How do Griffons tie in with Spike's origins?

[ManaMinori 4,149]

Has part of the answer to Spike's origins been right under our noses since season 1? Back in "Griffon the Brush off", Gilda- when about to race Rainbow Dash to a cloud off in the distance, she says "last one there is a moldy dragon egg". While this might have been just a throwaway line, I do find it rather interesting that a dragon egg was used in that context, over something else that molds. Surely, the phrase had to have been coined by Gilda, or some other griffon- as it was confirmed back in "Spike's Quest" that ponies know next to nothing about dragons because they're too big and scary to get close to. So surely, no pony would know anything about dragon eggs, either- especially if the nest would've been guarded by a protective mother dragon, and the only egg that we know of, within Equestria's borders, was Spike's egg- which was by no means moldy, but awaiting to be hatched by someone with strong magic. So with that said- the logic points to Griffins having something to do with dragon eggs- whether being in contact with them or being knowledgeable about them. There is no doubt that Griffins have had dealings with  dragons and their eggs in the past- and possibly the present.

How do you guys think this information could tie in with Spike's origins?

[Marimo 555]

I think it's just a throwaway line, and there is no way the writers put that kind of foreshadowing just to sit on it for about 7-8 seasons, if they reveal anything at all.

[CypherHoof 26,483]

11 minutes ago, Marimo said:

I think it's just a throwaway line, and there is no way the writers put that kind of foreshadowing just to sit on it for about 7-8 seasons, if they reveal anything at all.

Could happen though. It's possible that it was meant as a hook for a S1 or S2 episode, but that episode got spiked (hmm. accidental pun. I like it) leaving the hook sitting there without a payoff.

[ManaMinori 4,149]

20 minutes ago, Marimo said:

I think it's just a throwaway line, and there is no way the writers put that kind of foreshadowing just to sit on it for about 7-8 seasons, if they reveal anything at all.

well the writers were able to make a whole episode ("Amending Fences") off Twilight brushing off the Canterlot unicorns in the very first episode- which was 5 years later, and bring continuity in a pretty major season finale out of "Its About Time", which was 3 years later.

[ShootingStar159 2,157]

8 minutes ago, Nightmare Muffin said:

well the writers were able to make a whole episode ("Amending Fences") off Twilight brushing off the Canterlot unicorns in the very first episode- which was 5 years later, and bring continuity in a pretty major season finale out of "Its About Time", which was 3 years later.

Hmm, maybe. The writer of Griffon TBO was Cindy Morrow, and she hasn't written an episode since season three. If I remember right, MA Larson got the idea for Amending Fences when he was looking back at background ponies for Slice of Life. So one of the current writers would have to be going back to GTBO for some reason, and also come up with the connection as well; not very likely.

Of course, until the writers finally decide to give us an answer for Spikes origin, this head canon is as good as any other.

[ManaMinori 4,149]

13 hours ago, ShootingStar159 said:

Hmm, maybe. The writer of Griffon TBO was Cindy Morrow, and she hasn't written an episode since season three. If I remember right, MA Larson got the idea for Amending Fences when he was looking back at background ponies for Slice of Life. So one of the current writers would have to be going back to GTBO for some reason, and also come up with the connection as well; not very likely.

Of course, until the writers finally decide to give us an answer for Spikes origin, this head canon is as good as any other.

Someone else could write it, maybe., like you said. It might be likely, or it might not. We, as fans, have no way of knowing

[cmarston1 5,965]

I am pretty sure that this was just a throwaway line and nothing more.

[ManaMinori 4,149]

20 minutes ago, cmarston1 said:

I am pretty sure that this was just a throwaway line and nothing more.

But what if it wasn't? 

[GrimGrimoire 4,973]

Sounds just like a throwaway line/throwaway insult if you ask me. Although I would do think griffons and dragons are aware of each other... they may not be on the best of terms, but I am sure they know what each other is just like Ponies, Yaks and most other species. It was stated according to Twilight looking through what she had available that no one knew anything about them.... that does not mean no one did, just that she was unaware of it. For all we know there is a book on them in the Canterlot libraries somewhere, if Twilight did not know about something as big as time travel spells there who knows what else she is unaware of? Furthermore, Celestia and Luna may not have known a lot about them, but they did recognize the call of the Dragonlord, so we can't say no one knows anything, just that some of the knowledge is very limited.

Going by that, I don't think Griffons are idiots, and as such I am sure they have some passing knowledge about Dragons, just like ponies, such as they lay eggs, which I would imagine is a lot more common knowledge than we realize. The way Gilda phrased it, just sounds like a typical put down to me, she was not exactly the pinnacle of friendly & gentle behavior. The logic actually points to the fact that Gilda knows Dragons have eggs and that she likes to call them moldy to get a competitive rise out of her friends.

[Truffles 2,033]

Interesting idea. I think it was meant as a general insult aimed at dragons, since griffons and dragons were no doubt in direct competition with one another back when their species were in their heyday.

It's not clear from the comment whether dragon eggs really get moldy and get discarded by the parents, or whether due to their coloring griffons got the idea that all dragon eggs are moldy and went with it as a general insult even if it wasn't true.

It is curious Gilda didn't have more disdain for Spike in that episode, however. She clearly wasn't happy with him, but it probably had more to do with his eating her cake and doing a running commentary on the pranks at the party.

It would be cool to have a Gabby and Spike episode that explored the history between dragons and griffons.

[Marimo 555]

21 hours ago, Nightmare Muffin said:

well the writers were able to make a whole episode ("Amending Fences") off Twilight brushing off the Canterlot unicorns in the very first episode- which was 5 years later, and bring continuity in a pretty major season finale out of "Its About Time", which was 3 years later.

Those were more directly related, plus were a lot more memorable. We actually saw how Twilight acted towards others before she came to Ponyville, and that's directly what we got. The implications of a prisoner escaping Tartaros were directly brought up and was an idea that saw many people speculating on, both what was Tartaros like and who was kept there, and then eventually covered. Here, you are expecting them to notice a colloquialism from an early episode where Spike was barely in much less was a focus, and then spin some sort of origin for the term. It's taking an idea that's even less directly related than the examples you gave, to be executed far later than those ideas you mentioned ever happened.

[Foxy Socks 2,604]

I think you are overthinking it. It's just something silly and unique they made them say. I hardly think one line of irrelevant dialogue foreshadows something like that.