Misperceptionsby Arbiter BalemeadChaptersGuiltGetting StartedRevelationsGive It A TryFlightMoonriseGuiltTwilight Sparkle was about to open the door to her library house, but stopped when she heard something. She listened closely for a moment. "Twil-" "Sh!" She interrupted Spike mid-word. The little dragon slouched down on her back, utterly confused by her actions. Then the sound came again and he understood what was up. It was an odd shuffling sound, but it was the kind of sound they only heard when Big Macintosh was in the library, because it was the sound of something large and heavy moving around. Twilight cautiously opened the door and peeked inside. What she saw she had trouble understanding. "Gilda?" The griffin froze, mid-stride, and looked at her. For a moment she seemed to be at a loss of words, but she eventually recovered and opened her mouth to speak. "I-uh...*ahem* I need your help...with... friendship... stuff." She cringed, as though asking for help from the purple librarian caused physical pain. She was met with two blank stares from the unicorn and the dragon on her back. "Spike?" "Uh- yeah?" "Would you please go make us some tea?" "Thank you, Spike. Now would you please go over to Rarity's? And don't tell her about this, alright?" "Sure thing, Twilight." The little dragon answered before waddling off. As the door shut behind him Twilight turned back to Gilda, who was gingerly sipping the tea. As soon as the drink entered her mouth she spat it back out, disgusted with its flavor. "So what did you need my help with?" Twilight asked as Gilda began to spoon some sugar into her tea. "I- erm..." Her eyes fell from Twilight's as her voice caught in her throat. "Well, I've just been trying to find a way to win Dash back." She said taking a sip of tea. She grimaced at it and put the cup down with disgust, apparently under the influence it couldn't be saved from it's horrible flavor. "Dash? You realize that it's been almost a year, right?" "I know... But at least she won't hate me as much as she did a month after that party, right?" She said with a weak smile. Twilight replied to it with a look that simply said that that detail wouldn't matter much. "Yes, the apparent hate will be gone, but I don't think she'll appreciate how long it took you to apologize. You did plan to apologize, didn't you?" "Duh! What else would I do?" "I don't know, that's why I was asking. Sheesh! Okay, so think about it this way: Say I slapped you and waited a week to say I was sorry when I was actually sorry the whole time. You'd be pretty unlikely to even think I was sorry, right?" "Uh... sure." Gilda answered, a little upset at the idea that Rainbow might not even accept her apology. If she didn't accept the apology, then what could Gilda do to salvage her best friendship? "Okay, so if she doesn't except your apology then what will you do?" "I- I don- I don't know." Gilda answered, completely frustrated. She slumped against the table, trying to hold on to her cool composure. "Okay, I didn't mean to upset you." Twilight said gently. She was still unsure whether she should be rough-an'-tumble with Gilda or not. She'd seemed like such a tough griffin back when her and Rainbow had had their falling out, but now? She seemed a little emotional. "Uhm...wh-why did you wait so long to come back?" "Are you kidding? If I had come back right away, she'd have killed me. But then I just couldn't work up the guts to come back. Then I began to think she didn't deserve something as bad as me. So for a while I just gave up on all hope of it..." "What drove you to want to come back?" "I felt bad, and I needed to apologize..." Gilda answered. She buried her face in her arms and mumbled out. "I guess I couldn't live with myself if I didn't know whether there was still a chance or not." "What made you come to me first? Why didn't just go straight to Rainbow?" Gilda looked up as she asked this. "Er.... I- well she's obviously different. I just thought the best idea would be to ask one of her friends about it." "Okay... She'd probably still like you, but just not with the whole, roaring at Fluttershy when you bump into her, or screaming at Pinkie Pie over a few pranks." Gilda's eyes drifted back to the table as she said this. "I- I shouldn't have done those things... I was-" She looked away, her eyes screwed shut in an effort to stop the sting. "*ahem* I was just trying to impress Dash. I didn't know that she wasn't like that anymore..." "Like what? Mean? Jerky? Sno-" "I get it." Gilda muttered. Twilight looked at her for a moment. The poor girl was looking more and more upset by the moment. "Were you were really trying to impress Rainbow when you lost your cool and started raging at that party?" "Er- well... no. Listen, I'm not like that any more, okay?" "Sorry if I have troubles believing that." "I don't blame you." Gilda mumbled quietly. Twilight looked at her in a whole new light at that. If Gilda was acting the way she was under all this criticism and sarcasm, then why shouldn't Twilight believe she was different? Back at that party, if Twilight had acted this way towards her, she would've lashed out. But here was Gilda, trying her hardest to not break under pressure, and hoping to receive help mending a broken friendship. It seemed odd to Twilight how desperate Gilda seemed. "Gilda..." "Yeah?" "Is Rainbow... special to you?" "Excuse me?" Gilda asked, straightening in her seat. "You aren't seriously asking me if I-... You've got to be kidding, right?" "I- *ahem* I was just being sure. I didn't mean to-... Okay, forget it." Gilda kept staring at her, offense and shock evident on her face. "So... let me think.... I guess you should find her and apologize. If this "new you" is legitimate, then I'm sure there will be some kind of positive response." "B-but... I came here to learn to be a better friend." "What?" Twilight quirked a brow. "You study friendship and stuff. I mean, you write freaking letters to the princess about it. I figured you could teach me something..." "Well... I guess I could.... but- you're sure you want ME of all ponies to teach you?" "Yeah... I don't see why not." Twilight eyed her for a moment, and eventually decided that she could quit any time if this didn't work out. "Okay, let's start with the basics..." She glanced out the window at the setting sun. "... tomorrow." Gilda's eyes lit up as she answered in the affirmative. She went around the table and grabbed Twilight in a big bear-er- Griffin hug. Twilight felt her cheeks heat up as she was lifted from her seat in the intimate gesture. Two thoughts flashed forward in her mind. Gilda hugs? Why do I almost enjoy this? "-ank you, thank you! I promise I'll try my hardest to get this right." Gilda was saying, dragging Twilight back to reality. "*cough* No problem. I'm sure you'll do fine." She twitched her back legs slightly, and Gilda seemed to suddenly realize what she was doing. She set her down, none too gently, on her hooves. "Heh... Sorry..." She said rubbing the back of her head and smiling sheepishly. "That's okay...uhm... you should get going... I'm going to need to go get Spike before it get's dark." "Y-yeah, sure." Gilda replied as she moved towards the door. She hesitated and glanced back at Twilight, who was magically cleaning up the tea cups. "Be here around eight, okay?" Twilight requested. "Yeah. Count on it." Gilda replied before opening the door and flying away. Getting StartedGilda took a deep breath before knocking on the door. It swung open instantly, revealing an annoyed Spike. "You're late. I've been standing here waiting for like five minutes." "Five whole minutes? Poor you! I had to fly for twelve to make sure nopony saw me come here, but I'm sure standing around doing nothing is just SO exhausting." Gilda replied in a sarcastic, condescending tone. Spike simply huffed and waddled off, unphased by the comment. "Twilight is upstairs." " 'kay, thanks." Gilda replied offhandedly. She hovered up the stairs and found Twilight in her room, reading through some random scrolls. "Uhh... hey?" Twilight's head whipped up in surprise, obviously having been entranced in her reading. "Oh, sorry. I was just looking over some of my old reports to the princess." "You actually have notes?" "Well, yeah. How else would I keep tabs on everything I'm learning on friendship?" "It took me this long to realize how...silly studying friendship seemed until just now." "Don't get funny with me about my job." Twilight said warningly. Gilda held up her talons defensively. "Okay, sorry. I didn't mean to insult your hobbi-" "Job." "Right. Job. Sorry." "Okay so step one is probably gonna have to be figuring out if you and Rainbow can even still be friends. That's actually kinda obvious." Twilight said, glancing through some notes. She started sifting through scroll after scroll of notes on friendship. Mostly little things she'd scribbled on compatibility. "What do you mean?" "You and Dash are a lot alike, aside from one major detail." "What's that?" "Your attitude is appalling in comparison to hers. She's really quite nice to other ponies. She draws a line with rudeness, and even though she isn't good at it, she does know how to use subtlety. I have other points I could make, but I think I've already insulted you enough." "Are you using this as an excuse to trash on someone you hate?" "Oh, I don't hate you Gilda. I just don't have much love for you either. After all, you haven't given me much reason to." Gilda's eyes dropped to the floor. "I guess not." "And as to whether or not I'm using this situation to trash on you? No I am not. I'm just pointing out the difference between you and Dash that seems to have been behind your falling out. She was obviously offended by the way you treated her friends, and was not happy to see that you weren't willing to accept that she had friends who weren't that 'cool'." "I get it." "I'm not sure you do. Take me for example." Gilda quirked an eyebrow. "I'm an obvious 'egghead' right? I live in a library, I've read every book in it multiple times each, I study friendship and send my findings to the princess on a constant basis... I might as well wear a sign that says I'm a massive egghead." She paused a moment to consider her own point. She shrugged and carried on. "Can you see ME as a possible friend for you?" "Uh... Sure?" "Honestly?" Twilight asked, obviously unamused. "Well... no. I can't." Gilda answered after a moment. "That's gonna be a huge stopper in your friendship with Rainbow. She IS the Element of Loyalty after all. If you can't get along with her friends then she probably can't get along with you, and she's not likely to drop four amazing friendships and...erm...Fluttershy... for you." She finished awkwardly. "Yeah, probably not." "Okay, this'll probably go on for a while so I'll send Spike to fetch us something to eat." "Okay..." Gilda said hesitantly. Twenty minutes later, they were sitting in Twilight's kitchen, quietly enjoying some hay fries. Well, Twilight was. Gilda was sitting, bored with the odd food that ponies eat. It wasn't worth the widespread panic to explain to Twilight that, as a griffin, she ate meat. Nonetheless she attempted to enjoy the fries, which in reality weren't that bad. They had enough seasoning on them to make them bearable, and luckily Gilda could digest them. She wouldn't have attended Cloudsdale schools if the food they served wasn't edible. She still preferred the taste of meat. Especially well cooked meat... Fresh off the grill, still leaking out some juices... Gilda coughed at the thought as she chewed on another hay fry. "Oh, right. Griffins normally eat meat, don't they?" "Well, er... yeah, but I'm fine with this, really." "Okay... if you say so." "So what are we gonna do about this 'difference between me and Rainbow' thing?" "Well, we could try to see if you really can't get along with her friends, and if that takes too much effort, then we know it's a lost cause." "Lost cause? How?" "We are NOT going to change everything about you for the sake of a dead friendship." Twilight deadpanned. "Oh... that makes sense." Gilda said, her hope for rekindling her closest friendship beginning to fade. "Hey." Twilight said gently. Gilda looked at her cautiously. "Looks like you're off to a good start as it is." Gilda quirked a brow again. "Well, we seem to get along. I don't have any complaints." "Meh." Gilda said offhandedly. "So... what's the plan, then?" "First off, I'm helping you make friends with my other friends for the sake of helping you with Rainbow. This isn't entirely about you making up with Rainbow. Second, the plan is simple really. You'll just have to make up with Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie before there's any chance that Rainbow will forgive you." "You really thin-" "Pretty darn sure." "Okay, who first?" "This one will be easy. Pinkie Pie." "Oh crud." "Oh hi Gilda! Oh, are you in town to apologize to Rainbow?" "Er- yeah..." "So why are you talking to m- OH! You want to make up for being mad at me, right? Well, don't worry! I forgave you a long time ago. Although, it wasn't to your face so I guess I should say it now." She walked up to Gilda, closed her eyes, and said in a formal tone, "I forgive you." Then she broke back into a ridiculous grin. "Feel better?" "Uh... yeah. A bit." "Great!" And with that the pink mare turned and trotted off happily. Gilda was left staring in complete confusion. "When I said she'd be easy, I thought you would at least need the coaching I gave you." Twilight murmured as she walked over and watched Pinkie go. "I did, too..." Gilda suddenly shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Who's next?" "Uhm... Well you didn't really do anything to