"Junior Speedsters are our lives,
Sky-bound soars and daring dives,
Junior Speedsters it's our quest,
To some day be the very best!"
The chant finished the day's activities at Flight Camp, allowing two friends to take off by themselves. They landed on a high cloud, overlooking the whole of Equestria. They sat quietly, watching as the last rays of the sun gilded the land. The larger of the pair turned to her friend.
"Dash..."
"Yeah?"
Do you think we'll be this close, even when camp is over?"
There was a moment of silence; an uncomfortable possibility neither enjoyed the thought of.
"Yeah, we'll always be together. No doubt about it! What's got into you, that sort of lame talk is something the Old Gilda would say."
"You're right. Hey, let's stay out longer. Curfew doesn't apply to the two coolest fliers in camp!"
...
"When you decide not to be lame anymore, gimme a call..."
With that, the griffin took off, trying to distance herself from the pegasus she once so long ago shared that moment with. The words melted together into a buzz, spurring the griffin further from Ponyville. She couldn't stand to be in such an uncool place any longer. It's bright, gaudy colors hurt her eyes so much they teared up. Yeah, that's why she can't look back at the little town as she rests up above in the clouds. As IF Gilda, the Queen of Cool, would cry about some loser pony not wanting to hang out. Why, the very idea was laughable. She just needed to put some serious space between her and town.
Speed. Acceleration. Momentum. Distance. Speed, acceleration, momentum, distance...
Me and Dash always thought we would go the distance together... side by side...
Alright, don't think about it. Just remember your training. As your wings go up, and the muscles on your chest relax, breathe in. Then, with the down stroke, breathe out. Time your breaths with the beating of your wings, and no matter how hard you fly, you'll never be short of breath...
Then why am I gasping for air?
Gilda circled above the treetops of the Everfree Forest. Seeing a small clearing, she coasted down in a spiral to rest in the branches. Leaning against the trunk, she sniffed, a tear streaming down the side of her face. I-it's the pollen. Must be hay fever or something. I'm too rad to be blubbering like some hatchling.
A loud snore grabbed her attention. Looking down through the foliage, she saw a male unicorn with a green-banded mane. He had a quill and inkwell cutie mark, and was dozing on top of a blanket. A picnic, out here? Wait, no, a camper. There's his tent at the edge of the clearing. He looks so cozy, in that little dorky vest. But he's an idiot, sleeping in the middle of the forest. Who knows what... accidents befall dweebs who don't hide. I know something that'll cheer me up, er, not that I would need cheering up.
Gripping a branch, she began to bend it. The thick muscles of her arms stood out like ropes from the effort, but compared to holding up the strange flying bicycle, it was no effort at all. Then she let go, and it shook viciously. Leaves and pine-cones showered down on him, waking him up. Suddenly, a dead limb snapped and fell, impaling itself on his horn. She tried to hold it in, but a roaring laughter erupted from her beak. That is, until she noticed him staring up at her intently, the limb still stabbed upon the horn like a termite's shish kabob.
"What? Not my fault you chose a bad place for a nap."
"You've been crying."
The griffin was thrown by the remark, but retorted instantly.
"Like I would do something as dweeb-y as cry. I'm the Queen of Cool, too radical for that sort of thing. Half eagle, half lion, all awesome. You oughta get those glasses checked."
With a bit of magic and a twist, his horn was freed of the limb. A look of bored disbelief was clear, as he held the stick at head height.
"Alright, if you're so fast, prove it. Catch this stick before it hits the ground."
In the state she was in, Gilda was not in the mood to have some PONY doubt her skills. She dived and caught the stick just as it was about to hit the grass. She grinned smugly and waved the wood in front of his face.
"See? There's nothing any lame-o pony can come up with that I can't do."
The male unicorn gave an indifferent shrug.
"Nothing? Then perhaps you could do something a lame-o pony like me has been unable to do. I've been looking for a certain flower that will only grow here in the Everfree Forest. It has solid orange petals with blue stamen. I've searched all day, haven't seen a single one. Surely a cool and swift griffin can find one before the sun sets? They grow near the base of the trees, so it may take you quite a while to find them."
Gilda looked up, the sun barely past noon. She was going to prove to this uncool unicorn that she was better than any pony. Better than Dash, better than some pink moron, than this dweeb!
"Alright, I'll be back before dusk with a whole bouquet! But what do I get for doing you this favor?"
The unicorn smiled, though it might be more accurate to say he showed his teeth.
"Why, your pride as a griffin for one thing. I am not an unfair soul though, so here's a proper bargain. You win, and get me the flowers, I'll pay you, handsomely. Should you lose... well you're so confident it doesn't matter, does it? If you lose, you just have to talk with me. No one seems to like to talk to me much. Sound fair?"
Gilda looked him over once more, thinking it over. Well duh nobody talks to you; I feel my coolness draining just standing near you. Hmm, doesn't exactly dress rich, but then again, I know those hoity-toity types up on the mountain don't wear much either. Extra cash is always good, so what do I have to lose?
