• Published 22nd Feb 2012
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Griffin the Griffin - BlackWing

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Welcome To The World (96)

Welcome To The World

Crossover with 'A Broken Peace' Give it lots of views so SeverFour gets off his rear and starts updating it more often.


I woke up feeling pretty grungy. Spending the past month in the hospital was killer, and even though I was able to get out a bit early, I still spent most of my time in a bed, which ended up with me being antsy constantly. That, and my fantastic muscle tone had started to waste away from the lack of exercise. I also had a thin layer of fat above the muscle, just under the skin, which was welcome when we were up north because it kept me warm, but I was looking forward to losing it. Signal would be a perfect opportunity to do that. A nice safe place for some R&R, yet at the same time, they're be plenty to do with all the new people coming to live there. That, and with the higher population, pretty soon we'd have to start the next settlement.



Gilda, Nadene and I had spent the past week and a half doing our duties, her commanding the ship, me getting better, and experimenting with that spell combination I knew would work, but just couldn't get it to. We went to our group therapy sessions, Trixie joining in as well. She told us all about life on the road, how even though she came from a loving family, there was always so much pressure to succeed, always to be the best, and when she couldn't measure up, it ended with her exaggerating her feats. We were all very supportive, and with Surprise, the morale officer, taking over as the counselor so Steelhorn could do his job at the forge, it was decided that we would have group sessions for anyone who needed it. After all, our mental health was just as important as the physical, and as of yet, we hadn't come up with any coping method for dealing with all the horrors we were subjected to.


Also...... WINGS! Geirmund finally finished mine! Wantwantwantwantwant. I haven't flown in a month, other than on griffin back that one time with Gilda. I need this. I really really need this.


"Come on!"

"You've waited a month, you can wait a couple more minutes." Geirmund said with his usual accent.

"No I can't!"

"Ah.... fine. Tada!" He unveiled the gleaming steel limb, with gemstones inset all along the leading edge, and an armored plate to protect the joint. It had thin steel forms for feathers, with rubber tips so they wouldn't be sharp. Since it was heavy and it would be hard to support on it's own, there was a steel back plate which would then wrap around the base of the other wing to keep it steady.

"Well, hook me up already!"


They strapped it on, and given the way Trixie reacted hen she had hers put on, I winced in anticipation of the incoming pain....... which never happened. I felt a small pinch, and a bit of blood running away, but then it was fine.


"Wha..."

"Local anesthetic. Lasts about five minutes. The wing does the surgery for the nerves after applying it. No point in having any more pain than you need. You should still be able to move it though."

I stretched it open and closed a couple times, and found that I could in fact move it.

"It moves a little after I tell it to...."

"Zen ze ratios must be off. It'll take a moment to tinker vith it..." He brought out a micro screw driver set from within his wings and began the delicate operation of twisting the various springs inside to tighten them, not too much that they'd break, but not so little that they'd unwind or there'd be latency. As he poked around.... well...


"Hey...grkk...ta..... hahahaha! Quit it! Ah..... sssssss..... BAHAAHAHAH!" It tickled. A lot.

"Zere we go.... now, try again." I spread it open and closed a couple more times, and this time around it did exactly as it was supposed to. "Now, open it all ze way, Time to test ze reflexes." I did as he asked, and he began tapping along various parts, asking me how it felt. Whenever he touched it and removed his hoof, I would feel the sensation of the hoof long after he removed it.


"Hmm... nerve feedback loop. Ze wing sinks it is being touched ven it is not. Hmm......" He opened a small compartment and began feeling around inside with his tools, there was a snap, and then he backed off and tried it again.


"Much better. Thank you."

"If zere is any trouble, you know vere to find me. Ze wing is water proof, so you vill not need to remove it for anyzing, alzough, you may vant to ven you go to sleep, but zat is all personal preference."



A couple more days passed before we reached Signal, and I spent some time flying around, getting used to my new wing. It was heavier than my flesh and blood wing, so I had to work that side a bit harder to fly straight, but with the attachment to the other wing, providing some resistance to it, I'd have to work it harder as well, so all in all it evened out.



The time came that we reached the island. I tried sleeping with my wing on, and, well, it was uncomfortable, so I didn't really get that good of a sleep. This meant that I still had to get up early, despite being tired.


'May as well grab a cup of coffee to wake up.'


Walking down to the mess hall and to the brewer, I poured myself a hot cup of Joe, then took a seat so I could drink in peace. That's when I I noticed a little something on the edge of my mug. An eight legged something, slowly walking around the rim to the near side. I set the cup down and backed away from it in the typical 'do not want' manner and watched as the arachnid turned to face me. Then, I heard a voice that reminded me of the butterfly from 'The Emperor's New Groove' right before it got munched. You know, 'Help me! Heeeeeelp me! Mrarararhhmm.'

"Beware! I am the destroyer of worlds and the defiler of virgins. All shall bow before me, for I am, THE SPIDER! Fear me!"


I promptly blew on the edge, sending the spider falling into the scalding drink, which made it emit tiny screams. I then dumped the entire thing down the drain.

"Where I fail, others will succeed! You have been warned! Blaarabbwubbaburg...." And then it drowned.

'If spiders are coming in the coffee beans, I don't want any. Sure, call me paranoid, but when you go to take a drink, swallow a spider, get bitten, and your throat swells up and you suffocate to death, then who are you going to call crazy? Not me, because you'll be dead! Ha! Hehehahaha! I do believe being in the hospital for the past month has made me stir crazy. I'm going to have to bring this up at therapy.......'


After that little incident, Surprise came by and told me that everything should be ready for tonight, although I should probably go around and quadruple check with everybody.







Once we had arrived at the island, I decided to head down and take a shower in one of the many booths that had been set up. Grabbing a stray cloud, I flew into the 8 by 8 wooden box and plopped the cloud down on top of it, covering it. I want to be nice and clean for Gilda's birthday party. Last time around we hadn't known each other that long, as we hadn't told each other, so I'm going to make THIS one the best party ever. I checked the temperature my sticking my hand inside it. Nice and warm, perfect. I gave the fluffy nimbus a quick jab, sending a downpour of warm water to soak me thoroughly, washing all the filth and grime out of those hard to reach spots. I lathered up some pineapple scented soap, scrubbing my feathers and preening out the loose ones at the same time, then punished the cloud again, emptying it of its contents, rising me off. With the shower out of the way I exited the booth. Feeling the slight ocean breeze, I used a claw to flip a dripping wet feather out of my field of vision.

