I got up a bit earlier than usual this morning, hoping to avoid any dispute from Twilight. I get the feeling she isn't too keen about the lack of 'respect' I showed Princess Shiny-Plot the other day...
All that aside, I decided to walk around as a Griffon today since I'm curious as to what that'd be like. Besides... If I don't do it soon, I might not get a chance to do it! I almost got thrown into a dungeon or something yesterday after all! Well... Maybe not, but that doesn't mean I can't try out a new species! Great, now I'm arguing with myself...
I woke up pretty early though, even had plenty of time to admire my new form in the mirror before booking it away from Twilight's books.
Bad puns aside, I don't think I looked half-bad. My fur and wings were a sort of dark-red, while my head-feathers were black. My beak, eyes, and... Claws? Talons? Hands? Whatever, those were all a golden color. I think I'll refer to my claws as hands though, for the sake of simplicity and to avoid confusing myself...
The coloration of my fur and feathers definitely took me by surprise though, since most of the time my transformations are blue and blonde or vice versa...
Unfortunately, until I started walking through Ponyville... I'd forgotten that the last Griffon to come through here had left a pretty bad impression. Though considering that none of them were chasing me with pitchforks, I guess it doesn't really matter too much.
Though, what if Pinkie Pie is- wait... I suddenly had a large urge to slap myself. That's stupid; Pinkie Pie wouldn't be biased like that. I can't believe I actually thought she might end up disliking me for being a Griffon... Well, looking like a Griffon anyway.
Unfortunately I can't say I'm so confident about the feelings of everypony else around me, seeing as they're hiding at the sight of me. Oh well, I decided to try being a Griffon and this is a problem that's apparently going to come with this form. Live and learn, live and learn...
Though something I didn't realize, due to being caught up in my thoughts, was that I was being watched by a pair of eyes that were decidedly not scared and definitely didn't belong to a pony... These eyes were studying my unaware form with a hawk-like intensity from slightly above the rooftops of Ponyville.
Oh look, there it is! Sugarcube Corner... I hope Pinkie's there. Maybe I'll even get a Welcome to Ponyville Par- "Ack!"
A brown and white blur tackled me, causing me and whoever tackled me to get sent rolling.
Once I had stopped rolling, I stood attempting to shake off the dizziness and get my bearings back. Looking around, I noticed I wasn't in Ponyville anymore...
A quick check of my surroundings later, and I noted that Ponyville was off in the distance. That must've been one heck of a tackle to roll me all the way out here, or maybe I was on a hill?
Hearing a groan behind me, I turned around to see a creature that caused me to freeze.
"Ugh, I pounced way too hard..." Gilda said to herself, cradling her head in her one of her hands as she sat up. Noticing me staring at her, she raised an eyebrow. "What're you looking at Dweeb?" She asked aggressively.
One thing I'm going to say is that I'm not really all that aggressive or anything normally. But I'm not passive either. While I might not go looking for trouble... If someone decides to pick a fight with me, I'm almost definitely going to fight back.
"I dunno, maybe the clumsy Griffon that crashed into me?" I responded, rolling my eyes.
"Yeah well, you- I... Maybe I wouldn't have crashed into you if... if..."
I cut her off, "If what? If you were looking where you were going?" I asked sarcastically.
Looking back at Gilda, I had to do a quick double-take. She. Was. Blushing. No bucking way... I guess she must have learnt a little humility after all, Right? Heck, maybe she might even apologize?
Unfortunately, the exact bucking opposite happened!
Gilda quickly leapt at me with her talons out and ready to shred before she began to swipe at me with her wings flared out, which I'm guessing was for intimidation. Yeah, this is not a scenario I want to be in!
Leaning away from her claw strikes I attempted to reason with her, "Hey, there's no need to get al-" until she actually got a hit in. It was a scratch, nothing more than a line on my shoulder really... But it was enough to make me take the offensive.
After leaning away from her next two claw strikes, I used the opening she presented to grab her wrists and spin us both around before pinning her wrists to the ground. Then glare she had began to soften and she was looking at me with a... A blush? She was blushing again? Why the hay was... She... Blushing...?
Oh no. Oh BUCK no. I know Griffons are supposed to be some sort of warrior species or something, but please... Please tell me this isn't what I'm starting to suspect. Seriously, I'm praying to whatever higher power or entity that may exist to tell me I'm wrong. Send me a sign? PLEASE!?
