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A Heart Like Yours

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"You're hurting him! You're hurting him!"

Gilda's fist clenched so tight, she almost lost one of her talons in her palm. Her beak was grinding, as she turned to the yellow Pegasus, who looked about three words from a full blown breakdown. "Fluttershy," she said, struggling to keep her voice at a stern level. "Listen to me carefully, alright? Can you do that?" The Pegasus nodded weakly, sniffling in her annoying way. Of all Rainbow Dash's friends, Gilda hated the pink one the most, but Fluttershy was a close second. "Mr. Eagle's wing is broken," the griffon said, and gestured to the bald eagle who was lying on the table. "If I don't set the bone, then it's going to heal wrong. At best, you'll have to rebreak his wing and then set it properly. At worse, he'll be crippled for life. It's going to hurt him to set the bone, but it's the only way. Sometimes you have to hurt someone to help them. OK? Do you understand?"

Fluttershy nodded, and with a sigh, Gilda turned back to the eagle. Sitting down before him, she carefully pinned the avian to the table with one of her claws, and gripped the wing with the other. "You ready?" she asked, and the eagle nodded. Pulling the wing careful, the eagle let out a sudden squawk. Gilda gritted her beak, trying to work the bone into place, when she felt something firm smash across the back of her head. She was knocked forward slightly, and then turned, eyes burning. Fluttershy had smashed one of her hooves over the griffon's head. A flurry of apologies spilled out of her lips. Gilda didn't care. She gripped Fluttershy by the throat and lifted her up. Pulling her fist back and cocking it, Gilda prepared to punch Fluttershy, break her snout and knock out a few teeth, but she caught herself at the last moment.

"You know what the problem with you is?" Gilda asked, opening her claw and letting the yellow Pegasus fall to the ground. Fluttershy curled into a ball, hiding her head, shaking, as the griffon continued to loom over her. "With all you ponies? Everything is always fine and dandy when nothing is going wrong. When things are going easy you all talk about friendship and love and how you got each other's back. But the very moment something gets a little too real, a little too hard, you turn into a bunch of baby chicks! You can talk all you want about how you're a friend to all animals and you love all your little pets, but unless you're there for them through good and bad, unless you're willing to do what is necessary, you don't love em at all. Love can't be something conditional. It can't just be something you do when it's easy. If you love someone, really love them, then you'll do whatever you have to for them. If you tell someone you're best friends forever, then that's forever, not till you get some new herd to run with!"

Gilda caught herself, and walked back to the eagle. Again, she placed her claw on his chest to keep him from squirming, and with surprising tenderness, gripped his wing. She was all too aware of how awful a broken wing was, and she felt genuine empathy for the poor bird, even more so since it had to live with Fluttershy 24/7. "You ready?" she asked the eagle, who took a deep breath before nodding.

"Wait," Fluttershy said. Gilda turned, ready to explode once again, but saw the Pegasus was carrying a splint and bandages in her mouth. She trotted to the table, sitting opposite Gilda, and readied the splint. "OK, go."

Gilda carefully pulled the wing, keeping the eagle pinned even as it thrashed and snarled, its rear talons cutting into the skin on Gilda's arm. She bit back her anger, and pulled the bone taught, before setting it into place. Fluttershy carefully set the splint, and then wrapped the bandage tightly to assure the bone would remain where it should be. She backed away, and slowly Gilda relinquished her hold, and Mr. Eagle lay there, panting and groaning, before Fluttershy carefully helped him sit up. The shower of affection that followed made Gilda sick. Her job done, she trotted for the door, head held low. And when she was outside, she trotted back into Ponyville as fast as her legs would carry her. She would fly, if only her own wing weren't still mounted in a splint.

XXX

Since she was grounded for the time being, Twilight Sparkle had been kind enough to offer Gilda residence in the town's library. She had been given a sparse bedroom in one of the backrooms, no windows or anything, but she didn't really care. It was quiet, and she could relax in bed, waiting for her wing to heal or for Dash to come by and visit.

"How did it go?" Twilight Sparkle asked when Gilda came trotting in.

"I yelled at her," the griffon muttered. "Probably going to go running to Dash, tell her all about how much of a monstrous brute I am. Probably going to turn Dash against me again."

Twilight Sparkle sighed. "Gilda... No one turned Rainbow Dash against you. You acted like a bully and she walked away. Now she has given you a second chance, to repent for your bullying. This isn't a chance you should be squandering by losing your temper over something petty."

Gilda's beak clenched as she stared at the purple pony, but instead of yelling, she trotted into the backroom and plopped down on the bed. She reached for a pillow and pulled it under her head, folding her arms neatly and closed her eyes. Tomorrow, she would have to go to Sweet Apple Acres and make it up to Applejack and Granny Smith. She had stolen one apple and scared the old mare. Somehow that equated an entire day helping the family bring in the apple harvest. "Insane pony logic," she muttered.

She breathed steady, and sighed, before drifting into a sleep of boredom and restlessness, bitterly cursing of all Equestria.

XXX

"Alright, let's get this over with. What do you want me to do?"

Applejack circled the griffon several times, inspecting her, occasionally knocking her with a stiff hoof, which earned several glares and snarls. "Ya got the muscle," Applejack said, seemingly unaware of the fury that was boiling beneath the fur and feathers. "But without ya wing, you ain't got the speed, and this season is all about speed. Zippen from tree ta tree, knocking em down as fast as you can. Ya be alright pullin' a wagon?"

