She wasn’t going to make it.
She increased her speed. Wings straining with exertion, arms and talons stretched forward as far as they could go, eyes fixed on the ball descending from its upward arc. But even with all her determination, she could see she was going to miss it. Not by much, but by enough.
She made one last desperate lunge but fell short. The ball slipped by just outside her reach and landed with a thud on the stony ground.
She pulled out the brakes and skidded to a halt, throwing up a trail of dust. She slammed a fist into the ground in frustration. Not fast enough.
She was never fast enough.
“What happened?!”
Gilda jumped at the shouted question, nervously turning back to answer the approaching figure. “I’m sorry dad, I almost had it!”
Her father strode past her to pick up the ball, not even glancing her way. His carefully preened feathers shine slightly in the light of the rising sun. He finally looked down at his daughter, his beak down turned by his stern expression. “Almost just isn’t good enough Gilda.”
“Let me try again! I know I can do it, it just moves so fast-“
“Then you need to be faster!” her father roared, interrupting and startling her silent. “I don’t have time to watch you fail again, I need to work. Go home and get ready for school, maybe tomorrow you’ll actually accomplish something.”
As she watched her father leave without a backwards glance, Gilda strengthened her resolve. She would do better. She had to do better.
One day she would catch that ball.
One day she would get her father’s approval.
“Mom, I’m home!”
“I’m in the kitchen honey! Don’t forget to wipe the mud off your claws!”
Gilda cringed inwardly. She’d forgotten. Again. She quickly stepped back to wipe them and did her best to clean up the mess she’d made. It was still noticeable, but mom wouldn’t mind. She’d just clean it up properly before dad came home, like she always did.
Gilda walked into the living room and collapsed on the couch, just in time for her mother to walk in.
Carol smiled, seeing her daughter so tired after school. It showed she was working hard. But worry showed in her eyes, she was over extending herself as usual. People always said they had the same eyes, so serious all the time, unlike their personalities. “How was school?”
“Fine. Math test, gym, the usual. I made the racing team, and they might even make me this year’s captain!”
“That’s great honey, I’m so proud! How was this morning? With your father?”
Gilda didn’t have to answer. Her mother saw it in her disappointed sag. “Don’t worry, you’ll get it eventually.”
“But when?!” Gilda snapped, anger tinting her voice. “And why? Why am I not good enough for him? I’m the fastest in school! No one else would have come anywhere near as close as I did! Who cares if I can’t catch a stupid ball…” Her head drooped. “Do I really disappoint him that much?”
A single claw tilted her chin back up as her mother sat down next to her. “Your father loves you, and is more proud of you than you’ll ever know. He just expects so much of you because you’re his daughter. When he’s old and feeble, it’ll be up to you to take his place at the head of the flock.”
“But what if I can’t?”
“We’ve lead this flock for six generations. And your father has every confidence that you’ll lead for a seventh.”
Gilda burst into tears and hugged her mother tight. “Thanks mom.”
“Any time sweetie.” she hugged her back and smiled. “You know, you’re father could never catch that ball either.”
Gilda giggled, soon joined by her mother, until they both sat there laughing, still holding each other tight.
“Gilda! Wake up!”
Gilda awoke to her mother’s panicked whisper, Carol’s talons tight around her daughter’s shoulders as she shook her.
“Mom? What’s wrong?” She asked, sleepily rubbing her eyes.
“Something’s happened… We have to go. Now.”
“What’s happened? Where are we going? Where’s dad?!” Gilda struggled out of bed, her heart racing as she began to panic too.
Her mother looked away, a tear trickling through her feathers. “He’ll meet up with us later. Right now we have to leave.”
Gilda made her way to the front door but her mother stopped her. “No. The back door.”
They snuck out the back door, met by a griffon Gilda barely recognized. All she knew was he was a friend of her dad’s, and he looked just as worried as mom.
“There’s a cart waiting for you at the bottom. John hoped this wouldn’t happen, but he prepared for it nonetheless.”
Carol gave the griffon a fierce hug. “Thanks Rich. For being such a good friend.”