Suddenly Gilda's head darted forward, her beak connecting with mine. Shocked by her sudden action, I let go and stumbled backwards.
THAT WAS NOT ONE OF THE BUCKING SIGNS I WAS HOPING FOR!! Stupid higher power or entity thing, why do you hate me? First it was Rarity's creepy cat and now this? Really? Ugh... Though her beak had felt surprisingly soft.... NO! No, stop thinking that right now!
Once I managed to shake myself out of my thoughts, the first things I saw were Gilda's eyes. She was standing there staring into my eyes from less than two feet away. Buck that freaked me out.
Gilda coughed into a clenched hand. "So, uh..." She seemed at a loss as to what to say next.
I raised a brow at her, watching as she attempted to compose herself. After about a minute of that, I turned and began walking back towards Ponyville.
"H-hey! Where are you going?" Gilda asked, hurrying over to walk beside me.
"Ponyville. I'm living there for now, 'till I can get a few things sorted." I responded, keeping my eyes firmly on the direction of the town. I have a feeling that's not going to be the end of it though...
"Oh, uh that's cool... My name is Gilda by the way, what's yours?" She inquired before blinking and shaking her head, recomposing her face into a mask of nonchalance. "I mean uh... Not like I care or anything." Like I thought, that wasn't the end of it.
I sighed, seeing her take glances at me out of the corner of my eyes. This is not something I ever could have expected when I woke up in Equestria. Then again, it's not like I expected to wake up in Equestria in the first place. I guess that everything I don't expect seems to be becoming the norm for me, joy...
"My name's Jet-Claw." I told her, making up a sort of Griffon-sounding name on the spot though I paused in my strides as I heard a... Purr? "Did you just...?" I asked, turning towards the female Griffon.
"No!" Gilda denied, shaking her head frantically. "Don't be stupid, Dwe- er... Jet-Claw!"
"So I've been promoted from 'dweeb' huh?" I asked rhetorically, raising a brow at her before turning back towards Ponyville. "Whatever... Just call me Jet." I told the brown-feathered female. Beginning my trek towards Ponyville once again, I found myself wishing I knew how to teleport...
I didn't really talk to Gilda, since I wasn't really sure what to say... But I guess she talked enough for the both of us, telling me about this and that. Eventually my walking company started to talk about a topic that interested me... Pranks.
"And then it exploded all over him, you should've seen his face!" Gilda laughed.
"Sounds like it was pretty funny..." I agreed, nodding my feathery head. "Almost as good as a few of the Pranks I've pulled in Ponyville the last couple days."
Gilda shook her head, "Heh, I doubt you could've done better than my explosive pie prank Jet." She disputed.
I shook my head with a smirk, "Tch, amateur work that required a purchased gimmick. I prefer using my own natural talents to get a job done; it's much more satisfying that way." I replied. "Anyways, this has been fun Gilda. You know, when I first met you... I thought you were a bit weird." I informed her, watching as she looked away with a frown.
"But after hanging out with you for a while... Well, you're pretty cool Gilda. Look me up in Ponyville sometime for a prank spree or something. Just ask the purple egghead at the library for Jet-Claw, since I'm staying in her guest room for now." I informed her.
Mentally, I raised an eyebrow at myself. Since when did I start calling Twilight an Egghead? For that matter, when did I start acting like this? I think my Griffon form is messing with my head.
"Great! Er, I mean... Yeah, cool." Gilda replied, trying to act nonchalant again.
"You know... You don't have to wear a mask around me." I told the female Griffon. "Anyways... I'll talk at ya later Gilda. Right now, I gotta Jet." I finished, spreading my wings and taking flight, zooming towards Ponyville as a large black blur.
This Griffon form is definitely messing with me, I mean... Gotta Jet? Seriously? But then again it did sound kinda cool so I'm not sure if I really care all that much... Besides, who cares if I show off a little? It's not like I- "Gah!"
I had to abandon my thoughts again, this time to make sure I could stay airborne after some sort of missile hit me. Can't I ever just finish my thoughts without being attacked!? Jeeze!
