Chapter 9: Gilda's Promise
A few days after Gilda and Rainbow Dash performed for the Wonderbolts, Gilda decided that she needed a house of her own in Ponyville. She was perfectly comfortable living with Pinkie Pie, but she felt bad that Pinkie Pie had to sleep on the floor while Gilda got the bed which was much more comfortable. Pinkie Pie still flat out refused to allow Gilda to sleep on the floor for even a minute and since her house didn't have the space for an extra bed, Gilda knew that she needed to have her own place or at the very least a room where she could have her own bed.
"How am I gonna get my own place?" Gilda had asked her best friend Rainbow Dash, after explaining the situation to her. "I don't have the bits to buy a house here."
"Isn't it obvious Gilds." She said with a smile. "You can just live with me. I have a spare room in my house. You can just sleep there."
"I don't wanna be a bother Dashie." Gilda said seriously. "Pinkie Pie sleeping on the floor for me is bad enough, I can't do that to you too."
"Don't you have any furniture?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"No I-" Gilda began but then a small grin formed on her face. "I just remembered something."
Rainbow Dash gave her a questioning look as she continued.
"I made a promise to two certain griffons and I think it's time that I made good on that promise." Gilda said in a mischievous tone.
She told Rainbow Dash about how she had left her parents's house declaring that she'd one day return to get her stuff.
"Only problem." She said. "I can't carry all of that stuff myself." I wonder if it's even there anymore. she thought.
"Not a problem Gilds." Rainbow Dash said. "Follow me."
Rainbow Dash took off with Gilda right behind her. Soon they met up with the other ponies and Spike. Rainbow Dash explained the situation to them and they volunteered to help. They were still trying to come up with a plan when they were joined by none other than Princess Celestia herself. She'd heard about the situation and she was willing to do whatever she could to help Gilda get settled in to her new life in Ponyville. Twilight Sparkle then came up with a plan. She'd recently learned a new spell which allowed her to teleport to different places or to the side of any living creature as long as she had something she called DNA. She taught the spell to Rarity as well and Twilight Sparkle felt that they could teleport to Gilda's house magically transport her furniture to Rainbow Dash's home and get everything set up. When the furniture had been teleported Rarity would use her keen attention to detail to organize it properly. While unicorns couldn't usually stand on clouds, Twilight Sparkle was able to use her magic to create a cloud-walk spell that would allow Rarity to stand on clouds for a certain amount of time.
"Hold it what do you mean by DNA?" Gilda asked in a puzzled tone. She was pretty skeptical about the plan. She trusted Twilight Sparkle but that was only because she was friends with Rainbow Dash. Twilight Sparkle explained to Gilda what she meant by DNA and that only made Gilda even more skeptical. "What am I supposed to do?" she asked. The griffon was thinking that Twilight Sparkle might ask for a sample of her blood or something.
Twilight Sparkle went back to her house for a moment and returned with two empty water glasses and set them down on the ground in front of the griffon.
"Um Gilda." she began. "I know this sounds weird but can you give me two of your feathers please?"
Gilda was definitely confused by this but she complied. As she plucked two of her feathers and placed them in the glasses, she gave Twilight Sparkle a look of questioning as her horn glowed and soon one of the glasses was filled not with her feathers but with a weird looking purple mist. Rarity did the same to the other glass though she looked rather disgusted by the idea. Both glasses were filled with the strange purple mist and Twilight Sparkle said that Gilda's feathers contained her DNA and she could use Gilda's DNA and the spell to teleport to Gilda as soon as she got to her house.
"Only thing is." Twilight Sparkle said. "We need to figure out how we can know when exactly you're at your house. Rarity can't fly so we can't take the risk of teleporting too early."
All the ponies looked thoughtful for a minute but then Gilda's eyes shot open and she looked at Spike with a mischievous grin on her face.
"Hey Spike." She said. "Ever wanted to ride on a griffon?"
"Ummm yeah. Sounds cool." Spike replied in an uncertain tone. He didn't know what Gilda had meant by that question.
