//------------------------------// // Shy (39) // Story: Griffin the Griffin // by BlackWing //------------------------------// Shy I never could have imagined something like that. In Equestria, things like that.... just don't happen. Everything is peaceful. I remember being teased, mocked, and shunned, all because I couldn't fly very well, and I was nervous around everyone. There wasn't even a reason behind my shyness, no deep seated issue or trauma, it's just who I was. I never could have imagined something like what happened to Gilda. Losing your family at a young age, being all alone, a slave..... it's just too horrible to think about. Oh, I hope I don't have nightmares. The poor thing, she just wanted somepony to understand, I can't even think of what she might be feeling, and for me, that's a big deal. "Fluttershy?" "OH! Rainbow, you really shouldn't sneak up on me." "Sneak up.... I was just standing here, you were lost in thought..... hey... have you been crying?" My oldest friend, Rainbow Dash. Always looking out for me, but at the same time, much too headstrong. Not that I could tell her that...... "Oh, um, no. I was just... um.... worried about my animal friends back home. I miss them terribly." A lie. Okay, so, it wasn't a lie, I do miss them, but that's not why I was crying. I feel bad about lying to her, but I can't tell her what happened, Gilda spoke to me in confidence! "Well, alright then." She doesn't believe me, but she knows if I don't tell her, there's a reason for it. "Try and cheer up will you? We're on our way home, and you'll see them soon. Come on, come back inside. You stay out on the deck at night, and you'll freeze." "Oh, no, um, don't be worried about me. I, um, I'll just stay out here a bit longer. I don't really like it in there... it's so.... loud." "Yeah yeah, alright, just, don't stay out too late. Besides, I don't like the look of that diamond dog, hanging out there, all on his own. He's kind of creepy." Rainbow flew back down inside, to go back to the party Pinkie was throwing. I saw Griffin talking to the diamond dog, Growl, give him a pat on the back, then head towards me. He was trying to avoid eye contact with me. He knows ponies better than they know themselves. If he's around you, he'll become a big soft marshmallow because that's what would make you the most comfortable. He's not looking at me, because he knows he's scary, and I get scared easy. But, if he's willing to take that into consideration, then, he's not scary after all, isn't he? "Um, hi?" I said it softly, but he still heard me. He looked at me. Those eyes, fierce and predatory, piercing gaze, oh no." "Eep!" Oh, there I go again, getting afraid. Come on Fluttershy, you can do this. "It's a nice night, isn't it? Although, I suppose they're all nice. Not a cloud in the sky." When I opened my eyes, he was just sitting there, next to me. We wasn't carrying his weapon, which is a good thing or I think I would have fainted. He was just looking at the stars. "What do you mean... they're all nice... if you don't mind......" "Well, where I'm from, we have pollution pretty bad. Back in the wastes, I didn't cough at all. I've had a lifetime of bad air. But I can get past that. No. The part that bothers me is that I can almost never see the night sky anymore because of the cloud cover, and when I can, it's always through a haze. I wanted to leave, go live out in the wild, pure, untouched, and I wound up here. I have to say, this is a lot better than anyplace on earth." He just stared off into space for a while, thinking about something. "You.... like nature?" I broke the silence. He turned to look at me. At first, I tried to look away, but this time, his eyes weren't sharp, they were, calm. Then, he looked away again. "I suppose I do. I always have. Not so much animals as the weather. Rain, wind, lightning." "You...you... like... lightning and... thunder? But it's so.... loud and scary." "That's kind of odd, coming from a pegasus." "Go ahead, laugh...." "I'm not going to laugh." He laid down on the deck. "Why?" "Because, I have been laughed at far too much to do it to someone else. I know how much it hurts. The sting of their words. Being mocked, for no reason other than being who you are. Back home, I was a nerd, a geek, egghead, loser, whatever." "Y...you? But...but.... you're so.... strong. You fought dragons... you.... saved us....." "I suppose I did.... but.... that was after I got here. Here, I have a reason, and the ability. Back home...... forgive the example, but it would be like if everyday, Prince Blueblood treated Rarity