to Fluttershy’s door, with her invitation ready and her smile extended to maximum cheeriosity. Twilight had once informed her that “cheeriosity” was not in fact, a word, but Pinkie couldn’t think of a better word for it. Which led to her suggesting that the dictionary ponies or whoever should just make it a word; after all, they put in all those other words, so why couldn’t they put in cheeriosity? Twilight had promptly added that it was rude to enter ponies’ houses without knocking first, but how else could she surprise them with surprise invitations to her surprise parties? With that in mind, she burst in through the front door and called:

“Hi, Fluttershy! I just popped by to invite –”

Her next words were silenced by the scene in front of her. Fluttershy was sitting on her couch along with none other than Gilda, the big mean old meanie griffon who had made her cry during her last visit. Not only that, but their forelimbs were wrapped around each other’s bodies, and their mouth and beak were interlocking! Pinkie’s completely 100% rational brain arrived at the only conclusion it could:

“AAH!” She screamed, running out of the cottage. “Somepony help! Gilda’s eating Fluttershy’s tongue!” Fluttershy and Gilda froze and stared, dumbfounded at what had just happened. Eventually, Gilda spoke up.

“Uh, did that pink dweeb just say I was eating your tongue?”

“Her name’s Pinkie Pie. Please don’t call my friends dweebs,” Fluttershy scolded, shooting Gilda a reproachful glare. Gilda sighed.

“Fine, sorry.”

“Oh my!” Fluttershy gasped with realization and leaped up. “Pinkie saw us kissing! That means all of my friends are going to find out! Oh, what are we going to do? They only see you as a mean jerk, they’ll never understand, I won’t be able to show my face around them again, we’ll have to move away and change our names and, and I’ll have to give up taking care of animals and go back into modeling and everypony will judge me and –”

“Fluttershy!” Fluttershy squeaked and ceased her frantic monologue and pacing. Gilda walked up to her and put an arm around her shoulders.

“Look, Shy,” she consoled, with a gentle stroke through her mane. “I didn’t want anypony to find out about us either, and I don’t expect anypony to give me another chance. But, well, the cat’s out of the bag now, so we might as well just deal with it and get it out. Just tell the world, 'Hey, I’m in love with this awesome pony, and anypony who’s got a problem with it can kiss my claws!'” Fluttershy blushed and smiled softly.

“Thanks, Gilda. I’m glad you’re not ashamed of us.” She then turned away and frowned again. “I just don’t want my friends to hate us.” Gilda chuckled.

“Are you serious? Who could hate Flutter-freaking-Shy, the most kind and soft pony ever? They’d probably lay the smackdown on anyone who so much as looks at you funny!” Then she sighed bitterly. “And once they think I tried to eat you…well, I might as well get ready for a life as a decorative rug.” Fluttershy gave Gilda a soft hug.

“I promise I won’t let that happen. We just need to find my friends and explain that it was all a big misunderstanding. After all, they’re reasonable ponies; they won’t just jump to conclusions based on something Pinkie Pie said, right?”

Gilda gave her a falsely enthusiastic smile. “Yeah,” she said unconvincingly, “I’m sure they won’t…”

Twilight Sparkle was in her tree house (specifically, in the library), reveling in the one thing she loved as much as reading: writing.

She had been invited to a magic symposium in Canterlot, where esteemed scholars from around the world would be sharing their findings in various magic-related subjects. Twilight was eager to share her studies in the magic of friendship, so she had spent the last few days compiling a thesis on the effects of her friendship on her magic and the magic around her, complete with a comparison of her abilities and relationships from various periods of her life. She was having a wild brainstorm about how best to tie it all together and was scribbling furiously on her paper, pausing only to look at her notes to verify information. Unfortunately, she was scribbling so intensely that her quill snapped in half, just as she was finishing up a particularly compelling paragraph on spells involving facial hair.

Twilight, upon hearing the telltale snap, hurriedly reached with her magic to replace the quill as she had done several times recently, but she was unable to “feel” anything in her quill jar. She looked toward the jar and, to her consternation, realized it was empty. Following a groan of exasperation, Twilight called out,

“Spike! …Spike!”

“Hold your horses, Twi, I’m here,” her dragon assistant Spike grumbled as he hurried over to her work area. “What is your command, your Highness?” he pronounced, sinking into a low, facetious bow.

“Very funny, Spike,” Twilight said (nevertheless with an internal giggle). “I need you to run over to Quills and Sofas and get me another batch of quills right away!” It was now Spike’s turn to groan.

“Really, Twi? You broke all your quills again? This wouldn’t happen if you didn’t put so much pressure on them writing like a maniac.”

“This isn’t the time to discuss my writing habits! I’m in the middle of a critically important brainstorm and I require another quill immediately before it diminishes! Come on, hurry hurry hurry!”

“Alright alright, I’m going already! Geez, Twilight.” Spike dashed over to the front door, only to be smacked back into Twilight’s desk (stirring up a storm of papers) as the door flew open and Pinkie Pie frantically burst through.

“Twilight! Fluttershy’s in danger!”

“Pinkie!” Twilight screamed in exasperation. “Look at the mess you’ve created! You could have ruined my whole paper!”

“Yeah, don’t worry about your number one assistant who may have a concussion,” Spike sighed from his position in the wreckage. “Your paper’s far more important.”

“I’m sorry Twilight I know you said it’s rude to enter without knocking but I like to surprise ponies with surprise invitations to my surprise parties and I wanted to do that with Fluttershy but then I saw Gilda eating Fluttershy’s tongue and warning my friends is even more of a reason not to knock cause if I waste time knocking Fluttershy could be griffon chow by now and wow I just rhymed three times in a row and…”

Pinkie’s out of control train of speech was suddenly derailed as Twilight magically zipped her mouth shut, something she had admittedly been tempted to do frequently in the past since she’d witnessed her rival Trixie perform a similar spell.

“Now Pinkie Pie,” Twilight said with forced calm, “I’m going to unzip your mouth, and when I do, I would like you to tell me, slowly and clearly, why you are here. Do you understand?” Pinkie nodded.

“Thank you.” Twilight removed the magic zipper over Pinkie’s mouth, allowing Pinkie to take a breath and urgently expel:

“I saw Gilda eating Fluttershy’s tongue!”

“What?!” Twilight burst out in shock. “Gilda’s here? With Fluttershy?!” Pinkie nodded so vigorously that her mane continued to bounce after her head stopped.

