Gilda's Apology
Credit for the cover image goes to Echowolf800. Original image is here.
As Gilda laid lazily on the only cloud that could be detected for miles, she contemplated ways of apologizing to her ex-best friend, Rainbow Dash. Her attitude about the prank party Pinkie threw guaranteed her a forgiveness withheld, or at least, that's what she assumed. Naturally, if the griffin had come back and tried to bind the severed thread of friendship, the cerulean mare would have accepted, but Gilda had convinced herself she was to never be companions with the rainbow maned mare again. Looking down, the Griffin spotted a familiar Pegasus from the market street. Fluttershy was busy with her cottage, repairing a bird’s nest and watering some of her front porch flowers. Gilda, wishing for some form of redemption, glided down and prepared to confront the young pony.
“Hey, you!” she yelled, catching the startled filly’s attention. Upon seeing Gilda land on the beds of grass, Fluttershy froze, almost turning white. She gulped, looking straight into the scornful eyes of what she thought of as an overly powerful beast. She didn’t move. Nothing was going to aid in her motion for a while. As she blinked, she choked out a mere word, barely recognizable though.
“Y-yes…”
Gilda’s eyebrows squinted, gazed into those cute, scared eyes. Her claws gripped the dirt that was pulled down by gravity, and for all it was worth, she tried not to burst into a fit of anger. Her blood boiled as she remembered the party; how she was completely humiliated in front of everypony there. Her wings adjusted themselves in a more comfy angle while silence vacated the scene. She’d been so ready to leave Ponyville, but throughout her trials of ignoring her emotions, she failed at the attempt. Feelings of regret, strong ones compelled her to do this one single act of kindness.
“I- uh… wanted to…” she began, gritting her teeth as her muffled words left her beak. “To- uh… mmmh…”
“Gilda, please don’t hurt me!” Fluttershy called out, lowering herself to the ground and cowering underneath her hooves. Gilda blushed as she saw the shaking pony. In her heart, she knew the two, easy-to-say words would clear things up. She was guessing, since she first saw Fluttershy, that she was just a sweet, nature loving being who didn’t wish to be a bother to anypony. If Gilda wasn’t able to say it, she’d have this lump of guilt trapped within her chest forever. Deep down, Gilda wasn’t bad; she’d just been trying to impress Rainbow Dash, a mistake that she now wished to have never made. Finally working up the courage to spit the words out, she gulped and shut her eyes.
“Fluttershy…” The words made the mare seep her sight out between her hooves to gaze at the griffin with curiosity. “Your name… it’s Fluttershy, right…?”
The yellow pony nodded her frightened head and uttered, “Y-yes... ma’am…”
Sighing one last breath, Gilda threw her self-arrogant ways out the window and grumbled those two words that were so difficult for her to say. “I’m… s-sorry…”
Her face curled into one of sheer anguish, but eventually relaxed as she lowered her body to rest on the soil. Fluttershy unshielded her muzzle and came closer, but only by inches. “W-what did… you say Gilda?” Fluttershy’s speech still showed hints of fear, but that emotion was beginning to be replaced by respect.
“Look,” Gilda muttered, her eyes still closed, almost holding back the tiniest tear, “I’ve wanted to apologize to you ever since… you ran away from me… I don’t know what came over me… I don’t usually act like a common criminal, but I wanted to be cool… I-if you could find some way to… maybe forgive me… please,” her teeth grazed once again as she said the words she loathed so much. “I’m… really sorry…”
Fluttershy smiled, almost beaming with happiness. Relieved that Gilda wasn’t really all that bad, she curled her hooves around the plush, feathery griffin and proceeded to thoroughly hug her. Gilda’s eyes finally opened, only to allow that petite tear slide down her cheeks. Her beak was ajar, and though she was trying hard to despise it, the warm, fuzzy feeling she felt in her body; in her heart fought the hatred. She lifted her claw solemnly and graced the mare’s mane while her bottom beak was bit. All her attempts to prevent shedding tears were thwarted by a mere, tight hug. Gilda finally admitted defeat, and smiled bitterly. Her talons curled around the pink manned pony while her tears fell freely to the gravel and sank serenely into the dirt. She blinked and splashed small droplets into the air while her friend grunted at how snug her grip was.
“G-Gilda… You’re crushing me…”
Gilda loosened up and said, “Sorry… It’s just… I feel so much better, n-now that, um… you know… I apologized… I just wish I could say this to Dash.”
Fluttershy let go and let Gilda hold her hooves in the palm of her claws while she offered, “But… I’m sure Rainbow would be more than happy to accept your apology. I’ll even go with you, if you’d like…”
Gilda averted her sight, unable to hold back the even flow of sorrowful tears. “I just… c-can’t… She’ll never forgive me for what I’ve done… I d-don’t even deserve your forgiveness… Please, Fluttershy, I’m asking you as a friend… don’t let Rainbow find out about me apologizing to you… I can’t bear to let her see me like this. She’ll think… I was some dweeb…”
Rolling her eyes at that last statement, the Pegasus tried one last time to convince her new friend that things would turn out for the best. “Listen Gilda,” she instructed, “Rainbow would never think of you like that. She’d be a good friend, and be happy you tried to express your remorse. It would be a bad idea not to say you’re sorry. Please Gilda, come with me, and we can-”
“No!” Gilda groaned, her anger rising along with her wings. She settled down and continued, “Look… I don’t want to confront her right now… not like this. I want to apologize when I feel the time is right… Please… will you promise me you’ll keep this a secret...?”
Fluttershy looked down and said she would with difficulty. She wished Gilda would, at least, try to make the same, courageous attempt at redemption she'd just made. Despite Fluttershy’s hopefulness, Gilda would have to return another day to try and atone for her mistakes, and eventually, she would succeed at retrieving Rainbow Dash as her friend once again.
And everything was Nicolas Cage, and nothing hurt.