'I wonder..... is wet feather hot like wet mane is? I've never seen Gilda soaking wet, since she mostly takes cloud baths.'





Flaring both my real and replacement wing, I shook myself vigorously to remove most of the water from my feathers and coat. After being dried, they fluffed slightly, and I was left feeling cleaner than I had in months. Combine that with the slight sheen my feathers and fur.... or is it a coat? Whatever, combine that with the slight sheen and softness they got from eating large number of eggs over the past month for protein, since we were running low on meat, I felt positively radiant. With a spring in my step, I headed down to the beach to sun myself all the way dry.


"This looks like a good spot." I laid down on the warm white sand of the beach on my back, letting the sun dry the last bit of moisture off my underside, thoroughly enjoying the sensation of the soft grains caressing my body. The sand, the sun, the ocean waves, combined with the fact that even though my arachnid incident woke me up, I was still exhausted, and it was all so... soothing, that I soon drifted off to sleep.








Awaking from my nap slowly, I rolled onto my feet and arched my back and wings to stretch, savoring the feeling of my joints popping. The warm sun, sand, and breeze had left me in a kind of bliss as I walked down the beach, feeling more relaxed than I had ever been. 'Must have nodded off.... how long was I asleep?' I checked the time piece built into my wing. 'An hour? That's it? I feel more rested than a whole night.'

Still feeling the bliss of a nice catnap, (hey, I'm part feline alright?) I groggily closed my eyes again for just a moment as I walked up the beach, but opened them when I bumped into something. Before me, sitting on the sand, was a zebra. He, (and I say he by the shape of the jaw) was a bit bigger than an average pony, had blue eyes, a massive scar running the length of his back, a notch cut out of his ear, and a cutiemark/tattoo/whatever zebras have of a spider in a kind of spiky wheel. Maybe he's a spider killer?

Next to him, and a little behind, was a griffin covered in scars, with the far half of one of her wings, one of her rear legs, and her tail missing, all replaced by some shoddy looking prosthetics which sparked occasionally. Both were staring at me in what I believe to be awe, considering that their jaws had dropped.

"Oh... sorry." I said smoothly, still feeling quite good after my shower and sunbath. "Say..... I haven't seen you around before. You new here?" I smiled. I figure I should try being nicer to people, as being an ass is what landed me in the hospital in the first place, something I'm not looking forward to repeating. That, and my time in the group therapy sessions had left me a lot more considerate to others.



The zebra blinked and lifted his jaw up with a hoof. "I'm Iv- iv- ivan...." He stuttered. He honestly looked like a lost puppy, with the shyness of Fluttershy. Judging from the fact that he looked like he had been through a blender, I'd say he's either spent a LOT of time running away from fights and barely making it, or his equally chopped up friend gave him all those, in which case he was in an abusive relationship. Why not leave? Because she'll probably kill him.

"And you?" My gaze passed to his griffin companion. Her parts sparked again and she winced in a way that would be unnoticeable to most, but with my enhanced vision I could tell. She was putting on a brave face. She took out a bag of seeds, ate a couple, then took a deep breath. "Catastrophe." She smiled warmly. Okay.... so.... now I'm confused again. She's acting nice enough. Does that discredit the second theory, or is she just a good liar?

"Cool. I'm Grif." I waved an arm in a bow. "Welcome to my island. Hope you enjoy your stay. I'm gonna go work out for a bit. I've been in the hospital this past month, and I need to get back in shape." They both gawked at me like I was incredible or something.

"This..... is your island?" She asked, looking at Ivan and then back at to me. "Working out? Mind if we come?"


"Um... sure. I mean, you can go wherever you want really...." Is it odd that they want to watch me work out? Oh no.... please don't tell me I'm a beach muscle head! I don't want to be Shining Armor! I turned and walked towards the jungle. There's some fruit trees in there I can use for exercise, Applejack style. My tail flicked idly as I walked and whistled a merry tune, not flying as losing the zebra wouldn't be the nicest thing to do. The pair followed me, whispering something that I really didn't care enough about to listen in on. Maybe it's because I'm technically a celebrity, and they're fans or something? I know I didn't rescue them, I would have remembered a couple as odd as this.








"Well, here we are." I stopped at a grove of palm trees, with some pineapple trees not too far off. Again. Pineapples don't grow on trees, but apparently, they do here. I turned to the nearest tree, balled up my fist, and struck the trunk. The tree shook, but no results. I frowned. "Well..... that's no good....." Taking a stance in front of the tree, I took a deep breath, held it, wound my arm back, and struck the tree with as much force as I could while releasing a shout. Three coconuts dropped to the base. "That's more like it."


Using my claws to poke holes in the hard shelled fruit, I passed one to each of them. "Be right back." I flared my wings and with a powerful flap, took off towards the pineapples nearby, grabbed a couple and came back. With thee spiky fruit in claw, I grabbed my coconut and drank some of the milk from it to empty it a bit.

"Lacero." I drew on some of the gems set in my wings to cast the spell, letting me split the coconut with one hand, then squeezed the pineapple juice into it. I did the same for the other two, then passed them back.

"Cheers." We all drank deeply, then I wiped my beak. The zebra looked at me in awe..... again.

"M...m..magic?" The look on his face was the typical 'brain bluescreen'.

"Just something I picked up in my travels...." I replied, fiddling with my amulet.






"Would you be willing to give us a tour?" Catastrophe asked politely, which, given the way she looks, seemed out of character. Almost like she was changing the subject........

"I don't mind, but first I've got to collect a bunch of these fruit. With all the new immigrants, our food supply suddenly dropped, so I'm helping to get it back up, which'll be good exercise for me too. Feel like helping out?"

"Sure!" The lady griffin replied. Ivan was merely staring at me, as well as at a number of other griffins that passed us by and worked next to us. He looked.... antsy. Nervous that he's surrounded by all these predators? Didn't really seem like fear, but he kept taking awkward glances at me.


"Well, let's get started."






