Another day had come and gone, sending Dusk back with Barb. He’d insisted on building breaks into the schedule, no doubt anticipating that some of his ladies—namely, a certain pink earth mare—would tire him out. Pinkie considered this flattering and silently vowed to live up to her cute boyfriend’s high expectations. Until then, even if Dusk wasn’t available, she still wanted to continue the fun train she’d started with Dash. So, wearing her silliest assortment of facial wear, the pink ponker casually skipped to her blue friend’s cloud house.

“Rise and shine, Rainbow Dash. It’s a brand new day, and—you’re not Rainbow Dash,” Pinkie noted as an avian head poked over the side. “Huh, is somepony playing a guitar?” she asked, wondering where the threatening music had come from.

“Mornin’, Pinks,” Rainbow greeted, flying down to join her pink friend. “Gilda, this is Pinkie Pie, one of my fiancés.”

The griffon flew down and landed with a heavy thud a short distance from the ponies. White feathers adorned her avian head, contrasting nicely with the soft brown fur on her feline body. As with most flyers, her shape was built to be more aerodynamic, meaning she sadly lacked the prestigious posterior proudly presented by most ponies. She was bigger than Pinkie, but proportionally, her ass seemed even smaller than the speedster’s. Gilda flipped her short, feathery hair back in what was probably meant to be a cool gesture as another guitar strum echoed over the open meadow. “Hey, ‘sup.”

“Huh, there it is again,” Pinkie noted, looking around. She then shook her head, remembering her manners to focus on what mattered. “Ooh, a griffon. We don’t get many of you around here. Nice ta meet ya. The pleasure’s all mine,” she greeted, extending a hoof to shake.

Gilda eyed the appendage like it was covered in used needles. “Yeah, I’m sure it is,” she dismissed, not noticing Pinkie’s eye twitch.

Meanwhile, Dash scowled. “Gilda, we talked about this. Pinkie’s cool, so be nice.”

Gilda rolled her eyes and finally accepted the shake. “Well, if Dashy vouches for ya, I guess that counts for something.”

“Yup,” Pinkie agreed, noting the griffon’s light grip and the tension in her claws. “You’re not used to socializing with ponies, huh?”

Gilda’s fur and feathers bristled as her head lowered to an aggressive stance. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Gilda,” Dash warned, positioning herself between the two.

“That most griffons I meet tend to be pretty standoffish and don’t get along well with ponies,” Pinkie continued, seemingly oblivious to the large predator’s pouncing posture. “Griffon culture tends to prioritize self-reliance and stoicism, meaning you’re discouraged from asking others for help. So, it’s a bit of a clash when you interact with ponies, as we tend to view your behavior as pretty abrasive, making it tricky to get along.”

Gilda blinked several times in silence before shooting Dash an accusing scowl. “What else did you tell her?”

“Dude, you literally showed up this morning. I haven’t had time to tell anypony anything,” Rainbow reminded. “Pinkie just knows stuff.”

Snorting again, Gilda relaxed her aggressive posture, but still kept her head low enough as a general warning of alertness. “Whatever. Is there a reason you’re here?”

“Well, as Rainbow Dash said, we’re fiancés, which means I’m entitled to sixty-nine her whenever I feel like it, and she’s morally obligated to let me.”

Gilda blinked again and stared in disbelief at Rainbow. “Is that true?”

“Not how I’d put it, but basically, yeah,” Rainbow confirmed. “Why? Ya jealous?” she asked, turning her body to the side to teasingly bounce her bottom.

“Oooh, so you have that kind of relationship,” Pinkie realized. She then batted her eyelashes before mirroring Rainbow’s body language, except her bouncing bottom had enough weight to make sounds. “Well, any friend of Dashy is a face I’d be happy to sit on.”

Gilda’s white facial feathers shifted through several shades of pink and red. “I-I-I… Fuck, we literally just met.” She then faced her blue friend. “Seriously, Dashy, what’s the deal with this mare? Is she, like, in an early heat or something?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes and approached Gilda’s side, throwing a hoof over the larger creature’s shoulder before gesturing at the ponker. “Nah, that’s just Pinkie. She’s showing what we ponies call… interest,” she whispered breathily into the griffon’s ear.

