//------------------------------// // Interrupted Bliss (83) // Story: Griffin the Griffin // by BlackWing //------------------------------// Interrupted Bliss "Sailing sailing, in the skies we sing, who knows, what disaster, the future will bring!" I sang merrily to the sunset on the top deck. "Grif, you're awfully cheerful...." Gilda noticed as she came up beside me. "What's not to be happy about? Asshole Aoi is off the ship, I've got the most gorgeous griffin in the world by my side," She blushed a bit at this part, " friends, family, food, drink, and open skies. I've got some new recruits to keep us organized, and we're finally getting back to doing what we're meant to do. Good, old fashioned violence. None of this crappy demon fighting or social events. Just raiding and pillaging. Oh...... and Ember......... I'll figure that out soon enough." "That's what I like to see." She rubbed up against me, and I moved closer in response. "The confidence to take on the world. Don't ever lose it..." The cool night air of Gem Fido running through my feathers and fur giving me a slight tingle up my spine... or, was it anticipation? "Yeah, I have the feeling everything will turn out alright. I can start relying on the crew more. They know what they're doing, and I know I can't do everything myself. Still, I'm not really used to relying on others all that much, but I'm gonna have to get used to it...... Ember is a problem though....." I let out a sigh. "If I said I wasn't worried, I'd be lying. I saw what she did at the gala." Her eyes indeed did betray her worry, looking me over with a bit a fright. "I know.... way I figure, if we run away, she's only gonna get stronger and angrier, hunt us down, and kill me. If I go to her, she just might be off guard enough for me to whack some sense into her, and if I fail and die there, well..... it'd be the same result, just a little sooner and a different location, and instead of the ship getting ripped up, you'd all still be around to keep going." "Grif.... don't talk like that...... I don't want to lose you....." "Gilda, this is important okay. The fact is, I really might not come back after seeing her. If I don't...... I want you to continue doing what we were doing. Take the ship and the crew, go out there, and smash this country to pieces....... In our room, my desk, the locked top drawer, if I don't come back, I want you to open that. It has my journal. That book contains everything I know, my knowledge, philosophies, my thoughts, plans, secrets, everything. If I die, I want you to have it." "Then why go alone? Why not have us come with?" "She probably won't be willing to talk, but she REALLY won't be willing if we show up in force. The only chance is a one on one, and if I die, don't fight her. Run. Anyone who comes with me is just asking to die. Heck, I don't even want to go myself, but I don't have much of a choice here. If it comes down to that.... leave while you have the chance. Until then, we don't know when or where we'll run into her, so let's just enjoy ourselves yeah?" "Yeah...." Her eyes quivered, as though there were tears in them, but she held them back. "So..... we got some time. We could dance under the stars, have a moonlight meal, just cuddle, talk, what do you want to do?" "You." Was her reply. I facepalmed. "Really? What am I, a sex toy?" I said with over dramatic sarcasm. "Hey, you're like, an 8/10. Can you blame me?" "What......" "You know, everyone's got a number, out of ten, for how hot someone is. Looks alone, you're an 8/10." "Wait a sec....... I'm attractive?" "Why else do you think you got people to follow you so easily?" "Charisma, wit, and charm?" "Well, that helps, but, mainly, you're damn sexy." "You're kidding......" "Well, before your feathers came in, you were pretty average, but those red feathers, and all the muscle from working out, and the couple of scars from the fights.... yeah, you're pretty good looking." "Well, at least I know you and Trixie stuck by me at the beginning for my personality, since the hotness came after. What about the 'other' me?" "Well, I wasn't sure at first, but those hands are fantastic. Getting grabbed all over, squeezed, held tightly, smooth skin rubbing fur.." She shuddered. "it's contact you just don't get. Ponies have hooves, griffins, dragons, and dogs have claws. I mean, it's not the best during, but the foreplay is beyond anything else." "Well... you know, I guess we COULD always go mess around a bit.... seapony style?" "Duh, it's the hottest thing there is, being able to see the face of your partner, and rubbing stomachs together.....It's kinky. You know 'escort services' actually charge 15% more for that?" "Wait.... ponies have prostitutes?" "Well, yeah, considering how many mares there are, a bunch of stallions figured it would be a good way to make bits. Of course, geeky guys can go there for mares too." "You know an awful lot about this....." "I was a working girl for a month. Some ponies..... they have a thing for griffins. It was all mares with me though, and for the most part, they just had me 'cuddle' with them. Again, feathers, soft. Just lay with them till they fall asleep, and stay the night. Then they wake up in your arms, pay you, and you're on your way. Sure, some wanted sex, but mostly they just don't want to be alone." "Same..... being alone sucks. It's nice to feel like someone cares for you, even if it's bought and they don't really." I turned and smiled at her. "Except we don't pay each other." "Good thing too, because there's no way you could afford this." She swished her tail in my face and giggled. "Well, come on." "Ahh........" We both sighed in satisfaction. "I guess we can just call it even......" "Sounds good to me." I smiled. "We best get going...." "Yeah....." Neither of us moved. "Or, we could just lay here." "We could......" She rolled over and put her head on my chest. "I kind of wish things would just stay like this forever you know?" "Yeah....." We wrapped our arms and wings around each other, then fell asleep. We woke up to the alarm blaring, making the two of us practically jump out of bed. We quickly dove to our gear and got suited up while using the PA to get the situation. "Single airship, off ze port bow, it looks damaged. Orders?" "Approach cautiously, could be a trap, ready the troops, get some scouts out there, and get Tiras on the gun." "Aye." Cable's voice left in a bit of static, then silence, then the orders being relayed