“Uh-huh! I saw them in Fluttershy’s house! I need your help to stop that meanie griffon! Let’s go!”

“Wait a minute,” Twilight said as another detail Pinkie had said suddenly registered. “Did you say Gilda was eating Fluttershy’s tongue?”

“That’s what I saw! Come on, we gotta go before it’s too late!”

“But Pinkie, why would Gilda –”

Pinkie huffed impatiently. “Twilight, this isn’t why-time, it’s help-time! Fluttershy needs us!” With that, Pinkie bolted outside. Twilight took a deep breath and exhaled as she swung her leg in front of her in a sweeping motion, just as Princess Cadance had taught her. She immediately felt better. Not wasting any more time, Twilight asked,

“Spike, watch the library while we’re gone, okay?” before following after her manic pink friend.

“Sure thing, Twi.” Spike snorted, still lying in the spot where he had been tossed. He then sighed and curled into a ball with a sizeable yawn. “Well, since I’m all worn out, I might as well take my nap now.”

Fluttershy was trotting down the road from her house to Ponyville, hoping to find her friends so she could explain the situation. Gilda had decided to stay at Fluttershy’s, knowing that the others wouldn’t be likely to listen to her. She was still unsure on how to tell the others of her relationship with Gilda, though. How could be she break the news gently? Hey girls, want to hear a funny story? I’ve been secretly dating the griffon that bullied everyone around her, frightened me to tears, and ditched her oldest friend when she called her out on her mean behavior for over a year now! But enough about me, what’s new with you?

Fluttershy had made it about halfway to Ponyville when she noticed a pink blur in the distance coming from the town. A second later, she found herself squeezed by a pair of pink forelegs and bombarded with words from an ecstatic voice she knew all too well.

“Fluttershy!” Pinkie Pie yelped with overjoyed relief. “I’m so happy to see you! I thought you were griffon chow! How did you escape? Is Gilda still here? Are your animals in danger? Why aren’t you answering my questions? Unless…” She gasped loudly and released Fluttershy as realization struck. “We were too late! Gilda’s already eaten your tongue! She probably put it in a sandwich with lettuce and hot sauce and ate it with a side of potato chips and cookies for dessert, that fiend!” Twilight caught up to them at that point, panting slightly.

“Pinkie did you find - Fluttershy!” She galloped up to Fluttershy, who was lying on the ground (now a combination of breathless and dirty due to Pinkie’s over-enthusiastic vicegrip and her unceremoniously sudden release), and levitated her back onto her hooves. “Oh, you look terrible!” Twilight declared with no small amount of concern. “It’s okay Fluttershy, we’ll make sure you get better as soon as possible!” She turned to Pinkie and asked, “Did you see what happened to her?”

“Well, I saw Fluttershy almost running towards town,” Pinkie replied. “And I was so relieved to see her I ran right up to her and gave her a big ol’ hug! But she didn’t answer me, so I realized that Gilda must have already eaten her tongue!”

"Or, she didn’t answer because you squeezed the breath out of her!” Twilight interjected in an annoyed tone. Pinkie cringed quite noticeably at this revelation.

“Well…maaaybe.”

“And did you let her fall to the ground when you were done hugging her?” Twilight added. “That would certainly explain the dirt all over her.”

Pinkie laughed weakly with an apologetic smile on her face. “Oops.”

Twilight sighed and then gave Pinkie a smile. “It's okay, Pinkie. What matters is that she’s safe.” She then opened Fluttershy’s mouth with her magic and moved the still out-of-breath pegasus closer to her face. A quick glance inside Fluttershy’s mouth revealed one important detail: “Pinkie, Fluttershy still has her tongue.”

“She does?!” Pinkie shouted, perking up immensely at this news. “Yippee! I was so worried for a minute there! Actually, come to think of it, tongue doesn’t sound like a very good snack anyway!” Twilight sighed and brought a hoof to her face, sensing this was going to be a long day.

“Pinkie, are you sure you saw Gilda trying to eat Fluttershy’s tongue?” she asked while placing Fluttershy gently onto the ground. Pinkie scoffed in offense.

“Are you saying I made that up? Why would you accuse me of that, Twilight?”

“No no no, I didn’t mean it like that!” Twilight quickly assured her. “It’s just that you may have, um, misinterpreted what you saw.”

“Well, it sure looked like Gilda was eating her tongue!” Pinkie protested. “I saw them on the couch, and Gilda was holding on to Fluttershy and had her beak in her mouth! What else could that possibly mean?”

Twilight paused and thought about the image that immediately came to mind. Gilda and Fluttershy, mouth in mouth…no, that can’t mean what I think it means! I mean, Gilda made Fluttershy cry! There’s no way they’d form a relationship after that…or is there? Twilight’s thoughts were interrupted by a small “meep” from Fluttershy, who was nervously beginning to back away slowly. Pinkie turned and acknowledged her shy friend again.

“Oh, hey Fluttershy! Sorry about hugging you so tightly.”

“Oh, it’s okay, Pinkie,” Fluttershy replied. “I just wanted to tell you…”

“It’s just that Gilda treated you so meanly last time you met and I couldn’t stand the thought of her making you cry again!”

“Um, yes, about that…”

“She didn’t make you cry again, did she? What did she do to you?!”

“Nothing, she was just…”

“No! Don’t tell me! I can’t bear to hear it!”

“Pinkie, would you please…”

“That bully of a griffon has made ponies sad many times too many! Come on, Twilight, we gotta stop her before it’s too late!” With that, Pinkie took off towards Fluttershy’s cottage.

“But Pinkie, I…”

“You stay there, Fluttershy,” Twilight instructed her. “We’ll take care of Gilda.” She then followed after Pinkie, leaving Fluttershy standing alone and miserable.

“…love her.”

Gilda reclined on the couch she and Fluttershy had been making out on only minutes before. If only that little pink dw…pony hadn’t ruined the moment, and possibly my life… Gilda sighed as she reflected on the possibility of losing the one pony that was able to look past her gruff exterior and stay loyal to her. She didn’t know what she’d do without her; she didn’t have any other friends, her family was lame, and the lone wolf routine wasn’t as appealing as it used to be. Her thoughts were interrupted by a white rabbit thumping its foot, holding a food bowl in its paws.

