Today wasn't one of the best of days that Gilda has had. In fact, she could say that it was the worst moment in her life. Gilda could only sit on a barstool in some "petit mais chic" bar at the Canterlot Griffin Embassy and wonder why life had decided to just take a dump on her lap. She had recently traveled back from Ponyville to visit her Flight School buddy Rainbow Dash. It was the best time of her life, as Gilda wasn't one to attract friends. Like most griffins, she might have been a bit pompous and crass, but she was good-hearted inside. Most of the time.
Ok, maybe she WAS a bit coarse towards the inhabitants of Ponyville. But it wasn't her fault entirely. Gilda was unfortunate enough to encounter genuine kindness in Ponyville, contradictory to how she was raised in Griffin society. She was angry that such compassion had never reached her when she grew up, and maybe a tad jealous that Rainbow Dash's had so many friends. Ponies don't exactly like to mingle with Griffins.
And now, she felt like utter crap. This would be about the ten millionth time that she has reprimanded herself of how she treated the ponies, especially both of Dash's pink and yellow-colored mare friends. She's never felt like this. She's never felt so alone before. Every other griffin she knows treats her like a sack of horseapples, and the only friends she had were the same old buddies from Flight School: Rainbow Dash and Asgrim.
Dash isn't exactly on speaking terms with me, so all that's left is Asgrim then. And speak of the devil.... Gilda thought.
A male griffin entered the bar, and looked around for a familiar face. He sighted Gilda and he calmly walked over to her.
"Hey Gilda! Long time now see. How did your little trip go?" Asgrim inquired with a smile. Normally Gilda would hear such a question from other griffins with a hint of sarcasm or ridicule, but Asgrim was different. He always was, even when they were little foals.
Asgrim and Gilda were the only griffins in their flight class, so it was only natural for them to eventually bond. To Gilda's memory, Asgrim was never arrogant or conceited like all the griffins she had encountered in her foalhood. He was always patient and consoled her whenever she was angry or sad, and he even tutored her on flight lessons. Considering how he graduated the Flight Academy they attended with high honors and the fact that he was actually invited to join the Kungligsköld, the Griffin Royal Guard, he was also quite the egghead.
But to Gilda, his optimistic approach in life was starting to irritate her, especially now. How could somegriffin like him be so happy all the time? It pissed her off that she would probably never be as cheerful with her existence like Asgrim was.
Gilda grumbled as Asgrim calmly hopped onto the stoll next to her's, "I...don't wanna talk about it." She took a gulp of the shot glass in front of her.
Asgrim's grin disappeared, realizing her tone, "Shit. Didn't mean to make your day worse."
"Barkeep, get me two shots of vodka, add in some rabbit blood please." Asgrim looked at his foalhood friend again. "Wait, scratch that. Just get the whole damn bottle over here." Asgrim slapped down some iron and pewter bars onto the table for payment.
"What's with the celebration?" Gilda muttered, somewhat curious of why Asgrim was willing to spend the extra money for an entire bottle of alcohol.
"Cuz you aren't telling me why you're so glum today. I'm gonna have to influence it out of you."
"With vodka? Grimm, aren't I bothersome enough sober?" Gilda chuckled but stopped. She saw through his plan.
Well buck him then. He means well enough to make me laugh, but....I need to face this alone. It's my own damn mistake. I don't need his help.
Gilda dryly growled, "Asgrim. Today isn't the day for one of your talks."
"Yeah. I can plainly see that absolutely NOTHING is bothering you right now," Asgrim replied sarcastically.
"How long have we known eachother, Gilda?"
"Too long."
"Oh hardy har. Look, what I'm trying to say is that whatever happened in Ponyville-"
"Just stop right there," Gilda interjected. "I don't want to talk about it. Ever."
The barkeep placed the bottle and two glasses half-filled with a thick, burgundy liquid in front of them. Rabbit blood is quite a delicacy in Griffin bar drinks. Gilda immediately poured herself a glass and gulped it down. She then began her drinking binge.
Surly bastard's gonna wish he left me alone. His wallet's gonna pay for it
"Remember what I said to you when we last saw eachother at Flight School? Grad night? Well, to refresh that very short memory of your's, I remember telling you that if anything is bothering you, you could tell me about it. It's better to talk about-"
Gilda interrupted again, "-your feelings. Blah blah emotions blah blah better out than in Blah"
"So are you sure that you don't need to talk about it, Gilda?"
She drained her glass. "Absolutely."
"Positive?"
"Yes."
"Well then, I guess I'll just have to visit our old Flight School friend Rainbow Dash to find out what really happened. I'm sure that whatever is bothering my old school chums, it's probably absolutely nothing," Asgrim countered.
Gilda froze. That's it. I'm going to wipe that bucking grin off his face.
Out of no where, she grabbed the vodka bottle and smashed it onto Asgrim's head. She then proceeded to rise up from her stool and shout right before she left the bar, "I told you once, and I'll tell you AGAIN! LEAVE. ME. BE!!!!!! I don't need ANY of your help!"
Asgrim rose from the mahogany wood flooring and grasped his noggin. "Sorry everygriffin. She can get a little feisty sometimes about her drinks."
He rose and slapped some more iron bars to pay for the damages, "Here's for the bottle and cleaning bill."
The barkeep mumbled under is breath, "I don't know what you see in that griffin."
Asgrim turned and hissed, "More than you'll ever see." He proceeded to leave the bar to search for Gilda outside.
(I recommend that you listen to this while reading the next scene)
Knowing Gilda, Asgrim always noticed that she liked to go for walks outside whenever she felt bitter or exasperated with her life. And he was right. She was a couple of blocks away, sitting on a bench even though it was snowing quite heavily.