"Oopsies, sorry!" A chipper voice chirped in my ears. Or whatever passed for ears on a Griffon... "I didn't mean to crash into you Mr. Griffon guy! Wait... I've never seen you around before, so you must be new to Ponyville since I know everypony in Ponyville and-"
I knew that voice sounded familiar, it's Pinkie Pie! Who would've thought that I'd accidentally run into her while flying... Or that she would run into me I guess. Wait, speaking of thinking and flying... How did I know how to fly?
...Oh well, gift horse and all that. Gift pony? No... Whatever, it doesn't really matter, the point is-
"So what's your name Mr. Griffon?" Pinkie asked curiously.
Once again, my thoughts are interrupted. Maybe I'm just thinking too much?
"I'm Jet-Claw, but I prefer to be called Jet." I replied, doing a spin and catching the pink pony in my hands before she could fall to the ground. I landed soon after that, attempting to slow down so that I wouldn't hurt Pinkie or anything.
"Thanks for the ride Jet! And don't worry, I know I said I'm a bit busy right now, but I'm sure I'll be able to get a party together for you soon!" Pinkie told me before zipping off towards Sugarcube Corner. I wonder what could possibly make Pinkie too busy for a party? Oh well, I'm sure it's fine. Maybe I should ask Twilight though, just in case...
Walking up to the library, I heard shouting coming from the open second floor window. "I know Spike, but it's just so frustrating!" I paused as Twilight's voice made it to my ears, a grin spreading across my beak as I decided to eavesdrop a bit.
Quickly spinning myself into something small to go somewhat unnoticed, I found myself in the form of a yellow Parasprite with blue eyes. I shuddered even as I turned invisible and flew through the window, I quietly hoped that I wouldn't start throwing up Parasprites. Throwing up was bad enough, but upchucking a living ball of vomit? No thanks.
I snuck my way into Twilight's mane, figuring that would be a good enough place as any to hide. It certainly made things easier for me since I wouldn't have to follow her around, or search for hiding spots as she turned around or something...
"I mean, I would've thought he could at least told me himself! Ride the train to pick me up, or tell me, or something!" Twilight stomped her hoof angrily.
"Come on Twilight, I'm sure he's just busy... He is captain of the guard after all..." Spike replied, apparently attempting to justify somepony's actions.
My eyes widened at what Spike said, Captain of the guard? Does that mean that the whole Ca-
"Well he's also my BBBFF, so I'm pretty sure that he could've made time to tell his own sister that he's getting married!"
Tuning out their argument, I grinned. Oh this is too perfect! The Canterlot Wedding event, I have a feeling that I'm going to have fun with this. I can't wait to ruin Blueblood's suit and mane! Maybe throw some Ice-Cream at him? No, that's a waste of perfectly good Ice-Cream...
"-nd besides that, where's John?" Twilight asked the tiny dragon.
Spike shrugged, "I dunno... Probably out in Ponyville somewhere."
The purple unicorn huffed in annoyance, "Great. Perfect. Now we need to go find him before I can even go lecture my brother, because the Princesses decided it would be a good idea to invite him." She face-hooved with a growl of frustration.
My eyes widened once again at the unexpected way in, the Princesses actually wanted me to come along? That's great! Much better than my idea of hiding away in Twilight's mane as a Parasprite when she leaves for Canterlot...
I turned invisible and intangible before flying out to hover in front of the library door, turning myself back into a Griffon before I released the invisibility. Opening the door, I announced my return with a loud, "I'm back!" before walking in and closing the door behind me.
Twilight trotted towards me, looking upset for reasons I already knew. Not that I could tell her that, of course... "What's wrong Twilight? Somepony spill juice on another book?" I actually feel really bad for the filly that did that, she ran out of the library crying once Twilight finished lecturing the poor foal about 'Book Safety'.
"No." Purple-Bright responded with gritted teeth, "My brother is getting married. Apparently, you're invited." She used her magic to ram an envelope into my face. Thankfully it didn't get pierced by my beak, would've been hard to read or use after something like that...
"Cool." I responded with a small smirk, which seemed to make her more upset. "By the way, If anyone" - Not going to say pony, since I'm talking about Gilda and the word 'anygriffon' would be pushing it... - "comes around asking for 'Jet' or 'Jet-Claw'... Let me know, yeah?" I told Purple, watching as her angry look morphed into an inquisitive one.