“Wait, in me?” Gilda asked in disbelief. “Aren’t you, like, freaked out by all this?” She clicked her beak and flexed her razor-sharp avian claws. Then, as both ponies began snickering, she asked, “What? What’d I miss?”

“Oh, nothing much,” Rainbow chuckled. “Just the part where these asses have sat on a dragon’s scaly mug.”

Gilda scowled. “Okay, if you’re gonna lie, it should be something plausible.”

“No, I’m serious,” Rainbow argued. “Her name’s Barb. She’s, like, the familiar to Dusk, that stallion I told you about. The one we went on the adventure with to stop Nightmare Moon? I could’ve sworn I told you this already.”

“If you did, it was probably after we’d had a few shots,” Gilda conceded. “You know I can’t remember shit when I’m drunk.”

“Well, apparently, I’m not much better,” Rainbow apologetically allowed.

“And if you still don’t believe it, we can take you to her,” Pinkie offered.

“T-to the dragon?” Gilda stammered.

“Well, I think the term is drake,” Pinkie elaborated. “She’s pretty young and only about a third bigger than you. Though, I should warn you, don’t go posturing at Dusk with her around. That’s, like, her one rule. She’s usually pretty laidback and fun, but make her think you’re threatening her Dusky, aaand…”

“Just don’t do it,” Rainbow finished, shaking her friend’s back. “C’mon, Gil. It’s me. We’ve been cool since we were little, and I’m telling you, these guys are just as cool. Just give ‘em a chance.”

Gilda apprehensively swallowed. “D-do we have to see the d-dragon right now?”

“Nah, we can save her for later,” Pinkie allowed. “Until then, we can always prac~tiiice,” she sang, once more shaking her rump.

“Uh, D-Dashy said she’d take me for a morning fly to stretch our wings and see the sights,” Gilda hurriedly cut in, launching into the air.

Rainbow Dash sighed and smiled apologetically at Pinkie. “So, that was Gilda, my friend from camp. She’s… an acquired taste, but she’s really great once you get to know her.”

“Taste, huh?” Pinkie pondered. “I know griffons aren’t as sexually open as ponies, but she acted like she really didn’t see that coming. Has no pony flirted with her before?”

Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck. “Uh, not really. Between the attitude and the sharp parts, most ponies give her a lot of distance.”

“You know I can hear you, right?” reminded Gilda, hovering a few yards above the ponies.

Pinkie whistled. “Nice teats.”

Gilda clamped her hind legs together. “Whatever. J-just hurry up and meet me in the clouds, AWAY from all these weirdos.” She then flew into the cloud layer, disappearing from sight.

“Eh, I gotta go after her. Don’t need her sulking. We’ll catch up later, okay?”

“Yaperdoodles,” Pinkie confirmed, saluting.

“Also, don’t follow us. Gilda needs some time to unwind. You know how introverts are.”

“In need of their heads shoved up a mare’s pussy and/or plot?” Pinkie inquired with a grin.

“Pinkieee,” Rainbow warned.

“Oh, fine. I’m gonna go tell Barb there’s another carnivore in town so she doesn’t freak out and light the sky up with green flame.”

“As awesome as that sounds, thank you,” Rainbow replied, finally taking off after Gilda.

***

About an hour later, the flyers had barely spoken a word to each other—at least, words that weren’t boasts. They primarily showed off different aerial stunts, either trying to top each other or just showing off something cool or silly. Finally, they’d burned off enough energy to settle on a nearby cloud to rest.

Snuggling up to Gilda’s side, Rainbow noted the welcome contrast of the soft fur atop the muscled physique. “So, how do you like Ponyville so far?”

“It’s… not as stupid as I thought,” Gilda conceded, wrapping her lion tail around Dash’s backside.

“Whoa, high praise. You either really like this tiny, Podunk town, or Pinkie made quite an impression on you,” Rainbow teased, leaning into the griffon’s personal space.

“Shut up,” Gilda grumbled, pulling her head away and staring blankly at the town below. “So, are you really engaged?”

