• Published 22nd Feb 2012
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Griffin the Griffin - BlackWing

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Ahoy Aoi (69)..... Lol, 69

Ahoy Aoi

"Seriously? How are we lost?" Trixie was quite annoyed.

"Well, normally we're out in the open, so I can see where I'm going. I guess griffins really AREN'T meant to be indoors." I hung my head, then perked back up.

"That's it. I'm cutting through the fucking wall till I reach the outside."

"No, you're not. We are NOT destroying the castle. We'll just keep walking and....." I interrupted her by raising my left claw balled in a fist, into the air, our team signal for silence.

"Hear that?"

"Hear what?" Trix asked.

"Someone is playing an earth song. Bet it's the pervy changeling."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Follow it."






I followed the sounds of Bon Jovi's 'Livin on a Prayer' to the medical wing, and by the presence of Celestia and Chrysalis standing outside the door, I figured it was the right place. I just walked up like I owned the place, not about to tell them that I got lost in the castle. The song is in it's final riff, and I walk by the open door.

"Dude's a puss, but he's got some good pipes." The changeling queen turns and looks at me with horror in her eyes, having not noticed me walk up behind them, and I just smirk. Celestia seems to think the queen, who so recently beat her into the dust, being reduced to a quivering blob of fear at a mere mention of me is funny. Heck, she probably feels safer with the sun princess there than if it was just the two of us.

"He's got a point you know." Celestia smirked at the bug queen, who began to pout. Twilight was in there with a measuring tape. What she was measuring, I don't know. She raised a hoof.

"I know you've got an answer." The bug lying on the bed stated.

"Breeders..... kind of...... can't fight." The purple unicorn replied.

'Wait, breeder? How does she know he's a....... measuring tape, he's lying on his back...... oh. OH! EEEWWWWW! Bad thoughts bad thoughts bad thoughts!


"As I was saying. ....I don't care what I am. I was born a human, and by Celestia's sweaty tampons I'm gonna do this the human way!" Oh dear god did he just say that, WITH THE PRINCESS RIGHT THERE?!?!?! Nope, I'm leaving. I didn't even bother staying around to see what he was going to do. I've had enough of this pervert. If Celestia knew about feminine care products, she would have blasted him through the wall at that statement. Not that I'm gonna tell her what they are, because I'd be tossed out with him. Nope, nopenopenope, I'm leaving. I think I'll go help Lyra set up on stage.







After taking some time to help get the instruments in position, all the while be glared at by Octavia for some incomprehensible reason, I noticed Prince Blueblood begin approaching me.

"Griffin! What an honour to see you again!" I looked and saw Octy do a double take as the snooty noble mentioned my name.

"Ah, I see you are well. Gilda wasn't too rough was she?" We shared a laugh.

"No, it was quite alright. After all, in the middle of being rescued is no time to complain, which, by the way, I was never able to thank you for." He bowed his head, and Octavia's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of hers.

"Well, that's enough of that. I don't need thanks. The support I'm getting from Equestria in relocating the liberated griffins is thanks enough. I do hope you'll enjoy my show later."

"Well, considering the raving revues from the rest of you tour, I'm sure I will." And then he went on his way to attend to other guests, Trixie, who was helping me, went with him, presumably to talk some more. The grey earth pony cellist walked up to me, scorn in her eyes. She just stood there for a moment, glaring at me while I returned the motion, before I finally broke the silence, and the tension between us.

"Hello Octavia." I said with just the slightest hint of malice in my voice, not that I had anything against her, but she's clearly challenging me, and in that case, I'm gonna turn my scary on. She seemed to recoil slightly before collecting herself, and finally coming forward with what she wanted to say.

"You." Or, maybe she would just be vague and not tell me what she wanted after all.

"Me?" I pointed a claw at my face.

"Yes, you." She narrowed her vision.

"What about me?"

"That awful noise you've been spreading around. Rock and roll you called it? You're not a musician, you don't even have an instrument. Magic of some kind to make up for your lack of skill? You act like some high class pony, fit to mingle with the nobility, but that's just it, it's all an act. You don't belong here, and you never will. I suggest you leave before you get in over your head." She replied spitefully.

"Meh."

"Meh?"