Gilda sighed heavily and said, “Look, I’m not in the mood right now, you little demon. Why don’t you learn to feed yourself for once?” Angel glared and threw his food bowl at Gilda’s head, striking her right between the eyes. Gilda shrieked and leapt at Angel, who just barely managed to leap out of the way of her talons.

“I don’t care what Shy says, you’re dead meat!” she snapped as she chased Angel around the house, knocking over furniture and making a mess wherever they went. After a frustrating and destructive minute of pursuit, Gilda lunged toward the floor and managed to grab the rascally rabbit with both of her talons. “Hah! Looks like I’m having rabbit for dinner tonight!” the griffon cried out triumphantly, while Angel struggled in her grasp. After a couple of seconds, he suddenly stopped struggling and gave her a smug smirk.

“What are you smiling about?” she asked the bratty bunny, who responded by tilting his head toward the front door to their right. Gilda looked and saw, to her horror, that the door was open and Pinkie Pie and Twilight were witnessing the scene before them with their mouths open. “Oh, uh, hey guys!” Gilda said as though nothing was wrong, forcing a big grin onto her face. “I was just, uh, playing a game with this little guy! Wanna join in?”

“Sure! I love games!” Pinkie proclaimed excitedly, prompting Twilight to clear her throat loudly. Pinkie’s attention immediately snapped back to the situation at hoof. “I mean, you’re not fooling anypony! First you make Fluttershy cry, then you mess up her house, and now you’re going to eat her animals?! That’s it! No more Miss Nice Pony!” Enraged, Pinkie charged screaming at Gilda, who was forced to make emergency aerial maneuvers while dropping Angel on the ground.

“Hold up, I know this looks bad…” Gilda started.

“And you’re one of those cool griffons that thinks bad means good, aren’t you?” Pinkie interrupted as she chased Gilda into the kitchen. “Well your idea of good is no good with me!”

“Didn’t Shy explain the situation to you?” Gilda demanded as she flew in front of the sink.

“She didn’t need to explain anything! I know when a friend needs my help!” Pinkie then pulled her signature party cannon out of nowhere and pointed it at Gilda. “Now, who’s ready to party?!”

“Oh, forget it,” Gilda growled and headed to the nearest window, only to be blocked by a purple force field that hadn’t been there a few moments ago.

“You’re not going anywhere, Gilda,” Twilight said with authority as she stepped beside Pinkie, her horn glowing with obvious warning. Gilda sat and raised her talons in surrender.

“Listen, you ponies have this all wrong! I didn’t come here to make trouble or give Fluttershy a hard time. Would you please let me explain?”

“Forget it, liar liar mean meanie pants on fire! Eat party favors, griffon!” Pinkie readied her cannon and then activated the fuse, firing a blast of confetti and party supplies at the griffon. Gilda (who had been expecting such a reaction) responded with a mighty roar that blew the ammo and both Twilight and Pinkie clear across the room. She then strode towards the ponies with hate in her eyes.

“You ponies are impossible!” Gilda snapped. “No matter what I do, I’m just a bully to you! I had somepony who was willing to give me another chance, but you couldn’t let that happen! Well, I don’t have to stand here and take any of this! Shy and I are gonna go someplace we’ll be accepted, and you can’t stop us!” Before Twilight could react, she took off and sped through the window she had tried to escape through earlier.

Pinkie gasped and sprung up out of the wreckage. “Did you hear that, Twilight?” she exclaimed. “Gilda’s gonna kidnap Fluttershy and take her somewhere far away!” She repeated the gasp louder upon realizing: “We left Fluttershy all alone out there! We’ll never get to her in time! We need Rainbow Dash! Come on, Twilight!” She pulled Twilight out of the mess and dragged her out the front door before she could object.

This better not mean what I think it means, Twilight thought, or else we’re making a huge mistake.

Rainbow Dash soared across the sky, the crowd hanging on her every move as she prepared to pull off an impossibly awesomely insane feat: doing a sonic rainboom while playing a drum solo! Such a performance should not have been possible, but she was Rainbow Dash: nothing could stop her! With the perfect drum solo planned out in her head, Rainbow increased her speed, feeling the air form into a Mach cone around her. Lifting her drumsticks, she wailed away on the drums as she approached supersonic speed. The crowd’s previously loud cheers grew faint to her ears.

As the rainboom appeared in all its spectral glory, she crashed the cymbals, ending her solo. She heard an eagle cry simultaneously; she couldn’t see where it came from, but the noise fit the moment perfectly. As Rainbow landed, she was engulfed in cheers, once again audible.

“Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!” She zoomed over the crowd, basking in their admiration, until she noticed something odd: everypony in the crowd was pink and had a familiar curly mane.

“Rainbow Dash!”

“Gah!” Rainbow Dash sat up with a start on the cloud she had been napping on and saw a disheveled-looking Pinkie Pie hanging onto the edge of the cloud.

“Goodie, you’re awake!” Pinkie exclaimed. “There’s something incredibly important I have to tell you!”

“Pinkie Pie, I already told you I’d be at Gummy’s haircut party,” Rainbow groaned as she rubbed her eyes. Pinkie shook her head.

“That’s not what I needed to tell you…though thanks for reminding me, I’ll have to set it up in a jiffy after this, good thing I just upgraded the party cannon so it could fire two parties without needing to reload…”

“Pinkie!”

“Oh, right!” Pinkie’s face became fearful again as she remembered what she came to Dash for. “Gilda’s back, and she’s taken Fluttershy!”

“What?!” Rainbow sprung into the air, her expression a mixture of shock, dread, and fury. “Please tell me this is just a sick prank you’re pulling!”

“I would never prank about a friend being in danger!” Pinkie retorted. “Dramatically reenact it in song, yes, but never prank about it!”

“Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash shouted, taking off in a flash.

“Go get her, Dashie!” Pinkie cheered. With a sudden clarity of mind, she looked down at the ground. “Now, how do I get down from here?”

Gilda ascended until she was high above the clouds, only then did she take a deep breath and screech at the top of her lungs. She then landed on a nearby cloud and sat on a cloud, breathing heavily and trying (in vain) to hold in the tears building up in her eyes. Horse apples! Those ponies are all rotten, stinking horse apples! She fumed silently for half a minute before spotting Fluttershy flying up, looking for the source of the noise. Gilda quickly took off toward the yellow pony, calling out, “Hey, Shy, over here!” Fluttershy turned her head toward the approaching griffon.

