Day One: Every Journey...
There was once a story about a stallion who got lost in the cold with his wife and brother. They were miles from any kind of civilization and were out of supplies.
They pushed on however, hoping they could have found a single lamppost light in the howling dark of the blizzard, but no prevail. They walked for days, abused by Winter's cold breath.
No matter how far they traveled, they're hope never faded, neither did their compassion for each other. They kept each other warm, in spirit and heart.
But, their bodies began to decay from Winter's cold breath. Slower and slower they walked, slower and slower they spoke. Even love can not protect you against the harshness of nature.
The first to go was the brother. The stallion's hope faltered and almost blinked out completely, but his wife whispered sweet nothings into his ears to calm him down and they went on.
Not long after, the wife began slowing to a halt. Her breathing became wheezing and her hooves have soon ceased to function, leaving her motionless as the stallion cried over her.
She whispered sweet nothings into his ears, just like she did for the brother. The stallion, whose hope is now shattered, left his wife to freeze to death and kept wandering.
Just as he thought he was going to be reunited with his brother and wife, his eyes spotted a sight that made him break down: A single lamppost lit up, and a town covered in snow.
* * *
One of the great things about life is that making mistakes can punish you. You steal something from someone, there's a chance that it can come back to bite you in the ass.
But if you kill someone? There's no punishment, there's only suffering. Guilt, sorrow, regret, is more punishment then whatever society can give you, no matter who it is.
Living with the fact that you killed someone is punishment for the mistake that you made, therefore you're suffering in the hell that is life itself.
On top of that, you're dealt a physical punishment. In prison, you're stuck with your guilt and nothing else. Execution? You become a bitch to whoever you killed.
It's not just with murder. Punishment is applied to whatever sins you may commit, whether it'd be a slap on the wrist or hanging in the gallows, you are punished.
Betrayal. Theft. Murder. Blackmail. Verbal assault. It's all the same when it comes to punishment, see that's the kicker. No matter what you do, you are punished.
Now, I could rant all day about life, suffering, and punishment, but there's a reason to this line of thought. I made mistakes in the past and now I'm being punished for it.
The agonizing waiting for something to happen. The mornings where I wake up and wonder if I'm going to be killed. It's all quite fascinating,once you experience it enough times.
In all my twenty nine years in this glorious life, it's been pretty shifty these past few years. But, I think I'm finally picking up the pieces and it's turning around.
The other kicker? Like suffering, every punishment eventually ends, and your life goes on. As alive and well... Or as a phantom, hoping you could slink into your non suffering life, like a new start.
* * *
Rays of light from Celestia's Sun poured through the cracks of the blinds on the window, landing on the face of our protagonist. Well, one of them, anyway.
His eyelids lifted in annoyance and he glared at the sun through the window in silent hate before giving up and groaning, rubbing his face with his hooves before shifting in bed.
Twisting his head around, he noticed that was an empty spot where usually his mare friend took up. Since when did she become a morning pony?, he thought to himself.
Glancing to the clock next to him, he raised his brow at the time. Since when did I start sleeping in until the afternoon? Sighing, he pushed the blanket off and got to his hooves.
Sliding the drawer open in his nightstand, he rummaged around in before his hoof grazed his toothbrush and toothpaste, tied together with a rubber band.
Grabbing the two connected items, he went to close the drawer before his eyes flickered across a familiar package. One he has abused for many years.
I said I would quit, she wants me to quit! Urgh... Just one. Snatching a cigarette out of the pack, he gripped the lighter as well and shut the drawer before walking into the bathroom.
Shutting the door behind him, he placed the toothbrush and toothpaste down by the sink as he placed the cigarette in his mouth. Gripping the lighter, he tried igniting it by flicking with his hoof, but to no prevail.
You have a horn dumbass, use it. Rolling his eyes, he lit his horn and enveloped the lighter, the little flame activating. Lighting his cigarette, he inhaled and exhaled short after.