"Meh."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means I don't care what you think. I might have showed you some orchestra or classical from home, if you weren't such a bitch. A shame really, there's only one way to describe the works of Beethoven, Bach, or Koh Otani."

"And what is that?" The raven maned musician asked.

"Awe inspiring" And with that, I turned to moving the drums into position on the stage, intent on ignoring the uptight mare.











As I continued working, I faced the door, and spotted a strange creature. About eight feet tall, lupine, carrying a katana on his left, and a kimono or something. He reminded me of that one captain from Bleach, you know the guy, except his fur was grey, or silver maybe, kind of like moonlight. I waved at him.

"Hey, who invited Captain Komamura to the party?" Oh, wait, nobody is going to get the reference. In fact, he seems a little insulted by it, judging by the way he ran his fingers over his blade. Maybe I shouldn't piss him off. After all, I think he's Asian, and not to be racist, but everyone knows they kick ass, and judging by the way he carries himself he enforces the stereotype. I swear, if he speaks ja'ponies' (Neighponese) I'm gonna freak out. He seemed to calm down a bit and walk off to the side, so I went back to setting up the stage. After about a minute, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

'Great, here's the freaking press.'

"Damn, we haven't even started yet and we already got a- WHOA!" Geez! When the hell did he get up here? I didn't even hear him, and coming from someone with enhanced hearing, that's saying something. Now, as a human, I was always pretty stealthy, but this guy was just short of ninja, by the fact that I could still see him.

"Are you always this sneaky, or did you take lessons?" He raised his eyebrow, which was a head above me, I came up to his neck, and then he changed the topic by asking a different question.


"Your sword, there, on your back, where did you get it exactly?" I noticed his eyes were locked on it, and, when I looked at his own blade, I felt something strange from it. Like it wasn't..... natural. As a griffin, I'm well tuned into air currents, and the air around that sword of his was vibrating quickly, like it had a permanent 'Ventus' spell on it. After realizing he was still expecting an answer, I quickly composed myself.

"Up north. Damn dragon ate me." I motioned towards Hades. "Too bad I'm chewy." I expected a laugh, or at least a chuckle from him. Nothing. Crap, psychologically, he's a brick wall. I can already tell by the way he's looking at me. Better quit the funny stuff.


"You're saying a dragon choked on you and you took it's scale?" He asked with a straight face. Man, I am NEVER playing poker with this guy. Still, he keeps his left hand on his sword hilt, as if to flick it out at a moment's notice. Instead of the face, maybe that's his tell?

"Yeah, that's about right." I paused, to see if he would give a reaction. Nutin. "Well, the scale taking was first. THAT'S what he ACTUALLY choked on, but, pretty much, yeah." Okay, what's your response?




"Who are you?" He shifted slightly, moving his feet into a different position, not to draw his sword, but to get a better look at mine. "Not everyone just takes a scale and dives into the mouth of insanity." He grinned, and held up the hand not on his sword, with two fingers sticking up. "Two emotions would be required for that: a disregard for one's own life... and rage..."

'Oho, now we're getting somewhere. Only two kinds of people think that way. Shrinks, or someone who's just like me.'

"Quite perceptive of you. I never valued my life too much until recently, and......" I paused and looked down, still never taking my eyes off his sword. "he was hurting the first friend I ever had." I looked back up. "So, I may have gone a tiny bit off the deep end." I emphasized my point by squeezing two of my claws together.


"What about you, what's your story? You seem like the interesting sort." He seemed to think for a moment, putting his hands on his hips, but never taking his left more than an inch from his sword hilt.

"... I'm Aoi... my parent's were killed... I killed the guy who killed them." Whoa. that sucks. Wait, what did he say his name was? I was too distracted by the sword, which he now had his hand on again. And now he's waiting for an answer.

"Good on ya. Trash like that needs to be thrown out... and burned." I said the last part almost in a hiss.

"Not many have what it takes to actually do it, you're okay in my book." I'm far to sick of seeing pansies who think they're tough stuff go strutting around, pretending to be a badass, but as soon as push comes to shove, they run and hide like the cowards they are. Everyone wants revenge, very few have what it takes to go through with it, and at a level of that caliber. He seemed to like my answer, and became more relaxed, and with the tension cut slightly, I did as well, before he continued.