I laid out a large tarp on the ground to haul the fruit we collected, and we went to work kicking and punching the trees to get the food out of them. I alternated between bucks, punches, and smashing them with my wings or tackling with my shoulders. My metallic limb was quite effective at dropping the fruit from their lofty heights, what with it's armored plating. What was odd though was my companions for this. Every time I turned to look at the pair working next to me, they seemed to look away shyly, as if embarrassed of something. Pretty soon, I had worked up a sweat, and we had filled the tarp. Lifting the edges, we began hauling it back, my recently healed shoulder making me wince with the strain.



"Oh? Is there something wrong?" They looked at me with sincere concern. "We can help you with that." Catastrophe finished, smiling slightly.

'What does she mean by that?'

"Ah, fuck..." I reached into my leather pack for a vial of potion and downed it, the pain being relieved immediately. "Nah, I'm good. I'm just going to have to get Gear to take another look at my shoulder. And tune this wing while he's at it, it's ratios are off and it's giving me nerve feedback again. I think I knocked something loose when I hit the tree."


Catastrophe blinked. "Pain potion." She almost face palmed. "Tuning. TUNING?" Her smile dropped. "Say... could I have this... Gear person take a look at mine?" Of course. Looking at her replacements sparking all over the place under a kind of fake skin designed to make it look normal, a fake skin which was stretched, burnt, and had holes poked through it. I could see why she might want a professional to take a look at them.

"I don't see why not. He loves tinkering and stuff. We'll see him on the tour, he's setting up a small foundry here in town so we can actually make use of the ore the dogs living here dig up, but first let's get this food back to the village."









We finally got the several hundred pounds of food back to camp.... hey, griffins weigh like, 700 pounds each, we can carry quite a bit, and Ivan's a zebra, do they have earth pony magic? I don't know, but he sure was trying, like he was trying to impress someone. Maybe Catastrophe? A bunch of other griffins at the gate took our load off us, several giving me pats on the back, including some dogs that we had freed as well.

"Wow. They really like you." Ivan said, almost sadly. Catastrophe sighed.

"Relax, you'll get your own." She replied to his comment. I don't know what she means by that, but whatever.

"Well, this is Signal, the main, and only, settlement of the New Dominion. Almost all the inhabitants are freed slaves and their families. As for why they like me.... well, can you guess who freed them? While the latest batch by my crew and not me, since I was in the hospital, they still see me as the reason they're free, and are actually having a celebration tonight. although that's for a very different reason. A surprise birthday party for a friend of mine who is largely under appreciated. Don't let on that you know about it." I gave a smirk of childish pride.

Ivan nodded. "I wish I had that kinda luck." He laughed lightly, rubbing the back of his head with a hoof.

Catastrophe sighed. "So... you freed a bunch of slaves, right?" She asked, curious. "What sorta thing did you fly in?"


"That." I point to the floating palace that is the Possibility. "Soon as I get enough dough, I'm going to buy it off Steelhorn, but until then, I guess I'll just settle for renting it."


The hen blinked. "That. That... THAT?" She said, her eyes widening. "Holy shit? That thing? FLIES?" Well duh. It IS an airship. What did she think it was? She smiled widely, almost manic in its intensity. "You. Can... rent. THAT?! How much?


"Well, it was around 21 thousand bits for the first three months, and the continued use is that the owner gets a nice cut of all the profits we get from raiding slaver ships."


"Ivan. Can I sell your soul to rent it for a day? I promise I won't crash it." Ivan blinked and hung his head low. Wow, that's kind of... mean.

"Come on. You know I can't do that at will..." He pouted. This is getting stranger and stranger. Is he some kind of shaman who can rip his own soul out or something?


"For all the effort those dogs go through with the slaves and all that to get those gems, you'd think they'd have better......" I let out a sinister laugh, "security for them. Raid the ships, kill the dragons, beat down the alphas, free the slaves, turn a profit. Nice little thing we got going.

The zebra growled loudly. "Don't remind me. So... what's your dragon slaying count?"


"Dragon kill count? Hmm........... nine......."

"Alphas?"

"Personally? None. We thrashed one, but he was a bit of a pansy. I gave him an ultimatum, but when I came back there was nothing but ash, but my crew took one down while I was on the mend.......Anyways, I set up a nice little village, gonna start building the next one soon actually. All the freed slaves can go wherever they want, but I offer em a place to stay here for as long as they want, make a new life, while we try and find their families. I guess they're pretty happy about being given a second chance. What about you? From the look of you, you two you've been around a bit.




Ivan blinked and looked down. "Uh. I think I killed one. Maybe." He said, looking a little embarrassed. Catastrophe nudged him. "And a shoggoth. Don't forget that you little angst muffin."


"Hey, that's not bad, not bad at all. Dragons aren't anything to take lightly. I just got lucky my first time around and figured out what I was doing..... and what the hell is a shoggoth?"

The zebra looked exasperated. "It was a thing of pure horror. Eldritch." He shuddered. "Lovecraftian horror. Like every monster cliche known to anything mashed into one blob thing that ate everything on my island. And a few things on the mainland."

"Wait, lovecraftian?" Yeah, H.P. Lovecraft. Human author...... I wonder....



"Ivan, do you by any chance....... like bananas?"

He looked at me blankly, obviously confused. "Not really?"

"Oh...... well, anyways, we're here. Hey! Geirmund! I got a customer for ya!" I was a bit disappointed. I thought I had found another. Well, he still might be, Aoi didn't know the banana line either. Maybe he heard it from someone else? He's at least met a human, that much I know, but that doesn't get me anywhere.



"Mind your ears!" I warned as we entered a mess of buzzing saws, grinding gears, sparks, and iron that was the still under construction forge. It was loud, it was bright, it was all the migraine inducing glory of industry. "Gear! Ya in here?" I shouted over the steady hum. The giant form of Steelhorn made it's way in front of us, carrying an anvil on his shoulder. He set it down with a thud, the put his hands behind his back, arched it, and let out several loud cracks.

"Captain Griffin, glad to see yoo up and about, ya lazy cod. Tha gear head is up top." He pointed towards the ship.

"Thanks Steel. You're all heart." A clear shot at him calling me lazy, when the truth is they almost had to sedate me a couple times to stop me from getting out early on my own. We exited the shop, glad to be out of the noise, and looked up towards the ship. "Well, looks like you get the first class treatment. Come on."