"We're just pretending I got a choice here, right?"

Applejack sighed. "Look Gilda, I know I ain't ya favorite pony. Heck, ya stole an apple, big deal. Any other day, I'd just send ya to the waterin hole and let ya relax, and then tell Dash ya worked ya feathers off. But... I really do need ya help today. We don't harvest the rest of the Zap Apples by tonight, and they're gone for the whole year. So please, can ya pull a wagon? Yes or no?"

Gilda nodded. "Sure, my legs still work fine."

Gilda was strapped into a harness with heavy belts. Apple Bloom was either overly enthusiastic about the season, or trying to get back at Gilda for scaring her grandmother, because she pulled the belts so tight the griffon feared one of her ribs would break. The harness was connected to about nine wagons, all in a row and all connected together with heavy chains. She was to follow the Apple family around as Big Macintosh and Applejack bucked the Zap Apples off the tree. Apple Bloom gathered all the apples, and threw them into the wagon. And then, on to the next section of the orchard.

At first, Gilda thought she had (finally) lucked out. Applejack was right: the griffon had a lot of muscle beneath her feathers and fur, and pulling the wagons wasn't all that hard. But as the day dragged on, the heat grew more intense, and the load she was forced to pull kept getting heavier, she began to grow fatigued. She had the strength, but not the endurance of the Apple family, and found it a struggle just to drag the wagon, as more and more apples were piled inside.

By the end of the day, she simply collapsed outside of the house, tongue out and dry and parched, heavy wagon tugging her before she managed to drive her claws into the ground to keep her from rolling back down the inconvenient hill.

"Big Macintosh, take Apple Bloom ta bed, will ya? I'll get the bird outta the harness."

Apple Bloom slipped a bowl of chilled water beneath Gilda's beak, before she headed with her big brother back to the main house. Gilda offered a nervous thank you, before quenching her thirst. Applejack undid the harness that was around her middle, and then put it on herself, before happily trotting to the barn to unload all the fruits. "Yeehaw, this here's the best haul we've ever had, I reckon." She took one of the particularly plump Zap Apples from the wagon, and balancing it carefully on her head, headed back out. "Hey Gilda," she said, looking around. "I got a gift for ya, a little thank you for all ya hard work today." Not seeing the griffon, Applejack walked back to the front of the house and looked for the griffon, but only found a few feathers on the ground from where she had been laying. She shrugged, figuring the griffon was inside, and walked into the living room, but only found Granny Smith sleeping in her arm chair. "Gilda?"

XXX

Twilight Sparkle was busy at her desk, working on an essay on the difference between transmutation and substantiation, when she heard the door to the library open, and a cool breeze rush inside. Her ears perked and she looked to see Gilda trotting in, a visible limp in her left back step. "H-how did it go?" Twilight asked.

"She made me pull a wagon." Gilda sighed. "Couldn't keep it up towards the end of the day. Probably going to tell Dash I was dragging my feet. Being a lazy turkey. Cost her the whole harvest. Now she'll lose the whole farm cause I was being lazy. It'd be alright if I take a bath?"

Twilight nodded, and watched as the griffon trotted towards the bathroom. Picking up the quill with her magic, Twilight attempted to write, but found her thoughts wandering. Her paper wasn't due for another six weeks. She could put it off for one night, and so instead, she trotted to the bathroom, knocking gently on the door. When she received no answer, she pushed the door open and peeked inside, to see Gilda soaking in the bath, arm propped on the bath's rim and head resting on the arm. "Can I come in?"

"It's your house," Gilda muttered.

"Technically, this is a public library. Honestly, I'm not even sure why a library has a bath, but I'm not complaining." She walked inside, and sat down before the tub. "Are you sure Applejack is going to bad mouth you to Rainbow Dash? And, are you sure Fluttershy is still that bitter? And... I still don't understand what happened with Pinkie. You came home in a bit of a huff, and I'm afraid I'm not fluent in infuriated griffon."

"They're gonna talk bad about me to Dash. And then Dash is going to hate me. And then right back to where I started, only this time she's sure as buck not going to return any of my letters."

"Uhm... look Gilda. I know Applejack and Pinkie and Fluttershy and even Rainbow Dash pretty well. I think you might be expecting the worst without warrant."

Gilda sighed, and rested her head on her arm. "You think you could let me wash up? I hurt my leg pretty bad in the afternoon. I'd like to try and soak it."

Twilight Sparkle nodded. "Look, just keep in mind, I'm right upstairs if you need anything, alright? You can always come and talk to me, I promise."

With a sigh, the purple pony turned and trotted out the door, closing it behind her with her magic. Gilda rested in the water a while, before she grew bored and numb, and climbed out. She shook herself dry, and headed for her lonely room in the back of the library.

XXX

"Today's the big day," Rainbow Dash said, waving a trio of sealed envelopes in her hand. "Your progress report of friendship. Are you excited?"

Gilda tried to smile, but given the butterflies in her stomach and the fact she had a beak, it was not the easiest thing in the world to do. "Y-yeah Dash, t-thrilled..."

Rainbow Dash bit the first letter between two of her front teeth, and was about to drag her head back to open it, when something occurred to her. "Oh, by the way, after this, I wanna take you to see my friend Zecora. She's a zebra, but I'm sure you'll like her. I told her about your wing, and she said she might have a potion that will help it heal."