Rich broke the embrace and flew off into the night. That’s when Gilda noticed all the commotion. It seemed as if the whole flock was awake and flying around their mountain home. The lights were on in the other houses, and griffons flew left and right carrying torches to pierce the night.
“Come on Gilda, we have to go.” Her mother interrupted her staring and indicated for her to follow. Together they flew to the bottom of the mountain, staying in the shadows and landing just outside the central clearing.
The clearing was a mess of activity too, a large crowd gathering around something Gilda couldn’t see. She dragged her attention away and followed her mother to the partially concealed cart. It was an old wagon, and someone had moved most of their things into it sometime recently. The parts not covered with their possessions were dusty; it must have been here for years.
As Carol hitched herself up and started dragging the wagon away Gilda looked back. She never told her mother what she saw, but she always remembered.
As the cart rolled away the crowd briefly parted and Gilda saw the center of attention.
It was her father.
He’d been locked into a stock, his wings tied up, but he didn’t look scared. Even now, he looked confident and regal. And just for a moment, he met Gilda’s eyes.
They stared at each other for what seemed like hours, but were only seconds. Finally her father mouthed something.
Gilda cursed her vision and tears streamed after making out the words.
“I’m proud of you.”
And then he was gone, disappeared behind the curtain of griffons.
Years later her mother told her what happened. On the way home, he was ambushed by one of his rivals, Seth, who took control of the flock. It astounded her that no one had a problem with this, but apparently that was how it worked. You lead until someone stronger than you takes it away.
Gilda knew she would never see him again. She knew she’d never be able to go back.
But she’d always remember that he was proud of her.
Author's Note
My first attempt writing something in a world I did not create, where everyone knows the characters and will jump on any inconsistencies.
In a word: daunting.
This has been floating in my head for a while, now I'm going to try putting it on paper.
On a personal note, I don't read fanfics, so any similarities between this and any other work is purely coincidental. If you see any work that's similar to mine, please let me know so I can check it and steer my story in a different direction.
Gilda knew this day would come. Didn't mean she had to accept it. “But why?”
“You can't spend the rest of your life moping around in the house. You need to meet the locals, make some friends.”
“I like moping! I'm comfortable with it!”
“You're going and that's final!”
In the three months since they'd...moved, Gilda had managed to avoid exploring their new home. Her mother cut her some slack, it was a big change living in Equestria, but eventually enough was enough. Time to act.
“But mom!” Gilda moaned, still unrelenting. “Why do I have to go to some stupid flight camp? I can fly perfectly!”
“That's not the point and you know it! We're living here, we need to fit in more. We can't be hermits.”
“Maybe you can't...” Gilda grumbled, slowly realizing that this wasn't going to go her way for once.
“No, I can't. It's not just you you know, I'm going to try to join some groups around here.”
Gilda fidgeted on the couch. “But I'm not like them...what if they make fun of me?”
“Then you hold your beak up high, and carry on.” Carol finished packing Gilda's bag. “How do you think you're father would react to how you're behaving?”
Gilda's face grew stern. “You're right mom. I need to face this as a proud griffon.” She flopped back on the couch. “Next week.”
Carol shoved her off, Gilda letting out a squeak as she unexpectedly hit the floor. “No. Today.”
“I don't want to do this.”
“Noted. And ignored, you'll be fine honey.”
Carol and Gilda hugged each other at the archway that served as the campground entrance. Gilda audibly swallowed as her mother attached her bag to her back and gave her a gentle shove towards the arch. “Just have fun, be nice, and try to meet someone you can spend time with."
“Easier said than done.” Gilda took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, gave her wings a brisk shake and stepped through the arch, taking in the grounds.
Like everything in Cloudsdale, the campground was made entirely of clouds. Say what you like about pegasi, but they can do amazing things with clouds. It was a bit disconcerting, having the slightly yielding material under her claws instead of good firm stone, but she'd get used to it.
Ponies were already hard at work, flying through cloud hoops, doing laps, stretching. It was a bustle of activity, everyone had something to do and others to do it with.
Except for her.
