Lovely Little Letters

Gilda set the ornately crafted jewelry box on her desk in her room, sitting down and admiring it for several minutes. She felt conflicted. The brand new object, so clean and tidy, clashed with her disheveled nest. She resolved to fix that very quickly. She found herself running a paw down it's side slowly. Her claw tip gently traced the etched rose flower atop the frame and she smiled.

"Whoever you are...Thanks." Patting the box, she looked to the old one, it's drawers open and the few contents it guarded now removed. Scooping it up, she tucked it under her wing and walked downstairs. Gabby had left to go dispose of the cardboard, and Gallus was in the kitchen. His elbows propped up his beak while he read the local newspaper with some coffee. Gilda passed him and set the old jewelry box on the table. Gallus watched out of the corner of his eye as she pulled a hammer out of a nearby drawer and came back. She began prying the nailed loose and separating the wood panels.

"That your old one I take it?" He asked, picking up his coffee and taking a sip.

Gilda nodded, grunting as a nail fought back stubbornly. "Yeah, gonna dismantle it and keep the nails for another project." She yanked the nail she was fighting out and scowled at the bent mental. "Well, most of them."

He nodded and went back to his paper. Gilda continued working on her project until the pieces were all organized and the nails she could salvage were together. She dropped the refuse into the garbage can and sat back down. Picking up a nail, she twiddled the small spike between her talons, thinking.

"Hey, Gallus..." She mumbled. Her eyes tracked the nail as it flipped end over end through her claws. Gallus looked up and watched her as she played with the nails.

"I've come across a bit of a conundrum...and i don't know how to approach it carefully." She picked up two more nails and tried to build a tepee out of them, "I don't want to cause trouble by assuming...but It's not something I thought to ever consider."

She managed to get the three to stand on their own and then moved to add more. Gallus picked up his cup of coffee and peered into its contents. He was getting low. Standing, he walked over to the coffeemaker and poured himself another. "Okay, you want to take it slowly. Whats on your mind?"

Gilda got the second tier to stand, but it wobbled dangerously. "I...I think Gabby might be into hens..." The pile fell apart and she frowned and restarted. "I don't have proof, but she acts strangely every time that topic gets brought up..."

Gallus nodded, setting his cup down and retaking his seat. "Okay, that's...yeah that's a touchy subject here in Griffonstone...Folks aren't open minded enough yet for that change..." He sipped his coffee. "At the same time, I think I know what you mean. Gabby avoids that topic like the plague and I couldn't figure it out for a time, but you know me. If I see potential trouble I usually try to avoid it."

Gilda nodded, resetting the first tier of nails up. Gallus slid his paper aside and grabbed a small handful of the pile and started doing the same. Gilda paused and watched his construction. He went about it in a completely different way. "Still," he said while aligning the nails properly, "The way I see it, is that even if she were into hens, that shouldn't be a thing others decide for her. Equestria has gotten really good about that. Same sex partner ships, even mixed species partnerships are okay there, so long as both sides respect each others differences, things usually work out well."

His little tower held up and he smiled. Gilda went back to hers, her mind slowly turning. "I guess...but what about that mother and her daughter? Did you hear how they were treated?" Gilda set her nails down and looked away for a moment. "I'd hate to see Gabby get treated that way..."

Gallus nodded. "Yeah, the daughter got roughed up by that other hen when she outted herself." He rubbed his nape feathers with a paw and sighed. "That ain't cool with me, I think Griffons need a little more understanding in their lives for those of us who are more opened minded." He splayed his paws out in front of him, palms up. "But that's like asking grampa gruff to wear a different hat, he won't do it just because you say it should happen."

Gilda nodded, and reached over to grab Gallus's cup. She stole a sip and grimaced, sticking her tongue out. "Blegh! You didn't put any creamer in this?"