“Gilda? Was that you I heard?” Gilda gave her a quick hug.

“Come on Shy, we’re going.”

“Going where? Gilda, what happened?”

“I’ll explain on the way. Let’s just get out of here,” Gilda responded, grabbing Fluttershy’s hoof and leading her away from Ponyville.

“What about my friends? My animals?” Fluttershy protested, struggling to free her hoof.

“Later, Shy!” Gilda snapped.

“Gilda! As your special somepony, I want answers, and I want them now!”

The proud griffon slowed to a stop and sighed heavily.

“Ok, Shy, it’s like this…”

“Gilda!”

“Wha-” Gilda’s start of surprise was interrupted as a hoof slammed into her face at high speed, causing her to let go of Fluttershy and drop a few dozen feet before regaining control.

“Gilda, no!” Fluttershy gasped. Rainbow Dash flew up to Fluttershy and embraced her.

“It’s okay, Fluttershy. You’re safe now.”

“But Rainbow, I was never…”

“And as for you!” Rainbow pointed an accusatory hoof at the dazed griffon. “You’ve messed with my friends for the last time!” Gilda glared up at her former friend and growled.

“Fine. If that's how it's gonna be, then get ready to get trashed!”

The two of them charged at each other.

“Girls, wait…” Fluttershy’s plea fell on deaf ears as Gilda and Rainbow Dash fought, charging and punching/slashing at every opportunity.

“That’s for my friends, you birdbrained bully!” Rainbow shouted as she gave Gilda an uppercut below her beak.

“And that’s for abandoning me, you lousy flip-flop!” Gilda snarled as she raked her claws against Rainbow’s cheek.

“Girls, don’t fight…”

“I abandoned you?! I was hoping we could all get along, but you treated my friends like insignificant trash!”

“Well, maybe I didn’t want to hang out with your lame-o friends! Maybe I just wanted it to be us!”

“Please stop fighting…”

“Well, too bad, Gilda! I’m not giving up my friends just because you don’t like them!”

“Oh, but you’ll give me up just cause your friends don’t like me?!”

“There’s a big difference and you know it!” With that, Rainbow Dash raised her front hooves and brought them down with all her might.

“No more fighting!” Fluttershy screamed as she flew between the angry pegasus and griffon, taking the blow Dash meant for Gilda. For Rainbow and Gilda, time’s progress slowed to half speed as Fluttershy was struck in the head and with a terrified squeal, began falling toward the forest below.

“Fluttershy!” Rainbow and Gilda both cried out as they dived down towards the falling yellow pegasus. They managed to catch her several feet above the trees, each with a limb supporting a yellow foreleg.

“Gotcha, Flutters,” Rainbow assured her with breathless relief. “Don’t worry; I’ll get you fixed up.” She glared at Gilda and barked, “Let her go, Gilda!”

“No way, I’m not leaving her!”

“She’s my friend, not yours!”

“You don’t have a clue, do you?!”

“Gilda, if you don’t let her go…”

“Shut UP!” Fluttershy had finally had enough. Seeing the stunned, frozen looks of incredulity on both faces, she winced as she continued, more softly. “If you both care about me, you will stop arguing, meet me on the ground, and let me explain everything. Is. That. Clear?” The other two looked at each other, and then nodded slowly. Fluttershy smiled. Calming down, she continued. “Good. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m feeling a little tired…”

Fluttershy awoke in a hospital bed surrounded by some familiar faces.

“Oh, she’s awake!” Pinkie yipped with joy. “How do you feel, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy smiled weakly and murmured, “Hello girls. My head hurts, but apart from that, I feel fine.”

“Thank Celestia you’re alright, sugarcube,” Applejack said, putting a hoof on her shoulder.

“The doctors said there wouldn’t be any permanent damage, just a little bruising,” Twilight Sparkle informed her. An admiring tone laced her next words: “You’re certainly tougher than you look.”

“We also heard about all the horrific drama that lead to this travesty,” Rarity lamented. “Such brutality! You deserve better, darling.”

“Hey, what about me?” Spike chimed in. “I was hurt and you didn’t check on me until Twi decided to come back to the library to pick up How to Identify Ponies in a Relationship by Date Palmer.”

“I’m sorry, Spike,” Twilight said reassuringly, giving him a hug. “I know I’ve been hard to put up with while I was writing my paper. Tell you what, you can have the day off tomorrow. Does that sound good?”

“Alright! Thanks Twilight!” Spike cheered, embracing the unicorn. “Heh, maybe I should get injured more often.”

“Pardon me for interrupting this touching moment, but did you say something about ponies in a relationship?” Rarity inquired.

“Ah, yes,” Twilight said, releasing Spike. “I’ll clarify when Gilda gets here.” That was when Fluttershy noticed that neither Gilda nor Rainbow Dash were in the room.

“Um, excuse me, where did she and Rainbow go?”

“Oh, they went somewhere private to talk things out,” Applejack informed her, “I reckon we oughta check on them just to make sure they don’t kill each other or anythin’.”

“You don’t need to worry about that,” reassured a voice from behind her. They all looked to the front door and saw Rainbow Dash walk in, followed by Gilda. “We agreed to call a truce until after Gilda explains things to you guys,” Dash finished.

“Very well then, let’s hear what you have to say.” Rarity requested. The others agreed and waited expectantly. Gilda took a deep breath, then approached Fluttershy.

“Okay, I know I seem like I’m acting weird, but I think this will explain everything.” Standing beside her, Gilda asked, “Fluttershy, would it be alright if…” She waved her claw suggestively.

“Yes, go ahead.” Fluttershy nodded, a deep rosy blush appearing in her cheeks. Gilda smiled, then leaned over Fluttershy and pulled her into a kiss while the others watched, gaping. Their kiss lasted for about ten seconds before they pulled apart. Gilda then turned toward the others and declared:

“Yeah, that’s right, I love Fluttershy, and she loves me back. We’ve been dating for close to two years now. And if you don’t like that, well you’ll just have to deal with it. Got that?” The others kept staring, unsure exactly how to respond. That is, until Pinkie suddenly exclaimed,

“Oh, I get it! You weren’t eating her tongue earlier, you were just kissing her! Wow, don’t I feel silly now!”

“Yeah, hilarious,” Gilda snarked.

