“Zeph, I know you said you traveled a lot so you didn’t have a real place of your own, but I didn’t think you were living in a literal cave…” Annalyse knocked a loose stone away with her claw, looking around the rocky interior that her brother named ‘Home’ There wasn’t much to look at considering it was simply a cave, and the few belongings her brother kept with him were stuffed into a large travel bag unceremoniously dropped into a corner of the griffons abode.
Zephyrus was fairly large even to griffon standards, and compared to ponies he stood head and shoulders above all but the princesses. The same could be said for Anna, though she was still a tad smaller than her brother, which surprised her when she first found him considering he was said to be the runt of the litter. Anyone who had met her brother knew his size only made him look intimidating, but the only thing to fear about him was dumb he could be at times. The two of them were basically opposites by looks and personality, all the black and grays, and whites of his feathers and fur were completely reversed on his sister. With the dramatic difference at first glance one might not see them as siblings, but one look at the soft golden yellow eyes they both shared was all the proof one would need.
“I have had no issues with my living arrangements, I have found it to be rather efficient. It keeps me safe from the weather, and given my tendencies to travel for long periods it seems fairly unnecessary to pay for a home of my own.” Zephyrus was laying on what appeared to be an old blanket that was a bit too small for him as the only comfort from the cold rocky floor of his cave. Was it the most comforting place to sleep? Not at all. However, it was better than simply sleeping out in the open at the mercy of mother nature.
“That’s…not really my point…” Anna let out a little groan of frustration from her brothers' idea of good decisions. Yes, the cave was a better alternative to sleeping outside with no cover, but that didn’t mean that was his best choice. Learning to understand all her brothers' oddities had proven to be a bit more difficult than the female griffon had expected. She knew he didn’t mind living the way he did, but even still Anna wanted better for him. He was her brother after all. Weirdo or not.
“Okay. I have an idea. One I hope you’ll agree to cause honestly, I don’t really wanna hang out in a cave every time I decide to visit, and it’ll make visiting easier anyways, cause I want you to come live with me.”
The female griffon approached her brother, making a fist and lightly tapping the top of his head. “I mean c’mon. Somewhere warmer and safer than this cave, plus access to a kitchen and bathroom. Plus it’s not like you’ll be required to be there all the time, you can still travel and always know you’ll have a room waiting for you when you come back.” Anna was quiet for a moment, a little color filling her cheeks as she let out a sigh and raised a claw to rub the back of her neck in mild embarrassment. “Aaand I wanna have you close for a while cause the whole…separated at birth so I spent all these years trying to track you down so I could finally meet my brother…thing…so, if anything you moving in with me would be for me more so than just for you.”
Anna let out a little huff and ruffled the feathers on her head, a new look of determination falling onto her face. “Plus, since I spent so much time searching for you, it’s kinda like you owe me! So c’mon! Please say yes!” As if to add additional emphasis to her request, she stomped a claw onto the rocky floor of the cave.
Zephyrus was silent through his sister's entire speech, simply taking it all in and contemplating the points she had made that would benefit him if he chose to agree. Though it looked like she would sooner kidnap him than take no for an answer at this point. While he was larger than her, Zephyrus had no doubt in his mind that she could overpower him if she really tried. “Even if I declined, you would continually make attempts to win me over, would you not?”
Anna nodded. “Pretty much.”
With all of that in consideration, he carefully stood and looked over his sister for a moment before resting a claw atop her head. “Very well. I believe it would be quite heartless of me to decline a request, or rather a demand, from family. And I suppose this would give the two of us plenty of opportunities to have moments of sibling bonding.”
Anna blushed a bit once more, now pouting a tad over her brother's form of affection. “Hey! Don’t be treating me like a kid now. I am technically older than you by a few minutes.”
“I would be very interested in seeing you attempt to explain that to anyone while we stand side by side.”