Dragging his legs through the fetlock deep snow, Asgrim approached her slowly and tactfully, and eventually decided to sit next to her on the ice-laden bench.
He chose to make the first move. "Sorry for the scene back there. I should have listened to you..."
Gilda didn't reply. Only the winter breeze had responded. As he started to pick out the glass shards out of his head, Asgrim asked, "You okay?"
"Says the guy with glass in his skull. That whole 'I don't care about myself/I only care about you' act might have worked in the past, but you're not getting anywhere with me," Gilda obnoxiously returned.
She brutally joked, "Save it for the local tail."
Asgrim smiled sadly, "Why would I do that? No amount of sexual pleasure will seduct me into neglecting my cubs."
Gilda gaped at Asgrim, forgetting how annoyed she was at him for a moment, "When did you set out to stud, killer?"
Asgrim gave her a small photo. It showed him next to a smiling navy blue-feathered griffin mare, hugging two blue-clad foal twins. They both looked like exact clones of the female griffin in the picture, except for their eyes. They shared Asgrim's turquoise-green irises.
Wait a minute. She looks familiar......
"Grim, Is that-"
"-Lydia? Yeah," chuckled Asgrim.
"So you finally gathered enough courage to ask out the griffin you were giving googly eyes that whole semester at the Academy?" Gilda grinned against her will. She was pissed at Grim at the moment....but those foals were just SO adorable.
"Why haven't you told me? Or anygriffin for that matter? I hate being in the dark about things as much as you do."
Asgrim's weak smirk quivered, and his beak snapped shut. He whispered, "Cuz some of the guys in the Royal Guard won't take too kindly that they're serving with a kompissvikt".
Kompissvikt. In ancient Griffin, the term roughly translated to "Failed Mate". The title is similar to the pony term "Widow", but Griffin culture bastardized the term so it was a title of failure, not mourning. A Kompissvikt is a griffin that is thought to have been too weak to have taken care or protected their mate during times of war or sickness. A griffin that is unable to care for his mate is a disgrace to his family lineage, and his clan.
Shit, Grim....you could have told me. I could have understood.
"I'm....so sorry. She was a sweet griffin," Gilda lamented.
"Hey. Don't be so down. She always told me to not let life get to you so easily. Enjoy the little things. Life's too buckin' short, so don't let your anguish get the better of you," he returned.
Asgrim looked at her, "I loved her. But she wouldn't have wanted me to languish over her like that."
His smile returned, "And I still had two of my little angels to take care of." Asgrim pointed to the photo.
Gilda tearfully beamed at the photo, "I always wanted to have cubs. They look so cute."
"Heh. Never knew you had a soft side. Well, you could meet them if you would like. Going to accompany them to their first day of Flight School tomorrow."
"Remember when we were there? Remember all the pranks that we-"
"I didn't do anything. That was all you and Dash. You gals were the ones that decided to spill AlligatorAde all over Instructor Witherwings," Asgrim smugly returned.
"Hey! You were an accomplice by default. You would always knew what we were up to, but me and Dash-"
Gilda stopped. She hadn't said Rainbow's name ever since she got back.
Oh Goddess....I hate myself.
"Listen...Grim? I did something really stupid back in Ponyville...And Dash didn't take too kindly to it."
"I'm sure that whatever happened, you'll make up for it in the future. I'll go talk to her, and you can always go back and apologize. It's never to late to change the past," Asgrim kindly advised.
Gilda, staring at him through watery eyes, sheepishly questioned, "I don't know Grim.....I don't know what to do! I...I don't think that an apology will cut it."
"Don't worry Gilda. Ponies are pretty forgiving. Heh, this one time I-"
"You don't understand. You never understood. No griffin or pony has ever liked me. I've always tried to be nice. I've gave it my all. But I fail EVERY. BUCKING. TIME!" She stomped on the thick snow at the end of every syllable.
"You never had the same feeling I've had for years. You never knew how it feels to be alone!"
Gilda began to sob. Her swollen face melt the approaching snowflakes, and her miserable coat had started to shiver in the bitter winter wind. Asgrim looked at her state, and was silent for a while.
He finally said, "Gilda, if you need another griffin in your life....all you needed to do is ask."
Gilda stopped and stared him back. "Wha?"
"You said you always wanted foals right? Well, my offer still stands. Wanna go to the Flight School with me and the foals? They'll be eager to meet you."
"I don't want to intrude...they look happy enough."
"They never remembered their mum before she got wingrot. I kind of wanted to give 'em a mother figure. So you up for it?"
Gilda tried to reply, but only a cracked mumble uttered from her voice, "Why are you doing this? I'm not the most friendliest griffin around...."
"Whenever I tell them about you, the cubs start hopping around and worshipping you like a hero. Plus, nobody's giving you a break. You deserve another griffin in your life."
Gilda could only gape at Asgrim's advance. She started to to hiccup a sob and her emotions got the best of her.
Great. Here comes the tears. Curse my over-sensitive tear ducts!
"So do you, Grim," she blubbered.
Gilda grasped his coat with force, and weeped on his shoulder. Asgrim jumped at first, thinking she was about to maul him. He never saw Gilda this upset before. But he calmed down, and curled his forearm around her. He dusted off the mound of snow that had gathered on her hair and shoulders during their talk and pulled a wing over her head to prevent further snowfall from drifting onto her again.
She cried as her tears fell across from her face and down her beak onto his feathers. It was even cold enough for the trails from her tears to freeze on her delicate facial features, but Asgrim's warmth had melted the icy surfaces and his coat began to sponge her damp face.
Gilda whispered between hiccups, "Promise me something. Don't leave me like the others did. I don't want to be lonely ever again."
Asgrim, surprised by the sudden sincerity, looked at her golden, eagle eyes and whispered back,
"I swear I won't go away. Ever."
The End