"Where to?" Ivan asked, confused. Then he looked up, and turned back to me, a blank stare on his face.

'Right, zebra, duh. He can't fly, and I doubt his friend is too willing to carry him or let him ride, considering the way all her joints are fizzing." Time to be a nice guy......

"Right. Hop on Ivan, can't really leave you behind."


He was suddenly in giddy shock. "Get on..... your back?" He stated, torn between disbelief and excitement. Probably never flew before.

"Well.... yeah. I mean, how else are you gonna get up there?"

Catastrophe stopped, looking at me for a for a long moment. "Yo-..." She shook her head. "Just..." Clearly having a hard time understanding why I'd let myself be ridden. Common thought process.

"I'm normally being ridden around by a unicorn. It makes for a pretty effective combat team." I said as I lowered myself to the ground to let the zebra climb on. He climbed on while really trying his best to not be awkward about it, judging by the way he seemed afraid to even touch me.



"Now hold on, and don't touch the wings. The metal one's got nerves in it and with the feedback loop it'll seize up if you touch it."

"Yes sir." He nodded, then wrapped his hooves around my neck and buried his face into it, rubbing it all over, sighing in content and making little peeping sounds in absolute joy.

"Okay then. Zebra nuzzling my feathers aside.... up we go."

Ivan let out a half squawk, half squeak noise. "I w-was not!" I laughed openly.


"Yeah, I know, they're soft. I mean, this IS what they make pillows and blankets out of."

"Uh... yeah. Soft. Pillows. Right." He replied awkwardly. I feel like I'm missing something. Okay, I mean, he's probably embarrassed that he did that. He seems rather awkward for someone with all those scars, unless they're from being clumsy instead of combat or his friend....


I opened my wings, stretching them to their fullest extent, and took off into the sky, the other griffin following me. Ivan held on tightly, afraid, but also exhilarated at being able to fly. Not everyday a 'land dweller' gets to fly, let alone on a griffin's back. It wasn't very far, so we arrived rather quickly.











"And here we are. Welcome aboard the Possibility. I'll show you down to the infirmary so Gear and Nadene can take a look at us."


"Who's Nadene? The plucky side kick, lusting after you, or the saucy bard?" Ivan asked, curious.

"Wha- what?" I coughed. This is getting awkward. "Um.... kind of?" She's only after me when I'm the other me, so it kind of counts..... right?

"Just playing the cliches." He nodded.

"So... where is the random idiot who will try to flirt with me? Or is it one of those thigns that won't happen, just because I am expecting it?"Catastrophe looked around with a scowl. More cliches?

"Yeah, that's probably not going to happen. Anyways...... Nadene is the cat with daggers and tribal clothes. She's our field medic, apothecary, and before Surprise came on board, the cheer-er up-er. We'll see her in a second."




We entered the hold of the ship and made our way down to the medical bay where Geirmund and Nadene were chatting along with the rest of the Freud family.


"So..... how do I get down?" Ivan asked. Now that he was up here, even more predators, cats and griffins, he's probably looking for a way to escape if he needs it.


"Yeah, don't worry about it. I need to go down and take another shower anyways, after getting all worked up getting fruit." I turned to the doctors inside. "Hey Gear, got some work for you. I need you to check my shoulder and tune my wing, the thing is giving me feedback something awful and has a half second lag, and the shoulder is hurting. This is Catastrophe and, well, I think you can figure it out at a glance." I motioned to her, all her metallic joints sparking on and off, the smell of burnt flesh and ozone hanging in the air.


"So who will be servicing me today?" She asked, with a content smile. That phrase COULD be taken the wrong way if you thought about it in terms of prostitution. I saw Ivan blush.

'Oh, I get it, they're a couple, and she just loves making him embarrassed. That would explain why he was blushing constantly this whole time.'




"Give her the full treatment, on the house. I don't know why, but I have a good feeling about these two, and besides, they caught me in a good mood." Try being nice to people Grif. Try being nice. Look, I wasn't a sarcastic asshole, and I already found two friends...... at least one of them of questionable alignment and origin. Right..... with my luck, I'll have just befriended a psychopathic murderer. I feel sorry for Ivan, but who am I to judge? I'm not exactly the nicest person either...

"Over here, yes, datz it. On zee bed, let me take un look at zeese..... by ze way, vere did you get your implants? Whoever did zem...... well, zey are un moron."

"From someone I paid ENTIRELY too much." She snapped and frowned. "Just, get to work."


In the mean time, Cable motioned to the bed next to Catastrophe's, and ushered me towards it. "Alright, up on zee table, spread ze wing over ze workbench so I can take un look. Furnace, can you get me mein tool kit?"

"Yes ma."





Nadene walked over with Nurse Grey, (A blanched white unicorn with cadaceus for cutie mark.) "Cable here is Geirmund's wife, and Furnace is their daughter. Nadene is from the Vren tribe in the southern rain forest, also known as the feline jungle. They're a tribe of healers and potion makers, living next to the sacred grove which has hundred of extremely rare herbs that was, until recently, protected by a *shudder* giant spider."


"You've really been around! Ever been to Rej? Its an island in the belt." The scarred zebra asked.



"Rej...... not familiar with that. Don't really know the names, just classed the islands as 'thriving' 'livable' 'unlivable' 'wasteland' 'occupied' and 'dangerous', then picked a couple 'thriving' for settlement."

"Nurse, magi-scan the shoulder will you?" Nadene asked. The unicorn's horn glowed as she passed it over the joint, then sat back.

"The joint isn't sitting right in the socket, everything is packed in behind it, pinching the muscles and nerves. We'll have to dislocate it and move it back in order to set it right. You must have really jammed it to get it like that" Well, that isn't good news. Probably happened when I shoulder tackled that tree......... I'm an idiot. Just out of the hospital and I'm already trying to put myself back in it.


"Crap...... might want to look away Ivan, this ain't gonna be pretty. Cable, just take the wing off for the moment, I don't want to hit you with it." At my instruction, the tinker pony put a hoof on either side of the wing, brought it forward, and unscrewed a small screw. The plate draped over my back hissed as it unwound, and I winced as the nerves were untangled from the gem matrix within, luckily the anesthetic stored within doing it's job.