Zephyrus gave a small chuckle as he turned away from Anna, grabbing his large bag and throwing it over his back. Anna looked around again as if just realizing the cave was completely empty besides the two of them. “Do you really not have anything else? Just seems kinda weird that after all these years you would only have what you could carry. You don’t have like, a storage unit somewhere or anything?”
Zephyrus thought for a time, sort of bobbing his head side to side. “There are several companions of mine who are in possession of items I am not able to hold on myself. Perhaps in time, I will obtain those items once more, though for now, they are not of any concern to me. They can wait another time.”
“If you say so.” Anna gave a little shrug and began making her way out of the cave, holding a claw in front of her face as her eyes adjusted to the light. The sun was high in the sky on a nice summer day. It couldn’t have been much past noon by the female griffon’s guess, but she was never very good with time anyways. “My place is in town. Still think it’s kinda weird to live in a place called “Ponyville” but it was a good price and you seem to spend a lot of your time here so I thought it would all work out fine.”
Zephyrus stepped out into the light, blinking his eyes a few times from the sudden change. “Well, dear sister, I suppose I should allow you to lead the way to our new home. Shall we go?”
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“Here we are! Home sweet home or whatever they say. Whaddya think?” Anna spoke, giving a grand gesture in front of her. There the two stood before Anna’s recently purchased home. It was a simple two-story house somewhat separated from many of the other homes in the area, and while those houses all looked to be in fairly pristine condition, Anna’s home looked as though it could use a bit of work. The paint was chipping away in some places and some of the wooden boards were cracked or missing chunks. There was a small fence at the front of the house, or at least what remained of one. Most of the posts were slanting a bit and missing boards. All in all, this home was going to require a bit of TLC.
“It seems….nice.” The tone of his voice seemed to say something much different, but Zephyrus certainly didn’t wish to upset his sister by saying anything against her recently purchased property, though considering he spent the last few years calling a cave his home he couldn’t really say criticize anything.
Anna gave her brother a little sideways glance as she spoke, “You probably could have played that off a little better.” She waved a claw in the air between them. “Yeah okay, so it’s not perfect.” Anna pushed a little on one of the old fence posts, causing it to tilt into the ground even further. “It was cheaper 'cause it needed some work, but the inside is fine. Nothing’s broken or missing, and no leaks or drafts. Still a lot better than anything you’d find in Griffonstone. The mayor said I could do almost anything I wanted with the place too, so if we wanted to we could change it up a bit.”
Anna turned and faced her brother, a softer expression on her face. “This is like a new start, for both of us. I know I’ve needed one, and being able to make this start with you is sort of why I spent so long trying to track you down. I think it’ll be good for us.”
Zeph examined the house for a moment, then looked back at Anna. From their first encounter, he learned how desperate she had been to find him. He had never spent his time trying to find his family, though he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t at all curious about where he came from and what kind of family he could have been a part of if circumstances had been different. Now here his sister was, offering exactly what he had wondered for so long. “I suppose you do make a fair point. Making repairs could also become a form of sibling bonding.”
Anna let out a laugh, pressing a fist into her brother's chest. “Not my first idea of a great bonding activity, but whatever works for you I guess.” She turned and made her way to the front door. “You also get the added bonus of being able to tell your friends you’re living with a pretty girl.~” Anna stopped and turned her head around to look at Zephyrus with a quizzical expression. “You…do have friends right? I haven’t met any of them soo.”
“Yes, I do have companions. My time has not been spent like a hermit. As a matter of fact, you may find yourself surprised to learn of how many companions I have made through my travels.” Zeph approached his sister, giving her a little nudge with a claw. “And I am sure several of my companions would be very interested in meeting you. Especially if I were to inform them you are a “pretty girl”.”
“Then I’ll just hope you’ve made friends that aren't creepy. Gotta attract the right crowd y’know?” With that, Anna opened the door to their new home. Both of the griffons had to duck their head slightly to enter, Zephyrus more so than Anna. It appeared to be as she assured, the interior was indeed in good condition. The paint on the walls was old, but not peeling away. There were a few basic pieces of furniture that had been left for them as well. Small tables in the living area and a larger table and chairs in the kitchen also served as a dining area.