"Let's go now!" Gilda blurted out. "Uhm... I mean... ouch, the pain... my wing is... is really hurting. D-do you think we could go see the zebra now, and open those silly letters later?"

Rainbow Dash looked down at the letters. "Don't you want to know what my friends said about you?"

"I'm sure I already know what they all said..." Gilda sighed. "Come on. My... my wing really hurts. I'd really like to speak to this zebra of yours."

Rainbow Dash nodded, and sighed, placing the letters on a table, and then a paperweight on the letters, just in case they decided to blow away.

Gilda had a spring in her step as she walked through the Everfree Forest, despite the soreness of her legs and chest. Rainbow Dash talked about a new move she had been trying out, something that would really wow the Wonderbolts at the academy. Gilda talked about her time with Rainbow Dash's friends, though felt the urge to lie several times.

"We gotta race some time," the Pegasus said. "Once your wing is healed, soon as your wing is healed, deal?"

Gilda smiled. "Deal."

And they shook in the way old friends do, which was to say; in an overly elaborate way that served no purpose other than to make onlookers jealous.

"Zecora," Rainbow Dash said, knocking on the door to the hut. "Zecora, you home?" She turned the knob slowly, and the door opened with a loud creak. Rainbow Dash trotted inside and looked around. "Hmm... guess she's not home. You wanna head back and open the letters."

Gilda sighed. "I would, but my wing hurts so much... I don't think I can make it."

"If only we had some shrinking violet, I could carry you back. You would like that, huh?" Rainbow Dash gave a wiry smile, and Gilda's cheeks flushed crimson. She stared to walk, when she noticed the subtle contrast of white and black against the green of the forest. Zecora trotted forth, carrying a small satchel in her mouth, but upon seeing her friend, she opened her jaws and let the satchel fall to the ground.

"Ah, Rainbow Dash, it is good to see you. Too long since you last visited my bungalow. Who is your friend, the bird? Forgive the noun, I know not the proper word."

"This here's Gilda the griffon. An old friend of mine. You said you could mix something up for her? To help her wing heal?"

"When I made that offer, I assumed your friend had hooves. I have the mixture, I can only hope her body approves."

Gilda looked back. It had been almost two weeks since she had hurt her wing, and the doctors said it would take at least two more. Granted, they were pony doctors, accustomed to dealing with pony wings, so Gilda wasn't really sure they were spot on. But just the thought of two more weeks, or one more week, or one more day... She at least wanted to get one more race in before Rainbow Dash read the letters and learned how much everyone hated her. "Eh, what have I got to lose?"

Gilda took up residence at the center table, where she would be out of the way. Rainbow Dash sat down beside her, snuggling up, as Zecora gathered the needed herbs and spices, dropping them each into the boiling cauldron. She stirred the cauldron, and then fetched a mug from the kitchen. Scooping the bubbling, brewing concoction out, she placed it on the table before the griffon.

Gilda took the mug slowly, and sniffed it. "Are you sure about this, zebra?"

"Feathers are not something I know. I have never cared for a pigeon or crow. But drink it down and we shall see. Your wing shall be healed, just maybe."

Gilda was getting annoyed with how the zebra was talking, but hooking the mug into her beak, she slowly tilted her head back. She remembered the last time she had tried an alchemical brew, and had to admit, the whole affair hadn't been completely bad. And this time, at least this brew tasted halfway decent. "Bit of a coconut flavor."

In two gulps, it was gone, and then she looked behind her, at her wing in the splint. "A bit of pain," she muttered. "Ah... jeez... OK, a lot of pain." Gritting her beak, she dug her claws into the ground, and shook herself like a dog ridding itself of water. "Oh... wow... this hurts. My chest... jeez, my heart...?"

"Zecora?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Be calm, friend bird, pain is to be expected. But soon, your wings shall heal, and the skies will no longer be neglected."

Gilda gasped, and arching her back, let out a screaming roar, before falling. Rainbow Dash and Zecora both dashed forward, catching an arm each, and with knowing nods between them, began to drag the griffon to the bed. "Hey Zecora," Rainbow Dash asked. "Does Gilda look different?"

XXX

"This is becoming far too common an occurrence," Gilda muttered, as she pushed herself off the bed. Waking up in a strange place, body aching, mind spinning, this was the third time in recent memory it had happened. She rolled onto her rump and sat up; bracing herself with her arms out behind her, and looked about.

"Ah, you're awake, it is good to see," Zecora said. "For a second or two, you had me worried."

Gilda blinked once or twice, and then attempted to roll out of bed. She placed her rear paws on the ground, and then lowered her upper body, but somehow that felt unnatural, placing a phantom stiffness on her small of her back. She found it prudent to push off the ground, and rise to her rear legs, standing straight and now about a head taller than Zecora. She looked down her body, confused to see her legs and arms had grown a bit longer and lanker, her hips a bit wider and her stomach a bit tighter. But most strange were a pair of fleshy mounds that emerged from her upper chest, at her pectorals. She gave her virgin breasts a delicate squeeze, and then looked to Zecora. There was confusion on her face, but it was quickly changing to outright fury, as her white facial feathers turned crimson.

"A side-effect of the brew! It can be undone, I assure you."

A week's worth of anger boiled over all at once. Her claw clenched into a fist, and she swung, hitting Zecora hard across the jaw, sending the stocky zebra sprawling. Alerted by the noise, Rainbow Dash came rushing in, to see Gilda holding Zecora up by the throat. Her other claw was cocked back, ready to ravage the zebra's face, but Rainbow Dash leapt and took hold of her friend's arm, keeping it pinned down.

