Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic or seek any profit from the below work.
Notes: This chapter…I'm not so sure about this one. I think it's sound, but I've been putting in work lately so I've not had so much sitting around time to deal with it. I hope it pleases and that the next chapter gives me more confidence.
Lost and Found
Chapter 10: Gilda's Gambit
At least, for most of the night, all was at peace. It seemed that things were not meant to last that way, at least for one resident of Ponyville.
Gilda gasped as she came back to the waking world. Eyes clenched shut, she resisted the urge to scream.
The pain…that accursed pain had taken a hold of her!
Fluttershy's medicine had worn off before, but she had fallen asleep stretched out, and her body just wasn't in the mood for that right now. Despite the shy pegasus's insistence that she was drinking as much as was healthy, she was sure that this was no where NEAR enough to keep her feeling good.
Steadying herself on the bed, she sighed. The pain was memorable, but it didn't feel like she was bleeding or had anything ruined that wasn't ruined before.
The need to urinate, however, was all too present.
She hated life at that moment; nothing would have been better but to lay back down and let sleep take her back into its embrace.
Turning her eyes toward her bedmate, she realized the young pony was still asleep. No whimpering and no nonsense. That much was a relief in this trying time. With every step away from the bed and down the stairs, that pain seemed to tighten its grip. Still, the relief was well worth the journey.
Splashing some water on her face, she drank more than a few mouthfuls from the faucet. The water would help a little with the pain, hopefully. Even if it did not, at least her mouth would not be as dry.
Climbing up the steps was just as bad as descending, and only fear of waking up the kid kept her from flopping onto the bed. Even as she laid there as comfortably as she could get, the pain only grew as she realized that she had gotten worse. She shuddered to think about trying to fly in this condition. Her wings did not hurt like the rest of her, but one bad cramp or pulled muscle could be enough to gorund her again.
The griffon groaned; she was way cooler than this. A little pain had never slowed her or Dash down. Even when Rainbow Dash had been wasting her time helping Fluttershy back in their days in Cloudsdale, she did not slow down.
The pegasus had never been with foal or in this much pain, though. She didn't know whether foaling or laying was easier, but she knew that both sucked.
One of the few things griffons and pegasi had in common was that they both screamed louder than any Everfree beast throughout the process.
Their old school instructor had flew throughout her entire pregnancy, and she only really gave it any thought at the end. To be fair, their school instructor was built like two Royal Guardstallions put together. The old joke was that she didn't even know she was pregnant until she was ready to foal.
Afterward, the rehabilitation had kept her grounded for about a month.
Gilda chuckled. She knew for a fact that the only reason Flight Sergeant Chestnut stayed down was to care for her foal, and that she would have been back in the air so fast that the doctor's head would have spun off if not for that tiny mewling creature. If she just had the same determination, she would be able to fly again, too.
The pain would fight her at every turn, but she would fly again.
The thought did give her pause. Just as Chestnut had taken a month off for her child, she would have about that much time to herself before the arrival of her chick.
What would happen then?
Her knowledge of raising hatchlings was limited, and the ponies would probably know less. She couldn't just abandon the creature to the careless hooves of these ponies; that would be as good as putting it to death.
A growl rose up in her throat. All too quickly, she had become soft again. The blessing was absolutely necessary, but she really didn't need to care whether she or the ponies raised it.
She had more important things to worry about than whether the egg had ponies for parents or her; it'd end up getting raised in this Lame-o town, anyway. That aside, it would hatch when it damn well pleased and she would have plenty of time to finish her business before that time.
How could she prove her coolness if she let herself stay grounded before her time was up?
Just like she had sworn the last night, she would take to the skies. This pain would not stop her. Sleep lingered out of reach, but she still laid her head back down. Putting her foreleg over the filly next to her, she tried to succumb to the night.
Despite her best efforts, she was trapped. A little filly on one side, the egg on the other side, and pain all around her!
Minutes and minutes spent in boredom nurtured an idea.
This was the only time of day she would have a warm body to put that egg beside aside from her own. Rainbow Dash hated waking up early, but she'd have to listen. After all that had happened, she'd get a claw in the door long enough to make her case. Even in the dark, her cloudhouse would be easy to find. It was the only one this close to Ponyville.
Every beat of her wings would probably cause the pain to grow, but it would be worth it. Sliding the egg across the bed and next to the pegasus filly, she put a sheet around it. Staggering toward the window, she sized up the gap. She wasn't quite as slender as a pony, but squeezing through was possible.
The pain was already back, but everything would be fine as long as she kept moving. If she stopped for a moment, she'd feel the pain and probably collapse.
Pushing herself through, she stretched her wings and leaped out. It took so much effort to stay airborne, but she knew she could do it. She had flown further when she was hurt and bearing her egg.
Maybe she was only twenty percent cool in Dash's eyes right now, but that would change.