"Well then today's your lucky day." Gilda replied. With one claw she scooped Spike up and sat him on her back. She then said that she and Rainbow Dash would fly to Gilda's house with Spike on Gilda's back. When they made it Spike would send a letter to Princess Celestia and then Rarity and Twilight Sparkle would teleport over. While Gilda could definitely make the trip alone, Rainbow Dash felt compelled to join her after hearing how much Gilda's parents hated any living creature that wasn't a griffon. She felt that Spike, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle might need some protection just in case things got out of hoof or claw. Needless to say, Gilda and Rainbow Dash were very willing to provide whatever protection their friends needed. They all agreed on the plan and Rainbow Dash and Gilda were getting ready to fly.
"I'd make a race out of this G, but that wouldn't work out for me since I have no clue where your house is." said Rainbow Dash in a playful tone.
Gilda laughed a bit before speaking. "Doesn't matter Dash. Just follow me, and Spike just hold on tight."
Spike grabbed hold of Gilda's neck, which caused Rarity's face to wear a look of jealousy, and then both the pegasus and the griffon took off into the sky, with Spike laughing like a maniac. Gilda always loved flying. She really enjoyed the feel of the wind going through her feathers and pushing herself to fly at breakneck speeds. One way or another, flying always seemed to put a smile on her face, even on the worst of days. Rainbow Dash, being a pegasus pony, felt exactly the same way. Spike, meanwhile, couldn't fly but he was definitely enjoying himself. Soon enough Gilda saw her old town and the three of them landed in the square. It was a simple sort of town. Since every resident was a griffon, it had been built in the sky rather than on the ground. Aside from that it looked like any other town. The griffons nearby glared at Gilda and her friends, but the trio paid them no mind. Gilda ran off towards her parents' house, with Spike clinging to her back and Rainbow Dash running right behind her. Gilda reached the door, and after giving the other two a warning about her parents' attitude, she opened it and the three of them went inside.
"Well well well. Look who's finally returned." An angry female voice said. Gilda recognized her mother who had a glare on her face that Gilda readily returned.
"I told you she'd come crawling back soon enough." Her father growled. "And she's brought a mule and a lizard with her."
These words sparked outrage as Rainbow Dash and Spike quickly responded.
"MULE?"
"LIZARD?"
They glared at Gilda's parents while Gilda whispered "I warned you."
Gilda's parents looked like they were about to attack Rainbow Dash and Spike, but Gilda stood her ground facing the angry griffons. Her eyes had a look of fierce determination as well as anger as she spoke to her parents.
"Now you listen to me." She growled fiercely. "I don't care what you think of me. But don't you dare insult my friends. They've got more compassion and kindness than you two could ever hope to have." Gilda glared at her parents as she continued. "I'd try to get you two to apologize but I know that won't happen." Glancing at Spike, she told him to send the letter. Spike pulled out the scroll and sent it on its way. The five of them waited for a moment and soon enough Rarity and Twilight Sparkle appeared in two swirls of purple mist. Rarity went to go introduce herself to Gilda's parents but Gilda stopped her. She gave Rarity a look and shook her head, silently telling her to avoid going near the two griffons. Gilda gave her parents one last glare as she and her friends walked towards Gilda's old room which surprisingly was unchanged since she left. Rarity went inside alone while the other four waited for her. Twilight Sparkle had told Gilda that Rarity had a photographic memory when it came to design, and they left her to her work. Soon enough Rarity left Gilda's room and told them she'd got the layout memorized perfectly. She teleported away and the others walked into Gilda's room and after Spike got the letter that Rarity was ready Twilight Sparkle began teleporting furniture to Rainbow Dash's house. The process went on for a while and soon enough the room was totally empty. The four walked out of Gilda's room and were about to leave when they heard an angry voice.
"And just what is the meaning of this young lady?" Her mother demanded.
"Don't you remember?" Gilda snarled. "I told you I'd be back to get my stuff out and that's just what I did." she glared at the two griffons. "And unless you've got anything to say to me, I'll be on my way to my new home with my new friends." Putting emphasis on the last word, Gilda looked at her parents, expecting some more petty insults or some half hearted goodbyes. Part of her hoped that her parents might just apologize. Gilda didn't know if she'd forgive them or not if they did, but she couldn't help but hope that maybe they had learned from their mistakes the same way she did. The two griffons just glared at Gilda and then at the others.
"You caused all this." Gilda's father thundered at Rainbow Dash. "You turned my daughter into some lowly weakling that befriends mules and lizards and who knows what else." He advanced menacingly towards the pegasus but Gilda had had enough. With a roar of rage, she flew towards her father and pinned him to the floor. She towered over him and gave him a glare of pure loathing. Gilda's mother made a movement as if she was going to attack her daughter, but threatening glares from both Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle made her stay right where she was.
