Letters to a Distant Land
Anyone in Griffonstone, or even all the way over in Equestria, had a long list of reasons proving how fickle emotions were. Growing up, Gilda never thought too much about such things; thinking about emotions lacked the pulse she needed. Aside from some awkward shyness as a little fledgling, everything was smooth sailing for Gilda.
And then rebuilding Griffonstone with friendship rested on her talons.
Four months had passed since her eventful encounter with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie; Gilda couldn't help but think of the former for months. Each day included ten minutes with her wondering what Rainbow was up to, how things were going for her, and what goals she had accomplished. Gilda had her own stories, but Rainbow's would always trump whatever she stumbled on. She called her 'Rainbow the Interesting' during her youth for a reason.
But as Gilda perched atop a sloping mountain, Griffonstone's architecture firmly standing for the first time in ages, all she could do was release a sigh. Sure, the brick and stone establishments filling much of the landscape was partly her doing, the white smoke bellowing from chimneys and into the blanket of gray clouds carrying a trace of mouthwatering scones adding to it all, but who did she have to share the sights and scents with?
"Hey there, Gilda," a familiar voice said. Gliding up the mountain was a griffon donning a scarf around her neck; its colors blended well with the green accents on some of her feathers. Descending and folding her wings, she then sat down on a level surface next to Gilda, huffing and puffing. "How's it going?"
"Hey, Greta," Gilda replied, her tone mellow. "It's—going okay, I guess."
Greta cocked her head. "Okay? Gilda, not many griffons can claim they've helped rebuild a city, let alone have things running this smoothly in four months." She gently nudged Gilda's shoulder; the latter recoiled and nudged an inch away. "Is it because you're overwhelmed? Like, there's nothing wrong with that. Tell me, Gilda. You know you should do that. Otherwise, it's just going to build up."
"It's not because I'm overwhelmed."
"Someone getting on your nerves?"
Gilda shook her head. "Nope. No dweebs or losers I've seen."
"Is it about someone you care for?"
"Getting warmer."
Greta's eyes widened. Not a second later, she massaged Gilda's back, the talon's palm somewhat smooth against her fur. At least the razor-sharp talons stayed as far away from her as possible. After all, some of Greta's earlier attempts and massaging a friend ended with a slight scratch, the slight pain they brought distracting. "It's about Rainbow Dash, isn't it?"
With a deep sigh, Gilda nodded. "Bingo. Haven't seen or heard from her in four months."
"Four months is a long time. Do you miss her?"
Gilda's throat tightened; she could tell the truth right there and present herself as an overly-emotional loser, or she could soften the blow a bit and downplay what caused the sharpness in her chest. Either option had plenty of drawbacks, Gilda taking a deep breath. "I kinda do, but I'll get by."
Greta arched an eyebrow; her eyes gazed into Gilda's as though they peered into her soul.
"Okay, so I miss her a lot."
"That's what I thought." Greta lifted her talons away from Gilda. Her wings twitched a little as she twiddled with her scarf. "Feeling that way isn't uncool, you know."
"Ya sure?"
"Honest. Like, I think we all miss someone we haven't seen in a long time at some point."
Gilda shrugged. "Yeah, I guess." Even she had to admit Greta hit the mark.
"And Ponyville is many, many miles away from Griffonstone. Add to the fact one has to traverse across treacherous terrain just to get there, not to mention that your friend is probably just as busy as we are, and it kinda explains why she may not have much time to visit."
Gilda crossed her forelegs; she scowled. "Figures. I'd stop by Ponyville myself if I could." A sigh left her beak. "But I just don't have the time."
With a soft expression on her face, Greta raised a talon up in the air. "Gilda, I may have an idea. It's not perfect, but it's worth a shot."
Eventually, Gilda knew she'd lose count of how many times Greta would come up with some sort of plan. Her reading up on friendship and griffon psychology in the Crystal Empire a month into the rebuilding process had to be both the best and worst idea Gilda devised, her friend now a walking idea bank and spewing out relevant factoids every couple of hours. Sixty-six was the total times she made a suggestion at the moment, and much to her dismay, a smidgen over forty of those happened to be better than whatever she came up with. Not everything went according to plan, as one would expect when revitalizing a city, but some collaboration among them tended to mend things.
Listening to her was usually the best option.
Gilda cleared her throat. "What is it, Greta?"
"Write a letter to Rainbow Dash. Ask her how she is, what fun things she's done over the past few months, and anything else you can think of to get caught up with her. Think of it as though you were interviewing her."
Shrugging, Gilda forced the slightest of smiles. "I-I guess that could work."
