Fool Me Once...by Codi SnowChaptersExplain YourselfTravelStarsHonestly....Take It EasyExplain Yourself"You're such a flip flop!" I wish I could take those words back... I didn't mean to say that to you... It was out of anger... I'm sorry, Dash... Please forgive me... It's raining outside my cave. Funny. I used to hate the rain. But my mom loved it. I guess I learned to love it after she left. She was one of the two griffons who actually cared for me back at our village. The village wasn't so bad. I was bullied. But who doesn't get bullied? What made me hate it there was my father. He had caused me to run off to Cloudsdale. He made me the laughing stock. And now, he caused me to lose my best friend. Doesn't make sense does it? Let me explain. My father hated me since the day I was hatched. I grew up in the most highly honored family in the village, so appearance and pride were the two things that fueled my father. And he thought, "What better way to show my pride than having sons?". And to add more pride filled gasoline to his fire, four strong and healthy sons were hatched. Mom was happy but my father was excited. He was ready to forget about his fifth egg and moved on with his four boys.But mom convinced him to stay. She told him it might be another boy, even though she wanted a girl. Finally, the egg hatched. My father wasn't so happy. "It's a-" "It's a girl! I can't believe it!" "..." "Hyrus, darling? What's wrong?" "It's a weak one." "We can help her grow strong! We can-" "YOU can do whatever you like with it. I want no affiliation with it." "But Hyrus, its your own daughter." My father wanted no part in my life. Not because I was born a weak baby. I think he would've gotten over that. I think the only true reason was that I was a girl. Heh, I used to ask mom why daddy never loved me. what did I ever do to him to make him hate me. She told me not to worry about that. That she'll love me no matter what. That made my father's blood boil. But what angered him more is when my eldest brother ,Grydous, started to treated me like a sister . I can still hear those two arguing. "But dad she has feelings! She's a griffon too!" "It's nothing but scum and you shall treat it as such!" "No! I'm not like you! She deserves-" "STOP TREATING IT LIKE ITS MORE THAN A WASTE OF A GRIFFON!" Grydous did the unthinkable then. Gave him a nasty scar on his beak. Father returned the favor with a scar to the eye.The first time he disrespected father and it was because of me. I felt guilty about it but he reassured me. Told me that it was worth it. I started to smile. I smiled because now not only does mom love me, but my brother loves me too. For the first time in my life in that village, I was actually happy. Until I found out how else my father can haunt me. My temper. "Well if it isn't for Hyrus's little reject" "Shut it Tiben." "Where's your daddy, Gilda? Oh yeah, he left you all alone" "I said shut up.." "Why? Because you're nothing but a disgrace!" "I SAID SHUT UP!" All I remembered was him having a broken beak and a black eye. I ran home. I couldn't believe what came over me. When I got home, I found out mom was gone. Father chased her away. I saw nothing but red then. When I came to, Grydous had me pinned. Father was bleeding with gashes all over him. His three sons staring at me with animosity in their eyes as they nursed their father. I smiled, then chuckled. "I hope you rot in Tartarus you vile poultry" I growled. Later that same night I told Grydous that I was leaving. I was gonna tell the village elder. Start a new life. Hopefully,during the process, find mom. He ain't take it too well. "I'm going with you." "No Grydous. You can't." "And live with that monster?!" "You can leave, just don't come with me." "Gilda." I started crying. Grydous pulled me into a hug. He petted my head just like how mom used to do. "Then who's gonna hunt for ya?"He said jokingly. "I can handle myself, bro." He pushed me back so he could get a good look at me "Little Gildy. All grown up." "I'm still a teen." I chuckled. Then he told me something. Something that haunts me to this day. "Gildy, if I let you go,you gotta promise me something." "What is it?" "Hold your temper." "What?Why?" "The only way Father can always haunt you is that. Your temper" "No he can't" "Gilda,"I knew he was serious that time. His eyes were focused onto me."That was the only thing you inherited from him. His temper. If you can control it, Father will have no power over you." "My temper?" "Yes. Your temper." "I can try." "Gilda.Promise me." ".....Okay....I promise." And with that, I flew off to see the elder. He was okay with it. But he told me one day I'll have to confront my father in order to truly be happy. I rolled my eyes and flew off to start a new journey. I built a new life for myself. I found a way to enroll myself into flight school. Made an awesome friend. Graduated happily too. I even got a job at the Griffon Express Delivery Service. And then, that visit to Ponyville. I thought I could keep my cool. But now that I look back at it, Pinkie Pie wasn't so bad. Hell, it wasn't that yellow pegasus's fault I couldn't see where I was going. And those things I was doing to those ponies, I looked like......... I have to go back. I need to make amends with these guys. And to be honest...I need my best buddy back. Author's Note Hi guys! This is my very first story that I like that isn't a comic. So constructive criticism is welcome because I'm not good at doing stories. Thanks! TravelHuh. Who knew flying in the rain is a little more...serene than usual? I figured it would be annoying because of all the water in your eyes and it being cold and wet and stuff. But its not so bad as I thought. Maybe this is why mom loved the rain. Anyway, I was able to fly with ease, maneuvering pass the clouds, doing a few tricks and such. When I looked down, I saw some dragons doing something weird in a forest. Were they...thrusting something? It looked like they were thrusting a..... Y'know, I have a bad habit of paying close attention to detail. And now, that image will be forever engraved on my brain. I'm guessing after seeing those dragons I'm nearing their nesting grounds. One of the more dangerous things to do around there is to mess with teen dragons. They maybe some troublemakers, but tick one off, and that's your tail on fire. So I tried to swerve and dodge any smog like features in the sky. I didn't want to get caught up in that. Grydous taught me that once you're near dragon grounds, smog is your worst enemy. Dragons and griffons don't usually get along. Especially with my village. During hatching season, the village elders would catch dragon delinquents smashing eggs like they do with phoenixes. Only difference is, Griffons are much more protective of their eggs.Not saying that phoenixes aren't. Just saying that griffons are literally patrolling for the sake of theirs eggs. I can't blame them for it. But that's not the only reason griffons and dragons don't get along. My father and a couple other alpha griffons planned an attack on a high class dragon. I heard my brothers talking about it when mom was preening my feathers. They said that Father killed the dragon with one swipe to the throat and ripped out his jugular and how awesome it would've looked if they were there. I felt sick about the whole situation. Because he was a high class dragon, his followers didn't take kindly to that. So to prevent war between the two, we were to give up ten of our young to appease the dragons. The dragons wanted them for a snack. My father was eager to offer me up. The dragons were going to take me, but they must have saw something in me that scared them off. Seriously, they flew off without taking any of the young from our village. The elder said that dragons are mystical creatures and can see things others can't. If I could scare them off, I must have some sort of powerful dark magic in me. Now that I'm on my way there, I can still see what a jerk I was. I can't believe I yelled at that innocent pegasus. Not only that, but I roared at her. I'm not feeling guilty about that prank against that old mare though. That one was funny, even for Dash's taste... Dash... The way I barked at her. The way I insulted her friends. Why is the image still playing over and over in my head? Didn't it torment me enough? I'm so sick of it! I didn't mean to say that to her! I didn't mean to yell at that yellow pegasus! I just...I just..... "I just wish I could go back! Just go back and change everything!" "Hmm. It seems we both have wishes." If I'm not mistaken, I think that was a dragon. I whipped my head around to find the large,scaly, nostril flaring,fire breathing beast behind me. By the look on his face, he seemed...hungry. Great..... "You see, you want to change things in the past. I wished for some food wandering into my smoke cloud." This is what I get for talking out loud. "But here's the difference: only one of our wishes came true." I saw him snarling. His pearly white teeth bared and some smoke flowing out of his nose like a freaking chimney. I started to fly away at jet speed as soon as I saw fire leaking out of his mouth. Then, he let out a beam of flames in my direction. I swerved around the blaze for a little of a, you know, badassery effect. "Stay still so I can roast you properly!" Y'know, that always confused me. Why, if I don't want to be caught or eaten etc., would I stop running so the guy can actually get the upper hand and do what I was actually trying to friggin' avoid?! Well at least the adrenaline was pumping in my veins like Cloudsdale pumping up clouds. I couldn't stop swerving and speeding. It didn't help the fact that the dragon's flames were red hot on my trail. I could still feel each blast getting closer and closer. I started to realize that the clouds started to get a little darker above them and the rain came down a little harder. That mean two things: The dragons flames aren't going to be that strong because of the rain, and nightfall is near. I started to look at my surroundings and saw a peculiar forest. Wait, that's the...The Everfree Forest! I looked up to see nothing but rain clouds. No smog. Jeez, how far, and fast, was I flying? Well, as long as that dragon doesn't see me, I guess it's alright, right? "Don't think you're free just yet, griffon!" the dragon boomed when he, shockingly, caught sight of me. Yep. Spoke too soon. I started to dive right into the forest when I started to feel heat right behind me. I didn't even think about landing properly. I just slammed into the ground and tumbled a couple of times. When I looked up, I saw a smoldering tree with scorched leaves. That coulda been me.... My ears were ringing from that rough landing. I tried to get on all fours and walk, but my legs felt like jelly and I fumbled into the ground. So I staggered onto my claws and paws and wobbled to civilization. I have no idea how deep into the forest I am, but I do know that Ponyville is on the other side. My head started to get foggy. I started to lose feeling in my legs. My ears were still ringing. Then, I toppled over onto the floor. Now all I heard was my breathing and my heartbeat. And the last thing I saw was a pony in a cloak. She, or he, was saying something but I couldn't quite make it out. All I saw after that, was black. Author's Note Well, here's the second chapter! As always,constructive criticism is very useful and is also welcomed. I'll start working on the third chapter ASATIP( as soon as this is posted) Thank you and enjoy! Stars"Don't you ever see where you're going?! Wah wah poor me!" No, I'm sorry....I didn't mean..... ROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAR!!! No..No! What is wrong with me?! "You're such a flip flop! One minute you're cool, next minute you're lame! You call me when you're cool again!" NO! Dash! Dash? Dash....... " You're nothing but a disgrace!" "The only way Father can always haunt you is that. Your temper" Your temper.....your temper.......your temper........your temper....... "Agh!...Huh?Wha?Where am I?" I looked around the room and saw some strange...artifacts. This is a little...unnerving. I kept looking around but no one was in sight. How did I get here? When did I get here? Where is "here" anyway? Was I kidnapped? Did someone- "Augh, my head." "Ah you are awake. Thank goodness that its only your head that aches." I looked behind me to see a.... a zebra? In the Everfree Forest? And still alive? "Wha-?W-who are you?" "I am as confused as you,all the same.So I'll ask you instead,what is your name?" "I asked you first, though." "Though you asked first, I saved you when you were hurt." So that's how I got in here."So, in my gain, you tell me your name. If you are kind and do abide, I shall tell you mine." "So you're the poetic type, huh?" I started to glare at the zebra with annoyance in my eyes. "Your name would be nice, rather than that look made of ice." She's starting to bug me. But she is right. Had it not been for her, I probably would have been a manticore's midnight snack. Or dinner. Breakfast? Come to think of it.. "What time is it?" "Name first please, then information I shall release." Deep breaths, Gilda. I took one glance at her eyes. It looked strained and impatient but, understanding. ".....Gilda..." I...kinda..mumbled. "Hm?" "My name is Gilda." "See? Was there any shame? I suppose it's only fair now. Zecora is my name." "Thanks for, you know, saving me back there, uh, Zecora." "You are welcome, my griffon friend. Whenever somepony is in trouble, a hoof is what I am willing to lend." "Say Zecora, what time is it?" "Well, you were out for a few hours, not very long. Midnight it must be, says the crickets' song." "I'm guessing there isn't a chance in Tartarus that you're just gonna let me leave out in the forest at this hour." She shook her head then. Yep figured. I don't blame her for keeping me here. I wouldn't want anybody going out there on the account that they're probably still suffering from head trauma. I just sighed and gazed into the sky. The clouds started to clear up, so I got a clear view of the stars. Strange for the nature of Everfree clouds but I guessed I didn't mind. This takes me back to when I was a hatchling. Mom and Grydous went stargazing with me because I was being picked on by my other brothers and the villagers. Grydous would point out the different constellations and teach me about them. And mom? She just smiled and snuggled us closer to her heart. I really felt her love then. Hearing Grydous teaching me about the constellations while listening to moms heartbeat put me at ease. "Which one is that one?" "That's Orion's Saddle." "And that one! The one with the sparkliest star at the end?" "That would be the Little Dipper. And the star at the end is Polaris." Then, mom leaned into us and spoke barely above a whisper. "You know, there once was a story behind this star." she said. "Really?" I piped up. "Can you tell us?" Grydous chimed in. "I'd love to, but its past your bedtime." she would say. We would go 'aww' and she'd still walk us to our resting section in our nest. I remembered, right before I went to bed, I would whisper to the star right then and there. Someday...Polaris... "You seem low. Is something troubling you so?" "Huh?" "Your face. It shimmers with uncertainty. Something must've happened to have caused that look purposely." She could read my face too. A poetic and psychic type....I hear a fandom screaming.......Still, there was a question eating away at me. I needed to get it out. "Zecora?" "Hm?" "Why