Knowing Roach and his freaky Gryphon smell sense, he probably smelled this from the marketplace as soon as I lit this. Gonna get hell for this, fuck.
He pulled the half smoked cigarette out of his mouth and sighed, dropping it into the toilet. Using his horn, he turned the shower on and the sink on as well, wetting his toothbrush and un-capped his toothpaste.
Smearing the minty flavored toothpaste that his marefriend forces him to use, he placed it in his mouth and scrubbed his teeth with it, coating them in that minty and somehow stinging paste.
After repeating this for a good minute or two, he spit the remaining paste into the sink, it driveling into the drainage and being washed away from the pouring water coming from the faucet.
Shooting a glance to his face in the mirror, he cursed himself at the sight of his teeth. Fuck! Still yellow. I swear, if Roach makes a piss joke, again... That fucking Bird sometimes.
Looking at the other features of his face besides his teeth, like his orange eyes and orange mane, he wiped away some drool leaking from his mouth and down his purple colored coat.
Shaking his head, which made his long mane swing in the air, he hopped into the shower and was satisfied at the temperature, with it being near perfect, not too cold and not too warm.
Roach is a weird motherfucker and he lives up to that standard by taking cold showers. Cold showers that would likely give any normal pony hypothermia and kill them!
His marefriend, however, enjoyed warm showers and sometimes even take showers that would make steam flow through the cracks of the door and into the living room.
He was basically the only normal pony living in a household of a batshit insane Gryphon, a tortured Unicorn, and a Pegasus who loves said tortured unicorn.
Washing himself with soap and other frilly products that his mare friend leaves in here, which actually smelled pretty nice, he scrubbed everywhere on his body.
Turning the shower off with his horn, our protagonist dried himself off with a nearby towel that was hanging on the wall on a rack. Considering his mane was real long, it was a pain to dry.
Talking ten minutes just to dry himself off, the unicorn began to feel he was wasting his day off. Of course, this was the first time he's been off for two weeks and won't be until two weeks from now. Shit's weird.
Exiting the bathroom, the stallion finally entered his living room. Looking around, he began to notice the ever so obvious absence of his marefriend, and it made him worry.
Roach keeps an eye on everypony in town like a hawk, so I'm sure Baddy is fine. Hell, he watches me and her more than he does himself. Pain in the ass he may be, but Celestia bless his soul.
The living room is standard for living rooms, with a wide couch and a fireplace in front of it that's usually lit, but right now there's just ashes and embers. Well, leaving a fireplace burning while the only pony to watch over it is asleep is stupid, so it makes sense.
Approaching the kitchen, he noticed a plate of pancakes with butter spread on top with syrup coating it, sliding down the sides and creating a maple puddle under the stack, like a moat surrounding a lone castle.
Next to it was a piece of paper lying flatly with a fork on top of it, most likely to hold it down. Pushing the fork away, the unicorn picked up the note and unfolded it with his horn, reading the contents inside.
"Dear Keen,
I ran out to. Cloudsdale to visit my sister because she claimed she had a few recipes for pancakes that our mother taught her. I shouldn't be gone long, although you know how my sister can get when you get her started.
Roach left earlier and mentioned he went to get 'something important to him'. It's Roach and knowing him, he'll try bring Pinkie Pie over and show her the dance of his people or some crazy shit.
Anyway, with love, Bad Company,
A.k.a. Baddy."
Keen smiled at the note before he placed it down and picked up the fork, sitting down on top of one of the stools surrounding the counter in the kitchen, which was large.
Stabbing the fork into the top pancake, he didn't bother cutting it up and stuffed the entire piece into his muzzle sloppily, syrup dripping from his lips and dropping onto the floor.
Chewing it ferociously, the soft and plush cake was reduced to wet goodness in his mouth and he swallowed it greedily. Licking the excess syrup from his lips, he grinned and dug into the rest of breakfast.
