Both Struck By Lightning

   His words hit me like a bolt of lightning. "You're what?!"

   The griffin slaps a claw over my mouth. "Shut up!" he hisses. "Do you want them to hear us?" He glances around the sandbags over to where my class is. They don't notice us over the din of the training going on. He gets back behind the bags, then removes his claw. "Now," he says, "I never got to thank you."

   "F-for what?" I stutter.

   The griffin smacks himself in the head. "Hm, maybe for saving my life?" he says sarcastically. "Seriously, don't play dumb. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."

   "That's, uh... something." I really don't know what to say.

   The griffin sighs. "Look," he begins, "I feel like I should give you something after you saved my life. We're probably never going to see each other again after all this, and what would I be then? A guy who was dumb enough to put his life in danger and then not even bothering to thank the one who saved him.

   "With that said..." The griffin reaches into his shoulder plumage. "Giving this to you will probably get me into trouble, but here." He hands me a slip of plastic. I take it from him wordlessly, still dumbfounded. Once I have it in my hands, I look down to read it. It's blank. Confusion bubbles in my chest.

What? A thousand questions burn in my head. What is this? How did you manage to find me? Where did you get this? What—

   "Duez!" I hear Mr. Archeos call over the noise of the station, nearly making me jump out of my feathers. "We can't wait much longer! We have to get the class moving, so whatever you're doing, do it fast."

   "Y-yes, sir!" I answer back, hoping I called loud enough for him to hear me. Turning in haste back to the other griffin, I ask, "What is this and how does giving it to me get you in trouble?"

   The griffin stares at me blankly and says simply, "Flip it over."

   I do as he asks, turning the card over in my claw. On the other side is a small, empty square and a bunch of little scribblings, probably words. I have to squint to see them, and when I read them, my jaw hits the floor.

Overseas Pass

To be used only for traveling to countries across the ocean. Any countries connected by land to the Griffin Empire (Amareica, Changeling Hive, and Aussieland) must be entered using an authentic border pass.

No fucking way. A pass to ferry to entirely different countries? Frozen in astonishment, I just stare at it, refusing to move or speak, my mouth still hanging open like a loose drawer. Before long, though, a thousand more question begin to burn in my mind.

What will I do with this? How much will it cost this griffin if he's found out? What countries can I visit? When-

   I stop. That's a good question. What countries can I travel to, if I'm ever given the chance? Draconia? Almaneia? The Japonies Islands? Where, where, where?

   Then it hits me. Equestria. The land where the two Cycle Gods raise the sun and moon. The country with the lowest crime rate in the world. The land of paradise.

   Everyone's always going on about how Equestria is so "bright" and "perfect." What if they're right? What if Equestria is literally the best place to live? Could I ever enjoy going there? Is it really that great?

   My train of thought derails when Mr. Archeos calls for me again. I hastily tuck the pass deep into my shoulder plumage, mumble a "thank you" to the griffin who gave it to me, and turn to leave.

   "Oh, by the way," the griffin whispers. I turn towards him, starting to get a little irritated.

   "What?" I ask.

   "On the off chance we ever see one another again..." the griffin looks away for the briefest of moments, "...My name's Wing Feather. Most of the other trainees here like to call me Covert."

   I nod. "I'm Duez," I reply, then hurry back to the class, not looking back. Wing Feather doesn't stop me again, and soon I've made it back.

   "What were you doing?" Mr. Archeos asks as I return. I can see he's slightly annoyed, his brow furrowed in the slightest of scowls. "We've been waiting here for seven minutes!"

   "That griffin was apparently someone special," I respond half-mindedly. I go past him and return to where I originally was in the group. A few second pass before we continue on, over to some locked storage container that we don't actually enter. Most of the griffins stop to give me quizzical looks for a solid few minutes before turning back to what the teacher is starting to ramble on about—some technologically hyper-advanced weapon called a flintlock. I don't really hear him over my own thoughts.

I need to think this over, I realize. Obviously, I can't just head down to Equestria on a whim, but if I can't go to Equestria, then what's the point of having this pass? Should I save it for a few years down the road? How could I keep track of such a small card?

   For the umpteenth time, my thoughts get interrupted. I feel a tap on my shoulder, and spin around to see Mr. Archers staring at me.

   "Are you taking notes of what's being taught?" he asks.

   I look ahead at what the rest of the class is staring at. A stocky griffin in a Guard uniform has taken over Mr. Archeos's role telling the class about guns, probably because he's more professional. I hear some snippet about how guns come in all sorts, and see two very different-looking guns, one he calls a "musket" and another a "Pennsylmaneia long rifle".