He chuckled. "Nope, keeps you and Gabby from stealing it." he paused. "That right there is a good example though." She handed his cup back and stood to make another batch. Gallus swirled his cup with a spoon and smirked. "You like coffee with creamer, I don't. Some might say i'm weird, and some might agree." He downed his cup and held it out to her. Gilda took it and hummed.

"How do you mean?" She washed the cup out and set it next to the coffee maker. "Choice of coffee and choice of mate are very different matters."

Gallus sat sideways in the chair, resting his arm over the back, "Yeah, in a way they are, but in several ways they are the same. You run a cafe, Gilda, How many ways are there to make coffee for a patron?"

Gilda paused, and reared up. She leaned her lower back against the counter, folding her arms. "About twenty different ways if I remember them all, and that's not counting all the ingredients I could be asked to add."

Gallus nodded. "Now ask yourself this, how many sapient species are there in this world, and how many ways you could pair them?"

Gilda felt her mind go blank for a moment. "Gods above...There's like thirty? Forty maybe? How does this all come back to griffons?"

Gallus stood and started fiddling with the nails on the table, while Gilda set the coffee to cook. She came over and saw he'd placed the nails into multiple piles. each one was a different size; some had more, others less.

"The nails on their own represent each species in society. The piles represent the possible interactions and culture exchanges between them, and this one," he said placing a single nail in the center, "Represents Gabby." Gilda watched in curiosity as he slid the nail to different piles slowly. "Each time Gabby comes across a difference group, society, or their way of life, the potential for her to connect with one of these species is possible. So say she finds her home doesn't agree with her heart. What would the logical decision to make in that scenario be?"

Gilda's worry increased."To move away..." Gallus nodded.

She watched as he slid Gabby to another pile. Then he slid it to another. "As long as Gabby feels disconnected with her heart, and her home, she'll go where she can feel more in tune with both. Now...say she had a partner who supported her in all this. Things suddenly change..."

Here Gallus slid another nail to Gabby, and then two more slid near her. Before Gilda's eyes, a multitude of nails from other groups started appearing with Gabby.

"The more Gabby is truthful about who she is, the more she'll attract like minded individuals." Gallus slid the other piles closer to one another, and then Gilda realized with growing anxiety that there were only two piles left.

"These piles represent open minded individuals and close minded individuals." Gallus slid a pair of nails out of the pile and placed them above the rest. He pointed to them. "Regardless of who Gabby likes, be it hens, toms, or even other species...you'll have to ask yourself this, Gilda." He slid one nail to the open minded pile, smiling as he did so. "Are you open minded or closed? Because I know where I stand, and that's with Gabby."

He patted her shoulder and walked from the room. Gilda slouched into the chair and stared at the two piles for several minutes.

Open minded...supportive...close minded...against it. Gilda rubbed her arm gently and then jumped when Gabby's voice reached her.

"I'm home! Hey Gallus, where's Gilda?"

Quickly sweeping the nails into a single pile, she stood up and left out the back door. Too conflicted to talk directly with her at the moment, Gilda knew who she needed to see. She needed to talk to Gail.

A few second later Gabby entered the kitchen. "Gilda? Gallus said you wanted to talk...to me?" She instead found the room empty. The coffee maker had just finished it's cycle and oddly...there was a pile of nails on the table. "Huh, what was going on here?" Gabby perked her head up as she heard some one take off and peered out the window to see Gilda flying out of view. She hummed in thought. "I guess you don't need me right now?" She looked back at the pile and noticed a single nail was alone from all the rest, and with a gentle smile, she slid another next to it.

"No one should be alone." She murmured.

