Luna entered the alien yet increasingly-familiar dream realm, immediately stabilizing Jason’s dream. It had started to be a nightmare almost immediately, indicating some sort of unrest in his mind.
I can only imagine the things that trouble you, Jason.
Yet this dream had a strangely different feel to it. A nightmare, but something else…
The crack of gunfire drew Luna’s attention, the Alicorn finding herself in a city alley. The stench of death and garbage scorched her nostrils, the princess making sure her fail-safe spells were still active.
This place gives me the creeps. I can’t imagine what living in…
Three humans now entered her vision; a mother, father, and child. The father fired a small pistol frantically at a bloodied and frantic infected that dashed after them, the three running down the alleyway. The scene shifted as the three cowered against the dead-end wall, a dozen more creatures gathering on the street outside. Sores covered their bodies as a few grasped sharp implements, the closest one letting out a gurgling roar.
The walls becoming transparent, Luna watched as behind a metal door a familiar man cowered with his hands over his ears, his form shrouded in shadow.
“Don’t do it, you’ll get yourself killed.” he muttered, Luna’s eyes widening as the humans outside began to scream.
“No. I’d never forgive…pick a symbol…did I lie?”
Two determined eyes snapped open as Jason seemed to fight himself internally despite moving swiftly. Yanking the door open and jumping into the alley, the man’s outline became much sharp and resolved. Clad in a strange dark suit, Jason’s limbs were heavily armored with plastic pads, a thick, transparent shield crudely strapped to his left arm. A black weapon was clutched in his gloved hands; a different from the rifle in the previous dream. This one had a strange, banana-shaped box underneath it as the firearm roared in the alley and made the first five creatures drop into a lifeless pile.
“IN!” Jason bellowed, gesturing to the open door as the family rushed inside. The child was frozen however, slipping from the mother’s grasp as the youngster screamed in fear as the infected humans began to rush down the alley.
Jason reloaded with an unnatural smoothness, the empty metal magazine clattering to the ground. The gun barked again, tearing into the creatures that now stumbled and fell, some no more than a single body-length from Jason.
Another magazine was reloaded, but the last creature was too close. Jason dropped the rifle and sent the small shield smashing across the creature’s face. Yanking out a pistol on his hip, a single shot rang out before the man retrieved his rifle, then ducking into the door as the child was scooped up by his parents.
“Merci,” the man gasped in a different dialect, yet it was translated loosely in the dream as Jason could understand it.
Thank you.
“The nearest settlement is a day away. Rest here, we leave in the morning. Do you understand me? I don’t speak much French,” Jason replied, guiding the group quietly through the ruined building.
“I understand, we follow, Prédicateur de Gryphon.”
Jason seemed to huff at the name, and only now did Luna draw a surprised breath as she caught sight of his back. Stenciled on the black armor was a golden symbol, a crude stencil obviously having been used with yellow spray-paint. He turned away before Luna could get a good look at it however, the image strangely fuzzy.
“I am neither of those things…who started all of that? It was Jeffrey at the outpost, wasn’t it?” Jason muttered, waving a hand. “Let’s go.”
Jason shook his head, only now seeming to notice Luna.
“Huh. Dream again? Ugh, this is weird,” he muttered.
“A dream indeed, shall I change the setting?” Luna asked. Seeing him nod, the man quickly was transported to a familiar meadow a Luna looked at him curiously.
“The translation was fuzzy, but what did that name mean?” Luna ventured to question, prompting a tired yet amused huff from Jason.
“I’d rather explain it when I’m awake, and perhaps at a later time,” he stated simply. Luna nodded respectfully, sending her magic pulsing through the dream.
“Of course, Jason. Sleep well.”
“Thank you, Luna.”
The man then slept without dreams until the sun poked through the curtains. He sat up with a grunt, calmly walking over to his pile of supplies after his morning freshen-up routine. Reaching into a backpack and looking at some familiar black armor, the man couldn’t help but chuckle on seeing the recently touched-up symbol on the back.
“You were there for me during those months of horror. And now it’s more than a set of ideas helping me adjust in an alien land. I just hope you don’t cry too much when I tell you how much this means to me, Galley. But first things first. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about things.”
