Entry 6, Part 3 (Griffon the Brush Off)
“ … So Bubble Berry, are you sure that this friend of Rainbow Dash is really so mean?”
“Um, yeah! He keeps stealing Rainbow Dash away, he pops my balloons, spills my drinks, and he told me to buzz off! I’ve never met a griffon so mean… Well, actually, I’ve never met a griffon at all… but I bet if I had, he wouldn’t have been as mean and grumpy as Guilder!”
With a sigh, Dusk turns away from his book and locks his eyes with his pink guest’s own. “You know what I think, BB?”
“Hmm?” replies Bubble Berry as he leans in closer, waiting to be validated.
“Well,” my studious stallion winces as he readies himself to deliver some bad news. “I think… you’re jealous.”
“Jealous?!” Berry screams in response, acting like he was just slapped across the face.
“Green with envy,” I add in ‘helpfully’, not looking up from my own book… though I do lift my gaze for a moment to add, “Well, in your case, pink with envy."
Satisfied with my little joke, I return to my reading.
Dusk, meanwhile, is continuing his talk with his disheveled friend. His tone is a bit condescending sounding, but I guess he always sounds like that when he’s lecturing. “Well, yes. Jealous. Listen, Berry, I don’t want to upset you, but just because Rainbow Dash has another friend doesn’t make Guilder a grump. I mean, perhaps it’s you, Berry, who needs to improve his attitude.”
Ouch.
I don’t want to upset you… but I’m going to do it anyways k thanks bye.
Remind me to conspicuously place the ‘Tact for Dummies’ self-help guide on Dusk’s work desk the next chance I get.
“Improve my attitude?!” BB shouts back angrily. Never would have thought I’d be using the words ‘BB’ and ‘angry’ together in the same sentence, but I guess there’s a first time for everything. “But I… D… B… It’s Guilder that… D… Are you seri… AAAAAHHHHH!!!!”
SLAM!!!
With one last frustrated screech, Bubble Berry stomps his mad self over to the entrance and leaves the library with a rough slam of the door. In the resulting silence, Dusk and I spare each other a concerned look…
… before resuming our reading without a second thought. Thanks to my show knowledge I know what Berry is going to do next, so I’m not too torn up over what just happened. As for why Dusk isn't going after him to make sure he’s okay... Well, as rude as this is to say, I think he just doesn't care enough yet to put in the effort.
I can understand this sentiment of his to a certain extent; BB’s personality clashes hard with his own. The former is just too hyper for the latter to keep up with. It’s been super difficult for the two of them to come to any sort of understanding, which is sad because Berry obviously cares a lot about my charge and his opinions.
I’m sure Dusk will eventually warm up to the party-tastic stallion and his interesting quirks someday, but for now all I can do is leave things the way they are and hope for the best. Time is both a River and a Stone and whatnot; I've got to let my young stallion grow into his own on his own. At least he's been adjusting much quicker to his other friends' equally interesting quirks and habits!
Though, with that having been said... I wonder how he’s going to react to Lady Rainbow Dash later today at BB's yet-to-be-planned welcoming party for Guilder my purposeful inactions have guaranteed to occur? Hmmmm. Now that’s going to be interesting to watch. The anticipation is killing me, and granting me an uncontrollable case of the giggles to boot. A laugh escapes my lips as I try to imagine the coming meeting.
“Hm?” Dusk pries as he trots over to my side, having again turned away from his reading. “What’s so funny, Barb?”
“Heh. Oooohh nothing,” I lie cheekily in reply, not sparing him a glance. “I’m just enjoying a scene from my book, Dusk. The plot twists have been mindblowing so far, hehe.”
“...”
… ~Sparklesparklesparkle~
“H-hey!” I shout as I find my tome rudely yanked away from my claws with the aid of unicorn magic. “I was reading that!”
The thieving pony, Dusk, next commits the ultimate sin by flipping the cover shut before scanning the title; thus losing my place.
Gah!
You monster!
“He’s Dedicated to Roses 2, He’s also Dedicated to Petunias… " Dusk reads aloud, completely blind to his thoughtless actions. "... Isn’t this Haw Riming's latest book?” the fiend then questions with brow narrowing. “I thought I took away your allowance for prank messaging the Prince... Where did you get this?”