Gail's house wasn't in Griffonstone, but near it. Gilda had to fly down to the base of the mountain to find her address, and then due to the forested area, had to walk the rest of the way. The forests surrounding Griffonstone were dense and old, the timbers of ancient trees swayed and creaked in the air above her as she walked through them. Birds and other woodland animals made subtle noises that sent her head on a swivel as she wandered down the path. She hadn't spent much time down here, and now she kind of regretted it. The road she was on wasn't well maintained, but she could see someone had taken great efforts to fix it recently. Holes were filled with loose gravel, and large swaths of weeds and plant life had been removed to make the road more visible. A sign shortly off the road stated she was headed towards Equestria. Beneath that was a more local sign that read "Welcome to Treetop Village". The sunlight came through the trees in a collection of god rays that Gilda found quite nice to look at. A multitude of houses dotted the forest floor, some were nestled neatly up against the thick trunks of sequoia, while others were built onto the sides of the trees themselves.

Spell craft by the looks of it...Gilda surmised. The trees themselves looked like they had grown extra limbs to reach out and cradle the house structure. These houses were expensive and rather new to the area. Like all cities, there was the poor district and the rich district. Scrunched somewhere in between that was the middle class, where Gilda and Gabby resided. From the looks of it though, Gail and her daughter lived quite nicely.

She found the address was a little off the beaten path, but easy to spot. a large double tier deep red colored cabin wrapped spaciously around a massive sequoia that disappeared into the canopy above. The house had a large deck that spanned around the tree almost completely, and the top tier had a sort of platform for landing and reclining on. A set of outdoor lounge chairs and a small table sat together, unoccupied. Running down the side of the tree was a well made ladder set into the tree, for folks without wings. Beneath the house were a large pair of gardens. Following out of them was a hexagonal stone path way, well maintained and swept clean.

As Gilda got closer, she noticed how one of the gardens was greener then the other. The first garden housed mostly flowers and rare plants. It's brother plot, however had pumpkins, tomatoes, and even a couple corn stalks. It seemed whoever has set up the garden had planned it well. It also had a familiar hen working in it. Gail was slightly dirty, but looked happy. She had a pair of bright yellow work gloves over her claws, and a trowel in one paw. She was humming to herself as she worked, pulling dirt from around a large green plant.

Gilda warbled loudly, Catching her attention. Gail looked up and her smile turned into a grin. "Gilda!"

Gilda smiled and carefully meandered around the plant life before approaching Gail with a bit of awe. "I didn't know you were a gardener..."

Gail blushed lightly. "Eeeeh when you've lived with an earth pony for several years of your life, it grows on ya, heh." She stood and gently dusted off an apron Gilda hadn't spotted. It had a large equine field plow on the center, and said "I like to-" on one side of the plow, and "The Gardner" on the other. Gilda felt her neck fluff go up slightly and her cheeks reddened. Gail noticed and looked from Gilda to her apron before giggling. She waved a paw at Gilda."Oh don't you mind that. One of my former mates got me this for a birthday years ago. we were younger then..." The older hen seemed to lose herself in the memory for a second before snapping out of it and clapping her paws together.

"So! To what do I owe this pleasure? I wasn't exactly expecting any visitors today, least of all you." She winced at the wording and then retracted her words. 'Not that that's a bad thing, I like visitors!" She chuckled nervously and fiddled with her trowel. Gilda internally groaned. She didn't want to make things awkward but they'd already stepped right into it.

"H-Hi Gail...I came to talk with you about..some er.. personal stuff that's been on my mind..."

Gail perked up at that, "Oh? well by all means take a seat and let's chat!" She looked to her garden and smiled at a row of strawberry plants. The berries themselves were huge! Gilda had never seen any quite as large. She came over and took a seat next to Gail, watching as the older hen worked.

"Wow, can't say I've ever seen strawberries that big before, I could make a lot of scones with those."

Gail chuckled and winked at Gilda, earning a blush from her. "Heh, family secret. My mother taught me how to coax the little devils out of their seeds juuust right. From there its all about love, time, and care. If you want we could talk about a deal where you get some from me, but i get something in return, hehe heh." She gently ribbed the other hen and saw Gilda was pointedly staring at the ground, so she poked Gilda with her trowel, startling her. "You seem to have a lot on your mind if you get that distracted. Whats going on?"

