The forest was humid. It wasn't all too much different from hiking back home. I looked from the trees to the griffon. It was a little disappointing knowing that a creature that was mythological and described as graceful and beautiful was standing before me and most likely hated my very existence.
"So," I said trying my best to soften any hard feelings between us "Where are we anyways?"
The moment of silence that ensued before it answered felt strangely suspenseful.
"Did you hear me?" I asked. Still no answer came.
"Do you have a name?" same results.
I got the message but didn't really care how the griffon felt.
"Okay fine, but can you at LEAST tell me your gender because it’s bugging the hell outta me."
It sounded female but I wasn't going to take a guess and risk being wrong around something that already wanted me dead.
"Female." the griffon hissed.
I gave out an intrigued "Huh." and shrugged. The griffon quickly turned to face me "What’s THAT supposed to mean?" She said in a low threatening tone. I could tell it didn't take much to anger her.
"Don't even try to play that card with me." I shot back, "You didn’t even exist a day ago."
"What are you talking about troll?"
"How about we start this off with whole troll issue. First off I'm not a troll, I’m a human and secondly I’m starting to regret not leaving your sorry ass behind when that thing attacked. I could have just run you know, making you breakfast for that... What was that anyway?"
"A manticore." The griffon said with a seemingly disgusted tone before continuing down whatever path we were taking. I then heard her mutter under her breath.
"Human? Human, human human..." she mumbled.
"You said human right?" She asked anger still tainted her tone. I nodded my head hoping the gesture meant the same to the griffon as it did to people.
"I've heard that word before but..." she stopped with her eyes focused on the ground in front of her.
"But what?" I demanded, "Are there any other humans around here?"
The griffon’s eyes seemed to scan the ground now but it was obvious she was trying to find an answer to a question that was never asked.
"Listen if you know something, anything you gotta-"
"We're here." the griffon cut me off.
I looked up. I was standing in front of a large rock formation. The sides were covered with broken branches and gaps in the side were filled with mud. It wasn't the prettiest thing I've ever seen but I wasn't about to complain. The griffon walked over to a large piece of bark leaning against the sides of two rocks. Her claws wrapped around the right side and pulled it to the left. Like a sliding door the bark opened up to an entrance into the rock formation. I whistled impressed. "You live here?" I asked.
"Yea. You got a problem with it?" I heard the griffon growl.
"I meant no offense! Quit making me out to be a bad guy!"
'One way or another I’m certain you'll be the death of me.' The afterthought rang out loud enough in my mind that I could have accidentally said it without knowing.
-------------------------------------
Hours earlier
"You said it would work!" a purple unicorn said stomping her hoof in disappointment.
"And it did Twilight." the voice of the other pony calmed her just a little.
"What do you mean Luna? Whatever that was we lost it and I’m too exhausted to try again." The purple pony was leaning against a wall for support. She wasn't going to admit it but her whole body stung with an unusual pain that made her wince at the smallest attempts at movement.
Luna turned to face her "We did not actually lose it Twilight. I felt the force pulled to our side of the connection."
"What does that mean?" the unicorn asked.
"It means though we weren't able to pull the force here we still manages to pull it to our dimension. Nothing can exist in the Void or at least for long so the force by default had to have made its way here."
"Then where is it? I saw whatever it was and..." the young unicorn cut herself off before locking her eyes to the ground.
"And what?" Luna replied concerned at the expression that had just washed over Twilight's face. A grim stare lifted itself from the tiled floor to meet with Luna's gaze.
"It saw me."
-------------------------------------
The first thing I noticed when I walked into the rock made shelter was that the whole ground was covered in fresh leaves yet the place itself smelled like pine. It was mostly empty except for some blankets bundled up in the back corner sitting next to which was a pile of books, a pit in the center which was half filled with ashes, and a mound of dirt that was waist high and had a slab of rock laying on it covered in parchments of paper and an inkwell with a quill in it..
"Make yourself at home human." the Griffon sneered.