like trash, she tried to run, she tried to hide, but every day, he found her, and when she finally fought back, the princess stood in, and even though she had seen what he had done to her, she punished her for the one time she stood up for herself. Now, that's not true, and neither of them would ever do that, but in my world, that's just how it works. I had no choice, because the ones who were hurting me KNEW they would get away with it, because if I tried anything, I'd be the one punished." He explained. That was just.... brutal... how could anypony do something like that to somepony else? That's right.... he's not from here. "That's.... awful...." I felt like I was going to cry. "Fluttershy, I want to show you something. You have to promise not to scream, and not to cry. Is that alright?" "N...n...no.... I don't think I could. I think I know what you want to show me..... You want to show me what you really look like.... so I can see the scars......" So weak. I can't even bring myself to look at his wounds...... "That's alright, I won't show you then, but yes. That's what it is. I hate my old body. It's nothing more than a reminder of how weak I was, how weak I am, and a memory of the past. Honestly, it would be best if I could get rid of it entirely. I like being a griffin. I'm strong, fast, can fly.... honestly, I don't know how you do it. Not flying every second of every day? Flying is the best thing ever. But, then again, we're two different people." He said with a sigh. He seemed sad. He's not some heartless, evil, pirate captain. He's just a guy who's been treated wrong far too many times, and has had enough of it. "Do you, you know, want to talk about it, you past?" "Trust me, you don't want to do that. If you can't handle looking at the scars on my body, there's no way you'd be able to take the ones on my heart and mind. You'd have nightmares for years to come. I can't do that to you. Besides. I'm not ready to let go of my pain. My pain... it makes me angry.... and when I'm angry, it's.... this feeling...... it feels good. It feels good to let my feelings, that I've bottled up all this time, to let them out." He started getting a little more passionate. "But, that's not the way to do things. If you let yourself get angry like that, you get violent, and.... you hurt those around you....." I know from experience with Iron Will. I let my anger and frustration get the better of me. It felt good, until I hurt my friends... then it was horrible. I felt like a monster. "Not if you direct it. Decide where it goes. What is making you angry? Then, focus the anger at it. What makes me angry is the state of living the griffins and diamond dogs are in. They have to fight and enslave each other, just to get enough gems to appease dragons. That's wrong. It makes me mad, and getting angry at injustice is not a bad thing. It's how the world changes for the better." He stood. "You have to stand up and say, 'This is wrong, and I will not let this happen any longer! I will make myself heard! Know that I will not stand for this!', and then do something about it. I'm not ready to let go of my pain. My pain brings me anger, which brings me strength, but only if I direct it at something. If I focus one one thing, It won't get the better of me. As long as I remember why I'm angry, and it doesn't get misplaced, then I won't hurt my friends. As for my enemies.... well..... they know what's coming." 'That's strange. I never thought of it like that. I never got mad, but when I did, I didn't know where to direct it. But, he's also holding onto his pain. He won't let it go.' "I need my pain, because without it, I won't have the strength to do what I need to do." He's holding on to so much. I just hope that once he succeeds, he'll be able to let it go...... Once he succeeds.... don't I mean if? No.... I definitely mean when. Is this what Gilda meant? They way he talks, he makes it sound like anything is possible, like all I have to do is follow him, and everything will fall in place. This is why he's the captain. He can make others believe in him. "Well, I've had enough fresh air, and I've checked up on Growl. Not sure why, but he's kind of anti social. I'm headed back in. Sorry for dumping all that on you, but, thanks for listening anyways." And then Griffin went back inside. Growl.... his name makes him sound harsh and scary, but he's just standing there, looking at the moon. I should go and talk to him... maybe.... NO! Definitely. I can do this.... just calm down Fluttershy. Griffin was nice, all I had to do was talk to him. Alright. Here I go.