Gilda sighed and rubbed the spot where she'd been poked. "I uh...I ran into some troubling thoughts recently and I wanted some advice..."

Gail nodded, shoveling dirt back into the hole she'd made. She then sprinkled some white powder into the soil. "Oh? What kind of thoughts?"

Gilda blushed and felt herself inwardly shrink, her wings reflexively opening to defend herself. "Thoughts of Gabby...and her...possible liking of hens."

Gail stopped her work and slowly looked at Gilda. "Her possible like of hens?" After a moment she set the trowel down and eyed Gilda. Slowly removing her gloves, she tossed them to the dirt and smiled. "Hoo boy, can't say I expected that one...why don't we talk inside, it'll be more private there."

"T-thanks." Gilda murmured. Gail merely kept smiling as they both leaped into the air and landed on her porch. She led Gilda inside, letting the hen gawk at the artwork on the walls. Several large frames dotted the walls, each on a separate masterpiece in its own right. Gail waved her paw at the art, glancing at a couple pieces. "My first mate, an earth pony mare named Glistening Garden, was a master painter in Manehatten, she always had an eye for detail." Gail chuckled and walked into the kitchen.

"I'll say so!" Gilda had never seen such skill before. The paintings were all of landscapes, or animals. The level of detail though was so far above anything Gilda was ready for. Each painting looked like a photograph! The deer in one painting looked so real Gilda felt herself clenching her talons into the wood floor, as if ready to pounce. Her eyes turned predatory before her beak bumped the canvas and she realized it wasn't real.

Gail chuckled. "Never fails, that one was one of her favorites." Gail set down two mugs of ice tea with lemon in the top of each glass on the kitchen table, and sat down. Resting her chin on her paw, she sighed and smiled amorously. "She came home with a fiery zeal that day. so much passion in her eyes as she worked on it. Heh, I truly miss that about her. That night was so much fun..."

Gilda blinked and looked at Gail, who stared at the painting with both longing and passion. "Where is she now?" She asked gently.

Gail smiled but it didn't quite reach all the way. She clasped her talons around her drink and gently tapped the cup a few times. "She died a couple years back, heart failure while she slept." Gail murmured. "She left me that day with the most wonderful smile though, I'll never forget it..."

Gilda felt her heart plummet into her stomach for a second, and she lifted a paw. "Oh Gail I'm sorry, I didn't--"

Gail held up a paw, and smiled. "All is fine, Gilda. She left me with a life I can appreciate, and many good memories. Sit, and lets talk about your stuff for now."

Gilda did so. Picking the cup up, she cautiously sipped the tea. It was really good, lemon, kiwi, and strawberry went well together. She made a mental note to ask about it later and set the cup down about the same time Gail did. Gail looked up and leaned back in her chair.

"So...You've got thoughts of Gabby, care to elaborate on that?"

Gilda grimaced at the wording and shook herself. Ruffling her feathers out and then smoothing them down, she spoke. "Not so much thoughts about her, more like thoughts about what she...likes..." She paused and then looked up at Gail. "I think, but am not sure, if Gabby likes hens...like you and your daughter do..."

Gail opened her beak, "Aaaah, and you are conflicted about this possibility?"

Gilda nodded. Gail sipped her tea. "Well, I think you have to make a choice. Do you care about Gabby enough that her preferences no longer matter, or do you feel like they will become a problem for you?"

Gilda shrugged after a moment of thought. "I mean, I'm cool with it, I think."

"You think or you know?" Gail raised a brow.

Gilda growled lightly and shook herself again. "Okay I don't know! It shouldn't be an issue, and I don't want it to be, but...she's a hen and I live with her...and I'm..."

"Also a hen..." Gail finished. She set the tea down and leaned over the table. "Gilda, you said to me last time that you don't really understand the whole love thing, correct?" When Gilda nodded, Gail pointed to her. "Well, then that seems to be a good place to start as any. Before asking yourself about Gabby and her preferences, maybe you need to ask yourself about your own."

