I awoke the same way I did about a week ago. Full body hug? Check. Adorable pony half hugging my chest? Check. Unhealthy levels of cuteness for this early? Check. I slid my arms out from their prison and stretched before scratching Verdant's chin. This action which I learned first hand is very pleasant and enjoyable caused my serpentine friend to giggle adorably, cue diabetic coma from the sweetness, and boop her snoot right into my cheek.
“Mornin’ Verdant.”
“Hmmmmmmm... Don't wanna be morning.”
“But it already is.”
“Nooooooooo.”
I sighed before wriggling out of her strangle hold and combed my fingers through my hair. As I opened my eyes, I found a curtain of dirty blonde over my left eye. I rushed to a mirror propped up in a corner and looked in. I knew it had been awhile since my last haircut, but... my hair had grown so much that... that....
“Oh man, I have an em-over.”
“You have a WHAT!”
“An emover.”
“Isssss that what you call it? Weird.”
“You know, when your hair covers one of your eyes. Like a combover except emo.”
“Oooooooh, thatssss what you're talking about.”
“Yeah. I gotta get some scissors... and some shampoo cause it's starting to look greasy as all hell!”
“Why would hell be greasy? Issssn't it more... burny?”
“It's an expression.”
I stretched to the side causing my back to pop like nobody's business, and then my neck, and everything.
“Eew, that sssssounded nassssty.”
“But it felt pretty amazing.”
By now Verdant had come to join me at the mirror and repeated the motion I used to pop my neck. She giggled as her neck made a loud pop before doing it again.
“It feelsss funny!”
“Yeah, just don't accidentally break something. Anywho, I'm going to go clean up in the waterfall. Back in a sec.”
Upon reaching the large pool at the base of the waterfall, I used a bush as cover to strip down and made my way towards the water. I had remembered to grab my soap which I had purposefully not removed from my bag (No I didn't just forget to take it out... shut up.) and tentatively stepped into the--
“Cold! Oh sweet bajeebs it's cold!”
>It is a waterfall.<
~They aren't exactly heated.~
I know, I just wasn't expecting it.
I slowly made my way into the FRIGID water and started to wash myself. Eventually I either got used to the temperature or lost all feeling in my limbs but at least it was bearable. I was just rinsing out my hair when I felt something soft and warm press into my back.
Uuh.
>I have a suspicion.<
~Yay cute snek!~
“Verdant?”
“Yeah?”
I quickly slipped out of her hug and dove down a bit, covering my... private areas with my hands.
“W-what are you doing?”
“Getting wasssshed up, duh!”
“B-but! I'm already here!”
“Ssssso? Who caressss?”
“BUT I’M BUTT NAKED!”
“Nobody wearsss clothessss except at fancy stuff. We have fur to cover ourssselvesss.”
“I DON’T! THAT’S WHY I WEAR CLOTHES ALL THE TIME!”
“Calm down! it'ssss not like I looked or anything.”
“O-okay, sorry. You just startled me a bit. But just... don't look when I get out, okay? Let me put a towl on or...”
“You forgot to get a towel.”
“...I noticed.”
“I have a bunch! I'll go get you one!”
“Thanks. And... sorry for yelling.”
“It'sssss fine. I know you were just surprised. Besidessss, who caresss if I sssee your privatessss anyway?”
I care.
>Must be a pony thing. I shudder to think what would happen if they became human for a day.<
~I'm pretty sure it's just a Verdant thing. She kinda strikes me as...~
Naive?
>Innocent.<
~Yeah.~
Pretty soon Verdant came back and tossed me a towel (Or was it a repurposed blanket?) and covered her eyes with a hoof to give me privacy. I put my clothes back on and gathered my belongings before heading out... after eating lunch which I hadn't had for about twenty-four hours. With a goodbye I was back on my way to Featherborrow and was about halfway there when I heard a noise from the underbrush.
It sounded like... somebody scraping two rocks together as slowly as possible. I turned and saw... something. It looked like a dog made of wood with glowing greenish yellow eyes. It growled again and started coming closer.
~R-run!~
>Stand your ground! If you turn your back to it it won't hesitate to attack you.<
O-okay!
I snapped my attention back to the dog just as it lunged at me. I stumbled backwards only for it to jump again, teeth aimed for my throat. I threw my arm up and jammed it into the back of its mouth which really... freaking... hurt!
The wood dog started trying to bite and claw at me, obviously going for the jugular. I began kicking and punching it to no avail. In case you were wondering, wood is very hard and will hurt alot when you punch it.
This isn't working!
>Knife!<
It's in my bag!
~Just stab it with something!~
I thrust my free hand into my pocket and closed my fingers around the magicite. I pulled it out and drove it straight into its glowing, stupid eye. It howled and let go of my now mangled arm and began clawing desperately at its eye. I watched, horrified, as the magicite pulsed and started glowing brighter and brighter. The dog started turning grey before it froze... and turned to ash.
I sat there, staring at the innocent looking shard that just reduced a living creature to dust.
G-glad I never did that to a pony!
>That... that was pretty messed up.<
~It just... poof!~
Yeah. Poof.
