Don’t Judge a Pony By Its Cover
“Alright, little ones,” Fluttershy said with a smile as she walked backwards. “This way, this way.”
A family of ducks followed the yellow Pegasus in a straight line. The duck in the front, who was the mama duck, safely guided her babies in the right direction.
“Mama duck, you’re free and clear,” Fluttershy said, continuing to lead the ducks until she accidentally bumped into someone.
“Hey!”
Fluttershy stopped in her tracks and turned around to see who had yelled at her. It was Gilda, the griffon who had bullied her back from flight camp.
Gilda had been bullying other ponies all day, not caring if she had made them feel miserable. She thought it was fun to tease other ponies, but what she didn’t know what that she was wrong to do such a thing.
“Please excuse me,” Fluttershy said.
“I’m walking here!” Gilda snapped, glaring at the yellow Pegasus.
“Oh, um, I’m sorry,” Fluttershy stammered, backing up. “I-I-I was just trying to-“
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Gilda said, mocking her and stepping forward, scaring away the ducks. “Why don’t you just watch where you’re going, doofus?!”
Fluttershy stared at Gilda, offended. “Excuse me?” she asked, and after a moment, she repeated herself, raising her voice a few decibels. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” Gilda said, glaring at the Pegasus. “Watch. Where. You’re. Going. Doofus.”
Fluttershy’s blank stare soon turned into a cold, unforgiving glare. The yellow pony stepped forward, causing Gilda to step backward. The griffon had a shocked expression on her face as she stared right at Fluttershy, who suddenly became very angry.
“How dare you…” Fluttershy said quietly before raising her voice and repeating herself. “How dare you! How dare you call somepony that name! Who do you think you are, some griffon who thinks she can say whatever she wants, not knowing that it can make other ponies feel miserable?”
Gilda blinked, shocked by the yellow pony’s outburst. She stepped back, trying to get away, but Fluttershy’s glare held her captive, preventing her from escaping.
“Oh, you are not going anywhere,” Fluttershy said, stepping forward. “I’ve seen you bully and make fun of everypony in town, including Pinkie Pie, and she’s my friend. What has she ever done to you?”
“She ruined my private time with Dash,” Gilda said, glaring at the Pegasus. “I wanted Dash all to myself. I haven’t seen her since flight camp, and Stinky Pie came along and ruined it.”
“First of all, just because you’re a friend of Rainbow Dash doesn’t mean that you can bully other ponies and call them names,” Fluttershy said. “And second of all, her name is Pinkie Pie, and don’t you ever speak about her that way. She probably heard you.”
“What?” Gilda asked. “Where is she?”
“I’m not answering that question, Gilda,” Fluttershy replied. “You leave Pinkie Pie alone. She’s my friend.”
“Never! I’ll keep teasing ponies and calling them names as much as I want to!”
“If you keep doing that, you’re only hurting yourself.”
“What is that supposed to mean?!”
“I mean you’re only hurting yourself if you keep bullying other ponies,” Fluttershy said. “Think about how you would feel if somepony said those things to you.”
Tears began to well up in Gilda’s eyes as a painful memory came rushing back to her. Before she met Rainbow Dash, she had always been teased and bullied for who she was: a griffon. Slowly, her tears began to fall down her cheeks before she could stop them, showing her weakness to Fluttershy.
“W-Well, that’s why I believe I can do whatever I want!” Gilda snapped. “You dweebs don’t know what I’ve been through!”
“Well, everypony would if you would stop bullying them,” Fluttershy said, her expression soft but still stern. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Talk about what?” Gilda asked, turning away from Fluttershy.
“Talk about your feelings,” Fluttershy replied. “Do you want to talk about them?”
“No,” Gilda snapped. “You… you don’t know what I’ve been through!”
Fluttershy took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again,” she said. “Sometimes talking about your feelings can help.”
“How?” Gilda asked.
“If you tell somepony how you really feel, they will know what you’ve been through, as long as you’re nice to them.”
“I don’t do ‘nice’.”
“I figured.” Fluttershy let out a sigh. “Well, you’re only going to continue feeling sad then,” she said. “At least try to talk to somepony about it. Maybe try telling Rainbow Dash. She’s you’re friend, right?”
“Yeah, but-“
“But nothing.” Fluttershy placed a firm hoof on Gilda’s back. “If you tell Rainbow Dash how you really feel, she’ll probably understand you,” she said. “Just be nice about it.”
Slowly, Gilda turned around and looked closely at the yellow pony, considering her words. Maybe Fluttershy had a point. Perhaps telling Rainbow Dash was the right thing to do, since Rainbow was the only pony that Gilda considered a friend.