"Me?" Gilda chirped. She folded her arms defensively, "Look I told gabby I don't care if whoever is interested in me is male or female and I meant that."

Gail smirked. "But you just said yourself a second ago, that you don't know. Those two contradict each other."

Gilda grumbled and slouched deeper into her chair. "I...fine...I don't genuinely know if I'm okay with it!" She frowned and started rubbing her arm. "Not because I'm against it or anything, I mean...I don't know because I don't wanna see Gabby get hurt...or myself...Griffonestone isn't nice about this topic."

Gail smiled and rapped her knuckles on the table gently. "And there is the true root of your problem. You fear outside judgement, and thus can't decide if it's okay or not. You care abut your friends and worry about what they'll think."

Gilda grimaced and looked at Gail. "But it is okay, Gallus told me how there are two sides, those who are open minded, and those who aren't. I want to be open minded! I want to be there for Gabby no matter what or who she likes...but..."

Gail reached over and placed her paw on Gilda's, making her flinch. "But...you yourself don't know where you actually stand on it." Gail stood up and walked around the table, she sat in front of Gilda and spread her arms out. "Let me throw a hypothetical scenario at you. I want you to be honest with yourself when you answer. Say you found out I was interested in you. I approach you, I tell you my feelings. What do you do?"

Gilda felt her mind go empty. She didn't know what she'd do. "I...I honestly don't know." She murmured, refusing to make eye contact.

Gail chuckled and nodded. "For some one who hasn't had a love life yet, that makes sense. this is new grounds for you." Gail scooted closer, and reached out her paws, Gilda watched in fascination and worry as Gail set her paws gently on Gilda's knees.

"I won't lie Gilda, it makes me happy to know that you sought me out for help, in truth, I do find you attractive--" She cut Gilda's words off before the hen could speak with a wing tip tapping her beak. "--BUT! I'm attracted to you in a different way. I like your devotion to your friends, and your hard work. You don't let others get in the way of your dreams and that is something I can admire." She let go of Gilda's knees and backed off, and smiled. "Just those things alone don't make a bond. A creature has to see more than that in a potential mate. So here is what I offer."

Gail stood and walked Gilda to the door. "You go talk to Gabby about this. Don't beat around the bush about it either. Be honest, be open, but don't go in expecting anything solid. If my guess is right, I'd say Gabby is just as lost about this as you are, if she's thinking about it at all."

She opened the door and they walked out, almost right smack dab into Glory. The younger hen froze with her claws inches from the door, staring between the two adults like she'd gotten caught with her paw in the cookie jar.

"Mom! Gilda! Hi! Wow...um, didn't expect that..." Glory murmured. She looked to Gilda. "Are you here to buy some of our produce?"

Gilda blinked in confusion and Gail laughed. "Oh, no Glory, Gilda needed some advice, and I helped her out with it." She then peered past Glory to her garden. "But now that you mention it, Gilda, doesn't Gabby like strawberries?"

Gilda nodded slowly. "Yeah, she does...why?"

Gail grinned gently. "Because I think I found a way to make your upcoming conversation a little easier."

Gabby hummed to herself as she tied a new hair tie into her head feathers, the last one had broke while she was out disposing the cardboard. She turned her head side to side, and then chirped happily when the results met her expectations. "Good as new! Now to get out there and do my best!" She fluffed up her chest feathers and opened the bathroom door. Exiting out into the main cafe, she was startled to see Gallus was staring at the stairs leading up to the apartment with a perturbed expression on his face.

She came over and poked him gently, startling the tom out of his staring contest. She went to speak but found what had confused him so much. On every step of the stairs, was a juicy plump strawberry.

"What in the...Where did these come from?" She asked, picking one up.

"Gilda came home with a whole basket of em. Said they were for you..." Gallus ribbed her gently and frowned. "I think something is bothering her. She was smiling that smile."