"Let go of me!" Gilda screamed. "Look at what she did! I'm a freak! All your Ponyville buddies are going to get a great laugh at this!"

"Then they'll laugh at me too, G," Rainbow Dash said, managing to wrench Gilda's arm behind her back at a painful angle. The shock of pain caused her other arm to spasm, and she let go of the zebra, who fell to the ground. "Now stop acting like a hatchling and turn the buck around."

Gilda did, and looked to Rainbow Dash, surprised to see she was nearly at eye level. Looking down the blue Pegasus' body, she noticed Rainbow Dash was standing on two hooves. Her legs had grown a little longer and her arms a little lanker. Her fore hooves had broken and reshaped, and she now bore five adorable digits on each hand. She had the same odd protrusions on her pectorals as Gilda did, although Gilda's were a little larger and plumper. For some reason, Gilda was a bit proud of that, but she couldn't say why. Rainbow Dash was also wearing clothing, something odd on her hips and something across her chest, perhaps something Zecora had quickly sewn together to cover her new dimensions.

"What happened?"

"I took the same potion you did, G. When you were out, Zecora immediately began to work on an antidote. But before that, she needed to know if it was just a bad brew, or if it had affected you bad because you're a griffon. Seems to be the former actually."

Gilda looked to Zecora, who gave a meek nod of the head.

"So, we've been trying different stuff for the past few hours while you were taking a powernap. Jeez, G, I forgot how much you snore."

Gilda giggled nervously, and looked down. She sighed, and then looked to the zebra. "I'm sorry," she said. "I... it's been a bad week for me."

Zecora nodded, and bowed her head. "I forgive you, friend bird. Your thoughts were slurred." Zecora headed for the main room of the hut. "I believe I have the proper brew, to cure what ails the two of you. I am sorry for the mistake before. Lately, the forest has been in an uproar. Something evil is coming, you see. I can feel it in the pit of my belly."

Rainbow Dash patted Zecora on the back. "One crisis at a time, Zecora. Right now I just want to walk on four legs again."

Zecora nodded, and scooped two mugfuls of the boiling brew out of the center cauldron. "I pray this is what you require," Zecora said. "The spirits... they do not speak to me, how I desire."

While Gilda gave the brew several worried sniffs, Rainbow Dash simply tilted her head back and gulped it all down. "Bleh, this stuff tastes nasty." She rubbed her stomach with her new fingers, finding the feel of the five little digits alien and oddly pleasant, how they could sift through her fur. She giggled softly at the bubbling in her stomach, and with a burp, suddenly rose a foot or two in height. "Uh... Zecora?"

Gilda put her mug down on the table, and looked to Zecora, who wore a face of confusion and just a little fear. Rainbow Dash looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers, as the ground slowly grew farther and farther away. It was not long before her crown crashed into the ceiling, and she was forced to squat and bend over, wings tightly folded to her back, as she continued to inch upwards steadily. "Zecora?"

"Oh no, oh no, what is wrong with me? I cannot make these brews properly."

Gilda took hold of Zecora and brought her outside the hut, as Rainbow Dash continued to inch up in size. Soon, she could no longer stand or squat, and was forced to sit, crunched into a tight ball as the home grew small and tight around her. She belched loud, and expanded suddenly, and the entire bungalow exploded with shards of leather, string and splinters. Rainbow Dash groaned, sitting up and stretching her wings and arms out at her sides. "Gilda? Zecora?"

Gilda waved a claw, trying to attract the giant's attention. Rolling onto all fours, Rainbow Dash slowly lowered her colossal head down, and gave a deep sigh of relief that her two friends were alright. The exhale was done without a thought, but it sent the two tumbling over the ground, the force of the wind akin to a hurricane for their tiny bodies. Rainbow Dash apologized quickly, but couldn't help a number of giggles escaping her lips. "Zecora, I'll help you rebuild your hut, I promise."

Zecora nodded, and gave her own sigh. "Material things do not matter to me. I only worry for your safety."

Again, Rainbow Dash giggled. "You're worried about me? Just look at me! I'm the size of a castle!" She giggled more, and in her enthusiasm, the wind of her breath caused the zebra to tumble back. Gilda, digging her sharp talons into the ground, managed to stay rooted to the spot, but her feathers were all ruffled and she glared at the giant, angry and peeved.

Rainbow Dash seemed none the wiser. She shifted and now sat cross legged, looming over Gilda, her grin spread ear to ear. She erected one finger on her hand, and lowered it down. Although Gilda was frightened, she held her ground, and soon the finger was very gently brushing over her face, petting her, stroking the feathers back down. Actually, it felt rather nice. But Rainbow Dash's finger soon moved to Gilda's back and applied just a little pressure, and Gilda suddenly found herself pinned.

Big giggles could be heard from up above. Gilda squirmed and fought, but just couldn't get free. "Not sure if you know this, G, but we Pegasi are warriors, born and bred. Griffons are similar, right? Best way to beat someone is get them on the ground and pinned, not let them up and not let them move. Look at you, I can keep you down with one finger."

"Rainbow Dash, stop acting like a brute. I will mix a cure, I just need a certain root."