“I, uh…” Rainbow Dash stammered. “Is this for real, Fluttershy?”

“Yes, it is,” Fluttershy confirmed. “And if you girls had let me explain, none of this would have happened.”

“That seems to happen a lot with us,” Spike pointed out.

“I’m sorry, you two,” Twilight apologized. “I didn’t figure out what was going on until it was too late. Some genius I am.”

“Whoa there, Twi, how did you know they were seein’ each other?” Applejack asked.

“Well, once I found the necessary reference, it was easy to see the signs,” Twilight explained. “For example…”

“Before you put us to sleep with your egghead talk,” Dash interrupted, leading Twilight to glower at her, “would you mind explaining why in Equestria you two are dating?!” she demanded, gesturing at Gilda and Fluttershy. The two of them looked at each other, and slowly nodded. Gilda began:

“Okay, here goes. It all started after that whole mess when I visited Rainbow in Ponyville…”

Fluttershy was helping a family of birds move into a new nest on a tree by the edge of the Everfree Forest. She had been frightened earlier by a strange griffon, but helping other animals always helped her calm down.

“Now be careful,” she instructed the birds as they settled into their new home. “This area has everything you’ll need to be happy and healthy, but it’s close to the Everfree Forest, so you should be careful of dangerous creatures that might want to harm innocent little critters.”

No sooner has she finished speaking, when she heard a loud roar from the depths of the forest, a roar that sent her into frightful shivers. “L-like that!” she stuttered. “Now, j-just wait here! I’ll see what’s making that noise and ask it politely to, um, be considerate of the other animals! B-be right back!”

Fluttershy then headed warily into the forest. She could hear the creature shouting and raking its claws against the trees not too far away. The timid pegasus really wanted to turn tail and hide in her nice, comfy closet, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if any animals suffered because she wasn’t there to protect them.

“U-um, excuse me, whoever you are,” she began nervously as she got closer to the scary sounds. “I’m really sorry to disturb you, it’s just that, well, you’re, um, disturbing other creatures and, um, maybe if it’s not too much trouble, could you, um, please be a little –”

She stopped short when the source of the commotion was finally revealed. It was the same griffon that had antagonized her earlier that day, slashing at trees around a small clearing while shouting and growling.

“Wait, when did you turn into a wild animal?” Pinkie interrupted.

“I was venting because I was mad about losing my best friend, lamebrain!” Gilda snapped.

“Gilda, please!” Fluttershy scolded.

“Fine, sorry,” Gilda sighed. “Can I continue now?” Pinkie smiled sheepishly and nodded. “Good. Now where was I? Oh, yeah…”

Gilda had been unleashing her fury on the forest around her for several minutes when she heard a twig snap behind her. “Who’s there?!” she shouted, turning around and coming face-to-face with the yellow pegasus she had bumped into while walking around Ponyville.

“Oh, it’s you,” she grumbled, narrowing her eyes at the delicate-looking pony before her. “What do you want? Hoping I’ll say sowwy to the wittle pony?”

“Um, that won’t be necessary,” the pony said nervously. “I just wanted to ask…” she paused, looking at her eyes. “Oh dear, is something the matter?”

“What? No, I’m just peachy,” Gilda snapped, turning away in an attempt to hide her tears. “Now go away!”

“Please, you can tell me,” the pony offered. “I just want to help.”

“It’s none of your business!” Gilda barked, spinning around to glare at the nosy pony. “Leave me alone!”

“Please,” the pony begged. “I can tell you’ve been hurt. Nopony deserves to feel that way. Will you please let me help? I promise not to tell anypony.” Gilda was about to lash out at the pony, but something stopped her. She didn’t know what it was; maybe it was a moment of pity, or maybe it was her desire for any sort of comfort, or maybe she just lost her mind. Whatever it was, she decided to confess her problems to this strange pony in front of her.

“Alright. You want to know what the matter is? I swung by town to see my best friend who I hadn’t seen in while, only to have some annoying pink pony keep butting in and trying to take my friend. Then she has the nerve to invite me to a party and irritate the hay out of me while acting like she has no clue. Then my friend tells me that she set up my humiliation and that it was my fault her friends were so lame and that our history meant nothing because she told me to take a hike and find some new friends! There! You happy now?!”

Gilda finished her rant, collapsing onto the ground after she was done, her breathing ragged and tears streaming undammed down her face. The pony went up to Gilda and put a comforting hoof on her shoulder.

“I’m so sorry to hear that. What a terrible thing to happen to you!” Gilda brushed her hoof off and snapped,

“I don’t need your pity! I don’t need anypony! I’ll be fine by myself! No lame-o’s to slow me down!”

“You’re wrong,” the pony insisted. “Nopony should have to go without a friend. I know I won’t be able to replace your old friend, but I’d at least like to get to know you, to see the griffon that others don’t. What do you say?” The pony held out a hoof, and Gilda stared at it, uncertain. On one claw, this pony was very much not her style; she was timid, sappy, and didn’t look like she flew much. On the other claw, this pony was actually willing to give her a chance, even after she had been so mean to her earlier. After a few seconds of thought, she grasped the hoof with her talons and shook it.

“I’m Gilda.” The pony smiled and shyly revealed:

“Fluttershy.”

“Wow,” Rainbow Dash said in surprise. “I had no idea you were so upset about what happened back then.”

“Well, what did you expect?” Gilda retorted. “How did you think I’d feel about my oldest friend choosing some new friends over me? That really hurt, Dash.”

“Believe me, it wasn’t easy for me to make that choice,” Rainbow replied, remorse punctuating her response. “I would have gladly chosen all of you if I could have. One thing about loyalty that really sucks: you can’t always be loyal to everypony.”

“Well…if I hadn’t been such a jerk to your friends, you never would have had to make that choice,” Gilda admitted reluctantly.

“Is that an apology?” Dash asked hopefully.

“Yeah, I…I guess it is,” Gilda said, offering a talon to Dash. “Would it be cool if we could, like, try again?” Dash looked at the outstretched claw for a few seconds until she finally took it with her hoof and shook it.

“It would be really cool,” she said with a smile.

“Aww, you guys are friends again!” Pinkie cheered, grabbing them both in a tight hug. “This calls for a celebration! And now that you’re not such a meanie pants, it should go great!”

“Let…go of…me…” Gilda choked out.