Turning the armor over in his hands, Jason smiled as the simplistic design of a gryphon looked back at him.
Galley’s ears lay flat against her skull as she wandered the castle halls, knowing full well why Celestia had summoned her.
But she could delay at least for a few more minutes.
How do I describe something I’m not sure of myself?
No. I’m at least sure of one thing.
The gryphoness sat down with a sigh, head shaking back and forth.
I don’t even know if I have the words. All I know is that I’m looking forward to spending time with Jason…perhaps a bit too much.
And there it is.
She wasn’t sure when exactly it had started, but meeting with the human almost every day seemed to just make everything better. It wasn’t so simple as a star-struck gaze or the like, but…he was her friend.
And now I can at least recognize I would like something more, quite a bit more if I’m behind honest. I know how it feels to have my heart flutter at least.
She didn’t even know how that’d work, if that could work. But better to take the safe path out, if Celestia would let her.
I’ve just grown to like him. Every outing we’ve gone on, he’s just nice to be around. Different, and there’s some stuff I don’t understand, but I just feel at ease.
Ugh.
Galley put one clawed hand in front of the other now, plodding towards the throne room, where hopefully Celestia would have some answers.
Because my mind is telling me one thing, but my heart another.
I just don’t know what to do.
Celestia stared at the two forms in front of her and sighed, gently pressing a hoof against her forehead.
“Of course, you bottled it all up, Galley. Personal issues indeed,” she muttered to the empty throne room. “I could see something was bothering you from a mile away and certainly Jason did too. Let’s see if I was right.”
A rather despondent gryphoness entered the throne room, blinking in surprise to see Celestia sitting at the base of the steps her crown off to the side. The Guard clearly hadn’t slept well, feathers and fur still sticking up despite efforts to smooth them down.
Galley didn’t say anything, instead just sitting down in front of Celestia to look at the floor. The alicorn’s ears flattened, the ruler walking over to sit next to the gryphoness.
“I knew something was bothering you, you know. I just wish you had told me, if not only as your boss, but as your friend,” Celestia remarked softly, Galley nodding once.
“I know. I just-I don’t know what to do.”
“Is that why you sent a transfer request and then immediately a cancelation?”
Another nod, and Celestia ventured a bit further. “May I ask the reason for the request? You left it as ‘unspecified,’ which wouldn’t raise any eyebrows, but with your unique position, it certainly did.”
Galley stayed quiet for a moment, the guard taking a breath and sitting a bit taller, looking over to Celestia.
“I felt that my personal feelings may be getting in the way of my assignment, Princess.”
The audible *clop* as Celestia smacked her face with a hoof made Galley jump, the alicorn then letting out a groan. “Galley, I admire your dedication, but you’ve tried to hit the mark so assuredly you’ve missed the entire map. May I make a bold guess?”
Galley nodded, still appearing slightly confused.
“In short? You like Jason quite a bit and have no idea what to do. Perhaps I should have clarified this…” Celestia muttered, looking over to see a rather fluffed-up gryphoness. “That sound right?”
“Pretty much sums it up,” Galley whispered, deflating as her wings sagged. “It’s not appropriate. I’m a guard, an ambassador. You shouldn’t have this sort of issue with an assignment.”
“Is that all he is to you? An assignment?”
“NO!”
Celestia couldn’t hold back the grin at Galley’s outburst, the alicorn tilting her head curiously. “Oh? Then if he’s not just an assignment, what is the issue? Didn’t you say he needed a friend? Why not something more, in due time?” she couldn’t help but continue to grin, Celestia spreading a wing over her friend. “I really am sorry, Galley. I should have made this entire matter clearer. You’re not in the wrong here, and I wish I had made that apparent from the start when I first entertained this possibility.”
“But what do I do? This isn’t just like I met him at a store or anything. This is different.”
Looking at the gryphoness with a caring gaze, Celestia couldn’t help but laugh softly. “I’m sorry, it’s something Cadence told me when Jason had some questions. Is it really that different? Our societies aren’t that far apart, and what my niece said holds true. I believe she told him to ‘make friends, find love, go on adventures!’ and that statement certainly applies to you. In your specific assignment I see no conflict of interest unless things sour, but that can easily be remedied with a transfer at that point. Until them, I see no reason to intervene legally or otherwise as long as Jason is fully aware of things.”