The Kitchen sported basic tiles for the flooring with no cracks or chips to be seen, however, some of the designs had been rubbed away from years of hooves walking over them. The main floors were hardwood. None of the boards were coming up or broken as far as one could tell, though it was obvious it had not been cared for in quite some time. Some scratches and small dings but otherwise all was well.
“I had a few ideas for this place for when we start fixing it up. I think some carpet would be a lot better for the living room and bedrooms, and if we wanted we could change out the floor in the kitchen just to make it look nicer. Don’t wanna give any mares you bring home a bad impression right?”
Zephyrus was busy examining parts of the floor as he spoke. “I believe that would be more of a concern for yourself dear sister.”
Anna stopped and craned her head around to look at her brother. “And what exactly are you implying?”
“I imply nothing, of course. I only assume you would wish to have others over for a meal or a simple get-together more than myself.”
“Good save.” Anna flicked her tail to bap her brother on the beak, moving onward towards the stairs that led to the second floor. “The place has three bedrooms. Don’t know what we’re gonna do with the third room, maybe just a spot to put all your stuff when you get it all back.” She waited for Zeph to follow before making her way upstairs, waving a claw toward one of the closed doors in the hallway. “That can be your room. I didn’t measure or anything but they all seem to be about the same size.”
Zephyrus opened the door to his new room, stepped inside, and looked around. Nothing special, just an empty room with a single window, and what looked to be a small closet. Once again everything was in good condition, though it seemed the door to the closet was removed at some point in the past.
Anna followed up behind him, stepping into the middle of the room and waving a single claw around as if to show off something spectacular. “Pretty good right? I haven’t gotten you a bed yet, but you could always share mine if you wanted until we get you one. But it is a little small for the two of us, so we'll have to cuddle up real close~” She spoke in a teasing tone, a mischievous little grin spread on her face.
Zephyrus seemingly ignored her teasing, examining the room as if he was formulating a plan in his head. “I do not believe that will be necessary Annalyse. I have thought of a sleeping arrangement for myself already. Your offer is appreciated, however.”
“Hmpf. Buzzkill.” Anna sighed and left the room, motioning Zeph to follow. Upon leaving his room she moved to her own room, opened the door, and stepped inside. She indeed did have a bed of her own, one that could easily fit several ponies if one so desired. She was also correct in her statement that the two of them would theoretically fit on the bed together, of course being a very tight fit. The only other item in the room was a medium-sized makeup stand, fit with a mirror and several beauty products scattered about its surface.
Anna opened up a drawer and fished out a bag of bits. She shook it a few times and shrugged, grabbing a thin piece of rope and rigging it up as a necklace. Anna turned and dropped it around her brother's neck. “Use some of this to go get supplies for the house. Paint and brushes and whatever else we’ll need. I figured you’d have a better idea than I would.” The female griffon flopped onto her mattress and stretched, a few pops sounding off from her back cracking. “You can look around for a bed too. There should be enough there to cover everything, just don’t go too crazy.”
Zephyrus lifted the bag of coins in his claw and examined its contents. There was a fair amount of money here, not that he bothered to count them all. He was more surprised that his sister simply had such funds that she could freely offer without a hint of worry. “I am curious as to how you were able to obtain such funds even after you obtained this property. I did not expect you to be so financially sound.”
Anna chuckled a waved a claw over from her bed, rolling over to face Zeph. “Not much different from you, really. Just did odd jobs all around and saved up. Some jobs I’m more proud of than others. Just don’t be going into any adult video stores, they were never good at recording my good side.”