A few minutes later, the plate was barren of the home cooked deliciousness of Baddy's pancakes and Keen was full and satisfied. Cleaning himself up and washing the plate, he approached the window next to the door and looked outside.
It was snowing hard and it all piled up on top of rooftops and the ground. There was nopony outside and he began to worry about Baddy and Roach's well being.
But, then the unicorn spotted a brown mare with a purple mane and tail with a cutie mark of a golden pocket watch flying down towards the house and he recognized her as Baddy.
Hurrying up to open the door, it was shoved open and it slammed into his muzzle hard, making the stallion groan and run his bruised muzzle, moving out of the way as his marefriend entered the house, shutting the door behind her.
"Sorry, Keen, but it's so unbelievably cold outside I didn't' want to stay out any longer. I missed you." She said as she hugged and kissed her coltfriend, savoring the warmth his body let off.
"Well, nothing screams 'I miss you' more than slamming a door into somepony's face. I'll be sure to make sure there's spikes on the bed to say 'I love you' next time."
"Oh stop being a big baby, it's not like I stabbed you." The Pegasus mentioned, walking over to the fireplace. She began to attempt to light it, narrowing her eyes as she focused, although her hooves were shaking.
Joining his marefriend by the fire that was just lit, he sat down next to her and wrapped his hoof around her shoulder. Her head rested against his shoulder as they warmed up from the harrowing cold outside.
"You see Roach at all?" Keen inquired, glancing down to her as she closed her eyes. She grimaced before she answered, shooting a glance up to him before closing her eyes again.
"No, I haven't. But, he's an adult, he can handle himself well, and I'm sure he's fine. You need to stop worrying about him so much." She said, pressing herself further against the unicorn.
"I know, but he's like a fucking brother to me. I honestly don't think I would've had the courage to ask you out all those years ago if he didn't keep calling me a cocksucker." Keen chuckled at the memory.
"He does have his way with words, even if they are vulgar and immature. I'm actually surprised he hasn't settled down with his own mare... Or stallion." She smirked at the last part, but was unknown to Keen.
"You know, I asked him if he wanted to ask a stallion on a date because he doesn't show much interest in mares and he said 'Nah, that would shatter my fragile heterosexuality.'"
"That fucking Bird." Baddy said, giggling a little bit. Keen couldn't help but chuckle himself. That statement could be applied to anything that Gryphon does.
I wonder where he is...
Suddenly, there was a loud bang on top of the roof and what sounded like hoofsteps until they ended around the area the chimney was. Keen and Baddy looked at each other and then glanced at the fireplace.
"Ho, ho, ho! Santa Colts is fucking bored and cold, and decided it's time to get drunk!" A voice yelled down the chimney before a figure dropped down it, landing on top of the fireplace and ending the fire.
It was a Gryphon with brown and dark feathers, with blue eyes and a orange beak. He was dressed in a red and white costume with a red and white pointy hat on top of his head. In his claws was a brown sack.
"Roach, you stupid motherfucker! You can set yourself on fire if you do shit like that, birdbrain!" Keen screamed, standing up and pulling the Gryphon from the bottom of the chimney.
"Hey, what did I just say? I said I'm Santa Colts, Keen. That means being obnoxious as possible and breaking into pony's homes without any regard for their safety or privacy. Get with the times, old man."
"You're older than me, idiot. By three years. Now, get out of that stupid costume and start this fire again before shove that sack down your throat." Keen threatened, pointing to the fireplace.
"I bought cigarettes? And alcohol? You know, your two favorite things?" Roach mentioned, pulling the said items out of the sack, a grin on his face as he looked down at the stallion.
"Roach, how many times do I have to tell you, we're adults now. We... I don't have time for childish things like this. Throw them out and do what I said. Now." Keen said, seething with anger.
Roach didn't respond, instead decided to do what Keen said. He left the sack on the ground as he left to his room, shutting the door behind him as he got out of the ridiculous costume.
