The air was dry and hot as I walked. Nopony had noticed me crawl out from under the train, or walk off into the wilderness. I was alone as you can be out in the area- or so I thought.
"Uh, hey, guy?" Someone asked me from above. I looked up, but he was right under the sun, completely indistinguishably. "You lost?"
"No. Well, yes, but no." I answered. "Are you?"
"What, me? " he scoffed. "Pfft, nah... okay, maybe a little."
"Listen I'd be glad to point you to town, but could you get down? The sun's in my eyes, and I can't see you."
"Huh? Oh, sorry." He said, descending down to ground level.
I'd been expecting a pegasus, but that was not what my eyes were greeted with. He had an eagle's head, and his front legs were talon'd claws. He back half was that of a golden brown lion, aside from a pair of wings, similarly colored. His blue eyes blinked at me.
"What? Never met a griffon before?" He joked lightly.
"I-I can't say I have." I got out at last. I vaguely remembered Twilight mentioning them from the one lesson we had. Something about them living on mountainsides and cliffs. "You were looking for, uh, Applooza, right?"
"Not really. Actually trying to get to ponyville. Is it far from here?"
"Depends. You think a several hour train ride is far?"
He gave an exasperated sigh, pulled out a paper from behind him and tore it in half. "Stupid merchant, gave me a bad map..." he grumbled. "Hey. I don't suppose I could walk with you? You're probably headed somewhere I could buy a real map, right?"
"N-no! I'm, uh, not headed anywhere like that." I stammered. The last thing I wanted was to get someone else hurt because of me.
"Ah, c'mon. Ya gotta be headed somewhere." He said, giving a grin and cocking an eyebrow. (Looks weird when a beak is used to grin. Not even sure how that works.)
"No, no. I'm really not." I insisted, starting to walk away.
"Well, you're not getting rid of me." He said, following. "Not that easy."
"Town's other way." I called back at him. "Not where I'm going."
"Yeah, but now I'm interested in where you ARE going. You wouldn't try that hard to get rid of me if it wasn't special." He explained.
"Listen, I don't know who you are, or why your SO interested in my life, but I swear to God, I have no idea where I'm heading."
"God?"
I gave a sigh. This would be a long walk.
Several hours later, the griffon asked for the literal thousandth time where I was going. I snapped.
"I have NO IDEA WHERE I'M GOING! SCREW OFF, YOU FUR-AND-FEATHER FREAK!" I shouted, whipping around to face him.
I took a deep breath. He was genuinely hurt, if the look on his face was anything to go by. "S-sorry. It's just been a long day. I hot, tired, and irritable. But please... your better off not with me. I'm... I'm not safe for anypony- er, griffon to be around. Bad things always happen to them."
"Y'know, you have really bad breath..." he said.
"Did you not hear anything I just said?" I glared at him. "Are stupid or something? Get lost! Scram! Go away!"
The longer he's around me, the more chance he could get hurt. I just wanted him to leave.
He looked at me hard, as if trying to figure something out about me. "Alright. I'll go. But just answer me one thing- Where are you going?"
"You really wanted know?" He nodded. "I'm going away. Far away from everyone, where nopony can find me and be hurt by me. I just want everyone to stay away. I'm too dangerous to be around. So please... Go away."
I turned around and walked away, head lowered, staring at the ground. The sun was setting behind me, and the griffon's shadow rose and flew away. I was truly alone. No one to hurt anymore. No one I could be a danger to.
I wanted to cry. I wanted to throw up. I felt sick, even though I was doing the right thing. My heart burned, from guilt, or maybe even sorrow. I didn't like what I was doing, even though my own morals dictated it was the right thing. Why did my heart hurt? Why does my body burn as it does?