“Believe me, I’m as surprised as you. I never thought I’d find a stallion I actually clicked with, but here we are,” Rainbow admitted. “The other mares aren’t half bad either.”

“Mares, right,” Gilda huffed. “So, who besides that pink one?”

“Well, there’s Fluttershy. You remember her, right?”

Gilda perked up and swiveled her head to face her friend. “Fluttershy? Seriously?”

“Okay, that one can’t be that much of a surprise,” Rainbow countered. “My parents always figured she’d be my ticket into a real herd someday, and I couldn’t really argue. You know how nice she is to cuddle.”

“I-I… remember,” Gilda allowed, averting her gaze. “She was so fat and slow, always slowing us down.”

“Uh-huh,” Rainbow replied, motioning with her hoof for Gilda to continue. “And?”

“And… when I had that accident that almost tore my wing off, she splinted it and stayed with me while you went for help,” Gilda reluctantly conceded.

Rainbow beamed in satisfaction. “And remember what happened next?” She snickered. “I think it was about a week after. Those bullies called her a chicken wing for coming in last place. Hehe. You kicked their asses so hard, your foot got stuck in one of ‘em. Bwa-ha-ha-ha! Y-you had t-to go to the infirmary t-to pull it out!” she guffawed, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“She is, though,” Gilda huffed. “She’s fat, slow, and her wings are more for show than anything, but that doesn’t give jackasses like them the right to say it.”

“You say fat, but I say cheeks for weeks,” Rainbow countered, still chuckling. “You should tell her that when you see her.”

“Why? She knows what I mean.”

“Yeah, but she’d reaaally appreciate it if you just came out and said it,” Rainbow reasoned before leaning up to whisper in the griffon’s ear. “She might even put ‘em to use like she used to.”

Gilda’s head feathers pomphed, making it look like her head and neck had doubled in size. Indignant at Rainbow’s chuckles, she hurriedly used her claws to flatten her fluff. “Y-yeah, so, wh-what about the others? You made it sound like there were more.”

“Well, there’s Rarity, a drama queen and dressmaker.”

“And you two haven’t killed each other because…?”

“Because I’m too busy getting a good sweat out of Apple Jack. She’s an earth pony, but she’s got legs like yours, and a kick just as tough.”

Gilda scoffed. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“Also, Barb, the dragon,” Rainbow continued with a shit-eating grin. “She’s also one of the creatures I screw around with.”

Gilda shook her head in disbelief as she stared at the speedster. “You really have no fear of predators, do you?”

Rainbow shrugged. “Eh, you guys aren’t as scary as you think you are. Deep down, you’re just a soft little kitten needing some TLC,” she cooed, scratching under her friend’s chin.

Gilda purred for a second before realizing she’d gotten too comfortable and swiped the hoof away with her knuckles. She’d learned to do that after too many accidental scratches when they were little. “A-and the d-dragon?”

“Oh, she’s a literal raging inferno. Seriously, she lets Dusk get away with literally anything, but one wrong word out of me, and she’s got this look that makes me think she could end me and not feel bad about it,” Rainbow explained, shivering while smiling. “Kinda like how your mom used to look at us when you were little.”

Gilda rolled her eyes. “I could have gone without the reminder you had a crush on my mom, freak.”

“Hey, who’s the bigger freak? The freak or the freak that gets turned on just from sitting beside the freak?” Rainbow shot back. “Yeah, I feel the heat from back there. You can’t fool me.”

“I-it’s not you,” Gilda impotently denied. “I was just, uh, w-watching the weirdos down there.” She indicated where several mares had encircled a lone stallion and herded him into an alley for some raunchy fun.

“That?” Rainbow scoffed. “If that gets you horny, you’re more repressed than I thought, cuz that is about as rare as a thatched roof around these parts.”

Of the dozens of buildings in her purview, Gilda counted two without thatched rooves. “Well, we just treat our males differently.”

“Yeah, you sell ‘em to the highest bidder,” Rainbow recalled. “Hey, don’t look at me that way. I ain’t judging. If it works for you guys, cool, but ponies are fine with how we do things. Well, except for Dusk. He’s not like other guys. He’s got enough backbone to stand up to a mare.”

