Old Friends {RD, Gilda}

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Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, feeling the snow fall around her. It was time to get back into the groove of things. She was fast. She had a reputation to uphold. Her wings slowly unfurled, feeling the cold rush in on her feathers. It was a great feeling: the wind flowing through her wings in that second of opening them. It was a sign that she was ready to fly.

She exhaled slowly, knowing without opening her eyes that her breath was fog in the air. Ready... Yeah... That was the right word. Ready. She was ready. Rainbow pulled herself to her hooves, standing upright. Her hooves searched along the ground, bringing her closer and closer to the edge. It would start in a second. She'd dive off the cliff, and fly. Rainbow breathed slowly, feeling every muscle tense and relax.

Her eyes opened, to a white... A white everything... The snow was relaxing. Calming. Beautiful. It created an entire world. One that she was now experiencing.

Alright Dash, enough with the prissy talk. You're here to fly. So... fly...

She instantly jumped off the cliff, catching the wind. Suddenly the serenity was gone, and her senses were thrown into overdrive. Rainbow Dash snaked through the rocks, dodging every obstacle. Her eyes narrowed, and she spiraled like a bullet.

It was a bit disorienting with all of the snow. White everywhere... Focus Dash! You can see the difference! Take everything into affect! Shadows, lines, structures, light, everything!

She shot to the side, avoiding a spire. Dash came around each corner, going at dizzying speeds.

Dizzying was the right word... She couldn't... focus... Pull up! She yanked herself upwards, flying straight up. The sun shone on her, a mixture of warmth and cold ran through her wings and spine.

She felt the world spin around her as she climbed steadily out of the gorge. She spiralled, before landing on the outside of the gorge, exhaling deeply.

"Well... That's pretty awesome..." Rainbow Dash rubbed her face, and lowered her hooves. She paused. What the... No... No way... Dash frowned, rubbing her eyes. She looked again. Yep, she was absolutely sure now.

"Gilda?"

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How was it so cold? She had never, ever been this cold. 'Course she usually wasn't on the ground trudging through the snow. She knew how close she was to civilization, but it was that town. There was no way she was going there. Not in a million years. She was not in the mood for it right now anyways. Not to mention she wouldn't have a place to stay there anyways, she knew a pony there, emphasis on 'knew.'

At the moment she had no connections there. In fact, it was the one place that she refused to bring packages to. Gilda put her shoulder into the wind, lifting a wing to shield her face from the biting cold. Ice crackled as she moved her wing reminding her of the bath she had taken earlier today, before the world decided to be a massive jerk and freeze everything. It had sucked at first but now the ice was more annoying than anything.

Speaking of that annoying ice, she reared up and flapped wildly to rid herself of some of it and a feather or two. She thought about flying but it seemed a bit pointless her wings were still weighted down, flying would just be tiring. This wasn't really the place for preening the ice out either. Then she heard something, whistling wind, flapping wings, snapping hair? Gilda looked around but didn't see anything. 'Must be a bird in the canyon' she thought, jumping over a snow drift only to fall into another one just past it.

"Well... That's pretty awesome..." No, no it wasn't. It might have been cold, but it wasn't hallucination cold. Gilda internally groaned. Maybe she was going through some wonky hypothermia? It'd be preferable. She was on the wrong side of the the canyon, no way she was here. What would she even be doing all the way out here. 'I obviously just imagined it, just keep walking Gil-"

[/i]"Gilda?"

Darn. She turned around, putting on a steely face of apathy even though she was absolutely dreading what she knew she was gonna see "Who else would it be dweeb?" she spat out as if it was the most obvious thing in the world "Or were you expecting some other griffon?" It had to be Dash, why couldn't it be that little yellow mare she had terrified or...someone else, anyone else really, barring that pink monstrosity.

Gilda's eyes disdainfully looked over Dash's rainbow mane and blue fur. Darn it, she seemed fine. Gilda still didn't look her best, she looked even worse than when she was first put on leave really. It hadn't fixed anything, she was missing feathers, her fur was a bit patchy and would have already looked bad enough thanks to the snow making her absolutely soaked.

Still, she simply had to put on a show. She couldn't let anyone see that she was weak, least of all Dash. Gilda's chest puffed up and she stood straight as possible. She took a deep breath, the cold air stung. She released the breath, letting the steam like air cloud her vision for a moment. "Before you say anything, which way is the nearest town that isn't Ponyville." she said flatly, hoping to get out of here before Dash tried to lecture her or something. "and how long is the walk?"
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"Who else would it be dweeb? Or were you expecting some other griffon?"