“You… you really think that she’ll understand?” Gilda asked. “After what I’ve done to everypony?”
“Of course,” Fluttershy replied, smiling gently.
Gilda sighed and looked down at the ground. “I don’t know,” she said. “What if she doesn’t want to be my friend anymore? I mean, Dash and I have been friends since flight camp, and being cool was all we cared about back then-“
“That’s not true,” Fluttershy interrupted. “Rainbow Dash did act cool, but she also defended me every time I got bullied for being a weak flyer.”
“Well, back when I started flight camp, I was teased… a lot,” Gilda said. “The only pony that was nice to me… was Rainbow Dash. That’s why I’m worried about losing her as a friend, since she’s always been there for me and never left my side.”
Fluttershy stared in shock after hearing Gilda’s confession. The yellow Pegasus had no way of knowing, and she suddenly felt awful.
“I’m so sorry, Gilda,” she said.
“Don’t be,” Gilda snapped, turning away from the Pegasus. “What have you ever done for me back then, anyway?”
“I was scared, just like you,” Fluttershy said.
“You… you were?” Gilda asked, slowly turning around and looking up at her.
“Yes.” Fluttershy looked closely at Gilda, her eyes widening in realization when she figured out the truth. “Is that why?” she asked softly.
“What?” Gilda asked, blinking in confusion.
“Is that why you’ve been a bully around Ponyville?” Fluttershy asked. “Is that why you teased Pinkie Pie and made her feel miserable?”
Gilda sighed. “Yes,” she replied. “That’s why I’ve been such a jerk. I… I just didn’t want anypony to make fun of me for being a griffon. I’m… I’m really sorry.”
Fluttershy smiled. “I appreciate your apology, Gilda, and I also accept it,” she said. “But I’m not the one you need to apologize to.”
“Who is it, then?” Gilda asked.
Fluttershy pointed her hoof at a pink earth pony with a curly mane and tail, who sat at a table outside of Sugarcube Corner sipping a milkshake. “Pinkie Pie,” she said. “And then, you can apologize to everypony else.”
Gilda nodded in understanding and began walking in the direction of Sugarcube Corner.
“Don’t worry,” Fluttershy said, following close behind. “You’re not a bad griffon. You just made a bad decision.”
Pinkie Pie sipped her milkshake and set it down on the table in front of her. She sighed and looked deep into her glass, feeling lonely all of a sudden. Rainbow Dash was doing mail deliveries, and Gilda was hanging around town.
“Maybe Rainbow Dash is better off without me after all,” Pinkie thought to herself as she took another sip of her milkshake. “Gilda is really cool. Rainbow Dash deserves somepony so much better than me.”
“Um, hi Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy greeted her friend with a polite smile. “You okay?”
Pinkie sighed. “Not really,” she said. “I miss Rainbow Dash so much, and she’s friends with this mean griffon named Gilda.”
“I’m right here, you know,” Gilda said, smirking a bit. “And I’m here… to apologize.”
Pinkie looked up and stared at Gilda. “Really?” she asked, confused.
“Yeah,” Gilda replied, taking a deep breath before speaking again. “I’m really sorry I was a bully to you and everypony else today. I just didn’t want anypony to make fun of me, and I wanted Dash all to myself, but you’re also a friend of hers, and seeing you two goof off and pull pranks on each other and other ponies like that made me feel jealous.”
“Jealous?” Pinkie asked.
“Yeah,” Gilda replied, letting out a sigh. “And it was wrong of me to tell you to make like a bee and buzz off. So… I’m very sorry. I hope you and everypony else can forgive me.”
Pinkie jumped out of her chair and wrapped Gilda in a big hug, taking the griffon by surprise. “Aww! Of course I forgive you, Gilda!” Pinkie said, grinning. “And I think I know how to celebrate…”
“How?” Gilda asked. “A pranking spree, perhaps?”
“No… a PARTY!” Pinkie cheered, and Gilda smiled, allowing the earth pony to hug her tighter.
Fluttershy giggled and shook her head. “Oh, Pinkie Pie… you and your parties,” she said. “But… are you sure that this party is a good idea?”
“Oh, Fluttershy… I’m sure her party won’t be that bad,” Gilda chuckled. “Besides… I’m always down for a good prank, or in this case, a good party. So, Pinkie… do you mind if I invite Rainbow Dash?”
“Oh, Rainbow Dash is always welcome at any party of mine!” Pinkie giggled.
“You sure seem like a good friend of hers,” Gilda said, smiling at the pink pony. “Now, come on. Let’s party!”
Author's Note
This is my very first story, so I would really appreciate some feedback.
Hope you enjoyed! See you next time. 
bluejusticewrites01