"And I loved every fucking second of it." He chuckled. Looks like I found the crack in his wall. Time to play it.

"Of course you did, putting an end to someone like that has to feel good." I know it does. I felt like that with Carl. So, it's not lying at all. It's true in it's entirety, but I'm just letting him know it.

"I spent 20 years learning... training... and fighting... just to kill him..." He smiled and his voice became full of mirth, "worth every second..." He beamed, his claws clicking together in anticipation, as though he was reliving the moment and enjoying himself immensely.

'20 years? Even I have to admit, I wouldn't have stuck with it that long. Just goes to show what kind of a person I'm dealing with. I like him.'

"Well, at least you prepared for it. Too many people just go all willy nilly and end up six feet underground." I kept trying to get him to give a little more. I already know why he keeps his hand on his sword at all times, trained like that. He could probably kill an assassin in his sleep, without waking up. Heck, he probably had. Now, if only I could figure out why his sword feels like it's reaching out to me.



"Now, what's yours? Starting with your name." He pointed a finger at me. Damn, I was hoping to get a bit more info, although, to be fair, he did just spill a whole lot. I'm gonna have to give a little.

"Griffin, yours?" Please don't remember you already told me.

"Aoi, remember?" Crap he remembered. Oh well. He held out a hand to meet in a handshake, with his other hand not resting on his hilt, but tensed on it. He's going to draw as soon as we shake hands. The thing about my claws, is that the left and right are identical. He held out his right hand, and I could meet it with either my left or right, it would make no difference to how they fit. So, I used my left, and moved my right to my sword with an evil grin.

'If that's the game he wants to play, so be it.'










The second I took his hand, his blade flew from it's sheath and found it's way to my neck. He could have cut my head off easily, except for the fact that I had already drawn mine, which being slower, needed the head start, and found it's way to his neck the same time his blade found mine. Our swords were pressed against each other's throats, just touching, but not drawing blood. I smiled, and found that he was doing the same.


"Do you always do this to people you meet?" I asked.

"Only to those I like." He moved his katana away from me, and, I mimicked the action, both of us sheathing our blades at the same time. Also, he likes me. Well, that's a load off my mind. Despite what many people believe, I DO care what others think of me, I just don't let them know it. Time for me to press for more info.

"That.... is no ordinary sword." He just turned the topic back to me.

"I take it you're not here just for the sights and sounds, are you?" He asked. I flared my wings.

"I am one of the sights and sounds. I'm finishing up my concert tour here in Canterlot, and the Gala was right around at same time."



"Concert?" Aoi seemed to think for a moment, before digging into his pack and pulling out a newspaper. "You're Griffin from the Griffin Pirates, You and your crew are plastered everywhere."


"Aha, so you have heard of me. I didn't really want the fame, but it came up and bit me, so I decided to use it." He didn't look like he bought it, but it's true!

"But for what purpose? Money?" Then he paused, and a sly, lecherous grin appeared on his face that unnerved me to no end. "Mares?" He wiggled his eyebrows a bit. It was actually pretty funny, so I let out a small snicker.


"Money, I have plenty of, gained legitimately in fact, well, if you consider stealing from thieves legitimate. As for mares, I have my mate, and that's all I need." Ah, Gilda, like a fire, beautiful, but temperamental. And such a sweet flank.




The wolf-thing in front of me scratched his chin in thought, before getting another grin.

"Captain Griffin, is that right? Or shall I call you General?"


"No, just Captain. It's not like I'm raising an army..... yet." He seemed lost in thought again, before he finally came forward with the phrase that would send me sprawling.

"So, as my friend Keith would have called it, you're doing it for the lulz?" Doin it for the lulz? Hold on. Wait a sec. Wait just a damn second!

Horrible past? Check.

Mythological creature? Check

Skilled in combat? Double check

Human name? Keith is his friend, so check.

Human mannerisms? Check.

Human catchphrase? Triple check.

*Attempting to determine correct response*

*Loading*

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*Done* Run BronyCheck.exe.



"Aoi, do you by any chance...... like bananas?" He seemed confused by the statement, and had to think about it for a long while.