Gilda scoffed. “Somehow, that’s the least believable thing I’ve heard so far. The only time I’ve seen stallions show any backbone is when they’ve got at least three mares behind them.”

“Well, Dusk usually has Barb, but even when she’s on the other side of town, if he believes in something, he’ll put his hoof down,” Rainbow described with a wistful smile. “He’s great in the sack and an absolute snack, but even when he’s not servicing, he’s fun to hang out with. Like, he’s a total nerd that goes on these long tangents about whatever, but even when I have no idea what he’s saying, he’s passionate enough that I kinda wanna know.”

As the rainbow-maned mare stared off at nothing, Gilda’s predatory gaze narrowed to scan every inch of the pegasui’s form. Studying her old friend’s body language, it became increasingly difficult for the griffon to deny what she saw. Rainbow Dash, a mare that used to have greater respect for literal dildos than living stallions, had fallen for a guy. It was heartbreaking in ways Gilda didn’t want to admit, so she hardened her expression to her usual tough girl persona. “Whatever.”

***

“A griffon, huh?” Barbara pondered as she stood in the treebrary’s doorway.

“Yup, that’s exactly what I’ve been explaining to you over the last minute or so,” Pinkie happily chirped. “She’s a liiitle rude, but she’s Rainbow’s friend, and we’d appreciate it if you didn’t, ya know…”

“Fry her up like a holiday bird?” Barbara finished with a flat smile.

“Yeah, exactly that… What?”

Barbara face-palmed. “Seriously, do you really think I’m that much of a loose cannon? That I’d just go around spitting fire the moment someone looks at me wrong?”

“Uh…”

“When was the last time I blew fire at someone just for pissing me off?” Barbara angrily demanded. “Name me one time!”

“Two days ago, when those fillies made that colt come up to you and say that sex with dragons must give everyone a friction burn,” Dusk deadpanned as he sorted through his books. “Their parents complained about their scorched manes and tails.”

“Okay, those bullies had it coming,” Barbara defended. “Plus, the colt hugged me after, so I think that settled who was in the right that time.”

“Four days ago, when that cabbage cart got out of control and you picked a fight with the owner,” Dusk added.

“Ahem,” Barbara scoffed in disbelief. “I stopped that thing from running ponies over, and the jerk had the nerve to threaten to sue me for damages. Besides, those eyebrows were stupid.”

“Five days ago, with the fireworks.”

Barbara guiltily rubbed the back of her long neck. “Okay, I may have miscalculated on that one, but in my defense, Rainbow was very convincing.”

“She bribed you with gems.”

“The point is I’m not some crazy animal just waiting for the next trigger to set me off,” Barbara huffed in frustration.

“I know you’re not,” Dusk neutrally replied. “You might have a bit of a temper, but you do more than most to keep yourself in line, and your standard temperament is perfectly socially acceptable.”

Pinkie blinked. “Wait, are you messing with her? You were just arguing that—”

“No, he wasn’t,” Barbara sighed in defeat, hanging her head and burying her face in her palm. “I said to name times I used my flame on others, so Dusk got to naming. That’s my bad for not phrasing it better.” She shook her head before resuming facing Pinkie. “Anyway, we’ve had griffons in Canterlot before. They mostly keep their distance, but have always been pretty cordial whenever they need to talk with Dusk about stuff. Just tell this girl to mind her manners, and there shouldn’t be an issue.”

“Oh, so, you won’t be needing these?” Pinkie asked, presenting a bucket full of gems… that almost instantly disappeared from her grasp. “Hey, where’d it go?”

“Next time, just lead with the bribe,” Barbara said around her mouthful, face buried in the bucket as her mighty jaws crunched through the minerals.

“Okay,” Pinkie accepted before happily bouncing away.

Now by themselves once again, Barbara continued digging through the bucket, seemingly not looking where she was going. As such, her happily wagging tail accidentally swiped above the table, narrowly missing where Dusk had gathered his research for his latest project. This prompted the stallion to throw himself onto the assembled materials, protecting them with his magic. Some papers had been slightly jostled, but there would have been no damage, even without the magic. However, with her eyes still obscured, Barbara then slapped the spikey end of her tail to Dusk’s backside. It wasn’t hard enough to break the skin, only to send a message.