“It’s Rainbow Dash’s copy,” I grunt back in annoyance. Pouting quite fiercely with arms crossed, I stomp a foot and add, “I promised him I’d give it back once I was done reading it, so gimmie!”
Jumping up, I try to reach out and snatch the novel back from its magical grip.
Dusk lifts it up higher.
“Come ooooonnn!” I plead, jumping in place. Curse these short legs, arms, and… everything of mine! “It was just getting to the good part!”
With hoof placed against my forehead, keeping himself and the book out of arm’s reach, Dusk resumes his interrogation. “Why did Dash let you borrow it? There’s no way he could have read it all already, it just came out this week! ”
Halting my flailing, I allow my well justified bout of anger to dissipate as I’m reminded of what it was I was originally snickering about. Laughing once more, this time at Dusk's expense, I decide to grant my overbearing friend a quick peek behind the curtain.
“Weeeellll, let’s just say that Dash owed me a favor and leave it at that, hehe.”
“He... owed you a favor?” Dusk parrots in disbelieve, lowering his guard. “Why?”
SNACH!
Using all the finesse and grace my tiny body can grant me, I take advantage of my opponent's distracted state to reclaim my borrowed book without further difficulties. My grin only grows more sinister once the tome is back in my possession, as with his leverage now gone I’m free to push my teasing even further than before!
How wondrous~
“Oh… You’ll see, Dusk,” I lay the threat on thick, foreshadowing the life changing experience yet to come. “You’ll see indeed, mahaha!”
My charge recoils in the face of my evil laugh...
... or perhaps he did so in the face of my spiked teeth filled grin.
I'm perfectly content with either answer.
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The trials I had subjected Rainbow Dash to were nowhere near as grueling as the ones I was forced to endure during my toddlerhood, but my comparatively softer regiment still yielded favorable results regardless. Where before the speedster was just a casual fan of the craft; now he was a variable madam of class, a countess of elegance, a duchess of renown.
Rainbow Darling Dash was now well and truly a real lady.
I had adjusted his trot into a methodical sway, filtered his speech through the tongue of angels, and instilled within him a sixth-sense for fashion that would make Elusive himself swoon with envy. What can I say? I hate the Bluebelle’s, and I’m actively trying to repress the lessons they taught me, but they certainly knew their stuff when it came to the art of creating a classy pony.
Though the lessons took up the entire day, Dash relished every second of the challenge. He soaked up everything I taught him like a fabulous sponge, and his enthusiasm was infectious. Once I eased up on the shouting I ended up having loads more fun training him than I thought I was going to, and our fun only doubled once we reached the practical application portion. Practicing with random strangers on the streets of Ponyville filled RD with the confidence he needed to internalize everything he had learned.
If having a clawful of stallions, and at least one mare, trying to hit on you while you're all gussied up doesn't scream “big success” then I don’t know what does.
Rainbow passing wasn't the only big success we were granted yesterday, for another one came in the form of our scheme's complete secrecy. We had dodged Dusk, flew over Applejack, snuck by Elusive, and utilized teamwork to distract Butterscotch; in doing so we guaranteed that most of the boy's reactions were going to be completely genuine for Guilder to experience for himself, once the time had come.
Now, notice how I used the words “most of” in this last paragraph, in relation to Dash's friends.
Yes, unfortunately we did end up having one leak in the form of Bubble Berry and his insatiable curiosity towards his prank buddy's disappearance...
... Fortunately though, the stallion's only response to seeing Rainbow Dash in full attire was to simply say “Wow you look super pretty… Want to pull off some more pranks tomorrow?” before leaving it at that.
Good old BB.
About eighty percent of our plan involved the actual training, while the remaining involved a schedule of events that would gradually lead Guilder towards a grand reveal, so Berry’s obliviousness actually complimented things quite nicely. The idea for how we were going to pull off the grand reveal hadn’t crystallized yet at the time of the earth pony's arrival, but his appearance thankfully jogged my memories and reminded me of how this episode originally ended.
In the show, Pinkie Pie’s jealousy reached a boiling point, and the result was her throwing a party for Gilda to ease her own conscience. Figuring that Berry was the least changed member of the mane six, and thus it was fair to assume that he would be throwing a similar party the next day, I banked on my Seer Sight to be right and formed a three stage battle plan around it; one that went like this.