"Why would-"
"Because that's what I've decided on going by while in Griffon form. Though I've still gotta think of a pony name for when I look like a pony..." I explained, having expected her to ask. "I'll be going to the wedding like this too, so if you could tell Celestia..."
"Fine." Twilight deadpanned before trotting back upstairs to prepare. "Spike, take a letter." Was the last thing I heard before back outside, intent on enacting a small plan to get her a bit more riled up...
"Do you really have to do that?" Twilight asked with annoyed as I scared away yet another group of ponies who had been glaring at my feathery face.
"No... But it makes me laugh, so I'm doing it anyways." I shot back, smirking again in a way that I knew she hated.
"Ugh, well stop it! I don't care if it makes you laugh, it's scaring everypony else."
I shrugged dismissively, "Whatever Twilight."
Twilight facehooved before looking up as somepony called her name, and her face visibly brightened. "Hey girls! You don't know how nice it is to see a friendly face right now...." Sparkles said, greeting her friends and shooting a glare at me.
"Is this guy givin' you trouble or something Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked, pounding her hooves together in an attempt to be intimidating.
I've seen rabbits more intimidating than her. Wait, what? Wow, I'd better reign myself in... That sounded like something I would've imagined from Gilda after watching 'Griffon the Brush-Off'.
Speaking of which... "Hey Jet!" Gilda called, landing next to me. "What's up?" She asked, giving me a fist-bump.
"What's she doing here?" Paint Splatte- er... Rainbow Dash asked, glaring at the Griffon she used to be friends with.
"Jo- Jet." I hope nobody else noticed Twilight's little slip... "You do know that you were the only one here, aside from the six of us, that was invited right? You can't bring anypony else.
Anypony. That term is so subjective! I mean come on, what about Griffons? Or Dragons? Zebras? Seriously...
"Actually... According to the invite, I am allowed to bring one guest of my own. So I invited my newest friend to come along, I hope there isn't a problem with that?" I challenged the Know-It-All unicorn, looking at her with a challenging smirk upon my beak.
Twilight knew I had her beat and simply looked away, trotting towards the train with a quick prompt of "Come on girls..."
Gilda grinned, "Normally I'm not one for weddings, but this is already looking like fun." She told me, looking back towards the group of six ponies.
I chuckled, "Half the reason I invited you was to annoy them..." I Informed my fellow Griffon as we walked onto the train, casually flashing my ticket to the conductor as we passed.
Wait, fellow Griffon? when did I start thinking of myself as a Griffon!?
"And the other half?" Gilda prompted curiously.
"To have a friend to talk to. I know you'll be better company than those six, most of them barely know what a prank is after all. Let alone a good prank like some of the ones you've told me about."
Gilda was oddly quiet after that and didn't really speak until sometime after we'd found some good seats.
"Thanks."
"What?" I asked, looking over at the brown Griffon.
Gilda continued to stare out the window, which is what we've both been doing for the past couple hours of the train ride.
"I said thanks."
I walked over, sitting next to the Tom-boy. Tom-Griffin? Tom-Colt? Anyways, I took a seat next to her. "Thanks for what?" I prompted curiously, raising a brow at Gilda.
"Thanks for inviting me along Jet." She responded with a small frown, sighing slightly. "And thanks for being my friend..."
I was a bit sad that she felt the need to add that last part, I suppose I really shouldn't have judged her based on the show...
I wrapped a wing around the half-bird, pulling her in for a wing-hug while I stared out the window. "It's no problem Gilda, like I said before... You're cool." This time I paid no attention to the blush she was sporting, I was just glad to see that she was smiling again.
Gilda had fallen asleep long before the train arrived at the barrier. She was actually kind of cute, the way she snored and how she would snuggle into my side every now and then... Wait. When di- No. Screw it, I don't even care when I started thinking of the Griffon at my side as cute. I'll deal with it later.
Anyways, I nudged her awake as we passed through the barrier. "Gilda," I said, "we're here."
Gilda yawned and picked her head up from my shoulder, "Already?" She asked sleepily.
I chuckled, "Yeah, you slept through most of the ride. Feeling better?" I can't quite put my claw on it, but something about her seemed to change once I asked that question...
"Yeah... Ye-" My feathered friend was cut off by another yawn "-eah I feel much better, thanks Jet." Gilda assured me, flashing a smile.