“You knew what you were doing,” she accused, grinning with her face half-buried in the bucket.

“You can’t prove anything!” Dusk shot back, rubbing the sore spot.

***

Following their talk in the clouds, Rainbow stuck by Gilda’s side as her semi-official handler and potential translator as they descended to the ground.

“So, what’s there to eat around here?” asked the griffon as she surveyed the market. “Something that isn’t green?”

“Well, how about a stallion covered in chocolate? I know I can’t say no to that,” Rainbow proposed with a cheeky grin.

“I mean actual food. Isn’t there somewhere I can get some meat around here?”

“Oh! Oh-oh-oh! I know!” Pinkie declared, manifesting out of thin air before injecting herself between the winged ladies.

“Gah! Holy fuck!” Gilda ascended into the clouds like a startled cat. “Pink? What are you doing here?”

“If you mean in Poniville, I live here, silly,” Pinkie happily replied. “If you mean here, specifically, same as you. Lookin’ for some chow. Unfortunately, if you want meat, you’ll have to go elsewhere. Not many farmers selling—as one griffon put it—the flesh of stupid lesser beasts,” she said, deepening her voice to sound extra aggressive.

Gilda grumbled as she resumed her spot on the ground. “Is there actually an elsewhere, or are you saying I need to leave town to get something decent?”

“Well, not quite leave town, but she lives on the outskirts,” Rainbow answered. “I know this one mare who stocks up on every kind of food there is, including meat.”

Gilda huffed. “A fat ass, I assume?”

“Oh-oh-oh!” Pinkie excitedly chirped. “If it’s the mare I’m thinking of, then yes, she’s got the fattest of asses. I mean, obviously, mine’s just a teeny bit bigger, but hers is nothing to scoff at, either,” she added, letting a bit of mare pride show.

Rainbow nodded. “Yup, definitely a fat ass. C’mon, I’ll show you the way.”

Gilda blinked as the gears in her mind whirred. “Wait, y-you mean her?”

“No, silly,” Pinkie cut in. “Not her. Her,” she said, pointing to Fluttershy escorting a family of ducks through town. She did so by walking backward while maintaining eye contact with the mother duck. It went without saying her path took her straight toward Gilda, granting the griffon a prime view of some of the juiciest, most scrumptious slabs of meat on the continent.

“Uh, Gilda, you’re drooling,” Pinkie pointed out before facing Dash. “Does she have a crush on Fluttershy or something?”

“That’s not for me to say. Well, Gilda?” Dash inquired, waving her tail before the griffon’s face to snap her back to reality.

“Hmm? Wha? Where’d I go just now?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle this,” Rainbow offered, intercepting Fluttershy to whisper in the yellow mare’s ear.

Everyone’s favorite butterball then snapped to face Gilda with enough force to make an audible crack. Now staring at the griffon with adorable determination, Ponyville’s newest visitor was suddenly struck with indecision about whether or not she should flee. Alas, she waited too long, and Fluttershy made the decision for her, shooting across the market like a bullet and impacting the griffon’s muscled chest with the force of a tossed pillow, yet her grip was like iron.

“Gilda! Oh, I’m so happy to see you,” Fluttershy whisper-shouted as she clung to the griffon’s side and nuzzled her neck. “It’s been so long. Goodness, you’re so thin. When’s the last time you ate?” she fussed like a doting grandmother.

Gilda was used to dismissing the affections of others. In her experience, most ponies were fakers who judged her just for being a griffon. Fluttershy was just as judgmental, but with the opposite intent, as she generally preferred non-ponies. She was also one of the most sincere entities Gilda had ever encountered. So, when the usually quiet mare began listing off all the ways the griffon had failed to take care of herself, saying things that would normally result in a broken nose, Gilda was powerless to do anything except bow her head in humble acceptance. Apparently, years of dealing with Fluttershy had given Gilda the opposite of resistance to her charms.

So, after the yellow mare confirmed that Dash would handle the ducks, the larger yet normally more timid pony grabbed the griffon’s claw and dragged the defeated predator back to her cottage for a decent meal and some proper grooming.