Stage One: RD would meet up with Guilder as his usual self. A flower, skirt, or a pretty bow was fine for him to wear, but the main idea was for him not to go overboard right away and accidentally reveal his hand.
Stage Two: RD would slowly start adding more feminine mannerisms and accessories to himself all throughout their day together, courtesy of his lovely new designer saddle bag. Their time would mostly consist of flying around and catching up with one another, as regular friends do, but this added wrinkle guaranteed that Guilder's mind would begin focusing on such details more and more as the day went on. This would stealthily adjust and prepare him mentally for the third and final stage, of which being...
Stage Three: The “surprise” Welcome to Ponyville party that it was my job to suggest to BB beforehand.
Obviously I didn’t tell RD that I knew that a party was destined to occur, and I didn't actually end up talking to Berry about the idea either, but in the end I didn’t have to do a gosh darn thing. Rainbow was already ready to go, Berry was already setting up the party, and Guilder was already in position as well. Everything up to that point had all gone according to plan so my influencing of events felt unnecessary.
Once the party started in earnest, however…
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“... Sweet tap dancing Solaris,” Dusk mutters lowly in stunned awe as he enters Sugarcube Corner, and lays confused eyes upon Rainbow Dash’s breathtaking visage.
My earlier bout of giggles return in full force.
“Told you you’d see,” I nudge my frozen charge's form playfully, laughing all the while as I made my own way inside.
It seems that Dusk and I are pretty early to this party, as Berry is still busy getting it prepped. With the owners, Mister and Misses Cake, gone on a little vacation for their honeymoon; this leaves only four ponies in total present as of this time. Dusk, BB, Rainbow Dash of course, and lastly…
“YOU LOOK ABSOLUTELY SMASHING DARLING!!” squees Elusive unabashedly as he dashes his way all around Rainbow’s form, taking in every deliberate detail. “Who did your lovely mane? You must tell me this instant!”
With a refined, dignified laugh now befitting a pony such as he; Rainbow Dash raises a gloved hoof up to his lips and offers to Elusive a loud and boisterous...
“Ho ho ho~ Why, I have our dear little Barbara to thank for my appearance!" the pretty pony proclaims pridefully, now unfolding a small hoof fan and concealing his face behind it. "Her aid was most enlightening.”
The beautiful stallion then flutters long dark lashes towards Dusk, causing him to jump.
“I say, you've been blessed with quite the marvelous assistant by your side, Dusk Shine.”
“R-right,” Dusk sweats, casting a nervous glance my way.
I respond with only another toothy grin, and a hearty thumbs up.
... I may have also mouthed the words "You're next" to him as well... but I'll leave it up to your imagination whether I actually did that or not.
I'll never tell.
“Almost ready!!” announces Berry from the ceiling as he continues to apply decoration after decoration in a hurried rush. “I hope everypony is okay with the party being off the rocks this time! Guilder is apparently a mean drunk, so I’m not going to take any chances.”
“It’s also two in the afternoon, Berry.” Dusk points out bluntly, forcefully taking his mind off of Dash.
“Hehe, oh Dusk. I didn’t ask for the time, silly!”
“That’s not what I mea-” my oldest friend starts to correct, only to then realize how pointless pointing such things out to Berry was so he willingly concedes. Wanting to distract himself from the pink pony’s hinted at insanity, Dusk then decides that his time can be better spent trying to unravel his blue friend’s own apparent insanity instead. “Dash, what are you doing?”
With a small tilt of his head, and a warm smile, Rainbow Dash coos softly as he refolds his multi-hued fan, “Oh? Can’t you tell? I’m waiting to be part of a welcoming party for my old friend Guilder, dear. What does it look like to you?”
“It looks like you're ready to go candy hunting for Nightterror Night,” is Dusk’s direct answer.
“How dare you!” Elusive interjects, getting right in his fellow unicorn's face. “Good sir, I’d be remiss if I allow your complete lack of good taste to belittle what is clearly a living work of art in our midst!”
Taking an awkward step back, Dusk shrinks away under Elusive’s judging gaze.