We both got up and started following the assorted candy-colored ponies off the train. While walking towards the palace I noticed Rainbow Dash shooting small glares at Gilda,and the guards watching the both of us suspiciously. Great, problems already...
If those looks were just cast towards me, I'd be fine. But they were also aimed at my newest friend, so I was slightly annoyed. Call me protective if you want, but I do like to make sure my friends are comfortable and happy.
I watched as Twilight ran up to the guards, smirking a bit. Nudging the Griffon next to me, I flashed her a smile. "Hey, I'm going to go congratulate the groom and his soon-to-be wife, wanna join me?"
Gilda shook her head, "Nah, I think I'll follow these losers for a bit. I want to know where I'm sleeping after all..."
I shrugged,"Alright suit yourself Gilda, catch ya later."
By the time I landed near the brightly named siblings, Twilight had just finished performing the 'ladybug shake'. I snickered as 'Cadence passed by with a deadpanned 'uh-huh'.
Once she'd finished talking to Shield-Butt, I stepped into view to greet them. "Hello Shining Armor, 'Cadence'... Congratulations on deciding to get married, I hope you both get what you want out of the union."
"Who are you!?" Shining Armor asked, already pointing his horn at me with a charging spell. "And how did you get past the barrier, Griffon?"
Chuckling, I answered his last question, "Because I was invited, of course..."
Shining Armor glared at me, "Right like I'm going to believe that, I don't even know you! So tell me the truth, wh-"
"He is telling the truth Shiny..." Twilight said with a sigh, cutting off her brother's line of questioning. "The Princesses invited him."
Shining let his spell dissipate, but continued to glare at me. "Twily, Cadence. Please excuse me for a moment..." He commented before trotting into the palace, Twilight quickly following.
'Cadence' was about to follow as well, but I stepped in front of her. "Hello Chrysalis, it's nice to meet you." I greeted her with a smirk, using her real name now that Shining Armor and Sparkles had run off.
'Cadence' looked shocked as she looked at me, "W-what? I thought you knew my name? I'm Princess Mi Am- "
I shook my head, cutting her off quickly, "Drop the act Chrysalis, I know you aren't Cadence."
Her shocked look quickly morphed into a more cold and calculative one, "How would you know? Who are you?"
I acted shocked, "Oh, where are my manners? Right now, I'm known as Jet-Claw..." I informed her, giving a mock bow. "But then again..." I continued, tapping a claw to my chin. "I suppose I could be Sun-Butt too."
A quick spin revealed Celestia in my place. "Or maybe even you?" Another spin revealed a look-alike of Chryssy's true form. "But no, this-" I began to spin once again, "-is me." I finished my sentence as I stopped, allowing her to see my true human self.
"Obviously not a Changeling, and Discord's still imprisoned..." The Queen deduced. I guess it must be pretty easy to see that I wasn't using changeling magic. "So what are you?" Chrysalis demanded, glaring at me.
"Well since you asked soo~ nicely..." I responded sarcastically, rolling my eyes, "I'm a Human, Chryssy."
"Don't call me that!" Chrysalis roared, sending a bolt of green magic at me.
Thankfully intangibility works pretty well against magical bolts, which makes me wonder why it never seems to work against magical telekinesis... Different mechanics or intents, maybe?
Twisting myself back into a Griffon, I looked at the small crater in the castle wall "Geeze, Somebody certainly doesn't like nicknames..." I commented, giving a small whistle in appreciation. I am really glad that didn't hit me.
"But I guess you must be oh so busy, what with replacing a bride and stealing the love of her groom and all. So I should probably go, though I'll give you two warnings first... "
"One: Touch the other Griffon that came to Canterlot with me, and you die." I think the shadows that began crawling around my form helped the intimidation a bit, it certainly seemed to make her a bit nervous.
"And two... Don't be a hypocrite and end up underestimating two specific ponies if you want to be victorious." Nervousness to confusion, remind me to invite you to 'Poker Night' Chrysalis... I have a feeling your poker face is awful.
Having given my warnings, I flew off to look for Gilda and the Mane Six.
