Applejack hadn't quite expected to see a gryphon at this hour, and the reaction was apparent - she gawked a little, as she saw not only a gryphon, but one she recognized. Was it Gilda? Back in Ponyville?

"A'course it's a lot. Ain't seen you 'round these parts in a long time. You're Rainbow Dash's old friend, right?" Applejack snapped that into place smoothly - she had been an old, troublemaking buddy of Rainbow's... and...  especially cruel to poor Pinkie...

"Uhh.. ah hope ya' ain't lookin' ta start more trouble here in Ponyville." She saw her eying the apple she'd scooped up, and raised a hoof. "Ya' hungry?" she asked, in an offering tone. She might've changed, who could say. Yet... Part of Applejack recalled how Pinkie had felt, being left out of spending time with Applejack, and she frowned... what if Gilda found out about this contest? A gryphon would be a pretty tough opponent...

"Rainbow Dash?  I hear that name a lot around here, and for good reason, but I don't know her personally," Silva said, contemplating the apples for a moment.  She had to resist, especially since this pony thought her to be some sort of troublemaker.

"I promise I'll cause no trouble in Ponyville.  It wouldn't make the right impression upon future employers, and I fear I've already made enough trouble in Canterlot..." The griffon froze when she uttered those words.  Even  when she wasn't insulting ponies, it always seemed like she said the wrong thing!

Applejack blinked a bit. "You..  uhh.. don't know Rainbow? Didya' hit yer' head or somethin? Ah thought ya'll were fast old friends..." She asked, and approached. "Ah mean... You are Gilda, right?" The mare took her in, curiously.  She looked very much like her, but... she didn't seem as brash or rude as Gilda...

"Yer' lookin' fer work? Well, if ya' got a mind to help cart baskets, ah can promise a fair share a' bits and an Apple Family Breakfast~"
This message was last edited by the player at 00:59, Fri 31 Aug 2012.

"Gilda?  That's my sister..." Silva felt a stab at her heart.  Had her good sister gone bad without her around?  What had happened to Mora?  Was she pickpocketing ponies in Fillydelphia?  It made her wonder, but she realized that she was still being talked to.  She did her best to recover and not look like somepony had bucked her.

"I'm Silva, but, was my sister really here?" She glanced at the baskets. "I heard about a griffon causing trouble, but I can't imagine..."

"Oh... shucks, ah'm sorry... Ya'll look alike.." she gained an awkward bush, and raised a hoof. "Ah mean... You an yer' sister. Are ya'll twins or somethin'?"  Way to go, Applejack... "Yeah... but that was some two years back. Ain't no trace of her about now, but Rainbow might keep in touch with 'er. Ah dunno, but they did have a fallin' out when Gilda left."

Applejack moved along to nudge a basket steadily forward with her powerful legs, back toward an open barn shed nearby.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:30, Fri 31 Aug 2012.

Silva shook her head, trying to find the words to say 'well, that's okay'. She couldn't.

Sighing, she moved toward one of the baskets and pushed it forward, albeit it with less speed than the earth pony.  Working made it easier to not say anything, but she couldn't help saying something. "I can help you with the baskets."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:39, Fri 31 Aug 2012.

The work went faster with two, both pushing the many, now weighty baskets into th shed, where Applejack soon started stacking them into storage.  Once they'd worked to a conclusion, the mare nudged the doors shut, and raised a hoof to her Griffon helper. "Well. Ya' sure are strong for such a slight Griffon." She admired, and tossed her an apple. "Go ahead and have a bite, an' come along to the house. Granny Smith must have breakfast ready by now, an' yer' welcome ta' all you can eat. An' ah'll show ya' round town today when ah gomake some deliveries. An' you'll get them bits ah promised, too."

Silva was shaky on her legs after that much work, feeling just how empty her stomach was.  Still, she reached out one claw and shook the pony's hoof, and caught the apple all too eagerly.  Her talons dug into it a bit, but she didn't bother to slice it before digging in.  The apple didn't stand a chance against her beak.  Dainty eating didn't have a place in the world when hunger is this close!

"If you're going to pay in food and even just a few bits for work, I can't afford to be too weak for it," she replied with a measure of pride. "This...work isn't my profession, but I work hard."

Applejack grinned a bit. "Well, awright. C'mon~" She motioned the Griffon with her. "Anyway, Silva. Jus' what is yer' profession?" As they talked, sheled the way through the grove back toward the Apple farmstead, pausing a few times to inspect some trees -apple-less, along the way.

Silva followed, looking around.  This place looked even more tremendous from the ground.  If she got on these ponies' good sides, she'd never have to worry about food ever again.  The question brought her away from her marveling and to a strange silent contemplation of everything that got her here.  The bad thoughts threatened to turn her toward anger.

When she finally answered, her pride had fallen away.  Still, the thought of her 'glory days' brought her a smile instead of a frown. "I used to be a model."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:01, Fri 31 Aug 2012.