Gabby frowned, and looked at the strawberry in her claws. "Hmm, the fake smile? This doesn't seem like her kind of thing to do when she's bothered though..."

They both stared up the stairs until Gallus poked her. "You know Gilda usually has her way of doing things, it's not up to us to say what's in her head. Why don't ya head on up and see what's eating her...and speaking of eating...those strawberries look mighty juicy...I might try some of em if you don't."

"Not on your life Gallus!" Gabby growled. He backed off playfully as she started up the stairs, collecting her prize while hissing back at him.

He put his paws up defensively and backed off. "Okay okay, sheesh! Go find out what she's up to will ya?"

Gabby warbled softly and made her way up to the main living room, Gilda couldn't be seen. "Hmm where is she?" Gabby felt her instincts kick in and she fell into a crouch, prowling around the kitchen corner, taking a moment to place her hoard of berries in the fridge, before crouching right by the hallway door and looking up the stairs. "Gilda? You up here?"

If this was some sort of elaborate prank, she didn't actually expect to get a--

"Yeah, I'm in my room."

Gabby felt her instincts do a flip at Gilda's voice. She sounded...sad? Nervous? She slowly walked down the hall, Gilda's door was open, held ajar by another strawberry. Gabby plucked the berry off the ground and pushed the door open. Gilda's room had been completely cleaned and organized. Her bed was orderly and neat, and the nearby desk was clear of debris. The new jewelry box sat atop the side shelf, glimmering off the lowering sun. She found Gilda sitting at the window, facing away from her. Her head was propped up on the sill by her paws and elbows. Gabby carefully looked around. this didn't feel right...

"Gilda? You okay? Gallus said you wanted to talk to me?" She frowned when Gilda sighed and looked to the floor.

"Yeah, I just saw the strawberries and thought you'd like them. Do you?"

Gabby nodded and held one up to the light. "Yeah I will! Their huge! I'll enjoy em for sure..." She set it gently aside and watched Gilda nod.

The hen fluffed her feathers and looked back to the window. "I do need to talk to you though, about something that came up...it's kind of awkward." She looked back at Gabby and found a heavy blush on Gilda's cheeks. Gabby gulped a little and nodded. Entering the room, she partially closed the door behind her and sat. Gilda stared at the floor for several seconds, before turning back to the window.

"Can...can you come over here please?" Gilda asked quietly. Gabby nodded and slowly came over. Something was off about Gilda, what was she up to? Taking a seat directly next to Gilda, she looked her friend over and found nothing really out of place except her expression. Gilda looked like she'd gotten embarrassed about something. Gilda's neck fur was ruffled and her cheeks were flush.

After several long quiet moments Gilda spoke. "Okay...this is gonna be weird...but I gotta bring it up...Gabby, um, are you attracted to hens?"

Gabby froze. Her tail stopped twitching, her eyes shrank, her fluff wilted, and she didn't reply. Gilda pointed at her and kept talking. "See! That! That right there is why I had to ask! Every time it comes up you freeze like a block of ice and look like a ghost went through you!"

Gabby clenched her beak shut and blushed furiously, looking away. Gilda caught her by surprise by reaching out and grasping her shoulders. Gabby had to force herself from pulling back. Gilda looked worried now. "Gabby, I need to say this now, its OKAY if you are. Really it is! I'm okay with it!"

For several seconds, Gabby simply stared at Gilda in shock. "W-what?" She whispered.

Gilda groaned and let go of Gabby. "I said its okay. I'm not, well I don't know for sure myself, but I know I wanna support you no matter what, and if that means being okay with it, then I am."

Gabby slowly closed her wings around herself and looked out the window. Out in the courtyard, two chicks chased each other as their mother looked on with a smile. Gabby warbled nervously. "B-but...you yourself don't know? What do you mean?"