The kitty doctor turned to look at my face. "On three alright? One...." And then the incredible pain of having my shoulder pop out of it's socket made itself known.

"FUCK!"I took a few deep breaths to overcome the anguish. "So much for three......"

"Now, I'll keep the tendons, ligaments, and nerves out of the way while it gets reinserted, then you stay off it mister. I know you went out exercising but if you don't let it rest to heal, it'll never get better and we'll have to do this again next week." The unicorn scolded. I closed my eyes in preparation.



"Gaaah!"








Nadene then brought out an amethyst set gem wand and pointed it at the joint. "Nurse, charge it please, and hold it while I put the muscles I just tore back together." I noticed Ivan watching with intense interest.


"Medico." And then, bliss. The soothing waves of healing magic washed over my shoulder and I became limp on the bed. My tongue lolled out of my mouth slightly and my eyes became half lidded. My abrupt relief was interrupted by a hoof smacking my face. Cable, looking very angry.


"Gah! It needs no adjusting, it's perfectly fine. Ze ratio's were off and it was giving you feedback because it was FULL OF SAND you idiot! Vat did you do, lay on ze beach" Hehe..... that's exactly what I did...... Oops.




"Erm.......... I don't think I'll answer that. Oh look, a convenient change of subject. So Ivan, are you interested in medicine? You seemed to be staring rather intently at the procedure."

He nodded. "I was more interested in just how the nerves were wrapped into the metal. Very interesting, you know? How hard was it to rout the blood away?" Cable snapped my wing back on and left in a huff, mumbling about gutting me if I did that again, as Nadene and Grey finished on my other side.


"I have no idea. Geirmund is a friggin genius though. To actually be able to FEEL through steel, it's a miracle. The wing itself does a micro surgery and binds the nerves to a gem matrix, but I don't know the details of the how. Can you believe this guy doesn't have a medical license?"


"Really? You could have at least looked at me while I was going through the procedure, Ivan. You were too busy ogling the equipment, weren't you?" Catastrophe piped up, her joints no longer sparking as Geirmund had apparently finished on them. Also, oggling the equipment? Seems I was right, she really does thrive on making this zebra feel awkward.

"Yeah. Sure." He gave her a death glare.


"Ah, yes, vell, I've fixed ze... whatever you call zose...... but it vill take time to complete your new limbs. Come back in un veek and Steelhorn und I vill have zem ready." The tension was interrupted by the surgeon.

"Yeah yeah, sure. One week. So... what now?"

"Well I guess you two are gonna have to stick around for a bit. Geez, I figured since it had waterproof fittings the sand couldn't get in either. Shows how much I know about prosthetic mechanics....." I shook my head to get back to the present. "I'll fly you back down. There's a festival going on tonight in my honour. Apparently I did something right." I said with a wink trying to throw off anyone who might be listening in that it was actually Gilda's surprise birthday.

"I'm not really sure you can do anything wrong." Ivan said, then stuffed a hoof in his mouth. "I uh mean..." He seemed thankful when Nadene came back in and cut that train of thought.


"Oh, before you go um.... Catastrophe? Here.... this ought to do you a bit more good than some silly old seeds." She passed a potion full of dark purple liquid.


She looked at the cat person and frowned. "I just take them to deal with the cravings. I'll be ok."

Nadene scowled. "Take. The. Potion."

The griffin growled. "I'd call you a bitch, but that's the wrong term, isn't it?" Uh oh. Cat fight.

"Grr....... fine. Grif, here. YOU shove it down her throat." She passed me the vial.

"Now that I'm ok with." Oh geez, she's definitely coming on to me, it all makes sense now, all the things she's said that could have a sexual meaning. And Ivan.... he's jealous and embarrassed at the same time. Catastophe...... you skank. You ought to treat your boyfriend better.





"Erhm..... what? Is.... is there something I'm missing?"

She shrugged. "You tell me, Griff." She smiled. "She doesn't look like she knows her way around medicine..."


I scratched the back of my head with a confused look, which for some reason made Ivan blush as well. "Oh, trust me, she knows what she's doing. I'd bet my life on her remedies.....heck, I already do on a daily basis. They've never steered me wrong before."


Ivan swallowed nervously and looked away. "Yeah.. Catastrophe, just take the medicine. Stop being a drama whore." Showing some backbone finally? I'm impressed. It takes a lot to stand up to people like her. She growled in response.

"And that is exactly something we need to talk over, Ivan. Later." She turned to Nadene. "Fine. Give me the stupid potion." I passed her the vial which she looked at questioningly before downing it in one gulp. "Ok, I'll admit it. That's pretty good."


"When she mixes em, she colour, scent, and flavour codes them using berries. They're colour blind, so they go by texture, taste, smell, and touch. Also, not tasting like ass is a good thing too."


They began talking about things I didn't pay attention to, not feeling on edge which is a welcome change, until I heard what Catastrophe said next. "Grow a little spine. Who cares if you have a spider in your head or something, right?"

"She's scaring me. Can we never let her have any potion ever?" Was the zebra's response. 'Spider..... in his head..... SPIDER IN HIS HEAD?!?!?'



I jumped off the table, trying not to look nervous. "Spider...... in your HEAD?" I would just dismiss this as nonsense, except for this very morning a spider who claimed to be the arachnid Galactus tried to assassinate me. "New plan, your friend flies you down. I'm going to go take a shower down below so I don't waste the ship's water."

Ivan groaned. "I don't have a spider in my head. That's silly talk." He looked to his friend. "You're silly." Really? Spider tries to kill me. Spider cutie mark. Spider in your head. Spider spider spider. Spider. Spider? Spider.


"Heh... yeah.... sure.... silly talk.......... well....... I gotta.... go....... somewhere." And with that, I bolted out. There are some things that are just WRONG. Having a spider in your head is one of them. It makes sense now..... kind of. The spider on his flank, in the circle thing. Represents having a spider in his mind. His whole 'shaman' thing which I'm not too sure about right now. Did he accidentally channel the spirit of a spider and it got stuck in there? Either way, between Catastrophe dropping hints that she wants to jump me, and now being in a drug induced stupor at the same time, combined with the weirdo zebra, I just needed to get out of there. I'm here to relax, not freak out about spiders.







