006 Flashback: s01ep05 Griffon the Brush-Off

006 Flashback: s01ep05 Griffon the Brush-Off

Do you like milk? I like milk.
There once was a social campaign running in my country, aimed to encourage school-aged children towards drinking milk rather than unhealthy sodas. Among the variety of advertisements that were shown on TV, one particular stuck in my memory.
Basically, a bunch of kids on a lunch break, boys standing by the window and watching the passing cars. One of the boys is naming their brands and models, solely by hearing engine sounds and screeching tires. He seems to be on a successful streak, judging by his peers' cheering. But one more car passes by and he is rendered speechless, as he does not know the answer. Suddenly, another boy shows up - he enters the scene and lists every detail (brand, model, top speed etc.) of the said car. He then takes a sip of milk, walks away and the campaign's catchphrase Drink Milk - Be Great appears.

I swear that this train of thoughts eventually leads to ponies.

I reckon that even if I had drunk all the milk in the world, I wouldn't hang out with that ad's kids. Why? Because I never really bothered memorizing car brands and logos, recognizing models on the streets and reciting their technical specifications. Why would I care about the supposed differences between one four-wheeled vehicle and another four-wheeled vehicle?

UNCANNY REVELATION TIME (as it just came to me out of nowhere): perhaps the above is a result of my hidden mistrust towards wheels? To be honest, if you asked me to draw a geometric figure I'd draw a triangle, not a circle... it all makes sense now!

Anyway, children have extremely absorbent brains, so I had to fill it with something. I did - instead of terms like Audi, BMW or Porsche I enriched my memory banks with terms like dragons, beholders or... that's right, griffons.

I first encountered these creatures in the good, old Heroes III, as t3 units for the Castle Faction (unlimited retaliations, seriously? Better think twice before trying to snatch those 1-4 Angels from the Griffin Conservatory!). As a Rampart-oriented player I didn't really like them, but at some point of my life - astonishingly I'm unable to tell when and where - griffons moved up in my favorite mythical creatures ranking, as evidenced in one griffon becoming my character's mount when I've been playing D&D with my very first group (if a certain fist-fighting monk and katana-wielding ranger are still out there, your cleric/undead hunter hopes that you're living a good life...)
Today, griffons are my second favorite creatures, beaten only by the dragons.

But, let's get to the show itself, as it seems I might be drifting away.

Today's Hitchhiker's Guide to Equestria features, surprise, surprise, griffons in its creatures section. Unfortunately there have been only two griffons in the series so far, Gilda (originally Grizelda) and Gustave le Grand, so there's not much we can tell about their society, other than they might have a slight tendency of choosing names starting with letter G for their fledglings. I would probably minimize that if I hadn't read The Moonstone Cup by Cyanide, as there is an OC griffon named Gianna in there. With these three names at hand I decided to name griffons in my stories in a similar way.

There was a poll on Equestria Daily not so long ago where they asked which creatures the community would like to learn more about. Griffons were 2nd - it's good to know that they are recognized as an important species in the show! Changelings placed 1st, and we actually got some of Chrysalis and her minions recently in My Little Pony comic #1-#4, so maybe they'll find a place for griffins in the future as well?
Aside from griffons in general, there will definitely be some Gilda in the near future, though, as a book Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell is to be released on April 2nd. There's more about it here. Wiki unveils some secrets and states that Gilda the Griffon is featured as an antagonist in the book (...). She first appears in chapter 6, "On a Scroll", and works together with Trixie in later chapters.
OMG TRIXIE-
Wait. Be cool. One more week to the Boast Busters rewatch. Deep breath.

Rainbow Dash: She's half-eagle, half-lion...
Gilda: And all awesome!

Lion is considered the king of the beasts, while eagle is considered the king of the birds, therefore griffons (or griffins, or gryphons, as the spelling varies) should be treated as kings of all animals. All hail Gilda! Just add a crown and some fancy robes to that snapshot on the left... But would she be rule the Griffin Kingdoms, or the Griffin Empire? Or, I don't know, the Griffon Dominion? We know so little about other countries! I say ponies have to start travelling around the world, so we could learn more about faraway lands. Until then, we have music that either takes us to those lands or inside a griffon's heart. Also, Gilda's Theme by Mandopony.

Pinkie Pie: Don't you worry your pretty little head about mean old Gilda! Your auntie Pinkie Pie has it all taken care of!
Fluttershy: I'm a year older than you.

It is worth noting that Gilda appears after 7 minutes into the episode, so one-third of it is actually about pranks. I like the idea of coloring apples, I laugh at the idea of spamming Celestia, but I absolutely endorse the idea of blaming Spike for it (and counting that not as a prank, but as a crime against Equestria with a life sentence). Pinkie, you're a genius.

As for the other snapshots - there's RD harassing poor Rain Cloud. If you didn't get the reference, shame on you! Here's a link to continue your training on that matter (for some reason there is no Cherry Bomb episode on the SherclopPones YT account at the moment).

Middle snapshot - nothing to see here, just move along, ducklings... Wait a minute! What were those ducks doing in town, exactly? Crazy theory time! If Fluttershy had to guide them from A to B, she'd surely choose a less traveled road, through Ponyville outskirts rather than the market! So these ducks must have already been in town, and Fluttershy is only leading them out. But what would a duck want to find there? Nothing, really, unless... this.
Oh, my. Fluttershy is helping those ducks escape after a robbery! Nopony suspected her, it was the perfect crime!

Gilda: Hey. I'm watching you... like a hawk.
Pinkie Pie: Why? Can't you watch me like a griffon?

Snapshots on the lower left - ponies are incredibly cute when they are holding something in their mouths, such as these baskets, brushes after painting Applejack's apples, or the other end of that turtle-like device mischievously dispatched to splash Fluttershy. Not to mention Rarity and her scarf in one of the future episodes. Instert generic HNGG here.

Lower right - Pinkie have just told RD and Gilda where hippogriffs come from. Food for thought.

Are we going to get another episode with Gilda? No one can tell. I'm sure there are some Gilda fans out there, still waiting for her comeback. I know that feel, I'd been waiting for another Trixie episode for so long, but I eventually got what I wanted. So I'm with you guys!

~Prane