Gilda shrugged and looked at the floor. "The letters." Gabby looked back to her, and Gilda continued. "I didn't know what to do or think concerning them. After the gift came and we had that conversation about hens and toms, It got me thinking...what if the writer IS a hen?"

Gilda stood and started pacing, not noticing Gabby's blush. "I wanted to make sure that no matter what or who is sending them, that they know I don't care about any of that. I want them to know they have my support."

Gabby smiled and she chirped out a happy sound. "That's...that's good to know, Gilda." She looked out the window. The kids were now wrestling and the mother was saying something to them. The trio went indoors and Gabby lost sight of them. "So...what if they are a hen? What will you do?"

Gilda immediately smacked her fist into the bed sheets and flared her wings. "I'mma give em a chance that's what."

Gabby tilted her head. "A chance? Like to court you?" When Gilda nodded resolutely, Gabby chuckled lightly. "W-well, I'm sure whoever it is will appreciate that a whole lot...love is hard for us to find..."

Gilda stopped and looked to Gabby curiously, chirping back. "For you? What do you mean?"

Gabby rubbed her shoulder and her eyes darted to Gilda and then to the floor several times nervously. For a few seconds, Gabby said nothing, seemingly warring with herself and her thoughts before snapping out of it and standing. She walked over to Gilda and then cowered a little. "I mean...those of us that like the same sex...it's hard to find love." She whispered.

Gilda felt her drop open in shock. "O-oh...I see." Her wings closed tightly and she sort of froze up. "S-so...you do like hens...yeah?"

Gabby sat down and Gilda felt bad when Gabby wilted and hid her head in her wing. "Y-yes and no...it's complicated..."

Gilda smirked for the first time and shuffled her wings nervously. "Tell me about it! I can't tell what my brain wants or how to go about it. Conversations like this are hard, that's why I try to avoid them!" She then paused. "Wait so you don't really know either?"

Gabby quirked her brow "Hmm? Know what?"

Gilda poked her friend in the chest and smiled. "You just said yes and no to my question...so you don't know which sex you like either?"

Gabby stared at her for several seconds and then she giggled into her paw. "I...um, no. that's not what I meant." She took a deep breath and stood tall for a moment, locking eyes with Gilda. "Both, I guess my answer is both."

Gilda's gears ground to a halt and she blinked. Her beak barely worked. "W-wait...you like both? Is...Is that even an option?"

Gabby smirked, she tried to hide her mirth with a paw before she burst into laughter. "Hehe...hehehahah!! Of course it is! you've never heard of that before?"

Gilda flailed her arms out. "NO! I'm a total newb when it comes to this mushy love stuff!! I didn't even think that option existed! Gabby!"

Gabby was suddenly very aware of Gilda gripping her shoulders again and shaking her lightly. "Gabby! What do you mean by that? What is it called when you like both?!"

Gabby chuckled and gently pulled Gilda's paws from her arms and then took a couple steps back. "It's called being bisexual. At least in Equestria. It means you have either an equal or varied degree of sexual interest in both genders. For me...I believe I like both toms and hens...each have traits that I find attractive..."

Gilda blinked several times. She took in several breaths, and then nodded. After sitting down and taking a moment to smooth her feathers down, she looked to Gabby with a smile. "O-okay...okay that's..I can work with this. This works..."

Gabby blushed lightly and then took a step forward. "So...what are you, Gilda?"

Gilda was quiet for a few seconds, she stood and paced to the window, and then sat and looked out across the city. The night lights were coming on and illuminated the houses around her bakery. Two griffons walked down the road together, a tom and a hen. They were holding claws and nuzzling one another.

Gilda smiled, "I uh, I haven't quite figured that part out yet...but now?"

She looked back to Gabby and smiled warmly. "Now I don't think I need to worry about it so much." She looked back to the outside world, missing Gabby's nervous expression. "I think what happens will happen. I'll accept it, and work with what I got for now."

Bring it on mysterious letter writer...I wanna find out who you are.