'Maybe he isn't? Anybrony (lol) would have jumped on that immediately. So, then, he's not a fan, but at least heard of it?'

"I know where you can go bananas." He replied. I smiled my best Pinkie Pie smile.

"ON THE MOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNAAAAA-, wait." He got me. I looked as a number of ponies getting ready for the Gala, as well as some of the early arriving guests looked at me, wondering what the hell I was going on about, and quickly clamped my beak shut.

"So, both of us are human. This just got very interesting." Aoi said as he crossed his arms and grinned.

"Definitely interesting. Well, considering the fact that we haven't tried to kill each other yet, I take it as a good sign."


"Now that we are at an understanding, let's talk." He suggested.

"Um.... we're talking right now?"

"I meant over a nice cup of tea.... or do you drink beer?" Ugh, no. Tastes nasty. I didn't like barly as a human, and I like it even less as a griffin.

"Tea. Definitely tea. Have any green tea blends?"

"I actually have some I got from someone in Ponyville. I believe you two have met?"


'Okay, so he's been to Ponyville, and met someone who drinks tea, that I know. So, Twilight, Fluttershy, or Rarity. Rarity, only on special occasions, and she'd be to busy gawking at his fashion, whether in a good way or a bad way, to sit and get tea. Fluttershy would have fainted as soon as she saw the eight foot tall mountain of fang, claw, and sword, so that leaves the librarian.

"Twilight?"

"Yes, she mentioned how you drove her crazy on your question about how ponies could grab things without fingers." Oh geez, he met Twilight! That's too funny! Although, she wouldn't have brought that up unless..... he asked her too! Oh, that's too good!



I took a minute to compose myself before explaining.

"Actually, I asked the Princess. she didn't know, so she passed the question on to her. Is she still trying to figure that one out?"


"I asked her the same question and she seemed to have a mental breakdown... I should probably avoid the topic." He hung his head a bit, not too thrilled about making her into a nervous wreck. We began walking towards one of the tables that had been set up. Since this was a high class party, or, at least, supposed to be, there were kettles of hot water kept at a simmer at the center of each, and several bags of tea in a square container. Aoi pulled out a packet containing his own tea leaves, opened it to let the leaves swim freely in the water and spread the flavour better, then left it to steep.









"Don't worry too much about it. She's brilliant to be sure, but she'll spaz if even the slightest thing goes out of alignment. She'll probably have some foul words for me when she realizes yet again that I didn't tell her how I use magic. I'm sure it's driving her nuts just thinking about all the studying she COULD be doing that she can't because I won't spill my secrets." When I said magic, he seemed to perk up with interest.

"A griffin who uses magic... what other surprises do you have?" Doesn't he have magic? The way his sword reacted, I could have sworn he does.

"Ah ah ah, a magician never reveals his secrets. People like having an ace up their sleeve, I keep about twelve or so. Even from friends." Not that I think they would, but I always have to be a step ahead of my own crew, in case of betrayal. I think I'll keep the 'Hellfire' spell a secret for now. I really don't want to use it. Mostly because I accidentally caught myself ablaze and had to dive into the ocean to put myself out. My explanation was, 'I wanted to go for a swim' and they believed it, since I've done things way more random than that in the past.


"I'm not going to lie, my prior training has helped me well in this world. One of them helped me kill a black dragon..." He left it at that, trying to tease a reaction out of me. Instead, I simply picked up his newspaper, went past an article about a number of dragons fighting over Bitsburg, and to the article of the dragon-slaying wolf at Stalliongrad. Then, I pointed to it, and with a simple deadpan I asked,

"You?"

"Surprised?" He asked while checking on the tea, then poured a cup for each of us.

"Not really, I heard about some prophecy from one of my dog crew members, then saw it in the paper, and now, seeing you, it fits. I could tell by the way you carried yourself that you were a warrior, hesitant to let his hand stray from his sword, Still, you've got some catching up to do. My draconic kill count is...... hold on for a sec." Blackie, one at the tribe, six over the ocean, and one at Ruby Hollow, that's.......


"Ah, so I see you take pride in your kill count." I couldn't tell if he thought it was a good thing or a bad thing. Better go neutral response.

