Chapter 1
It's good to be awake again... I think?
This is the only time that you will ever see a Vocabulary section in this fic.
Parkour- The physical discipline of movement, the definition is commonly shortened to 'Getting to point A from point B in the most efficient way possible'.
Freerunning- The physical discipline of movement, but unlike Parkour, which stresses efficiency, it stresses creativity. Parkour, and Freerunning are so similar that moves are named the same, and participants of the discipline share the same title.
Traceur- Originally just tracer, it is the title of the participants of Parkour, and Freerunning.
"How long has it been? How long have I been in this darkness? How long has it been since I last moved? Someone! Answer ME!" I screamed. I believe this was the 472nd time I did that, but something was different this time. It felt like I actually spoke.
Slowly, my blackened world was filled with a blinding light. I threw my arm in front of my face in an attempt to dim the light. After a while, my eyes adjusted to the change in brightness. I scanned the room. It was strange, not the room, but the fact that I could see again. It had been ages since I was able to see anything, in fact, I had started to forget what color was what. The room itself looked like any modern hospital room, save for one crucial difference... instead of doctors, and nurses surrounding me, there where griffons.
"Hello... Can. You. Understand. Me." Asked a griffon to my right. Its voice was very feminine.
"Uh... yeah, yeah. Can I ask you something?" I asked.
"By all means." She responded.
"Right... Are you really a griffon, or is it just me?" I asked.
"I am indeed a griffon." She responded with a bit too much cheer present in her voice.
"Oh! Right then." I said right before loosing conscientiousness again.
After a countless number of hours, I woke up again. During my lucid slumber, I went over the scenario that had just happened. At first I was shocked, but then I slowly convinced myself that what I saw was real, and eventually got over the whole situation entirely. I needed some excitement. My life before all this was entirely too boring. All I had to keep me entertained really was Parkour, and the internet. After waiting around for a bit, I decided I wanted to wake up, and as soon as I felt that resolve, the blackened world that I had become accustom to was filled with light yet again, and just like last time, I was surrounded by griffons.
"Hello." Said the same griffon from before, in a slightly worried tone.
"Hi." I responded.
"Are you feeling alright." She asked.
"Uh... I think so." I answered.
"You don't feel dizzy, or faint?" She asked, presumably because of my blackout from earlier.
"Nope." I returned.
"So... you are absolutely sure that you are feeling perfectly normal?" She asked once more.
"Really, are we going to be playing that game?" I asked.
"Wh... What do you mean? What game?" She responded with surprise evident in her voice.
"The game where you keep asking the same question, and I keep giving you the same answer." I responded, being careful to not let my impatience become evident in my voice.
"Oh! Sorry, its just that... well... you know."
"No, I'm pretty sure I don't." I said calmly.
"Well, you are one of a kind. Completely new. There has never been any sign of your species present on Equis. It's amazing really." She said, slowly becoming lost in her thought.
I noticed, that the other griffons had long since left to do whatever griffons do.
"So... do ya mind telling me what is going on?" I inquired in a nonchalant tone, as I reexamined my surroundings.
"Well, one of the many freelance explorers, that the king hires to map previously unexplored areas of Equis, found an artifact in the massive badlands of southern Equestria, and with permission from the Equestrian counsel of foreign affairs, and the allowance of the Equestrian center of history and science, she was able to bring said artifact back here. During analysis of the artifact, a magical rune was triggered... or so we think, and you appeared in place of the artifact. Needless to say, the whole of Equis was surprised. Anyway, we decided to wait for you to wake from your coma, and with funding being provided by both Equestria, and the Gryphonian government, we where able to maintain your health, and physique, as well as study your anatomy." She informed.
"You don't skip out on details, do you?" I said with a smile. Griffon or not, it was good to have a half-decent conversation with someone other than myself.
"So... what now?" I asked.
"That's right! I nearly forgot. There are a few questions I have to ask you, then I'll take you to the king." She said.
"Okay... Shoot." I said.
"What is your name?" She asked.
"Kraconious Vonferdinaned-Delapsian Zephoshexeed the fifth... but people just call me Kraken for short."
She stared at me blankly for a second, but broke her surprise by writing something down on a piece of parchment with an old fashioned quill. Interesting, they have tech in the hospital that is on par with the stuff back home, but they still use parchment, and quills.
"Right... what was your former occupation, assuming you had one?" she asked.
"I worked at a local eatery specializing in oriental food." I answered.