It was Gilda... It... It was Gilda. The last time she saw Gilda, was at the party... Gilda yelling, then Dash yelling, and then basically never speaking to each other again. That's how that day went.

"Before you say anything, which way is the nearest town that isn't Ponyville, and how long is the walk?"

Dash was a lot of things at this exact moment. Confused. Angry. Hurt. ...lots of things... Confused, about how to feel seeing Gilda again. Angry at Gilda for what she did. Hurt... Hurt for, despite everything they went through in Junior Speedsters, Gilda just stormed out.

Yet... Yet she'd simply say this. "Cloudsdale's a bit to the north. Can't miss it." What're you doing, Dash?! Remember the way she flipped out?! Remember how she made Fluttershy cry?! Remember how you felt?!

"No. You're not getting off that easy." Dash glared at G, finding that familiar rage in her chest. "You came into town, and I was happy! My best friend was back! And then, you showed me how much of a jerk you could really be! You made Fluttershy cry! You insulted all of my friends, and didn't even have the gall to apologize! And then, you called me a flip flop, and left me there."

Dash gritted her teeth, feeling hatred pulse in her ears. "We've been friends since Junior Speedsters, and you couldn't even handle my friends and some pranks? That's all ponies need to take down the All Mighty Gilda?"

[/color] Rainbow rubbed her temples, trying to... To what?! "No. You're not my best friend. My best friend, wouldn't have flipped out so easily. My best friend, would've stuck through everything and laughed it off! My best friend, would've apologized! You are not my best friend! You are a selfish jerk, and I hope you rot in Tartarus!"[/color][/blockquote]

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Gilda had to wait a moment for Dash to answer, she looked just about as surprised as Gilda felt. Gilda guessed she had a better poker face than her former friend. Former best friend. Dash had never been the best liar anyways. Gilda had liked that way back when. Now it just seemed dumb. If they ever had been actual friends Gilda wouldn't have had to worry about how bad a liar Dash was. 'Course she couldn't remember when Dash had lied to her, just instructors. Whatever. That didn't even matter anymore. Those days were long past.

Gilda smiled. It was a menacing and filled with malice. She hadn't expected this to be so simple. This was Dash. Dash was never easy. She also couldn't believe that she was disoriented enough to not know that she was near Cloudsdale. she could have sworn that she was heading towards Appleoosa. She briefly wondered how long she had been walking. Her feet were freezing. Gilda straightened herself up and began to walk away, no more words, no nod, nothing.

Of course it wasn't that simple. Gilda internally groaned as Dash started back up. "Drat." she thought. She turned to face Dash, glaring daggers at her. "I-" she started, but Dash wasn't finished yet. Not even close it looked like. What did she know anyways? She had left first, back in Junior Speedsters. She had no right to act like this. She Left first! It had been years before, but still.

Gilda took a deep breath. She would just walk away. That would be what would bother Dash the most after all. Her talons flexed into the ground as Dash continued. Her body really didn't seem to feel like moving. She just wanted to get out of here though!

She lifted her talons off the ground as one of her paws shifted backwards, "There we go Gilda, now ju-"

[/i] she stopped. She was stunned. Had Dash really just said that? She knew Dash would probably be mad at her after what happened. As mad as Gilda she herself was at least. So this was...did Dash really hate her that much? Gilda put down her talons and walked forward until she was almost nose to beak with her former friend. ”I’d rather be in Tartarus than here with you!” she spat out.

”I was happy to see you again too Dash and I get there to that stupid, lame, horrible town see you didn’t even set time aside for me? That idiotic pink mare hopping around? A party filled with ponies I don’t even know laughing at me?” she paused. She was getting too deep into this. She shouldn’t give Dash so much to talk about. She should leave. She would leave. Gilda growled then spun away from Dash and spread her wings making the thin sheets of ice visible as they cracked and shattered.

She flapped once to lighten the load and then flapped again taking off and stirring up a whirlwind of snow, but she didn’t leave. Her body wouldn’t let her. She had been avoiding this for a long time, but it sorta felt like she had also been waiting for it since she left that stupid town, those ponies laughing at her. She could remember how Dash looked at her too. It had haunted her for weeks. She finally had her chance to strike back.

Gilda stared at Rainbow for a few moments. She was suddenly out of words. ’Come on Gilda! This is your chance to let her have it.’[/i] her breath came in and out in shuddering breaths and steaming air. She kept staring Dash in the eye with a steely gaze as she flapped her wings to stay up high, looking down onto Dash. ”Y-you....”, she landed, ”You left first.” she said, defeated. ”Besides, what do you have to complain about, you were left with all your new friends in that fricken bakery.”