Applejack, and if she believes you when you say you're sorry then you should be good." "Okay. What do I need to know about Applejack?" "You're asking me like this is some kind of covert ops mission." Twilight muttered. She started walking towards the edge of town and Gilda followed suit. "Okay, she's the Element of Honesty, so she never lies and she's really good at spotting a liar, so don't even think about trying it. She's a hard working pony and I bet, if she won't listen, then some kind of assistance with labor will get her attention. I think you'll figure out the rest." "You call this coaching?" "Hmm?" "I was on the Stormball team for Celestia's sake. The coach back then would yell and holler, an-" "Do you really think that would help in a social environment?" "I don't really care what would help in a social environment..." The walk to the orchard was silent and without interruption for the two unlikely acquaintances. They arrived and found Big Macintosh tending to a damaged section of fence near the gate. "Hi, Big Mac." Twilight said politely. He looked up from his work and smiled warmly at the pair in front of him. "Well, howdy Miss Twilight, and who is this ya've brought with ya?" Twilight nudged Gilda in the ribs with an elbow. "Ow! Er- I'm Gilda." "Pleased ta meet ya Miss Gilda. I'd shake yer hand, but my hooves are a bit full." He replied, showing the hammer in one hoof. "That's okay, Big Mac, we were just here to see Applejack. Where can we find her?" Twilight asked. "She's out buckin' apples. Ah think ya might find her in the East field." "Thanks, Big Mac." Twilight said. She led the way to the East Field through a series of twisting paths. Gilda followed her, only a few steps behind. Eventually, they started hearing a constant thudding sound and from there they just followed their ears. After a few minutes they arrived in a clearing, to Applejack's surprise. "Well howdy, Twili- Gilda? What in the hay are you doin' here?" "Well, I was here to-" "Ya know what? I don' much care. You ain't plannin' on screamin' at Pinkie Pie or verbally assaultin' Fluttershy again, are ya?" "No." Gilda said, taken aback by Applejack's obvious displeasure. She'd never done anything to Applejack, had she? "Oh... I forgot to mention that she was about as mad at you as Rainbow was..." Twilight muttered while Applejack moved on to buck another tree. "That would've been nice to know." Gilda muttered back. Applejack examined the tree she'd just bucked for additional apples. Satisfied that she'd gotten them all in one buck, she turned back to Gilda, having not noticed their little tangent. "Good. So, why're you talkin' ta me?" "I wanted to apologize to you for what I did last time I was here." "Ya do, do ya? Well good for you. Why are ya talkin' ta me about it?" "Erm-" Gilda glanced over at Twilight, who simply shrugged. "An' Twilight. Are you helpin' Gilda with this?" Applejack wasn't accusing, merely curious. "Well... yes." "Why?" Again, merely curious. "It's a broken friendship, Applejack. I firmly believe it has a chance if at least one pony er- griffin has the will to fix it." Applejack eyed her for a moment, then simply sighed. "Alright. Ah fergive ya, Gilda. Ah ain't quite sure what fer, but Ah fergive ya." She bucked another tree. "Jeeze, I'd figured it'd be harder than this." Gilda noted as they left the orchard. "Me too..." Twilight seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. "At this rate, Rarity should be pretty easy as well, but Fluttershy might not be. I don't know how she felt about you treating her the way you did, then Pinkie throwing you a party." "Erm- I guess that wouldn't feel like the best thing would it?" "Not really..." Gilda was quiet for a moment before speaking up again. "Did you mean what you said earlier? Do you really think this could work out?" "Of course, everything has a chance to happen, and anything is possible. I've seen all kinds of things happen that nopony would believe was possible until it had happened. I mean, Discord made clouds out of cotton candy that rained chocolate milk. How could you and Rainbow rekindling your friendship not work? Besides, I'm beginning to think there is something different about you." She looked over at Gilda who looked back at her. For a moment, the two locked eyes, both with a seemingly surprised, wide-eyed look on their faces. After a moment of this oddity, Twilight suddenly jerked out of those amber eyes and back into reality. She coughed as she turned away. "Moving on." Gilda, for her part, readjusted her forehead feathers the way she did when trying to maintain 'coolness'. "Right." Revelations"Why hello, darling. How can I he- Gilda." Rarity eyed her wearily as she allowed entrance. "Good morning, Rarity." Twilight greeted cheerily. "Good morning, Twilight." Rarity replied, apprehensively glancing at Gilda. "So... What brings you two here?" Twilight glanced at Gilda quickly then back to Rarity with a polite smile. "I uh- *ahem* I wanted to apologize." Gilda started. "Oh? Whatever for? I don't recall as you ever wronging me." Rarity asked. "I just wanted to apologize for everything I did last time I was in town. I was just being a complete jerk and.... I shouldn't have done what I did." Gilda answered. Rarity quirked an eyebrow at her. "Well I-... I suppose I forgive you. After all, I'm not the one you wronged, that was Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash. You should talk to them." "I'm going to." Gilda replied confidently. "Right. Well, would either of like some tea? I have a pot on already." "Why tha-" Twilight began. "No!" Gilda interrupted. She found herself faced with Twilight and Rarity staring at her. "Erm- I just want to go talk to Fluttershy and Dash sooner, rather than later. "Oh, pish posh. Twilight, did you not tell her that they are in Cloudsdale?" "They're in Cloudsdale?" Twilight asked. "Why, yes, of course. They were going to see a Wonderbolts show. Just the two of them." Rarity answered with a meaningful look. "Oh, I see. No I didn't know." "They're not in town? Then what can I do?" Gilda asked. "Well for now..." Rarity smiled. "You can have some tea with Twilight and I." "*groan* Sure, why not?" "Oh, come one, Gilda, it wasn't that bad." Twilight commented as they walked away from the boutique. "Are you kidding? I think she tried to poison me! *gag* Uhg... it tasted horrible." Gilda laughed. "I think Rarity's tea is pretty good." Twilight muttered. "And I think it's nasty." Gilda added with a wry smirk. Twilight fought hard, to not smile, but failed. "Fine. That's your opinion." She said, giggling lightly. "So... What should we do until Rainbow and Fluttershy get back?" "I don't know... Hey, what did Rarity mean when she said 'just the two of them' the way she did?" Gilda asked. "I thought you knew them in flight school..." Twilight noted. "Yeah? So?" "They've been together since their freshmen year. Did they keep that a secret from you?" "Wait... That actually lasted?" Gilda asked in surprise. "What, did you think it wouldn't?" Twilight asked, slightly amused at Gilda's shock. "Well- I-I uhh...." Gilda sputtered. Twilight smiled lightheartedly. "Yes. They're still together. Very happy, too. They try to keep it private, though. You know; among friends." "Then why are you telling me?" Gilda asked. "I-er- well I don't know... I guess I trust you...." Twilight answered, not quite sure of the answer. "Oh...thanks..." Gilda said. She turned away at the heat she felt on her cheeks, thanking Celestia that a griffins blush doesn't show through their feathers. Then the thought occurred to her. 'Why am I blushing at that?' "So... I'm going back to the library. You can come or...." She trailed off, not entirely sure what she was getting at. "Eh... I was gonna practice some to pass the time." "Oh, okay." Suddenly an idea struck her. "Can I come watch?" "Uhh... I don't see why not..." Gilda replied awkwardly. "... You don't really have to ask." "Oh... yeah, right... *ahem* Of course..." Gilda stared at the flustered unicorn a moment, but simply shrugged, flapped her wings, and took off in search of a clear patch of sky. She ended up doing spirals, loops, rolls, and flips in the air above the park. Twilight was sitting on a small hill nearby, watching the spectacle. She couldn't quite name it, but there was some form of definitive difference between Gilda's flying and Rainbow's. Perhaps it was that Dash was faster and used more complicated tricks in her routines, while Gilda was more graceful and carried some form of power in her flying. They were both similar, yet completely different in the way they flew, and Twilight couldn't help but find herself captivated by the way Gilda did it. After almost thirty minutes of this, Gilda flew up to start some form of somersault series, but on the way down a blue blur whizzed past her, knocking her off course. Twilight gasped as Gilda spun out, barely regaining control a short distance from the ground. She shifted her eyes to the grinning Rainbow Dash overhead. "What's up, G?" She shouted in a high-spirited voice. "You just love showing me up, don't you Dash." "You say that like I need to try." While Twilight was struggling to make out what they were saying, Fluttershy hovered down and landed beside her. They waited quietly while Rainbow Dash and Gilda flew down and landed near them. "Seriously though. Why are you in town, G?" Rainbow asked as her smile faded. She trotted over to Fluttershy and stood next to her, wrapping a wing around her. "I-uh... I wanted to apologize... You know, for last time I was in town..." Gilda replied slowly. "You did?" Rainbow asked. "And why's that?" "Er- Because I was a bad guest, I guess." When Rainbow didn't appear satisfied, she forged on. "I said things I didn't mean, and did things I shouldn't have done." "Like...?" Rainbow prompted. Celestia knows why she was doing this to Gilda. Fluttershy and Twilight glanced at her, both slightly confused as to her motive. "Like yelling at Pinkie, or insulting you and your friends, and roaring at Fluttershy. I did stupid th-" Her voice caught for a moment, but she kept going. "Stupid things. Lot's of them. I was a complete idiot. I get mad or frustrated, and then I just don't even pay attention." Her eyes began to water. "I should notice these things. I shouldn't say these things. I should notice. I should have noticed..." She dropped to her knees, now letting the tears out. "Oh Celestia why didn't I notice." She murmured. The three ponies around her were shocked at her sudden mood change. The first to recover was Twilight, who was at her side, wrapping an insufficiently small arm around the bigger creature's shoulders within a few seconds. "Wh-what's wrong, Gilda?" Twilight asked. In response, Gilda simply buried her face in Twilight's shoulder, crying softly. She wasn't sobbing, nor was her body being racked by the tears, but she was crying, which was more than anypony present could say they've ever seen. Gilda wasn't the type of griffin to cry very hard. She was too tough for that. Instead, she would hide her face, lay on her knees, and refuse to speak. When someone like her did all those in combination, it was a sure sign that something was wrong. That's why her oldest friend was the next to react. "G? Are you okay, dude? What's the matter?" By the time she'd even finished Fluttershy was at Gilda's unoccupied side, gently cooing and shushing her, like she would a lost squirrel. At this point Gilda couldn't help but find this whole thing to be pathetic. Nor could she compel herself to care. She glanced up and found herself eye-to-eye with Twilight. The two had a moment similar to earlier that day. Staring at each other, wide eyed, neither fully able to understand what they were doing. For a moment Gilda wanted to lean in, but she just didn't have it in her to be happy right now. Not after what she'd done a few, long months ago. The moment she thought about it she extended her wings, pushing both Fluttershy and, regrettably, Twilight away. Wait... why did she regret that? She flapped once and flew off towards a nearby cloud. It is said that a real friend is willing to intrude. This is true, but real friends are also willing to allow better friends to intrude first. Rainbow started towards the cloud, but stopped when she felt a tug on her tail. She turned and found her tail was being held by Twilight's magic. "I-I'll go talk to her." Twilight requested. Something in her eyes forced Rainbow to concede. She landed next to Fluttershy and gestured for her to go ahead. Up on her cloud, Gilda found that the privacy she'd wanted was not what she needed. She heard somepony call her name from below, but didn't stir. She heard a twinkling sound, but thought nothing of it. Not until it ceased, followed immediately by a pop next to her. She glanced over, too emotional to be surprised at the site of a unicorn standing on a cloud next to her. She went back to crying into a tuft of cloud without a word. Twilight laid down on the cloud next to her, leaning against her in an attempt to get her attention. When that didn't work, she attempted verbal contact. "Gilda?" "Go away, Twilight." Gilda responded in thick voice. "No. Come on, tell me what's wrong." "I-it's nothing..." And in that moment the whole memory flashed across her mind.... Three months ago.... "Gilda! Get down here! I need your help again!" Granny shouted up the stairs. "Coming Granny." Gilda groaned. She made her way down the stairs and followed her grandmother out of the house to her shed. Granny opened the shed up, revealing a large amount of crates and boxes, some of which looked old and over-stuffed while some appeared new and almost unused. "I need your help moving some of