Rainbow Dash frowned, and lifted her finger, letting Gilda stand and take a deep breath. "Yeah, yeah, I know. But your huts been razed, not like you have any of your guides or books handy, or any of the ingredients. It'll take time to research the potion and whip it up, and you can't just expect me to sit here and wait." Rainbow Dash pushed herself up and stood at her full, dizzying height. She stretched out her wings, blocking the sun's rays and casting a shadow across the forest, before squatting. "Come and get me when Zecora has the potion all set, OK G? In the meantime, I'm going to go have a little fun."

Gilda watched with fascination as every muscle in Rainbow Dash's powerful legs braced and tensed. The sheer power beneath the stretch of cyan blue fur was nothing short of awe inspiring. A moment later, like a rocket, she took off, kicking up a storm of dirt and leaves, knocking a dozen trees out of their roots, and leaving the griffon and the zebra on their backs. Rainbow Dash couldn't help but smile as she set her sights on Cloudsdale, where she was sure a girl like her could have some fun.

XXX

Twilight Sparkle yawned as she rolled out of bed, and in the dark of early morning, trotted to the library's front door. She used her magic to undo the magic lock, and was forced to leap back as the door pounded inwards. "Gilda?" she asked, rubbing her eyes. The griffon stormed inside, panting in exhaustion. "You look... different... Are you alright?"

"I went to Zecora with Dash to get my wing fixed, but the brew Zecora made up made me change into this. On the bright side, I think my wing has healed... But when we took another drink to try to reverse the effects, it caused Dash to grow giant. Zecora is trying to mix up a cure for both problems, but Dash is acting different. We have to stop her before she does something serious in Cloudsdale." Gilda sighed. "Look, I know you and your friends hate me, but right now this is about Dash. She needs your help. I need your help."

Twilight Sparkle's eyes almost glazed over, but shaking her head, she used her magic to illuminate a few of the lanterns and candles inside the library. "Gilda, come with me."

"But Rainbow Dash!"

"When you've lived in Ponyville as long as I have, you come to accept these kind of odd occurrences. Trust me, everything will be fine by next week." Sitting before her desk, Twilight Sparkle took the time to scribble four quick notes, and then handed them to her pet owl. "Owlowicious," she said. "Give a note to Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy, alright? And hurry." She trotted to the bed that Spike slumbered in, and gave it a firm whack with a hoof. "Spike, put on a pot of coffee, please."

"We have to go help Dash, dweeb," Gilda said. "Come with me, or I'm gonna pound you through the wall."

"We will help her, Gilda, I promise. As soon as my friends come, I'll cast a cloud walking spell. Then we can all go to Cloudsdale together and talk Dash out of whatever she's doing. But in the meantime, I want you to read these." Twilight Sparkle lifted a trio of letters off the table, and guided them to Gilda. She recognized the letters of course. They were her "friendship progress reports," which were just an excuse for Rainbow Dash's friends to say how much they hated the griffon in writing. "Will you please read them?"

Gilda growled and snorted, but opened the first envelope with her sharp, dexterous claws.

"Read it out loud, please," Twilight Sparkle said.

Again, Gilda glared at her with fire in her eyes, but gripping the letter, she began. "Dear Rainbow Dash. As payment for stealing an apple and scaring Granny Smith, Gilda agreed to pull a wagon all day." Again, she glared at Twilight Sparkle, but the purple pony nodded, gesturing for her to continue. "She really pulled our flanks out of the fire. Can you tell her to come over sometime? I wanna bake her a special thank you pie for all her hard work."

Gilda set the letter down, and then opened the second, quickly taking it out. "Ah, here we go." She cleared her throat, and began. "Dear Rainbow Dash. I asked if Gilda could help me tend to Mr. Eagle, who broke his wing. Gilda yelled at me." She looked to Twilight Sparkle. "See?"

The unicorn rolled her eyes, and snatched the letter away with her magic. She continued reading. "I guess I needed it though. And, Mr. Eagle's wing is set and will hopefully heal. Gilda scares me, I won't lie. I don't know if I can hang out with her like I do you, but I'll give it a try. I hope you can forgive her though. I think she really does care about you, deep down. Though, not sure she'll ever admit it."

Twilight Sparkle looked to Gilda, expecting a look of relief and bliss, but instead the griffon looked like she was barely controlling her anger. She snatched up the third letter and tore it open, only for it to explode in a shower of pink confetti. "What is this? Some kinda bucking joke?! Real funny, you horn headed dweeb. Let's have a good laugh at the freak!"

As if she were coaxing a rabid manticore, Twilight Sparkle lifted her hooves in front of her. "Gilda, it's not a joke. Those are the letters that my friends wrote to Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy is still a little afraid of you, but... I would be worried if she weren't. But Pinkie Pie likes you, and Applejack thinks you're great. Look, you got a bit of a temper. Fluttershy is too meek, Applejack is too stubborn, Rarity is vain, Pinkie Pie is hyper, Rainbow Dash is... possibly destroying Cloudsdale as we speak. Don't even get me started on what I see in the mirror every morning. We all have our problems, though. But true friends accept you, good and bad. And you've got a lot of good in you."

Gilda sat down, and once more read the letters, as if the words would change right before her eyes, revealing the cruelty she was expecting. Even as Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Applejack all came trotting into the library, yawning and shuffling tiredly, Gilda just sat there, reading the letters over and over again.

