The sound of the shattering glass from the pitcher brought Twilight and her other friends out of Spike’s room. The others, seeing Gilda, were equally stunned as Rainbow Dash. Immediately, Fluttershy squeaked in fear and hid behind Rarity in the very back. Gilda, remembering her face, looked away guiltily.

“Gilda?” Rainbow Dash asked. “What are you doing here?”

“Gilda?” questioned Pinkie Pie. “You mean meanie-pants-who-was-a-total-jerkface-to-everyone-moved-away-became-a-murderer-only-for-her-to-be-a-not-murderer-in-the-end-Gilda?”

“Yep,” Gilda answered sheepishly, “you know me.”

“Gilda,” Rainbow Dash questioned, sounding hurt and confused, “what’s going on? I haven’t seen or heard from you since that party I threw for you, and then I heard you murdered somepony, and then you turn up innocent in today’s newspaper. Gilda, what happened to you?”

“It’s a really long story. One that I don’t feel comfortable sharing out here.”

“And what were you doing with Annie? Why was she on that stretcher?”

“It’s all part of the story, and I promise that I’ll tell you everything… when Annie gets out of surgery.”

“Surgery?” wondered Applejack. “What in Sam Hill happened to her?”

“We were taking a train from Manehattan to Canterlot. We were attacked, and Annie and I barely managed to escape with our lives.”

“Then why are you here in Ponyville and not Canterlot?”

“Applejack,” Twilight spoke, putting her hoof on her friend’s shoulder, “I’m just as confused as you are, but I’m sure Annie will help shed some light on whatever happened too. We’ll just have to wait.”

There was an awkward silence that followed, leaving the ponies aiming their eyes in different directions as they searched for a new topic to talk about.

“Please, guys,” Gilda begged, “I know we’ve had our differences in the past.”

“That’s putting it lightly,” Pinkie Pie spat angrily.

“Yeah, right. Listen, I’m sure Annie’s your friend, and she’s a friend of mine too. Right now, we need to be there for her. She’s really hurt and I don’t know what’s going to happen to her.”

Twilight and her friends looked at each other, and knowing that they all shared some common ground now, they nodded in affirmation.

“We’ll be there for her,” Twilight decided.

“Thank you,” Gilda said, bowing down in appreciation.

“Do you know where her room is?” asked Rarity.

“Yeah,” Gilda answered. “They said it was down here.”

Gilda walked down the hall, leading Twilight and the others to follow her. Both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy both winced the second they saw Gilda’s broken wing, which had been hidden from them since seeing her.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Annie’s eyes slowly came open. Her vision was colorful, yet fuzzy as it tried adjusting to the sunlight streaming through the windows. In the room. As Annie’s sight finally came to, allowing her to see Twilight and the rest of her pony friends, including a much healthier Spike, standing around her bed, sighing in relief that she was alright. Annie looked down to see that she was out of her uniform and in a green surgical smock

Gilda, however, sat right beside the left side of her bed, her talons gripping the edge of the mattress. Annie could see that Gilda’s wing was properly folded in and bandaged. Annie’s bed was inclined so that she was sitting almost completely straight up, allowing her to comfortably view everyone inside the room.

“Hey, Annie!” greeted Spike cheerfully. “What’s up?”

“Everyone,” Annie spoke. “You’re all here.”

“And what were we supposed to do?” Applejack jested. “Let you spend your hospital healing time alone?”

“That would probably hurt even worse!” Pinkie Pie added.

Annie smiled, gladdened to be in the presence of her friends.

“Thank you,” she said. “I bet you all have many questions.”

“As a matter of fact,” Twilight responded, “we do. So much has happened, yet we don’t understand a lick of it.”

“Like,” Rainbow Dash butted in, “why was Gilda accused of murder and then proven innocent? And what happened to her wing?”

“I suppose we’ll be in here for a while,” Annie said, “and I believe you all deserve to know.”

Annie gave one last quick glance to Gilda, who gave her a sure nod, knowing that her story had to be told.

“From what I understood,” Annie began, “Gilda had arrived in Ponyville quite some time ago and had put herself on bad terms with the locals.”

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were quick to respond with a nod.

“After that, she had moved to Manehattan for work, and she was given a job with a group of ponies named the Fates. The Fates were an elite group of assassins for hire that functioned in both Manehattan and Vanhoover, dividing their work between the cities east and west of Canterlot.”

Twilight leaned forwards, engrossed by Annie’s story, while the other glanced to Gilda, wanting to know her part.

“Gilda’s job was to carry the letters from towns all across Equestria of ponies that would be targeted by others. After working for them for nearly two years, Gilda was accepted to join as a full-fledged killer. Fueled by her hatred of ponies from both her bullies at flight camp, the rest of her education in the Griffon Empire, and her time in Ponyville, Gilda happily took the job. However, the one of the first letters she had received was a hit to be put out… on Rainbow Dash.”

