The Rainbow Conundrum

Deep in the city of Manehattan, Gilda was resting in her apartment sipping her coffee on her favorite sofa after a long day of removing snow clouds from all over the city in prep for the spring season. It was nearly noon and she'd been waiting for her roommate, Trixie to return from an audition for a local play she wanted to partake in. The two had been living together since their chance meeting in a small café and the two instantly became friends.

It was had a bit of a rough start after that initial meeting. Trixie was still her usual boastful self, and loved theatrics. Gild was a more relaxed go with the flow, unless she was out racing, something she loved doing. Top it off  with the fact Trixie had no home to go to made Trixie on edge with finding work. But there was still her pride and she refused to do anything but be a showmare. That was something Gilda could respect, despite her attitude.

Afterwards when the griffin had learned her unicorn friend had nowhere to stay, and weighing her options, she decided to share her apartment with the showmare, making the spare room that was used as an improvised gym of sorts into the mare’s bedroom. It helped her pay the rent and gave her a much needed social life and, in certain ways, a confidant – both things she missed since her falling with Rainbow Dash.

In many ways, Trixie was just like her. Boastful, prideful, and confident in everything she did even in the worst of times. In a way it was very therapeutic to know the unicorn. She flexed her wings on the sofa placing her mug on the table beside it. The living room was small and had a single table with the sofa in the front of it. The door was behind the sofa. The kitchen was to the right of the living room and beyond that was the two bedrooms.

Gilda glanced at the clock seeing it read 1305, she wondered if something happened to Trixie. She always boasted saying that, 'a magician is never late, they arrive precisely when they need to.'

Gilda scoffed at the silly thought. "Hah, shows up precisely when they need to my butt."

She chugged the last of her coffee smacking the mug down on the table. There was no hostility in her action, Gilda just didn't care. She looked back at the door expecting Trixie to enter as soon as she did. When the mare didn't show up she decided to get up and clean. After a few minutes she had just finished dusting when Trixie entered in a dramatic fashion.

"Behold Gilda! For Trixie has returned!" She yelled posing in her usual fashion. "Oh, and Trixie got the mail."

The unicorn lit her horn as several letters levitated from her saddlebags and landed on the table not even looking at them. Gilda rolled her eyes at her friend and put her duster down and went over to check the mail. She had been expecting the water bill for a while now and it was due in a week. Ripping open the bill she found at the top, she gave it a quick look over.

"Yo, Trix! How'd the audition go?"

"Terrible! Ponies these days have no respect for theater and true practice in this art!" She screamed from the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water and getting peanut butter crackers. "They said Trixie was too into the part and they went with some street urchin of a mare!"

She bit her crackers angrily chewing them. When the taste of the peanut butter hit her tongue with the salty cracker the mixture brought her a sort of blissful content that only came with fine dining.

Once she was satisfied with the amount of peanut butter crackers she had, a whole plate full, she walked back over to the sofa and sat beside her feathery friend. Gilda was busy going through the mail when two letters caught her eye. They were in small envelopes that were issued to her and Trixie, the return label said it came from, Ponyville.

She felt her claw tremble as she tore it open slowly. Trixie, who was still eating her crackers in peace, paid no mind to her friend. "So how was work today?"

"Fine." Gilda answered mindlessly.

She read over the letter several times before a blue hoof shook her from her stupor. "Gilda?"

"Huh? What? What's up?" she asked startled by her friends sudden contact.

"You alright there Gilda? You looked upset." She asked rubbing her claw. "What's in the letter? We aren't getting evicted are we?"

"No, it's just a letter from an old friend." she droned on. "I-I haven't seen her since we fought."

Trixie tried to read the letter but Gilda kept it so close to herself the azure mare couldn't read it. Gilda just stared at the wall with a look of disbelief. A clone? This has Rainbow Dash and Prank written all over it. She thought bitterly.

Trixie was starting to grow concerned for her friend. She shook the griffin gently to get her attention. When Gilda realized she was wobbling back and forth, she looked over to Trixie who gave her a kind smile and tugged her arm pulling her into a hug. Gilda hadn't felt like this in so long, yet she felt herself immerse in the small act of kindness and hugged her friend back. After all nopony was around to see.

Breaking away from the hug, Gilda gave Trixie her letter and Trixie read it. She placed the letter down on the table.

"Wow. That's something. So this is that Rainbow character you always told Trixie about?"

"Yeah, it has to be. The name is too similar and it talks about what happened while I was there. It has to be her." She said gripping her claws. "I admit this wasn't something I was expecting."

"I'll say." Trixie replied looking somber. "So, what happened between you two? The letter wasn't too clear to somepony who wasn't there."

Gilda looked out the window thinking back to the day in question. She didn't like to think about that day. It was full of too many memories, too much pain.

"I lost my friend that day."

There was an awkward silence between them for a few seconds. For both, however, it lasted like an eternity.

Gilda sighed and her gaze wandered back to the letter, though it still retained the sorrowful and distant, almost longing, look to it.

“I might just as well tell you some details you do not know 'bout my life,” the griffin licked her beak as she searched for the best way to bring up that information. “I am the last surviving member of the Imperial Family of Gryphus fit to take the throne. A few years ago, my father, Emperor Gustav, passed away.”

She noticed Trixie was about to interrupt, incredulity clear in the mare's expression, but she raised one talon. “Please, let me finish,” she said.

“We never really got along well. I mean... He wasn't bad, just always busy, so I didn't have many friends. I was always a bit bigger than other hens and spoiled too, so, I had a hard time to make any friends. When I came of age, my father decided to send me to study in an Equestrian flight school...”

“Oh! Trixie remembers you mentioning something about that,” Trixie interjected. “Sorry, please, continue.”

Gilda grinned, but it had nothing of the almost arrogant confidence or any joy in it, it had a bitter tone to it.

“There, I had trouble fittin' in with the other ponies. And for being a griffin, it was hard to blend in, so, I also didn't make many friends there. Eventually, I got assigned to a bedroom that had this one pegasus named Rainbow Dash. I think you heard of her” - Trixie nodded - “Well, at first we did not get along very well. It was more 'cause it was awkward and we both were strong-willed and independent. But eventually we noticed how much we shared interests and she became my first – and only – friend then. She was my best friend, we did everything together. I...”

The griffin cut herself as she thought on was about to say, deciding to not share that for now.

“She meant the world for me. Eventually she made friends with another pony, a pegasus named, if I'm not mistaken, Fluttershy or somethin'. Eventually, she just... dropped out of school and moved to Ponyville, cutting almost all ties with me. We argued that day and I got so angry I wrote to my father asking to finish school back in the Griffin Empire. We spent years without talking until... until...” Gilda's voice began to tremble, prompting Trixie to make a slow nod in encouragement.

“My father passed away, as you know. What happened was that my brother Gilbert started to make a bid to take power ahead of me. I was so distraught that none of it really concerned me. We might not have spent so much time together but... He was still my father and I loved him. The infighting between people supporting me, especially many opportunists, and my brother got so stressful I managed to write Rainbow telling her just that I was comin' to Equestria and if I could spend some time in the town she was living in. That very day, the court decided to exile my brother, but I announced I was leavin' to clear my mind. While Gerald, the regent that has been runnin' the Empire since, told me to not go. So... I fled.”

Trixie really wanted to interrupt the narrative, as it sounded too surreal for her to believe. Against all her instincts, she decided to remain quiet.

“When I arrived in that dweeby town, I was feelin' better. I just wanted to spend some time with my best friend and unwind. Heh, you know... I actually had a crush on her back in the last few months in the Flight Camp, so I wondered if I could, maybe...”

Once again, Gilda went silent. Her head hung low and she closed her eyes tight, one claw covering her face and smudging some of the purple eyeshadow on her talons.