When she finally made it to that all too familiar cloud home, she floated down to the landing and perched near the front door.
Gilda reached up to grab the pull string and took a deep breath. This was her chance.
One pull.
A soft tinkling broke the air. The idea of a bell string outside your door didn't make much sense to ground dwellers, but clouds didn't knock quite as well as wood. Clouds also didn't keep noise out that well…
Bells beat having somepony shouting at your door while you were trying to sleep in. That grey pony who had been in school with them liked to yell. She said that the bell wasn't loud enough to get anypony's attention.
The gruff speedster got impatient at the mere thought of that irritating intruder. Those thoughts and this long wait weren't making it any easier to deal with the pain.
Two pulls, this time.
It took an age and a half for the door to finally open.
Rainbow Dash's trademark, multicolor mane was barely visible in the low light.
"Yeah, what is it?" The pony rubbed her eyes, grumbling.
The words burned her heart a little bit, "Rainbow Dash, i-it's me."
"G-Gilda?" Rainbow Dash leaned forward, shaking herself awake, "What are you doing here?"
Gilda frowned, sensing the annoyance in that tired voice. She took a step forward, trying to put a smile on her face, "I-I just came to be with you, Dash. It's been so long since we've done anything together. You haven't had any time for me, and I've been so doped up on that stuff Fluttershy makes me drink…"
The hurt crept into her voice and she hated herself for letting it happen.
This was supposed to be a victory. If she treated it like a loss now, she would surely find herself going back to the bakery a failure.
Dash's voice softened, "C'mon in, G."
In the dim light, she knew well enough to just follow her friend. Cloudhouses tended to change furnishings often enough that relying on memory of the home alone would just be trouble.
The pony lit a candle and set it on the table, and the pair were able to sort themselves out on the same side of it. In the low light, she could see the worry on her friend's face. It made her feel like she was just making another mistake.
She knew, however, that she was too far in to cut out now.
The griffon smiled awkwardly, "It's good to see you again, Dash."
"Yeah, it's good to see you too." There had been so much good between them. They had been as sisters, but, now, they could barely look at each other.
The bond that had got them through hard times in Cloudsdale was practically gone. No matter how happy or friendly Dash had been during that all too recent slumber party, the past was not forgotten or forgiven.
The pain and fatigue had been too much for her to really be aware back then, but now she treaded carefully. One mistake could lay open those past wounds, and things could go back to being just as bad as they had been in that year of absence.
Gilda met her gaze. They looked at each other for the longest time, only breaking for yawns or to blink sleep from their eyes. They were both exhausted, and this just wasn't the time for a reunion.
So many ideas ended locked away in her head, forbidden from reaching her tongue. Words needed to be chosen so carefully. A lack of discretion had earned her the boot from Ponyville and Dash's life. She couldn't make that mistake again!
She had to break that silence, "So, uh, Dash…"
"Huh?"
She had to think fast now, "You wanna go flying, just like old times?"
That seemed weigh heavily on the Best Young Flier, and her response took an age to come, "Sure, G, let's do it."
It was a dumb thing to offer in her condition, but she couldn't go back on her word now.
They stepped out of the house and stared off of the edge together. The sun was beginning to rise in the distance. For the longest time, they just stared off the edge toward the sun's peeking they been sitting in silence that long? Or were the pony Princesses just choosing to cycle day and night right now? The world seemed like it had been conspiring against her lately; saddling her with the kid, putting her in Pinkie Pie's care, and keeping Dash away from her.
"Where to?" The taloned flier queried, staring out over the entire town. There were so many places to fly to.
"How about up to the mountain's edge, right over there? You think you're up to that?" Rainbow Dash's tone oozed with worry.
Gilda grinned, trying to hide her own concerns, "You just try to keep up."
With no more pretense, she took off as fast as she could go. This wasn't her max speed, but it was as close as she could get.
Her dear friend surged ahead of her, and she realized just how outclassed she was. Bearing the egg had made her weak, and her injuries were holding her back even now. Her confidence was the only part of her that hadn't gotten so injured…until now.
"What's the matter, G? Can't hang? It's all right if you suck, it's not like a fat griffon can hang with a Wonderbolt!"
Dash wasn't looking back at her, but the wounded mother could hear her friend's voice echoing in her head. That kind of special scorn two rivals had for weakness from each other.
She was never going to be a flip-flop again!
Rushing ahead through the pain, she barely saw the mountain path spring up before her.
A fast landing was the only choice at the rate she was going…
Aiming for just past the edge of the path, she gave her wings a few heavy flaps to try to slow her descent.
Her legs crumpled as she impacted the dirt path, and her midsection burned with an unreal pain as the rest of her caught up with her legs. Digging her talons in, she cursed her luck for landing on this uneven surface at such a fast pace.
A scream broke the air behind her as she tried to get up and the rainbow maned pony was quickly before her, "Gilda! Are you all right?"