XXX

There was a lot of commotion as Rainbow Dash walked through Cloudsdale, lots of Pegasi squeaking and screaming at her as she casually trotted, seemingly without a care in the world. Although she appeared to be a monster, she was actually quite careful with where her hooves fell, always certain not to crush anyone or anything. She was not interested in violence or carnage, just having a little fun. Sharp, magenta eyes skimmed the ground, peeking into windows, searching for a specific three. When she found them, one by one, she snatched them up with two dexterous fingers, pinching them by a wing and lifting them into the sky. She dropped them into her opposite hand and closed her fingers gently, caging them inside the long, blue digits.

Score, Hoops, and Dumbbell. Yes, she remembered them, even after all these years. She opened her hand, just a bit and at the top so when they looked up, they would see her looming face. Her supple lips pulled back, revealing her sparkling white teeth, each larger than a normal pony's torso. "Well hello there, friends. Remember me?"

They babbled and squeaked at her. They whined and screamed and even bit at her fingers to try to escape. She ignored them, and looked down at her hooves, and all the Pegasi that were scampering about and flying around her, buzzing about. The cloud city was really just in complete disarray. Any minute now, the Wonderbolts would scramble, and although she was confident she could take them, given her new size, she didn't really have the desire to fight with her lifelong heroes. "Why don't we go someplace more private?" she asked, and once more closed her hand, trapping the three ponies behind her fingers. Squatting (and giving the ponies beneath her a breathtaking view of her plot,) she flapped her mighty wings, and took to the air, knocking several of the clouds into dust.

She flew only a short distance before she found a stretch of clouds that was void of life, and far enough away from Cloudsdale, she doubted anyone would follow. She fluttered down to stand on it, and opened her hand, before turning it over. Apparently, the trio forgot they had wings, because the three of them all tumbled out of her fingers, landing with muffled plops upon the clouds. "Don't fly," she ordered, sternly. "It should be obvious I can catch you even if you go top speed, so don't bother. You wouldn't want me getting mad, now would you?"

The trio of bullies were just a bunch of big, stupid colts who had never outgrown adolescence. But since Hoops, was the biggest and the stupidest, he was the leader. For that reason, Rainbow Dash was not surprised when he came trotting forward and looked up at her. "What do you want?"

"The same thing you want, I believe. Remember after I pulled off the Sonic Rainboom, and you all wanted to hang out with me? Well, now we have that chance. Isn't that just wonderful!"

"Rainbow Dash!"

"What was that delightful nickname you had for me? 'Rainbow Crash?' Must have really stretched your brain muscles to come up with that one. I think I'll go by something else now. How about... 'Rainbow Crush?' Dramatic and sexy, but with a certain looming, ominous flair. What do you all think?"

Score was always the coward of the group, the one who just tagged along, so it wasn't a surprise that he was the one who tried to flee first. In fact, Rainbow Dash had been watching him just a little more closely, hand twitching and at the ready, so the moment he took to the air, her hand lashed out. She caught him by the tail, and gave it a sharp yank, pulling several dozen strands out of his lower back and causing him to howl in pain as he was forced to sit with his friends. She squatted, looming over them and arched forward just a bit, so her shadow cast over the shivering group. "Oh, don't be such foals. You all gave me a thousand mane tugs over the course of all those years we were in class, remember?"

"We're sorry!"

"Yeah yeah. Everyone's always sorry. Funny thing about sorry though, it's just a word. It's not till you earned your sorry that you have the right to say it. That's a little lesson I had to teach Gilda. You remember Gilda, right? The griffon who you picked on till she was reduced to tears? I was fine you picking on me, I could take it. But you guys destroyed Gilda."

Rainbow Dash stood back up, hands on her hips, and a wide grin on her face. She looked down over herself, having to admit, she rather liked standing on two legs. She just hoped that Zecora could replicate the potion that had caused this transformation. But for now, she had other things to tend to. For some reason, the clothing Zecora had hastily stitched for her had grown with her. Perhaps it was enchanted or perhaps it could just stretch a great deal, but either way, she now found it restrictive. She took hold of the top she was wearing, and pulled it wide, pleased to see it stretched easily and didn't rip. Pulling it forward, she quickly slipped it over her head and then dropped it before her hooves. Score was the only one to gallop back, avoiding the colossal stretch of fabric that plummeted through the air. Hoops and Dumbbell were both suddenly engulfed, only visible as a pair of cute lumps that wandered beneath the bra.

Score took a moment to catch his breath, as he looked up at the titanic blue equine, and the pair of oddly alluring lumps that dotted her front. "Yeah, I was a bit intrigued by these two too," Rainbow Dash said, giving the adorable breasts a little press together. "I'm a bit jealous of Gilda though. She's bigger than me. Although, there is one area that I can trump her."

Hoops noticed a glimmer of light, and scooted towards it. Dumbbell, at his tail, scooted with him, and soon both were free of the smothering black fabric. Hoops turned around, helping Dumbbell out, before he had time to look to his side and see a truly enormous wall of blue. Flanking his other side was the blue wall's sister, and if they happened to look up, they would notice the curve of Rainbow Dash's heavy crotch, concealed behind the black veil of her panties. Rainbow Dash took a small step forward, kicking her bra aside in the process, and then placed her house sized hooves at either side of Score, Hoops and Dumbbell now beneath her rainbow tail.