"I'm at nine, and, I just like to keep track is all. I've also got a youngling we adopted on board the ship. As it turns out dragons aren't all bad. Poor kid, her mom got killed trying to protect her." Aoi coughed on his tea. I'm not sure whether it was at the mention of this kill count, or if he thinks I killed her parents.

"Who was the mother?" He asked. Definitely thinks I killed the parents.

"Some green dragon we found dead up at the volcano. Little blue dragon nestled up against the corpse, crying in her sleep." The wolf relaxed, knowing that it was an act of kindness and not a case of murdering the parents and kidnapping the child.

"I'm glad she found a family, what is her name?"


"She's Shimmer. She was named that by her mother, because her scales gleam brilliantly under both the sun and moon." I say in a poetic tone, then switch back to normal. "She's a good kid, likes to help out, brave. It's always the nice ones that fate gives the middle finger to." He nodded his head as I let out a sigh. He and I both know that better than anyone. Plain and simple. Nice guys finish last. That's why neither of us are nice anymore.

"Well, at least she has those who care for her now." He looked into his empty tea cup, while I start to drink mine, having waited a bit for it to cool.













"Who were the two Diamong Dogs you came in with?" I asked, before taking another sip.

"The silver one's Ubi, the other is Eol. They're my family now. I found a new purpose in life, to save the clans under oppression." Heh, same as me. Might be useful in the future.

"I started with Eol's clan. Believe it or not, their leader hoarded the gems for himself and offered his own clan as recompense. One of the sacrifices was Eol's father." Alright, now I'm mad. I'm really fucking pissed. Not only do they enslave others, and enslave their own kind, now they feed their own clan members to dragons so they can horde gems for themselves? That's just plain wrong. Right now, I kind of want to kill something.


"Ouch." I winced. "Yeah, a lot of those alphas are sick fucks. It hurts having family taken away, like Etch. I feel the same about him and Growl. That they're family, I mean. They were slaves for seven years, after their alpha was killed by a competitor. I busted them out, and gave them new names to show that their past didn't matter. They seem to like them. Growl is really just along for the ride, pretty much nothing better to do, while Etch is with me because he hopes that by freeing the clans, he can see his wife and pup again." Aoi looked like he was about to cry, but was holding it in rather well. We're both no strangers to pain. He was definitely trying to keep himself composed. Probably never let himself cry, concrete wall. Just like me. Then, to stop thinking about it, he continued talking.


"Ubi, his is a different story. His mother... Well....... she is, or was, a white dragon... His clan tried to kill him for being the son of a dragon... even sent a hitman after him..." My turn to choke on my tea. I coughed and sputtered, but to my credit, I didn't spit on him. After I cleared my windpipe, I finally asked the million bit question.


"He's the son of a Diamond Dog and a DRAGON? How would that even WORK?" I kept going over it in my mind, different positions, anatomy, sizes, and nothing added up. The swordsman seemed just as confused on that point as I was.

"I wouldn't know much about how dragons mature." He said stoically.

"Never mind, I DON'T want to know." We sat there for a while longer, each pouring another cup of tea and draining it before we continued.












"On a previous note, I believe that said you use magic, I take it that's unusual amongst griffins?" My conversational partner spoke up, getting back to the important stuff.


"Yeah, definitely unusual. Although there's not much about me that IS usual." Same as him, we're freaking humans in the mother bucking EQUESTRIA. Nothing about us is normal.


"Well then... It's only fair I share something equally unusual..." He drew his sword, making me want to make a grab for my own, but, he instead put in gently on the table, letting me see it unobstructed. "I think you can take a guess as to what's special about it?" He chimed.


"Well, considering the way it hummed when you had it at my throat, I take it you know magic as well?" Yep, humming, slight, ever present shine to it. That's an enchanted sword alright.


"Not really... I'm not sure of it myself, but I believe this sword has the dragon's soul inside of it." He replied.

'A dragon's soul? How the hell did he cast soul trap on a dragon?.................... Damnit! this isn't Skyrim! I haven't played in over a year and it's STILL stuck in my head?'


"Yep, that'd do it." I answered dumbly.