The most Gilda could do was to look up and grin weakly, "I still got it, right, Dash?"
That smile made every second of agony worth it, "You still got it, G."
"Great. I think I can get up, just…let's go back to Pinkie Pie's. So I can sleep this of-off-awww-ow!" Trying to raise up out of the dirt was a mistake, and she paid for it dearly.
That pain wasn't just a momentary affair from a rough, but mostly safe impact. It was real and lasting, unlike all but the misery of the laying itself. The pain she felt when she awoke was a pleasant phantom compared to this!
"Gilda!" Rainbow Dash cried.
The griffon howled in frustration, the hurt washing over her. Words failed her.
It only grew worse as she was hauled up onto her friend's back, "Hang on: I'm going to get you some help!"
She wasn't in any state to object, but she knew it was going to hurt before it got better. The best she could do was to hold on. Even weighed down like this, the pace that the pony racer put on was nearly enough to throw her.
They were in the shadow of a large white building when they landed.
Rainbow Dash didn't stop. She pushed through a few doors, walking into a fairly open lobby.
'Gilda didn't dare speak objections that would fall on deaf ears, but she hated that she was going to be laid up even longer.
The receptionist freaked out almost immediately, hitting a call button and calling for immediate assistance.
A gurney was brought out in quick order by a couple of tired looking nurses. They loaded her up onto it quickly, ignoring her cries of pain.
The doctor followed them as they pushed it, and she heard him talking to her.
"What happened?"
Gilda was in no condition to answer properly, especially with nurses checking her over for injuries, "B-bad crash. Ah!"
She lashed out with her talons, but the nurse ducked the strike, "That hurts! Don't touch that, you idiot!"
"You brought her in, Ms. Dash, did you see what happened?"
The pegasus talked faster than she could have galloped, "She just laid an egg not that long ago, and we were flying, and she took a landing too hard! Is she gonna be all right?"
"I'll have to examine her to determine that, but, please, tell me further of what happened."
The explanation was hurried, and numerous questions were asked. The occasional pained screech or snarl broke their conversation as the nurses attended to the patient.
The questions ended as they paused outside a room with double doors, "Ms. Rainbow Dash, please don't worry. Every patient I've had has walked or flown out of this hospital."
"Dash…" Gilda gasped over the conversation and prodding of the nurses.
Instantly, she was by her friend's side, "Gilda, save your strength; you're gonna be okay."
"Go…go to Pinkie Pie's, get the egg!" She coughed, a little blood staining her beak.
"She may have internal injuries, doctor! We have to hurry!" The younger nurse interjected.
"You'll be able to talk to her later, right now, I need to examine her now!"
That nearly stopped the pegasus's heart. Internal injuries happened in serious situations. She had taken some injuries in her time, but she had never seen or suffered internal injuries. All she knew was that they were serious business. The fact that Gilda might be able to die from one little crash was unthinkable.
She couldn't deny what could be one of her dearest friends' last wishes.
"Don't worry, G! I'll do it! You just get better, okay?" She cried as her friend was wheeled into that room, and the doors flipped shut.
She reversed immediately, only barely avoiding Sonic Rainboom speeds. No pony was around to get in her way, and she wouldn't have stopped if Celestia had stood in her path.
Sugarcube Corner was in her sights before anypony knew any better. This time of day was great for flying as fast as she could. No pony would get in her way. No pony could stop her.
Even with a relatively generous decrease in speed from its attacker, the door of Sugarcube Corner nearly suffered its second defeat this week. It slammed open as she slid to a stop and ran up the stairs.
A pink obstruction broke her stride, and she ended up in a two pony pile-up at the bottom of the stairs. She barely felt the impact, to be honest, and she barely noticed the laundry basket on her head.
Scrambling to her feet, she came face to face with a pony with a sheet over her head.
"Who's there? Are you the Laundry Bandit?" A worried, shrill voice broke out from under that white sheet.
They both removed their respective headgear, with the pegasus trying to press past the party pony with a 'stop wasting my time' groan.
Pinkie Pie smiled happily, "Hey Dashie! What's up? Have you seen Gilda? She's not here."
"It's a long story. I need to go upstairs and get something for her!" Rainbow Dash ran on by, not wasting a moment. Upstairs, she came upon the sight of the egg. A small, orange body was curled around it.
The sight might have made her smile if she didn't have to hurry.
Plucking the egg from its impromptu guardian, she flew toward the window. The sound of the filly stirring behind her was of no concern. She was going to see her friend through this.
Celestia's sun was rising, and there was no time to waste. Every moment she hesitated could be a moment that Gilda would slip away without her egg and her friend by her side. The rainbow streak across the sky was not a common sight this early, but the few ponies outside were graced by that sight.
Scootaloo, in particular, rubbed her eyes to see that streak fading away from the open window. More perplexing were the empty bed and the feeling that something had gone terribly wrong…