At that Zephyrus cocked his head and furrowed his brow. He didn’t really have an understanding of what she meant, nor was he aware of any “Adult video stores”. Very quickly, however, Anna let out a loud laugh, kicking her legs as she went through her little laughing fit. “I’m kidding! Geeze I thought you’d at least expect me to have a little more class than that, which I do by the way. It was mostly manual labor or things like deliveries. I think once I watched some mares foals and I’ve sworn to never do it again. Kids are too crazy.”
Anna rolled back onto her belly, grabbing a pillow and holding it under her head. She was rather relaxed, inhaling deeply and letting out a slow sigh. Even her tail slowly wagged similarly to that of a cat. “While you’re out I’ll go get some food for the house. Just gonna relax for a little bit before I do. You’re welcome to join me if you want~”
Zephyrus had already left the room, and by the time Anna finished her sentence, she could hear the front door shut as her brother left to complete the task she had given him. As much as she loved the big idiot he was very often just that, an idiot. “Huge. Buzzkill.” The female griffon let out a sigh and plopped her face back into the pillow, really only wanting to take a nap, but knowing she had errands to do herself. Anna lay there for a few minutes, before shrugging and closing her eyes. A small nap shouldn't hurt anything…right?
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Anna let out a yawn as she moved through the shopping district of Ponyville. She had passed out on her bed for quite a bit longer than she had wanted, only waking up because of a strange dream involving her brother wanting to share snacks and attempting to regurgitate like a mother bird would do for her chicks. It was something Anna didn’t know she didn’t want to see, and she even still hoped to never see a similar situation again.
The shopping district was, more or less, just a bunch of stands selling various produce and the like. It wasn’t anything compared to what you would find in a city like say, Manehatten, but the griffon preferred this over the crowded streets which felt even more crowded when you were significantly taller than all the residents of the area. Of course, there were ponies doing their shopping alongside her, though surprisingly the number of looks of fear or awe were fewer than she was expecting. The only logical conclusion she could come to was that these ponies were sort of used to seeing a griffon amongst them, given her brother Zephyrus had been in the area far more often than she had.
By the time Anna was finished with her shopping, the pair of saddlebags she was lugged around strapped to her sides were nearly overflowing with food for her and her brother. She had struggled for several minutes to fasten the clips to make sure nothing spilled out, but once she was satisfied, she moved through the market a bit more double-checking in her head to make sure there wasn’t anything they needed that she had forgotten.
It felt sort of strange to be out shopping for food to fill her new home. Not only because it was still kind of wild to think she had managed to do well enough for herself even to afford a home that wasn't broken and run down, but every other shopping trip since she left home was only for a few items at a time.
She had expected to see Zephyrus at some point during her shopping, however, there was no sign of him for the near hour she had spent visiting various shops. It wasn’t like one could simply miss a griffon who stood nearly a head and a half over all the ponies in town, so her only guess was that he had made his way back home already.
When she had woken up she was expecting him to have already come back from his shopping considering how long she was asleep, which only made her wonder what her brother had been up to this whole time. Regardless, Anna didn’t have time to search around for him with all the food she was carrying. All she really wanted right now was to be able to flop into her bed and read a saucy romance novel, and maybe even cheat her diet a little and dig into her stash of meat snacks. It had been a while since the griffon had treated herself like that. With her plans for the evening now planned, Anna made her way home with her groceries in tow.
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By the time Annalyse had arrived home, the sun was slowly making its way down to make room for Luna’s moon. The female griffon was tired, the shopping taking a bit more out of her than she had expected, though taking a short nap before leaving probably didn’t help much. Anna stepped up to her front door and made her way inside, immediately surprised by the state her living room was in.
The furniture had been moved around in a way that made the space feel larger than it really was, and simply felt more relaxed and just simply looked better than the previous arrangement. There was even a new couch and end table off in the corner that hadn’t been there before, the couch in question being fairly large in comparison to all the other furniture in the room. It looked like it could fit both her and her brother comfortably, and the end table had a single object sitting on its surface, the bag of bits she had given Zephyrus to shop with. All of this just brought more and more questions to Anna’s mind, none of which she could think of any answers to until she heard the other griffon in question making his way downstairs.
Zephyrus soon appeared and made his way down the hall. “Welcome home. I am to assume your shopping went well?” He looked into bags attached to his sister, nodding in approval. All the while Anna still wore a confused look on her face.
“I’m not crazy, right? We didn’t have a couch here before I left?”
“I do not believe you are crazy, However, I do not believe I am properly qualified to give you an official diagnosis.”
Anna rolled her eyes, bopping her brother on the beak with a claw. “Where did this stuff come from?! And how the hell did you even get this here? I’m sure you’re strong and all but I doubt even you could get all this here by yourself.” Zephyrus looked between the furniture for a few moments before bringing his attention back to his sister.
“They were gifts. Housewarming I believe was the term the store owner used. He said he was very thankful for all the assistance I had provided him in the past, and wished to provide a form of reward for my services. I did attempt to offer payment, however, he declined and threatened to pluck my feathers out if I did try to pay him. And yes, I did not move all of this myself. He sent one of his workers to carry the table.”
Anna was a bit dumbfounded by the fact someone had basically donated new furniture to her home and didn’t even know who she was at all. She also wondered just how much her brother had done for the ponies that lived here to be willing to give things like this to him without any charge. “Huh…well I guess I better go see him soon to thank him for all this. Hey wait, what about the paint and stuff I asked you to pick up?”
Zephyrus motioned towards the door leading into the basement. “I stored them downstairs until we are ready to use them. I paid for them with my own funds. Consider it my first contribution to our new home.”
The more Anna learned about her brother, the more she realized she didn’t know about him. It was to be expected since they hadn’t been together since they were born, but it seemed Zeph just had surprise after surprise for her. “...Y’know, I’d ask but I feel like I’ll just end up with more questions than answers anyways, so…thanks I guess.”
Zephyrus reached around Anna and undid the straps to her bags, lifting them away from her as he turned towards the kitchen. “I shall put everything away. Do take a moment to sit on the couch, I hope you will find it to your liking.”
Anna moved towards the couch and pressed a claw into one of the cushions. It was somewhat firm so one wouldn’t immediately sink in but still had enough give to sit and lie comfortably. She climbed up and sat down, adjusting herself into the ideal position. She was till for a time before shifting to lay across the entire couch, resting her head on one of the armrests. “Good Celestia….this is probably the most comfortable thing I’ve lied on like…..ever!”
Zephyrus could be heard chuckling before calling out from the kitchen. “I am pleased you approve. There were several options, but I simply had a feeling this one would be the best for us.” He appeared from the kitchen with Anna’s saddlebags in his beak. He placed them on a hook next to the front door before moving towards his sister and placing a claw on the armrest near her head. “I was also able to obtain items for my room to make it more comfortable. It is, as they say, we are making this house a home, yes?”
Anna looked up to her brother, both literally and metaphorically. She had been worried for years that he had trouble surviving on his own. Worried he was completely alone and needed to be saved, but after the short time they have been together, it was obvious he was doing just fine, even better really. “Heh, yeah. This really is home now.” Anna reached up to her brother's face and simply held him. A slightly confused look formed on his face, however, he did not try to pull away or ask her to stop. To Anna, it seemed like her brother wasn’t used to simple affection like this, and it hurt her heart in a way to realize that, but she didn’t show it. “Hey, you said you got some stuff for your room? Can I see?” The confused look on her brother's face vanished instantly, now replaced with something she couldn’t quite determine.
“Of course. I do not have much in there yet, but there is a better sleeping arrangement than the cave you were very much against.”
“Caves are for like, bears and stuff. You don’t belong in a cave, you’re not an animal.”
“Well technically…”
“Just shut up and show me your room doofus.”
Anna smacked her brother's face lightly as she smiled, rolling off the couch to stand in front of him. She waved a claw in a shooing motion toward Zephyrus, smiling as she spoke. “Come on now, lead the way! I wanna see what you got going on!” Zephyrus turned and led his sister down the hall and up the stairs, stopping at his door for a moment as he looked at Anna, nodding ever so slightly to himself before pushing the door open.