   Mr. Archeos repeats the question. "Are you taking notes?"

Notes? My stomach lurches. I don't have anything to write with or write on. Grimacing up at the teacher, I shake my head no. "I don't have anything to use," I explain, my cheeks growing warm.

   Mr. Archeos pinches the skin of his forehead between two claws, muttering something that sounds like "I knew one of these dunderheads would forget something." This pisses me off a little, and I open my mouth to retort, but before I can say anything, the teacher pulls out a pen and notepad from scenic nowhere, handing them to me. "Use this," he growls.

   I take it silently, compliant with the order. Turning away from Mr. Archeos with a mumbled apology, I bite gently on the end of the pen, holding the notepad in my talons.

  Once Mr. A is gone, I scribble down the best notes I can—"musket and Pennsylmaniea rifle=flintlock firearms" then try to push it aside by keeping it under my folded wing, until I remember they were gone. Fucking right. A small coil of frustration tightens in my chest. Growling, I continue walking along with the class as they start moving again, awkwardly clutching the pen and pad in my claw. Apparently it's going to be a while before the guide griffin finds something worthy of yammering about since he's walking past everything without even looking at it, so I get the chance to let my mind wander...

   ...and immediately, it returns to the Overseas Pass.

   Some unknown force grabs my innards and rearranges them. I still have no idea what to do with it. I can't just show it to my parents right away—they'll get the wrong idea of what I want to do with it. Then again, I don't even know what I'm going to do with it yet. I can't handle something like this.

   "Oh, and listen here, youngsters!" a deep, booming voice rattles my skull, derailing my train of thought completely—and there are no survivors. I wait for the world to stop spinning around me like I'm caught in a cyclone, then shake my head out and staighten in the direction of the voice. It's the big griffin that took over Mr. A's speaking role. He gives what looks like a scowl of warning at the whole class, and when he speaks his voice is a growl. "Each and every last military item you see in this building is property of the Griffinian Government. Not a single armor piece, training dummy, or flintlock you see here is personally owned—these kind of things aren't even allowed to be sold to citizens. Just becuase you've been given permission to take a tour of a military station does not mean you can take any of this."

   I suddenly feel very queasy.

   "In other words," the griffin continues, "everything you see here is highly illegal to be outside of this station unless directed otherwise by a military official. So don't try to go sneaking off with something, because if you are caught—which you will be—it can earn you ten years in prison, no matter your age, gender, or charm. You won't even go to court. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!"

   Each and every last student is nearly forced to the ground by the sheer volume of his last sentence; he could've blown a hole through the Sun Pony's backside if he wanted to. It takes at least fifteen seconds before the class and I are reoriented, and then we all force out a choppy "Yes, sir."

   The griffin hmphs. "Good," he murmurs, then spins fit around and starts yakking again. "Ah, the blood, sweat, and tears of heavy weaponry: explosives! Now, if you don't know what an explosive is..."

I need to get rid of this Pass right. Fucking. NOW. I can feel my heart trying to punch its way through my ribcage and my knees completely melting into jelly. I knew that giving me the stupid Pass wasn't exactly army etiquette, but illegal? How high was Wing Feather when he gave it to me? What made him think it was a good idea to put me in a state of illegal possession?! I need to put it back in the talons of the station!

   I slowly and shakily raise my claw, but then the realization hits me like a bolt of lightning: If I show the Pass, I could be falsely accused. My heart sinks to the bottom of my chest. How am I going to work around that?

I might be able to explain to the guards about the griffin who gave it to me, I reason, But that would get him in trouble. Does he really deserve a decade and a half of jail? It's not like he wanted me to get caught or something... did he? No, that's stupid. I saved his life.

   I shouldn't have a problem with spilling the beans on Wing Feather. He was the one who was stupid enough to give me something he shouldn't have. Then again, I was the one who was stupid enough to take it.

   I can feel tension building in my chest. I fidget where I stand with the rest of the class, throat tight and trying desperately not to start hyperventilating. I can't give myself away. People will start inquiring, and I could be caught.

I need to think of every last problem and it's solution to get out of this one. I come down to two options: Either keep the card and pray I don't get caught, or sell out Wing Feather and get him thrown in jail when he just wanted to repay his own personal debt. Could I do both? I question. I could try to hide it and only blame it on Wing if I get caught. That might be a good idea. I could possibly get out with neither me or Wing Feather guilty, and if I get caught... well, I tried.

Yeah. I nod to myself. My best bet would probably be to do just that. A little less uptight now, I pull out my teacher's pen and pad and try to scribble down some notes about whatever the guide griffin is barking about. My mind is still very heavily on the Pass and its new legal issues, but for now I can rest easy—even if I am caught, I can hopefully at least lessen the charges.