I carefully scooped up the crystal and tucked it back into my pocket before turning my attention back to my arm. It was... well, it didn't look pretty. There were deep holes all throughout my lower arm and claw marks on my shoulder. It was bleeding pretty bad and had a few broken off teeth stuck in it.
>Do you still have the medkid you got when you were first given that bag?<
I scrounged around until I came upon the thin white box and opened it up. Inside were three syringes labeled “salamander” which I quickly scooped up. I put two back, figuring one would do something and was about to pull the top off when I thought of something.
I should probably pull these teeth out?
~Y-yeah. It'll hurt though.~
>You bet it will.<
I groaned before grabbing one and pulling on it. It slid out with relatively little resistance, but still freaking hurt. I repeated the process until all the teeth were gone.
>What does this crap even do?<
I don't know but it's better than nothing!
I pulled the cap off the needle and slowly stuck it into my arm. I pushed down the plunger and then put the empty syringe back into the case which I then put back in my bag.
>...is that it? It's not even--<
Fire. That's all I can describe it as. It felt like somebody filled my arm with liquid fire as I fell to the ground, clutching my burning arm. Through the pain I saw the cuts and stabs start closing and soon all evidence of injury was gone. I lay there, panting as the burning slowly died down.
Well... that... was awful.
~Useful, but awful.~
>I’d suggest saving those for a rainy day.<
Yeah. Hopefully I'll never have to use another one.
I dusted myself off and trudged off towards town. Whatever good mood I'd been in officially gone. Around lunch I reached town and was soon back as a pony and... oddly hungry. I dropped off my traveling gear and grabbed a small bag of bits I had and decided to go find somewhere to eat for lunch. I wandered the town aimlessly with a few ponies giving me curious looks, but many recognized me as the guy who delivered stuff for town hall. Eventually, I smelled something good and wandered over to a small cafe that was surprisingly quiet.
>Well it is almost two.<
~Who cares! Let's get some grub!~
I sat at a table in a corner and soon a unicorn mare came over with a menu.
“Hi! Welcome to the Corner Market. I'm Shimmering Scales and I'll be your waitress.”
“Thanks! So... uh, what should I get?”
She thought for a moment before looking back at a mare who must have been her boss. Although, there were more than a few mares over there, and some looked a little upset. One that looked a bit older rolled her eyes and made a shooing motion with her hoof. The unicorn broke out in a grin before sitting right across from me.
“Well, our daisy sandwich with hayfries is amazing. It's my favorite.”
“Okay, I'll have that.”
She nodded before walking to the kitchen and them back over.
“Alright, that should be out soon. Now, I don't think we've met although I have seem you around town this week. Did you just move here?”
“Yeah. So far so good. Ponies here are really friendly and the housing was cheep.”
“Yeah, that's the perk of a small town. So anyway, what's your name?”
“Oh, I'm Jackknife. Although you can call me Jack for short.”
“Alright ‘Jack’.”
She winked and giggled a bit. I guess compared to most pony names “Jack” is pretty funny. I noticed a disturbance outside and noticed that all the ponies were quickly going inside various stores and then switching the signs to “closed.” At the end of the street was... something. Its front was a bird but its back was a cat. Wait, was that....
“Oh. I guess you've noticed ‘it.’”
“What?”
“The gryphon. Its been hanging around town all day asking all these different stores about jobs and stuff. As if anypony here would hire a gryphon. We've had enough trouble without inviting one to live here. All gryphons are trouble and should just stay in the Gryphon Kingdom away from Equestria.”
“Oh.”
At that moment, a pony came and dropped off my food. I started eating as Shimmering Scales kept talking about this and that. I'd noticed that her cutie mark was a butterfly but how that pertained to a restaurant was beyond me. Soon I'd finished my meal and paid with Shimmering Scales telling me to come back soon. I made my way home and noticed that the sky was getting dark and cloudy.
~Tut tut! Looks like rain!~
>We should head home.<
Yeah.
I hurried the rest of the way home and reached my door just as it started pouring. I hurried in and set my bags down before looking out the window into the growing storm.
You know, I've always liked rain. It's so soothing.
>Meh.<
~Makes me sleepy.~
As I looked out, I saw an alien shape run for the cover of a nearby tree and huddle beneath it.
Is that...
~It's that gryphon from before.~
>I don't think its been having much luck finding a job. Especially considering what Brooke told us about this town and gryphons.<
As I watched, it hunkered down and started shivering from the cold water. And, unless my eyes were deceiving me, crying.
Oh man, that's sad.
~I dunno, I thought gryphons were all trouble. That's what Shimmering Scales said.~
>To hell with that. All these ponies treated you the same when you first came here.<
Yeah... I'm going to do something!
I opened my door and whistled as loud as I could. The gryphon’s head snapped in my direction.
“HEY! IF YOU WANT YOU CAN WAIT OUT THE STORM IN HERE!”
The gryphon stood up and hurried over, attempting to avoid mud puddles in the way. I stood aside as my mysterious visitor stood under the eaves of my house and shook himself (or herself, I dunno.) off. As the still wet gryphon crossed inside he looked at me and nodded.
“Thanks. I was starting to think I was going to have to stay under that tree all night.”
Okay, judging by its voice it was a dude. I nodded and closed the door before heading to the bathroom. I grabbed an extra towel (gotta love two packs!) and handed it to him. He began scrubbing his feathers and fur as I walked into the kitchen.
“Just set that by the door when you're done. Want something to eat?”
“Yeah, whatcha got?”
“Uh... some various fruits. Half a blueberry pie, stuff to make peanut butter sandwichs, and some cereal.”
“C-can I have some pie?”
“Sure. Anything to drink? I've got milk, OJ, or root beer.”
“Milk’s fine.”
“Okay.”
I grabbed the requested items and set them on the small table by the couch. I gestured for him to sit down which he gladly did.
“Still cold? I've got a blanket?”
“I don't want to be a bother.”
“You're not. Trust me.”
“O-okay. I am pretty cold.”
I grabbed the extra blanket I had (okay, what is there with this town and only selling in bulk.) and draped it over him. He had already devoured the pie and grateful pulled the blanket closer.
“Want a sandwich too? You look pretty hungry.”
“N-no. It's fine. I don't want to eat all your food.”
I gave him a look which just screamed “are you kidding me.” He sheepishly grinned and rubbed a claw against the back of his head.
“I’ll go make you a sandwich. Feel free to use my shower while I do. Not to be rude, but you're covered in mud.”
He looked at himself and cringed.
“Yeah, I look like crap.”
He grabbed the towl I’d given him and headed for the bathroom (which I pointed out for him. Trust me, it's always a little uncomfortable to ask.) I listened as the water turned on and I heard a very audible sigh of relief. I understood that too. Warm showers man, warm showers. I made three sandwiches (what, I wanted a damn sandwich. Sue me.) two of which I set on his pie plate and the other I began eating myself.
He seems nice.
~Guess everypony was wrong.~
>If you hadn't noticed, ponies are racist.<
Pretty soon, he was back and much cleaner than before. He sat down and looked at the sandwichs I had made.
“They won't bite you you know.”
He smiled and picked one up before saying,
“Thanks. Just, for all of this. For the food, the shower, everything. I can't thank you enough.”
“No prob. I'm Jackknife by the way, but my friends call me Jack.”
“Talion.”
“Sweet name, very badass.”
“If only that aspect transfered over to me.”
“I dunno. You are a gryphon, that is pretty badass in and of itself.”
He blushed and started looking me up and down.
“Before you ask, no. I am not a vampony. I'm a Nocturne.”
“I kinda figured that.”
“You’d be surprised at how often I have to say that.”
“Seriously!? Wow, I just thought ponies were scared of me.”
“Naw, they're scared of anything different. So I know what it's like. Although, not as bad as you. I think this town has a history with gryphons.”
He sighed,
“No wonder no one would give me a chance.”
“So... what're you doing here?”
“I was trying to move here. I used to live in the Gryphon Kingdom but... I didn't really fit in there well. I figured I'd move to Equestria even though there's the whole taboo about eating meat.”
“Yeah, I've gotta take pills to get enough protein and iron.”
“Nocturnes are carnivores?”
“Omnivores. But we need meat to survive.”
He nodded before going back to his sandwich. Once he was done he looked out the window and saw that it had cleared up, revealing... the sunset?! How long had it been!?
“Well, I'll get out of your way. I better go find somewhere to sleep tonight.”
“Oh no, you better stop right there. You can crash here as long as you need. I'm betting you don't have any money?”
He shook his head.
“So that means you're stuck here unless you feel like flying to another town which will take days. I'm sure if I throw in a good word at work I can get you a job. And then we can figure out permanent housing for you.”
He looked at me, dumbfounded.
“R-really!”
“Mhm. What’re friends for?”
He grinned and blushed.
“F-friends?”
“Well duh? I only spent all day talking to you and offered you a place to stay. I'm pretty sure we can consider eachother friends by now.”
He gave me a warm look and nodded.
“Okay. I can work with that. So... should I sleep on the couch? Or something?”
“Eh, we can just share. I don't mind.”
I turned and walked towards my bedroom. Once I was in the doorway I gestured inside.
“Su casa, mi casa.”
He slowly walked over and looked at the double bed.
“A-are you sure? I'm fine with the couch.”
“I already told you, if you don't think it's weird, we can share. I personally don't think it's weird for two dudes to share a bed when there's only one bed. Besides, that couch would be too small for you. And I sure as heck don't want to sleep on it.”
“Alright alright! You win.”
I took my turn getting my teeth brushed and stuff like that before pulling out a toothbrush for Talion to use. I was lying in bed when I heard the water turn off and he got into bed with his back against mine.
“Gnight.”
“Night.”
Honestly, you might be wondering why I was so friendly with this guy, bit you haven't seen a gryphon before. Or felt one’s cuddly floof. You know how soft and fluffy birds are? And how cuddly cats are? Well a gryphon is both mixed together. Literally so huggable and pretty cute with how fluffy their feathers are. So yea, it's not weird.