Reaching the shower stalls again, I grabbed a cloud, feeling the temperature inside. This one was icy cold. Perfect for what I needed, a little shock therapy. Then I proceeded to dump it on me, letting the frigidity snap me out of my funk. I shivered slightly from the chill of the water. "Damn spiders..... always make me feel all....... crawly under my skin....."

I shivered again as I dumped some more water on me and began to lather. Well, I'm in the shower, might as well do as those in showers do..... sing.

Paper Wings. Originally a rock song, sounds quite beautiful when sung in a slow and calming tone.


"One last thing I beg you please, just before you go.

I've watch you fly on paper wing, halfway 'round the world until they,

burned up in the atmosphere ans sent you spiraling down,

landing somewhere far from here with no-one else around,

to catch you falling down,

and I'm looking at you now....

....and I can't tell if you're laughing,

between each smile there's a tear in your eye.

There's a train leaving town in an hour

it's not waiting for you, and neither am I.

Swing for the fences son, he must have told you once.

That was a conversation, you took nothing from so raise your glass now,

lets celebrate exactly what you've done.

Just put off another day of knowing where you're from.

You can catch up with yourself if you run...

...and I can't tell if you're laughing.

Between each smile there's a tear in your eye

There's a train leaving town in an hour,

it's not waiting for you, and neither am I.

Is this the life that you lead,

or the life that's lead for you?

Will you take the road that's been laid out before you?

Will we cross paths, somewhere else tonight?

somewhere else tonight...

...and I can't tell if you're laughing.

Between each smile there's a tear in your eye

There's a train leaving town in an hour,

it's not waiting for you, and neither am I."


My voice was smooth as silk. I always liked that song. As a rock song, it's pretty good, but I always felt that with the lyrics, it could really hit top charts if sung classical style, so that's how I always sang it, and lets just say I was pretty good. Too bad the kids at school didn't appreciate my voice, they just found that as another reason to hate me, calling me a 'Glee fag'. I don't even like that show.



I exited the shower stall, not shaking myself off this time, simply letting me drip dry as an odd thought entered my mind. 'Maybe I should plunk myself in the ocean right before I go see Gilda, and see her reaction to it. If she blushes, it's hot, and then I'll know.' I began snickering at the thought. Well, we haven't done it in two weeks anyways, and last time I did it was when Nadene got me high and I didn't remember it, so I'm pretty sure she's just about gone crazy from hormones and will be thinking about that anyways. At least I get to give her a good birthday present. Kind of sucks that I cut us off from each other. Serves me right for freaking out. I just hope we can get back to where we were before. Then, a chill down my spine. I stopped a couple times to look over my shoulder, but saw nothing.


'Why do I get the strange feeling that I'm being watched......... Meh, not like anyone can pull something right in the middle of town. I'll just ignore it.... but keep an eye out for anything strange, just not be paranoid.'



I began making rounds through the town. Checking how the little village was fairing on it's own was a good excuse for seeing how the party preparations were going. First stop, the mayor.



"Greetings Griffin!" Bluebeak called cheerfully.

"And a warm welcome to you as well. How have things been going?"

"Oh, the usual. Food supply is good, reports of sea ponies, although most of em wound up being weird shaped driftwood, dealing with all the newcomers. It's a good thing you decided on the next island to settle, we're getting a little packed in here."


"Still sending the reports to Equestria? I've got some unicorns here to work with the guard tower and whatever else, so sending messages won't be so much of a pain. They decided that the 'pirate's life' wasn't for them after all, but didn't want to go back home, or would rather live on a tropical island. Here are their papers. Help em get settled. I'm off to check on the supplies.......... did you just hear a thud?" I turned my head to listen to where I thought it was coming from and heard it again.

"There it is again."

"Actually, that one sounded more like a *whump*" The mayor remarked. I walked out of the town hall to see who else but Ivan and Catastrophe beating the stuffing out of each other, shouting and yelling insults.



"Ahh, young love." At least I know who's been following me. Why? I don't know, but I doubt it's anything bad, and if it is, if they're this terrible at infiltration I got nothing to worry about. I flew off towards the barracks for my next stop.










"Uh huh.... ten mark one laser rifles... thirty bows, five hundred arrows.... and twenty steel plate armors, 15 for griffins and five for pegasi, and twelve spears.... Not bad.... once the foundry is up and the dogs start hauling in more gems and ores when the mineshaft is dug, we can start making our own. I hope to have every inhabitant armed and trained in case of an emergency. It might be unlikely, but the harpies five islands over may decide to fly the coop, and I want to be ready if they do. Still, the main gun should be enough to deter most threats, but it's better to have a backup in case that isn't enough. Carry on." I left the barracks to see, once again, the zebra and griffin beating the stuffing out of each other. I simply flew over them and was on to my next stop.




"Let's see, town hall for bureaucratic crap.... done." I checked off a box on my list. "Armory for defense resource management.... check." And another. "Food supply bolstered, already got that one..... clinic for medical statistics, and........ crap. Schoolhouse. We've got a plot of land, but haven't build it yet. And we need to get teachers........ Well, at least this'll mean an economic boom for Equestria will all the new jobs popping up abroad." I wrote a wrote a quick letter to Celestia explaining the predicament, and asked her to put out an advert for 'Teachers across borders' as an opportunity for educators to travel abroad and teach those in need.




I continued going around town, doing various errands, while Ivan and Catastrophe followed me, continually fighting with each other whenever I saw them. It was now sunset, and as such, time for the party. Now, since I don't want anything ruining the celebration, after all, it is Gilda's special day.... tomorrow, but we're doing it early, so I decided to head off the pair of troublemakers before it began. I found them, laying in a heap, panting, covered in bruises and scratches.


"I will kill you." Ivan glared at his enemy.


"I'd kiss you if you wouldn't enjoy that too much." Catastrophe returned, both too exhausted to continue their fight physically, so they settled for verbally.

"Alright you two, you've been following me around all day and.... while it is kinda funny seeing you two beat each other up, but this has gotta stop. You're the worst spies in the history of ever, so, let me save you a load of trouble....... Is there something you want?"

They both looked blankly at each other, then began whispering in each other's ears. Now, I KNOW what the griffin wants, she's been dropping lusty hints like mad.... is Ivan tagging along to make sure she doesn't jump me or something?