“Really?” Galley whispered, letting out a frustrated sigh and shaking her head. “I feel like quite an idiot. I may have not slept much and might have overreacted. Just a bit.”
“…a bit?”
Galley finally smiled, looking up to her friend with a shrug. The Princess was quite overjoyed by the fact Galley was beginning to perk back up.
“Now if things become awkward due to feelings not being returned, I certainly can understand the desire for a transfer, as I mentioned. But you haven’t even told the poor man what is bothering you. If I’ve noticed you being preoccupied, I’m sure he has too. So, Galley, what are you going to do?”
“Be a nervous wreck all day and eat lots of ice cream!” Celestia turned her head with an incredulous stare to see a familiar peppy gryphoness grinning at her. “Orrrrr I might go just talk to Jason, for better or for worse.”
“There you go. Goodness, you nearly gave me a heart attack,” Celestia grumbled. “Let me know how it goes.”
“Will do!”
It was only after Galley was out of the throne room that she sat down, looking at her shaking claws as she sat in a side hallway. Despite her stomach churning, the gryphoness couldn’t help but smile.
“One way or another, at least I won’t have to bottle it all up. And best of all, I think Jason will understand, however it goes.”
One comment from a week or two ago stuck in her mind however as Galley made her way towards Jason’s location; likely near the gardens after a media appointment.
‘With those feathers, you look like a cute half-burned marshmallow!’
Jason leaned back in the chair and took a breath of the fresh garden air. The media appointment had gone well, yet another round of questions and basic earth history sent soaring across the radio waves of Equestria. The only other thing for today was to review the additional citizenship paperwork and some potential jobs. Celestia had apparently been doing some ‘modifications’ with his tower, resources being shunted to that section of the forest.
Something was happening, but nocreature would tell him what.
Something. That word was still being used more often than not when talking about his arrival site. Perhaps he’d ask-
“Jason?”
The man immediately looked over to see his favorite gryphoness shifting nervously from claw to claw.
“Galley? What’s up?” Jason’s eyes then narrowed with a slight frown on his lips. “You look like you’re feeling awful. You ok?”
“Can we talk?”
“Sure. Maybe over there? Out of the way and such?”
Maybe you’ll tell me what has been bothering you this past week or so, but after yesterday I certainly have an idea.
Galley followed him over to the secluded stone area, a few small trees and shrubs providing a bit of privacy. A simple request to a nearby guard ensured that wouldn’t change.
“Galley, I know something has been bothering you,” Jason stated, sitting on a stone step as the gryphoness continued to fidget. “I honestly don’t know what it is, but I have a feeling it’s something to do with me. I can only hope I didn’t do anything that has made you uncomfortable, and if so, I-”
His words cut off as Galley shook her head, emerald eyes looking up to his.
“It’s not that, Jason. It’s the opposite. You’ve been fine, a bit too charming as a matter of fact. I just haven’t known how to handle it.”
Bingo.
Jason waited for Galley to speak, not about to be so forward to voice his suspicions.
“And you noticed instantly of course. It took talking to Celestia to snap me out of my own head. I even applied for a position transfer.”
Wait. What?
Galley looked up at him, the gryphoness shrugging tiredly, but a smile was on her features as a flurry of emotions danced across her eyes.
“I like you, Jason, more than a friend, quite a bit more. And instead of being an adult I completely spun things out of proportion in my own head rather than talk to you. I had no idea, have no idea what your reaction is going to be to all this, but clearly my attempts to ignore it all were pretty poor.” The gryphoness then began to knead her claws together, obviously waiting for his response.
So, I was right.
Oh, thank heavens I spent yesterday afternoon in the library so this wasn’t totally blindsided.
The man couldn’t help but smile, not able to resist a soft chuckle.
“Honestly, Galley, I had a feeling this was a possibility. I realized it yesterday as a matter of fact.”
“W-what?!”
Jason continued to grin, gesturing down. Galley followed his gaze, her own eyes widening as a rebellious tail rested against Jason’s feet.
