Griffon For a Day

     Gilda continued to stare at her recently-transformed friend, taking in the unusual coloration.  Rainbow was a little perturbed by this and decided to break the awkward silence that had fallen.

     "Hey, Gilda, ya gonna keep on staring or what?  C'mon, let's hang out for awhile -- ya wanna race again?" the cyan griffon asked, grinning broadly.

     "Yeah, you're on!" Gilda retorted as she took off swiftly.

     "Oh no you don't!" Rainbow shouted after her and took off to give chase.

     The two griffons chased each other around for awhile, racing to and fro through the sky around Cloudsdale, occasionally diving towards some ponies and scaring them a little.  Eventually they got winded and alighted on a different cloud in the city.

     "That was lots of fun, Gilda, but I'm getting hungry!  Got any suggestions?"

     "Yeah, I know just the place -- they serve great Griffon food there.  Guy by the name of Olaf runs it -- wanna give it a try?" asked Gilda, flashing a sly grin.

     "I've never eaten Griffon food before, Gilda -- is it any good?"

     "Sh-huh, it's like, only the best!" she chuckled.  "C'mon, Dash, let's go," she added before flying towards the restaurant.  The cyan griffon followed suit, a quizzical expression marking her features.

I don't know if this is such a good idea, Rainbow thought as she approached the restaurant, Gilda already having reached the front door.

     "Are you coming or not?  Don't be so lame," Gilda chided.

     "Okay, okay, Gilda -- I've heard about this place, but I'm not sure if eating meat is such a good idea," the cyan griffon offered almost meekly as she followed her friend inside.

     "You're a griffon now, Dash -- you only live once, you know!" she chuckled.  The two made their way to the front and met up with Olaf himself.

     "Welcome back, Gilda -- who's your new friend?  She looks kinda familiar ... you wouldn't happen to know of a pegasus named Rainbow Dash, would you?  You look almost exactly like her," he mused as he stared at the cerulean griffon.

     "Uhhh ... no?" she offered meekly, turning away from his gaze.

     "Hmmm..." he hummed.  "If you're not her, what's your name?" he asked, flashing a big grin.

     "Uhh, Flashy Feathers!" she replied, her grin matching his, though her eyes betrayed her attempt to lie.

     "Hmm, okay, Flash, welcome to my place!  Have a seat, your first meal's on me.  I recommend the fish, it's quite fresh!" he chuckled as he turned his back to them and re-entered the kitchen.

     Rainbow had to force herself to keep from making a bitter face at the mention of meat, causing Gilda to chuckle loudly at her.

     "You're not scared to eat a little meat, are you, Dash?"

     "Uhh..." she hesitated, giving her friend a rather uncertain look.

     "So, you're chicken, huh?"

     "N-nopony calls me chicken!" Dash retorted almost angrily as the two sat at a table.  They waited patiently for their food to arrive, Gilda smiling while Dash appeared rather nervous.  As their plates were brought out to them, Gilda's mouth started watering at the sight of freshly fried fish, the scent of the food causing her to breathe in deeply, a big smile on her face.

     "This is one of my favorite dishes, Dash -- you really should try it.  As a griffon, you'll find you might actually like it!"

     She looked at the plate of food, the fish pan-fried to perfection.  The scent normally should have rankled her nose, but the sense of smell through her beak beckoned her to try it.  Using her talon, she lifted a fork and cut a small bite, gingerly lifting it to her beak.  She stuck her tongue out and gave the small bite of fish a quick lick, causing Gilda to start laughing.

     "Stop being such a dweeb and bite it already!"

     The cyan griffon gave the food another tentative glance, then popped it in her mouth and let it slide down her throat, getting the full flavor of the taste.  "Y'know, this isn't bad!" she grinned as she cut another bite and ate it.

     "Told ya so, Dash!" Gilda chuckled through a mouthful of her food.  Presently they finished eating and Olaf returned to their table.

     "How was the food, ladies?" he asked expectantly.

     "This was really good, Olaf, I'm gonna have to come back here more often!" Rainbow chirped.

     "Excellent as usual, Olaf, thanks for your generosity," Gilda replied warmly.

     "Great!  Glad to hear it.  I'm always looking for more customers, you know!  I'll give you a free meal for any new business you bring me!" he chuckled.  "Oh, and Flash?  You should be more careful about the lies you tell," he added, flashing a stern look at the cyan griffon.  "Your eyes gave you away."

     "Oh, uh, sorry, Olaf -- you got me there," she responded meekly.  "Gilda, let's get out of here before anything bad happens," she whispered in her friend's ear.  The words hadn't even left her beak when a group of four griffons sauntered over to their table.

     "So, Gilda, who's the new recruit?" asked a male griffon.  Rainbow's eyes went wide with fear at this and she got up from the table, but as she tried to, another male griffon pushed her back down into her chair.

     "Oh no you don't, you're not going anywhere until you answer a few questions," said the one who had pushed her back down, his voice a low growl.