“What?” Rainbow Dash shouted as her friends looked to her in shock. “Gilda? You tried to kill me?”

“Rainbow!” yelled Annie, quieting her down. “That’s not at all what happened. Yes, she admitted that she still felt bitter over you taking Pinkie Pie’s side that day, but she did not hold such resentment that she wanted to see you killed.”

Rainbow Dash, finding this news to be overwhelming, fanned her face with her hoof.

“Tracing the letter back to its source, a wealthy pegasus stallion by the name of Flash Fly, she murdered him, hoping to prevent any payment to the Fates that would result in her death.”

Rainbow Dash and the other ponies turned with frightened faces to Gilda, who still looked rather traumatized and ashamed about the whole series.

“So…” Rainbow Dash nervously croaked nervously, “you killed Flash Fly?”

“Yeah,” Gilda choked, trying to keep her emotions in check. “I don’t care how bad the terms I left on were, I couldn’t allow something like that to happen to you.”

Rainbow Dash herself began to fight tears, both angered and traumatized over what her friend had become.

“Angered with Gilda’s actions,” Annie continued, “the Fates framed her for their murder of Stinkin’ Rich III those couple of days ago. That was where Flash Sentry and I came in,” she said, resisting the urge to cringe on the name “Flash Sentry.” “We were sent to Manehattan to retrieve her and send her to Canterlot, where she would most likely be tried and imprisoned for a crime she didn’t commit.

“The night before we were to leave,” said Annie, “I found two of the Fates attempting to kill someone in a seedier part of the city. I managed to stop the murder, but the two of them got away. Seeing that one of the Fates matched the description of one of the ponies that Gilda gave during her testimony, I realized that she was indeed innocent and we freed her, promptly heading back to Canterlot before the Fates could track us down. However, we were sabotaged.”

“Sabotaged?” the ponies and Spike asked in unison.

“That guard that had accompanied me,” Annie said, “it was revealed he was a Fate working as a spy in the Royal Guard, using his position to gain secrets about the Guard as well as stealing shipments of steel for use in their weaponry.”

Twilight’s eyes went wide, finding the prospect of being fancied by a killer somewhat disturbing.

“What happened to him?”

“Along with the rest of the Fates, we killed them.”

“What?” the ponies each shouted.

“The previous morning, Flash had used dynamite to blow a boulder off a waterfall and collide into a bridge, destroying the tracks. We decided to advance on foot to Ponyville, the closest town at relatively equal elevation, where the Manehattan Fates chased us and the Vanhoover Fates tried to push us back and slow us down. Gilda and I managed to kill most of them before we ourselves were captured by their last two survivors… and Flash.

“And that’s how you got hurt so bad?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Partially. They then brought us to an abandoned hotel north of Ponyville, where their leader, a minotaur, attempted to kill us. It was then that two of my fellow guards came in and saved us, although causing the fire that has probably burned a good portion of the hotel down by now.”

“Annie went off to kill Flash,” explained Gilda, “and me and one of the guards got the other two… well, one of them killed themselves with this stuff that made their mouth foam after the guard tried arresting him.”

“Cyanide capsule,” Twilight spoke to herself.

“The minotaur then killed both of the guards and knocked me out and broke my wing, leaving me to burn there.”

Rainbow Dash squirmed, feeling guiltier and guiltier about Gilda’s predicament.

“After taking care of Flash and pulling Gilda out of the hotel,” Annie continued, “I found and managed to kill the minotaur, getting my body cut up and my leg injured in the process. Gilda then carried me to the hospital where we all are now.”

As if she had already forgot, Annie peeked into the neck hole of her smock, seeing that the right side of her body was stitched up.

“And now at least you two are safe and sound,” Applejack said.

“Yeah,” Annie agreed. “But there’s one more thing that has to be done while we’re here.”

“What’s that?” asked Rarity.

Gilda then stood on all fours, turning to Rainbow Dash. The moment of truth finally arrived, and with the revelation of what became of her, Gilda’s sobs were becoming harder and harder to control, surprising Rainbow Dash.

“I’m so sorry, Dash!” cried Gilda, bowing her head and letting her tears roll off her face and to the floor. “I made so many terrible mistakes! Getting expelled from flight camp, being a jerk to you and your friends, joining those stupid Fates and killing Flash Fly!”

As Gilda continued sobbing, Rainbow Dash’s eyes too began to water. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy too even looked sympathetic with Gilda as she poured her soul out before them.

“I don’t care if I get thrown in a dungeon for the rest of my life for what I’ve done,” Gilda continued. “I just want my friend Dash back.”