these. I'll go get the cart. You start getting out any with a toy label." "Why are we getting out the toy ones?" Gilda asked, eying her grandma carefully. "To donate. What else?" Granny asked as she walked off. Gilda shook her head. In her honest opinion, Granny was too nice. She could sell these and make enough money to last through her grocery needs for the next few months, but nooo, 'we should give them away'.... Gilda sighed and started moving the crates. Granny got back and started lifting the lighter ones for her. At this point Gilda decided it may actually help if she made her suggestion. "Granny?" "Yes, dear?" "You know, you could sell these toys instead of donating them. You'd make a lot of money..." "It ain't about the reward, Gilda, it's about what you actually DO and why you did it." "Then why are you donating these?" "For the little kids that can't buy any toys like these." "Well maybe those kids should get some mon-" "Gilda! You shouldn't talk like that!" Gilda turned away, stacking some boxes in a fashion that didn't require looking Granny in the eye. As long as she didn't see the her angry face, she wouldn't feel bad... "Whatever." She heard an odd flopping sound, but didn't turn to look for fear of being caught in those angry eyes. "If you dropped that box to give me more work, I'll get to it later." She muttered, lifting another box onto her stack. There was no response from Granny. "Granny?" She finally turned around, and found Granny on the ground. Not breathing. "What happened to her?" Twilight asked. "Heart attack. She was really old. I shouldn't have riled her up like that. I must've visited her ten times this year. I knew she couldn't handle being very angry. Plus, she was working herself. I shouldn't have said those things..." "Don't blame yourself like this, Gilda. You didn't kno-" "But I did know! I knew that her heart was weak! I knew she was getting close to death! I shouldn't ha-" She was cut off by swift hoof to the face. It took her a moment to register that she'd just been slapped, and she stared incredulously at Twilight. Again, the two found themselves lost in each others eyes. After a moment of staring Gilda, being in her emotional state, grabbed Twilight and wrapped her in a hug, nuzzling her in a manner that Twilight was sure was a little more than friendly. For her part, Twilight nuzzled back, and after a moment even kissed Gilda's cheek. It took several minutes before she even realized what she was doing and who she was doing it to. She suddenly pushed Gilda back. "I-I'm sorry... This is too sudden." She hesitated, staring at Gilda for a moment, but eventually teleported away with another pop. Give It A TryTwilight passed Rainbow and Fluttershy on her way back to the library. They both looked after her in confusion, both taken aback that Twilight was crying. Not knowing what to think, Rainbow flew off to ask Gilda what had happened. She found the griffin sitting, hunched over, and no longer crying on her cloud. "G? What happened?" Rainbow asked. The griffin didn't reply; instead she simply sniffled and turned away. "G, Twi was really upset. I don't know why she was crying, but I bet you do. So, come on. Tell me." Rainbow landed on the cloud next to her and attempted to wrap an arm around her, but before she could even sit close enough to, Gilda shoved her away. "I screwed up, okay?" Gilda finally answered. Rainbow simply stared at her, waiting for more information. Gilda glanced at her after a moment, realizing that she wasn't satisfied with that. "I-I did something stupid, told her about it, then did another stupid thing, okay? Would you just leave me alone?" "No. What happened?" Gilda's eyes fell back to the cloud they were seated on. She decided to tell Rainbow about her Granny. Then she explained the conversation that followed. And the... other events. "Twilight kissed you?" "O-on the cheek." Gilda rationalized. Rainbow gave her a sly grin. "Did you like it?" "E-excuse me?! That's a bit personal, don't you thi-" Rainbow hadn't put away her sly grin yet. In fact, it had grown as soon as Gilda began indignantly defending herself. Gilda's shoulders drooped in defeat. "Well... yes." She mumbled, thanking Celestia, again, that her blush couldn't be seen. "Heh, G, you sly do- wait... then what happened?" Rainbow asked with a frown. "I don't know. She pushed me away then said it was too sudden and ran off." Gilda replied. "What did you mean 'you screwed up'?" Rainbow's frown deepened. "I shouldn't have hugged her. I guess it threw her off and stuff... I don't know. I screwed up whatever we had." " 'Whatever we had'? You say that like the two of you were-" "Oh, shut up." Gilda muttered. "Okay, sorry." Rainbow said, holding her hooves up defensively. "So, what are you gonna do?" "Wh-what do you mean?" "Oh, come on. You two were nuzzling, she kissed you, and now you're all broken up over her running off. You ARE going to do something, aren't you?" "I guess..." "Then what is it?" Gilda took a moment to consider the question. What were her options? She could go talk to Twilight. You know, the direct approach. Or she could find some roundabout way of doing it, which she didn't have the patience to think about. "Guess I should talk to her?" Gilda asked. "Why are you asking me? I've only ever dated one mare!" "For years, apparently." "Meh. I didn't even really ask her out. Anyway, what's important is what YOU are gonna do." "Right..." Rainbow quirked an eyebrow. "Erm- I uh- should go talk to her." "Since when were you so indecisive?" Rainbow asked with a laugh. "I don- *sigh* I'll go talk to her." Gilda answered, catching on to what Rainbow was implying. "Good idea!" Rainbow said with a wink, flying off. Gilda barely had time to think that she was treating this a bit lightly before following suit and heading to the library. *sniff* Twilight was in the library, studying like a madmare in an attempt to keep herself from thinking about the events of the day. How had it gone so fast? This morning she was still criticizing Gilda's ability to make friends, then she was sentimentalizing with her, then she was kissing her cheek. All in one day! 'Gah! I'm thinking about it!' She thought, frantically using her magic to pull a few more books down for her to read. She jotted down some quick notes on what she was reading, memorized a few of those notes, jotted down more notes, read another few pages, jotted down notes, memorized some, cross-compared, then read some more. She continued in a manner similar to this until the thoughts finally caught up with her. 'Does the pace matter? If we're going this fast, then maybe that's what we need to do...' She shook her head, fighting back a sniffle. Whether or not she liked Gilda, she'd screwed it up by going that fast, and she'd made it worse by running off like that. Or at least, she thought she had... *bang bang* She heard somepony knocking on the door downstairs. "Coming!" She heard Spike yell. She heard the door open. She heard Spike greet Gilda nervously. Wait, Gilda?! She used her magic to slam her bedroom door shut and lock it. There was a bang and a rattling of the handle, followed by Gilda's voice. "Twi, let me in, please!" Twilight didn't answer; she merely sat there on her bed, staring at the door as it shook with the powerful griffin's attempts at entrance. It eventually stopped shaking, the sounds of her pushing the door and pulling the handle being replaced by an odd clicking sound. After a moment, Twilight heard the door's lock click, and the door swung open. It showed Gilda standing there, bending her head to be eye-level with the lock, her hand up with a claw pointed out like she was sticking into something. She looked a little surprised. "I didn't think it'd be THAT easy..." She mumbled. "H-how did you do that?" Twilight asked, momentarily forgetting why she had locked the door. Gilda flicked her claws about in a show-offy manner. "I picked it. You ponies make easy locks..." Gilda answered as she walked into Twilight's room slowly. She looked around, not surprised to see that even her room contained shelves of books. She looked back at Twilight again, her face softening. "Listen, Twi, we need to talk." "S-sure...." Twilight replied, conceding that this had to happen, no matter how much she feared it, and no matter how rational or irrational that fear was. "Okay... so, uh- we barely know each other, right?" Gilda started. "Right..." Twilight answered slowly. "And we get along well." "Y-yeah. Really well, all things considered." "Right. So uhm... Yeah..." Gilda's train of thought brought her to the detail she didn't quite know how to handle. "I uhm... I shouldn't have run off like that. Not while you were... like that. And not after I..." Twilight's cheeks turned pinkish purple from the blush. "Not after I kissed you." "*ahem* I should've said something, though..." They sat in an awkward silence for a moment, not looking at each other. For her part, Gilda didn't quite understand how this had happened. She'd shown up in search of friendship advice, and next thing she new, she was nuzzling the teacher. She didn't even understand the attraction, nor did she fully believe that the attraction was a genuine one and not just one of her... 'flings'. She'd never felt something like this though. Never had she been torn up because the object of her affections had run off. Never had she been worried that a relationship would die like this. Well... there was Rainbow, but this was different. Twilight didn't understand it much either. Rainbow and Fluttershy being the way they were together had taught her that love has many forms, so that wasn't the problem here. No, two females wasn't what had her in a bind, it was the fact that the two of them were so darn different. She lived in a library she was such an egghead, and Gilda was an athlete. Played Stormball and went into stunts just like Rainbow, and all those things. The two sat in silent thought, both feeling that there was something to say, but neither knowing what to say. Twilight was afraid that if she said something wrong all chances of... whatever this is continuing would be dashed away. Gilda, however, was worried that if she did something wrong she'd never know where this could've gone. After a while, Twilight gave a sharp intake of breath. "L-look. I don't want this to just stop here..." She started, unsure of herself. "Yeah..." Gilda agreed. Twilight glanced at her nervously. "This is gonna come off cheesy to you, but I feel something here..." Twilight continued, using a hoof to gesture between the two of them. "... and I don't want it to die, or just stop there. I kinda wanna give it a try." "Me, too..." Gilda replied quietly. They fell silent again for a few moments, both trying to decide exactly what they should do next. Gilda's eyes scanned the room around her in an attempt to avoid those lavender eyes. At the same time, Twilight's eyes were downcast in an attempt to avoid the griffin's amber ones. Eventually, the griffin's eyes wandered over to the unicorn's, while the unicorn's glanced up quickly, but caught on the amber ones in front of her. For the third time that day, their eyes locked onto each other, and they sat there, eyes wide as dinner plates. Both stayed that way for a split second before Gilda leaned forward and wrapped her neck around Twilight's. The two embraced and nuzzled for Celestia knows how long before Spike walked in. "Uhh..." Twilight and Gilda jerked away from each other at the sound of his voice, their faces showing obvious embarrassment, with or without the blushing. "Spike! Uhm-" "Don't bother! After walking in on Rainbow and Shy, I've stopped caring..." Spike said, walking out. Spike walked downstairs, trying to stop thinking about what he just saw. It didn't help that while he was cleaning up some of the mess from Twilight's studies he kept finding books on relationships. He continued working, then suddenly remembered why he had gone up there in the first place. It had been to ask if he could visit Rarity, but after walking in on that, there was no way he was gonna ask Twilight now. "Dang it!" Spike muttered. FlightThat night Gilda stayed in the guest room. It was cozy enough, and definitely better than sleeping on a cloud outside of town, but Gilda was still a little uncomfortable with this whole thing. She'd been in town for two days, and had just found herself in a relationship with a mare. A pony! Gilda sighed into her pillow. This was the first time she actually wanted something like this to last longer than just to the point of physical pleasures... and she had no clue how to handle it. Elsewhere in the building, Twilight was pondering something similar, the difference being that this was her first relationship ever, which was with a female griffin, and it had sprouted up in two days. Only two! How was she supposed to handle that? Simple: Take it in stride. The next morning the two sat across from each other at Twilight's table, eating breakfast slowly. The two barely made eye contact, as they were a bit busy thinking about all the things, good or bad, that lay ahead of them. It was odd for both of them; being face-to-face with someone who could easily settle their fears, but not asking them to. Gilda picked at her eggs gingerly, while Twilight barely touched her toast. Eventually, Gilda got tired of sitting there and dropped her fork on her plate with a loud clatter. "What are we gonna do?" She asked, to which Twilight merely quirked a brow. "What do you mean?" "Our first date." Gilda answered hastily. "First dates are always boring, right?" "I wouldn't kno-" "Well, I don't want that this time. How about I show you something awesome, then you show me something." "What do