"Don't you ever." Gilda growled, with pure fury in every word. "Talk about my friends like that again." She got up, gave the two griffons one last hate filled glare, and turned away, leaving her parents behind her. Twilight Sparkle teleported back to Ponyville, while Gilda scooped Spike up and placed him on her back once more. He held on tight with a look of excitement on his face. Gilda and Rainbow Dash proceeded out the door and took off into the sky leaving the town as well as the entire kingdom of Grifforia behind them. The griffon and the pegasus flew side by side back to their hometown.
Once the duo arrived back in Ponyville, Gilda allowed Spike to climb down and he went back to Twilight Sparkle's castle to get some rest. He enjoyed the flights but they left him exhausted. Gilda and Rainbow Dash flew to their house in the sky and saw that Rarity had just finished decorating the spare room. It matched the griffon's old room perfectly. Gilda thanked Rarity for all her help and complimented her on how she had recreated her old room. Rarity left Rainbow Dash's house and by that time it was getting dark out. After they brushed their teeth, Rainbow Dash and Gilda went into Gilda's new room. Rainbow Dash had since gotten rid of the sleeping pills, feeling that she wouldn't need them anymore, now that Gilda was back and they were best friends again. The two friends stared at each other for a moment before speaking.
"Good night Dashie." Gilda said.
"Good night Gilds." Rainbow Dash replied. She was on her way off to her own room when Gilda spoke again.
"Dashie." she began.
"Yes?" Rainbow Dash replied in a polite tone.
"Thank you for everything." Gilda whispered.
"You're my best friend Gilda." Rainbow Dash told her with a smile. "I wish I remembered that at the party. I should have let you explain yourself before I yelled at you."
"Hey I deserved it." Gilda said. "I was a jerk."
"Still I just wish I'd realized that our friendship meant more than some dumb pranks." the pegasus pony whispered.
"I wish I remembered that too." the griffon replied.
The two were silent for a moment before Gilda spoke up again.
"I didn't apologize just because I felt guilty you know." Gilda said. "Plain and simple without you my life sucked. I had nobody once I lost you. If I wasn't so dumb I wouldn't have lost you."
"Even after what you did I still missed you." Rainbow Dash said. "I just thought that even if I forgave you my friends wouldn't. I tricked myself into thinking that I was better off without you."
"Dashie. You were my best friend and my only friend." Gilda said. "I thought that you were the only friend I'd ever need. I guess I just let myself believe that you felt the same way. But we're friends now and that means the world to me."
"No." Rainbow Dash replied. "Not friends. Best friends."
With the last word, Rainbow Dash moved towards Gilda and gave her a warm hug before heading to her own room. Gilda gave her new room one last look, thinking that something was missing. She opened the old leather bag and pulled out the cardboard box. She gazed at the photograph from years ago and smiled. Tucking the familiar note in the back of the frame, Gilda walked over to her dresser and placed the photo on top. Still smiling, she got into her bed and fell into a peaceful sleep. Over the next few weeks the dresser became home to more photographs. There was one of Gilda shaking hoofs with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna when they agreed that Gilda could live in Ponyville. There was another that showed Gilda on stage with her bandmates playing their hearts out while she sang her song for Rainbow Dash the other day. Yet more photos showed Gilda with Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike. There was another photo which showed them all in one big group. There was even one of her and Rainbow Dash shaking hoofs with each of the Wonderbolts after they performed their stunts at the stadium. But no matter what photos were added, the first one was always in the middle. It remained in pride of the place as a reminder of Gilda's first friend, as well as what she'd do for Rainbow Dash and for all of her new friends.
The End!
Author's Note:
I'd like to thank you guys for reading this story. I hope you enjoyed reading it because I had a lot of fun writing it. I've watched the entirety of Season 1 and I felt that Gilda needed redemption. I'd like to thank the following people:
1Lone Shadow, TammyHybrid21, and Darkefairie for beta reading my fanfiction. You guys have been really helpful.
I'd also like to thank The Barenaked Ladies for writing the song "One Little Slip" which inspired me to write this story.
I have plenty more stories planned as sequels and I hope to get them out to you guys as soon as possible.
Thanks for reading this story!