"S-sorry... We've actually been trying to..." Catastrophe shoved her wing against his mouth. She smirked at me with the classic 'bad pokerface'.

"Well, you know how it is, right? My adorable little friend here just wanted to follow you around for a bit. I agreed, provided he let me rough him up. He gets off on the pain, you see." She's kidding. Does she honestly expect me to believe that, with the face she's making and all the evidence stating otherwise? SHE'S most likely the one who wanted to follow me, and HE'S probably been fighting her to stop her from raping me, since he's her special someone or whatever.



"Yeah..... not only are you bad at staying hidden, you're also terrible liars. So, are you going to tell me what you need me for, or should I just leave? I mean, there has to be a reason why you've been following me."


"He's being forced to irrationally be attracted to you by a spider in his head." She said with a perfectly straight face. She kept it up for a long moment before busting out in laughter. Wow....... I don't know whether to believe that or not. It would make sense, but it also makes sense that she's just making life even more awkward for him by lying.







Ivan cleared his throat. "You, are human, right?" FINALLY I know what's going on. That makes SO much more sense now.


"Aha.... so, another one. That is why you've been following me. Yes, I am. Er.... was...... whatever."


"That's totally why I'm following you. Because you are human, I mean. I was trying to make sure." He said with a wide smile. "So uh. Humans."


"Yep.... humans..... they like bananas.... on the moon....."

"Still don't get where you're going with that......"

"Damnit.... why couldn't you just get the meme? Whatever.... Well, now that that's out of the way, anything else I can do for you before you go back to stalking me?"



He nodded. "Do you have any way that I could eat meat?" Catastrophe snickered at his word choice and he glared at her.

'So much innuendo!'



"Well..... not unless you want to be human for a bit...."


"I. Can. Be. HUMAN?" He hopped up and hugged me tightly, nuzzling my feathers again. I pretended not to notice, not wanting to embarrass him further. By the look of things, that's 'Cata's' job. "HANDS! I COULD HAVE HANDS!" He cheered.



"Yeah........ Well......... here goes. You may want to lay down for this bit. The first time can make you have a lot of trouble walking."........ I did NOT just say that. Now she's got me doing it! Resisting the urge to facepalm, I put my claw to the amulet.



"You act like you are about to get fucked, Ivan." She laughed. That poor guy......




"Don't say I didn't warn you. Forma Versus." I left my amulet on when I used it, none too eager to turn back into a human myself, what with the missing eyes and all.


"If he starts moaning. I am out of here." Stupid...... horny.... griffin....... Ivan, you seriously need to take care of her, before she ravages you.... which reminds me......... Gilda must be feeling the need.... I mean, sure, she and Nadene have taken care of each other's need now, but she's probably missing me.


Back to the moment at hand, I now saw a human laying on the ground. He had short brown hair, blue eyes, and I didn't take note of any other features because I was busy covering my eyes.




"Woah. I'm tiny." Could also be taken the wrong way. I'm just going to pretend there's only one way it could be taken, and he means size relative to the rest of the world, since he's on the ground. He looked around. "And naked." He paused for a moment. "Wait. I'm... naked. And an anime character. I better not look like a femme boy....... So... can I stand up yet?"


"Why are you........ we're you in the shower or something? And for fuck sake, cover yourself!"


Thankfully, one of the random passerby's threw a towel on him, which he hastily wrapped around himself so I could finally look. He crossed his arms and scowled with a half maniac demeanor.


"Fate hates me, first off. Second, why would I expect for anything to be convenient?" He asked as he stood. "So... uh... how do I look? Oh yeah, and why aren't you human? Is this one of those jokes where the inquisition shows up and kills me for being a primate instead of a zebra?" He rambles, looking almost blank. "I mean, you are a human, right? I'm a human, and I turned into a human. So it stands to follow that unless you lied to me and got my hopes up, you aren't a human And I should be panicking." He looked at his hands. "HOLY SHIT HANDS!"


"No one expects the Equestrian Inquisition! Also, I..... don't like.... my human form....."

"Of course. The humans have to be the cute ones AND the ones with something wrong with them. Hey Ivan, you aren't alone anymore!" The hen said annoyed.... and she just called me cute.



"You know, for a griffon, you are kinda cute. Like, if you were a few inches tall I would hug you and name you fluffles. Like a bunny. Ooooh! Do you have any rabbit? I like eating meat. Do you like eating meat? Why aren't you human? You should be human." And now HE called me cute........... Can't tell if gay or just awkward......


"Fine, so long as you stop asking questions, but just for a second... follow me....." I lead them towards a bench and sit on it, Lyra style. I removed the amulet and hold it by the necklace part. "Forma versus." I said, depressed. Then, my vision turned black.


"GO HUMAN!" Came a cheer of Ivan's voice, then a *whap* and an *ow* She clearly hit him. "Damn it all. Fucking everything. So... what's the big deal? You look like a generi- Oh! Let me guess. Parents didn't like you, were bullied, classic archetypes, right? Probably have somethign wrong with bullies." Damn, he pegged me right off.


"Yeah, that's about right...... oh, and I'm a genius who does science and magic when he gets drunk, and a berserker when I get pissed."

"Blind, huh?" He suddenly noticed the sunglasses that were now a part of my human form, as I added them before I changed.



"Not till a month ago.... same reason I was in the hospital. Takes a special kind of bitch to ruin both my bodies. Stupid Ember, stupid Ritz, should have just done things my way...." I muttered


"Heh, you're kinda cute as a human too. You look so.... defenseless..... like a wounded animal...." I couldn't see her, but I could feel the tension in the air. She was looking at me like a piece of meat. I can't decide whether she was planning to eat me or ravage me...... or both.....Then, I removed the shades and looked right at where I THINK they were standing. Haven't gotten any practice being blind yet.


'If only I had a camera so I could see what their faces look like right now..... later....'

"I've seen worse." Ivan's voice came through. What does he mean he's seen worse? I have empty eye sockets and blood dripping down my face from them. You can see my BRAIN if you look in there with a light!... oh, right, they sealed it up. Never mind. "Sorry about everything that's happened so far." Suddenly, he gave a sincere apology. He sounded really sad.