Rainbow Dash, overcome by Gilda’s words, galloped to her, choking on her own sobs as well. Leaping forwards, Rainbow Dash hugged Gilda’s neck and pressed her face into her plumage. Gilda caught her as well, pulling Rainbow Dash close and holding her tight.

“I forgive you,” bawled Rainbow Dash. “I’m never letting you go away again! Don’t you worry.”

As Gilda and Rainbow Dash continued their embrace, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy stepped forwards too. Gilda, seeing them, looked down, unsure of what they wanted.

“Hey,” Gilda greeted, setting Rainbow Dash back down, sniffling. “You don’t think you could forgive me for what I did to you, can you?”

“Are you kidding?” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “Of course we forgive you! Anypony who goes through all that just to say sorry has to be one of the best friends anypony could ever have!”

Gilda couldn’t help but chuckle with Pinkie Pie’s supporting words.

“Um,” Fluttershy quietly spoke, “and I guess I forgive you too.”

Gilda then surprised both Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy by wrapping both of them in her arms and giving them a hug. Gilda and Pinkie Pie laughed together in their moment of love and forgiveness, while Fluttershy seemed more scared and reluctant at the surprise. The other ponies and Spike all laughed too, finding the scene uplifting and heartwarming.

Annie couldn’t stifle a smile either, glad to see that Gilda’s reunion with Rainbow Dash turned out alright. However, reflecting back on what Gilda had said, they would still have to report to Celestia and the crimes that Gilda did commit, including her murder of Flash Fly and the Fates. Annie did not know what fate was in store for her, but it seemed that Gilda would certainly be in some trouble, making Annie frown solemnly.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Inside an empty boxcar that rattled about with the movement of the train on the tracks, Gilda lied down on a large, plush bed as she watched the little of the scenery she could through the small square windows. Annie sat beside her, dressed in her Royal Guard attire, stroking Gilda’s neck and across her stomach underneath the wing.

Standing at four corners of the room were four Royal Guards, each of them unicorns. While Gilda smiled laxly, appreciating Annie’s petting, Annie looked unsure and nervous about Gilda’s future and what would become of her when they faced Celestia.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Inside Celestia’s throne room, Celestia stood before Gilda and Annie as Annie explained all that had happened to her, receiving ambiguous and indifferent nods from Celestia as she recounted the events. Finally, upon finishing, Celestia looked to Gilda and Annie, not saying a single word. The silence was agony to both of them, and the pain became akin to a stab in the gut once Celestia breathed in to speak.

“So although you were not responsible for the death of Stinkin’ Rich III,” confirmed Celestia, “you were the one who murdered Flash Fly. And you admit to this?”

“Yes,” Gilda said without a single trace of pride or valor. “I admit to his murder.”

“And on top of that, you were an accomplice to many of the murders these Fates have committed through the delivery of the letters. Is that correct.”

“Yes. It’s all true.”

“Lastly, there are the deaths of the ponies Sandy Dow, also known as Bruiser for the Vanhoover branch of the Fates, Whip Wing, also known as Slicer for Manehattan, Blue Bar, also known as Bruiser for Manehattan, and Fire Spark, also known as Black Glass. Does this sound correct?”

“I have never heard their real names before, but by their aliases, yes. This is correct.”

“And Annie,” Celestia spoke, turning her gaze to her, “you are responsible for the deaths of Cirrus, also known as Slicer for Vanhoover, Bunsen Burner, also known as Doctor for Vanhoover, Silver Tongue, also known as White Glass, the former guard Flash Sentry, and the minotaur Ivory Horn, also known as Commander, the leader of the group known as the Fates. Is this correct?”

“It is,” Annie answered.

Celestia bowed her head, trying to find the proper judgment for both of them.

“As far as I can see it,” Celestia said, “the deaths of each of the Fates were in self-defense, lest you be killed yourselves.”

“That,” Annie confirmed, “and also to prevent them the chance of killing innocents ever again.”

“I see. I know killing is a very serious offense in Equestrian law, but given the circumstances, as well as future atrocities that those ponies would have continued to commit if let loose, I shall pardon both of you of all killings of these ponies.”

“Thank you, your highness,” Annie responded bowing down.

Celestia turned to Gilda, who was finishing her bow. Annie knew that trouble would arise from this, feeling scared for her friend.

“However,” Celestia said to Gilda, “your actual involvement with these Fates as well as the murder of Flash Fly is a different case. Being that there was no self-defense involved with either matter, and that you can say that you’ve actively assisted with the killings that these ponies have committed, I really wouldn’t be in my right mind to pardon you for these crimes.

Annie grunted, realizing now that Gilda would be convicted.

“I completely understand,” Gilda said.