Well, who needs them? She strolled forward as confident as she could be, and pretty soon she was noticed. Ponies stopped and stared as she walked by, not a word was said. With every step, and every additional onlooker, Gilda's confidence fell, until she almost crawled up to the pegasus she presumed was in charge.
“Um, excuse me? Are you the instructor?”
The pegasus, a large and imposing dark gray stallion with a triplet of cloud rings as his cutie mark, looked down at her quiet voice, blinked once, then carried on unfazed.
“You must be Gilda. Welcome to Junior Speedster's Flight Camp!”
Gilda just stared in disbelief. “Is that seriously the name?”
“Yes. Now, lets get you introduced to everypony.”
Her eyes widened in alarm. “No, no, it's fine! I don't want to cause a fuss-”
“Nonsense.” The instructor motioned for everyone (or everypony, Gilda realized, remembering what he said before) to stop what they were doing and come down. Gilda wished she could fall through the floor as they gathered, all still staring.
“Everypony, this is Gilda. She's going to be joining us here at Junior Speedster's Flight Camp. I know you'll all make her feel welcome.”
Silence. The instructor sweated nervously as Gilda stared out at the blank faces surrounding her. “Um, hi?”
Still nothing. The instructor quickly indicated for Gilda to follow him. “Well, they'll warm up to you, I'm sure. Anyway, I'm Joe, if you ever need anything just let me know, okay? Now, lets show you to where you'll stay.” He trotted off, a glum griffon trailing behind.
She followed Joe to a cluster of buildings to the side of the main grounds, rows of cabins with little number signs. They stopped in front of cabin 12. “This is you. You'll have three other roommates, I'm sure you'll be best friends in no time.” He walked off, failing to notice Gilda's panicked expression, and rejoined the other foals, all returning to their activities.
She entered the room, already regretting letting her mother take her here, and checked out where she would be staying for the next few weeks. First thing she noticed, bunk beds. Great. The covers for three of them were already messed up, leaving a single bottom bunk clean and pristine. Waiting for her.
She was already halfway out the door when she bumped into something solid and fell backwards. She looked up to see two filly’s blocking her path. The one she bumped into, an amaranth colored pegasus with a green mane and tail, gazed down at her with a look of disgust. The other, a beige pegasus, huddled behind, constantly adjusting her glasses with a hoof.
“So, you're new?”
“Um, yes?” Gilda stood up and offered a claw. She might as well try to do what her mother wanted. “I'm Gilda.”
“I couldn't care less.” The filly breezed past her, jumped onto her bed, the other bottom bunk, and dragged out her bag from beneath it.
Gilda stared after her, utterly confused as to what she did wrong. She was interrupted in her musings by a tap on her shoulder. The other filly had crept up behind her and was fidgeting nervously. “Don't mind Orchid, she's not very welcoming. I'm Solar.”
They shook, Solar only barely touching Gilda's hand with fear of being hurt. “So, you're a griffon huh?”
Gilda looked down in mock surprise. “Really? I never noticed.”
The pegasus laughed, Orchid scoffed in the distance. Solar ignored her and carried on trying to be welcoming. “Never had a griffon here, why'd you come to flight camp?”
“My mother thought it'd be a good idea. Meet the locals, make some friends, yada yada yada.”
“You live around here? Why'd you move?”
Gilda's face fell. “I'd rather not talk about that.”
“Okay. Well, I guess we'll talk some more tomorrow.” She headed to her bunk, the one above Orchid's.
“Wait, it's time to go to sleep already?”
“Well yeah, we get up really early.”
Gilda took a count of the room's occupants. “Shouldn't there be another pony here?”
Orchid laughed. “Yes, but she never is. She'll be off flying somewhere, won't come back till late.”
“Is that allowed?”
“No, but only if you're caught.” With that, Orchid turned over and pulled up the covers. Solar was already snoring above her.
Gilda climbed onto her own bed, ignoring the covers and curling up on top of them. All in all, not a bad day. She might have even made a friend.
But she was painfully aware that there where a lot of ponies here, and not all of them will be as accepting as Solar.