"Well, now that that's done, hold this gem for a sec." I held it out and felt as he put a hand on it. "Reverti." Suddenly, my vision came back and I was my normal self again. Wait, when did I start thinking of my altered form as my normal self? Has it been that long?


"Finally, I hate going human. I only ever do it for shock and awe, if I'm in REAL deep shit, or........... one-other-thing-which-I-won't-tell-you-about." I said that part quickly. "Well, now that's done and over with, and what did you mean by 'cute' Catastrophe?"


"Just remarking that you look rather handsome." She whistled. Yep, she's lying. "Humans really don't have the best skin, don't they?"


"Again, you're a terrible liar. You called me 'cute' before I changed, and have been dropping hints all day. Why don't you tell me what's REALLY going on?" I glared at the pair who froze up, before Ivan the now human hung his head in defeat and began explaining.



"We both kinda..." He kicked the ground, his face reddening.

"Hey Grif, there you are. I've been looking all over." Gilda flew down and landed next to me, interrupting what he was about to say and putting a wing over my back. "Who's the human?"


"This is Ivan, and Catastrophe." I replied, motioning to each of them. "Also, Ivan's crazy. And I'm not talking normal human crazy, something about a *shudder* spider in his head. Anyways, ready for the party?"

"Just about, although, we can find somewhere private we can do a bit more 'preparation' if you want." She put on a lusty smile. Of course, her 'birthday present' I just got out of the hospital and she has needs I haven't been taking care of.

"You betcha." It's time I just gave in. If I was a REAL asshole, I would have denied her, since she was still in heat at this point, although the last dregs of it, but I forgave her for what she did, and I'm not going to be all awkward and ruin it for the both of us. So many hormones today......That's when Catastrophe walked over to me.


"Can I borrow that pendant?"

"Um.... what for? And no." My amulet. You no can have.

"Please turn him back into a zebra so I can ravish him senseless until he collapses into a puddle of his own juices?" She said in a blank tone, staring at Ivan. He gulped, slowly backing away.

"Uh... I don't like and also do like where this is going..." I passed her a pair of small, glowing gems.

"It's 'Forma versus' to make him human, and 'Reverti' to change him back." I wanted to 'not' cast the spell, so it didn't go off. After all, this magic is a mix of words and intent. The first time, there was no intent, so it worked by the words, but this time, the intent was for nothing to happen, so it didn't.


"Ravish until he........... Grif, come with me, now." The suggestion was enough to push Gilda over the top. She didn't want to wait anymore. Meanwhile, the other lady griffin grabbed Ivan in her talons, much the way she would to an antelope she caught and was about to eat. She licked her beak, desire in her eyes.


"Com'ere Ivan."

"Don't let her take me!"

"Sorry. Duty calls! See you in........... an hour? Two? You really should have taken care of her before this, because now you're going to be raw afterwards." So, that's it. She's been going bonkers because Ivan the shy wouldn't give her any. Now, I know what you're thinking, 'You're helping her do to him what you freaked out about when it was done to you.' One, he's still himself. Neither of them are under the influence of anything, since her potion would have worn off long ago. Two, she's gonna do it anyways, regardless of what I do. All I'm doing is making it a bit easier on him.


"Don't leave me with her!" He looked at me and pleaded, begging with his eyes as well..


"Too bad." Gilda and I both cackle evilly. "I ain't gettin in the way of that. It really is for your own good."

Finally, as the last nail in the coffin, Gilda called to Catastrophe. "By the way, wounds and exhaustion don't pass between forms. When he's spent in one, swap him to the other. Also, just to let you know, the thing where he grabs and squeezes all over with the hands...." She shuddered with pleasure just imagining it. "It's fantastic."



They both smirked evilly. "I think I'll take advantage of this. Time to get fucked, Zebra boy." She replied, carrying him off in her claws like she would a piece of meat she had just caught and killed, him screaming in fear of being dropped the whole time as she carried him off into the night.


"Sorry we're late everyone. We had some...... things, to take care of."

"We all know what you were doing, so we just started the festivities early. I mean, it's a Friday the thirteenth party in celebration of our freedom, it's not likes its.... say..... Gilda's surprise birthday party." Surprise let out.


"What?" Was all she could say before they brought out the cake, one of those really huge ones. After all, it had to feed the whole village. Plain vanilla, with lemon icing and filling, and a giant 'Happy Birthday Gilda' written on it. Everyone grabbed a piece and began to eat, where as the second round resulted in a city wide food fight after I smashed my piece into Gilda's face. Ivan was at the table, human, and chowing down on as much meat as he could, despite the food war going on around him. Once he was full, he tried to leave but.... his pace was rather slow and steps were awkward. Cata really did a number on him. I almost felt bad but..... it wasn't my crime, and he didn't seem too upset about it. She was sitting next to him, rubbing her feathers all over him as she beamed an inner warmth that could only be called satisfaction, like having an infernal itch scratched, but infinitely better. In other words, they did it, and she wasn't really in the mood to torment him anymore. She practically purred as she rubbed her feathers all over him. Gilda turned and did the same to me.


"I'm covered in icing. So are you. We might have to take a shower together."

"And waste the cake? For shame Gilda. I was almost certain you'd want me to lick it off......" Her eyes shot wide as she wrapped a wing over my body.

The party went on for a while still. There was singing, dancing, food of every kind, some alcohol as well, before some pairs, some with both cats, some with both griffins, and some with one of each, began slinking off into the night towards to enjoy the moonlight..... or maybe enjoy something else, but I didn't look into it. I was chilling on the beach next to Gilda, watching the waves come in.







"Happy birthday Gilda." I said as I nuzzled her, thoroughly exhausted from the day's events.

"The happiest I've ever had. I love you Grif, you crazy knucklehead." She had tears of joy in her eyes. Not having a birthday for so many years, this had meant so much to her, even if it was just the typical birthday party upscaled to include a town. It's good to feel appreciated.

"I love you too." With that, she fell asleep in my arms, smiling contentedly, making a slight trilling sound which I had learned was the griffin version of snoring since we kind of lacked nostrils in the traditional sense. She snuggled in close, and I drifted into the bliss of dreams as well. The next morning, I made sure to get the sand out of my wing before I tried using it, so Cable wouldn't gut me, then headed off into the wilds to work on my little project....

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