Starlight Sky

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt. You aren't ignoring the very clear context of my words. You actually don't understand it. Let's see...Gilda = condescending outburst. Pinkie = spontaneous shenanigans. While you can view anything as a "problem", this thread is concerned with how bad a character, namely Gilda, is. Pinkie's outbursts have no relation to Gilda's.

(1) I'm not a prankster. (2) I would've said if they bothered me. (3) This isn't about me. It's about Gilda. Her suspicions of Pinkie, which lead to the rant, are entirely on her. Like I said above, her suspicions aren't to be blamed on others. That's on her. If she didn't see them as traps, then they wouldn't have bothered her as much. It has little to do with her ability to handle a prank. After that outburst, it's completely reasonable to conclude that Gilda had issues to work out. Why in the wide world of Equestria would early season 1 Fluttershy approach such a vicious person. Again, did you see how Gilda roared at her? Next time you see someone like that, you'd probably keep your distance. She's best with non-sentient creatures. Shy around other ponies, remember? What's Manny the Manticore got to do with this?

First off...spoiler warnings. Secondly....you want someone killed cause they don't fit in.... ...Bye.

Yeah. They both blew up a bit. Understandably so. However, Gilda blew up all on her own. If not for her pride and poor attitude, the pranks would've remained just that. Pranks. You haven't really been harsh on Gilda. Granted, you're trying to show she's not as bad as some say. but you haven't held her accountable for much of anything. Whereas Dash is paraphrased saying, "Lel gtfo of me lyfez"; painted as the Element of Disloyalty; and, so on. Dash saw one side of her then (Junior Speedster days), and another now (Season 1). They could've bonded over a number of things (being great competitors, a need for speed, being cool, etc), but never known each other outside of camp. After all, Fluttershy never met Gilda before, and she's been friends with Dash for a long time. Whatever the details, the friends you start with aren't always the ones you end with. Gilda, being a prankster herself (as seen with Granny Smith), should naturally be prepared to be pranked. And I've just recalled while typing this that Dash asked if Gilda was alright with it. -- Following the trick candles in the cake Dash: "Hey G, your not upset about some silly candles are you?" "No way, Dash. Like I said, I'm down with a good prank." Then, as said before, she makes something out of nothing. Eventually insulting everypony in the room. The Mane 6 never gave Gilda any trouble. AJ asks about her. Rarity tells while mentioning how rare they are around there. Twilight (who suggested Pinkie was just jealous) asks Fluttershy what Gilda's like. And Fluttershy declines to comment. As shenanigans get under way, they don't have much dialogue. After Gilda erupts, it's clear Gilda had some issues to work out- which I hope she will. And as for Fluttershy not giving Gilda the benefit of the doubt.....did you not see how she roared at her? That was beyond being perturbed by a bump. It was downright uncalled for. Discord's an entirely different case. (1) Fluttershy grew into her element since meeting Gilda. Finding her voice and taking a bit more action. (2) Fluttershy was given the mission to reform him. It wasn't amidst his attempts to bring total chaos. It was a mental/emotional game between them.

While that line does take the offensive, it's easy to see why Dash says it. Gilda insulted everyone at the party, and hurt Dash's feelings. "In the heat of the moment", right? I sympathize with Gilda, but you're trying too hard to defend her. The same thing people do to Gilda, you're doing to Dash. She clearly cares for Rainbow, but lost control of herself. Whether all her actions can be pinned on a bad mood is up to us, but she needs to work things out. If someone extends a helping hoof first, then that's great, but it's never guaranteed. She has to decide. "Discarded"? Gilda chose to leave. And what friendship can there be when there's no mutual respect? Obviously, Gilda had a lot of emotions/worries running through her head, but until she sorts those out (prideful, condescending, rude, etc), they're all the others can see. They don't know what we do- and life doesn't always give way to extended dialogues. Also...if you aren't going to use the few scenes we see Gilda in as a basis to judge her, then what are you using? Nothing about her yelling at Fluttershy contradicts her character. That's just part of it.

Gilda isn't as bad as many make her out to be. Certainly a character that could come around. In the end though, she did choose her pride over their friendship. Dash was hurt by her outburst (Queen Lame-o), but expressed herself well and gave Gilda a choice. "This is not how I thought my old friends would treat my new friends. If being cool is all you care about, maybe you should find some new, cool friends some place else". Now, Dash isn't privy to every thought in Gilda's head. All she sees is her old friend ranting at everyone. At this point, Gilda could apologize and explain, but defensively calls Dash a flip-flop and leaves. Her ego makes things worse than they actually are. From her perspective, which is what we see, harmless pranks are intensified. Side note(s): Being inherently hot-tempered isn't something you can rightfully assign all Gryphons. For all intents and purposes, any functional sentient is held accountable for their own behavior. Do Gryphons even eat apples in common mythology?