She had cried after leaving that place. She’d never let Dash know though, not in a million years. Gilda was going to continue yelling about how she hadn’t been left with anything, but there was weakness in that. Who said she needed anything. She was doing fine on her own after all; better than Dash ever would. ”So...why don’t you just fly away and tell all your friends you scared off the big bad griffon, eh? And do me a favor by never helping me again.”

That ought to shut her up. At least for a moment or two. Not that it mattered. Gilda was going to stand her ground, not because she wanted to, but because her body wouldn’t let her run from Dash, not again. She had to do this and prove to herself she didn’t need Dash and Dash didn’t need her. Not anymore at least, the good days at Junior Speedsters were over and gone like feathers in a passing wind.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

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”I’d rather be in Tartarus than here with you!”

”I was happy to see you again too Dash and I get there to that stupid, lame, horrible town see you didn’t even set time aside for me? That idiotic pink mare hopping around? A party filled with ponies I don’t even know laughing at me?”

Dash watched Gilda turn away, and try to fly off. The frost seemed to have stopped her. Dash was, well, she was unable to process anything. Gilda was back. They were pissed at each other, but... She was still back.

”Y-you.... You left first.”

That stung. Rainbow Dash knew exactly what she was referring to. Back at the Junior Speedsters, back when they were the best of friends, Dash was simply skating by. She knew all the material, she could answer all the questions, but, she just didn't care.

Then, Dash dropped out. She gave nopony any sign. She left in the middle of the night, with a short letter on her bed. Rainbow had very specific reasons for leaving the Junior Speedsters. But... But she never told anypony why. She just, sort of sent letters to G afterwards. She traveled the world, before settling in Ponyville... The rest was history.

”Besides, what do you have to complain about, you were left with all your new friends in that fricken bakery.”

Did she really just say that? Did she just fricking say that?!

”So...why don’t you just fly away and tell all your friends you scared off the big bad griffon, eh? And do me a favor by never helping me again.”

"... I'm just the bad pony here, aren't I? I'm the inconsiderate jerk who ruined everything. I'm the heartless one! Let me tell you what the heck happened after you left! I played it cool for my friends, and then left! I flew straight to my house, and stayed there for two weeks, before my friends dragged me out! You think I was so happy losing my best friend?! You think I enjoyed that?!"

"And I did make time for you. I made time so that my new friends could meet my best friend! I made time so that we could all hang out! Is it that hard for you?! To deal with the fact I have more than just you?! I set up those pranks, because I thought you'd get a kick out of it, like we used to do in the Junior Speedsters!"

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"But, you know what? I'm done."[/b] Dash chuckled, shaking her head. "I'm done with you. I'm done with your crap. This is your fault. You screwed up. This was you! I don't care what you have to say to me, because I know it'll never be an apology. No matter what I say, you will never feel sorry for what you did. And that's why I'm done. There is nothing here anymore. You're a jerk, G. That's all there's ever going to be."[/b]

Dash shook her head, turning around. And she meant it. This was something she was absolutely certain about. Gilda was dead to her.[/blockquote]

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She shouldn't have said that last part. She knew what Dash would say about it, but at that moment she hadn't cared. She sorta cared now. Even after leaving Gilda hadn't meant to hurt Dash, though sometimes she thought she did now, couldn't help it. Thinking about they day just made her so furious. She was furious because she had felt horrible afterwards. Horrible, alone, rejected and weak.

That's what really bothered her. She had felt like she needed Dash that day or at least needed someone. She didn't want to need anyone though. Being a loner had worked so well up until meeting Dash, then it had turned into a job. She didn't want to need Dash. She didn't want to need anyone actually. Dash seemed to think differently though. "I didn't ask to meet your friends!" she yelled out. Her voice had an element of growling to it.

"and I didn't want to look like an idiot in front of a whole bunch strangers!" The only thing worse than her feeling weak was others thinking it. It stung. She couldn't stand it. The embarrassment was just too much to handle, being made fun of? She had thought she was done of that after beating up those bullies from when she was young.

"W-what?" she spat out. How could Dash be done with her? What did that even mean? They already had stopped being friends right? "Y-you can't just..." her eyes hardened. Suddenly she didn't feel so cold. She was red hot. Dash had managed to make her angry yet again.

This couldn't all be her fault! Dash had...