Halle-fuckin'-lujah.

   Fucking fuckity fuck fuck FUCK!

   We're almost out of the station. So far, I haven't been caught. The class had finally started leaving, and I could breathe a sign of relief. When we got back to the entrance, however, it was revealed to us the class would have their shoulder feathers—the only place where the feathers are thick enough to store random items—ruffled and checked to make sure nogriffin had stolen anything.

   And my shoulder feathers was the exact place I had kept the Pass this entire time.

   Panic sends my body into overdrive. I can't even think straight as the line is slowly shuffling forward, everyone getting rummaged and frisked. My throat is bone-dry and so tight it's hard to breathe. I can feel little streams of sweat trickle down my face.

   The second I get to the frisking team, I'm done for, and I'll have to screw over Wing Feather. How do I get out of this one? Is it even possible?! I need to think. Where else can I hide it? The card is too big to fit into my mouth, and I can't hide it under my wings—I don't have any. Oh, dear Gods, what do I do? I'm just about ready to vomit.

   Someone shoves me from behind. "'Ey, move your feet, fucker," he growls irritably.

   I lurch forward, along with my stomach when I feel something fall out from inside my feathers. The Pass! I quickly find my balance and reach for it, then go weak with relief when I realize it's just the notepad.

   With that out of the way, I still need to find a way to hide the Pass. I've already ruled mouth and wings out of the question, and I can't think of anywhere else I can put it. And I need to think fast, because the line just won't stop moving forward. I'll be caught any second now if I don't—

Wait a minute. A bolt of realization hits me. That griffin had told me to "move my feet". Feet. Feet! That's it! I can hide it beneath my feet. Glancing around to make sure no one is looking, I slip the Pass out from my feathers, then awkwardly rearrange it so that my four talons are clutching the edges, the blank side facing towards the ground. Hoping I can cover it up enough so that nogriffin sees, I plant my claw back on the ground and get back to walking—just as the griffin in front of me is done getting frisked.

   I try as best I can to steady myself, wiping the sweat off my brow and steadying my breathing. I step in between the two Guards, and one on each side pokes a single claw into my shoulder feathers and starts sweeping through them. In about two seconds, one of them bumps into the pen and notepad. He gives a small start, then pulls out both of them. The other griffin stops to see what he's doing.

   The first takes one look at the two, then huffs. "Non-Government property, huh?" He drops them both into a plastic basket, then continues probing my shoulder feathers. The other one does the same wordlessly. I can feel my stomach slowly tie itself into a double knot as the griffin on my right runs through the lower parts of my shoulder feathers. She might spot my talons and the Pass within it. I start shaking when she stops all of a sudden, but eventually she slowly keeps going. Knees weak, I silently pray to the Cycle Gods that I get out of this undiscovered.

   Fifteen seconds later, both griffins stand up. They'd found nothing aside from Mr. Archeos's notepad and pen, which are given back to me. I try not to let any of my immense relief show as I take the two items from the griffin, then slowly shuffle off, the Pass still hidden.

   The second I'm out of sight of the Guards, I let myself go weak. I'm so relieved to have gotten out of that safely that I can't even feel my legs. I let my rump hit the floor as I try to keep my forelegs from collapsing. I raise my claw to my head and wipe away some more sweat. I fucking did it! Now, with a bit of luck, I could do something about this Pass without getting caught. I slip the Pass back into my shoulder feathers.

   I suddenly feel a tap on my shoulder and jump into the air a bit. Spinning around, I see the big griffin that had flown me to the station. He gives one stony look at me and shrugs.

   I realize that he wants me to get on him so he can fly me back to the school. Wordlessly, I clamber onto his back and grab on tight.

   The high of being so far above the ground distracts me from the Pass even after I get off, so it's when I'm finally home that I remember the legal issues I have with it. I'm just outside the front door when it comes to mind, and my claw stops just as it reaches the doorknob. Just what am I going to do with this? The question I'd be asking myself ever since I got this thing was left unanswered, except now it wasn't asking how I was going to use it but how I was going to keep anyone from getting in trouble with the law.

   I wish I could just destroy this stupid thing, but I don't know how. I can't burn it—I'd be arrested for starting a fire. I can't throw it away, because there's a not-really-all-that-small chance someone could find it amidst the garbage. I can't cut it up. It's made of plastic, not paper, and besides, what am I going to do with the pieces?

   A flash flood of defeat washes over my body and drowns out any other emotion I could've been feeling. I don't want to have anything to do with this Pass anymore, but I have no choice but to keep going.