you mean?" Twilight asked, looking thoroughly confused. "Like, something that you could never experience..." She thought hard for a moment, then slapped her own forehead at how obvious the explanation was. "Duh! I could take you flying!" "I-I've been to the clouds before..." "No, not walking on clouds. I mean flying. As in, fast, furious, crazy, you know; all that jazz." Twilight's eyes widened incredulously at the realization. "You mean...holding me while you do stunts?" "Maybe... but mostly flying fast and stuff. Don't worry, I won't drop you. Promise." Gilda said with an awkward smile. Twilight blushed madly at the thought of Gilda holding her tightly whilst flying at high speeds. It was certainly tempting, but it was dangerous right? Of course, she'd never gone flying, and Rainbow always described it as one of the best things in the world. The idea of it was daunting, but almost seductive; soaring through the air, feeling the wind on her face, sudden twists and turns, then coming back down, safe and sound. So tempting.... "Sure. Let's try that..." They walked to the park, arriving there to find Rainbow performing some stunts, being watched by a wide-eyed and broadly smiling Fluttershy. When she caught site of them sitting for a moment, she walked over and sat next to them. "U-uhm... What happened?" She asked quietly. Gilda suddenly seemed to find the clouds very interesting, while Twilight blushed and started examining her hoof. "U-uh... Well..." She looked to Gilda for help, but none was found. "We uhm... sort of resolved the issue, I guess..." She said slowly. "Yeah... you could say that..." Gilda noted. "Sooo..?" Fluttershy prompted with a small smile. "Are you two..?" Twilight looked over at Gilda again, her cheeks getting slightly redder. Gilda looked back, and shrugged. "Pretty much." Twilight said. Fluttershy's smile got a bit wider as she looked back up at Rainbow Dash. "Yay." She cheered softly, leaving the two unsure whether it was for them or for Rainbow. Rainbow looked down and saw the three sitting together, and swooped down to land near them. "What's up?" She asked as she trotted over. Twilight glanced over at Gilda. "Your turn." She said slyly. Gilda sighed, turning to face Rainbow. "We're a uhh..." She looked at Twilight for a moment, trying to think of the word. "... Thing." She said after a moment. "A... 'thing'?" Rainbow asked. She and the other two were quirking their eyebrows at Gilda over her choice of word. Gilda's face deadpanned. "Fine. We're together. Okay?" Twilight leaned her head against Gilda's neck with her eyes closed, much to the griffins embarrassment. "I like 'together' more than being a 'thing'." Twilight said with a small giggle as Gilda wrapped an arm around her. The two pegasi smiled together at the small display of affection between the new couple. Rainbow sat down next to Fluttershy, wrapping a wing around her. " 'Kay, so, whatya gonna do first?" Rainbow asked as Fluttershy scooted closer. Twilight opened her eyes again and looked at them. "Well..." Twilight trailed off. "It sorta seems stupid, now that I think about it..." Gilda said, scratching her head with her spare hand. "... But I was gonna uhm... take her flying..." She got quieter with every word, causing Rainbow and Fluttershy to lean in to hear better, then simultaneously quirk eyebrows. "What do you mean? Unicorns can't fly." Fluttershy pointed out. "She's going to... hold me." Twilight said. "Ohh... Huh, sounds like fun..." Rainbow commented thoughtfully. She and Fluttershy couldn't really do that, considering that they could both already fly on their own. "Yes it does." Fluttershy said, sharing a similar thought. Perhaps if she just tucked her wings in tightly, Rainbow could... She shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts. "Well... I hope so. I suggested it." Gilda replied. "Speaking of... I'm uh- I'm a little eager to go..." Twilight interrupted shyly. Rainbow and Fluttershy stood with a giggle and walked away, giving polite goodbyes. The new couple stood slowly, trying to figure out the best way for Gilda to hold Twilight that would be both comfortable, and safe. Eventually they settled on a position in which Gilda was holding her elbows underneath Twilight's armpits. At first, she hung and dangled awkwardly, but at high speeds her body was pressed, back to chest, against Gilda's. The flight, to Gilda, was simple, safe, and slightly slower than she preferred. However, to Twilight it was quite exhilarating. She felt weightless, heard the wind in her ears, saw the world stretch before her, almost tasted the altitude, and even smelled storm clouds brewing a good few miles away. The exhilaration of the flight got to her, and she began to holler and 'woop!' all throughout the flight, much to Gilda's entertainment. The two soared through the air for almost an hour before finally landing again, Twilight both ecstatic about her experience, and shaking from the height and cold of the level they'd been flying at. The two laid down together in an open field for a while after their landing. "That was amazing!" Twilight gushed excitedly, nuzzling into Gilda's neck for the second time that day. The two stayed that way for a while, laying against each other for comfort and warmth against the cool air of late morning. When a cold breeze caused the still shaking unicorn to shiver again, Gilda wrapped one massive wing around her. "Thanks." Twilight felt awkward, unsure of whether or not they were being too physical already. She wasn't quite sure what level of physical contact was acceptable, but then again, what were they supposed to measure against? Of course, Gilda's fur was warm, and her wing protected Twilight from the wind, so there really wasn't anything to complain about. She decided she'd be content this way and allowed her eyelids to slowly droop. Gilda couldn't hold back a light laugh when Twilight started snoring softly. Twilight was startled when she woke up in a bed. She sat up quickly and examined her surroundings. She realized she was in her own bedroom, sitting in her own bed, staring at her own walls, accompanied by her own girlfriend (the term they'd agreed upon when referring to each other seeing as Gilda technically wasn't a mare.) Wait... She looked over at the big creature sleeping peacefully in her bed with her, thinking hard as to whether or not there had been any funny business. She couldn't recall anything, and her innocent mind decided that if she didn't remember it, it didn't happen. Luckily, she was right. Twilight got up slowly, thanking Celestia quietly that Gilda was as heavy of a sleeper as Rainbow Dash was. She walked downstairs, glanced at the clock, realized that it was almost three in the afternoon, and quietly began preparing lunch. The delicious smell of a vegetable stew filled the library, and before long, Gilda was walking down the stairs. Yep. Just like Rainbow, she'd sleep through a thunderstorm, but the smell of a good meal would wake her up. She sat down at the table as Twilight magically scooped some stew into a bowl and floated it over to the table for her to dig into. She walked over and sat down across from her and began to enjoy her own bowl of stew silently. The two ate wordlessly, but not avoiding each others eyes. For the first time, neither wanted to look away when their eyes locked, and neither tried. MoonriseLunch was well and good, but both wanted this day to keep going. As Gilda had suggested, it was now Twilight's turn to show her something. This raised a question for Twilight: what could she show Gilda that Gilda couldn't do herself? Gilda insisted that she didn't need to show her anything special, just to come up with something, but Twilight refused to equate flying with a simple dinner or stroll through the park. No, she needed to return the favor with something special... But what could she do? Gilda wouldn't enjoy meeting the Princess, and she probably has no interest in ninety-seven point eight-three-six-two percent of the books in the library. No wait... make that ninety seven point eight-three-six-four percent... Twilight wracked her brain for ideas- anything at all- that she could do. She thought of who she had for friends that could help: A fashionista? No. A party animal? Maybe, but that wouldn't be very good date material. A farmer? Not really... An animal caretaker? Nope. A daredevil who already knows Gilda? Yeah, but then Twilight wouldn't really be involved. The captain of the guard? No real application here. The princess ruler of the land? Well, that'd be taking it a bit far. The princess of the night. N- wait... Light Bulb! Twilight asked Rainbow to distract Gilda for the rest of the day so she could get everything set up. It was mainly a matter of getting Luna's attention through letters, then simply explaining the situation, which came off as embarrassing until the princess stated she saw nothing wrong here. After that, she simply explained her request, then said please a lot. It worked. Luna even agreed to ask her sister to set up a shorter sunset to make room for the display. She stated in a letter ten minutes later that it had been an easy endeavor. The next step was setting up the clouds. She got Fluttershy to take Rainbow's job, then asked Rainbow to set them up for her. The weather team captain had no issues with the matter, and thus it became a simple task for both her and her team to set up a perfect pattern. They had done this with sunsets before, but this was new, so it took them about thirty minutes to set them up just right. Once that was done, Twilight asked Applejack if there was a good spot on her farm that she could use tonight. Luckily, the farmer had a good spot in mind that could see the spectacle with little difficulty. She decided to go for a two-in-one date, so she asked Pinkie to prepare something tasty for them. After all that, Twilight looked up from her planning to realize everything was ready and she had only half an hour left before Luna's spectacle. She went over to the park where -and she was curious about how this was done- Fluttershy was occupying Gilda's time. She arrived to find Fluttershy quietly playing with some rabbits and squirrels while Gilda was napping against a tree. Twilight couldn't say she was surprised. She walked over and softly nudged Gilda's stomach with the tip of her hoof. She woke up, slightly annoyed by the itchiness of the tree against her back, but she didn't complain since Twilight's face was the first thing she saw. She couldn't stop herself from mentally noting, for the umpteenth time, that those eyes were startlingly cute. "I'm up, I'm up." She said as she rolled away from the tree and stood up to start stretching. "Got... whatever it is ready?" "Yep." Twilight answered, glancing at the lowering sun. Gilda followed her eyes, then gave a grin. "Ooh, is this one of those 'short-lived, but still special' things?" She asked. Twilight glanced at her blankly. "Yeah... you could say that." A few minutes later they were seated on a hill with a perfect view of the horizon opposite the sun. Gilda was confused for a moment before she noticed the odd formation of the clouds. She decided that there was something special happening with the sky, but it wasn't the sunset... so that left- As she came to a conclusion, a silver light began to appear over the horizon. As the light began to spread across the sky, a glowing white sliver appeared over the horizon. This sliver slowly grew and waxed as it rose over the line of the world, becoming a full-on moonrise as they watched. It's light reflected off of the clouds, forming a brilliant spectacle of silver, white, grey, blue, and black that paired perfectly with the stars and their constellations. Wait a minute... Gilda squinted at an oddly shaped set of stars that she'd never seen before. Was it-? No it couldn't be... It is! It was a detailed constellation of a griffin. One with a suspiciously similar build to her own, as well as a yellow star place perfectly where the griffins eyes should be. Most ponies and griffins were aware that amber eyes, like Gilda's, were rare amongst an already scarce species. There really was only one reason that a constellation would have a yellow star for an eye. She felt an intense heat in her cheeks as she leaned down and whispered to the pony next to her, "I'm pretty sure that I've never seen that one before." as she pointed at the constellation in question. "That could be because I requested that Luna make it..." Twilight replied, sounding as though it weren't a big deal. "You called in a favor with the Princess of the Night for me?" Twilight looked at her, slightly worried. "Too much?" She asked nervously. This made Gilda pause for thought. She actually hadn't been thinking of that; she'd been thinking of how flattered she was that this mare she'd been with for two days was willing to call in a favor from a princess for her. "Maybe, but I don't care. I'm just flattered." Gilda answered. She wrapped one massive wing around Twilight and pulled her closer for a loving embrace. "Thanks." The sat in silence as Twilight opened up a picnic basket that Pinkie had prepared, and they began to peacefully eat away the treats she'd readied for them. After all the sugary treats had been devoured, Twilight scooted over and laid against Gilda, quietly resting her head against the wide-eyed griffins chest. In response, Gilda wrapped an arm around her gently, then a wing as well as a cool breeze blew in. "Hey, Gilda?" Twilight asked, looking up with tired-out eyes. "Yes?" "Do you think this will last?" The librarian asked, using a hoof to gesture to the display of affection between them. Gilda thought about the question for a moment, then nuzzled her cheek against Twilight's. "I think so."
