Darkness and Memories
Chapter 1: New Beginnings
Darkness
Complete and utter darkness
Gilda felt herself falling, she didn’t think she ever could, wings, where were her wings? Her eyes were jammed shut; no light was allowed only darkness. She finally risked a peek, jamming her eyes shut at the burning glow of light, but she wouldn’t have to bear it much longer, she could already feel the life slipping from her. She could only crack a slight smile, she had done everything she could and was glad that everything would be alright now. The spikes drove straight through her ribcage, letting her blood seep out through the holes, she sighed as she heard a few last words before letting herself be sucked into darkness.
“when you decide not to be lame anymore, give me a call.”
Gilda woke with a start, tears flowing freely as the scared griffon tried to catch her breath. The air rustled through the trees of the Everfree forest, the moon glowed down on the makeshift nest of the young griffon. The nest was not the best thing in the world, in fact it could be said that it was the worst one ever made in the history of Equestria. Gilda looked over the wreck that was her home at the moment, she had a pile of blankets thrown in the corner for her bed, most of the time she could see through the floor and to the forest below, and it stank of alcohol and body oder. The nightmares had been coming more frequently as of the last few weeks, always ending in the same way. Wiping away the excess tears, the bemoaning griffon frowned at herself. Her once beautiful plumage had been colored to a dirty black with an occasional leaf sticking out of it.
“Crap, this is starting to get old”
She yelped as she felt a stabbing pain go through her wings. Reaching back, Gilda yanked the remains of the Jack Daniels bottle out of her right wing. The nest had become littered intensely of these types of bottles, trotting through you would have to watch where your hooves, or claws landed on the straw. The left side shuddered suddenly and half of it broke away and fell to the ground 10 feet below.
This did nothing but anger the already hung-over Griffon. Letting out a string of curses, she destroyed the left side, earning a couple new gashes. Normally a well-made nest would have held out against such a beating and the owner would have had to only had to go and collect more straw and sticks to rebuild it, however as I have mentioned before this is not a very well made nest. The entire left side fell off, causing Gilda to jump to the right side. At this point, the right side, which had been only been being kept upright by the left side, cracked and disintegrated under her feet. Flapping slightly, Gilda sighed as she watched her home crash to the ground once more.
Flapping down she started setting up a makeshift tent as she came across photo. Picking it up, Gilda fought back tears again as she looked at the photo in front of her. It was the one the day dash and her had graduated from flight school, Dash had always had problems with keeping her hair in presentable fashion but she had managed to make it look great in that shot. Gilda sighed as she thought about her days in Ponyville the year before, after getting pranked nine ways from Sunday, she had fled from Ponyville...
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“Celestia damn it dash!! Why would you pick those lame-o ponies over me?!” Gilda cried as she ran through the streets of Ponyville, the party only an hour ago still fresh in her mind. She suddenly stopped and yelped as she heard a voice behind her.
“Where are you going?”
Turning around, Gilda found herself face to face with the pink pony that had thrown the party for her in the first place.
“What?!”
“I asked where you were going silly Billy! I worked so hard on making that party perfect that you made me rather sad when you left so quickly.”
Gilda slowly regained her thoughts and slowly felt her anger growing in her as she stared at the pony that had probably set everything up at that party.
“YOU!”
“Why of course me, why else wouldn’t I be me, unless I am do-“
Pinkie couldn’t finish the sentence, as she felt Gilda’s fist collide with her cheek, sending an enormous amount of pain to be felt in her cheek, enough to shove the party loving pony to the ground. Pinkie braced for the next hit, but It did not come, instead she felt, water drops? Looking up she saw Gilda standing over her tears falling down her cheeks in a river. Without another word, Gilda took off and flew far from the town.
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The picture gilda held slowly slipped from her talons as her legs gave out and she slumped to the ground and she sobbed her eyes out for what seemed like the ten thousandth time. She continued to cry until she noticed something poking her. Looking up she saw a small rabbit poking her with its paw and holding a small acorn out for her. Gilda raised her paw quickly, making the small bunny cower and slowly back away.
“W- Wait! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you, please come back.”