to the rest of the ship. We waited in the room for a few moments for the hustle in the corridors to wind down, then headed to the top deck. The griffins and their riders were there, the rest of the cats at the cannons below, and the ponies were also on deck. "Alright, here's the deal..... we have no idea what's going on. I'm currently without a rider as Trixie is still in the hospital, so, Starlight Wisp, you're with me. I'll get you to the ship and get you on board. Use your intangibility to get us in and find out what the heck is going on. At the first sign of a trap we'll bail and shoot it down. Everyone else, at the ready, I don't want to get caught off guard." With everyone on highest alert, I strapped Starlight in and flew to the ship. Of course, she had only flown on griffinback once before, so, she was feeling pretty nervous, and had a death grip on me the entire time, despite being thoroughly secured. Once we arrived at the ship, I clung to the side of the hull to give her a minute, before climbing on board. Looking over it, I'm not even sure how it was still flying. The once pristine bag had some holes in it, a large chunk of the sturdy mahogany outer hull was missing, with small bits of it still smoldering. The rudder was gone, entirely, and only the center turbine was working, the two on the sides were bent and mangled beyond recognition. The top deck was caked in dried blood and burns, the captains wheel was gone, two of the balloon ties, gone. Mooring lines, not there either. The anchor was a puddle of slag, and all that remained of the captains quarters was a single scorched post. There was no steering this thing, and the crew seemed to be dead. My rider started hyperventilating at the scene before us. "Breathe okay?" I needed her calm and collected. Further inspection showed that the metal grate to the hold had been sealed shut, melted as well. There was no getting in or out. "Turn on your spell so we can get inside. You're not gonna fall, and I can handle a couple dogs if it comes to a fight." Taking a few more minutes to calm herself, minutes in which the crew was on edge as we sailed parallel to the vessel with the leaking airbag, broken rudder, and burn marks along it's hull, she finally was able to cast the spell and let us slip inside. What we saw...... was beyond definition. Diamond dogs, griffins, and ponies of all flavours, many with singed parts, others bleeding, and all tired. The only ones that weren't crying of fear, pain, and hunger were the ones that had succumbed to their wounds. Wisp dropped the spell and stared in awe. "What in Celestia's name happened?" "This marking...." I looked at one of the dog's jackets. "It's the same as the ships before. This thing came from Masonry." "All that's left...." A mare said, very much in shock. "You.... you're Griffin? They... they always said you'd come... the others..... but you never came...... They died, but..... we live?" She said the last bit as a question, as if she wasn't sure of it herself. "Come.... come to take us away?" "Yeah..... it's alright.... I'm here. I'm going to get you home, with all your friends and family again..." "No.... no! You won't! You're won't send me to the other side!" "What? No! I'm bringing you back to Equestria! To see your loved ones again!" "All my friends..... were inside......" I swallowed hard. This is not turning out good at all. I turned to look at the others, hoping to find one more mentally stable. "What happened?" "Dragon.... young... black." One of the dogs added. "Did she have wings?" "No. Rage. Insanity. Slaughtered. Speaks to self." Another put in. "...... Let's get these guys on board, get em cleaned up, some food, and medical attention....." "Yeah." We motioned for the ship to pull up close and lowered the gang plank. We moved all the ragged survivors on board and had them brought down to the medical bay for treatment, then shot down the shattered husk of a ship because frankly, we were tired of looking at it, and burning the bodies on board was better than letting them rot as the thing drifted into Equestrian airspace. "Well.... looks like we found Ember, and she ain't happy." "That's an understatement. Are you sure you still want to do this?" Gilda asked me. "Not at all, but, I don't see any other options at this point. Remember, if things go south..." I was interrupted by Gilda throwing her arms around me and burying her face in my neck. "First sign of trouble, get out of there. That way, we're still alive to think of something. Be smart alright? We can't do this without you...." "That's the thing...... you can. This entire time, I've been putting the whole load on myself, but the truth is, you're ready. If I die, you could do it..... All I am is an idea guy, a dreamer, and all my dreams are in a book in the top drawer of my bedside table. You're smart, Trixie is smart, and you've hung out with me enough that you know how I think. And don't worry, as soon as I think I can't handle myself, I'm gonna bail." "It's a shame my intangibility doesn't work against magic, and a single lick of dragonfire would put an end to it...." The unicorn stated as she came up beside me as well. "It's only been a couple weeks, and I originally came here as a spy, but I've learned so much. Just, come back okay?" "Expect the worst, then plan to have the best outcome. Besides, I'm too stubborn and far too sexy to die. I'll be just fine, this is all just in case I'm not." Standing on the deck, near the bow, I looked out on the horizon, and where the stone pillars of Masonry were the last time we visited now stood a volcano, boiling lava not spraying violently, but rather oozing down the sides and wrecking the valley below, the broken hulls of airships slowly being turned to ash as the molten rock swallowed them. If it was a natural disaster, it would have been horrifying, but apparently this was caused BY Ember going on a rampage. Looking at what I was about to throw myself into, I felt like I was being dangled above a bunch of hungry lions. This was quite possibly the first time since I arrived in Equestria that I had been well and truly terrified. "Leeeroy..... Jenkiiinnnnnnsssss. Wryyy? Charge?" I could think of no words of courage that could possibly steel myself for what I was about to do. "Ah fuck it." And then I set off for the boiling hell below. 'Just because I'm prepared to die doesn't mean I want to. Whoever sent me here, please bail me out, I don't want to die yet.'