"Forging a dragon blade is similar to forging a katana, except there are a few adjustments that you have to make. The material is very..... unique." Wait, he made that thing himself? The way he talks about it makes it seem like he found it in a cave, sticking tip first into a rock. If he made it, how does he not know if it has a dragon soul in it?

"I..... don't know too much about that. Care to explain?"

"Dragon scale requires a higher temperature to heat before quenching, because of that, the blade ensures maximum strength and sharpness." He grabbed the sword extremely quickly, swinging it down, cleaving the table and cloth as well. The sword was so sharp, it made a clean cut, the table cloth didn't have any loose threads at all. That's damn impressive.


"That sharpness, obtained only from refining the edge of a dragon scale, can rend the very air itself." I believe it. Definitely the work of an above master level smith. Sorry Steelhorn, but this guy one upped you.


"Impressive. All I did was rip his arm bone off, jam it into the scale, and wrap it up. I had a blacksmith in Wethoof strengthen it, then I use magic to enhance the edge to that level temporarily." He seemed to be thinking about the implications of that, as well as how he could use it in his own technique. Master swordsman as well, and probably strategist. Well, he DID say he spent twenty years preparing to kill ONE guy.

"To each his own. Cheers." He says finally, after much thought.

"Cheers." I down the rest of my tea. "It was nice talking with you Aoi."

"Likewise." He drains the rest of his tea, then stands up and cracks his neck. I do the same.

"Maybe someday you'll have enough bits for me to reforge your sword. By the way, mine's named Kokuryu... what about yours?" He says as he sheathes it. I draw mine, showing it to him fully, then put it away.

"Hades. And I'm pretty sure I already have enough. How's a hundred K sound?" I offered. I really have no freaking idea how much it's worth. I hope I didn't offend him. He started doing some calculations, then held up four fingers.

"Along the lines of four million." Dayum. Well, if you want the best, you have to be prepared to pay for it.

"Man, Steelhorn is gonna have a hayday. Good thing I just set up a deal in Ponyville for gem sales. I should have enough in a month or two." Let's see how he reacts to my income bracket.


"I half expected you to talk me down, now I see you mean business, I like that..." Shit. Back on earth, he was a probably a billionaire. He's talking about four million bits like it's chump change.


"If you're as good as you say you are, then it's worth the price. I can see how finely crafted your sword is. So, in that case, money really isn't a problem. I mean, it's only bits." He smiled wryly. I can tell he likes the way I'm talking. Well, considering I just complimented his craft by going with his asking price......

"I guess sword making's my version of a painting." He replied.

"Well, see you around Aoi." And then I walked off. When I looked behind me, I saw the wolf was wearing a warm smile.

"I like that guy."








I went to go find Trixie, make sure she didn't get in any trouble, when I spotted Pinkie Pie following behind a........... well, I honestly don't know WHAT it was. It was damn ugly, and had a metal arm. To another observer, it would simply appear armored, but you know me.... sharp eyes. It WAS his arm. Surprisingly, rather than glare at the creature, the party goers were all looking at Pinkie!

'I guess they remember her from the last one.'


Then, I see Pinkie hop over to Knightmare, who was now out of the hospital, and whisper something in his ear. The creepy bug started grinning. Don't look at me. Don't look at me. Don't look at me.

"Yo! Griffin!" Ah crap. "Me and Pinkie are gonna do something 'special'."

'Wait. WHAT? A perverted human, turned into a breeder changeling, who can take any form he wants, and Pinkie, who likes pontai, going to do something SPECIAL?!?!?!? Oh no. He's gonna turn into something, and Pinkie is gonna, and he's gonna.....'

A thousand images swam though my mind, all of which could only be found in the raunchiest part of the internet, and I stared at the pair with a look of intense disgust. I mean come on! You're at the Grand Galloping Gala for fucks sake! I watch as he pulls Pinkie in close........

'In front of the crowd!?!?'

Then, they backed off, and began to sing Party Hard.

"Thank Celestia, Luna, Discord, and any of the other Equestrian spirits who had a hand in preventing what I thought was about to happen." Honestly, I should have known better, there's no way they'd do that in public. Then again, it is Pinkie Pie, anything is a possibility with her, and this guy is a Master Roshi level pervert. While unlikely, I wouldn't put it past them. I think I'm gonna go lay down.

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