"It's kind of like sending a message in a bottle across distant shores."
Gilda rolled her eyes. "Isn't that from some book? You really are transforming into an egghead before my eyes."
Greta flicked her talon sheepishly. "Well, I guess that explains why my head is looking more like an egg."
The pair shared a hearty chuckle; any leftover tension in the air dissipated as Gilda felt she could breathe once again.
"Well, I better not waste any more time," Gilda said. She opened her broad, brown wings. "I'll let ya know if I need anything, Greta. Thanks for talking with me."
"It's my pleasure, Gilda." She giggled again. "And no, I'm nothing like Gimme Moore."
Breathing a sigh of relief, Gilda wiped her forehead. "That's a relief." She paused for a second. "Anyway, I'll see ya around, Greta."
"Goodbye, Gilda. And I'd recommend writing your letter as soon as you get home. That way, you won't forget what you want to mention to Rainbow Dash."
"Got it."
Flapping her wings, Gilda leaped off of the mountaintop, careening toward Griffonstone. The cold air brushing against her feathers soothed her, a smirk growing across her face as the ground became closer and closer. Pulling up at the last second, Gilda decelerated and slid across the dirt, a small cloud of dust rising from the air as onlookers gawked at her. While showing off wasn't what some would call friendly or graceful, an electrifying current coursing through her veins which accompanied Gilda during such instances made it all worth it.
Walking up to her abode, the smooth boulders and hay used to form it artfully arranged, Gilda opened the door. The spotless furniture added to her home, Greta's incessant nagging to make it clean and orderly still ringing in her ears. Meandering around a ragged couch, Gilda dove toward a wooden desk. Opening the topmost shelf, she pulled out a thin sheet of paper, a pale yellow envelope, a bottle of ink, and a quill. Pushing the chair aside, Gilda wrote the first words to come to her mind; she pictured the light blue pegasus standing before her with her sharp smile and confident aura.
Rainbow Dash,
Gilda here, what's up? I haven't seen you ever since you and your pink pal trotted over to Griffonstone four months ago. Ever since then, I've been thinking about how you've been doing. Rainbow the Interesting's gotta have some cool stories, so what's your coolest story? Have ya made new friends over the past four months? Did ya finally get that promotion and got closer to becoming a Wonderbolt? What's Ponyville like since I last saw it over a year ago? I'd drop by for a visit if I could, but it's so far away and I've been so busy to where it's kinda hard to do so. Maybe you could visit Griffonstone instead—if you've got lots of free time and all.
Also, and this is kinda unrelated, but how's your yellow pegasus friend? I know it'd be kinda hard to do so without showing up myself, but could ya tell her that I'm sorry for scaring her that one time? Yeah, I was a bully back then, and what I did was wrong then and it's wrong now. I'd appreciate it if ya could.
Oh, and Griffonstone is doing better than ever since I learned about the magic of friendship. Greta and I make the perfect team. Some griffons even joke about us being like the Princesses Celestia and Luna, only for Griffonstone. A bit much, but a compliment is a compliment, right?
Anyway, I hope to see ya soon.
Your friend,
Gilda
P.S. Junior Speedsters rule!
Checking the letter twice, Gilda donned a bright smile and folded the letter up, placing it into the envelope. She sealed it tight, wrote Rainbow Dash's letter on the envelope in large letters, and dashed out of her home. Upon stepping out, Gilda thrust the letter into the mailbox, flicking the flag next to the rusty, metallic structure upward.
She'd get to hear from Rainbow once again soon.
A week had flown by since Gilda mailed her letter. Time during said week crawled slower than a snail, Gilda finding herself pacing back and forth during her work breaks or surveying the city as usual, always thinking about Rainbow. She even invaded her mind during moments where she'd have to hoist a wooden or steel beam, the memories outweighing whatever strained her muscles. While she recalled her friend being the epitome of arriving to somewhere at the last second or popping in minutes late, depending on Rainbow's mood, she never thought it'd take so long for a simple letter to flutter onto her desk.
As before, Gilda perched atop a mountaintop, though she elected to choose one lower and closer to Griffonstone than her sightseeing spot the week before. The sky was lit a brilliant amber; the sun's rays peeking from behind what was the old Castle of Griffonstone. Certainly better than the gray clouds which filled the sky before. However, the castle had seen better days, now just a hollow skeleton of what it used to be, but its current form lacked the flimsy supports and cracked walls from before.
To think friendship—and baking powder—could do so much for a once proud town. Gilda cracked a smile. She wished to let Rainbow how far she'd come since their last meeting.
"Rainbow Dash."
And in a flash, her bright smile disappeared; mild twinges huddled in her chest took its place.
"Maybe I should sneak into Ponyville—just for one day," Gilda muttered. "Yeah, some of the townsfolk will shudder seeing me again and the journey would be painful, but it'd be worth it just to chat with Rainbow Dash for one more day." Gilda paused; her posture perked up and eyes widened. "Wait a sec, I was thinking of the same stuff last week. Or was it the day before?"
"For the record, you're not reliving last week," Greta said. The griffon, the scarf now accompanied by a tote bag, landed next to Gilda as she did the week prior, though she wore the radiant smile Gilda had a minute ago. "You truly do miss her, don't you?"
"Yeah." Gilda's head hung low. "Greta, you and the other griffons I've met and made friends with are cool, but something about Rainbow is different."
"She was one of your first friends, right?"
Gilda nodded. "Yeah. Something about that—not to mention how similar we are in some places—makes her special." Bringing her gaze toward Greta, the two locked eyes. "All of the friends I've made have something special. You've always been there to help me, Gus has quite the sense of humor, and Guinevere's always fun to hang out with. Rainbow Dash—my past with her makes her a friend I'd love to spend more time with."
"Understandable." Greta twiddled with her scarf for a second. "Maybe she's busy with something."
With a raised brow, Gilda cocked her head. "What makes ya say that?"
"The griffon who delivers the mail told me that."
"And—why would she tell you that?"
Greta blushed. "I asked. I was curious about the letter as well." A chuckle escaped her beak. "No offense, right?"
"None taken."
"By the way, I do have a letter for you."
Pulling the straps of her tote bag, Greta reached in and procured a white, crumpled envelope, holding it up to Gilda. Gilda gently plucked the letter, examining its front and the muffin postage stamp it bore. And upon spotting the words printed on the envelope, the smudgy writing listing her address distinguishable, she released a quick gasp.
"This was written by—"
"Rainbow Dash," Greta finished for her friend. "Before you ask, the envelope arrived like that." She shrugged and formed a bemused expression. "Beats me how it ended up like that."
No time was wasted as Gilda tore into the envelope; a satisfying rip reached her ears. Inside was a folded up letter, Gilda unfurling it with shaking talons, and studied the dried ink printed on it.
Gilda,
Sorry 'bout the late reply and everything. Don't worry, I totally got your letter in time and I made sure to reply to it when I could. It was just that the 'when I could' part turned out to be trickier than I thought. The Weather Team and I had to deal with the upcoming storm, as Princess Celestia herself told us to calm it down before it got too out of control. We managed to do it with nopony getting hurt, but that thing tuckered me out and took days. Heck, we thought we'd have to call Cloudsdale or the Wonderbolts to get that thing under control. It was crazy!
Now, I will say that while I may make it sound so awesome, I'll tell ya it was anything but. I mean, most of the time we kicked clouds over and over again. And on some rare occasions we had to make sure the storm didn't get too out of hoof by doing some weather and magic stuff. It was so samey—and so boring with a capital B. Anyway, I'm glad that's done with.
As for your other questions, I'll mention that I am a Wonderbolt reserve now! I don't know how long it'll take, but their captain said I'd be in the main squad in no time. She just wants me to get some more experience with stunts and missions before putting me in the spotlight. Safety first is what she called it.
Ponyville is like what you saw from before, but now there's a huge castle in the middle of it. My close friend lives there ever since her old home got blown to bits, but the less said about that day the better. I don't know if you experienced what went on about five or so months ago, but it wasn't pretty. At least the town is feeling more active, which is cool in my view.
And as for my friend, Fluttershy, I told her about what happened and your letter. She forgives you, G, but she said that it'd take some time for her to feel comfortable if she ever met you again. I'm sure you can understand.
Also, awesome news about Griffonstone! We should visit each other when both of us can. It'd be so awesome, but writing letters is cool as well!
Anyway, I need to nap, so I'll write to ya soon!
Your pal,
Rainbow Dash
"What did she say?" Greta asked.
"Everything I expected," Gilda replied, her smile brighter than the sun. "She's still the radical Rainbow Dash I remember her as; only she's growing up so fast. It's cool, if I must be honest."
"That's great to hear!"
Gilda stretched her forelegs out, her left talon still gripping onto the letter. "And you know what? Talking with Rainbow Dash again was more awesome than I was expecting, even if we were miles apart."
"What did I say?" Greta winked. "Now then, about cleaning your room."
Rolling her eyes, Gilda groaned. "Here we go again."
The pair shared a hearty laugh as they watched the sun descend below the horizon; Griffonstone glowed like a revived phoenix.