“A-alright alright,” my charge surrenders, backing off. “I’m sorry! I just… I-I just don’t understand what’s going on here.”
“It’s a party,” Rainbow Dash states plainly, taking a step closer. “That’s all it is. I just want to introduce you all to Guilder, and Berry was willing to help so our interests matched up.”
“I understand that part, Dash,” Dusk replies with a huff and a shaking head. “What I don’t understand is… this!”
“... Dusk... You just gestured to all of me.”
“Yes!”
"..."
Rainbow’s ears droop completely.
“... Oh… o-okay…” he mumbles disappointingly before looking away.
Realizing now that he had accidentally stepped in something personal, Dusk’s brows widen in shock as he now tries to backpedal. “W-wait, Rainbow Dash, I… I-I didn’t mean to…”
With a wave of a hoof, Dash sighs and assures his friend that “It’s fine, Dusk. It’s fine… Look, I’m sorry that I’m not being straightforward with you right now. I promise things will make more sense once the party really starts…” He then scrapes his hoof against the ground remorsefully; his head is held low too. “Please stick with me until then, okay? Please?”
At the display, Dusk’s defenses at last lower completely.
“What? Rainbow Dash, of course I’ll stick with you. I don’t get what’s going on here, but I can at least give you the benefit of the doubt. It’s what friends do.”
POP!!
The sound of a balloon bursting forces our heads towards where Bubble Berry was currently blowing them up.
“Hey wait just a cotton candy picking minute!” the party planner crossly interrupts the two, hopping over to Dusk’s side and pushing his face into his own. “You didn’t give me the benefit of the doubt when I told you that Guilder was being a meanie pants!”
Now all eyes are on Dusk.
My precious charge gulps.
“In... i-in my defense,” he tries to squeak out as he steps away from the gazes. “I’m still new to this whole... friendship thing! I’m... Sigh," he at last relents. "I'm really sorry, BB. I still don’t think that Guilder is all that bad yet, but I’ll refrain my judgment for now.”
Berry stares for a moment longer…
… before shouting “Okie dokie lokie!” and resuming his cheerful preparations.
In an attempt to steer this conversation away from the ‘abuse-Dusk-Shine-conga-line' it was slowly becoming, I ask to nopony in particular, “I wonder when everypony else is going to show up?”
“We should start seeing more ponies any minute now,” Rainbow Dash answers for me, no longer fearing my 'wrath'. I asked him to knock off the whole 'ma'am' stuff once his training was complete and he had earned the right for us to be gal pals. “I asked Berry to invite you guys first so you wouldn’t be as surprised as everypony else by my getup.”
“Are we reacting as you were expecting us to, Dash?” Elusive gently probes, placing a supportive hoof on Dash’s withers.
“Well…”
As if on cue, a whistling Applejack enters the scene.
Trotting through the doorway, he pays us all little mind as he spins in place and hooks his stetson on a nearby hatrack. The rat tailed farmer seems to be fully enamored by his little ditty; so enamored, in fact, that his blowing doesn’t cease as he about-faces from the rack…
… locks sights on Lady Rainbow Dash…
… and then, in one fluid motion, turns back towards the rack so he can reclaim his treasured cap and exit the building with a slam of the door behind him. His whistling grows quieter as he disappears into the unseen distance.
“... That’s about what I was expecting from him at least,” Rainbow finishes with a good-natured huff. Elusive shares a guffaw with him soon after, and I find myself doing so as well. Such a silly pony, that Applejack.
“... What in tarnation are you doin- Hey let go of me, you big galoot!! A-ah ain’t goin’ back in ther- STOP IT BUTTERS!”
As the door flies open once more, everyone present is greatly surprised to see the return of a grumpy Applejack, and the appearance of a pushy Butterscotch.
The larger of the two stallions lowers his wings carefully as he tries to enter the building after his stubborn friend. “Rainbow Dash wanted all of us here, Applejack,” the giant mumbles clearly in the face of Applejack’s heated glare. “It must be importan-”
All words die on the massive pegasus’ lips as he tilts his head upwards and catches sight of Rainbow Dash in all his glory.
“Oh… Oh my,” Butters gasps, placing his wings over his mouth. Delicately making his way over to his foalhood friend's side, he uses his wings once more to lift his bangs over his usually obscured peepers. “Rainbow... You..."