GuiltTwilight Sparkle was about to open the door to her library house, but stopped when she heard something. She listened closely for a moment. "Twil-" "Sh!" She interrupted Spike mid-word. The little dragon slouched down on her back, utterly confused by her actions. Then the sound came again and he understood what was up. It was an odd shuffling sound, but it was the kind of sound they only heard when Big Macintosh was in the library, because it was the sound of something large and heavy moving around. Twilight cautiously opened the door and peeked inside. What she saw she had trouble understanding. "Gilda?" The griffin froze, mid-stride, and looked at her. For a moment she seemed to be at a loss of words, but she eventually recovered and opened her mouth to speak. "I-uh...*ahem* I need your help...with... friendship... stuff." She cringed, as though asking for help from the purple librarian caused physical pain. She was met with two blank stares from the unicorn and the dragon on her back. "Spike?" "Uh- yeah?" "Would you please go make us some tea?" "Thank you, Spike. Now would you please go over to Rarity's? And don't tell her about this, alright?" "Sure thing, Twilight." The little dragon answered before waddling off. As the door shut behind him Twilight turned back to Gilda, who was gingerly sipping the tea. As soon as the drink entered her mouth she spat it back out, disgusted with its flavor. "So what did you need my help with?" Twilight asked as Gilda began to spoon some sugar into her tea. "I- erm..." Her eyes fell from Twilight's as her voice caught in her throat. "Well, I've just been trying to find a way to win Dash back." She said taking a sip of tea. She grimaced at it and put the cup down with disgust, apparently under the influence it couldn't be saved from it's horrible flavor. "Dash? You realize that it's been almost a year, right?" "I know... But at least she won't hate me as much as she did a month after that party, right?" She said with a weak smile. Twilight replied to it with a look that simply said that that detail wouldn't matter much. "Yes, the apparent hate will be gone, but I don't think she'll appreciate how long it took you to apologize. You did plan to apologize, didn't you?" "Duh! What else would I do?" "I don't know, that's why I was asking. Sheesh! Okay, so think about it this way: Say I slapped you and waited a week to say I was sorry when I was actually sorry the whole time. You'd be pretty unlikely to even think I was sorry, right?" "Uh... sure." Gilda answered, a little upset at the idea that Rainbow might not even accept her apology. If she didn't accept the apology, then what could Gilda do to salvage her best friendship? "Okay, so if she doesn't except your apology then what will you do?" "I- I don- I don't know." Gilda answered, completely frustrated. She slumped against the table, trying to hold on to her cool composure. "Okay, I didn't mean to upset you." Twilight said gently. She was still unsure whether she should be rough-an'-tumble with Gilda or not. She'd seemed like such a tough griffin back when her and Rainbow had had their falling out, but now? She seemed a little emotional. "Uhm...wh-why did you wait so long to come back?" "Are you kidding? If I had come back right away, she'd have killed me. But then I just couldn't work up the guts to come back. Then I began to think she didn't deserve something as bad as me. So for a while I just gave up on all hope of it..." "What drove you to want to come back?" "I felt bad, and I needed to apologize..." Gilda answered. She buried her face in her arms and mumbled out. "I guess I couldn't live with myself if I didn't know whether there was still a chance or not." "What made you come to me first? Why didn't just go straight to Rainbow?" Gilda looked up as she asked this. "Er.... I- well she's obviously different. I just thought the best idea would be to ask one of her friends about it." "Okay... She'd probably still like you, but just not with the whole, roaring at Fluttershy when you bump into her, or screaming at Pinkie Pie over a few pranks." Gilda's eyes drifted back to the table as she said this. "I- I shouldn't have done those things... I was-" She looked away, her eyes screwed shut in an effort to stop the sting. "*ahem* I was just trying to impress Dash. I didn't know that she wasn't like that anymore..." "Like what? Mean? Jerky? Sno-" "I get it." Gilda muttered. Twilight looked at her for a moment. The poor girl was looking more and more upset by the moment. "Were you were really trying to impress Rainbow when you lost your cool and started raging at that party?" "Er- well... no. Listen, I'm not like that any more, okay?" "Sorry if I have troubles believing that." "I don't blame you." Gilda mumbled quietly. Twilight looked at her in a whole new light at that. If Gilda was acting the way she was under all this criticism and sarcasm, then why shouldn't Twilight believe she was different? Back at that party, if Twilight had acted this way towards her, she would've lashed out. But here was Gilda, trying her hardest to not break under pressure, and hoping to receive help mending a broken friendship. It seemed odd to Twilight how desperate Gilda seemed. "Gilda..." "Yeah?" "Is Rainbow... special to you?" "Excuse me?" Gilda asked, straightening in her seat. "You aren't seriously asking me if I-... You've got to be kidding, right?" "I- *ahem* I was just being sure. I didn't mean to-... Okay, forget it." Gilda kept staring at her, offense and shock evident on her face. "So... let me think.... I guess you should find her and apologize. If this "new you" is legitimate, then I'm sure there will be some kind of positive response." "B-but... I came here to learn to be a better friend." "What?" Twilight quirked a brow. "You study friendship and stuff. I mean, you write freaking letters to the princess about it. I figured you could teach me something..." "Well... I guess I could.... but- you're sure you want ME of all ponies to teach you?" "Yeah... I don't see why not." Twilight eyed her for a moment, and eventually decided that she could quit any time if this didn't work out. "Okay, let's start with the basics..." She glanced out the window at the setting sun. "... tomorrow." Gilda's eyes lit up as she answered in the affirmative. She went around the table and grabbed Twilight in a big bear-er- Griffin hug. Twilight felt her cheeks heat up as she was lifted from her seat in the intimate gesture. Two thoughts flashed forward in her mind. Gilda hugs? Why do I almost enjoy this? "-ank you, thank you! I promise I'll try my hardest to get this right." Gilda was saying, dragging Twilight back to reality. "*cough* No problem. I'm sure you'll do fine." She twitched her back legs slightly, and Gilda seemed to suddenly realize what she was doing. She set her down, none too gently, on her hooves. "Heh... Sorry..." She said rubbing the back of her head and smiling sheepishly. "That's okay...uhm... you should get going... I'm going to need to go get Spike before it get's dark." "Y-yeah, sure." Gilda replied as she moved towards the door. She hesitated and glanced back at Twilight, who was magically cleaning up the tea cups. "Be here around eight, okay?" Twilight requested. "Yeah. Count on it." Gilda replied before opening the door and flying away.
Getting StartedGilda took a deep breath before knocking on the door. It swung open instantly, revealing an annoyed Spike. "You're late. I've been standing here waiting for like five minutes." "Five whole minutes? Poor you! I had to fly for twelve to make sure nopony saw me come here, but I'm sure standing around doing nothing is just SO exhausting." Gilda replied in a sarcastic, condescending tone. Spike simply huffed and waddled off, unphased by the comment. "Twilight is upstairs." " 'kay, thanks." Gilda replied offhandedly. She hovered up the stairs and found Twilight in her room, reading through some random scrolls. "Uhh... hey?" Twilight's head whipped up in surprise, obviously having been entranced in her reading. "Oh, sorry. I was just looking over some of my old reports to the princess." "You actually have notes?" "Well, yeah. How else would I keep tabs on everything I'm learning on friendship?" "It took me this long to realize how...silly studying friendship seemed until just now." "Don't get funny with me about my job." Twilight said warningly. Gilda held up her talons defensively. "Okay, sorry. I didn't mean to insult your hobbi-" "Job." "Right. Job. Sorry." "Okay so step one is probably gonna have to be figuring out if you and Rainbow can even still be friends. That's actually kinda obvious." Twilight said, glancing through some notes. She started sifting through scroll after scroll of notes on friendship. Mostly little things she'd scribbled on compatibility. "What do you mean?" "You and Dash are a lot alike, aside from one major detail." "What's that?" "Your attitude is appalling in comparison to hers. She's really quite nice to other ponies. She draws a line with rudeness, and even though she isn't good at it, she does know how to use subtlety. I have other points I could make, but I think I've already insulted you enough." "Are you using this as an excuse to trash on someone you hate?" "Oh, I don't hate you Gilda. I just don't have much love for you either. After all, you haven't given me much reason to." Gilda's eyes dropped to the floor. "I guess not." "And as to whether or not I'm using this situation to trash on you? No I am not. I'm just pointing out the difference between you and Dash that seems to have been behind your falling out. She was obviously offended by the way you treated her friends, and was not happy to see that you weren't willing to accept that she had friends who weren't that 'cool'." "I get it." "I'm not sure you do. Take me for example." Gilda quirked an eyebrow. "I'm an obvious 'egghead' right? I live in a library, I've read every book in it multiple times each, I study friendship and send my findings to the princess on a constant basis... I might as well wear a sign that says I'm a massive egghead." She paused a moment to consider her own point. She shrugged and carried on. "Can you see ME as a possible friend for you?" "Uh... Sure?" "Honestly?" Twilight asked, obviously unamused. "Well... no. I can't." Gilda answered after a moment. "That's gonna be a huge stopper in your friendship with Rainbow. She IS the Element of Loyalty after all. If you can't get along with her friends then she probably can't get along with you, and she's not likely to drop four amazing friendships and...erm...Fluttershy... for you." She finished awkwardly. "Yeah, probably not." "Okay, this'll probably go on for a while so I'll send Spike to fetch us something to eat." "Okay..." Gilda said hesitantly. Twenty minutes later, they were sitting in Twilight's kitchen, quietly enjoying some hay fries. Well, Twilight was. Gilda was sitting, bored with the odd food that ponies eat. It wasn't worth the widespread panic to explain to Twilight that, as a griffin, she ate meat. Nonetheless she attempted to enjoy the fries, which in reality weren't that bad. They had enough seasoning on them to make them bearable, and luckily Gilda could digest them. She wouldn't have attended Cloudsdale schools if the food they served wasn't edible. She still preferred the taste of meat. Especially well cooked meat... Fresh off the grill, still leaking out some juices... Gilda coughed at the thought as she chewed on another hay fry. "Oh, right. Griffins normally eat meat, don't they?" "Well, er... yeah, but I'm fine with this, really." "Okay... if you say so." "So what are we gonna do about this 'difference between me and Rainbow' thing?" "Well, we could try to see if you really can't get along with her friends, and if that takes too much effort, then we know it's a lost cause." "Lost cause? How?" "We are NOT going to change everything about you for the sake of a dead friendship." Twilight deadpanned. "Oh... that makes sense." Gilda said, her hope for rekindling her closest friendship beginning to fade. "Hey." Twilight said gently. Gilda looked at her cautiously. "Looks like you're off to a good start as it is." Gilda quirked a brow again. "Well, we seem to get along. I don't have any complaints." "Meh." Gilda said offhandedly. "So... what's the plan, then?" "First off, I'm helping you make friends with my other friends for the sake of helping you with Rainbow. This isn't entirely about you making up with Rainbow. Second, the plan is simple really. You'll just have to make up with Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie before there's any chance that Rainbow will forgive you." "You really thin-" "Pretty darn sure." "Okay, who first?" "This one will be easy. Pinkie Pie." "Oh crud." "Oh hi Gilda! Oh, are you in town to apologize to Rainbow?" "Er- yeah..." "So why are you talking to m- OH! You want to make up for being mad at me, right? Well, don't worry! I forgave you a long time ago. Although, it wasn't to your face so I guess I should say it now." She walked up to Gilda, closed her eyes, and said in a formal tone, "I forgive you." Then she broke back into a ridiculous grin. "Feel better?" "Uh... yeah. A bit." "Great!" And with that the pink mare turned and trotted off happily. Gilda was left staring in complete confusion. "When I said she'd be easy, I thought you would at least need the coaching I gave you." Twilight murmured as she walked over and watched Pinkie go. "I did, too..." Gilda suddenly shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Who's next?" "Uhm... Well you didn't really do anything to Applejack, and if she believes you when you say