Rainbow Dash hooked her thumbs into her panties, and gave them a careful tug. Although the panties embraced her curves tightly, they stretched easy enough, and soon she was working them down her muscular thighs and knees. Score stared dumbly, even as fabric enveloped his vision, and he was suddenly pinned beneath the blackness. Squatting slowly to toss her panties away, Rainbow Dash's enormous plot loomed ominously over Hoops and Dumbbell, who couldn't think to run, even as the titanic rump grew steadily larger. Just as Hoops took to the air, the squishy flanks were upon him, pinning him and his best friend into the clouds.

Although Rainbow Dash's lower body was toned and muscular, her buttocks still had a delightful amount of squish to them. The ground itself was also soft and yielding, and both factors spared Dumbbell or Hoops being crushed to death, even as Rainbow Dash put her full weight down upon them.

"Oh, don't worry, little fella. I haven't forgotten about you." She smiled down at Score, before rolling onto her right buttock, giving Hoops and Dumbbell relief of the smothering weight. They breathed deep, gasping and groaning for air, as Rainbow Dash carefully lifted her left hoof. For a moment, it simply hovered in the air, before it came down, and gently squished Score beneath the warmth.

"Rainbow Dash!" Hoops shouted. Dumbbell's lower half was smothered beneath her right cheek, and Hoops was pressing and working against it, pushing against her enormous plot to try to free his friend.

"Rainbow Crush," she corrected. "See?" She rolled back down, both of her large buttocks pressing into the clouds and pinning the unfortunate Pegasi beneath her. They squirmed in a delightful way, wiggling and fighting furiously, and Rainbow Dash let a loud sigh escape her lips. She waited until the squirming and struggles grew weak, before rolling back onto her side.

"Kiss it," she said, giggling. "Kiss it, and I'll let you up."

"Rainbow!"

"Alright then," she said, starting to roll back down, until she felt a very gently press into her left rump cheek. "Hmmm? Was that a kiss? I couldn't tell. Big girl like me, I think you really gotta get into it."

She closed her eyes, and focused, and soon felt a delightful little lick and kiss over the fur on her cheek. She sighed and giggled, and rolled just a little to her left until she felt a soft nip and another caress. She rolled right, but then left again, taunting the ponies beneath her with her mighty cheeks, until she finally grew bored of the game.

"Deals a deal," she muttered, and first lifted her hoof off of Score. Then, rolling onto her hands and knees, she let Dumbbell and Hoops out from under her massive plot. "You're free to go," she said. "But the next time you guys want to act like big birds in the sky, just remember: there's always someone bigger."

Although she didn't show it, she was watching the Pegasi a bit closer, noting their flight pattern and how easy they could stay in the sky. She was vaguely worried she might have been a bit too rough and broken a wing or twisted an ankle, but they seemed to be flying fine.

Rainbow Dash dressed in her clothing and then lay down on the clouds. She was a bit tucked out, actually, and folded her arms under her head, before dozing off into a light sleep, resting on the fluffy clouds and in the warm, noon sun, dreaming about more things to do with her new size.

"Dash," Gilda shouted. "Dash, wake up."

The blue giantess snorted, a gust of humid air blowing through her snout and knocking the griffon into the air. Gilda hissed, extending the claws on her talons and lowering to swipe Dash, but magenta magic embraced her. Twilight Sparkle brought her down in front of the five ponies. Gilda glared at Twilight Sparkle, but then looked back to the sleeping giantess. "She's such a deep sleeper, always has been. Do you have anything in your magic horn that might wake her up? Maybe a giant needle we can shove in her plot?"

Twilight Sparkle thought a moment, before nodding, and braced herself on the clouds. "I once asked Rainbow Dash to give me a wakeup call, a gentle nudge to get me going in the morning, or knock on my window, or anything really. Her idea was to spawn a thunder cloud in my bedroom. It did get me up, though."

Her horn sparked magenta, strands of lightning running along the length and soon cackling over her entire body. She took a deep breath, and then released a massive stream of magenta lightning. It embraced Rainbow Dash, cackled over her, and she sat up suddenly. Snorting steam, she looked down at the six, glaring. The five ponies backed away, but Gilda remained where she was. "Zecora has a mix she thinks will work," she said. "And then something else that should get us back to four legs."

Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Eh, not interested." And she lay back down, arms under head and a loud snore echoing through the clouds.

"Rainbow Dash," Gilda said. She fluttered up and came to stand on the Pegasus' elevated chest. "Come on. Just drink down something nasty, and then a bath in a cauldron."

Rainbow Dash sat up suddenly. Gilda, standing on her chest, was knocked off and soon came to lay on the massive, muscular thighs of the flyer. "I don't want to," she said. "I swear, this is amazing. No one to bully me, no one to give me shit. Just give me one week and I'll be running Cloudsdale."

"You can't be serious, Dash."

"Oh come on, G. Don't tell me you wouldn't do the same if you were the big one."

Gilda swallowed nervously and took a brief step back. "The sooner we get back to normal, the sooner we can race."

Dash's eyes widened, and then a grin spread across her lips. "Happy to see your wing is healed, G. And, now that I think about it, we did say as soon as your wing was fixed." She stood to her full, towering height, and placed her hands on her hips. "Let's see who's the fastest now."

Gilda sighed. "The shit I have to go through." She wasn't even as large as one of Rainbow Dash's hooves. And although she could fly, her wing was still aching. Just the exertion of flying up here had left her panting and groaning, wing sore and ripples of pain running through her back. She swallowed. "If I win, you stop acting like a foal and come with me back to the forest. You got that, Thunder Thighs?"