"Keen, I think you were too strict with him. There was no reason for that." Baddy said in a neutral tone, shaking her head at her second statement. Keen turned around to look at her, pointing his hoof at the fireplace.
"You do realize he could have set himself on fire, not to mention the entire house? There's a line and he crossed it. We can't just write off everything he does as 'It's just Roach'! He's got to learn to grow up!"
Baddy rummaged through the sack and found about a dozen empty bottles of Vodka. And an empty carton of cigarettes. She shook her head and turned around to look at Keen.
"You notice he only acts this immature and childish around this time of the year? And it always involves copious amounts of drugs and alcohol. Otherwise, he-"
"Acts completely normal. Yes, I've noticed that. Still, it doesn't excuse when he does get this way. He needs to stop this all together. Drunk Roach is horrible."
"Yeah, well, we should be glad he's a happy drunk. Otherwise, he would be slashing and swinging around." The mare said, sighing as she re-lit the fire and plopped down. Keen joined her on the carpet and they held each other.
"I'm going to check up on him, alright?" Baddy said as she began to stand up. The unicorn shook his head and held her down as he glanced to the room and back to her.
"Don't bother. He's probably passed out, or talking to the wall in his drunken stupor. Let him be." The Pegasus said no more and leaned against her coltfriend as they embraced each other by the fire.
Keen raised his head and focused on the clock on the wall, above the doorway to his and Baddy's bedroom. It said the time was only one o' clock in the afternoon.
* * *
The blizzard hasn't died down, instead only increased in intensity. Almost everypony in Ponyville was in their homes or in some kind of shelter. It was utterly ridiculous.
Keen rested by the fire on the couch, skimming over a book he found from an old box of belongings. It was fiction nonsense, but it was interesting nonsense... Like Roach, sometimes.
Baddy was cooking dinner, because it was her turn to cook for the night. Then it would be Roach because Keen cooked yesterday. It was a cycle to make sure everyone contributed.
Roach... Was still in his room, completely silent. Keen was actually starting to worry because he usually this never quiet, but maybe he is asleep and he's being paranoid.
"There. Dinner's done." Baddy announced to Keen, who turned his head to look at her. She raised her eyebrow, almost like she was silently saying 'Are you going to eat or just stare at me?'
"Let me get Roach, first." The unicorn said, standing up from the comfy confines of the couch. He took a moment to stretch his legs because he's been sitting on that couch for several hours.
Approaching the door, he knocked on it three times. Waiting for a few seconds, there was no response. Keen knocked on it harder, almost sounding like he was trying to beat the door down.
"Fine! I'm coming." Came the voice of the Gryphon behind the door, sounding like he was rudely awakened by his slumber. Which he was. Roach unlocked the door and peered at his friend through the crack of the door.
"It's dinner, come eat." Keen said, moving out of the way so the Gryphon could exit his room. Opening the door, he walked out and closed it behind him, he entered the kitchen and sat down at the table.
"Pancakes! Again!" Baddy exclaimed to Gryphon in an excited tone, slamming the plate down on the table. This made Roach wince, gripping his head and groaning. The unicorn shook his head and took a seat with Baddy.
"Hangover?" Keen inquired, taking an unhealthy amount of pancakes from the plate and placing them on his. He instead opted for powdered sugar because he had syrup this morning.
"Never again." He said, rubbing his eyes and moaning in pain. He didn't bother grabbing pancakes because he wasn't in the mood. "You still pissed at me for that thing earlier today?"
"As long as you don't do it again, I don't fucking care what you do. You need to quit drinking and smoking, too." Keen said, before stuffing his mouth with soggy cakes of pan.
"Is this coming from Mister Cigarette Daydreams and the Holy Patron of Yellow Teeth?" Roach asked, a smirk on his face as he finally took some pancakes for his own.