“But,” resumed Celestia, “I have received word from Twilight and her friends about your regrets and how you were able to patch things up with them since your first coming to Ponyville. They pleaded that I give you a lighter sentence, and being that your acts have saved one of them, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

Annie stood stiff, awaiting Celestia’s verdict while Gilda waited calmly and patiently.

“Gilda,” Celestia declared, “I sentence you to two weeks inside the dungeons of Canterlot, effective immediately.”

“Two weeks?” Gilda questioned, baffled by the surprisingly short number.

“Of course,” Celestia said with a wink. “You wouldn’t want to be inside a cell for during Hearth’s Warming, do you?”

Gilda’s face went aglow, completely astounded by Celestia’s benevolence.

“On the morning of Hearth’s Warming Eve,” concluded Celestia, “you shall be free and absolved of your crimes. This meeting is adjourned.”

Celestia slammed her hoof to the ground, prompting two pegasus Royal Guards to come in from the front of the room towards Gilda.

“Hey guys?” questioned Gilda. “You mind if I have a couple of words with Annie?”

“You may,” granted Celestia.

“Well,” Gilda said. “I guess this is goodbye for a while.”

“Right…” Annie said, still feeling sad about Gilda’s leaving.

Gilda then wrapped her arms around Annie’s arms and back and pulled in her in close for a hug, standing on her hind paws for balance.

“Thank you so much for helping me,” Gilda said. “I’m so grateful to have someone like you as a friend.

Annie, touched by Gilda’s actions and words, gently hugged Gilda just above the waist.

“Yeah,” she whispered back. “So am I.”

Gilda finally let go of Annie and walked back towards the awaiting guards.

“Okay, boys,” she said, “lead the way!”

With the guards on both sides of her, the three of them walked outside the room through the double doors and right down the hallway, Annie and Celestia watching.

“You looked so worried,” Celestia lightly chided. “Did you seriously think I would allow myself to lock your good friend away for such a long time?”

Annie smirked, also thankful for the kind and merciful judgment of Princess Celestia.
________________________________________________________________________________________

Annie stood patiently outside a large tree surrounded by the German-styled buildings that made up Ponyville. At the base of its trunk was a red door featuring a lit candlestick. All around the trunk and the snow-laden branches and leafs, there were windows as well as two balconies along the top floors. Much like the rest of the buildings in Ponyville where the tree sat, the top was strewn with flashing colored lights and was generously wrapped in holly and wreaths.

Annie brushed a small touch of dirt from her white turtleneck sweater and dark-khaki pants, awaiting for her friend to arrive before she could enter. She looked about; not a soul in sight. With Hearth’s Warming in full swing, the ponies would be inside with their families, as they should.

The sound of large wings flapping sounded behind Annie. Turning around, she saw as Gilda, her right wing fully healed, gently landed beside her. Folding her wings in, Gilda looked at her talons, making sure they looked proper.

“So,” Annie asked. “How’s your mom?”

“She’s doing great,” she said. “Was quite a bit of a surprise dropping in on her like that, though.”

“Is that why you’re so late?”

“Come on, I haven’t seen my mom since I before I first tried moving to Ponyville. We had a lot to catch up on!”

“Fair enough. How’s Rainbow Dash?”

“We’re doing great now. Getting a house built next to hers; thinking about finding a job soon too.”

“Really? Where at?”

“I think I’m going to take a break from mail for a while. Gonna’ see if Dash needs any help at the weather patrol.”

“Great. So you’re really on top of things now.”

“Yeah,” Gilda said. “It’s about time, too.”

“Come on,” Annie said, walking towards the red door.

Gilda followed her around as Annie gave the door three hefty knocks. Almost immediately, Pinkie Pie opened the door, revealing the inside. All around the room were bookshelves filled with various tomes. About the floor, there were tables filled with bowls of snacks, boxes of candies, a large bowl of punch, and a record player playing festive music.

Much like the outside, holly and lights were lavishly strung about the walls. From inside, the faces of Twilight, Spike, and their other friends were aglow with their arrival.

“Hey, guys!” chirped Pinkie Pie. “You made it!”

“‘Bout time you guys showed up!” Rainbow Dash said. “Certainly wouldn’t be a party without you.”

“Well?” Twilight beckoned, “come in!”

“Don’t mind if we do,” Annie responded as both she and Gilda stepped in.

“Mmm,” hummed Gilda, “I’m starved. What do we have for eats around here?”

“Well,” Pinkie Pie began, bouncing beside Gilda as she rattled off her list, “we have popcorn, some festive Hearth’s Warming taffy, Spike’s famous punch, cookies, nuts…”

As Pinkie Pie continued listing their menu, Twilight’s magic closed the door to the library, fully enveloping Annie and Gilda with the warmth of their merry company.