"Derek" I replied finally tired of the names she had pummeled me with since we met.
"What?"
"My name, its Derek."
The griffon paused its movements towards the bundles of blankets, looked back at me, then looked back and continued.
"Whatever. Just don't touch anything or I'll kill you." she said harshly.
"So what do you have to eat around here?" I asked trying not to waste anymore time. Truth was I could barely stand from all the pain in my midsection.
"Depends. You a herbivore or carnivore?" she asked.
"Humans are omnivores." my reply was late. I hadn't expected her to know something like that. "But we have to cook any kind of meat before it’s eaten."
I was hit with a cloth sack in my already suffering chest.
"What's this?" I asked rubbing my stomach.
"Pfft apples maybe." she replied from across the room where she had thrown the sack.
I opened up the sack and sure enough there were about a dozen green apples in there. All fresh and ripe to my luck. I sat down and dug in without muttering a thanks but I was nonetheless grateful. I destroyed nine apples before closing the bag trying to save some for later. I wasn't by any means full but I wasn't going to waste the first source of food I had eaten since... I couldn't remember my last meal. I looked over to the griffon that was removing long cloth strips from under the blankets. It threw a strip over a portion of its injured wing and tried to pull it from underneath with its beak but looked like it was struggling to do so.
"Hey." I said forcing myself to stand up. The griffon just moved its eyes to look at me.
"What?" it said with an agitated tone.
I walked towards the griffon.
"You may have just saved my life." I said as casually as possible.
"What? How?" the griffon asked with a changed tone.
"Well I almost starved to death but you fed me and then put a roof over my head for however long you were willing to put up with me."
I leaned over and pulled a cloth strip from under the blankets and moved to start wrapping it around the wing. The griffon backed away without a word.
"Consider it a down payment on what I owe you." I said still holding the cloth.
"And what exactly do you owe me?" the griffon asked.
"My life." I approached the griffon that just let out a depressed sigh and lowered her head and let me approach. Wrapping up the wing I found the damage wasn’t as bad as the griffon had thought it was. Though heavily bruised and bare of feathers in some spots it was relatively fine. I couldn't find any signs of broken bones though there might have been fractures. Judging from how hard she'd been smacked into that tree to end up with so little injures told me a few things. Either griffons were tough as Hell or they healed amazingly fast if not both By no means would this thing be flying for at least a week if the pain was as bad as she said it was weather she was a tough super healing mythical creature or not. About a half hour later the griffon inspected my finished work.
I heard it mumble "Impressive."
"What was that?" I asked trying to deliberately rub my work in her face.
"It's good." she mumbled again.
"I’m sorry I didn't quite catch that?"
"What do you want? A medal? Its good okay?!" the griffon hissed.
"A medal sounds good but I'll settle for your name." I said with a chuckle.
The griffon sighed again before finally giving in. She looked up at the ceiling.
"Gilda... My name is Gilda" it said sounding more ashamed than angry.
I didn't know what to say. I was caught by surprise. I hadn't actually expected her to answer.
"Fitting." I said with a smile finally deciding on my choice of words.
"Whys that?"
"I believe Gilda means golden back where I'm from." I said taking a seat slowly upon the leaf covered ground.
"How’s that fitting tro-... human?" Gilda asked seeming trying to make an effort to try to get along.
"Derek."
"Whatever."
I laughed but gave her points for trying.
"Your eyes" I said motioning pointing two fingers at my eyes then turning my wrist so they pointed at hers. I bet it’s how you got your name."
The expression on her face went from a blank stare of confusion to what looked lightish pink. She was blushing! It took me everything I had not to burst out laughing though I couldn't help but to crack a smile.
"Are you-"
*Bam!* a balled up talon hit me upside the head. I fell back and hit the leave covered ground wondering what just happened.
"Uggggh." I groaned.
"That’s for being creepy." I heard Gilda hiss.