Before the pair of griffons was still a mostly empty room, save for what appeared to be a large pile of blankets and pillows in the corner, and the contents of his travel bag spread out along one of the walls. Anna’s attention was more focused on the pile of linens in the corner, which simply confused her. “....Zeph what am I looking at? I thought you got yourself a bed or something, are we waiting for it to be delivered orrr…?”
“I did obtain a bed for myself. This is it.” Zephyrus moved over towards the pile of blankets and pillows, gesturing to it with a small smile. Anna was starting to be convinced her brother was a little crazy as she looked between him and what he claimed to be his bed.
“Zeph, that isn’t a bed. I have a bed. What you have is-” And that’s when it hit her. What lay before her, was indeed a bed of sorts, though it was more commonly referred to as something else. “...Holy shit…..you built a nest!”
Her brother cocked his head as looked at his sister, shifting his gaze between her and his makeshift nest of pillows several times before responding. "Hmm...I suppose it does have nest-like qualities. I simply find this much more comfortable, and I do not trust beds. That will be a story for another time." Zephyrus poked around at some of pillows before climbing atop the pile and settling in, curling himself up a little to a comfortable position.
Anna watched with a smile as Zephyrus lay down. She raised a claw to her beak as he settled in and giggled quietly. “Oh Celestia, this is the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen! You’re an absolute dork!”
Zephyrus waved her over, patting a spot in front of him. “You have never tried this yourself, yes? I believe you will change your mind.”
The female griffon was hesitant at first, though that quickly disappeared once she realized there was no reason to be. At worst she found it to be uncomfortable and left it at that right? She rolled her eyes and walked over to her brother's nest, pressing down on one of the pillows that stuck out. “Ah, what the hell.” Anna carefully stepped in, trying not to fall or trip and she moved into position. Laying down she found herself pressed pretty close to her brother's figure, noting how surprisingly soft he was.
Silence filled the room for a time, the only noise being the occasional gliding of their tails over the fabric. Anna relaxed a bit more, letting herself get used to her surroundings. “Huh. This….isn’t really that bad. It’s different but kinda nice.”
Zephyrus let out a yawn, the errands of the day finally catching up to him. “I believe rest would be a good idea for now. There is still much we must do in the coming days to fully settle in.”
Anna could feel her brother move around a bit behind her, assuming he was preparing himself to sleep. The female griffon prepared to move, however, she couldn’t bring herself to leave. “Hey…would you mind if I just…stayed here with you for a bit?”
“Are you finding yourself enjoying my sleeping arrangements more than you anticipated dear sister?”
Anna’s face flushed a bit in embarrassment, shaking her head slightly to try and drive it off but to no avail. “N-No! I just…don’t feel like getting up right now…” It was a bad lie, both to herself and her brother. She was expecting Zeph to tease her or kick her out, but instead, he was silent.
“...I suppose I see no issue with you staying for the time being.” That was all he said before laying his head down and closing his eyes, letting out a long quiet breath as he prepared himself to sleep.
Anna was grateful to her brother and was slowly starting to learn how he was always sincere in what he said, never hiding some underlining meanings when he spoke. The female griffon lay her head down beside her brothers, allowing her body to relax until she felt something fall over her body. She turned her head to find her brother's wing spread out like a blanket over her, gently pressing against her like he was holding her close to him. Anna couldn’t quite describe the feelings welling up inside her, but she felt safe and secure, like no matter what happened while she slept Zephyrus was there to protect her. It must have been just a natural response to him, something that was just within his realm of normal.
Anna smiled as she looked at her brother's face, having already drifted off quickly into his dreams. She gently nuzzled her neck before resting her head near his, closing her eyes to join her brother in sleep, knowing her future with him by her side would be full of the love she longed for in a family.