“Oops, sorry!” Pinkie said, releasing her and Rainbow.

“For the record, your friends are still gonna take some getting used to,” Gilda wheezed while still catching her breath.

“Hey, believe me, it took me a while to warm up to Pinkie,” Rainbow replied. “Getting used to her, though? I’m still not used to her!” The two of them shared a laugh.

“Excuse me for interrupting so rudely,” Rarity interjected. “But I simply must know how you and Fluttershy crossed the threshold from friendship to romance!”

“Crossed the threshold?” Gilda questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Eh, Rare probably thinks we’re in one of her gushy romance novels now,” Rainbow Dash said, snickering.

“Hmmph!” Rarity scoffed, turning her nose up at her.

“But seriously, what happened next?” Rainbow asked.

“Well, after our meeting in the forest, we arranged a time and place where we could meet again,” Gilda recalled. “Mostly we just talked and got to know each other.”

“We agreed to keep our meetings a secret, due to Gilda’s reputation in Ponyville,” Fluttershy added. “It wasn’t always easy finding free time, though. Sometimes I had to pretend to be busy.”

“Wait a minute,” Twilight interrupted. “Are you telling me that when I invited you to read my new book on the histories of various creatures with me and you said you had to water your plants, you were actually going to meet Gilda?”

“Yes, I was,” Fluttershy admitted.

“And when I asked you to see the Wonderbolts perform in Cloudsdale with me, but you said you had to feed your animals,” Rainbow demanded, “that was an excuse to see Gilda behind my back?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“And when I invited you to try my new every-color-but-brownies and you said you had to wash your hair,” Pinkie pressed, “you were really going to have fun with Gilda?”

“Oh no, that time I really did have to wash my hair,” Fluttershy assured her. “It had gotten messy after the Cutie Mark Crusaders dyed my hair to practice being hair stylists.”

“Your hair didn’t look any different then,” Pinkie said skeptically.

“Oh, that’s because the dye color they used was the exact same color as my natural mane color,” Fluttershy said, giggling. “The fillies didn’t notice and thought their dye was defective. I left before they could get more.”

“Well, I can understand why you’d want to keep your meetings a secret from us,” Twilight reasoned. “But I’m sure we would have understood if you had been honest with us.”

“I know,” Fluttershy said meekly. “I’m really sorry I blew you guys off.”

“It’s okay, Flutters,” Rainbow reassured her. “Just let us know the truth next time.”

Fluttershy smiled. “Thanks for being so understanding, girls.”

“Yeah, you ponies are real understanding. Can we get back to our story now?” Gilda asked impatiently.

“Alright, fine.” Fluttershy giggled again.

“So anyway,” Gilda continued. “We’ve been hanging out in secret, just talking and stuff. I was surprised at how much I was enjoying Shy’s company. I didn’t mind the animals a whole lot, either, except for that one rabbit of hers. I’m sure you know who I’m talking about.”

“We’ve gotten into some disagreements over Angel,” Fluttershy admitted.

“That’s an understatement,” Gilda muttered, rolling her eyes. “But apart from the rabbit, I really enjoyed hanging with Shy. After about three months, I started noticing I felt weird around her. Like, every time I saw her, my heart would start racing and I’d get this weird fluttering feeling in my stomach.” Rarity squealed.

“Oh, the sensations of falling in love! Aren’t they just divine?”

“Uh, Rare? Could ya save your lovey-dovey stuff ‘til after they’re done?” Applejack asked.

“Well, excuse me if I happen to be able to appreciate good romance,” Rarity said haughtily. “Unlike some ponies I could mention.”

“Now just what’s that supposed to mean?” Applejack demanded hotly.

“Oh, I get it!” Pinkie suddenly burst out. “Your stomach had a fluttering feeling when you saw Fluttershy! Hahaha, that’s a good one!”

“Yeah…” Gilda said in annoyance. “Anyway, I was having these weird feelings, and I wasn’t sure what they meant at first, but then I decided to talk to Shy about them…”

Gilda was visiting Fluttershy in a secluded clearing by a lake. They had just finished swimming and were lying on the grass, letting the sunlight dry them off.

“That was fun,” Fluttershy said as she relaxed by the water’s edge. “I didn’t know you could swim like that.”

“Eh, it’s no big deal,” Gilda brushed off the compliment nonchalantly. “Swimming isn’t all that different from flying when you think about it.”

“Maybe you could teach me some of your techniques later,” Fluttershy offered.

“Yeah, maybe…” Gilda muttered, clearly distracted. “Listen, Shy, there’s something I kinda wanted to tell you.” Fluttershy sat up from where she was lying and turned to Gilda.

“Is something wrong, Gilda?” she asked in concern.

“Well, I dunno,” Gilda said uncertainly. “I’ve just been feeling kinda weird lately.”

“Weird? What do you mean by weird?”

“Just…when I’m around you, I feel weird in my stomach and my heart goes crazy. I’m not sure what it means. I’ve never felt like this before.”

“That is weird,” Fluttershy said giggling. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were in love.”

“Love?” Gilda froze. “Are you sure about that? Could I really be in…love?” she asked breathlessly.

“W-well,” Fluttershy stammered, her face turning red, “what do you think?”

“I think…” Gilda paused, trying to gather her thoughts. “I…I think I could be.”

“R-really?” Fluttershy was hot from ear to ear.

“Yeah,” Gilda decided, standing up on trembling legs and facing Fluttershy. “I think I am. You’ve been so sweet to me all this time. I feel like I can really open up around you. I can’t even say that about Dash. You’ve been such a good friend to me, and I’d really like it if we could…go a little farther.”

“I…I see,” Fluttershy said softly, her mind frozen in shock. Gilda was in love with her? How could that happen? What should she do? What should she say? After about a minute, her mind snapped back to action when she heard Gilda sigh.

“I guess that answers that. Forget I said anything, I was just being stupid. See ya.” She turned and started to walk away.

“Wait!” Fluttershy called out urgently. Gilda paused. “I didn’t say no, I just…need a little time to think. This is a big decision after all, and I want to make sure I make the right choice.”

“Well, alright,” Gilda responded, looking noticeably relieved. “I guess we both could use some time to think. Why don’t I come by your place Sunday afternoon and you tell me what you think? Sound good?”

“Sure,” Fluttershy said, smiling uneasily. “I think I can have an answer by then. In the meantime, I…I should check on my animals.”