"A... Model? Oh, ya' mean fer' clothes an' stuff?" She chimed. "You should talk to mah' friend Rarity. She's mah oldest friend... well, of a sort. She runs a huge boutique in town. Even had orders from Princess Luna." she chimed with a smile.

"Ah' ain't ever heard of a Grifon model before, but it'd be somethin' ta' see, especially in somethin' Rarity tossed together."

Silva's heart stopped in her chest.  For a few moments, she just stared.  Then, she gasped. "The Rarity?  You know the Rarity?  She lives and works here?  I can't imagine her ever wanting to have me wear some of her designs...but I can't imagine her actually living in this town!"

Even as she dismissed the possibility of ever wearing a 'Rarity' ensemble, she couldn't imagine Rarity living in sleepy old Ponyville...

"An' jus' what's wrong with Ponyville, sugarcube?" she chimed ina sweet drawl. "C'mon, ah'll introduce ya' this mornin' on mah rounds in town. Got some deliveries ta' make. But first, breakfast." She nudged the door to the farmhouse open. "Hay, Granny, we got another Guest fer' breakfast~!"

"Ah, nothing is bad about Ponyville, it just does not seem like the kind of place that a pony like Rarity would come from!" Silva clarified quickly as she set herself to follow Applejack inside.  Her stupid words kept trying to get her into trouble, but it seemed like this apple farmer was forgiving enough...

BEGIN DAY 8!

Rainbow Dash awoke in the guest room of the Apple Family Farm House. Stretching with a yawn, she looked back with a smile as her wing had full movement with no pain. Tossing her bed-head mane into a her usual messy do, she headed downstairs for breakfast. She heard Applejack's voice as she descended and felt a blush hit her cheeks. She shook her head to get rid of that feeling as she came out into the kitchen. "Hey, good morning, Applejack, I--"

She stopped dead in her tracks as she saw the griffon there with her. "Gilda??" she started suddenly with shock and then got a better look at her. "No... Gilda's sister... Silva was it?" She asked herself more then anypony else. "Yeah, Silva. H-Hey, what brings you here?" She asked, having met her when she was hanging around Gilda. Memories flooded into her mind of Gilda, the times they spent together, the closeness they once shared. She felt a hot blush coming to her cheeks as she talked to the elder sister of her former best friend.

Silva stared at Rainbow Dash for a moment.  It was hard to line up this fully grown pony with the brash and adorable filly who aspired to greatness.  Good and bad thoughts warred in her head a moment as she saw a fledgeling right next to her that had the same aspirations.  She had to fight off a frown at the memories that she didn't really have of this mare's past.

"You recognize me, Rainbow Dash?" she asked, a small smile gracing her features. "I remember when Gilda and you were just fledgelings.  Gilda and you were just so friendly and loveable when you were little...it's hard to imagine that you two grew up so strong, and my sister could really have so much bad said about her."

She sighed at the memories.  Unlike Gilda, who had stayed with the pegasus through Junior Speedsters', this griffon had ran away before she had been through two years of the Flight Camp.  She had planned to achieve dreams of glamor in Canterlot, and she had discussed it with the others before leaving and never coming back to Cloudsdale.  She had missed out on just about everything (Sonic Rainboom included).  It was truly a miracle that she even remembered Rainbow Dash from all those years ago, and vice-verse...

Applejack waved a hoof to rainbow, and was about to introduce them before the sky-blue mare put it together. And got that warm glow in her face, staring at the Griffon. Applejack felt another twinge reminding her of how nervous she'd been when she'd thought it was Gilda herself. She trotted past Rainbow and gave her a nudge, heading along toward the kitchen to see what deliciousness was afoot for breakfast.

Day 8 Start

The only time there wasn't a wondrous aroma of baking goods coming from the Apples' kitchen was when Granny Smith was down with a cold and thus stuck in bed... and even then only because her grandkids were well-meaning enough to make sure she stayed there.  But that morning the old mare was feeling fine and kept busy as a bee, creaking about the kitchen humming to herself as she prepared breakfast for the family.  The table was already lined with several delicious looking dishes like scalloped baked apples, fresh grains and oats for cereal, a big, crisp salad full of lush vegetables, a stout crock bubbling warm with apple-cinnamon oatmeal, and the like.

"G'mornin' youngin's~!  G'wan' and have a--" Granny Smith greeted cheerily when she heard Ponies coming into the kitchen, though she stopped short and gawked for a moment at the sight of Silva.  Her eyes narrowed dangerously for such an otherwise sweet old lady and she immediately advanced on the Gryphon.  "You!  Why... yer' as thin as a rail!  Sit down right this instant, young lady!  Honestly, back in my day it weren't right for a girl t'go 'round lookin' that scrawny.  Sit!"