As the rest of the Ponyville market continued staring in stunned speechlessness at the absurdity they’d just witnessed, one brave soul saw fit to give a voice to everyone’s thoughts. “So, was it me, or do we all wish we were Gilda right now, so Fluttershy would feed and pamper us?” Pinkie asked, earning unanimous confirmation from the crowd.

***

“Hey, I said no bows,” Gilda growled. She’d been aggressively sat in front of a mirror with a bowl of chili in her lap. The meat had sufficiently placated her enough for the yellow mare to do as she liked.

“No, of course not,” Fluttershy agreed as she dragged a comb through the griffon’s fur. “That messes with your usual coolness. Hmm, I don’t have any gel, but luckily, your head feathers hold their shape just fine. Although, I hope you’ll let me dress you up a bit after the party. More lemonade?”

“Um, yes, thanks,” Gilda allowed, handing the glass to the mare to refill. “Wait, party?”

“Pinkie’s going to throw you a welcome party,” Fluttershy happily replied. “More ice?”

“Uh, no, but how did you know? I don’t think I heard her say anything.”

“Oh, that’s just Pinkie Pie. She throws everypony a party when they first come to Ponyville. It’s her thing, just like how my thing is caring for all the adorable creatures of the world.”

“Okay, first of all, call me adorable in public, and I’ll fart in your face,” Gilda threatened, frustrated when Fluttershy merely laughed. “And second, what’s the deal with that rabbit?” she asked, gesturing to the fluff ball making eyes at her.

“Oh, that’s Angel. He gets a little jealous when I show attention to others.”

“He’s looking at me like he’s saying he’ll get me if I’m ever alone.”

“Oh, you speak bunny?”

“No, I… Wait, he really said that?”

Fluttershy pursed her lips as her eyes shiftily darted around the room. “Uh, so, what brings you all the way to Ponyville? Besides Dash, I mean. I assume you two got some flying in before settling with us grounders?”

“That’s about it, I guess,” Gilda admitted as Fluttershy continued brushing her. “I just wanted to say ‘hey’ to some old friends.”

“Not in Cloudsdale or Griffon Stone?”

Gilda shook her head. “Not the kind of friends I’m looking for.”

That’s when Fluttershy nuzzled her head beneath Gilda’s chin, imitating a feline’s chitter to indicate trust and relaxation. It wasn’t long before Gilda joined her, leaning into the mare’s touch to savor her softness. “You want cuddle friends, don’t you?”

Gilda tried to growl and display more aggressive body language, yet her damnable body betrayed her by maintaining a show of relaxation. She could feel herself inches from rolling over and showing her belly to this accursed, fat slowpoke. “Other griffons don’t really get it, and I can never figure out how to tell ponies what I want without scaring ‘em off.”

Fluttershy nodded, moving the emptied chili bowl aside to fully engross herself in the griffon’s lap. As expected, Gilda wrapped her strong, protective arms around the butterball. “I wish I knew what to tell you. All I can say is that, so long as you’re here, Rainbow and I will take care of you.”

Gilda hated how reassuring that was, and her pride prevented her from asking her other best friend to resume the brushing.

Author's Note

Unsurprisingly, this episode wound up being a three-parter. Gilda is such a fascinating character with a lot of story potential. However, I’m set on not incorporating her into the main cast this time, so I’ve got to work fast. For now, we get some insights into who she is and how she interacts with others. Specifically, her roaring at Fluttershy in the episode should not have happened, as they ought to know each other through Rainbow Dash, who would have put an end to such behavior years ago. Also, if Fluttershy has a thing for animals like dragons, she’d surely be aggressively affectionate to a griffon. So, I gave the characters reasons to not act stupid, resulting in making Gilda a bit of a tsundere.

You’re welcome.

And thanks to my subscribers
Tier 1: None at this time
Tier 2: Neural Shock
Tier 3: horsey chobunso, Drake565, Shiyakazing, and JaegerXHunter
You guys make all of this possible. And if you want early access to my work, and to support an artist you enjoy, please check out my SubscribeStar as well. It'd mean a lot https://subscribestar.adult/typist-gray