did you save me?" She gazed up into the stars and sighed heavily. A small smile formed on her lips and she glanced at me. Then back to the stars. "I saved you so you could see another day. I did it because you wanted it that way." "That....made no sense what so ever." "The way you flew, you wanted to survive. You wanted to make it, wanted to stay alive. I watched you. You could barely stand. I then took command. " "Still don't get it." Seriously she was losing me the entire time. "Did you wanted to be gobbled by a dragon,or be pulled in a zebra wagon?" "Oh that's easy. I wanted to be saved." "Mm. You were mumbling about something before. Something that if suppressed could hurt you more. Tell me, what is on your mind? Maybe I could get you out of this bind." Should I really trust her? I mean, sure she saved me and all, but it's not her place to know all my problems. Still, it is good to get this off of my chest. And she does seem caring enough to actually help me.Still.... "Why should I tell you?" I growled. "Because we all need a release. If it's all bottled up, we may never be at peace." She's right. That's one of the biggest reasons why I'm on my way back to Ponyville. Maybe she might understand what I'm going through. "...You're not gonna knock me down a size if I tell you?" She shook her head. Alright, here it goes... I told her everything. From when I was a hatchling to when she found me. The only time she laughed was when I told her about the time I insulted my father. I didn't judge her for it. Heck, I found it funny too. But when I got to the mystical stuff, y'know, the gunk about dragons seeing things and the "prophecy" the village elder told me? When I got to that stuff, she was highly interested. She wanted me to go into detail about those encounters. Then again she is a psychic type......still hear a fandom screaming...... "I didn't really understand none of my elder's babbling nonsense, but, from the look on your face, I'm guessing you do." "Hmm. Maybe he is right. You must confront your father about all of his spite." "Easier said than done. As far as my father is concerned, I''m scum. I'm beneath the lowest level of griffons in his eyes." "Harsh to say for one that is young. Especially since that young one life has barely begun." "Exactly. So how can I confront a guy like that?" "You may need to attack his weakest side. For him, that may be his-" "His pride?" She nodded and glanced at me. I'm guessing she knew the question that was coming next. "But how can I do that? He's got his pride under protection. Even if you put him in a dress , shockingly, he will still have his pride!" "Didn't you break down his pride before? Something that involved blood and gore?" "I didn't break down his pride, Zecora. I just beat him to some sort of pulp. How did that-" I think I just caught on to what she was getting at. My father prides himself through his sons and their strengths. His pride also comes from him being the best of the best in the village. Even in...battle. "So you're saying because I kicked my dad's flank, I hit his pride?" "Quite possibly. You made him look small and weak." "Yeah but that was out of anger. I'm sure of that much. But I don't have the strength nor the guts to challenge him. At least, when when I'm not angry. Or after all these years." "You'll find it one way or another. Perhaps through that Grydous fellow, or your mother." My mom. She was one of the main reasons I got out of the village to live on my own. And yet, here I am with no trace of her and just dwelling on the past. I laid my head on the window sill and let a tear escape from my eye. I left the village and accomplished barely anything that involved me finding mom. "Thinking about the one you've lost?" Zecora asked. I gave her a solemn nod. Then, I blinked and another tear left my eye. I only blinked because there was no rhyme in that sentence. "Your original plan was to find the one you've lost. Despite the pain it might have cost." "I thought that...maybe if i found her, life would be a bit easier." "...You know, when I had my troubles and life would get hard, I would just smile and look up into the stars." Now she got me. "What good do stars do?" "They make us smile. They help us believe. And,judging from you, they bring back memories." I thought about it. Once again, she's right. The stars do bring back memories. Most of them, about mom. Before I knew it, a small smile crept onto my face. I saw her looking at me. Turns out, she had a smile on her face too. Then a small yawn escaped her lips. "Well it is late. Keep my bed. Just for tonight, its for you to take." she said taking off to another room. I swear, this came out of nowhere... "Hey,um,Zecora?" "Hm?" she whipped her head around to look at me. "You don't mind....sharing the bed with me?" WHAT?" Nothing will happen,I swear of it!" She did a double take once I asked that. Heck I would too! a complete stranger asking you to share a bed with them? Surely not a plot for rape. "Normally, I wouldn't be THAT kind...." she started to say. Then, she lifted the blankets and moved me over so she could get comfortable."But, I guess I could if it helps ease your mind." She must not get a lot of visitors. But nonetheless, I started to relax with her next to me. "Thanks, Zecora." "It's alright. Oh and one more thing," she started to say as she blew out the candle. Wait, the candle was on? "Good night." I blinked twice, yawned, and shifted my feathers. "Good night." I barely mumbled. Then I fell asleep. You ever had those dreams where you were in some sort of void and couldn't get out? That kinda happened. When I woke up, I felt my face get really hot. The sun was softly glistening onto the both of us. I opened one of my eyes to see my arm. On top of Zecora. Which was holding her close. In a snuggling position. Without her having a problem with it. As a matter of fact, I sat up and looked down at her. She was smiling. My face was burning up then. Well, maybe I could just lay back down and enjoy this small little incident for a couple more minutes. I mean, its just snuggling. ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!!!!! "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Somebody's in trouble! I quickly slid my arm off of Zecora and threw the blanket off of me. "Huh? Wha?" She barely sputtered out as she woke up. "I'll be right back! Someone's in trouble!" I yelled as I ran out the front door.Hang on, whoever you are, I'm on my way. I started fumbling through some branches and tripping on some brambles. Nonetheless, I kept charging through to save that pony. When I finally made it to the source of the screams, it turns out it was three little fillies being attacked by a manticore. The manticore took one roar and brought its paw back in a striking motion. Then everything went slow motion. I leapt into the air towards the manticore and sank my teeth into his arm. He let out a roar and tried to swat me off of his arm but it didn't work. Then I started to claw my way from his arm to his face. I started leaving gashes all over the thing. He used his paw, claws extended,snatched me off, flung me towards the three fillies, and fled back into the forest. I landed,on all fours this time, in front of the fillies, still glaring in the direction the manticore fled off to. "Wow! That was awesome!" one of them piped up. "Yeah! Ya'll saved our flanks there!" another chimed in. "Thanks a bunch miss!" the third one said happily relived. "What in the hay were you three doing in The Everfree forest by yourselves messing with a manticore!?" I practically yelled at them. "We were trying to get our cutie marks as manticore whisperers!" the orange pegasus said. "As whabuhhuh?"I stammered. That seriously caught me off guard. "Manticore whisperers!" the white unicorn said proudly "But Ah guess you've seen how that turned out,huh?" the yellow pony said blushing. "Uh huh." I said glaring at the three of them. They must have been insane to think that THAT idea would've worked. "Oh my gosh! we should get you some help!" the unicorn said. "What? But why-" I was cut off when I glanced at myself. I was beat up. Pretty badly. I started feeling someone tugging on me to move forward. I looked down to see the pegasus pulling me away. "What the hay are you doing?!" "Taking you our clubhouse! We can help you with these wounds easy peasy!" the pegasus replied enthusiastically. "It's th' least we can do fer ya fer savin' our flanks!" the pony chimed in again "Just take it as a token of our appreciation!" the unicorn said. I don't think I'm gonna like how this is gonna turn out. Author's Note This was the toughest chapter to write so far. I really hope you guys enjoy it. As always, constructive criticism is very useful. Thank you! Honestly....How. Did. I. Get. Here? Just a minute ago I was saving these foals from being mauled by a friggin' manticore and now they're wrapping me up with some medical tape. How did they get the medical tape?! Aren't they too young to even try to use this stuff? They must get into accidents often. The earth filly was working on my arms with the surgical tape. The pegasus filly was working on giving me stitches on my back. And the little unicorn filly was on cleaning duty, cleaning up any excess blood leaking out of me. Yep, they must get hurt often. "It this too tight fer ya?" "N-no, it's fine. Tha-" "Are the stitches too tight?" "Not really. It's just fi-" "Need any water? Any juice?" Answer! Now! No sentences! "Juice!" Yes! Got a word in! "Hey! No need to yell!" The unicorn filly said with a strained look on her face while nursing her ear. "Heh, sorry, I thought I wouldn't get a word in with you guys nursing me." I said sheepishly. "Well it's imperative that our patient gets the utmost care!" The unicorn beamed. "Impera-what?" The pegasus asked. "It's another way of saying important." I responded. "Oh. Yeah that makes sense." The orange one replied. I dunno. These guys don't seem so bad. I mean, sure the orange one should be flying at her age and all, but other than that these fillies seem pretty cool. Slightly annoying but still cute and cool. And their ambitions are really high for cutie marks. Heck, they almost died trying to earn cutie marks as manticore whisperers. Who in the hoof would do that? What would their cutie mark look like? Wait, the real question would be WHY would someone do that? That's a death wish in of itself! I'm pretty damn glad I jumped in to save these foals when I did. What would their parents think if they just realized their little precious foals got killed over some little expedition for cutie marks? I could just see their names on their gravestones right now: Here lies........um.........wait......I didn't even ask for their names did I? "Say, girls?" "Yes?" all three of them replied in union. "What are your names, anyways?" "My name is Scootaloo!" the pegasus beamed. "My name is Sweetie Belle!" the unicorn chimed in. "An' mah name is Applebloom!" the earth pony shouted. "And we're..." Scootaloo led on. I could have sworn I lost my sense of hearing for a split second after this. "THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!!!!YAY!!!!!!!!" they... I dunno. 'Shouting' may be an understatement. They were patiently waiting for my response. I found it polite but, I kinda actually LIKE my sense of hearing when I talk. Its comforting to know what my voice sounds like. When my hearing did returned, I tried to find the right words to say. "Well...that was....interesting." I said flatly trying to nurse my ear. "We dedicated this group into helping ourselves and other ponies find their special talent!" Sweetie Belle said excitedly "Yeah and then the other ponies will be so amazed that they'll form a group under the same name and then inspire other ponies later in the future to make a group under the same name to inspire another group of ponies to-" "Ah think she gets the point." Applebloom said as she put her hoof over Scootaloo's mouth, cutting her off. These guys are both adorable and funny. However, Scootaloo stands out to me the most. She looks so determined and seem like she loves a good rush of adrenaline. "So, what do you guys want your cutie marks to be?" I asked. "I wanna be just like my big sister and become a famous designer!" Sweetie Belle said. "Ah just want to be able to have a cutie mark."Applebloom said plainly. "And I want a cutie mark as cool and as awesome as Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo squealed. "Just you wait Gilda! One day I'll be so good they'll beg me to join the Wonderbolts!" "I gotta keep practicing so I can get into the Wonderbolts someday!" Dash....Why can't I get you off of my mind? "Uh miss?" Scootaloo chirped. I must've day dreamed for a minute. "Yes?" I replied trying to work my way back into reality. "We, uh, never got yer name."Applebloom said. She's right. I asked for all that info about them and I have yet to mention my name to them. "Oh, right." I replied. "Well,what's your name, miss?" Sweetie Belle asked sweetly but impatiently. "My name is uh....uh..." "Yes?" "My name is...." "Yeah? Yer name is...." "You're almost there. Your name is..." Well, here it goes. "My name is-" "Well if it isn't for the tree house for BLANK FLANKS!" Well, that saved my flank. Hey wait, why couldn't I tell them who I was. I'm as awesome as ever! I'm Gilda! Gilda the griffon! So....why couldn't I just say that? "Oh great."I heard Scootaloo say in disappointment. "Not those two again." Sweetie Belle replied in sadness "They're th' last thing we need right now.." AppleBloom said in anger. "What's wrong, guys?" I asked. "Th' bane of our existences are here." Applebloom replied grimly "Maybe if we pretend that we're not here they'll go away." Sweetie Belle said with a little enthusiasm. "We can see you in the window!" I heard a different foal scream. Apparently they didn't come alone. "Well so much fer that idea." Applebloom said defeated. "Oh horse apples they brought the whole class in on us!"Scootaloo hissed. "How do ya'll know that?" Applebloom asked confused. "I can see all of them outside of the window." Scootaloo said. "Dagnabbit! Why do they always have t' pick on us?!" Applebloom yelled in a fit of anger. "We should probably go outside and confront them,"Sweetie Belle said reluctantly. "Sweetie Belle's right. We might as well get it over with," Scootaloo said defeated. It really pained me to see these fillies like this. I really wanted to cheer them up. I felt like seeing this had some sort of pained emotion eating me up inside."You don't mind staying in here while we're out do you?" Scootaloo asked. "Sure thing, girls." I replied. "Promise?" "I promise." "Thanks. C'mon girls," Scootaloo said, bracing herself. I watched them as they reluctantly walked out of the door and saw Applebloom close it slowly. I then peered out of the window to see everyone's eyes on the trio.I started to listen to what they were saying. "What do you want now, Diamond Tiara?" I heard Scootaloo say angrily. "Just wanted to show the class where our favorite blank flanks hopelessly look for their future useless talents!" The pink earth pony replied. So that's Diamond Tiara. "Ah think ya'll just get a kick outta makin' our lives miserable!" I heard Applebloom growl. "Can't you just leave us alone and live your own life?" I heard Sweetie Belle say.I gave a little snicker. Seems Diamond Tiara didn't like that remark. "You wanna say that again?" I heard Diamond Tiara say with animosity. She was muzzle to muzzle with Sweetie Belle. This started to put me on edge. "You heard her! You and Silver Spoon get your own lives and leave ours alone!" I heard Scootaloo bark at her. I started to feel uneasy. I haven't felt like this since- "You're nothing but a disgrace!" I need to stop this. "Why don't ya'll just leave already?!" I heard Applebloom yelled angrily. I started to see an orange figure at the top of the hill. I need to stop this. "You afraid of getting your flanks beat?" A bluish-gray filly with a white mane chimed in. "Stay outta this, Silver Stone!" I started to see Applebloom tremble a bit. The orange figure started to get closer. Silver Stone's muzzle came close to Appleblom's. I need to stop this. "Make. Me." She replied, smirking. The orange figure started to move faster. My stomach is in knots now. I need to stop this. Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara face to face. Sweetie Belle and who I assumed to be Silver Spoon face to face. And now, Appleboom and Silver Stone face to face. The orange figure picked up the pace. I need to stop this. I need to stop this. I need to stop this. "Promise?" "I promise." The orange figure never lost pace. The stand off continued and the tension only grew. The orange figure's speed only increased just a smidge .I promised. I need to stop this. But I promised. But I need to stop this. I need to stop this What happened next, moved in slow motion. Scootaloo swung first, hitting Diamond Tiara so hard she staggered back. Silver Spoon slapped Sweetie Bell hard across the face leaving a crimson red hoof print on her right cheek. Silver Stone punched Applebloom in the nose, causing her to start bleeding. I heard the orange figure scream a guttural 'NO' right after. It then turned into an all out brawl. Sweetie Belle was pinned but she was still fighting, punching Silver Spoon hard in the nose, making her bleed. Scootaloo kept swinging at Diamond Tiara, in fact, returned the favor. Applebloom pinned Silver Stone to the ground and was relentlessly slamming her hoof in her face, her eyes looking blood thirsty. The orange figure grew increasingly fast. I really need to stop this. "Promise?" "I promise." I couldn't take it anymore. I truly needed to stop this. I truly, truly needed to stop this. "Promise?" "I promise." But I promised. I can't break another promise. "Promise?" "I promise." The orange figure kept running. She was only halfway there. "Promise?" "I promise." "Promise?" "I promise." "Promise?" "I promise." "Promise?" No...I can't anymore.... I took a deep breath in and spread my wings. Please.....the three of you...please forgive me......... ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!! Everyone stopped and turned their heads towards the window.I flew out of the window, went upwards, and slammed down, right in front of everyone. The edges of my eyes started to go black. I snarled and growled. Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle scurried behind me.Silver Stone, Silver Spoon, Diamond Tiara and all of the other foals looked at me in fear, shock, and horror. "W-wh-who..." Diamond Tiara stammered "Who are you?" Silver Stone trembled. I gritted my teeth "Cowards! All of you!" I yelled."Especially you three! Picking on them because you have something they're fighting for! You don't think their lives are hard enough?!" I started to tremble. My lip quivered.My claws were extended, digging away at the ground." You've got some nerve picking on these three! And the rest of you! Just sitting here! Watching while they're getting picked on! You all should be ashamed!" I stopped yelling at them. Everyone started to let the words sink in, making the silence heavy. Silver Stone spoke again. "Who are you?" I heaved a breath and started up again. "My name is-" "Gilda?" "What?" I snarled, looking in the direction of the pony calling me. When I found the source, my eyes softened and I loosened up a bit. It was the orange figure staring at me with shock, confusion, and amazement. Her eyebrows furrowed, her eyes flickered with anger towards me and then everyone else. "Everypony go on home!" The orange pony barked "And what if I don't?" Silver Stone challenged her with what little pride she had that wasn't taken from her by Applebloom. "You'll answer to her and me," I said baring my teeth walking slowly to her, beak to muzzle,"and trust me, you don't wanna have to answer to me." I heard her swallow hard and the crowd dispersed,Silver Stone, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon taking off. I looked up at the orange pony, softening my expression, sat down and chose my words wisely. "Listen, uh, I know I'm the last person you wanna see and-" "Everypony. With me. To the barn .Now." She interrupted with such aggression in her voice. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo ran up to her. Applebloom lingered, pulled me in a warm embrace, snuggled into my chest scruff and took a sigh of relief. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. "Thank you." She whispered as tears began to fall. "Anytime kiddo." I replied. I truly enjoyed this hug. She broke away from me, gave me a thankful look, and ran up to the orange pony. I remained in my spot, the orange pony glaring at me. I gave her a confused look. "Ah said Everypony." She said irritated. "But I'm a griffon." I joked. Bad idea. Bad idea. "Fine. Everyone." She said in an angry tone. I nodded and walked up to the group. The orange pony walked ahead of all of us. then Scootaloo nudged my arm. "Did you see that punch?" She asked excitedly. "Yeah," I replied trying to return her enthusiasm," you almost sent her flying." "What about me? Did you see me?" Sweetie Belle asked. " Of course I did! Though next time you should throw the first punch." I chuckled lightly and so did she. "H-how about me?" Applebloom asked barely above a whisper while holding a hoof to her muzzle to slow the bleeding. She seemed afraid of the orange pony and to be honest, I don't blame her. But I gave her a warm smile and replied. "Sure did. And I think Silver Stone is gonna feel her face hurt every time she thinks about bugging you three." "Why do y'think that?" She asked "Because it's gonna be her little 'reminder'." I replied. Then all three of them giggled. I peered at the orange pony. If I'm not mistaken, I could have sworn her expression soften, and she cracked a smile. Then Scootaloo piped up. "Did you hear her roar? That was so awesome!" She squealed. "It was nothing." I said with a small blush. "An' th' way she knock everypony down a size!" Applebloom spoke up. "And she did it all for us." Sweetie Belle said feeling honored. "It's the least I could do since you guys let me into your place and patched me up." I said feeling flattered. We continued to talk like this and before I knew it, we were in front of the barn. "So this is is the barn?" I asked "Yep," Applebloom chirped,"Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres!" "Huh," I replied. This could get interesting " So your name is Gilda?" Sweetie Belle asked while a band-aid was being placed on her eye. We were upstairs, in the orange pony's room. "Yeah. Pretty much." I said lying on the floor. My back was killing me. "'Gilda' huh," Scootaloo said, letting my name play on her tongue," Gilda the griffon. Sounds cool." Scootaloo had a bandage on her lip and an eye patch over her eye. "Why couldn't ya tell us this earlier?" Applebloom asked. She had a bandage over her nose to slow the bleeding and a couple of bandage patches to cover some of her bruises. "I... I don't know..." I replied. The answer to that question failed to hit me at all. I still am wondering what got me so tongue tied earlier. Why was it so hard for me to say my name to a bunch of fillies? Why'd it take an orange pony for them to know who I am? Why- "Girls, go t' Applebloom's room, okay? Big Mac'll take you two home in a little while." The orange pony said after patching up Scootaloo , snapping me out of my thoughts. "Okay," the girls replied in unison. Then they did their walk of shame towards the door. The orange pony glared at the door with such intensity. when the door clicked shut, I went to talk, but she raised her hoof up to my beak, not breaking her gaze from the door. Her ear twitched. She then grabbed a book off of her drawer and threw it at the door. I heard scampering hooves right after. "You've got some good ears,"I said. "Ain't nothing much," She replied,"you get used to an eavesdroppin' little sister over th' years." "So let me guess, you want me to tell you why I'm here?" "How'd ya'll guess?" "Well, judging from my last performance being in Ponyville and calling everyone lame, You'll want the last person you ever want to see to explain why they showed their faces again." "Good point. So, why are you here?" "Honestly?" "Yes. Honestly." "Alright. I'm here for...your forgiveness." I closed my eyes waiting for her to laugh at me. When the silence remained, I opened one eye to see she was staring at me in confusion. "That's all?" She asked. "Yeah." I replied. "Wow." She said. "In shock?" "Sorta. Just kinda expected you t' wanna cause a rage because o' how Ponyville showed ya up last time." ".....yeah....." I didn't know whether to feel offended or proud to prove her wrong. "So, how come ya'll want my forgiveness?" "It's a REALLY long story." "Sugarcube," she started up as she placed a hoof gingerly on my head," Ah've got all night." I looked at her, wondering if I should tell the very same pony who still had some hate for me. Then again, I did tell a complete stranger my life story and as the saying goes, an unknown ally can be more dangerous than the known enemy. Still, precautions had to be made. "You're not gonna judge me, are you?" "Don't ya think it's a little too late fer that? Y'know, after yer visit?" "I...uh...good point." Maybe she would truly understand me a bit more if I tell her. Besides, I probably changed her opinions about me about two times today. So, telling her should change her mind about me completely, right?I sat up from my previous position with my head hung low. "Alright," I started up,"It all started when I was first hatched..." I told her everything. From when I was a hatchling to how I ended up in her house. She laughed when I mentioned the part about calling my dad vile poultry. That's the second person to do so. When I told her about my temper, she had a sort of, sympathetic look on her face. Like it was her fault I lost my temper. By the end of my life story, I found her sitting at my side, with her arm around my shoulder and a soft expression on her face. "Wow. Ah didn't know ya went through all o' that." She said feeling guilty. "I try not to remember it."I said, starting to feel a little depressed. "Aw, don't feel so down sugarcube," She said, rubbing my back in a comforting gesture," Yer choice to leave was a good one. Shucks, ya did one of th' things that was on yer t' do list, didn't ya?" I thought about it and she was right. I did, but... "Yeah, but I lost my best friend because of it. My, my only friend." "And yer doin' what y' can t' get her back," she brought a hoof under my chin to make me look at her in the eyes," 'nd by the way yer goin' 'bout it, Ah'd say ya'll be back t'gether in no time." "How do you think I'm going about this," I asked breaking my gaze,"'Cause It seems like I'm just rushing things." "Ah think that yer trying to turn a new leaf here. Make a new look fer yerself in this town. And t' do that, yer trying t' be honest with everypony," she said while placing her hoof on my chest," includin' you." "But I'm not a pony. I'm a griffon." I replied. She started going in her closet, pulling out blankets and two pillows. Then she placed them on her back and closed the closet door with her hing leg with one swift kick. "Now yer lyin' to yerself again," she said while handing me the pillows and the blankets," Ya'll were honest t' me 'bout everything, why aren't ya'll bein' honest to yerself?" I was going to reply,but yet again words fail me. Was I being honest with myself? Was I a griffon? "I...don't know...,"I responded defeated. "Eh, it'll hit ya sooner or later," she said, cutting off the light, leaving the moon the only thing illuminating the room. She then went into her bed, snuggling in her blankets, and let out a hefty yawn,"It's gettin' late" I looked out the window to see the moonlight cascade upon the rest of the farm, gently lighting the tips of leaves on apple trees, glistening upon the grass on the top of the hill, where the moon hovered above the horizon. Simply amazing. Dash would love this... "Hey miss?" "Yes?" "What's your name?" "Applejack," she tried to say through her next yawn." Mah name's Applejack." "Applejack, huh?" I asked. "Yep." she replied sleepily. "Hey Applejack?" I called out, arranging the pillows and blankets. I then walked around the makeshift bed on the floor, clawed at it, stretched, and laid down, like a cat would. "Yeah?" She replied, giggling at me sleepily because of my whole 'feline' thing. "Thanks." "No," She yawned, then turned over,"problem." "Good night." "G'nigh...." she started snoring. Now it's my turn to giggle. I looked at the clock to see what time it was. 10 p.m.. Then, I let out a yawn and went to sleep. I woke up to see that Applejack was still sleeping and the moon was still out. I looked at the clock to see how long I was asleep. 10:20. What?! Twenty minutes?! That's it, I'm not sleeping on the floor anymore. I tried to sit up, only to find the pain in my back had stemmed up to a crook in my neck. I looked at Applejack's bed, and it looked so.....comfy. But I don't wanna bother her. But it looked so snuggly soft. She looks comfy. So the bed must be comfy. I started to walk towards the bed and placed my hand on it. So soft... I slightly lifted my haunches, lifted my claws, and leaped onto the bed like a cat would. I positioned myself behind Applejack, and leaned over to see if she was still asleep. I got my answer when she let out a soft snore. I then did my night time ritual,yawned, ad started to doze off. Am I gonna regret this? As if on cue, all of my aches and pains melted away. I gave a sigh and then a moan of relief. Probably not... Author's Note Sorry for the long wait everyone! I had a lot of piled schoolwork and then quizzes and procrastination and distractions and*SLAP!* In other words, I'll try to get the next chapter out sooner than this one took.