"Okay... only a couple more questions. Did you have a mate?" She asked.
"Uh... no." I answered.
"What's your favorite color?" she asked.
"Red, but I also have a preference toward blue." I responded.
"My address is 5600 cloudpark, come visit sometime." She said, leaving with a giggle.
What just happened?
"Hey, lover boy." I heard a slightly scratchy yet distinctively female voice say to my left. "Get up."
I looked to my left, and saw another griffon looking at me.
"Okay." I said, sitting up. "Mind telling me what just happened?" I asked.
"My sis is a flirt, and you are a chump." She said.
"Fair enough. Mind telling me what your name is?" I asked.
"Gilda, don't wear it out." She said, walking away, but instead of following her sister she paused at the doorway. "Are you coming or not?" She asked.
"I would follow, but I kinda need a pair of pants." I said.
"For what?" She asked.
"Just get me a pair of pants." I ordered in a non-aggressive tone.
She stood her ground for a bit, but when it was clear I wasn't gonna move, she gave in. "Fine, just hold on a sec."
After a few minutes of waiting, she came back with my black cargo trousers, a white T-shirt, and my sneakers. "Here." She said throwing them on the bed. "Now lets go." she said, turning to leave.
"Yep one sec." I responded.
"Well, whenever your ready, just leave the building. I'm gonna go wait outside." She said, clearly frustrated.
Once she had left, and I was sure the coast was clear, I pulled on my trousers, laced up my shoes, slipped on my shirt, and left the room. It wasn't too difficult finding the way out. I opened the door, and took in the scope of the place. As far as the eye could see, floating islands, like in the movie Avatar, with cities carved into there faces, dotted the sky. Connecting each island was a series of smaller islands, and rocks. Two things were going through my mind. Epic, and playground. I was going to sketch this place up even if it killed me.
"Ready?" Gilda asked, breaking me out of my daze.
"Yeah." I said turning toward her. "Where do we go?" I asked.
"Up there." She said pointing with her beak in the direction of a grand palace carved into an island, and quite large one at that, off in the distance. It was a substantial distance away, about a mile, but even at that distance, the size of the palace made it seem so much closer.
"Alright... we're gonna have to take the long way." She said with a sigh.
"The long way?" I said confusedly.
"Yeah. Normally I'd just fly there, but we're gonna have to follow that winding road about half way around the city in order to get to the castle." She informed.
"Or, you could fly right there, and I'll run." I offered.
"That's a fine Idea and all, but I have to keep an eye on you." She said.
"Who said you weren't?" I asked.
"In order to keep an eye on you, I have to see you. If you run halfway 'round the city while I wait at the castle, I'm sure I'd lose sight of you." she said.
"Then don't lose sight of me." I said.
"What's that me..." But her voice was drowned out by the sound of my feet hitting the ground. It's been awhile since I last ran.
"Come back here you bastard!" I heard Gilda scream behind me.
I ignored it, and found my route. I sprinted toward a building, taking a deep breath. Once I was about a meter away from the wall of the building, I jumped, and planted my right foot on its wall. I then proceeded to run up the wall, grabbing the edge of the roof, and throwing myself on top of it. I kept up my sprint, and jumped the distance between the building I was on, and the one I had just been on. One more jump, and I was on the large island where the palace was located. When I hit the ground, I dropped into a roll, minimizing the amount of damage that I would have normally taken from such a jump. I popped out of my roll, and kept sprinting. I ran up another wall, then another. I decided to show off, and did a side-flip over a park bench, length wise. I came up to a railing, and jumped on top of it, springing myself upward onto the next levee. I slid under a railing, and vaulted the next one in my path. I dived over a fountain, soaking my shirt, and rolled out of it. One more levee up, and I would be on the same plane as the palace. To my right was a wall, in front of me was a thousand foot drop into the ocean. There was only one thing to do. I placed one foot on the wall, and continued my run horizontally until I reached the end of the wall, where I proceeded to launch myself forward... its times like these that I like to think to myself 'SCREW YOU NEWTON!' A minute more of a flat out sprint, and I arrived at my destination. That run was one of the best ones I've had in my entire life, but it missed something. As I stood there, I looked around, and saw a very mad Gilda flying at top speed right at me.
"You BASTARD!" I heard Gilda scream as she rammed into me, sending me flying to the ground, and when I hit said ground... I blacked out.
One thought kept passing through my mind as I lay unconscious... I really hope that blacking out doesn't become a regular deal for me.