"Alright, it's a deal. Shake on it."
Gilda spat into her talon and held it out, expecting a reaction of disgust. Instead, he merely spat on his own hoof without hesitation.
"Get ready to pay out those bits."
With that, she took off, flying low and maneuvering majestically between the tightly clustered trees. Despite how cramped it was, she still was gaining speed. She ripped through the underbrush, reveling in the stunt flying. Aw yeah, let's see that pink poser do something as radical as this.
Turning her body, she smashed into a tree. Her talons and hind claws dug into the bark, and her beak gently tapped the trunk. Nothing so far in this direction, let's check over that way... The griffin's legs tensed, then pushed off in a burst of power.
Gilda scanned the ground, her literal eagle eyes spotting a flash of orange. Screeching to a halt, she picked the flower. Too easy. She gave a confident laugh at how simple it was, until she looked it over. Orange petals with... yellow stamen. This was the wrong flower. Clicking her beak in annoyance, she looked up to the sun. Oh cripes, the sun's moved that much already? No, I've only just started. Stay calm. Freaking out will make you screw up.
Like at the party. I got my feathers rustled, and... no. I deserved to be mad. Who wouldn't be, after getting all those pranks shoved on by that balloon butt? Should have baked her into a pie. Grah! I'm sitting here ranting when I should be flying!
Spreading her wings once more, Gilda continued through the Everfree Forest's underbrush. A low hanging branch snagged a feather from her neck, making her grunt in annoyance. Getting careless. But... hold on, there's another clearing ahead. Maybe an open field will be a better place to... Gilda shot her wings out, back pedaling herself to a quick landing. Wait. Horn-boy said it ONLY grew at the base of the trees. Looks like I'm just going to have to deal with it for now...
Turning back from the clearing, she tried to keep one eye on the ground and another on her surroundings. She stopped only once, to drink sparingly at a stream before continuing her search. Soon the sky turned the reds and oranges of the sunset. NO! I will not lose this! I can't lose, not again! Come ON you loser, find one flippin' flower!
Gilda half flew, half sprinted, scrambling over the forest floor to try and find the cursed flower amongst the hundreds of species that grew there. This flower had blue stamen, but pink petals. This one was orange petals, but they were banded with white. She'd picked enough flowers to decorate a parade float, and not a single one matched. The stars twinkled above before she finally admitted defeat, breaking out of the canopy to fly back to the campsite.
The unicorn was sitting there, writing on a small scroll in camp-firelight. He looked up as she walked over to him. He took out a canteen and offered it to her. She growled with frustration, but she still drank deeply. It was just water, but after the humid oven that was the forest, it was like a refreshing spring rain just for her dried throat. Once she finished, the unicorn gave a polite cough.
"I'm surprised it took you this long."
Gilda snorted at the jab.
"Yeah, well it was impossible to find anything in that mess of a forest."
At that, the unicorn's lips gave a slight twitch, as if suppressing the urge to laugh. Gilda squinted her eyes at him, anger building at the cocky look. He coughed, and gave a cheeky grin.
"Oh, it's not impossible to find anything in there. Merely impossible to find a flower I made up."
Gilda stared in utter disbelief, realizing she had spent the entire afternoon on a worthless endeavor. She shook with fury, and then roared with enough force to ripple the leaves in the tree.
"You... you... you lame excuse for a pony! There's no such thing as a flower with orange petals and blue stamen? You lied to me? You made me waste valuable time on a wild goose chase? I ought to drop the whole tree on you for the stunt you pulled!"
The unicorn nodded, and waited for her to stop yelling.
"Now you know how it feels to be lied to."
Gilda shot him a glare, eye twitching uncontrollably.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"We'll get to it in a moment. Now, please, tell me what happened before we met. You did agree to answer my questions if you couldn't find the flower."
Gilda glared at him.
"It was rigged; why the hay should I keep my end of the bargain? I am not going to tell you anything."
He sat back down, shrugging as his horn glowed. From the basket, he pulled forth a sandwich. Gilda's stomach roared at the sight of food, much to her embarrassment. I drank a little, but I didn't think to eat. I was too busy on a snipe hunt. And... is he offering it to me? She looked from him to the sandwich, before taking it. He retrieved another and bit into it. Peanut butter and jelly?
"You're kidding right? You're giving me a sandwich? Why?"
"Well, you're obviously tired, hungry and thirsty. I have spare food and drink, and a decent spot to rest. Even if you don't want to talk to me, it's to your advantage to stay. Or, you could fly, exhausted, over the most dangerous area in this part of Equestria. At night."
Faced with these facts, Gilda could only glare in contempt at him. She tore away the plastic wrapping the sandwich and dug in. They ate in silence, only broken by the sound of the fire popping or lips/beak smacking to dislodge peanut butter. A refilled canteen was offered, along with a second sandwich. The unicorn would watch her for a moment, then write something down before watching again. This soon grated on the griffin.
"What are you writing?"
He looked at her perplexed, as if surprised she'd spoken to him.
"I'm sorry, I was under the impression you didn't want to talk to me."