you're sorry then you should be good." "Okay. What do I need to know about Applejack?" "You're asking me like this is some kind of covert ops mission." Twilight muttered. She started walking towards the edge of town and Gilda followed suit. "Okay, she's the Element of Honesty, so she never lies and she's really good at spotting a liar, so don't even think about trying it. She's a hard working pony and I bet, if she won't listen, then some kind of assistance with labor will get her attention. I think you'll figure out the rest." "You call this coaching?" "Hmm?" "I was on the Stormball team for Celestia's sake. The coach back then would yell and holler, an-" "Do you really think that would help in a social environment?" "I don't really care what would help in a social environment..." The walk to the orchard was silent and without interruption for the two unlikely acquaintances. They arrived and found Big Macintosh tending to a damaged section of fence near the gate. "Hi, Big Mac." Twilight said politely. He looked up from his work and smiled warmly at the pair in front of him. "Well, howdy Miss Twilight, and who is this ya've brought with ya?" Twilight nudged Gilda in the ribs with an elbow. "Ow! Er- I'm Gilda." "Pleased ta meet ya Miss Gilda. I'd shake yer hand, but my hooves are a bit full." He replied, showing the hammer in one hoof. "That's okay, Big Mac, we were just here to see Applejack. Where can we find her?" Twilight asked. "She's out buckin' apples. Ah think ya might find her in the East field." "Thanks, Big Mac." Twilight said. She led the way to the East Field through a series of twisting paths. Gilda followed her, only a few steps behind. Eventually, they started hearing a constant thudding sound and from there they just followed their ears. After a few minutes they arrived in a clearing, to Applejack's surprise. "Well howdy, Twili- Gilda? What in the hay are you doin' here?" "Well, I was here to-" "Ya know what? I don' much care. You ain't plannin' on screamin' at Pinkie Pie or verbally assaultin' Fluttershy again, are ya?" "No." Gilda said, taken aback by Applejack's obvious displeasure. She'd never done anything to Applejack, had she? "Oh... I forgot to mention that she was about as mad at you as Rainbow was..." Twilight muttered while Applejack moved on to buck another tree. "That would've been nice to know." Gilda muttered back. Applejack examined the tree she'd just bucked for additional apples. Satisfied that she'd gotten them all in one buck, she turned back to Gilda, having not noticed their little tangent. "Good. So, why're you talkin' ta me?" "I wanted to apologize to you for what I did last time I was here." "Ya do, do ya? Well good for you. Why are ya talkin' ta me about it?" "Erm-" Gilda glanced over at Twilight, who simply shrugged. "An' Twilight. Are you helpin' Gilda with this?" Applejack wasn't accusing, merely curious. "Well... yes." "Why?" Again, merely curious. "It's a broken friendship, Applejack. I firmly believe it has a chance if at least one pony er- griffin has the will to fix it." Applejack eyed her for a moment, then simply sighed. "Alright. Ah fergive ya, Gilda. Ah ain't quite sure what fer, but Ah fergive ya." She bucked another tree. "Jeeze, I'd figured it'd be harder than this." Gilda noted as they left the orchard. "Me too..." Twilight seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. "At this rate, Rarity should be pretty easy as well, but Fluttershy might not be. I don't know how she felt about you treating her the way you did, then Pinkie throwing you a party." "Erm- I guess that wouldn't feel like the best thing would it?" "Not really..." Gilda was quiet for a moment before speaking up again. "Did you mean what you said earlier? Do you really think this could work out?" "Of course, everything has a chance to happen, and anything is possible. I've seen all kinds of things happen that nopony would believe was possible until it had happened. I mean, Discord made clouds out of cotton candy that rained chocolate milk. How could you and Rainbow rekindling your friendship not work? Besides, I'm beginning to think there is something different about you." She looked over at Gilda who looked back at her. For a moment, the two locked eyes, both with a seemingly surprised, wide-eyed look on their faces. After a moment of this oddity, Twilight suddenly jerked out of those amber eyes and back into reality. She coughed as she turned away. "Moving on." Gilda, for her part, readjusted her forehead feathers the way she did when trying to maintain 'coolness'. "Right."
Revelations"Why hello, darling. How can I he- Gilda." Rarity eyed her wearily as she allowed entrance. "Good morning, Rarity." Twilight greeted cheerily. "Good morning, Twilight." Rarity replied, apprehensively glancing at Gilda. "So... What brings you two here?" Twilight glanced at Gilda quickly then back to Rarity with a polite smile. "I uh- *ahem* I wanted to apologize." Gilda started. "Oh? Whatever for? I don't recall as you ever wronging me." Rarity asked. "I just wanted to apologize for everything I did last time I was in town. I was just being a complete jerk and.... I shouldn't have done what I did." Gilda answered. Rarity quirked an eyebrow at her. "Well I-... I suppose I forgive you. After all, I'm not the one you wronged, that was Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash. You should talk to them." "I'm going to." Gilda replied confidently. "Right. Well, would either of like some tea? I have a pot on already." "Why tha-" Twilight began. "No!" Gilda interrupted. She found herself faced with Twilight and Rarity staring at her. "Erm- I just want to go talk to Fluttershy and Dash sooner, rather than later. "Oh, pish posh. Twilight, did you not tell her that they are in Cloudsdale?" "They're in Cloudsdale?" Twilight asked. "Why, yes, of course. They were going to see a Wonderbolts show. Just the two of them." Rarity answered with a meaningful look. "Oh, I see. No I didn't know." "They're not in town? Then what can I do?" Gilda asked. "Well for now..." Rarity smiled. "You can have some tea with Twilight and I." "*groan* Sure, why not?" "Oh, come one, Gilda, it wasn't that bad." Twilight commented as they walked away from the boutique. "Are you kidding? I think she tried to poison me! *gag* Uhg... it tasted horrible." Gilda laughed. "I think Rarity's tea is pretty good." Twilight muttered. "And I think it's nasty." Gilda added with a wry smirk. Twilight fought hard, to not smile, but failed. "Fine. That's your opinion." She said, giggling lightly. "So... What should we do until Rainbow and Fluttershy get back?" "I don't know... Hey, what did Rarity mean when she said 'just the two of them' the way she did?" Gilda asked. "I thought you knew them in flight school..." Twilight noted. "Yeah? So?" "They've been together since their freshmen year. Did they keep that a secret from you?" "Wait... That actually lasted?" Gilda asked in surprise. "What, did you think it wouldn't?" Twilight asked, slightly amused at Gilda's shock. "Well- I-I uhh...." Gilda sputtered. Twilight smiled lightheartedly. "Yes. They're still together. Very happy, too. They try to keep it private, though. You know; among friends." "Then why are you telling me?" Gilda asked. "I-er- well I don't know... I guess I trust you...." Twilight answered, not quite sure of the answer. "Oh...thanks..." Gilda said. She turned away at the heat she felt on her cheeks, thanking Celestia that a griffins blush doesn't show through their feathers. Then the thought occurred to her. 'Why am I blushing at that?' "So... I'm going back to the library. You can come or...." She trailed off, not entirely sure what she was getting at. "Eh... I was gonna practice some to pass the time." "Oh, okay." Suddenly an idea struck her. "Can I come watch?" "Uhh... I don't see why not..." Gilda replied awkwardly. "... You don't really have to ask." "Oh... yeah, right... *ahem* Of course..." Gilda stared at the flustered unicorn a moment, but simply shrugged, flapped her wings, and took off in search of a clear patch of sky. She ended up doing spirals, loops, rolls, and flips in the air above the park. Twilight was sitting on a small hill nearby, watching the spectacle. She couldn't quite name it, but there was some form of definitive difference between Gilda's flying and Rainbow's. Perhaps it was that Dash was faster and used more complicated tricks in her routines, while Gilda was more graceful and carried some form of power in her flying. They were both similar, yet completely different in the way they flew, and Twilight couldn't help but find herself captivated by the way Gilda did it. After almost thirty minutes of this, Gilda flew up to start some form of somersault series, but on the way down a blue blur whizzed past her, knocking her off course. Twilight gasped as Gilda spun out, barely regaining control a short distance from the ground. She shifted her eyes to the grinning Rainbow Dash overhead. "What's up, G?" She shouted in a high-spirited voice. "You just love showing me up, don't you Dash." "You say that like I need to try." While Twilight was struggling to make out what they were saying, Fluttershy hovered down and landed beside her. They waited quietly while Rainbow Dash and Gilda flew down and landed near them. "Seriously though. Why are you in town, G?" Rainbow asked as her smile faded. She trotted over to Fluttershy and stood next to her, wrapping a wing around her. "I-uh... I wanted to apologize... You know, for last time I was in town..." Gilda replied slowly. "You did?" Rainbow asked. "And why's that?" "Er- Because I was a bad guest, I guess." When Rainbow didn't appear satisfied, she forged on. "I said things I didn't mean, and did things I shouldn't have done." "Like...?" Rainbow prompted. Celestia knows why she was doing this to Gilda. Fluttershy and Twilight glanced at her, both slightly confused as to her motive. "Like yelling at Pinkie, or insulting you and your friends, and roaring at Fluttershy. I did stupid th-" Her voice caught for a moment, but she kept going. "Stupid things. Lot's of them. I was a complete idiot. I get mad or frustrated, and then I just don't even pay attention." Her eyes began to water. "I should notice these things. I shouldn't say these things. I should notice. I should have noticed..." She dropped to her knees, now letting the tears out. "Oh Celestia why didn't I notice." She murmured. The three ponies around her were shocked at her sudden mood change. The first to recover was Twilight, who was at her side, wrapping an insufficiently small arm around the bigger creature's shoulders within a few seconds. "Wh-what's wrong, Gilda?" Twilight asked. In response, Gilda simply buried her face in Twilight's shoulder, crying softly. She wasn't sobbing, nor was her body being racked by the tears, but she was crying, which was more than anypony present could say they've ever seen. Gilda wasn't the type of griffin to cry very hard. She was too tough for that. Instead, she would hide her face, lay on her knees, and refuse to speak. When someone like her did all those in combination, it was a sure sign that something was wrong. That's why her oldest friend was the next to react. "G? Are you okay, dude? What's the matter?" By the time she'd even finished Fluttershy was at Gilda's unoccupied side, gently cooing and shushing her, like she would a lost squirrel. At this point Gilda couldn't help but find this whole thing to be pathetic. Nor could she compel herself to care. She glanced up and found herself eye-to-eye with Twilight. The two had a moment similar to earlier that day. Staring at each other, wide eyed, neither fully able to understand what they were doing. For a moment Gilda wanted to lean in, but she just didn't have it in her to be happy right now. Not after what she'd done a few, long months ago. The moment she thought about it she extended her wings, pushing both Fluttershy and, regrettably, Twilight away. Wait... why did she regret that? She flapped once and flew off towards a nearby cloud. It is said that a real friend is willing to intrude. This is true, but real friends are also willing to allow better friends to intrude first. Rainbow started towards the cloud, but stopped when she felt a tug on her tail. She turned and found her tail was being held by Twilight's magic. "I-I'll go talk to her." Twilight requested. Something in her eyes forced Rainbow to concede. She landed next to Fluttershy and gestured for her to go ahead. Up on her cloud, Gilda found that the privacy she'd wanted was not what she needed. She heard somepony call her name from below, but didn't stir. She heard a twinkling sound, but thought nothing of it. Not until it ceased, followed immediately by a pop next to her. She glanced over, too emotional to be surprised at the site of a unicorn standing on a cloud next to her. She went back to crying into a tuft of cloud without a word. Twilight laid down on the cloud next to her, leaning against her in an attempt to get her attention. When that didn't work, she attempted verbal contact. "Gilda?" "Go away, Twilight." Gilda responded in thick voice. "No. Come on, tell me what's wrong." "I-it's nothing..." And in that moment the whole memory flashed across her mind.... Three months ago.... "Gilda! Get down here! I need your help again!" Granny shouted up the stairs. "Coming Granny." Gilda groaned. She made her way down the stairs and followed her grandmother out of the house to her shed. Granny opened the shed up, revealing a large amount of crates and boxes, some of which looked old and over-stuffed while some appeared new and almost unused. "I need your help moving some of these. I'll go get the cart. You start getting