“I was doing some research into social customs and stuff; didn’t want to get blindsided. I looked into gryphons especially since my friend happens to be one. Yesterday I had a thought, wondering what was bothering you so. The tail thing was an immediate clue to it all. I spent a fair amount of time thinking about it, but not as long as I thought I’d need.”
“And what did you come up with?” Galley asked softly, her gaze breaking from Jason’s to look at the ground.
“That I’m still acclimating to this new world and I most certainly didn’t expect to be dealing with this so soon. That said, I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all. I certainly find myself describing you as adorable in many ways more often than not, and safe to say I enjoy your company quite a bit. And yes, that includes finding you attractive in more than one meaning of the word.”
At his words, Galley’s feathers immediately returned to a familiar state of poofiness, the gryphoness looking up in surprise.
“S-so…”
“So, I have absolutely no idea where to go from here but I don’t see it as a bad thing, quite the opposite in fact. However, I’d definitely not want to ruin a relationship with a friend, or anyone for that matter by starting something when I’m still adjusting to life here…”
“Oh.”
Galley’s ears stuck straight up as Jason gently tapped her beak with a finger. “Hey, I wasn’t finished. I don’t want to start anything without getting some advice. I’d like to talk to Cadence, and maybe with you there too to see how best to handle this. There’s still a lot you don’t know about me, and I don’t want to rush into anything that hurts either of us, especially you.”
He looked over to the gryphoness, then suddenly reached over and grabbed her into a hug. “Galley, you’re my friend, one of the few creatures in this place I trust. The fact you think so highly of me is a bit overwhelming, but not in a bad way.”
“So, what about the whole species thing?”
Jason raised an eyebrow as the gryphoness relaxed in his arms, then shrugging at her words. “In what sense?”
“I didn’t know if humans could even like somecreature not human.”
“It’s a bit different when you’re talking to somecreature and you break free of the ‘not the only sapient creature’ thing. Then it’s, I don’t know; it’s freeing. It’s not just humans anymore, it’s humans, ponies, gryphons, dragons and so forth. That was the majority of the thinking I did in the Library, crossing that mental bridge.
You’re honestly no different than a human, I mean in terms of being around; fun, happy, a great sense of humor, all that. I’d have zero issues asking you on a date if you were a human, so why would the species thing be that big of a barrier? Physically? Eh, being around a bunch of non-human creatures acclimates you pretty quickly. I mean, it does help you’re my favorite creature I suppose.”
That comment earned a giggle, Galley pulling back to sit in front of the man with a rather teary smile.
“I hope that explains it. It’s a bit of a mental shift, but I did all the heavy thinking in that library, if I found individuals here attractive, how I reacted, all that stuff. I had been meaning to think about it ever since my first few weeks here. So…here we are. I wouldn’t have called you an adorably burned marshmallow unless I meant it.”
That earned a sniffle, Galley scrubbing at her eyes as the guard’s side shook slightly. “S-sorry. It’s been a long week, all thanks to my own doing of course. I didn’t think this would all go so smoothly, and just, well.”
“Did you really think I’d find everycreature here hideous? I started adjusting to the idea on some level when Cadence told me that apparently, I was attractive to other species here. So that was a full two months ago, and I’ve had some time to mull it over and get it straight in my own head.”
“I mean, I thought it was a possibility. Gryphons aren’t really seen as cute. More fierce and predatory. That’s a view that’s fading, but it still kind of hurts. Not my fault I love fish. Not many ponies find Gryphons attractive, let alone other species. Other gryphons don’t even find each other attractive at times!” Galley admitted.
“I can understand that. Well, I can safely say this human finds you all three and then some. It’ll just take me a bit of time to get used to the entire thing and make sure that my feelings aren’t just part of acclimating to here. That said, nothing I’m getting used to thus far is bad, so I don’t want you thinking that about yourself. Just new and different in a rather endearing way,” he paused, not able to resist a grin. “
So, in short? I find you rather attractive too, Galley, in quite a few ways, and I’m certainly open to see where this goes as long as we can get some advice that I desperately need, and you understand that I’m wanting to make sure any feelings I have are genuine amidst this rather big life change. So…slow and steady.”