(Did I mention that for the hardest chapter to write so far, this one takes the cake?) Constructive criticism is welcomed! Take It EasyI opened my eyes to see nothing but...clouds everywhere. What? Clouds? I started to stretch my claws and felt something….fluffy underneath me. I looked down to find the biggest, fluffiest cloud underneath my body. I started to roll all over on top of the cloud just to enjoy the softness. I then rolled to my left and hit a soft bump. It smelled like fresh apples and dirt. I reached my hand out to touch it. It twitched, but soon relaxed. I tried to look at the mystery bump and saw a furry little ball. It was warm to the touch, and it kept expanding and retracting. I wrapped my arms around it and brought it close to snuggle it. I felt it blow some air on my chest tuft. I didn't mind much, so I ran my hand further up the furry figure. I felt smooth, silky soft waves of string calmly flowing through my talons, like something majestic. I purred at the feeling and ran my talons through the string again. I nuzzled my beak into it and got that same smell- fresh apples and dirt. But it had a sort of, wind blown smell to it. I felt the furball struggling to leave my grasp. I gave a whine and pulled it closer. I started to feel occasional warm breezes on my beak. Then the ball started to say something. “Gilda..” it cooed. “Don’t leave..” I cooed back “Gilda..wake up..” it replied back. “Five more minutes, please?” I whined. “Gilda, you gotta get up,” it said. “You have a cute accent.” I replied. I started to lean into the furball until my lips were met with a warm…. wet pair of….lips? Suddenly, my whole world started to swirl as I still had my lips on the mystery counterpart. I slowly lifted my eyelids- for real this time- to see that a pair of green eyes were staring me in the face with a surprised look to it. I let my eyes trace the face they were connected to and saw golden brown fur tinted a soft glowing red just above a set of small freckles. I finally worked my eyes down to see a muzzle connected to those eyes and fur. Which is connected to my beak. And not moving away. I was kissing Applejack. On instant, I leapt backwards, feeling my cheeks heat up faster than a dragon’s snout. I slowly started to descend off of the bed. I started flailing my arms around in hopes of grabbing onto something but alas, it just made my thud onto the floor much faster. I gave a small groan and looked at my paws. They were intertwined with the blanket. I climbed upwards onto the bed and on instant her eyes met mine, her hoof covering her lips. I tried to make words, but all that came out was babbling, stammering nonsense. This time, she just spoke for me. “Ah’m guessing y’ had a moment….in yer dream?” she asked, choosing her words wisely. “Heh,.... yeah,” I said sheepishly while rubbing the back of my neck,”s-sorry about that.” “N-nah, it’s fine,”she said, avoiding eye contact.”Although Ah kinda liked it,” she whispered “Wha-huh?” I asked, unable to hear the last part. “N-nothin’. Let’s just…forget it happened,” she said getting more flustered.I’ve gotta admit, she is a little adorable looking like this. She walked out her bedroom, face still flushed, and looked back “Y-You should get ready and, uh, head downstairs. We’d like ya t’ help us out on th’ farm,” she said, trying her hardest to avoid eye contact. She proceeded to leave to go downstairs.I finally found some words to say. “ Hey Applejack?” I called out to her as she was walking away. She froze in her tracks, turned around- I’m assuming. Look she was in the hallway and out of my line of sight, whaddya want me to do?- and poked her head through the door once again. “Yes?” she responded finally meeting my gaze. “You have soft lips,” I replied with a smile. And with that, she turned around and left, her face as red as the apples on her flank. I walked down the stairs into the living room where I saw Applebloom lying on the floor with a book at hand. Next to her, there lie a sheet of paper with a bunch of scribbles all over it, like she had a burst of ideas or something. I walked over to her to see what she was up to. “Hey Applebloom! Whatcha up to?” I said. No response. She must be into that book. “Applebloom?”I said. Still No response. Okay, maybe she really likes the book? “Hello?” I said, now poking her in the head,”Equis to Applebloom. You there?” Still no response. Okay now that was three strikes. I waved the tip of my tail on her nose. She gave a small twitch. I snickered a little and waved my tail on her nose again. She grunted and flailed her hoof in an attempt to stop the attacker from tickling her nose. I giggled and waved my tail on her nose one more time. She then tried to grab my tail, but ended up booping herself. I finally gave out a laugh. She looked at me and blushed. “So Applebloom,”I said, my laughter subsiding,”whatcha doin’?” “Oh, well Ah was readin’ this book and found some ideas for the Cutie Mark Crusaders to do in order to get our cutie marks,” She replied, gesturing me to the paper with the scribbles next to her. It looks like a list of some sorts. I gave it a read and, though the “A” for effort, these ideas were either down right ridiculous or just dangerous. “So this is what you wanna do?” I ask, not sure of what else to say. “Yep!” she replied in a chipper tone. I glared at her. “So you want to be a..” I took a look at her list,”..’chimera tamer’?” “Well when y’ say it like that…..” She trailed off on the last part. “Or a...open heart surgeon?” “Well…” “Or…. a lab rat?” “ Alright so maybe Ah need t' make some changes,” Applebloom said in frustration, her face flustered from embarrassment. I chuckled a little and ruffled her mane a bit. I stopped chuckling when she gave me a glare. “...What?” I asked, feeling a little confused. “You seem...happy,” she started off,"...too happy.” “What’re you talking about? I’m fine!” I replied, feeling a little nervous. She hardened her glare. “Did somethin’ happen earlier?” she asked, unconvinced of my previous statement. I panicked. “N-no! Nothing at all! What made you think that?!” I stammered out quickly. “Are y’ sure? ‘Cause I coulda sworn Ah saw Applejack’s face all red and everything,” she said, giving me a look that said ‘heh got you now’. I started to tense up a bit. “Well..I...uh….” “Applebloom! Aren’t you supposed t’ be starting your chores!” Applejack interjected, saving me from Applebloom’s onslaught of questions. “Aw, but Ah was just making up ideas for the crusaders,” Applebloom whined. “Yeah, that’s nice, and ya’ll can get back to it when y’ finish yer chores,” Applejack said flatly. “Aw,” was all Applebloom said before she disappeared into the other room. I gave out a sigh of relief and let loose of all my muscles that got tense. “Yer not off the hook either, Missy,” Applejack said, giving me a smirk. I tilted my head in confusion. “What do you mean?” I asked innocently. “Ah’d like you t’ help me out on th’ farm,” Applejack replied in a buoyant tone,” We have plenty o’ trees that need some good ol’ buckin’.” “And you want me to help?” “Sure do,” she said, changing her look, “and it might be good t’ see you do some honest work for a change.” “Is this your way of saying ‘you’re not gonna stay here and be a lazy bum’?” I deadpanned. No sugar- coating here. “Better t’ be brutally honest than t’ be a liar,” she said, turning around and leaving the room. “I guess today’s gonna be an easy day,” I whispered to myself. I guess the day was… pretty fun overall. Applejack and I walked to the western part of the field and started - as she called it- bucking apples. “Alright. Th’ baskets are already in position,” she started up,” All we have t’ do is buck ‘em.” “You’re gonna show me ‘how’, right?” I asked. “Absolutely,” she said while walking towards the tree. She then turned her rear to the tree and faced me. “Now what you want is a good angle of the tree, and a good buckin’ distance,” She began to explain, "If yer too close, you might hurt yerself and/or the tree, and if yer too far, well y’ make yerself look bad." “Okay,” I said, resting my rump in the soft, damp, evergreen grass. Each blade kinda tickled my tail. I cocked my head to the side as if to say that I’m confused,”then what?” She then cocked her legs back and slammed into the tree with great force. The tremor was strong enough to shake the apples clean off the branches. I was shocked, not only was the kick powerful, but it was done by a pony. Then again, I did hear the other griffons talk about how earth ponies could be tough to kill when I was a hatchling. “Wow…” was the only response I could muster. “Yep. Do it just like that and th apples come fallin’,” Applejack replied. She then gestured to a tree filled with the fresh fruit. Then she looked at me,”Your turn. Show me what you got.” “...I dunno about this.” “Aw don’t worry ‘bout it. I’m sure a big tough griffon like you could easily buck a couple of apples out a tree.” “But…” “What now? Yer backin’ out on me?,” she started to say with a sly smile on her face,"and here Ah thought you were a griffon." “Hey wait a minute,” I said, starting to feel offended,”I am a griffon, and I don’t need to kick an apple tree to prove it.” “Suit yerself,” She replied while trotting to another tree,"pony girl." “What’d you call me?” I said, walking up to her until my peak was a couple of inches away from her muzzle. I didn’t care how close we were. “You heard me,” she replied leaning her muzzle in, closing the space between my beak while lowering her eyelids,"Pony girl,". She started to lean in even closer, to the point where our mouths were centimeters apart. "A big ol’ griffon like you, gettin’ shown up by a little earth pony like me," I could feel her warm breath caressing my lips. I wish I could just shut her up right now, but the only way was kicking that stupid apple tree. I wasn’t going to let her win. She was trying to get under my skin, and the worst part is, it’s working. With one big growl, I marched toward the tree she gestured me to, turned around, and admitted defeat. “Now reel yer hoo-er paws back,” she said smoothly. I think she was rubbing salt in the wound. But I did as she said. Finally, I slammed my paws into the tree with a lot of force. Well, she was right about one thing: hurting the tree. After I “bucked” it, I turned around and saw that the apples came into the basket….and the leaves…..and some twigs. I looked at the tree and winced a bit. There was a pretty visible dent in the tree, two unmistakable paw prints claimed their spots on the tree. I heard a small snicker in the back of me. “Heh heh heh, oops,” I said in a small voice. “Next time, y’ wanna go easy on Broomilda?” she replied. “You name your trees?” “Eeyup.” “Why?” “Well first it was t’ differentiate b’tween th’ trees. Then, well, when you care fer somethin’ fer a while, y’ start t’ get a bit, ‘attached’ t’ it, y’ know?” she replied, caressing ‘Broomilda’. Soon after, we just bucked trees in the field and talked. She told me about how her big brother bucked a tree so hard that there was a huge crook in it. We both laughed pretty hard. Since we were on the subject of brothers, I brought up Grydous. I talked about how he would stand up for me when I needed him, and how awesome he truly was. Applejack just sat there, with a small smile on her face as I went on about Grydous having an arm wrestle with mom. “ And when he thought he got her,” I was telling her, first sitting in the shade underneath a large tree, then slowly starting to lie on my back,” Mom just easily slammed his arm down.” “Ya’ll seem to really love yer big brother,” she chuckled. I smiled warmly, then my smile slowly faded away. Then, Applejack decided to lay down beside me. “I...I miss him, Applejack,” I said, feeling a tear well up in my eye, “ I haven’t heard from him since the night I left. I just… wonder how he’s been all these years.” “Don’t you worry much about him, Sugarcube,” she replied softly, “ From what y’ told me, Grydous is a tough one. Ah’m sure he’ll be able to handle himself.” She then leaned in and gave me a small nuzzle, as to reassure me of course. But, her doing that made me feel warm inside. And kinda… bubbly. We laid there for hours just talking about how Applejack felt that every tree had a personality and such. She never stopped talking about a tree named Bloomerg. The way she chatted about ‘him’, you’d think ‘he’ was actually a foal of hers. After talking about Bloomberg, she just gazed into the sky. Then, I dunno know what came over me, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Her whole demeanor was just...serene. The breeze calmly caressing her mane causing one golden strand of hair limply falling onto the side of her vibrant freckled face. She closed her emerald eyes to hide it from the world. She kind of made me feel...happy. I can get used to days like this. I finally took my eyes off of her and gazed into the leaf riddled sky. It was night. I was reluctant to stay but, Applebloom begged me to. It’s hard to think about saying no to her. So I told her I’ll stay another night. I walked up the stairs leading to Applejack’s room as I heard the triumphant cheers from Applebloom. When I reached Applejack’s room, I went to the window and just looked at the night sky. The moonlight was overseeing the fields, giving each leaf and blade of grass an interesting silhouette. The night can be quite mesmerising. The moon has a hypnotic, milky-white colour and the stars vary from a dim small blue to a bold and proud white. Maybe i’m a night owl, like my mom used to call me. “Enjoyin’ th’ view?” I heard a voice breaking me from my trance.It was only Applejack. “Yeah. Everything seems to be much more….astonishing at night,” I replied. “Y’ got a point there sugarcube,” Applejack replied,” I guess that’s why Ah like lookin’ out here so much. It makes ya feel-” “At peace?” I asked, finishing her sentence while turning to face her. Maybe it’s because of the moon, but she looks so beautiful at this angle. The moonlight gently caressing her cheeks, slightly giving away the hiding places of her freckles. The same light glistening on her mane, giving even the smallest single strand of hair an angelic shine and making her emerald eyes a brighter, hypnotic look, like a calm grassy field. The light breeze playing with her mane in a supermodel like manner. She really was a work of art. “Yeah,” she replied, lowering her eyelids, “at peace.” I really didn’t mean to do this but it happened. Actually, it felt….right to do this. So, yeah no regrets. I slid my hand behind her head, covering each claw with the silky gold strands. I pushed her ever so slightly towards my beak. Then, I pressed my lips against hers.She hesitated at first, but, hell she even surprised me, leaned in, adding a bit more force to my lips. I started to feel my cheeks get heated and felt a little lightheaded. I slid my tongue against her lips, asking for entry. In turn, she opened her mouth, allowing me to explore her mouth as much as possible. She wrapped her hooves around my head and neck,, pulling herself closer to me and pulling my head towards her. I felt warm all over and just had the urge to take more than just her lips, but it’s best to start off slow. However, I started to feel my hand get lower and warmer, bit by bit, until I finally- “ Hey Gilda! Ah wanted to sho- oh...err, uhm,” Applejack jerked her face from mine as she turned to face the direction of Applebloom’s voice,her face as red as Applebloom’s face. “ Ah’m guessin’ this is a REALLY bad time,” Applebloom said awkwardly, her face turning pink. “A-Applebloom, Ah can explain!” “N-no no. It’s fine. Everypony needs their privacy. Ah’ll just keep movin’, let ya’ll have yer fun time, and th’ three of us should never speak of this moment again!” Applebloom replied while walking down the hall to her room, “G’night!” Applejack turned to me and gave me an expression as if to say ‘How are we gonna explain this to her?!’. All I did was laughed. Then, I gave her one more kiss, climbed into her spot of her bed and snuggled there. “If yer gonna sleep in MAH bed, at least move over,” Applejack said playfully while nudging me over. “Whatever you say,” sliding over while dozing off, “soft lips.” I couldn’t make out the last part she said, but I did feel her kiss me on the cheek. That was enough to lull me to sleep with a smile. Author's Note Hey! Not dead, just had problems with this chapter. But it's done! It's finally done! A big thanks to Miss ReflectingScore for becoming my editor! I owe her a biggie. I'll try my best to not run into anymore writer's block for the sake of you guys but I can't promise anything really (only that next chapter will be a little less fluffy...I hope). I hope to hear what you guys think! -Etch
Explain Yourself"You're such a flip flop!" I wish I could take those words back... I didn't mean to say that to you... It was out of anger... I'm sorry, Dash... Please forgive me... It's raining outside my cave. Funny. I used to hate the rain. But my mom loved it. I guess I learned to love it after she left. She was one of the two griffons who actually cared for me back at our village. The village wasn't so bad. I was bullied. But who doesn't get bullied? What made me hate it there was my father. He had caused me to run off to Cloudsdale. He made me the laughing stock. And now, he caused me to lose my best friend. Doesn't make sense does it? Let me explain. My father hated me since the day I was hatched. I grew up in the most highly honored family in the village, so appearance and pride were the two things that fueled my father. And he thought, "What better way to show my pride than having sons?". And to add more pride filled gasoline to his fire, four strong and healthy sons were hatched. Mom was happy but my father was excited. He was ready to forget about his fifth egg and moved on with his four boys.But mom convinced him to stay. She told him it might be another boy, even though she wanted a girl. Finally, the egg hatched. My father wasn't so happy. "It's a-" "It's a girl! I can't believe it!" "..." "Hyrus, darling? What's wrong?" "It's a weak one." "We can help her grow strong! We can-" "YOU can do whatever you like with it. I want no affiliation with it." "But Hyrus, its your own daughter." My father wanted no part in my life. Not because I was born a weak baby. I think he would've gotten over that. I think the only true reason was that I was a girl. Heh, I used to ask mom why daddy never loved me. what did I ever do to him to make him hate me. She told me not to worry about that. That she'll love me no matter what. That made my father's blood boil. But what angered him more is when my eldest brother ,Grydous, started to treated me like a sister . I can still hear those two arguing. "But dad she has feelings! She's a griffon too!" "It's nothing but scum and you shall treat it as such!" "No! I'm not like you! She deserves-" "STOP TREATING IT LIKE ITS MORE THAN A WASTE OF A GRIFFON!" Grydous did the unthinkable then. Gave him a nasty scar on his beak. Father returned the favor with a scar to the eye.The first time he disrespected father and it was because of me. I felt guilty about it but he reassured me. Told me that it was worth it. I started to smile. I smiled because now not only does mom love me, but my brother loves me too. For the first time in my life in that village, I was actually happy. Until I found out how else my father can haunt me. My temper. "Well if it isn't for Hyrus's little reject" "Shut it Tiben." "Where's your daddy, Gilda? Oh yeah, he left you all alone" "I said shut up.." "Why? Because you're nothing but a disgrace!" "I SAID SHUT UP!" All I remembered was him having a broken beak and a black eye. I ran home. I couldn't believe what came over me. When I got home, I found out mom was gone. Father chased her away. I saw nothing but red then. When I came to, Grydous had me pinned. Father was bleeding with gashes all over him. His three sons staring at me with animosity in their eyes as they nursed their father. I smiled, then chuckled. "I hope you rot in Tartarus you vile poultry" I growled. Later that same night I told Grydous that I was leaving. I was gonna tell the village elder. Start a new life. Hopefully,during the process, find mom. He ain't take it too well. "I'm going with you." "No Grydous. You can't." "And live with that monster?!" "You can leave, just don't come with me." "Gilda." I started crying. Grydous pulled me into a hug. He petted my head just like how mom used to do. "Then who's gonna hunt for ya?"He said jokingly. "I can handle myself, bro." He pushed me back so he could get a good look at me "Little Gildy. All grown up." "I'm still a teen." I chuckled. Then he told me something. Something that haunts me to this day. "Gildy, if I let you go,you gotta promise me something." "What is it?" "Hold your temper." "What?Why?" "The only way Father can always haunt you is that. Your temper" "No he can't" "Gilda,"I knew he was serious that time. His eyes were focused onto me."That was the only thing you inherited from him. His temper. If you can control it, Father will have no power over you." "My temper?" "Yes. Your temper." "I can try." "Gilda.Promise me." ".....Okay....I promise." And with that, I flew off to see the elder. He was okay with it. But he told me one day I'll have to confront my father in order to truly be happy. I rolled my eyes and flew off to start a new journey. I built a new life for myself. I found a way to enroll myself into flight school. Made an awesome friend. Graduated happily too. I even got a job at the Griffon Express Delivery Service. And then, that visit to Ponyville. I thought I could keep my cool. But now that I look back at it, Pinkie Pie wasn't so bad. Hell, it wasn't that yellow pegasus's fault I couldn't see where I was going. And those things I was doing to those ponies, I looked like......... I have to go back. I need to make amends with these guys. And to be honest...I need my best buddy back. Author's Note Hi guys! This is my very first story that I like that isn't a comic. So constructive criticism is welcome because I'm not good at doing stories. Thanks!
TravelHuh. Who knew flying in the rain is a little more...serene than usual? I figured it would be annoying because of all the water in your eyes and it being cold and wet and stuff. But its not so bad as I thought. Maybe this is why mom loved the rain. Anyway, I was able to fly with ease, maneuvering pass the clouds, doing a few tricks and such. When I looked down, I saw some dragons doing something weird in a forest. Were they...thrusting something? It looked like they were thrusting a..... Y'know, I have a bad habit of paying close attention to detail. And now, that image will be forever engraved on my brain. I'm guessing after seeing those dragons I'm nearing their nesting grounds. One of the more dangerous things to do around there is to mess with teen dragons. They maybe some troublemakers, but tick one off, and that's your tail on fire. So I tried to swerve and dodge any smog like features in the sky. I didn't want to get caught up in that. Grydous taught me that once you're near dragon grounds, smog is your worst enemy. Dragons and griffons don't usually get along. Especially with my village. During hatching season, the village elders would catch dragon delinquents smashing eggs like they do with phoenixes. Only difference is, Griffons are much more protective of their eggs.Not saying that phoenixes aren't. Just saying that griffons are literally patrolling for the sake of theirs eggs. I can't blame them for it. But that's not the only reason griffons and dragons don't get along. My father and a couple other alpha griffons planned an attack on a high class dragon. I heard my brothers talking about it when mom was preening my feathers. They said that Father killed the dragon with one swipe to the throat and ripped out his jugular and how awesome it would've looked if they were there. I felt sick about the whole situation. Because he was a high class dragon, his followers didn't take kindly to that. So to prevent war between the two, we were to give up ten of our young to appease the dragons. The dragons wanted them for a snack. My father was eager to offer me up. The dragons were going to take me, but they must have saw something in me that scared them off. Seriously, they flew off without taking any of the young from our village. The elder said that dragons are mystical creatures and can see things others can't. If I could scare them off, I must have some sort of powerful dark magic in me. Now that I'm on my way there, I can still see what a jerk I was. I can't believe I yelled at that innocent pegasus. Not only that, but I roared at her. I'm not feeling guilty about that prank against that old mare though. That one was funny, even for Dash's taste... Dash... The way I barked at her. The way I insulted her friends. Why is the image still playing over and over in my head? Didn't it torment me enough? I'm so sick of it! I didn't mean to say that to her! I didn't mean to yell at that yellow pegasus! I just...I just..... "I just wish I could go back! Just go back and change everything!" "Hmm. It seems we both have wishes." If I'm not mistaken, I think that was a dragon. I whipped my head around to find the large,scaly, nostril flaring,fire breathing beast behind me. By the look on his face, he seemed...hungry. Great..... "You see, you want to change things in the past. I wished for some food wandering into my smoke cloud." This is what I get for talking out loud. "But here's the difference: only one of our wishes came true." I saw him snarling. His pearly white teeth bared and some smoke flowing out of his nose like a freaking chimney. I started to fly away at jet speed as soon as I saw fire leaking out of his mouth. Then, he let out a beam of flames in my direction. I swerved around the blaze for a little of a, you know, badassery effect. "Stay still so I can roast you properly!" Y'know, that always confused me. Why, if I don't want to be caught or eaten etc., would I stop running so the guy can actually get the upper hand and do what I was actually trying to friggin' avoid?! Well at least the adrenaline was pumping in my veins like Cloudsdale pumping up clouds. I couldn't stop swerving and speeding. It didn't help the fact that the dragon's flames were red hot on my trail. I could still feel each blast getting closer and closer. I started to realize that the clouds started to get a little darker above them and the rain came down a little harder. That mean two things: The dragons flames aren't going to be that strong because of the rain, and nightfall is near. I started to look at my surroundings and saw a peculiar forest. Wait, that's the...The Everfree Forest! I looked up to see nothing but rain clouds. No smog. Jeez, how far, and fast, was I flying? Well, as long as that dragon doesn't see me, I guess it's alright, right? "Don't think you're free just yet, griffon!" the dragon boomed when he, shockingly, caught sight of me. Yep. Spoke too soon. I started to dive right into the forest when I started to feel heat right behind me. I didn't even think about landing properly. I just slammed into the ground and tumbled a couple of times. When I looked up, I saw a smoldering tree with scorched leaves. That coulda been me.... My ears were ringing from that rough landing. I tried to get on all fours and walk, but my legs felt like jelly and I fumbled into the ground. So I staggered onto my claws and paws and wobbled to civilization. I have no idea how deep into the forest I am, but I do know that Ponyville is on the other side. My head started to get foggy. I started to lose feeling in my legs. My ears were still ringing. Then, I toppled over onto the floor. Now all I heard was my breathing and my heartbeat. And the last thing I saw was a pony in a cloak. She, or he, was saying something but I couldn't quite make it out. All I saw after that, was black. Author's Note Well, here's the second chapter! As always,constructive criticism is very useful and is also welcomed. I'll start working on the third chapter ASATIP( as soon as this is posted) Thank you and enjoy!
Stars"Don't you ever see where you're going?! Wah wah poor me!" No, I'm sorry....I didn't mean..... ROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAR!!! No..No! What is wrong with me?! "You're such a flip flop! One minute you're cool, next minute you're lame! You call me when you're cool again!" NO! Dash! Dash? Dash....... " You're nothing but a disgrace!" "The only way Father can always haunt you is that. Your temper" Your temper.....your temper.......your temper........your temper....... "Agh!...Huh?Wha?Where am I?" I looked around the room and saw some strange...artifacts. This is a little...unnerving. I kept looking around but no one was in sight. How did I get here? When did I get here? Where is "here" anyway? Was I kidnapped? Did someone- "Augh, my head." "Ah you are awake. Thank goodness that its only your head that aches." I looked behind me to see a.... a zebra? In the Everfree Forest? And still alive? "Wha-?W-who are you?" "I am as confused as you,all the same.So I'll ask you instead,what is your name?" "I asked you first, though." "Though you asked first, I saved you when you were hurt." So that's how I got in here."So, in my gain, you tell me your name. If you are kind and do abide, I shall tell you mine." "So you're the poetic type, huh?" I started to glare at the zebra with annoyance in my eyes. "Your name would be nice, rather than that look made of ice." She's starting to bug me. But she is right. Had it not been for her, I probably would have been a manticore's midnight snack. Or dinner. Breakfast? Come to think of it.. "What time is it?" "Name first please, then information I shall release." Deep breaths, Gilda. I took one glance at her eyes. It looked strained and impatient but, understanding. ".....Gilda..." I...kinda..mumbled. "Hm?" "My name is Gilda." "See? Was there any shame? I suppose it's only fair now. Zecora is my name." "Thanks for, you know, saving me back there, uh, Zecora." "You are welcome, my griffon friend. Whenever somepony is in trouble, a hoof is what I am willing to lend." "Say Zecora, what time is it?" "Well, you were out for a few hours, not very long. Midnight it must be, says the crickets' song." "I'm guessing there isn't a chance in Tartarus that you're just gonna let me leave out in the forest at this hour." She shook her head then. Yep figured. I don't blame her for keeping me here. I wouldn't want anybody going out there on the account that they're probably still suffering from head trauma. I just sighed and gazed into the sky. The clouds started to clear up, so I got a clear view of the stars. Strange for the nature of Everfree clouds but I guessed I didn't mind. This takes me back to when I was a hatchling. Mom and Grydous went stargazing with me because I was being picked on by my other brothers and the villagers. Grydous would point out the different constellations and teach me about them. And mom? She just smiled and snuggled us closer to her heart. I really felt her love then. Hearing Grydous teaching me about the constellations while listening to moms heartbeat put me at ease. "Which one is that one?" "That's Orion's Saddle." "And that one! The one with the sparkliest star at the end?" "That would be the Little Dipper. And the star at the end is Polaris." Then, mom leaned into us and spoke barely above a whisper. "You know, there once was a story behind this star." she said. "Really?" I piped up. "Can you tell us?" Grydous chimed in. "I'd love to, but its past your bedtime." she would say. We would go 'aww' and she'd still walk us to our resting section in our nest. I remembered, right before I went to bed, I would whisper to the star right then and there. Someday...Polaris... "You seem low. Is something troubling you so?" "Huh?" "Your face. It shimmers with uncertainty. Something must've happened to have caused that look purposely." She could read my face too. A poetic and psychic type....I hear a fandom screaming.......Still, there was a question eating away at me. I needed to get it out. "Zecora?" "Hm?" "Why did you save me?" She gazed up into the stars and sighed heavily. A small smile formed on her lips and she glanced at me. Then back to the stars. "I saved you so you could see another day. I did it because you wanted it that way." "That....made no sense what so ever." "The way you flew, you wanted to survive. You wanted to make it, wanted to stay alive. I watched you. You could barely stand. I then took command. " "Still don't get it." Seriously she was losing me the entire time. "Did you wanted to be gobbled by a dragon,or be pulled in a zebra wagon?" "Oh that's easy. I wanted to be saved." "Mm. You were mumbling about something before. Something that if suppressed could hurt you more. Tell me, what is on your mind? Maybe I could get you out of this bind." Should I really trust her? I mean, sure she saved me and all, but it's not her place to know all my problems. Still, it is good to get this off of my chest. And she does seem caring enough to actually help me.Still.... "Why should I tell you?" I growled. "Because we all need a release. If it's all bottled up, we may never be at peace." She's right. That's one of the biggest reasons why I'm on my way back to Ponyville. Maybe she might understand what I'm going through. "...You're not gonna knock me down a size if I tell you?" She shook her head. Alright, here it goes... I told her everything. From when I was a hatchling to when she found me. The only time she laughed was when I told her about the time I insulted my father. I didn't judge her for it. Heck, I found it funny too. But when I got to the mystical stuff, y'know, the gunk about dragons seeing things and the "prophecy" the village elder told me? When I got to that stuff, she was highly interested. She wanted me to go into detail about those encounters. Then again she is a psychic type......still hear a fandom screaming...... "I didn't really understand none of my elder's babbling nonsense, but, from the look on your face, I'm guessing you do." "Hmm. Maybe he is right. You must confront your father about all of his spite." "Easier said than done. As far as my father is concerned, I''m scum. I'm beneath the lowest level of griffons in his eyes." "Harsh to say for one that is young. Especially since that young one life has barely begun." "Exactly. So how can I confront a guy like that?" "You may need to attack his weakest side. For him, that may be his-" "His pride?" She nodded and glanced at me. I'm guessing she knew the question that was coming next. "But how can I do that? He's got his pride under protection. Even if you put him in a dress , shockingly, he will still have his pride!" "Didn't you break down his pride before? Something that involved blood and gore?" "I didn't break down his pride, Zecora. I just beat him to some sort of pulp. How did that-" I think I just caught on to what she was getting at. My father prides himself through his sons and their strengths. His pride also comes from him being the best of the best in the village. Even in...battle. "So you're saying because I kicked my dad's flank, I hit his pride?" "Quite possibly. You made him look small and weak." "Yeah but that was out of anger. I'm sure of that much. But I don't have the strength nor the guts to challenge him. At least, when when I'm not angry. Or after all these years." "You'll find it one way or another. Perhaps through that Grydous fellow, or your mother." My mom. She was one of the main reasons I got out of the village to live on my own. And yet, here I am with no trace of her and just dwelling on the past. I laid my head on the window sill and let a tear escape from my eye. I left the village and accomplished barely anything that involved me finding mom. "Thinking about the one you've lost?" Zecora asked. I gave her a solemn nod. Then, I blinked and another tear left my eye. I only blinked because there was no rhyme in that sentence. "Your original plan was to find the one you've lost. Despite the pain it might have cost." "I thought that...maybe if i found her, life would be a bit easier." "...You know, when I had my troubles and life would get hard, I would just smile and look up into the stars." Now she got me. "What good do stars do?" "They make us smile. They help us believe. And,judging from you, they bring back memories." I thought about it. Once again, she's right. The stars do bring back memories. Most of them, about mom. Before I knew it, a small smile crept onto my face. I saw her looking at me. Turns out, she had a smile on her face too. Then a small yawn escaped her lips. "Well it is late. Keep my bed. Just for tonight, its for you to take." she said taking off to another room. I swear, this came out of nowhere... "Hey,um,Zecora?" "Hm?" she whipped her head around to look at me. "You don't mind....sharing the bed with me?" WHAT?" Nothing will happen,I swear of it!" She did a double take once I asked that. Heck I would too! a complete stranger asking you to share a bed with them? Surely not a plot for rape. "Normally, I wouldn't be THAT kind...." she started to say. Then, she lifted the blankets and moved me over so she could get comfortable."But, I guess I could if it helps ease your mind." She must not get a lot of visitors. But nonetheless, I started to relax with her next to me. "Thanks, Zecora." "It's alright. Oh and one more thing," she started to say as she blew out the candle. Wait, the candle was on? "Good night." I blinked twice, yawned, and shifted my feathers. "Good night." I barely mumbled. Then I fell asleep. You ever had those dreams where you were in some sort of void and couldn't get out? That kinda happened. When I woke up, I felt my face get really hot. The sun was softly glistening onto the both of us. I opened one of my eyes to see my arm. On top of Zecora. Which was holding her close. In a snuggling position. Without her having a problem with it. As a matter of fact, I sat up and looked down at her. She was smiling. My face was burning up then. Well, maybe I could just lay back down and enjoy this small little incident for a couple more minutes. I mean, its just snuggling. ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!!!!! "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Somebody's in trouble! I quickly slid my arm off of Zecora and threw the blanket off of me. "Huh? Wha?" She barely sputtered out as she woke up. "I'll be right back! Someone's in trouble!" I yelled as I ran out the front door.Hang on, whoever you are, I'm on my way. I started fumbling through some branches and tripping on some brambles. Nonetheless, I kept charging through to save that pony. When I finally made it to the source of the screams, it turns out it was three little fillies being attacked by a manticore. The manticore took one roar and brought its paw back in a striking motion. Then everything went slow motion. I leapt into the air towards the manticore and sank my teeth into his arm. He let out a roar and tried to swat me off of his arm but it didn't work. Then I started to claw my way from his arm to his face. I started leaving gashes all over the thing. He used his paw, claws extended,snatched me off, flung me towards the three fillies, and fled back into the forest. I landed,on all fours this time, in front of the fillies, still glaring in the direction the manticore fled off to. "Wow! That was awesome!" one of them piped up. "Yeah! Ya'll saved our flanks there!" another chimed in. "Thanks a bunch miss!" the third one said happily relived. "What in the hay were you three doing in The Everfree forest by yourselves messing with a manticore!?" I practically yelled at them. "We were trying to get our cutie marks as manticore whisperers!" the orange pegasus said. "As whabuhhuh?"I stammered. That seriously caught me off guard. "Manticore whisperers!" the white unicorn said proudly "But Ah guess you've seen how that turned out,huh?" the yellow pony said blushing. "Uh huh." I said glaring at the three of them. They must have been insane to think that THAT idea would've worked. "Oh my gosh! we should get you some help!" the unicorn said. "What? But why-" I was cut off when I glanced at myself. I was beat up. Pretty badly. I started feeling someone tugging on me to move forward. I looked down to see the pegasus pulling me away. "What the hay are you doing?!" "Taking you our clubhouse! We can help you with these wounds easy peasy!" the pegasus replied enthusiastically. "It's th' least we can do fer ya fer savin' our flanks!" the pony chimed in again "Just take it as a token of our appreciation!" the unicorn said. I don't think I'm gonna like how this is gonna turn out. Author's Note This was the toughest chapter to write so far. I really hope you guys enjoy it. As always, constructive criticism is very useful. Thank you!
Honestly....How. Did. I. Get. Here? Just a minute ago I was saving these foals from being mauled by a friggin' manticore and now they're wrapping me up with some medical tape. How did they get the medical tape?! Aren't they too young to even try to use this stuff? They must get into accidents often. The earth filly was working on my arms with the surgical tape. The pegasus filly was working on giving me stitches on my back. And the little unicorn filly was on cleaning duty, cleaning up any excess blood leaking out of me. Yep, they must get hurt often. "It this too tight fer ya?" "N-no, it's fine. Tha-" "Are the stitches too tight?" "Not really. It's just fi-" "Need any water? Any juice?" Answer! Now! No sentences! "Juice!" Yes! Got a word in! "Hey! No need to yell!" The unicorn filly said with a strained look on her face while nursing her ear. "Heh, sorry, I thought I wouldn't get a word in with you guys nursing me." I said sheepishly. "Well it's imperative that our patient gets the utmost care!" The unicorn beamed. "Impera-what?" The pegasus asked. "It's another way of saying important." I responded. "Oh. Yeah that makes sense." The orange one replied. I dunno. These guys don't seem so bad. I mean, sure the orange one should be flying at her age and all, but other than that these fillies seem pretty cool. Slightly annoying but still cute and cool. And their ambitions are really high for cutie marks. Heck, they almost died trying to earn cutie marks as manticore whisperers. Who in the hoof would do that? What would their cutie mark look like? Wait, the real question would be WHY would someone do that? That's a death wish in of itself! I'm pretty damn glad I jumped in to save these foals when I did. What would their parents think if they just realized their little precious foals got killed over some little expedition for cutie marks? I could just see their names on their gravestones right now: Here lies........um.........wait......I didn't even ask for their names did I? "Say, girls?" "Yes?" all three of them replied in union. "What are your names, anyways?" "My name is Scootaloo!" the pegasus beamed. "My name is Sweetie Belle!" the unicorn chimed in. "An' mah name is Applebloom!" the earth pony shouted. "And we're..." Scootaloo led on. I could have sworn I lost my sense of hearing for a split second after this. "THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!!!!YAY!!!!!!!!" they... I dunno. 'Shouting' may be an understatement. They were patiently waiting for my response. I found it polite but, I kinda actually LIKE my sense of hearing when I talk. Its comforting to know what my voice sounds like. When my hearing did returned, I tried to find the right words to say. "Well...that was....interesting." I said flatly trying to nurse my ear. "We dedicated this group into helping ourselves and other ponies find their special talent!" Sweetie Belle said excitedly "Yeah and then the other ponies will be so amazed that they'll form a group under the same name and then inspire other ponies later in the future to make a group under the same name to inspire another group of ponies to-" "Ah think she gets the point." Applebloom said as she put her hoof over Scootaloo's mouth, cutting her off. These guys are both adorable and funny. However, Scootaloo stands out to me the most. She looks so determined and seem like she loves a good rush of adrenaline. "So, what do you guys want your cutie marks to be?" I asked. "I wanna be just like my big sister and become a famous designer!" Sweetie Belle said. "Ah just want to be able to have a cutie mark."Applebloom said plainly. "And I want a cutie mark as cool and as awesome as Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo squealed. "Just you wait Gilda! One day I'll be so good they'll beg me to join the Wonderbolts!" "I gotta keep practicing so I can get into the Wonderbolts someday!" Dash....Why can't I get you off of my mind? "Uh miss?" Scootaloo chirped. I must've day dreamed for a minute. "Yes?" I replied trying to work my way back into reality. "We, uh, never got yer name."Applebloom said. She's right. I asked for all that info about them and I have yet to mention my name to them. "Oh, right." I replied. "Well,what's your name, miss?" Sweetie Belle asked sweetly but impatiently. "My name is uh....uh..." "Yes?" "My name is...." "Yeah? Yer name is...." "You're almost there. Your name is..." Well, here it goes. "My name is-" "Well if it isn't for the tree house for BLANK FLANKS!" Well, that saved my flank. Hey wait, why couldn't I tell them who I was. I'm as awesome as ever! I'm Gilda! Gilda the griffon! So....why couldn't I just say that? "Oh great."I heard Scootaloo say in disappointment. "Not those two again." Sweetie Belle replied in sadness "They're th' last thing we need right now.." AppleBloom said in anger. "What's wrong, guys?" I asked. "Th' bane of our existences are here." Applebloom replied grimly "Maybe if we pretend that we're not here they'll go away." Sweetie Belle said with a little enthusiasm. "We can see you in the window!" I heard a different foal scream. Apparently they didn't come alone. "Well so much fer that idea." Applebloom said defeated. "Oh horse apples they brought the whole class in on us!"Scootaloo hissed. "How do ya'll know that?" Applebloom asked confused. "I can see all of them outside of the window." Scootaloo said. "Dagnabbit! Why do they always have t' pick on us?!" Applebloom yelled in a fit of anger. "We should probably go outside and confront them,"Sweetie Belle said reluctantly. "Sweetie Belle's right. We might as well get it over with," Scootaloo said defeated. It really pained me to see these fillies like this. I really wanted to cheer them up. I felt like seeing this had some sort of pained emotion eating me up inside."You don't mind staying in here while we're out do you?" Scootaloo asked. "Sure thing, girls." I replied. "Promise?" "I promise." "Thanks. C'mon girls," Scootaloo said, bracing herself. I watched them as they reluctantly walked out of the door and saw Applebloom close it slowly. I then peered out of the window to see everyone's eyes on the trio.I started to listen to what they were saying. "What do you want now, Diamond Tiara?" I heard Scootaloo say angrily. "Just wanted to show the class where our favorite blank flanks hopelessly look for their future useless talents!" The pink earth pony replied. So that's Diamond Tiara. "Ah think ya'll just get a kick outta makin' our lives miserable!" I heard Applebloom growl. "Can't you just leave us alone and live your own life?" I heard Sweetie Belle say.I gave a little snicker. Seems Diamond Tiara didn't like that remark. "You wanna say that again?" I heard Diamond Tiara say with animosity. She was muzzle to muzzle with Sweetie Belle. This started to put me on edge. "You heard her! You and Silver Spoon get your own lives and leave ours alone!" I heard Scootaloo bark at her. I started to feel uneasy. I haven't felt like this since- "You're nothing but a disgrace!" I need to stop this. "Why don't ya'll just leave already?!" I heard Applebloom yelled angrily. I started to see an orange figure at the top of the hill. I need to stop this. "You afraid of getting your flanks beat?" A bluish-gray filly with a white mane chimed in. "Stay outta this, Silver Stone!" I started to see Applebloom tremble a bit. The orange figure started to get closer. Silver Stone's muzzle came close to Appleblom's. I need to stop this. "Make. Me." She replied, smirking. The orange figure started to move faster. My stomach is in knots now. I need to stop this. Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara face to face. Sweetie Belle and who I assumed to be Silver Spoon face to face. And now, Appleboom and Silver Stone face to face. The orange figure picked up the pace. I need to stop this. I need to stop this. I need to stop this. "Promise?" "I promise." The orange figure never lost pace. The stand off continued and the tension only grew. The orange figure's speed only increased just a smidge .I promised. I need to stop this. But I promised. But I need to stop this. I need to stop this What happened next, moved in slow motion. Scootaloo swung first, hitting Diamond Tiara so hard she staggered back. Silver Spoon slapped Sweetie Bell hard across the face leaving a crimson red hoof print on her right cheek. Silver Stone punched Applebloom in the nose, causing her to start bleeding. I heard the orange figure scream a guttural 'NO' right after. It then turned into an all out brawl. Sweetie Belle was pinned but she was still fighting, punching Silver Spoon hard in the nose, making her bleed. Scootaloo kept swinging at Diamond Tiara, in fact, returned the favor. Applebloom pinned Silver Stone to the ground and was relentlessly slamming her hoof in her face, her eyes looking blood thirsty. The orange figure grew increasingly fast. I really need to stop this. "Promise?" "I promise." I couldn't take it anymore. I truly needed to stop this. I truly, truly needed to stop this. "Promise?" "I promise." But I promised. I can't break another promise. "Promise?" "I promise." The orange figure kept running. She was only halfway there. "Promise?" "I promise." "Promise?" "I promise." "Promise?" "I promise." "Promise?" No...I can't anymore.... I took a deep breath in and spread my wings. Please.....the three of you...please forgive me......... ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!! Everyone stopped and turned their heads towards the window.I flew out of the window, went upwards, and slammed down, right in front of everyone. The edges of my eyes started to go black. I snarled and growled. Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle scurried behind me.Silver Stone, Silver Spoon, Diamond Tiara and all of the other foals looked at me in fear, shock, and horror. "W-wh-who..." Diamond Tiara stammered "Who are you?" Silver Stone trembled. I gritted my teeth "Cowards! All of you!" I yelled."Especially you three! Picking on them because you have something they're fighting for! You don't think their lives are hard enough?!" I started to tremble. My lip quivered.My claws were extended, digging away at the ground." You've got some nerve picking on these three! And the rest of you! Just sitting here! Watching while they're getting picked on! You all should be ashamed!" I stopped yelling at them. Everyone started to let the words sink in, making the silence heavy. Silver Stone spoke again. "Who are you?" I heaved a breath and started up again. "My name is-" "Gilda?" "What?" I snarled, looking in the direction of the pony calling me. When I found the source, my eyes softened and I loosened up a bit. It was the orange figure staring at me with shock, confusion, and amazement. Her eyebrows furrowed, her eyes flickered with anger towards me and then everyone else. "Everypony go on home!" The orange pony barked "And what if I don't?" Silver Stone challenged her with what little pride she had that wasn't taken from her by Applebloom. "You'll answer to her and me," I said baring my teeth walking slowly to her, beak to muzzle,"and trust me, you don't wanna have to answer to me." I heard her swallow hard and the crowd dispersed,Silver Stone, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon taking off. I looked up at the orange pony, softening my expression, sat down and chose my words wisely. "Listen, uh, I know I'm the last person you wanna see and-" "Everypony. With me. To the barn .Now." She interrupted with such aggression in her voice. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo ran up to her. Applebloom lingered, pulled me in a warm embrace, snuggled into my chest scruff and took a sigh of relief. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. "Thank you." She whispered as tears began to fall. "Anytime kiddo." I replied. I truly enjoyed this hug. She broke away from me, gave me a thankful look, and ran up to the orange pony. I remained in my spot, the orange pony glaring at me. I gave her a confused look. "Ah said Everypony." She said irritated. "But I'm a griffon." I joked. Bad idea. Bad idea. "Fine. Everyone." She said in an angry tone. I nodded and walked up to the group. The orange pony walked ahead of all of us. then Scootaloo nudged my arm. "Did you see that punch?" She asked excitedly. "Yeah," I replied trying to return her enthusiasm," you almost sent her flying." "What about me? Did you see me?" Sweetie Belle asked. " Of course I did! Though next time you should throw the first punch." I chuckled lightly and so did she. "H-how about me?" Applebloom asked barely above a whisper while holding a hoof to her muzzle to slow the bleeding. She seemed afraid of the orange pony and to be honest, I don't blame her. But I gave her a warm smile and replied. "Sure did. And I think Silver Stone is gonna feel her face hurt every time she thinks about bugging you three." "Why do y'think that?" She asked "Because it's gonna be her little 'reminder'." I replied. Then all three of them giggled. I peered at the orange pony. If I'm not mistaken, I could have sworn her expression soften, and she cracked a smile. Then Scootaloo piped up. "Did you hear her roar? That was so awesome!" She squealed. "It was nothing." I said with a small blush. "An' th' way she knock everypony down a size!" Applebloom spoke up. "And she did it all for us." Sweetie Belle said feeling honored. "It's the least I could do since you guys let me into your place and patched me up." I said feeling flattered. We continued to talk like this and before I knew it, we were in front of the barn. "So this is is the barn?" I asked "Yep," Applebloom chirped,"Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres!" "Huh," I replied. This could get interesting " So your name is Gilda?" Sweetie Belle asked while a band-aid was being placed on her eye. We were upstairs, in the orange pony's room. "Yeah. Pretty much." I said lying on the floor. My back was killing me. "'Gilda' huh," Scootaloo said, letting my name play on her tongue," Gilda the griffon. Sounds cool." Scootaloo had a bandage on her lip and an eye patch over her eye. "Why couldn't ya tell us this earlier?" Applebloom asked. She had a bandage over her nose to slow the bleeding and a couple of bandage patches to cover some of her bruises. "I... I don't know..." I replied. The answer to that question failed to hit me at all. I still am wondering what got me so tongue tied earlier. Why was it so hard for me to say my name to a bunch of fillies? Why'd it take an orange pony for them to know who I am? Why- "Girls, go t' Applebloom's room, okay? Big Mac'll take you two home in a little while." The orange pony said after patching up Scootaloo , snapping me out of my thoughts. "Okay," the girls replied in unison. Then they did their walk of shame towards the door. The orange pony glared at the door with such intensity. when the door clicked shut, I went to talk, but she raised her hoof up to my beak, not breaking her gaze from the door. Her ear twitched. She then grabbed a book off of her drawer and threw it at the door. I heard scampering hooves right after. "You've got some good ears,"I said. "Ain't nothing much," She replied,"you get used to an eavesdroppin' little sister over th' years." "So let me guess, you want me to tell you why I'm here?" "How'd ya'll guess?" "Well, judging from my last performance being in Ponyville and calling everyone lame, You'll want the last person you ever want to see to explain why they showed their faces again." "Good point. So, why are you here?" "Honestly?" "Yes. Honestly." "Alright. I'm here for...your forgiveness." I closed my eyes waiting for her to laugh at me. When the silence remained, I opened one eye to see she was staring at me in confusion. "That's all?" She asked. "Yeah." I replied. "Wow." She said. "In shock?" "Sorta. Just kinda expected you t' wanna cause a rage because o' how Ponyville showed ya up last time." ".....yeah....." I didn't know whether to feel offended or proud to prove her wrong. "So, how come ya'll want my forgiveness?" "It's a REALLY long story." "Sugarcube," she started up as she placed a hoof gingerly on my head," Ah've got all night." I looked at her, wondering if I should tell the very same pony who still had some hate for me. Then again, I did tell a complete stranger my life story and as the saying goes, an unknown ally can be more dangerous than the known enemy. Still, precautions had to be made. "You're not gonna judge me, are you?" "Don't ya think it's a little too late fer that? Y'know, after yer visit?" "I...uh...good point." Maybe she would truly understand me a bit more if I tell her. Besides, I probably changed her opinions about me about two times today. So, telling her should change her mind about me completely, right?I sat up from my previous position with my head hung low. "Alright," I started up,"It all started when I was first hatched..." I told her everything. From when I was a hatchling to how I ended up in her house. She laughed when I mentioned the part about calling my dad vile poultry. That's the second person to do so. When I told her about my temper, she had a sort of, sympathetic look on her face. Like it was her fault I lost my temper. By the end of my life story, I found her sitting at my side, with her arm around my shoulder and a soft expression on her face. "Wow. Ah didn't know ya went through all o' that." She said feeling guilty. "I try not to remember it."I said, starting to feel a little depressed. "Aw, don't feel so down sugarcube," She said, rubbing my back in a comforting gesture," Yer choice to leave was a good one. Shucks, ya did one of th' things that was on yer t' do list, didn't ya?" I thought about it and she was right. I did, but... "Yeah, but I lost my best friend because of it. My, my only friend." "And yer doin' what y' can t' get her back," she brought a hoof under my chin to make me look at her in the eyes," 'nd by the way yer goin' 'bout it, Ah'd say ya'll be back t'gether in no time." "How do you think I'm going about this," I asked breaking my gaze,"'Cause It seems like I'm just rushing things." "Ah think that yer trying to turn a new leaf here. Make a new look fer yerself in this town. And t' do that, yer trying t' be honest with everypony," she said while placing her hoof on my chest," includin' you." "But I'm not a pony. I'm a griffon." I replied. She started going in her closet, pulling out blankets and two pillows. Then she placed them on her back and closed the closet door with her hing leg with one swift kick. "Now yer lyin' to yerself again," she said while handing me the pillows and the blankets," Ya'll were honest t' me 'bout everything, why aren't ya'll bein' honest to yerself?" I was going to reply,but yet again words fail me. Was I being honest with myself? Was I a griffon? "I...don't know...,"I responded defeated. "Eh, it'll hit ya sooner or later," she said, cutting off the light, leaving the moon the only thing illuminating the room. She then went into her bed, snuggling in her blankets, and let out a hefty yawn,"It's gettin' late" I looked out the window to see the moonlight cascade upon the rest of the farm, gently lighting the tips of leaves on apple trees, glistening upon the grass on the top of the hill, where the moon hovered above the horizon. Simply amazing. Dash would love this... "Hey miss?" "Yes?" "What's your name?" "Applejack," she tried to say through her next yawn." Mah name's Applejack." "Applejack, huh?" I asked. "Yep." she replied sleepily. "Hey Applejack?" I called out, arranging the pillows and blankets. I then walked around the makeshift bed on the floor, clawed at it, stretched, and laid down, like a cat would. "Yeah?" She replied, giggling at me sleepily because of my whole 'feline' thing. "Thanks." "No," She yawned, then turned over,"problem." "Good night." "G'nigh...." she started snoring. Now it's my turn to giggle. I looked at the clock to see what time it was. 10 p.m.. Then, I let out a yawn and went to sleep. I woke up to see that Applejack was still sleeping and the moon was still out. I looked at the clock to see how long I was asleep. 10:20. What?! Twenty minutes?! That's it, I'm not sleeping on the floor anymore. I tried to sit up, only to find the pain in my back had stemmed up to a crook in my neck. I looked at Applejack's bed, and it looked so.....comfy. But I don't wanna bother her. But it looked so snuggly soft. She looks comfy. So the bed must be comfy. I started to walk towards the bed and placed my hand on it. So soft... I slightly lifted my haunches, lifted my claws, and leaped onto the bed like a cat would. I positioned myself behind Applejack, and leaned over to see if she was still asleep. I got my answer when she let out a soft snore. I then did my night time ritual,yawned, ad started to doze off. Am I gonna regret this? As if on cue, all of my aches and pains melted away. I gave a sigh and then a moan of relief. Probably not... Author's Note Sorry for the long wait everyone! I had a lot of piled schoolwork and then quizzes and procrastination and distractions and*SLAP!* In other words, I'll try to get the next chapter out sooner than this one took.(Did I mention that for the hardest chapter to write so far, this one takes the cake?) Constructive criticism is welcomed!