out any with a toy label." "Why are we getting out the toy ones?" Gilda asked, eying her grandma carefully. "To donate. What else?" Granny asked as she walked off. Gilda shook her head. In her honest opinion, Granny was too nice. She could sell these and make enough money to last through her grocery needs for the next few months, but nooo, 'we should give them away'.... Gilda sighed and started moving the crates. Granny got back and started lifting the lighter ones for her. At this point Gilda decided it may actually help if she made her suggestion. "Granny?" "Yes, dear?" "You know, you could sell these toys instead of donating them. You'd make a lot of money..." "It ain't about the reward, Gilda, it's about what you actually DO and why you did it." "Then why are you donating these?" "For the little kids that can't buy any toys like these." "Well maybe those kids should get some mon-" "Gilda! You shouldn't talk like that!" Gilda turned away, stacking some boxes in a fashion that didn't require looking Granny in the eye. As long as she didn't see the her angry face, she wouldn't feel bad... "Whatever." She heard an odd flopping sound, but didn't turn to look for fear of being caught in those angry eyes. "If you dropped that box to give me more work, I'll get to it later." She muttered, lifting another box onto her stack. There was no response from Granny. "Granny?" She finally turned around, and found Granny on the ground. Not breathing. "What happened to her?" Twilight asked. "Heart attack. She was really old. I shouldn't have riled her up like that. I must've visited her ten times this year. I knew she couldn't handle being very angry. Plus, she was working herself. I shouldn't have said those things..." "Don't blame yourself like this, Gilda. You didn't kno-" "But I did know! I knew that her heart was weak! I knew she was getting close to death! I shouldn't ha-" She was cut off by swift hoof to the face. It took her a moment to register that she'd just been slapped, and she stared incredulously at Twilight. Again, the two found themselves lost in each others eyes. After a moment of staring Gilda, being in her emotional state, grabbed Twilight and wrapped her in a hug, nuzzling her in a manner that Twilight was sure was a little more than friendly. For her part, Twilight nuzzled back, and after a moment even kissed Gilda's cheek. It took several minutes before she even realized what she was doing and who she was doing it to. She suddenly pushed Gilda back. "I-I'm sorry... This is too sudden." She hesitated, staring at Gilda for a moment, but eventually teleported away with another pop.
Give It A TryTwilight passed Rainbow and Fluttershy on her way back to the library. They both looked after her in confusion, both taken aback that Twilight was crying. Not knowing what to think, Rainbow flew off to ask Gilda what had happened. She found the griffin sitting, hunched over, and no longer crying on her cloud. "G? What happened?" Rainbow asked. The griffin didn't reply; instead she simply sniffled and turned away. "G, Twi was really upset. I don't know why she was crying, but I bet you do. So, come on. Tell me." Rainbow landed on the cloud next to her and attempted to wrap an arm around her, but before she could even sit close enough to, Gilda shoved her away. "I screwed up, okay?" Gilda finally answered. Rainbow simply stared at her, waiting for more information. Gilda glanced at her after a moment, realizing that she wasn't satisfied with that. "I-I did something stupid, told her about it, then did another stupid thing, okay? Would you just leave me alone?" "No. What happened?" Gilda's eyes fell back to the cloud they were seated on. She decided to tell Rainbow about her Granny. Then she explained the conversation that followed. And the... other events. "Twilight kissed you?" "O-on the cheek." Gilda rationalized. Rainbow gave her a sly grin. "Did you like it?" "E-excuse me?! That's a bit personal, don't you thi-" Rainbow hadn't put away her sly grin yet. In fact, it had grown as soon as Gilda began indignantly defending herself. Gilda's shoulders drooped in defeat. "Well... yes." She mumbled, thanking Celestia, again, that her blush couldn't be seen. "Heh, G, you sly do- wait... then what happened?" Rainbow asked with a frown. "I don't know. She pushed me away then said it was too sudden and ran off." Gilda replied. "What did you mean 'you screwed up'?" Rainbow's frown deepened. "I shouldn't have hugged her. I guess it threw her off and stuff... I don't know. I screwed up whatever we had." " 'Whatever we had'? You say that like the two of you were-" "Oh, shut up." Gilda muttered. "Okay, sorry." Rainbow said, holding her hooves up defensively. "So, what are you gonna do?" "Wh-what do you mean?" "Oh, come on. You two were nuzzling, she kissed you, and now you're all broken up over her running off. You ARE going to do something, aren't you?" "I guess..." "Then what is it?" Gilda took a moment to consider the question. What were her options? She could go talk to Twilight. You know, the direct approach. Or she could find some roundabout way of doing it, which she didn't have the patience to think about. "Guess I should talk to her?" Gilda asked. "Why are you asking me? I've only ever dated one mare!" "For years, apparently." "Meh. I didn't even really ask her out. Anyway, what's important is what YOU are gonna do." "Right..." Rainbow quirked an eyebrow. "Erm- I uh- should go talk to her." "Since when were you so indecisive?" Rainbow asked with a laugh. "I don- *sigh* I'll go talk to her." Gilda answered, catching on to what Rainbow was implying. "Good idea!" Rainbow said with a wink, flying off. Gilda barely had time to think that she was treating this a bit lightly before following suit and heading to the library. *sniff* Twilight was in the library, studying like a madmare in an attempt to keep herself from thinking about the events of the day. How had it gone so fast? This morning she was still criticizing Gilda's ability to make friends, then she was sentimentalizing with her, then she was kissing her cheek. All in one day! 'Gah! I'm thinking about it!' She thought, frantically using her magic to pull a few more books down for her to read. She jotted down some quick notes on what she was reading, memorized a few of those notes, jotted down more notes, read another few pages, jotted down notes, memorized some, cross-compared, then read some more. She continued in a manner similar to this until the thoughts finally caught up with her. 'Does the pace matter? If we're going this fast, then maybe that's what we need to do...' She shook her head, fighting back a sniffle. Whether or not she liked Gilda, she'd screwed it up by going that fast, and she'd made it worse by running off like that. Or at least, she thought she had... *bang bang* She heard somepony knocking on the door downstairs. "Coming!" She heard Spike yell. She heard the door open. She heard Spike greet Gilda nervously. Wait, Gilda?! She used her magic to slam her bedroom door shut and lock it. There was a bang and a rattling of the handle, followed by Gilda's voice. "Twi, let me in, please!" Twilight didn't answer; she merely sat there on her bed, staring at the door as it shook with the powerful griffin's attempts at entrance. It eventually stopped shaking, the sounds of her pushing the door and pulling the handle being replaced by an odd clicking sound. After a moment, Twilight heard the door's lock click, and the door swung open. It showed Gilda standing there, bending her head to be eye-level with the lock, her hand up with a claw pointed out like she was sticking into something. She looked a little surprised. "I didn't think it'd be THAT easy..." She mumbled. "H-how did you do that?" Twilight asked, momentarily forgetting why she had locked the door. Gilda flicked her claws about in a show-offy manner. "I picked it. You ponies make easy locks..." Gilda answered as she walked into Twilight's room slowly. She looked around, not surprised to see that even her room contained shelves of books. She looked back at Twilight again, her face softening. "Listen, Twi, we need to talk." "S-sure...." Twilight replied, conceding that this had to happen, no matter how much she feared it, and no matter how rational or irrational that fear was. "Okay... so, uh- we barely know each other, right?" Gilda started. "Right..." Twilight answered slowly. "And we get along well." "Y-yeah. Really well, all things considered." "Right. So uhm... Yeah..." Gilda's train of thought brought her to the detail she didn't quite know how to handle. "I uhm... I shouldn't have run off like that. Not while you were... like that. And not after I..." Twilight's cheeks turned pinkish purple from the blush. "Not after I kissed you." "*ahem* I should've said something, though..." They sat in an awkward silence for a moment, not looking at each other. For her part, Gilda didn't quite understand how this had happened. She'd shown up in search of friendship advice, and next thing she new, she was nuzzling the teacher. She didn't even understand the attraction, nor did she fully believe that the attraction was a genuine one and not just one of her... 'flings'. She'd never felt something like this though. Never had she been torn up because the object of her affections had run off. Never had she been worried that a relationship would die like this. Well... there was Rainbow, but this was different. Twilight didn't understand it much either. Rainbow and Fluttershy being the way they were together had taught her that love has many forms, so that wasn't the problem here. No, two females wasn't what had her in a bind, it was the fact that the two of them were so darn different. She lived in a library she was such an egghead, and Gilda was an athlete. Played Stormball and went into stunts just like Rainbow, and all those things. The two sat in silent thought, both feeling that there was something to say, but neither knowing what to say. Twilight was afraid that if she said something wrong all chances of... whatever this is continuing would be dashed away. Gilda, however, was worried that if she did something wrong she'd never know where this could've gone. After a while, Twilight gave a sharp intake of breath. "L-look. I don't want this to just stop here..." She started, unsure of herself. "Yeah..." Gilda agreed. Twilight glanced at her nervously. "This is gonna come off cheesy to you, but I feel something here..." Twilight continued, using a hoof to gesture between the two of them. "... and I don't want it to die, or just stop there. I kinda wanna give it a try." "Me, too..." Gilda replied quietly. They fell silent again for a few moments, both trying to decide exactly what they should do next. Gilda's eyes scanned the room around her in an attempt to avoid those lavender eyes. At the same time, Twilight's eyes were downcast in an attempt to avoid the griffin's amber ones. Eventually, the griffin's eyes wandered over to the unicorn's, while the unicorn's glanced up quickly, but caught on the amber ones in front of her. For the third time that day, their eyes locked onto each other, and they sat there, eyes wide as dinner plates. Both stayed that way for a split second before Gilda leaned forward and wrapped her neck around Twilight's. The two embraced and nuzzled for Celestia knows how long before Spike walked in. "Uhh..." Twilight and Gilda jerked away from each other at the sound of his voice, their faces showing obvious embarrassment, with or without the blushing. "Spike! Uhm-" "Don't bother! After walking in on Rainbow and Shy, I've stopped caring..." Spike said, walking out. Spike walked downstairs, trying to stop thinking about what he just saw. It didn't help that while he was cleaning up some of the mess from Twilight's studies he kept finding books on relationships. He continued working, then suddenly remembered why he had gone up there in the first place. It had been to ask if he could visit Rarity, but after walking in on that, there was no way he was gonna ask Twilight now. "Dang it!" Spike muttered.