Galley nodded, shifting from claw to claw as she bit her tongue.
“…you don’t have to raise your claw or anything to ask me something,” Jason chuckled.
“So, does that mean an occasional hug is alright?”
Ok, Galley is definitely living up to her adorable designation.
“It means hugs are fine, Galley. I know I said I wasn’t a huggy individual, but that doesn’t seem to apply when it’s you.”
The man wasn’t surprised when she took a few steps forward and returned to relaxing in his arms, Jason then letting out a soft huff.
“You know, that night in the tower really helped. You were asleep on my lap, and goodness I was a wreck. I assumed you had a mate or whatever passed for it here, but just having someone close made it a bit better.”
Galley shifted to look up at him, her white cheeks a brilliant shade of pink as she then glanced away.
“I was awake, actually.”
“Wait, huh?”
She nodded, claws clenching slightly. “You were hurting. I didn’t know what was wrong, not fully. But I wanted to help, and you also made things a little less scary, even if you were an alien. I was so dang scared up there, and you just made me feel safe.”
Jason’s claw clenched, giving Galley a tight squeeze as he tried to not let the lump in his throat rise to his eyes. “You knew something was wrong from the start, and you’re still right here.”
“Where else would I be? Sure, I could tell something was off aside from you being an alien, but that wasn’t my business.”
“You don’t understand, Galley,” Jason remarked, letting her go only to have the gryphoness hop up onto the stone ledge and sit next to him. “After the Event, survivors were treated differently. Sure, there were those accepting and treating them like anyone else, but being pitied or feared was a common reaction. Coming here was a fresh start, at least until those blasted nightmares happened.”
“Well, considering the crazy stuff that happens in Equestria most won’t think twice about it. The Princesses seemed to take it all in stride, well, aside from Twilight.”
“I wish I didn’t have to tell her that, honestly, but I thought it best I did.”
“Yeah, that was the right call.”
Jason didn’t say anything for a few moments before he let out a groan, smacking a hand to his face.
“Jason?”
“I promised Cadence I’d let her know if this aspect of my life changed, that she’d be the first to know. I have a feeling I might be needing some earplugs later today. Even the thought of it had her nearly exploding with excitement.”
“Oooooooooh.”
“But before we inform her, may I ask why you have these feelings, if that’s appropriate?” Jason questioned with a slight sigh. “You’ll have to forgive me if I have the nagging doubt of being a simple passing intrigue, but I really am curious.”
Galley could only shrug her wings, gesturing towards Jason with a set of claws.
“I mean, it could be that you’re a human, that curiosity, I won’t deny that,” she murmured, “but I don’t think it is. That would have faded. I just find you interesting, Jason. You’re fun to be around, and you…um….”
The man grinned at seeing the gryphoness fluff up, Galley finally letting out a huff.
“You make me feel safe, alright?” she admitted. “I feel like I can trust you, a lot more than anyone else I’ve met. To me, that means a lot. Everything else I’ve learned about you just adds to that.”
A gentle hand on her shoulder made the gryphoness stiffen, then immediately relax happily.
“Thank you, Galley,” Jason replied, “that makes a bit more sense. No matter where we end up, I truly never hope to break that trust.”
Galley nodded, the fact her feathers still were sticking out making it rather difficult for Jason to not laugh. She was adorable, but he had to be careful. The last thing he wanted was to have her misconstrue a gesture, especially when he was still figuring everything out.
Withdrawing his hand, the man ran a hand through his hair and let out a soft chuckle.
“Sorry. Just, it’s one thing to contemplate something, another to talk about it,” he admitted. “I hope you understand why the word ‘slow’ is going to be used a lot in terms of us, or however that progresses.”
“I assumed so,” Galley admitted. “But I’d be a bit more concerned if you did suddenly just, accept stuff and roll with it.”
“Suppose that’s true…” Jason’s voice trailed off, the man suddenly slapping a hand to his face with a groan.
“Oh no.”
“Huh?”
Jason winced, massaging his temples.
“So, you know how I want to meet with Cadence later today? Just…maybe set up some regular talks? It's only now starting to fully sink in of how much she's going to have a field day with this.”
The knowing grin on Galley’s face seemed to confirm just that face.