I am so lost... Why did I have to leave the others to taunt Chrysalis? I probably would've been in my room by now if I hadn't done that. Ugh... I've been walking through hallways for the better part of an hour, and I still haven't found jack sq-
"WE SHALL NOT FORCE HIM AWAY, HE HAS ALREADY BEEN INVITED AND SO HE WILL STAY!"
Oh boy, that sounds interesting! Walking towards the yelling, I found the two Princesses and Shining Armor in what seemed to be the Throne Room.
"So what if he was invited, I want him out!" Shining declared, stomping his hoof like some bratty child.
"Thou darest to question our decisions?" Luna asked in a way that was oddly quiet. Oh boy, straight from yelling to bubbling silent fury. Shining, you should really watch your ste-
"Yes, I do!" Turning from the steaming Moon-Goddess towards Sun-Light, he attempted to plead with her instead, "Please Celestia! You know about my history with Griffons!"
Trollestia looked about two steps from laughing. "He's not a Griffon." She told the Captain.
The aforementioned Captain looked dumbfounded. Heh, emphasis on dumb.
"What? How can he not be a Griffon? Have you gone insa- Er..." Wow, Shining almost called one of Equestria's Rulers crazy... That's gotta be some new level of stupidity. Or maybe he's just suicidal?
"He is a shapeshifter, hailing from a species known as 'Humans'." Celestia informed him, a patient smile on her muzzle. Remind me to never invite Celestia to a 'Poker-Night', I'd lose all my money...
"Fine, so he stays... But what about his friend? Is she some kind of shapeshifter too, or is she a dirty Griffon?" Somehow, I never imagined that Shining Armor would be racist towards Griffons.
"She is a Griffon, but should thee attempt to harm or oust John's Guest... We shall see to it that thou shalt be punished most severely.
*Ding* Well, that was the sound of my 'Luna is Best Princess' loyalty counter going up by one. Tallying the scoreboards... Celestia: 1, Luna: 100, Shining: -50.
Shining's just getting himself in trouble with everyone today, huh?
Stepping into the room, I added my own threat. "And if I find out that you've done anything to make Gilda uncomfortable while she's here, there won't be much left to punish..."
Once again, I'm protective of my friends. Well that, and I might be developing some feelings for Gilda... But for the sake of my current sanity I'll be leaning more towards my first reason.
Shining didn't say anything, but I could tell that he knew that he wouldn't get his way. Once he was gone, I asked Luna and Celestia a very, very, very important question... "So... Mind telling me where I'll be sleeping?"
Well this is awkward... Apparently I'm sharing a room with Gilda, since they didn't expect me to bring a guest. Or maybe it's just because Celestia is embracing a new role in life, next thing you know she'll announce an official name-change to 'Trollestia'.
I set about making myself a small bed on the floor with some of the spare blankets and pillows, deciding to be a gentle-Griffon and let Gilda have the bed. One small problem with that though...
"Hey, what're you doing? I said that you're gonna sleep on the bed."
Gilda refused to accept the offer.
"And I told you that I'm not going to let you sleep on the floor." I retorted, not willing to allow her to give up the bed. What can I say, I'm stubborn like that...
"Fine!" I sighed, feeling relieved that she'd given up. Unfortunately since I thought she'd just decided to give up and take the bed, I also let my guard down which allowed her to grab hold of me. "H-hey!?"
Gilda yanked me onto the bed, "I told you that you're sleeping on the bed tonight. But don't get any funny ideas, alright Jet?"
To be honest, I'm much more worried that she'd get some kind of idea in her feathery head seeing as she's the one who kissed me earlier...
Nonetheless, I could tell there wasn't any other way to make her accept the cushiony offering of the room's bed. "Alright, whatever makes you happy..." Why did I say that!?
The female Griffon nodded, "Good. Though... Uh..." She looked away for a moment, mumbling something.
"What?"
"I said I tend to cuddle things in my sleep, alright!?" Gilda snapped, obviously embarrassed.
I gave a slow blink at that tidbit. Why is it that everything in this world seems to surprise me? I've watched the entire show up to the end of season 4 for crying out loud! Than again, this isn't the show... This is life now. My life, apparently.
After about a minute of processing the new information, I shrugged and laid down. Too tired to argue, I just mumbled an "Alright..." as she laid down next to me.
Falling asleep, I wondered what tomorrow would bring, and whether or not I'd wake up to find myself being cuddled by the Griffon next to me...