Dash nodded enthusiastically. "Alright, but if I win, you have to be my pet for a week." She giggled again. "But, then again, you'd probably enjoy that, huh?" Rainbow Dash stood, and looked over her shoulder, eyes skimming the sky, before she spotted what she sought. "First one to that mountain top," she said. "Touch it, turn around, come back here. Got it? And just to show I'm a good sport, I'll give you a ten second head start."

Gilda stretched her wings out, ignoring a pain in her back and shoulder, and flapped her wings to take to the air. "One Galloping Gala," came Rainbow Dash's booming voice. "Two Galloping Gala, three Galloping Gala..."

With as much speed as she could muster, Gilda dashed forward, eyes closed and arms out in front of her as she sped as fast as she could. In her mind, she counted the seconds off, and the moment she reached ten, she heard a sound like thunder behind her. She dared to look back, and saw Rainbow Dash's enormous blue face approaching. Gilda flapped her wings furiously, struggling for just a bit more speed, as Rainbow Dash came beside her, casually matching her efforts. "For the record, this isn't even a quarter of my top," she said.

Gilda's beak clenched as she flapped harder, inching ahead of Rainbow Dash, who easily caught up. In fact, Rainbow Dash was purposely always flying right beside her, always grinning. If Gilda slowed down, she did too. No matter how hard Gilda pushed herself, Rainbow Dash could match the speed with just the slightest exertion.

But eventually, Rainbow Dash got bored of toying with the bird. "See ya at the finish line," she laughed, before flapping her wings, and causing a massive gust of wind to be kicked up in her wake. Her rainbow tail, wagging happily at her speed, happened to catch Gilda in the side and knock into her. Desperate to maintain her path, Gilda attempted to regain her balance, when a shocking pain ran through her back. She risked a look back to see her wing, ugly and bent out of socket. Suddenly, she was not worried about winning the race. She looked down at the distance ground, and was only concerned with staying in the air. She flapped her remaining wing and her arms and legs as if that might keep her in the sky, but suddenly she was falling, the wind whistling past her so fast she couldn't even take a breath to scream.

It was no surprise for Rainbow Dash when she touched the mountain top first. Fluttering in the air, she turned, and sat down on a protruding ledge, casually waiting for the griffon to catch up. She assumed Gilda was just a few feet behind her, and so was surprised when the griffon didn't come speeding along. Squinting and skimming the skies, she noticed a little brown blur plummeting towards the ground, and after a moment to realize what had happened, she was in the air. Arms out in front of her, fingers splayed, and wings pumping hard, she tried to calculate Gilda's descent, and where best to intercept her.

She reached out, the griffon in her view, but her fingers only sliced through empty air. She had missed... She flapped her wings, and looked down, spotting Gilda steady plummet. Bracing herself, Rainbow Dash took off.

Just a few more inches, she told herself, just a few more inches. Closer and closer, and suddenly she could feel fur and feathers on her fingers. She closed her fingers carefully, and then pulled Gilda to her chest. She stretched her wings out to slow herself, careful not to stop too quickly for fear she may snap Gilda's neck. When the resistance of her body slowed herself, however slightly, she began to flap her wings, still just trying to slow herself enough the impact with the ground wouldn't kill her. She smashed into the forest below suddenly, forming hoof shaped craters in the earth.

Cradling Gilda, Rainbow Dash flew back to the clouds she had left her other friends at. "Is she alright?" she asked, placing the griffon down before Fluttershy, who was the most competent with wounded birds.

Fluttershy inspected Gilda's wing, and then opened her eye with a pair of hooves, looked into it. The pupil reacted to light, and her breathing seemed steady. Her heart beat was strong. "The muscle on her wing has ripped off the bone. She must have really been pushing herself like crazy, but other than that, she seems alright. I think she just passed out. I don't really want to be the one to tell her she won't be flying for another month, though."

Rainbow Dash gave a sigh of relief, and once more took the tiny Gilda into her hands. "Fluttershy, can you get them back to Ponyville? I'm going to take Gilda to Zecora's, and get this all undone."

Zecora was mixing a brew when Rainbow Dash came down, flapping her wings carefully to avoid disturbing the forest. She picked up the cauldron that Zecora had been brewing, and after blowing the boiling steam off the top, she put it to her lips. She sipped it down gently, and finding neither the taste nor the temperature offensive, gulped it down all at once.

When Gilda came to a few minutes later, Rainbow Dash was back to her normal size, though still had the alien, bipedal shape. Zecora had prepared another brew, in a much larger cauldron. With only a little hesitance, they both climbed inside, letting the potion that would hopefully cure them wash over their body.

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, and dipped her head. When she emerged, she was back to normal. Gilda sighed, submerging herself as well, and lifted back out.

"The zebra finally got the mix right, I guess," the griffon said. She rested against cauldron's rim, arms up, relaxing after such a long week.

"Oh, by the way," Rainbow Dash said, with a slight glint in the eye. "For your week of slavery, I'm thinking a nice maid's outfit."

Gilda rolled her eyes. "You can't be serious."

"Deals a deal, G. Besides, I would have won even we were both normal."

Gilda's eyes narrowed. Very slowly she slipped out of the cauldron, and like a dog ridding itself of water, shook herself furiously until dry. Her wing seemed healed, perhaps from the bath. What better way to test it out? "First one to Cloudsdale?" she asked.

Rainbow Dash smiled, as she climbed out of the cauldron, and shook herself dry as well. "First one to Cloudsdale," she agreed, before leaping into the air and taking off.