FlightThat night Gilda stayed in the guest room. It was cozy enough, and definitely better than sleeping on a cloud outside of town, but Gilda was still a little uncomfortable with this whole thing. She'd been in town for two days, and had just found herself in a relationship with a mare. A pony! Gilda sighed into her pillow. This was the first time she actually wanted something like this to last longer than just to the point of physical pleasures... and she had no clue how to handle it. Elsewhere in the building, Twilight was pondering something similar, the difference being that this was her first relationship ever, which was with a female griffin, and it had sprouted up in two days. Only two! How was she supposed to handle that? Simple: Take it in stride. The next morning the two sat across from each other at Twilight's table, eating breakfast slowly. The two barely made eye contact, as they were a bit busy thinking about all the things, good or bad, that lay ahead of them. It was odd for both of them; being face-to-face with someone who could easily settle their fears, but not asking them to. Gilda picked at her eggs gingerly, while Twilight barely touched her toast. Eventually, Gilda got tired of sitting there and dropped her fork on her plate with a loud clatter. "What are we gonna do?" She asked, to which Twilight merely quirked a brow. "What do you mean?" "Our first date." Gilda answered hastily. "First dates are always boring, right?" "I wouldn't kno-" "Well, I don't want that this time. How about I show you something awesome, then you show me something." "What do you mean?" Twilight asked, looking thoroughly confused. "Like, something that you could never experience..." She thought hard for a moment, then slapped her own forehead at how obvious the explanation was. "Duh! I could take you flying!" "I-I've been to the clouds before..." "No, not walking on clouds. I mean flying. As in, fast, furious, crazy, you know; all that jazz." Twilight's eyes widened incredulously at the realization. "You mean...holding me while you do stunts?" "Maybe... but mostly flying fast and stuff. Don't worry, I won't drop you. Promise." Gilda said with an awkward smile. Twilight blushed madly at the thought of Gilda holding her tightly whilst flying at high speeds. It was certainly tempting, but it was dangerous right? Of course, she'd never gone flying, and Rainbow always described it as one of the best things in the world. The idea of it was daunting, but almost seductive; soaring through the air, feeling the wind on her face, sudden twists and turns, then coming back down, safe and sound. So tempting.... "Sure. Let's try that..." They walked to the park, arriving there to find Rainbow performing some stunts, being watched by a wide-eyed and broadly smiling Fluttershy. When she caught site of them sitting for a moment, she walked over and sat next to them. "U-uhm... What happened?" She asked quietly. Gilda suddenly seemed to find the clouds very interesting, while Twilight blushed and started examining her hoof. "U-uh... Well..." She looked to Gilda for help, but none was found. "We uhm... sort of resolved the issue, I guess..." She said slowly. "Yeah... you could say that..." Gilda noted. "Sooo..?" Fluttershy prompted with a small smile. "Are you two..?" Twilight looked over at Gilda again, her cheeks getting slightly redder. Gilda looked back, and shrugged. "Pretty much." Twilight said. Fluttershy's smile got a bit wider as she looked back up at Rainbow Dash. "Yay." She cheered softly, leaving the two unsure whether it was for them or for Rainbow. Rainbow looked down and saw the three sitting together, and swooped down to land near them. "What's up?" She asked as she trotted over. Twilight glanced over at Gilda. "Your turn." She said slyly. Gilda sighed, turning to face Rainbow. "We're a uhh..." She looked at Twilight for a moment, trying to think of the word. "... Thing." She said after a moment. "A... 'thing'?" Rainbow asked. She and the other two were quirking their eyebrows at Gilda over her choice of word. Gilda's face deadpanned. "Fine. We're together. Okay?" Twilight leaned her head against Gilda's neck with her eyes closed, much to the griffins embarrassment. "I like 'together' more than being a 'thing'." Twilight said with a small giggle as Gilda wrapped an arm around her. The two pegasi smiled together at the small display of affection between the new couple. Rainbow sat down next to Fluttershy, wrapping a wing around her. " 'Kay, so, whatya gonna do first?" Rainbow asked as Fluttershy scooted closer. Twilight opened her eyes again and looked at them. "Well..." Twilight trailed off. "It sorta seems stupid, now that I think about it..." Gilda said, scratching her head with her spare hand. "... But I was gonna uhm... take her flying..." She got quieter with every word, causing Rainbow and Fluttershy to lean in to hear better, then simultaneously quirk eyebrows. "What do you mean? Unicorns can't fly." Fluttershy pointed out. "She's going to... hold me." Twilight said. "Ohh... Huh, sounds like fun..." Rainbow commented thoughtfully. She and Fluttershy couldn't really do that, considering that they could both already fly on their own. "Yes it does." Fluttershy said, sharing a similar thought. Perhaps if she just tucked her wings in tightly, Rainbow could... She shook her head slightly to clear her thoughts. "Well... I hope so. I suggested it." Gilda replied. "Speaking of... I'm uh- I'm a little eager to go..." Twilight interrupted shyly. Rainbow and Fluttershy stood with a giggle and walked away, giving polite goodbyes. The new couple stood slowly, trying to figure out the best way for Gilda to hold Twilight that would be both comfortable, and safe. Eventually they settled on a position in which Gilda was holding her elbows underneath Twilight's armpits. At first, she hung and dangled awkwardly, but at high speeds her body was pressed, back to chest, against Gilda's. The flight, to Gilda, was simple, safe, and slightly slower than she preferred. However, to Twilight it was quite exhilarating. She felt weightless, heard the wind in her ears, saw the world stretch before her, almost tasted the altitude, and even smelled storm clouds brewing a good few miles away. The exhilaration of the flight got to her, and she began to holler and 'woop!' all throughout the flight, much to Gilda's entertainment. The two soared through the air for almost an hour before finally landing again, Twilight both ecstatic about her experience, and shaking from the height and cold of the level they'd been flying at. The two laid down together in an open field for a while after their landing. "That was amazing!" Twilight gushed excitedly, nuzzling into Gilda's neck for the second time that day. The two stayed that way for a while, laying against each other for comfort and warmth against the cool air of late morning. When a cold breeze caused the still shaking unicorn to shiver again, Gilda wrapped one massive wing around her. "Thanks." Twilight felt awkward, unsure of whether or not they were being too physical already. She wasn't quite sure what level of physical contact was acceptable, but then again, what were they supposed to measure against? Of course, Gilda's fur was warm, and her wing protected Twilight from the wind, so there really wasn't anything to complain about. She decided she'd be content this way and allowed her eyelids to slowly droop. Gilda couldn't hold back a light laugh when Twilight started snoring softly. Twilight was startled when she woke up in a bed. She sat up quickly and examined her surroundings. She realized she was in her own bedroom, sitting in her own bed, staring at her own walls, accompanied by her own girlfriend (the term they'd agreed upon when referring to each other seeing as Gilda technically wasn't a mare.) Wait... She looked over at the big creature sleeping peacefully in her bed with her, thinking hard as to whether or not there had been any funny business. She couldn't recall anything, and her innocent mind decided that if she didn't remember it, it didn't happen. Luckily, she was right. Twilight got up slowly, thanking Celestia quietly that Gilda was as heavy of a sleeper as Rainbow Dash was. She walked downstairs, glanced at the clock, realized that it was almost three in the afternoon, and quietly began preparing lunch. The delicious smell of a vegetable stew filled the library, and before long, Gilda was walking down the stairs. Yep. Just like Rainbow, she'd sleep through a thunderstorm, but the smell of a good meal would wake her up. She sat down at the table as Twilight magically scooped some stew into a bowl and floated it over to the table for her to dig into. She walked over and sat down across from her and began to enjoy her own bowl of stew silently. The two ate wordlessly, but not avoiding each others eyes. For the first time, neither wanted to look away when their eyes locked, and neither tried.
MoonriseLunch was well and good, but both wanted this day to keep going. As Gilda had suggested, it was now Twilight's turn to show her something. This raised a question for Twilight: what could she show Gilda that Gilda couldn't do herself? Gilda insisted that she didn't need to show her anything special, just to come up with something, but Twilight refused to equate flying with a simple dinner or stroll through the park. No, she needed to return the favor with something special... But what could she do? Gilda wouldn't enjoy meeting the Princess, and she probably has no interest in ninety-seven point eight-three-six-two percent of the books in the library. No wait... make that ninety seven point eight-three-six-four percent... Twilight wracked her brain for ideas- anything at all- that she could do. She thought of who she had for friends that could help: A fashionista? No. A party animal? Maybe, but that wouldn't be very good date material. A farmer? Not really... An animal caretaker? Nope. A daredevil who already knows Gilda? Yeah, but then Twilight wouldn't really be involved. The captain of the guard? No real application here. The princess ruler of the land? Well, that'd be taking it a bit far. The princess of the night. N- wait... Light Bulb! Twilight asked Rainbow to distract Gilda for the rest of the day so she could get everything set up. It was mainly a matter of getting Luna's attention through letters, then simply explaining the situation, which came off as embarrassing until the princess stated she saw nothing wrong here. After that, she simply explained her request, then said please a lot. It worked. Luna even agreed to ask her sister to set up a shorter sunset to make room for the display. She stated in a letter ten minutes later that it had been an easy endeavor. The next step was setting up the clouds. She got Fluttershy to take Rainbow's job, then asked Rainbow to set them up for her. The weather team captain had no issues with the matter, and thus it became a simple task for both her and her team to set up a perfect pattern. They had done this with sunsets before, but this was new, so it took them about thirty minutes to set them up just right. Once that was done, Twilight asked Applejack if there was a good spot on her farm that she could use tonight. Luckily, the farmer had a good spot in mind that could see the spectacle with little difficulty. She decided to go for a two-in-one date, so she asked Pinkie to prepare something tasty for them. After all that, Twilight looked up from her planning to realize everything was ready and she had only half an hour left before Luna's spectacle. She went over to the park where -and she was curious about how this was done- Fluttershy was occupying Gilda's time. She arrived to find Fluttershy quietly playing with some rabbits and squirrels while Gilda was napping against a tree. Twilight couldn't say she was surprised. She walked over and softly nudged Gilda's stomach with the tip of her hoof. She woke up, slightly annoyed by the itchiness of the tree against her back, but she didn't complain since Twilight's face was the first thing she saw. She couldn't stop herself from mentally noting, for the umpteenth time, that those eyes were startlingly cute. "I'm up, I'm up." She said as she rolled away from the tree and stood up to start stretching. "Got... whatever it is ready?" "Yep." Twilight answered, glancing at the lowering sun. Gilda followed her eyes, then gave a grin. "Ooh, is this one of those 'short-lived, but still special' things?" She asked. Twilight glanced at her blankly. "Yeah... you could say that." A few minutes later they were seated on a hill with a perfect view of the horizon opposite the sun. Gilda was confused for a moment before she noticed the odd formation of the clouds. She decided that there was something special happening with the sky, but it wasn't the sunset... so that left- As she came to a conclusion, a silver light began to appear over the horizon. As the light began to spread across the sky, a glowing white sliver appeared over the horizon. This sliver slowly grew and waxed as it rose over the line of the world, becoming a full-on moonrise as they watched. It's light reflected off of the clouds, forming a brilliant spectacle of silver, white, grey, blue, and black that paired perfectly with the stars and their constellations. Wait a minute... Gilda squinted at an oddly shaped set of stars that she'd never seen before. Was it-? No it couldn't be... It is! It was a detailed constellation of a griffin. One with a suspiciously similar build to her own, as well as a yellow star place perfectly where the griffins eyes should be. Most ponies and griffins were aware that amber eyes, like Gilda's, were rare amongst an already scarce species. There really was only one reason that a constellation would have a yellow star for an eye. She felt an intense heat in her cheeks as she leaned down and whispered to the pony next to her, "I'm pretty sure that I've never seen that one before." as she pointed at the constellation in question. "That could be because I requested that Luna make it..." Twilight replied, sounding as though it weren't a big deal. "You called in a favor with the Princess of the Night for me?" Twilight looked at her, slightly worried. "Too much?" She asked nervously. This made Gilda pause for thought. She actually hadn't been thinking of that; she'd been thinking of how flattered she was that this mare she'd been with for two days was willing to call in a favor from a princess for her. "Maybe, but I don't care. I'm just flattered." Gilda answered. She wrapped one massive wing around Twilight and pulled her closer for a loving embrace. "Thanks." The sat in silence as Twilight opened up a picnic basket that Pinkie had prepared, and they began to peacefully eat away the treats she'd readied for them. After all the sugary treats had been devoured, Twilight scooted over and laid against Gilda, quietly resting her head against the wide-eyed griffins chest. In response, Gilda wrapped an arm around her gently, then a wing as well as a cool breeze blew in. "Hey, Gilda?" Twilight asked, looking up with tired-out eyes. "Yes?" "Do you think this will last?" The librarian asked, using a hoof to gesture to the display of affection between them. Gilda thought about the question for a moment, then nuzzled her cheek against Twilight's. "I think so."