She rushed towards Dash after she turned around and stopped in front of her, pointing a talon at her, fighting the chocking feeling in her throat. "Won't feel sorry? You think I liked...I -" she stopped, glaring at Dash. She felt tears

[/u] biting at the edges of her eyes. "I missed you, alright? I just wanted...nevermind, you don't care right?" That was as far as she was going.

Gilda turned away, towards Cloudsdale. Once again though, she couldn't just walk away. "You were done with me the second I left that stupid bakery! You were probably done the moment you left speedsters!" she yelled out, stalking away from Dash. She didn't need Dash. Dash didn't need her. Heck, Dash had never needed her.

It was time to get over it. They had been friends. It was all past tense now though, it had been for a while, that's what she had thought until Dash had mentioned, just now, being done with her. It almost sounded like she had been hoping for something else. even if that had been the case it was too late now. It was past tense. It was just like everything else they had been through. When it came down to it Gilda guessed this must've just been one huge mistake in her life. That was the only way this could suck so much.

It had't always been like this though. Why had things gone so well for so long? They hadn't just been friends in Junior Speedsters. they had been bestfriends. Some days they had been inseparable. Gilda felt those pesky tears stinging at the edges of her eyes again. The cold made them sting even more than usual, but she was pretty sure Dash was leaving now so she let them fall, being weak one last time wasn't so bad after all and no one else would find out.

She hung her head low and put a shoulder into the wind before trying to pick up the pace while adding Ghastly gorge to her list of places to never visit again. It had been one of her favorite flying spots too. [/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

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"Won't feel sorry? You think I liked...I -" "I missed you, alright? I just wanted...nevermind, you don't care right?"

And Gilda was brought back from the dead. Dang it, why did she have to be so-Arrgggh!

"You were done with me the second I left that stupid bakery! You were probably done the moment you left speedsters!"

Ouch.

Junior Speedsters... Dang it, why did she even decide to fly here?! Why did Gilda have to be here?! Why couldn't she have just run into somepony like Applejack?! No, she had to run into the most stubborn and heart aching griffon she had ever known!

She watched Gilda turn around and walk off. The "Angry" half of her screamed for Gilda to rot in Tartarus, and the "Element of Loyalty" half was screaming to run after her. Yet, she just sat there.

Yet, that Junior Speedsters comment sat in her head. She wasn't done with Gilda during that. She left because... Dash shook her head. It was personal reasons, not Gilda.

Well, buck it... Dash, you can't do this! The loyalty side of her was winning. Dang it... She jumped through the snow, trying her best to quickly catch up to Gilda. "G, listen, I-" Wait... Was she crying? Gilda the griffon... was crying? "What the heck... What the heck? What the heck?! I can't think straight! Why... Gah! Why do you have to be like this?! Why does this have to be so-Why can't I-Ugh!"

Dash slammed her hoof in the snow. What else was she supposed to do?! "The reason I left the Junior Speedsters was that I just gave up. I decided that I'd never be a Wonderbolt, and I'd just travel the world! And all it did was end me up in Ponyville in a dead end job!"

Her ears pinned back, and she stared at the place in the snow she had hit, as if she'd find some sort of clarity. "Why the heck can't you be the heartless jerk? Why do you have to be Gilda the griffon?! I mean, we were best friends in the Junior Speedsters! And I left you there, and then just invited you to town like it was nothing! And then we just, fell apart."

"I am a jerk... But you are too... We're both a pair of jerks... Ain't life bucking sweet?"

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Gilda heard Dash coming up. Her eyes widened. She didn't want to be seen by anyone like this, much less Rainbow Dash. She quickly turned her face away from Dash, putting up an arm to hide her face. As usual, she wasn't fast enough. She wasn't as fast as Rainbow. Gilda opened up her mouth to say something, anything ....nothing came out though. She just wanted to leave this place.

Dash started talking. Gilda still didn't look at her. She was assuming whatever was about to be said would sting. She didn't feel like fighting so any slap Dash gave her would go with impunity. She just steeled herself and got ready for whatever was going to happen. It surprised her, but as soon as Dash asked 'why she was like this' she got a bit defensive. "L-like what?!"

So maybe she had one last bit of fight left in her. She was at least going to put on a brave face. She finally looked at Rainbow and was surprised to see that she didn't look angry anymore, not in the same way at least. Dash wasn't giving that look anymore. Gilda remembered the look that Dash had given her at Sugarcube corner, she hated it and how it made her feel. It made her feel...dirty and rejected, disgusting even.

Of course the lack of that look wasn't near as surprising as why Dash had left. She didn't think she could be a Wonderbolt?! Gilda had never heard anything so crazy. She watched Dash's pinned back ears. She was used to pony emotional cues after living with them for so long. Maybe what was why she was so good at not showing emotions, no ears. She had a beak, but it wasn't near as flexible as most snouts.

"Fell apart...sounds about right." Gilda said, getting up from the sitting position she had taken while Dash was talking. Gilda had started shivering. "Yeah...at least I'm not an idiot though. You were one of the best fliers there Dash. You've always been better than me...but you left?" Gilda couldn't really understand it. She would never tell Dash but, during speedsters, she had looked up to the Rainbow maned mare. Dash had been her goal, something to surpass. She never had done it though, sure she won a race here and there, but Dash always seemed to have an edge.

"So...what now?" Gilda wasn't exactly sure what had just happened but she still knew one thing for sure: she wasn't going to Ponyville. She didn't think Dash was gonna hop on to Cloudsdale with her either. Maybe she would, Gilda sorta hoped she wouldn't, they'd probably be talking the whole way then. "I know we aren't cool yet...but maybe we should meet up some time...later?"

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"Yeah...at least I'm not an idiot though. You were one of the best fliers there Dash. You've always been better than me...but you left?"

"Whenever I was set aside from the rest, I felt honored... No, actually, I more felt like I was getting what I deserved. My mentor, Firefly, trained me. As we trained, of course, I went on and on about how I was going to be a Wonderbolt, and at one point, she told me more about the Wonderbolts. The parts I didn't know. How they were heroes, and courageous and loyal, how they did what was right... She told me about what they stood for, and I realized... I wasn't any of those things. So, I left. I left to become those things."

[/b]

"So...what now? I know we aren't cool yet...but maybe we should meet up some time...later?"

Dash looked at Gilda, biting her lip. "I don't know, I want to get this out, but... It's seriously cold... I don't know... Why don't we meet up somewhere, in a few days or a week, and figure this mess out? Like, I don't know, Whitetail Woods? Cloudsdale? My house?"[/b][/blockquote]

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So Dash did have a sorta, kinda legit reason for leaving. Gilda still held a grudge for that though. She could have at least said bye. It would have been much less confusing. It wouldn't have sucked any less though. She couldn't believe Dash left because she didn't think she had the moral aptitude for the job. Where did that leave Gilda? If you were going by Dash's standards, probably no where good. If you went by Gilda's standards however(which did actually include her working on...being nice) Dash was a shoe in.

Gilda herself would...need some work still, but in her own mind she needed to get the flying part down first. She could learn the friendly feel good stuff later. First she needed to surpass Dash though...might be a bit hard and she couldn't think about that now. She had just made some sort of progress towards gaining her back as a friend! Not that she was desperate or anything, definitely not in fact. She had no opinion either way...but it would be pretty cool to have someone she actually knew around to talk to, even if it was just once in a while.

"Next week, White Tail Woods?" Gilda would be fine with anywhere that wasn't Ponyville, but she would prefer not to be as close to that town as Dash's house, even if it was a really cool and nice house. It would give Dash the opportunity to suggest flying into town for something or trying to convince Gilda to apologize to those other ponies. That wasn't something Gilda planned on happening, ever.

Of course...White Tail Woods was pretty close to that town too.

"Actually, Cloudsdale might be better, unless you mind." Gilda doubted Dash would but couldn't be sure. After all, she didn't know Dash as well as she used to. "Just seems more appropriate. We can meet wherever though." Even though she'd rather not get near Ponyville, a visit with Dash might just be worth it. Dash couldn't seriously think Gilda would want to go into town right? Yeah, it would just be a talking visit...hopefully.

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Rainbow Dash nodded, smiling a bit. "Yeah. Cloudsdale's fine." Rainbow Dash felt... What was the right word? Excited? No... Eager? Not exactly... Hopeful? Hm... Yeah... Rainbow Dash was hopeful... Hopefully this turned out right...

"So, uh... I guess this is goodbye?

[Deleted]

"Actually I think it's more like...see ya late." Gilda was excited. This could actually be really, really good. She could get Dash back. She could deal with whatever would happen when they actually met. For right now she was just a bit psyched for it. Gilda really hoped she could be friends with Dash again.

Of course in the back of her mind was that nagging little note that Dash now outclassed her in flying and she still had other problems, but for right now everything was looking up. Gilda smiled at Dash, a small one, before turning away and trudging off into the snow. "So see ya in Cloudsdale, Dash."