"..."
"..."
... Butters then beams largely from ear to ear.
"You look just like a Princess!” the burly pony cheers Rainbow loudly on, becoming more enamored by his reveal than even Elusive was prior. "How wonderful! I'm so happy for you!"
Dash’s cheeks turn bright red thanks to this.
“Thank you, Butterscotch,” the grateful girly guy giggles in gratitude. “It means so much to me to hear you say that.”
The room rumbles for a moment as Butterscotch sits down on his haunches, making to admire the attire more closely. I join him shortly thereafter.
I mean, I’m allowed to appreciate my hard work too, right?
Starting from the face, moving towards the flank, and ending with the mane; we first begin our tour at Rainbow Dash’s eyes. He normally wears fake lashes when he’s not doing tricks, but the ones he’s rocking now are significantly longer and curled inwards. They help to compliment his lavender glitter eyeliner, and bring out the cerise in his irises wonderfully.
Next we find a heart shaped locket displayed casually around his neck, hanging from a silver string, which matches perfectly with the mirrored earrings clipped gently to his earlobes. Purple is again the color of choice for these accessories, chosen once more for its complementariness. Silver gloves ride up on his forelegs, hiding the cracked hooves we weren’t able to work with in the little amount of time we had. This time crunch was also the reason for why we forgoed lipstick, but I think he looks better without it in that dress.
And what a dress it is.
While I had said that I wasn't going to pick out an outfit for him, the flowing gown of dazzling pinks and striking whites was certainly a gander well worth breaking my own rule to procure. It hugs at Dash's form nicely, emphasizing features a stallion shouldn’t have but Rainbow Dash does because nature can be funny like that sometimes. The color devoid portion of the bust is almost arranged like a toga, allowing it to be draped over his withers without compromising his well preened wings. His new saddle bags lay in a corner next to where I just set my purse, but when they were being worn on him they added an entirely new layer to the design. It was almost like they were made for each other… which, since they’re both imported items from Canterlot, they very well might have been.
And I haven’t even started on the mane!
I’m so glad he was able to replicate the design after we stumbled on it yesterday. Rainbow’s flowing mane was certainly a challenge, but by using a curler on the front bangs, and by carefully braiding the excess back hair into a single short bun, we were able to get a good base going. For the meat of the design I took inspiration from an old cartoon from my original youth and ran with it. Carefully making sure not to mix strains of colors together, we used silver ribbons to keep the doo from collapsing in on itself as it defied the laws of gravity. Reminiscent of a rooster’s comb, yet at the same time wholly removed from being an ordinary mohawk, Dash’s mane now stands a full head’s length above him in a head turning display.
Oh how I miss having hair of my own to play with.
In summation; Rainbow Dash is now hooves, claws, and hands down the prettiest stallion in all of Equestria…
...
… Elusive is a close second.
Anyways, the point of my breakdown is that Dash has succeeded flawlessly in his goal to become a lady. I don’t expect this to become a common occurrence for him, as his special talent and dreams still revolve around speed which this outfit does not support, but it’s hard to imagine a future passed this point where somepony would have the nerve to call him ‘chicken’.
Hopefully Guilder will catch the hint and free himself from his apparent self-imposed box of rage and anger; as a reminder, the goal here is for him to find the strength to live as full of a life as Rainbow Dash does every single day.
Dingalingalingaling~
Guess I won’t have too much longer to ponder on such things.
Ready or not, here comes the rest of the partygoers.
Ponies are now funneling their way into Sugarcube Corner one by one, ready to indulge themselves in another Bubble Berry Blast of a shindig. I can overhear murmurs from the small crowd that enters, filled with conversations centered around the fact that this gathering is for a griffon... but most of these discussions quickly switch gears to Lady Rainbow Dash the moment his ensemble was fully revealed to all.
“Welcome!” cheers Bubble Berry to every guest entering the party. “Welcome! Welcome!”
“Hello hello!” Rainbow Dash greets politely as well, making sure to carefully trot his way around the room so everypony can see him. “Thank you all so very much for coming out to meet one of my oldest friends! I hope he’ll feel right at home in Ponyville before too long!”
He then, with the aid of his wings to lift the hem of his skirt, finishes his greeting with a small curtsy just like I taught him.
Sniff. I’m so proud!
With the party already starting early without the griffon of the hour, Dusk and I decide to split off from one another and attempt to mingle. He heads straight for Butterscotch, while I head towards the dessert table...
… Hey don’t judge me! Mingling with the food totally counts! Besides, going solo will allow me to eavesdrop on ponies I’m curious to hear from.
Ponies like Applejack, for example.
The earth pony is making a rather big show of staying far away from Rainbow Dash as the latter is moving himself through the gathering undisturbed. Though he’s keeping his distance, Applejack's judging gaze isn't leaving the pegasus’ elegantly dressed form for even a second. He may also be muttering frustrated sounding swears under his breath as well... but I’m actually surprised by the level of restraint he's displaying today! I half expected him to start a scene the moment he entered the door! Perhaps he has a desire to avoid such a ruckus, or instead a desire to not have a repeat of what happened between him and Dash during the Summer Sun Celebration? Either way, he hasn’t started anything yet to which I am grateful.
In a blatant attempt to distract himself from the, in my opinion, gorgeous elephant in the room; Applejack taps Elusive’s side and asks him “Who’s this ‘Guilder’ ah’ve heard nothin’ about?”
“I heard he’s an old friend of Rainbow Dash,” the unicorn responds. I catch a snippet more of the conversation as I head further into the crowd. “A griffon, so rare.”
Indeed. I don’t recall ever having met one before, even during my time in Canterlot. I know roughly where they live outside of Equestria’s borders, but I really can’t recall anything else vital about the species.
As I muse on this, I next catch wind of Dusk and Butter’s own discussion with one another. “You’ve met Guilder, right?” Dusk inquires, trying to get the sensitive pegasus to talk. “What’s he like?”
Butters remains silent in reply.
“... That bad, huh?” effortlessly translates the inquisitive unicorn. “Maybe BB was right then…”
Uninterested in his friend’s educational mutterings to himself, Butters parts the crowd and relocates himself over to Berry by the entrance.
“Um... BB?” the towering stallion whispers to his louder friend. The fact that I’m able to still hear him should give you a general idea of just how ‘quiet’ he’s actually being. “Is this party for Guilder really a good idea? He’s… mean.”
Hmmm… Though I had planned on every little detail from the show playing out exactly the same way, so that Rainbow’s scheme could stand a chance, I honestly wasn’t expecting Butters of all ponies to get bullied just like little Fluttershy did. I’m having a hard time imagining somepony as big as him being yelled at and taking it, or someone else having the courage to get aggressive with him, but I guess it must have still happened if Butters is acting even more shy with others than he usually is…
… This doesn’t bode well.
Sensing his friend’s discomfort, Bubble Berry halts his greetings and proceeds to playfully ruffle Butter's pink bangs; i.e. the only part of his form that one can reach without having to resort to jumping up and down like a loon.
“Don’t worry your big old head about rude old Guilder!” Berry tries to comfort. “Your uncle Bubble Berry’s got it all taken care of!”
Letting go, BB resumes his duties as a host by greeting all who enter.
“... I’m a year older and three times heavier than you.” Butters mutters something darkly to himself as he trots away.
As I try to listen in closer to try to figure out what he was trying to say, Bubble Berry suddenly shouts out loudly for all to hear “Guilder!”
I cast my attention over to the doorway and se- Oh…
Oh my.
I think I know why Butters was nervous about this guy now.
He’s just as big as him.
His white feathered head needs to duck down lowly in order for him to so much as enter the building. His canary yellow talons are gigantic, easily capable of picking my body up in one claw if he wanted to. His brownish torso is about three pony lengths in total, and I can only dare to imagine just how long his wingspan is. Despite all of Rainbow’s warnings, his strut is full of confidence without the slightest hint that it’s an act.
Wow. Are all griffons like this? Are all griffons these massive, muscle bound, beautiful wing beating, elegantly crest bearing, thoughtfully yellowed eye wielding... sigh~, breathtakingly powerful creatures?!
…
…
… Am I into griffons now?
… Oh God I think I’m into griffons now...
...
… S-sudden very personal discoveries about myself aside, the moment Guilder’s eyes meet Berry’s own they swiftly turn annoyed looking. That thankfully kills any feelings I may or may not have been secretly building within myself before they may or may not have been fully formed allegedly… Maybe…
Either unaware or uncaring towards the look he’s receiving, Berry continues speaking. “I’m so honored to throw you one of my signature Bubble Berry Blasts, and I really, truly, sincerely hope you feel welcome here amongst all us pony folk!”
Berry offers the griffon a hoof in peace.
From my position so close to the ground, I’m able to spot a hoof buzzer stealthily attached to the limb and well hidden away from Guilder’s vision.
Uh oh.
Pranks were not on today’s menu!
I remember that the original Rainbow Dash set up pranks all around the party for Gilda, but our Rainbow Dash didn’t do anything of the sort! He did litter the place with stuff, but they were certainly not of the prank causing variety! Please please please don’t let this ruin our plans! Squinting suspiciously, Guilder raises a claw and accepts the hoofshake.
The buzzer goes off.
Guilder’s arm begins to shake…
CRUNCH!!
… before his grip tightens into a vice, crushing the device into a shriveled up hunt of metal in the process.
Berry’s hoof also crumples as well under the pressure.
The room falls deathly silent as we stare at the leg hanging uselessly at Bubble Berry’s side.
“...”
“...”
… Not reacting how a normal pony would to having their entire hoof being turned into a broken heap, BB’s only response to the minor inconvenience is to sit down on his haunches, hold his leg to the side… and then blow into his other hoof.
POP
The broken hoof miraculously pops back out into its original shape. The party music and happy conversations continue shortly thereafter. I… guess that makes sense. Berry’s not hurt, so why even care?
My brain, unfortunately, is now broken beyond repair.
Guilder’s looks to be in much the same shape, as he only stares blankly as Berry starts to laugh.
“O-oh Bubble Berry,” speaks Rainbow Dash nervously as he approaches the gathering. I'm unsure if this nervousness is due to his meeting with Guilder or with Berry’s Berryness. “The old hoof-shake buzzer. You are a delight!”
Whether the crowd is aware they’re staring or not, all gazes are now aimed at Guilder as he turns to greet Rainbow Dash.
Guilder takes one look at his childhood (chickhood?) friend and simply… stares.
And stares.
And stares.
And… stares.
Rainbow’s makeup stays perfectly in place. Not a hint of sweat is dripping from his face as he endures the well earned staring.
“...”
“...”
Eventually Guilder builds up the courage to reply.
“Y… y-yeah!” the griffon chortles weakly as he turns to glare at Bubble Berry. “G-good one, Bubble Berry.”
Berry remains oblivious looking in the face of the glare.
Guilder also remains oblivious looking in the face of Dash’s getup, though his look is clearly an act.
“... Come on, G,” Rainbow Dash next insists, delicately wrapping a front leg around his old friend’s arm and gently directing him away. “Allow me to introduce you to some of my other friends.”
“R-right,” Guilder stutters, deeply confused by his friend's soft touch. “I… I-I’d like that, Rainbow.”
As they head deeper into the gathering, Bubble Berry makes an overdue declaration to all those gathered here, “Everyone, I’d like you all to meet Guilder, a long-time, dear friend of Rainbow Dash! Let’s honor him and welcome him to Ponyville!”
Despite all the ruckus that had transpired mere moments ago, everypony present still deems it fit to welcome the stranger with a loud cheer. That’s another thing I like about Ponyville over Canterlot; ponies are just more welcoming here…
… that doesn’t excuse the guests from being rude though, and Guilder definitely is that. His sights are still locked on Berry, despite the distance. He even spares a dirty look towards Butterscotch, to which the pegasus replies by turning away. Guess not even his concealing mane curtain can protect Butters from this brute... I really hope Rainbow was right about this guy's ‘hidden depth’ or I can foresee this party turning nasty. Invested in the conflict, I now train my own sight on the griffon and the various ponies gathering around him.
Being the generous host that he is, Berry waves a hoof over the snack table and declares, “Please help yourself!”
“Vanilla lemon drops,” Guilder grins, gripping an offered treat with a claw. “Don’t mind if I do.”