Before she could retort, he raised a hoof in a gesture for silence.
"Forgive the sarcasm, but sometimes you have to give as you get. What I'm writing is some personal research for a... project I'm working on. A dream, if you will. A novel, and one of the things I needed was cursory knowledge of the bizarre workings in the Everfree Forest. But to answer your implied "What are you writing now," I am taking note of how griffins eat. I've never met one before, and it's rather interesting."
Gilda cocked an eyebrow, but shrugged.
"Yeah, we don't tend to hang out around the sticks, like Ponyville, too much. We keep mostly to the mountains and skies."
"Amazing physiology. Flight demands a large lung capacity, and you have weather manipulation powers like a pegasus. That's what allows for sitting on clouds. Physically very strong, and claws allow far more dexterity than any hoof. A pony would have a hard time grabbing and bending a branch like you did. Speaking of talons, sharp talons, claws and beak would imply a carnivorous diet, yet you are still able to enjoy vegetarian pony food. So, omnivore. Frankly, you're an amazing specimen, and, well, cool."
He's gotta be trying to butter me up with all those compliments. It's working. Gilda's chest expanded with pride. She straightened her head feathers and shined her talons on her breast.
"Shame the only one I've ever met seems to be a bit of a liar."
Gilda's good mood vanished, and her voice was icy.
"Excuse me? ME, a liar?"
"You lied when we met, you denied you were crying. You seemed to believe it yourself too, and that hurts most, when one lies to themselves."
The griffin could only sputter indignantly, too shocked to reply properly. The unicorn took this chance to speak more.
"Now, I may not fly fast, or move gracefully, but I listen very well. Tell me what's wrong. What made you cry, I'd like to help; if I can..."
Gilda frothed herself into a new rage, causing her to screech and beat her wings. This guy is as bad as the little pink tart that took her away from me! He recoiled as she shouted in his face, beak snapping a hair breadth from his nose.
"I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU PONIES! You talk like you want to help, like you love and tolerate everyone, but in reality, you're just like the others! Playing me for a chump, acting all kind when you had me trapped here. You've done nothing but sit there and act superior to me this whole time!"
"And you haven't, Queen of Cool?"
Six words, but it hit her like a ton of bricks. She scrambled to defend herself.
"You... you have no idea how hard I've had to work to be this cool. How hard I had to work to... to keep her near me. And when I tried to make sure we'd always be together, to have it just be the two of us... I lost her to some dweeb-y pink poof-ball! She... defended her, stood next to her and cast me out. ME! I thought we were friends. I thought she felt like I did. I thought... I thought... Dash..."
The griffin broke down, sobbing from many thing. Shame from losing her dignity in front of a stranger, and a pony at that. Anger, at him and Pinkie Pie for making her like this. Pain, the aching in her heart making her wish she could rip it out and not deal with it any more. But most of all, she cried in Regret, for messing up and losing Dash entirely out of her stupid jealousy.
Hot tears streaked down Gilda's mulch and pollen coated face. She rubbed at her eyes, only smearing it further. For the second time in one day, she'd let some loser get the better of her. She almost didn't notice when he put a moist cloth in her claws. As she wiped her face, he consoled her.
"Say no more. It's OK to cry, and to feel sorrow when love is rejected. There is no shame in letting down those walls, and freeing your emotions. But there is hope. Come on, the fire is nearly dead. Take the tent, and get some rest."
Gilda walked over to the tent, laying down with her head out of the flap to keep talking to him. He poked some life back into the fire, his magic tossing a few more sticks in.
"So, what's the plan after some sleep then?"
"In the morning, we're going back."
"Back? Back where? To town? Why would I go back? There's no reason for me to go to Ponyville, not if she hates me."
"You'll stay with me, for free. Well, you might have to do the dishes, but I eat out a lot. You'll get a job; preferably somewhere you can be out and active, so she'll be more likely to see you. I can't guarantee it'll work, but if you two were as close as you say, you can always be given another chance. Or, perhaps I should say "Griffin" another chance."
He chuckled lightly at the joke, while Gilda groaned and tucked her head under a wing, giving up on conversation after the pun. Is it too late to go away without feeling guilty? She took her head out after a moment.
"Whatever... Uh, hey, I just remembered... we never told each other our names. I'm Gilda Griffin."
"I'm Words O'Wisdom, but you can all me Wiz. Good Night, O Queen of Cool."
Gilda re-tucked her head, smiling softly, pride somewhat padded with the title. Good night dweeb.
…
WHY DID THIS TAKE SO LONG?
Short answer: I was lazy. Long answer: Having already established Gilda and words as characters before, I had a hard time wanting to come back to this and try to re-introduce them in an interesting way. This, combined with ample amounts League of Legends, work, and replaying Mass Effect and well... anyway, here's a new beginning on a new take. Also, Open Office was being sneaky about where it was saving the proper edited files, so it took some fixing to get this version on site. Some days, I hate technology...
Also, long time readers, I must ask: What, to you, makes my writing unique? What makes you go "Yup, Kyle wrote this"?