“Yeah,” Gilda said, laughing nervously. “I have stuff to do too. See ya later!”

“You too!” With that, they went their separate ways.

“Well,” Rarity lamented, trying to hide her disappointment. “That was, ah, a little less romantic than I expected.”

“Sorry, Rarity,” Fluttershy replied. “If I had known I’d be sharing that moment with you, I’d have tried to come up with something more theatrical.”

“Oh, that’s perfectly alright,” Rarity giggled. “I can get a little carried away when it comes to matters of the heart.”

“Yeah, just a little,” Rainbow Dash snickered.

“Well, maybe you’ll like this part better…”

Gilda stood outside Fluttershy’s house, feeling more nervous than she had ever felt before. The time away from Fluttershy had only increased her desire, and she didn’t know what she’d do if Shy didn’t feel the same way. After nervously standing for about a minute, she took a deep breath and then knocked on Fluttershy’s door. A few seconds later, the door opened and Fluttershy stood in the doorway.

“Oh, I’m so glad you could make it!” she said. “Please, come in!” Gilda stepped inside.

“Uh, hey, sure, how ya doin’?”

“Oh, I’m doing well. My animals have been healthy as ever.”

“That’s cool. I’ve been healthy, too. Uh, I mean, ugh…” Gilda smacked a claw to her face. “What am I saying?”

“Gilda,” Fluttershy spoke with deliberation. “I’ve been thinking about what you said about going beyond friendship.”

“What, that?” Gilda blurted with a forced grin. “Oh, I was just being lame, no big deal; let’s just forget it, okay?”

“No, Gilda,” Fluttershy insisted. “We can’t just act like that wasn’t important. I’ve come to a decision, and I really want you to hear it.” Gilda sighed, seating herself with resignation.

“Alright, lay it on me.” Without further ado, Fluttershy sat in front of Gilda and confessed:

“I’ve never had anypony tell me they were in love with me, especially not a friend. So when you told me you felt that way, I didn’t know how to react. I wasn’t sure if I felt strongly enough about you to start a relationship with you, or how it would affect our friendship. After thinking about it, I’m still not entirely sure.”

“I understand.” Gilda’s eyes fell to the floor.

“However,” Fluttershy continued, “I understand how much it means to you, and I can’t stand the thought of you being miserable because I didn’t give you a chance. So, I’ve decided that I’m willing to try going a little farther if you are.”

“I…you really mean that?” Gilda asked hesitantly. Her heart skipped a beat.

“Yes, I do,” Fluttershy assured her. She walked up to Gilda and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You mean a lot to me, and there’s nopony else I’d rather be in a relationship with.”

“Wow…thanks Fluttershy.” Gilda released the breath she’d been unaware of holding. “I don’t know what to say, except…AWESOME!” she suddenly shouted, giving Fluttershy a tight embrace. “You are officially the coolest pony I know!”

“That…means a lot coming from you.” Fluttershy tried to return her hug, but found herself immobile in Gilda’s crushing grip. “I’m sorry, but… could you please let me have some air?”

“Oh, my bad,” Gilda apologized, easing her hold to an acceptable pressure. “Hey Shy? There’s one more thing you need to know.”

“Yes, Gilda?” Fluttershy asked as she leaned into Gilda’s embrace.

“If you ever tell anypony I was capable of being so sappy, you’re dead meat.”

“I hear ya,” Fluttershy giggled.

“Oops, sorry Gilda,” Fluttershy apologized.

“It’s cool, Shy,” Gilda reassured her partner. “I told it with you, didn’t I? That means you’re off the hook.”

“Aw, that was so sweet!” Pinkie Pie gushed. “I bet you kissed each other all day and night after that!”

“Actually, it took a while for us to figure out the kissing part,” Gilda admitted. “Beaks weren’t exactly made for kissing.”

“I remember the first time we tried kissing,” Fluttershy reminisced with a giggle. “My mouth hurt so much for the rest of the day!”

“Do you remember the excuse we came up with for that?” Gilda chuckled. “We decided you had been trying to clean a porcupine with your mouth!”

“I’m still amazed everypony believed that!” Fluttershy burst out. The two of them laughed themselves silly, and soon everypony else was laughing with them. When the laughter subsided, Rainbow Dash spoke up:

“Hey, Gilda, I just wanted to say sorry about all the trouble I gave you. I had you all wrong. I never would have thought it earlier, but you and Flutters make a pretty good couple.”

“I’m sorry, too!” Pinkie wailed tearfully. “I was trying to protect Fluttershy, but I just made everypony sad. I should have listened to your side of the story instead of reading only the parts I liked and making a stinker out of it.”

“Uh, apology accepted?” Gilda said in confusion.

“Yay!” Pinkie cheered. “Once Fluttershy is out of the hospital, I’m going to throw you two the best “Congratulations On Being A Couple” party Ponyville has ever seen!”

“Pinkie, wait!” Fluttershy panicked, her pupils the size of peppercorns. “What if Ponyville doesn’t accept us?”

“Shy, if your best friends are willing to accept us, I’m pretty sure everypony else won’t need much more convincing,” Gilda reassured her. “After all, who’s gonna argue with the ponies that saved Equestria several times in a row?”

“And dragon! Don’t forget dragon!” Spike cut in, leading the others to burst into laughter again. Fluttershy smiled.

“You guys…I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

The next day, Fluttershy was well enough to check out from the hospital, so her friends and her special somegriffon arranged a big party at Sugarcube Corner to celebrate her relationship with Gilda in tandem with Gummy’s first haircut (due to that party having to be postponed). Thanks to Pinkie Pie’s superb party setup skills, the whole town was there and eager to party, though the nature of the party was kept a surprise from them at first. Once Pinkie was sure everypony had showed up, she got out an enormous noisemaker and blew into it, filling the room with noise that startled everyone into silence.

“Hey, everypony!” Pinkie announced. “It’s great to see you all here today! I bet you’re all wondering what this party’s about, right?”

“Not really,” a pony in the back said.

“Well, first off – huh?!” Pinkie blurted, caught off guard.

“Well, you throw parties so often, I just assumed you threw them because you were addicted to them,” the pony continued.

“That diagnosis was never proven!” Pinkie snapped. She heard someone clear their throat behind her, getting her back on track. “Uh, anyway, first of all, there’s a special guest here today, and I want you all to make her feel welcome. Everypony put your hooves together for Gilda the griffon!”

Gilda stepped out from the kitchen and into the main party room, where she was greeted with glares and a few mutters. Pinkie noticed the less than positive reception Gilda was getting and rushed to defend her. “Wait a minute! I know she was a real grump when she was first here, but she’s changed now! She doesn’t think all ponies are lame anymore, and she’s promised to be nicer from now on! Please give her a chance!” The ponies murmured uncertainly. Seeing where this was headed, Gilda took a stand and spoke up:

“Listen, everypony. I want to say sorry for the way I acted before. I was obsessed with being cool and getting my way, and I didn’t want to waste my time with so-called “lame-os.” But after some time thinking it over, I realized I wasn’t being as cool as I thought I was. Rainbow Dash is cooler than just about anypony else I’ve met, yet she doesn’t treat others like trash. She’s willing to be nice with others, and she’s the one with all the fans while I’m the one having to beg for them. It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’d like to try making friends with you guys if you’ll give me another chance. What do you say?”

A few seconds passed in silence while Gilda waited tensely. Then…

“I’ll give you another chance!” the pony from earlier said.

“Me too!” another pony chimed in.

“Me three!”

“Me infinity!” Pinkie shouted gleefully. Soon, the room was filled with cheers. Gilda broke out into a smile, basking in the positive reception she was receiving for once.

“I…I’m forgiven already? Wow, you ponies really are sappy.”

“Aw, thanks!” Pinkie grinned. “I’m so happy to see you all being so welcoming to our new friend! Which brings me to my second announcement! Fluttershy, come on down!” Fluttershy stepped out nervously from the crowd.

“Um, hello, everypony. Something wonderful happened to me recently, and I want to share the good news with you. Gilda, could you come here, please?”

“With pleasure.” Gilda stepped in front of Fluttershy, and the two of them shared a passionate kiss in front of everypony. Gasps filled the room as the scene unfolded before the crowd. When they broke the kiss, Fluttershy spoke with renewed confidence:

“Yes, Gilda and I are dating. I know this is probably a big shock to you, but we truly care about each other, and we’d really appreciate it if you would support our relationship.”

“Yeah,” Gilda added, “and anypony who’s got a problem with it can…tell it to someone who cares!”

She drew Fluttershy into another kiss, and the crowd cheered again.

“Woohoo! This is just fantastic!” Pinkie felt so elated, her mane inflated and she became airborne for a few seconds. “You’re the best pony community anypony and griffon could ask for!” When the cheering settled down, Pinkie continued in a dramatic whisper, “And now, the final and most incredibly amazing surprise of this super spectacular day!” The crowd leaned forward, breath held in anticipation.

“Gummy had his first haircut yesterday!”

The crowd stared a few seconds in confusion, then gave a halfhearted cheer.

“Thank you all so, so much!” Pinkie gushed obliviously. “I know Gummy here is just overcome with joy to see how much you care!”

Gummy blinked his eyes one after the other, his face expressionless.

“And now, let’s par-tay!” Pinkie finished.

The party went on smoothly after that, and everypony had a blast. There was music, games, drinks, sweets, balloons, streamers, and all the other ingredients for an awesome party. Gilda found it surprisingly easy to mingle, though she preferred to hang with Fluttershy and her friends. She had just concluded a hilarious story about the time Fluttershy accidentally spilled a shaker full of pepper into her animals’ food, when she felt a tapping on her hind leg.

“Miss Gilda?” A young voice queried behind her. She turned to see three fillies looking curiously at her.

“Yeah? What do you kids want?” she asked, trying to hide her annoyance.

“What exactly are ya?” the yellow filly inquired.

“I’m a griffon,” Gilda said proudly. “Coolest creature in existence.”

“A griffon? What’s that?” the white filly wanted to know.

“I’m half eagle and half lion; don’t they teach you kids anything at school?” Gilda replied, annoyance seeping into her voice.

“Whoa, you’re two animals in one?” the orange filly piped up. “That is cool! Awesome, even!”

“Straight up,” Gilda grinned.

“There’s one thing I don’t get,” the yellow filly wondered aloud. “How could you get half an eagle an’ half a lion together like that?”

“Ooh, ooh! I know this one!” the white filly spoke up eagerly. “When a mommy eagle and a daddy lion love each other very much…”

“Ah, Sweetie Belle!” Rarity burst out in alarm. “Why don’t you and your friends try to earn your pin-the-tail-on-the-pony cutie marks? This would be the best place to earn it!”

“Isn’t that game for babies?” the orange filly asked in distaste.

“I should say not!” Rarity said indignantly. “It’s my favorite game, and you wouldn’t call me a baby, would you?”

“She’s got you there, Scootaloo,” Sweetie Belle teased.

“Ugh, fine,” Scootaloo sighed.

“Cutie-mark-crusaders-pin-the-tail-on-the-pony… Er, pony-tail-pinners-yay!” the three fillies suddenly chanted, and then they ran off excitedly. Gilda stared at them as they left.

“Wow, those kids sure are…something.”

“Yes, they can be quite a hooffull,” Rarity said empathetically. “Yet they’re real darlings most of the time. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go make sure they don’t break anything.” With that, Rarity trotted in the direction the fillies had gone. Following Rarity’s departure, Gilda felt a hoof tap on her shoulder, and she turned around to see Rainbow Dash.

“So, Gilda,” Rainbow asked with a grin. “How does it feel making friends other than me for a change?”

“Eh, they’re still not as cool as you and Shy,” Gilda responded. “But, honestly, it feels pretty good being nice to others for once.”

“That’s just how I feel,” Rainbow declared proudly. “Say, after this party’s over, I was hoping you could join me and Pinkie for a game of high-speed tag. You in?” she offered, holding out a hoof.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Gilda answered as she started to shake Dash’s hoof, only to experience a familiar strong shock when she grabbed it.

“Gotcha!” Rainbow cackled, showing the joy buzzer in her hoof.

“Oh, goodness!” cried a concerned Fluttershy upon noticing the prank. “Are you alright, Gilda?” Gilda smiled warmly at her as she shook off the residual charge.

“Never better.”

The End

Author's Note

Thank you for reading!
This is my first complete pony fanfic. I hope you enjoy what I've written. Feel free to let me know below what you liked most and what you think I could improve upon.
Special thanks to my friends for their support and advice!