Old people sure did have odd priorities... Granny Smith was genuinely more concerned that Silva was so thin as opposed to the fact that there was an unfamiliar Gryphon standing in her kitchen.

Silva took a nervous step back as Granny Smith advanced, fearful that this pony was going to be more aggressive about her dislike of non-ponies than the few haters she had met who had the courage to say something right to her face.  When she started talking about something else entirely, it really came out of left field.  For what it was worth, the griffon thought that her figure was attractive, but it had been a while since she had been able to put down a normal amount of food on a regular basis...

"Really it's-" She realized that she could probably get a post to tap dance before she could convince this pony.  Something about earth ponies just made them impossible to sway from something they really believed needed to be done.

She took a spot at the table, glancing back at Applejack and Rainbow Dash with a bit of a blush.  Her pride, thankfully, was assuaged by the fact that she had worked for this meal.  Even if she would probably overeat like she had at Merriweather's cafe, she'd enjoy the meal.  The smells made her almost want to serve herself...but she was far too polite to just go snatching, grabbing, and abandoning all of the rules of dining....
This message was last edited by the player at 13:04, Sat 01 Sept 2012.

"Of course I recognize you! I mean, you've grown a lot, but you look exactly like Gilda! The eyes are different though, that's how I remembered to tell you apart when we were younger." She smiled with a nostalgic sigh, finding herself staring at Silva a little bit.

Rainbow Dash sat down at the breakfast table with a soft chuckle. "Yeah, don't bother trying to say no to Granny Smith. I've seen the Princesses cave into her offers to stay for her cooking before." She chuckled again, then remembering what she was going to say earlier. "Oh, hey, Applejack, I have full movement in my wing today. I think I'll be able to fly back home today."

Silva chuckled lightly, but then remembered just what was said.  It probably didn't say the best about her that she was laughing about somepony's injury or recovery. "I'm glad...both for the wing and for the fact that you remember how tell us apart..."

Part of her was hoping it was all a lie, still, but part of her was quickly just hoping the rest of this town would forget about the other griffon.  Better that they not dislike her for what her sister might have done (though surely those events were taken out of context or something).  Still, she couldn't help a small frown.  Rainbow Dash was a reminder that Gilda had been here and that something had gone wrong.  Worse, she was a reminder that her sister probably was as culpable as she had heard...

Applejack grinned a bit as the Griffon was subjected to Granny's desire to stuff the slight thing full of apples. Grinning, she moved along to Rainbow's side, and smiled - though, her expression actually fell slightly when Rainbow said she'd be going home. Applejack had enjoyed having her about - She'd not made a move like the one the first night again, but spending time with her was different, now... awkward for both of them, and neither of them said anything about it.

"Are ya sure yer' in shape ta' fly?" Applejack asked, and poked the meeting of her back and wing gently with one forehoof. "No pain at all? Ah don't want ya to crash." she said gently, watching her face for a sign of pain from the firm poke.

"Don't y'go frettin' over her wing none, Applejack.  With as good a'care as y'been givin' her all week, it ain't no mystery she's all healed up." Granny Smith chuckled as she went around serving up breakfast.  Silva had no need to grab at food herself since the elder Pony was more than eager to heap her plate up with a much larger portion than she gave the others.  Apparently she was intent on putting some meat on the Gryphon's bones right that very second.

There were times when one might have reason to regret even their most prized and special talents, Xing was finding out. A shining example of this was her insatiable appetite for knowledge about the night sky and all within it, mingled with the reality of being a little filly who still had to go to school the next morning. She knew she was late for class, but she was entirely unrushed for two reason. One, she was too sleepy to be rushed about anything short of a horrendous natural disaster, and even that might be iffy. And two, even if she was rushed, Granny Smith would tie her down to make sure the tiny filly ate a hearty breakfast anyway, school bell be darned. So what was the point?

"Hi, Jei Jei... Rainbow... Granny...." she managed to squeak out between yawns as she sat in her chair, ears down and chin on the table, her bao only half up. Her bag rested at the doorway out, packed with foresight the night before. "I am late... I hope Miss Cheerilee is not angry..." She yawned again, hoof over her mouth, before at last noticing Silva and straightening up slightly. "Oh... um... ni hao... sorry... Who are you?"

Silva smiled at the little one.   It didn't do much to make the griffon seem any less intimidating to one smaller than her, though.  She resisted the urge to extend a claw, for fear of actually scaring this timid little filly out of the room.  Ponies didn't seem to like that as much as griffons did, for some reason...

Still, with all of this food gathering before her, she couldn't help but be more friendly than usual. "My name is Silva.  It's very nice to meet you, Miss..."

The easier she made it for the little one to reply, the easier it'd be on her.  Getting a bad reputation with the foals was a surefire way to make enemies of the adults faster than if she slapped them right in the snouts and stole their pets away to eat them for dinner...