Gilda

Gilda is a griffon and former friend of Rainbow Dash, who is featured as an antagonist in the episode Griffon the Brush Off and the chapter book Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell. She is the first griffon to appear in the series, followed later by Gustave le Grand. She is the main antagonist of the episode, but a minor antagonist in the series. She also "sings" the Junior Speedsters Chant with Rainbow Dash in that episode.

Development and background
Lauren Faust's concept art refers to Gilda as "Grizelda"; this name was used in an audition script for Apple Bloom and in hubworld.com's description of Griffon the Brush Off. While the show, the toys, the chapter book Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell, and other merchandise render the word as "griffon", the more common spelling for the mythological creature is "griffin" or "gryphon".

Physical appearance
As a griffon, Gilda has the head, wings and feet of an eagle and the body and tail of a lion. Her head feathers form a fringe that hangs ahead of her face.

Personality
Gilda is first introduced by Rainbow Dash as her griffon friend, a "half eagle, and half lion", to which Gilda adds "and all awesome". She is playful and competitive around Rainbow Dash, and she mentions she enjoys a good prank before setting out on several flying excursions with Rainbow Dash. However, she is also very rude and bad-tempered, but hides that by acting friendly towards Rainbow Dash. However, she shows her true colors when Pinkie Pie asks to join her and Dash and tries to discreetly ditch Pinkie by racing with Dash. This fails when Pinkie pursues them with the aid of balloons, prompting Gilda to pop Pinkie's balloons and send her floating down to the ground when Dash is preoccupied with a race. However, Pinkie manages to catch up to Gilda and Dash again; when Dash isn't looking, Gilda menaces Pinkie Pie, calling her a dweeb, a dork, and "Stinky Pie", and sends Pinkie hurtling to the ground again. Pinkie Pie describes Gilda to Twilight Sparkle as mean and grumpy, but Twilight thinks that Pinkie Pie is just jealous of Gilda. Later, Gilda frightens Granny Smith by making her think her tail is a rattlesnake, steals an apple from a food cart, makes Fluttershy cry by bumping into her, doesn't accept Fluttershy's apology when Fluttershy thinks it was her fault, makes fun of the way she talks and roars at her. She then calls the ponies around her "lame".

At Pinkie Pie's party, Gilda seems to hold back her temper and misbehavior around Dash, but she eventually snaps after getting repeatedly pranked and she lashes out at Pinkie and the other ponies. She goes on about being "cool", blindly mistaking the pranks as Pinkie's doing, and leaves in a huff when Dash tells her she better find other "cool" friends. In truth, the pranks were set up by Rainbow Dash for other ponies, however Gilda always happened to be the victim.

History
Rainbow Dash introduces Gilda in the episode Griffon the Brush Off as an old friend of hers, from their days at the Junior Speedsters flight camp. Pinkie Pie tries to join in on the two's time together, but Gilda keeps brushing her off in rude and menacing ways, going as far as threatening her.

"Don't you know how to take "get lost" for an answer?! Dash doesn't need to hang with a dweeb like you now that I'm around. You're dorkin' up the skies, "Stinkie Pie". So make like a bee. BUZZ OFF!"

- Gilda, talking to Pinkie Pie

Later, when Rainbow Dash leaves Gilda on her own to take care of some weather jobs around Ponyville, Gilda's mean behavior to the other ponies is revealed. Not only does she prank Granny Smith by using her tail to fake a rattlesnake and steal an apple from a fruit stand, Gilda bullies Fluttershy, who is only trying to guide a family of ducks through town, to the point of tears. Scoffing at Fluttershy's crying, the griffon then leaves the scene, greatly annoyed by the presence of the ponies that she deems lame.

Having spied Gilda's mean behavior nearby, Pinkie Pie becomes mad at how Gilda treated Fluttershy, and calls for 'extreme measures' by throwing a party in Gilda's honor, hoping to improve her attitude. Gilda attends the party and when Rainbow Dash is out of earshot, the griffon warns Pinkie Pie she knows something's up, to which Pinkie reveals her innocence. As the party goes on, one by one, Gilda falls for the pranks set up at the party, making her irritation more evident, but she still puts up a good face when Dash is near. During this time, Gilda suspects Pinkie Pie to be one setting up the party pranks that were set up for the griffon.