The Bunny slowly ventured further and stuck out it’s offering once more. Smiling, Gilda finally accepted the small treat and quickly cracked the outer shell splitting the meat inside 50/50 with the small being. Taking a shuddering movement, Gilda sat up slowly, chewing softly on the small treat. The day was slowly starting to hit it’s peak as the young griffon slowly allowed yet another painful memory seep into her mind.
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Gilda looked out from the cover of the Everfree forest, Fluttershy’s Cottage seemed almost too peaceful to the saddened griffon. Fluttershy and Rainbow had just finished a small duet, seemingly about finding a pet, before falling down on top of each other laughing their flanks off. The tears flowed down Gilda’s cheeks, she had grown used to them by then they hardly stopped anymore. She punched the tree next to her, earning a flaming pain to fly throughout her hand as it caused the tree to splinter and puncture her talons a little. With one last look at the happy mares, Gilda slowly trekked back to her pitiful excuse for a home.
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The smile that crept on to her beak surprised her; she didn’t know that could happen still. The sun had reached it’s highest peak in the day causing a grumble to be released from her stomach. Getting off the ground, Gilda slowly trekked through the dark forest in search of some grub. A full hour passed the starving mare’s day and still had given little or no success in the search. Gilda sniffed the air, there was the smell of cooking food coming from a few hundred meters away from the Mare. Following the scent, Gilda’s taste buds slowly picked up the delectable smells of roasting meat. It is a common delicacy in griffon cultures, to cook small rodents in a herb rub, giving the small mammal a delectable smoked flavor, but keeping the meat still tender and juicy. In the clearing there was a small campsite set up, a makeshift tent was set up against a tree, but Gilda focused in on the delicacy in the middle of the clearing. There, there was a set up that Gilda had not seen since she was a chick; there was vole cooked au bran style, with a side of country potatoes cooked in a similar manor. Squealing slightly Gilda dashed forward to the small Banquet. Everything was made up exactly like she remembered; the food could not believe her-
“‘Scuse me miss, but what do you think your doin?” Gilda gulped down the mouthful she had had in her mouth as she felt the blade rest against her neck.
Chapter 2: Trust
Gilda shivered slightly as she tried to not move as the blade dug slightly deeper between the soft flesh of her neck.
“ah'm gonna ask once more, and if you keep on ignoring me I will feel no remorse in slitting your throat for stealin' what is mine”
“ I-I’m sorry” Gilda gasped feeling more of her pride break further having to apologize” I just haven't eaten anything like this in almost a year and just jumped in seeing the spread.”
the other gryphon loosened his grip on her and eventually let go all together. Turning around, Gilda realized the that the gryphon that had grabbed her was in as bad a shape as she was, his plumage was slightly brighter than hers but there was no mistaking it, this gryphon was a night watcher. Centuries before, the gryphon kingdom held out as the strongest land in all of equestria, destroying whatever stood in their way. But a group slowly formed in the capital, consisting mainly of the hunters and young warriors of the gryphon kingdoms, they dubbed themselves the night watchers. These night watchers disagreed with what the king was doing with the land and slowly attacked his reign. In the end the king captured most of them through a traitor in the organization and banished them to the everfree forest, only making them more strong and allowing them to take the forest, and that is where they have stayed ever since.
Gilda gasped as she remembered the story, wondering if he had other companions with him.
“if you're wondering if I have more friends, your wrong”
“how did-”
“Actions speak louder than words miss, your eyes have been darting around my campsite for the last minute, you were obviously worried that there were more coming.”
Gilda simply stared at the old gryphon, he had been able to read all that from my eyes?
“now come and sit down already, if you had asked once I had come back I would have gladly shared, food's always better when you share it with others.”
Gilda slowly sat down, as he took the already half eaten vole and handed it to Gilda. The two talked for hours after that, allowing Gilda to get to know him a bit more, his name was rucks, he had been born in the forest and hardly ever left it except on “special” circumstances. Gilda also let him in on some of her life, telling him that she had been born in the gryphon capital(even though she remembered nothing of it since she had been to young to remember it before her family left it behind when she was 3), how she had gone to flight school and graduated near the top of her class. By the time they finally wrapped up the talk, it was only a few hours before daylight and rucks had decided to let her sleep on his extra sleeping bag. The crickets chirped silently as Gilda got settled into the makeshift bed, sighing as she pulled out the old picture of her and dash on the day of their graduation. The picture was slightly crumpled due to her nest crashing earlier, putting it back in her bag, gilda slowly drifted off to sleep, hoping that it would be better. Yeah right, gilda stood on a pillar, shivering as several magenta eyes glared at her. Shrinking down Gilda screamed, she could feel all of them watching her, judging her, and yet she couldn’t hold her cool, and that’s when it happened, a voice spoke.
“nobody can trust you”
“ you are nothing”
“not cool”
“DIE!”
gilda crumpled, she knew each and every voice as it shouted the insults at her, they were all Dash, and they all hated her, all wanted to kill her, all of them wanted nothing to do with her. Tendrils shot out of the darkness, trapping her and slowly she felt them ripping her apart, yet she didn't scream anymore, she deserved this and let them rip her apart.
“not cool!”
Gilda woke with a start, bashing her head into Rucks, making them both go back to the ground holding their heads.
“fine good mornin' that is”
“Whatever”
Rucks had already started to shut the camp back down into a solitary bag, which he said the night before, “borrowed” from a unicorn nobleman.
“where are you heading rucks?”
“well if you must know, I found a better place to stay, near the edge of the forest, lots of game, and close to the local town.”
“good, do you mind I tag along, I got nowhere to go, it would be nice to have company also.”
Rucks seemed to ponder the subject for a few seconds before finally sighing and signaling for me to follow, making me squeak slightly and quickly catch up to him. The day seemed like it was going to be rather pleasant, not to cold and not to hot either. We quickly hooked up with a makeshift trail that lead down a small path, which hooked up with a river and eventually ended at the base of the everfree.
“Rucks, thought you said there was a place to stay”
“I did, and there it is.”
Oh no, it was the cabin of that friend of Rainbow Dash, the one that liked animals way to much and spent to much time with those animals instead of thinking beings.
“It will be surprisingly easy to take since I have gathered that the pony living inside is surprisingly weak and easy to manipulate.”
damn this guy was stupid.
“maybe we can find somewhere else”
“you can go if you want to, but I will take this place on my own.”'
with that he dashed down the small slope and bashed the gate open, I saw the yellow one in her backyard, and I then did the most stupid thing I could have done, I flew to her as rucks slammed on the front door to the cottage. I literally barreled into her, since I hadn't used my wings in a very long time, startling her and making the animals run away. back on my hooves I noticed that Rucks had gotten inside the house and was now tearing about the house. The yellow pony on the other hand was cowering and repeatedly asking me not to hurt her.
“look” I yelled, grabbing her and pulling her up to eye level” I’m not going to hurt you, I am trying to save you from... him.”
Rucks looked furious,” I thought you were on my side Gilda! I thought I could maybe trust you, but I was wrong once again, you'll die too then!”
Gilda shoved fluttershy away, not wanting her to get hurt too as Rucks lunged with his dirk unsheathed and wanting to draw blood. He hit full force into gilda making them roll for a few seconds, before they both rose, gilda having a deep cut in her arm. Rucks lunged, yelling with primal rage as he slashed gilda multiple times and aimed one last one at her heart. Gilda blocked it with her hand, feeling the blade go straight through the middle of her right hand, yanking it out in a fluid moment and plunging it deep into ruck's chest. His deep blood spurted out the wound and sprayed over gilda, lightly coating her in the substance. Rucks grabbed gilda quickly and smirked, blood leaking out his mouth
“something.. to.. remember.. me.. by”
using the last of his strength, he plunged a large needle into my arm wound and pushed the liquid into my veins. Gilda screamed before falling over, her vision starting to give out as she felt fluttershy start to drag her somewhere, probably to her house, I remember how caring she was before. Maybe this was the end, the blackness starting to consume me. I only her face before blacking out completely as she smiled gently at Gilda