"It was a compliment you bitch! Ahhhhg!" I managed to say holding my head with both arms. The pain wasn't as bad as I had expected though it caught me off guard. I forced myself to my feet and walked over to the entrance.
"You leaving?" Gilda asked quickly. I turned to face her and wondered if it was in my best interest to do so.
"Depends. Do you want me to?" I shot back angrily. The griffon looked blankly at me again so I turned to slide the bark from the door.
"Fine! I’m sorry!" Gilda shouted sounding as pissed as I was, "Happy?"
I retracted my reach for the bark door and turned to face her.
"Not really since you punched me in the head. I appreciate the apology though."
"So you're not leaving?"
"I don't know where I am and have nowhere to go, of course I’m not leaving. I was just going to take a look outside to see if I could guess where I am... If I'm even on Earth." The thought was pretty depressing but not as much as the one that came immediately after.
"You live here alone don't you?" I spoke softly hoping not to get swatted again.
"Yeah but it’s no big deal. Its how Griffons work." her eyes gazed back at the pile of blankets. "I've... gotten used to it."
The pause in her sentence made me feel unusually bad for her. It was a potential sign that she hated living like this.
"Why do you care?" she asked defensively. I guessed that was the exact response id get from her.
"Hey if it makes you feel any better you live a lot better than I used to." I said with a smile. She didn't reply. I followed up with it.
"That's no excuse to be a bitch though." I gave her a serious glare trying to make sure she got the point.
"Alright dude." was all I got back.
"So I have a few questions that have been bugging me since I've been here." I said.
"Sure."
"Where am I?"
Gilda gave yet another blank stare.
"My nest."
"Nest? This isn’t a-... No! I meant WHERE am I? Like am I on the planet Earth?"
"Duh." Gilda replied rolling her eyes.
"And where on Earth am I?"
"Technically were on the border between the Evertree Forest and Moonview Valley."
I returned the blank stare ten fold?
"What?" was all I could say.
"In Equestria? Where have you been living dude? Under a rock?"
"NO!" I shouted fiercely taking Gilda by surprise, "I’m from Colorado in the United States of America."
Another blank stare from Gilda.
"You know! The U.S.A? Above Mexico, below Canada?!"
"I know of a Griffon village called Canada." Gilda replied seeming more and more confused.
"Canada is a country! The second largest in the world in fac-"
Gilda was on the brink of laughing.
"Dude you are one strange-"
Before she finished a terrible thought hit me.
"A map!" I shouted yet again startling the griffon, "I need a world map!"
"Alright! Alright! Dude chill. I’ve got a stupid map."
'Thank god.' I thought leaning my head back. Gilda walked over to the stone slab on the dirt mound which I guessed was a makeshift desk. She flipped through the papers on the desk while intriguing me as to how she could use her talons like hands. After about ten seconds of rummaging she pulled from the mess a folded up sheet of thick paper. She held it up above her head.
"Hah! Got it!" her victory was short lived as I snatched the paper from her claws instantly and quickly unfolded the paper. I was horrified and amazed simultaneously. If what I was looking at was a world map of Earth...
It wasn't my Earth.
"No."
The map was riddled with land masses I’ve never seen before.
"No."
North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, everything... gone.
"No. No. No! NO!" I was screaming in fury. Nothing made sense. How was this possible? Gilda tried to say something but I didn’t pay her any attention. I held my hands up to cover my eyes and tried to focus. I wanted to think about how I could get out of this, when I would wake up, and how was this happening but all that came back were memories. My childhood hit me the hardest. Visions of going to the park as a kid, my birthdays, my friends.
'It's gone.'
"HEEEEY!" I heard Gilda screech. I looked up to stare her right in the eyes which were strangely higher than mine now. I didn't realize but she was shaking me by my shoulders while standing on her hind legs.
"Snap out of it man!"
Gilda was almost foot shorter than me when she stood on all fours. Now she was a good two feet taller.
I felt something staring come over me and I tried to speak but all that I managed to do was let out a small
"Heh."
Then I blacked out.