Take It EasyI opened my eyes to see nothing but...clouds everywhere. What? Clouds? I started to stretch my claws and felt something….fluffy underneath me. I looked down to find the biggest, fluffiest cloud underneath my body. I started to roll all over on top of the cloud just to enjoy the softness. I then rolled to my left and hit a soft bump. It smelled like fresh apples and dirt. I reached my hand out to touch it. It twitched, but soon relaxed. I tried to look at the mystery bump and saw a furry little ball. It was warm to the touch, and it kept expanding and retracting. I wrapped my arms around it and brought it close to snuggle it. I felt it blow some air on my chest tuft. I didn't mind much, so I ran my hand further up the furry figure. I felt smooth, silky soft waves of string calmly flowing through my talons, like something majestic. I purred at the feeling and ran my talons through the string again. I nuzzled my beak into it and got that same smell- fresh apples and dirt. But it had a sort of, wind blown smell to it. I felt the furball struggling to leave my grasp. I gave a whine and pulled it closer. I started to feel occasional warm breezes on my beak. Then the ball started to say something. “Gilda..” it cooed. “Don’t leave..” I cooed back “Gilda..wake up..” it replied back. “Five more minutes, please?” I whined. “Gilda, you gotta get up,” it said. “You have a cute accent.” I replied. I started to lean into the furball until my lips were met with a warm…. wet pair of….lips? Suddenly, my whole world started to swirl as I still had my lips on the mystery counterpart. I slowly lifted my eyelids- for real this time- to see that a pair of green eyes were staring me in the face with a surprised look to it. I let my eyes trace the face they were connected to and saw golden brown fur tinted a soft glowing red just above a set of small freckles. I finally worked my eyes down to see a muzzle connected to those eyes and fur. Which is connected to my beak. And not moving away. I was kissing Applejack. On instant, I leapt backwards, feeling my cheeks heat up faster than a dragon’s snout. I slowly started to descend off of the bed. I started flailing my arms around in hopes of grabbing onto something but alas, it just made my thud onto the floor much faster. I gave a small groan and looked at my paws. They were intertwined with the blanket. I climbed upwards onto the bed and on instant her eyes met mine, her hoof covering her lips. I tried to make words, but all that came out was babbling, stammering nonsense. This time, she just spoke for me. “Ah’m guessing y’ had a moment….in yer dream?” she asked, choosing her words wisely. “Heh,.... yeah,” I said sheepishly while rubbing the back of my neck,”s-sorry about that.” “N-nah, it’s fine,”she said, avoiding eye contact.”Although Ah kinda liked it,” she whispered “Wha-huh?” I asked, unable to hear the last part. “N-nothin’. Let’s just…forget it happened,” she said getting more flustered.I’ve gotta admit, she is a little adorable looking like this. She walked out her bedroom, face still flushed, and looked back “Y-You should get ready and, uh, head downstairs. We’d like ya t’ help us out on th’ farm,” she said, trying her hardest to avoid eye contact. She proceeded to leave to go downstairs.I finally found some words to say. “ Hey Applejack?” I called out to her as she was walking away. She froze in her tracks, turned around- I’m assuming. Look she was in the hallway and out of my line of sight, whaddya want me to do?- and poked her head through the door once again. “Yes?” she responded finally meeting my gaze. “You have soft lips,” I replied with a smile. And with that, she turned around and left, her face as red as the apples on her flank. I walked down the stairs into the living room where I saw Applebloom lying on the floor with a book at hand. Next to her, there lie a sheet of paper with a bunch of scribbles all over it, like she had a burst of ideas or something. I walked over to her to see what she was up to. “Hey Applebloom! Whatcha up to?” I said. No response. She must be into that book. “Applebloom?”I said. Still No response. Okay, maybe she really likes the book? “Hello?” I said, now poking her in the head,”Equis to Applebloom. You there?” Still no response. Okay now that was three strikes. I waved the tip of my tail on her nose. She gave a small twitch. I snickered a little and waved my tail on her nose again. She grunted and flailed her hoof in an attempt to stop the attacker from tickling her nose. I giggled and waved my tail on her nose one more time. She then tried to grab my tail, but ended up booping herself. I finally gave out a laugh. She looked at me and blushed. “So Applebloom,”I said, my laughter subsiding,”whatcha doin’?” “Oh, well Ah was readin’ this book and found some ideas for the Cutie Mark Crusaders to do in order to get our cutie marks,” She replied, gesturing me to the paper with the scribbles next to her. It looks like a list of some sorts. I gave it a read and, though the “A” for effort, these ideas were either down right ridiculous or just dangerous. “So this is what you wanna do?” I ask, not sure of what else to say. “Yep!” she replied in a chipper tone. I glared at her. “So you want to be a..” I took a look at her list,”..’chimera tamer’?” “Well when y’ say it like that…..” She trailed off on the last part. “Or a...open heart surgeon?” “Well…” “Or…. a lab rat?” “ Alright so maybe Ah need t' make some changes,” Applebloom said in frustration, her face flustered from embarrassment. I chuckled a little and ruffled her mane a bit. I stopped chuckling when she gave me a glare. “...What?” I asked, feeling a little confused. “You seem...happy,” she started off,"...too happy.” “What’re you talking about? I’m fine!” I replied, feeling a little nervous. She hardened her glare. “Did somethin’ happen earlier?” she asked, unconvinced of my previous statement. I panicked. “N-no! Nothing at all! What made you think that?!” I stammered out quickly. “Are y’ sure? ‘Cause I coulda sworn Ah saw Applejack’s face all red and everything,” she said, giving me a look that said ‘heh got you now’. I started to tense up a bit. “Well..I...uh….” “Applebloom! Aren’t you supposed t’ be starting your chores!” Applejack interjected, saving me from Applebloom’s onslaught of questions. “Aw, but Ah was just making up ideas for the crusaders,” Applebloom whined. “Yeah, that’s nice, and ya’ll can get back to it when y’ finish yer chores,” Applejack said flatly. “Aw,” was all Applebloom said before she disappeared into the other room. I gave out a sigh of relief and let loose of all my muscles that got tense. “Yer not off the hook either, Missy,” Applejack said, giving me a smirk. I tilted my head in confusion. “What do you mean?” I asked innocently. “Ah’d like you t’ help me out on th’ farm,” Applejack replied in a buoyant tone,” We have plenty o’ trees that need some good ol’ buckin’.” “And you want me to help?” “Sure do,” she said, changing her look, “and it might be good t’ see you do some honest work for a change.” “Is this your way of saying ‘you’re not gonna stay here and be a lazy bum’?” I deadpanned. No sugar- coating here. “Better t’ be brutally honest than t’ be a liar,” she said, turning around and leaving the room. “I guess today’s gonna be an easy day,” I whispered to myself. I guess the day was… pretty fun overall. Applejack and I walked to the western part of the field and started - as she called it- bucking apples. “Alright. Th’ baskets are already in position,” she started up,” All we have t’ do is buck ‘em.” “You’re gonna show me ‘how’, right?” I asked. “Absolutely,” she said while walking towards the tree. She then turned her rear to the tree and faced me. “Now what you want is a good angle of the tree, and a good buckin’ distance,” She began to explain, "If yer too close, you might hurt yerself and/or the tree, and if yer too far, well y’ make yerself look bad." “Okay,” I said, resting my rump in the soft, damp, evergreen grass. Each blade kinda tickled my tail. I cocked my head to the side as if to say that I’m confused,”then what?” She then cocked her legs back and slammed into the tree with great force. The tremor was strong enough to shake the apples clean off the branches. I was shocked, not only was the kick powerful, but it was done by a pony. Then again, I did hear the other griffons talk about how earth ponies could be tough to kill when I was a hatchling. “Wow…” was the only response I could muster. “Yep. Do it just like that and th apples come fallin’,” Applejack replied. She then gestured to a tree filled with the fresh fruit. Then she looked at me,”Your turn. Show me what you got.” “...I dunno about this.” “Aw don’t worry ‘bout it. I’m sure a big tough griffon like you could easily buck a couple of apples out a tree.” “But…” “What now? Yer backin’ out on me?,” she started to say with a sly smile on her face,"and here Ah thought you were a griffon." “Hey wait a minute,” I said, starting to feel offended,”I am a griffon, and I don’t need to kick an apple tree to prove it.” “Suit yerself,” She replied while trotting to another tree,"pony girl." “What’d you call me?” I said, walking up to her until my peak was a couple of inches away from her muzzle. I didn’t care how close we were. “You heard me,” she replied leaning her muzzle in, closing the space between my beak while lowering her eyelids,"Pony girl,". She started to lean in even closer, to the point where our mouths were centimeters apart. "A big ol’ griffon like you, gettin’ shown up by a little earth pony like me," I could feel her warm breath caressing my lips. I wish I could just shut her up right now, but the only way was kicking that stupid apple tree. I wasn’t going to let her win. She was trying to get under my skin, and the worst part is, it’s working. With one big growl, I marched toward the tree she gestured me to, turned around, and admitted defeat. “Now reel yer hoo-er paws back,” she said smoothly. I think she was rubbing salt in the wound. But I did as she said. Finally, I slammed my paws into the tree with a lot of force. Well, she was right about one thing: hurting the tree. After I “bucked” it, I turned around and saw that the apples came into the basket….and the leaves…..and some twigs. I looked at the tree and winced a bit. There was a pretty visible dent in the tree, two unmistakable paw prints claimed their spots on the tree. I heard a small snicker in the back of me. “Heh heh heh, oops,” I said in a small voice. “Next time, y’ wanna go easy on Broomilda?” she replied. “You name your trees?” “Eeyup.” “Why?” “Well first it was t’ differentiate b’tween th’ trees. Then, well, when you care fer somethin’ fer a while, y’ start t’ get a bit, ‘attached’ t’ it, y’ know?” she replied, caressing ‘Broomilda’. Soon after, we just bucked trees in the field and talked. She told me about how her big brother bucked a tree so hard that there was a huge crook in it. We both laughed pretty hard. Since we were on the subject of brothers, I brought up Grydous. I talked about how he would stand up for me when I needed him, and how awesome he truly was. Applejack just sat there, with a small smile on her face as I went on about Grydous having an arm wrestle with mom. “ And when he thought he got her,” I was telling her, first sitting in the shade underneath a large tree, then slowly starting to lie on my back,” Mom just easily slammed his arm down.” “Ya’ll seem to really love yer big brother,” she chuckled. I smiled warmly, then my smile slowly faded away. Then, Applejack decided to lay down beside me. “I...I miss him, Applejack,” I said, feeling a tear well up in my eye, “ I haven’t heard from him since the night I left. I just… wonder how he’s been all these years.” “Don’t you worry much about him, Sugarcube,” she replied softly, “ From what y’ told me, Grydous is a tough one. Ah’m sure he’ll be able to handle himself.” She then leaned in and gave me a small nuzzle, as to reassure me of course. But, her doing that made me feel warm inside. And kinda… bubbly. We laid there for hours just talking about how Applejack felt that every tree had a personality and such. She never stopped talking about a tree named Bloomerg. The way she chatted about ‘him’, you’d think ‘he’ was actually a foal of hers. After talking about Bloomberg, she just gazed into the sky. Then, I dunno know what came over me, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. Her whole demeanor was just...serene. The breeze calmly caressing her mane causing one golden strand of hair limply falling onto the side of her vibrant freckled face. She closed her emerald eyes to hide it from the world. She kind of made me feel...happy. I can get used to days like this. I finally took my eyes off of her and gazed into the leaf riddled sky. It was night. I was reluctant to stay but, Applebloom begged me to. It’s hard to think about saying no to her. So I told her I’ll stay another night. I walked up the stairs leading to Applejack’s room as I heard the triumphant cheers from Applebloom. When I reached Applejack’s room, I went to the window and just looked at the night sky. The moonlight was overseeing the fields, giving each leaf and blade of grass an interesting silhouette. The night can be quite mesmerising. The moon has a hypnotic, milky-white colour and the stars vary from a dim small blue to a bold and proud white. Maybe i’m a night owl, like my mom used to call me. “Enjoyin’ th’ view?” I heard a voice breaking me from my trance.It was only Applejack. “Yeah. Everything seems to be much more….astonishing at night,” I replied. “Y’ got a point there sugarcube,” Applejack replied,” I guess that’s why Ah like lookin’ out here so much. It makes ya feel-” “At peace?” I asked, finishing her sentence while turning to face her. Maybe it’s because of the moon, but she looks so beautiful at this angle. The moonlight gently caressing her cheeks, slightly giving away the hiding places of her freckles. The same light glistening on her mane, giving even the smallest single strand of hair an angelic shine and making her emerald eyes a brighter, hypnotic look, like a calm grassy field. The light breeze playing with her mane in a supermodel like manner. She really was a work of art. “Yeah,” she replied, lowering her eyelids, “at peace.” I really didn’t mean to do this but it happened. Actually, it felt….right to do this. So, yeah no regrets. I slid my hand behind her head, covering each claw with the silky gold strands. I pushed her ever so slightly towards my beak. Then, I pressed my lips against hers.She hesitated at first, but, hell she even surprised me, leaned in, adding a bit more force to my lips. I started to feel my cheeks get heated and felt a little lightheaded. I slid my tongue against her lips, asking for entry. In turn, she opened her mouth, allowing me to explore her mouth as much as possible. She wrapped her hooves around my head and neck,, pulling herself closer to me and pulling my head towards her. I felt warm all over and just had the urge to take more than just her lips, but it’s best to start off slow. However, I started to feel my hand get lower and warmer, bit by bit, until I finally- “ Hey Gilda! Ah wanted to sho- oh...err, uhm,” Applejack jerked her face from mine as she turned to face the direction of Applebloom’s voice,her face as red as Applebloom’s face. “ Ah’m guessin’ this is a REALLY bad time,” Applebloom said awkwardly, her face turning pink. “A-Applebloom, Ah can explain!” “N-no no. It’s fine. Everypony needs their privacy. Ah’ll just keep movin’, let ya’ll have yer fun time, and th’ three of us should never speak of this moment again!” Applebloom replied while walking down the hall to her room, “G’night!” Applejack turned to me and gave me an expression as if to say ‘How are we gonna explain this to her?!’. All I did was laughed. Then, I gave her one more kiss, climbed into her spot of her bed and snuggled there. “If yer gonna sleep in MAH bed, at least move over,” Applejack said playfully while nudging me over. “Whatever you say,” sliding over while dozing off, “soft lips.” I couldn’t make out the last part she said, but I did feel her kiss me on the cheek. That was enough to lull me to sleep with a smile. Author's Note Hey! Not dead, just had problems with this chapter. But it's done! It's finally done! A big thanks to Miss ReflectingScore for becoming my editor! I owe her a biggie. I'll try my best to not run into anymore writer's block for the sake of you guys but I can't promise anything really (only that next chapter will be a little less fluffy...I hope). I hope to hear what you guys think! -Etch