When the game of 'pin the tail on the pony' leaves Gilda covered in cake and the 'tail on the wrong end', the griffon finally snaps, calling the entire party attendees 'dweebs' and singling out Pinkie Pie as 'Queen Lame-o' with her party pranks. She then declares herself and Dash as 'ten times as more cool' than the rest of the ponies and is ready to bail out with Rainbow Dash at her side. However, to Gilda's shock, Rainbow Dash reveals that she was one who did all the pranks at the party and that they weren't all meant for Gilda specifically. Gilda can't believe it and claims that the party was all Pinkie Pie's idea of revenge to make a fool of her. However, Pinkie Pie defends her idea by saying she threw the party for Gilda to change the griffon's attitude.

Having seen Gilda's true colors, Rainbow Dash tells Gilda that if being cool is all she cares about, she should go find some new cool friends someplace else. Gilda calls Dash a 'flip flop'; cool one minute, lame the next. The griffon tells Dash to give her a call when she decides not to be 'lame' anymore, slamming the door behind her.

During Magical Mystery Cure, Gilda appears in one of Rainbow Dash's flashbacks.

Sound cues
Various musical cues and sound cues play when Gilda is on-screen. When she is irritated, she's accompanied by a single plucked note from a guitar. When antagonizing others, she's accompanied by a simple metal riff, culminating in her tirade, which is accented by a more complex riff.

Bird sounds also play depending on Gilda's mood; when she is excited, various chirps and squawks are heard, whereas after her grand exit, a red-tailed hawk's screech is played.

Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell
Gilda the Griffon is featured as an antagonist in the book Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell. She first appears in chapter 6, "On a Scroll", and works together with Trixie in later chapters.

The Elements of Harmony guidebook
''GILDA is a mythical griffon, a creature with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion! She was once friends with Rainbow Dash and loved good old-fashioned pranks. But Gilda's insecurities about being seen as cool caused her to fall out of favor with her friend.''

Merchandise
A Gilda the Griffon miniature collectible is included in the Cloudsdale Set with Rainbow Dash and a Wonder Bolts pony. A second Gilda the Griffon mini-figure toy is included with a collector card in the eighth wave of mystery packs; despite her being a griffon, the packaging of the wave collectively refers to all 24 of its characters as ponies. According to the collector card, "GILDA THE GRIFFON loves flying with RAINBOW DASH!"

Gilda is part of the 2012 trading card set. The trading card shows a "Nice Meter", with the griffon on the "Mean" end of the scale.

Quotes
"Don't you know how to take "get lost" for an answer? Dash doesn't need to hang with a dweeb like you now that I'm around!"

- Griffon the Brush Off

"I know what you're up to."

- Griffon the Brush Off

"I've got my eye on you!"

- Griffon the Brush Off

"THIS is your idea of a good time?! I've never met a lamer bunch of dweebs in all my life! ...and Pinkie Pie, you, you are queen lame-o with your weak little party pranks! Did you really think you can make me lose my cool?! Well, Dash and I have ten times as much cool as the rest of you put together! Come on Dash, we're bailing on this pathetic scene. Come on Rainbow Dash. I said, we're leaving!"

- Griffon the Brush Off

"When you decide not to be lame anymore, give me a call."

- Griffon the Brush Off

"I'm just trying to say that if I were a princess like you—I wouldn't be listening to anypony's suggestions. I would do whatever I wanted! Make my kingdom all about Gilda!"

- Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell

"I'll admit—the library thing is a little weird. But the Crystal Empire sounds awesome! Right on, Princess Twilight! You always know what's best."

- Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell

"Twilight is a princess now, you guys! She's off to the Crystal Empire and doesn't need a bunch of silly Ponyville friends like you holding her back. She told me so herself. So leave her alone!"

- Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell