The journey was slow going and already Spike was making comments on how much his feet hurt.
"We're not even half way..." Spike groaned which caused me to chuckle.
"Maybe you can catch a ride with Cerberus?" I offered and all three heads of the beast looked at me with an intelligent glare.
"Ok maybe not," I revised and kept walking. Spike's foot hit a divot in the road which threw him off balance and he tumbled to the ground face first. I blinked and grabbed his large backpack and helped him up.
"Ah, ouch." he said as he grabbed onto his ankle.
"You hurt?" I asked and he nodded before taking off his backpack.
"I can't walk on this." He said as he self-evaluated his ankle. I looked at Cerberus who had stopped and just looked at us with mild concern.
"Do you mind taking spikes pack I'll carry Spike?" I asked not really knowing if my words would get through to the canine. The two heads on the side looked to the middle who nodded and the left head picked it up and nimbly tossed it onto its back in a fashion I didn't think he could do. Spike looked at me unsure.
"Are you sure? I," he began and I shook my head.
"I don't think Twilight would like it if I just left you to get better or whatever. Come on." I said and Spike didn't have to be told twice and he limped to my side and jumped up straddling my back. He wasn't that heavy at all really. It was another thing I had begun to recently notice I was stronger than I used to be. I was never a jock but what I could do now I felt I could accomplish much I couldn't when I was human not including the flying bit.
"I'm not too heavy?" he asked and I shook my head.
"If Twilight can carry you effortlessly." I mocked and started forward again.
"You really think highly of yourself." He said and I looked over my shoulder at him. His expression looked down his shout at me un-approvingly which made a flare of anger burst forth and I quickly squashed it.
"Nah, just saying I can do anything physical she can do," I said pointedly and Spike nodded.
"Ah huh. right." He said sarcastically.
"You can walk you know." I gave a rebuttal and he was quiet.
"I thought so," I said with a smirk and Spike crossed his arms in defiance.
"Sorry if I seem... disgruntled," Spike said suddenly and I looked back at him. His face was slightly sullen.
"Whats up?" I asked and he looked up at me before he began.
"I feel like I'm just an assistant..an afterthought." He said honestly. I chuckled and he didn't appreciate my recreation to his confession.
"Don't worry Spike I'm not laughing at you I just understand...kinda. Don't you pride yourself being her number one assistant?" I asked.
"I'm her only assistant...well I was till Owlicious came," Spike said slightly bitter.
"Well, you have done more right? You're not only known for just following behind Twilight and the girls." I asked as I looked forward and kept walking.
"Well, I did help save the crystal empire from an evil unbrum-unicorn called Sombra." He said and his nostrils flared with green flame in pride.
"Umbrum?" I asked confused.
"Oh, its a Shadow pony. Born from shadow and is harmed by the magic of the crystal heart that holds all the love and happiness of the crystal kingdom." Spike explained and I gave a small laugh.
"Right love, friendship equaling magic right?" I said skeptically. Spike put his heels into my side making me look back at him and glare before I realized he was glaring at me.
"Trust in friendship Feather Beak. I've seen it defeat all matter of creatures. How else do you think ponies have survived this long surrounded by evil creatures." he said and I raise my eyebrows.
"Guess you're right. Ponies aren't really very threatening looking. Though they do a lot regardless of not having thumbs." I said wiggling my thumb and Spike laughed suddenly.
"I never really thought about it but yeah that is odd, I kind of just accepted its normal," Spike said with a grin. Looking along the dirt road the forest was on our left side.
"Where are we?" I asked and Spike looked up at the backpack on Cerberus.
"Can you get the map?" He asked and I shrugged before giving a jump and I felt Spikes claws dig into my back as I flapped my wings.
"Fuck dude don't do that!" I shrieked sounding like a hawk and Spike released me.
"S-sorry just kind of reacted," he said and I beat my wings till I was hovering over Cerberus who's right head looked at me with mild interest and then looked forward lazily as he continued to walk. I plucked the map from Spikes backpack and banked to land on the ground then trotted to catch up to Cerberus. I handed the map to Spike and he opened it.
"That's White tail woods." He said and turned the map around then pointed at where Ponyville and then a blotch of light green that was something like an inch from where Ponyville was on the map.
"Ok, where is Tartarus?" I asked and Spike's claw went from whitetail woods all along the train tracks over a gorge, cut through a town, moved through the mountain range, snaked along a cliff, across a desert, then lastly across the ocean to an island that had purple clouds and lightning bolts with a foreboding looking building. I looked at Spike dumbstruck.
"See right there." He said simply.
"Oh, just a days walk... How the hell did Cerberus just show up in Ponyville?" I said sarcastically. Spike chuckled and shook his head.
"It's more like a week and I have nooo idea." He said and we both looked at Cerberus and all three heads looked at us and all gave a smug smile with the notion like 'you will never know'.
"I'm going to be fired," I said looking forward and hanging my head in defeat.
"Twilight will tell Sand Paper she sent you on an errand not like he can go against royalty," Spike assured me and I simply nodded hoping that was true. Not even a week and I could have lost my first real job.
"How are we going to cross the desert let alone the ocean," I asked and Spike rolled up the map and tucked it under the quiver on my back.
"We are going to walk to Dodge City and take a train from there to the Coastal city that is on the map there and from there we will take a ship to Tartarus." He explained and I frowned.
"Why didn't we take the train from Ponyville?" I asked.
"Ponyville doesn't have large flat decks to carry large cargo. So we have to walk to Dodge city to catch a train that can move Cerberus along." Spike said as he stretched out and laid back making himself comfortable.
"Oh well, that shouldn't be too bad," I said sarcastically as we approached a bridge that covered a flowing river. Cerberus stopped suddenly and looked up the river, his ears perked up alerted towards upriver. Spike sat up suddenly and I moved to Cerberus's side.
"What what do you think Cerberus would stop for?" I asked reaching for my bow.
"Nothing good," Spike said confidently. Around the corner, a splashing figure was struggling to keep their head above water. My eyes widened as Spike and I looked at one another. We needed to save that person and Spike hopped down with the help of my wing and I beat my wings and flew above Cerberus to get a better look.
"There is a rope in my backpack!" Spike said and I quickly unbuckled my quiver and then reached into Spikes' bag then pulled out the rope and began to unwind it and tie it around my middle giving it a stiff tug to make sure it was secure. I now was glad for all those knot lessons at summer camp. The struggling figure went under and all I saw was a wing and I began to panic.
"I don't see them!" I said as Spike moved to the side of the railing and looked out. Suddenly they burst from the water one last struggle and I slammed my wings to propel me forward as I threw an end of the rope at Spike who looked at it surprised. I plunged into the water, the shock of the cold made my mind go blank for a moment as the rush of water crashed around my head I reached out blindly with my claw and touched something and gripped them pulling them to me. Suddenly I felt a slam into my chest as the rope went tight. I hugged the drowning person as if they were the only thing that mattered in life. I tried to open my wings and suddenly my head broke the surface of the water and I gulped in air. We started to move as I looked down and saw that the person was another griffin. I looked over and saw Spike pulling but really only dangling from a tight rope that Cerberus had in his maw and was not on the upper side of the bridge and was pulling us to shore. As we made it to shore I turned the Griffin over and put my ear to their beak and heard no breathing. I had a rudimentary understanding of CPR on a human so a griffin couldn't be much of a difference right? I placed my claw over their nose and pressed my beak to theirs and breathed into their mouth. I saw their chest rise slightly and I pressed my claws together and began compressions.
"Come on!" I yelled and continued to give another breath followed by another set of compressions. Spike stood by mortified as he favored his good leg.
"Feather..." He began as I pressed my beak against theirs and breathed again and then an eruption of water burst out like a geyser and they rolled onto their side coughing and gasping. A wave of relief washed over me and Spike as they opened their eyes. Their eyes were golden in color and their body was a light chocolate brown from under their white feather head and neck. Slight pink rings circled both eyes as they looked up at me.
"I'm...alive?" she said. A girl griffin?
"Yes, you are. Are you ok?" I asked as I slumped on my rump breathing heavily.
"I'll live," she said just slumping on the ground and Spike approached her. I looked up at the three headed bulldog and smiled.
"Thanks, buddy," I said and Cerberus gave me a three headed smile then bent down and began to lick me.
"God..eh shit...OK, OK.I get it!" I said gently pushing the pup away and I held out my claw and shivered as slobber now covered the right half of my body. I untied myself and walked into the river and flopped over and cleaned myself. When I had finished I approached the small group.
"Why were you in the river?" Spike asked and she shrugged.
"I was doing acrobatics and lost control and crashed into the water." She said and instantly I didn't believe her and neither did Cerberus for that matter who growled at her and she looked visibly frightened.
"Ok, I was sent on a mission from Griffinstone to see if the rumor was true that Cerberus was not at his post and well... seems like rumors are true." She said as she looked at him and then me.
"Oh, you're from Griffinstone? Feather Beak is from Griffinstone too," Spike said and She looked at me slightly confused.
"You're from Griffinstone?" She asked and I shrugged with a slight nod and she glared at me.
"Bullshit. Whats your name?" she said standing.
"Feather Beak. Who are you?" I shot back feeling a knot form in my stomach as she found her legs and stood proudly.
"The names Gilda." she said and I smiled meekly.
"Nice to meet you. You never said why you were in the river though." I said and waddled out of the water and past her she visibly ruffled her feathers and she became defensive.
"I was being chased by Twittermites," she said quietly and I giggled. Twittermites? Gilda frowned and turned on me and got in my face.
"It's not funny! I got zapped and I fell into the river and I almost drowned!" She said angrily. I had lost all of my giggles with her screaming in my face and I lifted a claw.
"I saved you," I said and Cerberus ruffed gently.
"With Cerberus and Spikes help," I added quickly and Cerberus closed all his eyes and nodded feeling proud of himself.
"When you got ashore I gave you CPR and then you." I began to explain and she stopped me.
"What is CPR?" she asked looking confused.
"I gave you well...beak to beak resuscitation then pressed on your abdomen and.." she looked like she realized something and he glared at me.
"You kissed me!" She said outraged, I looked at Spike who shrugged.
"Well, it not kissing its," I said looking up to her to see her clawed fist before I blacked out.