“There was this mare. A pink one. She wouldn't leave us alone! I mean, it was pretty clear I wanted to be alone with Dash, but why couldn't that pony just get the message? I... I eventually lost my cool and Rainbow Dash, my best friend, took the side of that dweeb friend of hers against me. I mean... Yeah, I thought about it and I coulda have pulled her aside and tell her I wanted some time alone between us. But I was so distressed when I came and so happy when I saw her again...” She sighed.'

Trixie simply listened as her friend talked about the rainbow maned pony and her friend. Trixie didn't have very fond memories of the small town, her greatest humiliation happening there, though it was mostly her fault. She'd never admit it though.

“But she coulda have asked what was happening. I... I don't know who's more at fault, to be honest... But she did make it clear she had more favor for those dweebs that are her new friends than me. Since that day, until we met at that café, I've never had any friends... No one...though, I do have a kingdom of loyal subjects...but, that's not the same thing, ya know? Though, the reason that the Griffon Republic is still loyal to me is a national secret. Though, I have been here ever since that day, as I realized that I had...issues, let's call them, which needed to be worked out, and, well, you know the rest.”

Trixie tapped her hoof thoughtfully on her chin wondering about what she just heard. True, it was quite the story, but Gilda had been truthful thus far. She'd told Trixie her life was hard, but this was really something else. 'Abandoned by a close friend huh?' She thought about the time she spent with Gilda and wondered what would have happened if their roles were reversed.

Chances are both would have done the exact same thing. One thing was certain though, she needed answers and she needed them fast. Not only was her friend a royal but she also was friends with Rainbow Dash. National hero and Element of Loyalty. She thought about it and then, perhaps she could use this to her advantage.

The news about Gilda being a royal was great and all, well, except for the fact that she was the last of her family that was still alive, but thinking about that particular part wouldn't help Trixie, and the fact that her friend was royalty wouldn't help Trixie if Gilda was hiding it. She needed to do something to get her career back on track, and help her friend publicly announce the fact that she was royalty at the same time. 'Preferably in the town that we were both run out of.' Trixie thought to herself, causing her to come up with a plan that was worthy of Trixie's genius. Getting up from her seat, she ran over to a table where paper and her old inkwell sat and vigorously started to write. Gilda eyed her like she was a madmare.

"Yo, Trix, what's up? Who you writing to?" she asked looking over her shoulder.

"Trixie is writing to her," she thought for a moment. "Her acquaintance."

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

The great and Powerful Trixie wishes to establish a dialogue with you. Trixie knows we didn't exactly end on the best of terms but, still she wishes to bury the hatchet and meet with you and your friend Rainbow Dash. A very close friend of Trixie's wishes to speak to her about a past incident.

Trixie wishes to speak to you on a personal matter when she arrives with her friend if that's alright with you.

Hoping this letter sees you well.

GPT

Once finished with the letter she sealed it and wrote the address plus the return address, stamped it and ran out of the apartment to put it in the mail box. As luck would have it, the mail mare was still there. A familiar grey pegasus with a blonde mane and tail with a bubble cutie mark was hard at work filing the mail.

"Excuse Trixie!" she yelled from the hall startling the mare.

Trixie cringed not meaning to frighten her, she made herself known as to not frighten her anymore.

"Trixie didn't mean to alarm you, but she was wondering if you could take one last letter to Ponyville for her please?" she asked levitating the letter to the wall-eyed mare.

The grey pegasus gasped, nodded happily, and took the letter from her and placed it into her mail bag. After a brief chat the mail mare was off to continue her rounds while Trixie retreated back to the apartment to find Gilda awaiting her return. Walking past her she went to her room and began to pack her belongings.

Gilda tapped on the door bidding entry to Trixie's room.

"Come in Gilda, Trixie said before you don't need to knock." she said as a white head popped through the door.

"Trixie, what's going on?" She asked looking at her friend packing. "Where are you going?"

"We, Gilda, are taking a trip to Ponyville soon so get packed and get ready for some leave because Trixie is planning on making a trip there and wishes for you come along with her!" She cheered happily.