With a flick of his talon, he pops the candy into his beak…
… and that’s the end of that. No fire, no prank; nothing.
“G,” Rainbow speaks, leg still wrapped around the griffon’s arm. “Try some of BB’s punch.”
BB offers up a glass. “Yeah! Try some! I had to take out a pretty important ingredient, but it should still be good!”
Eyeing the glass suspiciously, Guilder swipes it out of Berry’s hoof grip and chugs it in one go…
… and again nothing else happens. No spills, no holes; nothing. Berry’s buzzer was well and truly the only joke set up here.
“Awww… Okay… I’ll admit… that is pretty good,” Guilder smirks happily as he lets BB pour him another glass. I release the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. Okay… good. We’re officially out of prank country.
So… that must mean it’s time for Dash to utilize some of the items he did place around here.
Looks like some ponies have already stumbled upon one of said items, as a clawful of mares are now gathering around a far off corner and laughing with one another. Spotting the crowd, the sole griffon asks the obvious. “What’s going on over there?”
With a smile and a tug of the arm, Rainbow leads Guilder over to the table. “Oh, well, funny thing, G…”
Seeing that the main guest and secondary host were approaching, the mares take a step aside and allow the two to enter the circle.
The result is more staring from Guilder.
“... my parents have given me a ton of makeup kits over the years,” Dash finishes explaining, before lifting up a hoof held mirror from the table and applying some blush with a free wing. “I thought it would be fun if I shared some of them with everypony!”
“YEAH!!” shouts a slender white pegasus with shrunken wings as her friends continued to apply powder to her face. “THANKS RAINBOW DASH!!”
“Anytime, Snowflake…”
Dash then turns to Guilder expectantly.
“... Want to give it a try, G?”
Guilder continues to stare.
“...”
“...”
“... No,” is his plain answer after a time. He chooses not to elaborate further.
Unperturbed, Rainbow replies with a shrug of his wings. “That’s okay. We have a lot of other nice stuff around here anyways. Come on!”
As the two of them start walking away towards other activities...
...I can’t help but notice how Guilder’s gaze is... lingering on the collection of beauty products.
Hmmm…
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I need to take my time with these chapters, I keep on flying through them and getting left with a feeling of wanting more 😔
10074946
Wait no further, my friend! New chapters are set to go up this Sunday, Friday, and next Saturday of this coming week ^_^
I like the way those gears are turning
I should've waited until this arc was over to read the whole thing, on another note BB if you had a dress on then Dusk would've probably given you the benefit of the doubt. Bolero might have been onto something with his shipping.
Tomorrow.
Hmm, interesting change. I wonder/hope BB didn't get hurt with that.
And I also can't but imagine Dash would be an oh so good match to fit between G's protective embrace...
10075221
Yes... Tomorrow... as in Today...
... a-as in LATER today. Going to be a little later than usual today. Work emergency, sorry
You know, its possible Guilder just isn't really into feminine things anymore like he used to be. It woukd be kinda funny though if Guilder had a gay crush on RD and was attracted to him as a guy, not as a feminine crossdresser. Also Barb chrushing hard on Guilder was hilarious, but I ship him with RD.
Also, BB saying Guilder is mean has no merit. The pony was deliberately getting between him and RD, refusing ti allow them to socialize one on one, so the gryphon was simply responding to how BB was treating him.
If it helps, Dusk, I don't understand transgender stuff either. Doesn't mean I can't be friends with them.
It just means I have to hide my confusion and never ask any questions ever because I'm always treading on eggshells, but whatever.
Not sure who RD's manestyle is supposed to resemble
10078796
I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THE MILLISECOND FOR SOMEONE TO CATCH THIS THANK YOU GOOD SIR
EDIT: Got so excited I forgot to answer your question
RD's design ISN'T original! Not in the slightest! If you've watched the entire series, you should be able to figure out where it's from 
Is Barb being confused how she feels about Guilder a reference to how Spike seems to have feelings for Gabby?
10085769
Ding ding ding ding ding~ You are absolutely correct, dear! I thought it would make for some INTERESTING foreshadowing for when we eventually start getting into later seasons...
... Though, with our current pace being two episodes every other month... i-it's probably going to take us awhile to get there