"Hey, fuck off, huh? I quit, okay? At least I can get a fucking mare, unlike you, you unlikeable fuck." Keen responded with his own sadistic smile on his muzzle. Roach looked to Baddy, who had a raised eyebrow and a smirk on her muzzle as well.
"... Fine. You got me there." The Gryphon remained silent after that, sulking in his loss and ate quietly. Keen and Baddy grinned to each other as they chewed their own food.
There wasn't much conversation after that, which basically means there was fucking none. Until, a question came to Keen's mind that he was thinking about since Roach came down the fucking chimney.
"Why do you try and get drunk as possible during this time of year? And only this time of the year?" He turned to Roach who just swallowed his food and... Had this look in his eye, but answered calmly.
"Overwhelmed." And he left it that as he stood up, taking his plate with him and washing it in the sink with soap. Keen looked at him in confusion until he turned around to look at Baddy.
Roach passed them and went to sit on the couch. He just sat still and stared at the fire, sighing after a minute or so. The unicorn stood up and washed is plate as well, and Baddy afterwards.
"So... What's it like knowing you had to create that weather?" Keen inquired as he sat down on the couch, with the mare joining next to him after washing her dish.
"It makes me feel like an asshole. I hate being stuck inside like this... I had to do it for awhile once and it drives me nuts to this day. It'd be like you knowing you got an STD sucking a dick."
"Fuck you, that's not what I do and you know it." Keen said, trying not to laugh at his friend's immature joke. But, it failed. They were both laughing uncontrollably at a stupid joke that wasn't even that funny.
"What do you even... Haha.. What do you even do, anyway?" The Gryphon asked, wiping a fake tear from his eye. Keen giggled a bit more before answering his question.
"I work with Princess Twilight and study and research unique... Stuff, in Equestria. It can be anything; creatures, lost species, minerals, anything. It's fucking awesome. I can't be believe I never told you."
"No, you did. I was just too drunk to care." Roach replied, chuckling. He propped his legs up on the coffee table and put his arms behind his back, closing his eyes.
"So you never heard me tell you Baddy and I are up for a three some?" Keen joked, hoping the Bird fell for his bait. The Gryphon merely opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow.
"No, I'm pretty sure I would remember something like that. But, that's fine. Two can play at that game." He replied, shutting his eyes again. Keen sighed and sucked his teeth.
"You are the most un-fun motherfucker when you're sober." Keen responded, looking at the Gryphon. Baddy just looked on in interest, amused by her coltfriend and friend's conversation.
"Whatever you say. Is this coming from the person who was so fucking unsocial that I had to call him a cocksucker for a month to make you ask a mare out when he was twenty four years old?"
"Check mate, fucker." Roach said as a smile was plastered across his beak, while Keen just remained quiet, staring at his best friend. You'll get yours, you fucking Bird. Don't you worry.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Keen said, petting Baddy's mane, brushing it with his hoof. She was sound asleep, right against him with a smile on her face. The unicorn smiled at the sight.
"She's a keeper, Keen. Don't lose her now." Roach mentioned, standing up and heading towards the door. From the way his beak lifted, the stallion assumed the blizzard was over.
"I know. Thank you." He said to the Gryphon, looking over to him. Roach gazed at him in confusion, wondering why he was thanking him.
"Why are you thanking me?" He inquired, turning around completely to face Keen, who was reliving the memory of him asking out Bad Company. I still don't know why she is named that! It's a horrible name.
"If it wasn't for you, I would have been too much of a pussy to ask her out. So, yeah, thanks." Keen awkwardly said, looking down at Baddy's sleeping form, which was adorable.
"You guys been together for five years... I think it's time you asked her." And with that, Roach left the house, closing the door behind him, leaving just Keen and the resting Baddy.
Ask her? Ask her what? Ask her... Oh. Oh fuck. Oh fuck my life. Oh fuck my life so fucking hard. Roach is right. I should ask her. She loves me and I know I love her.
The purple stallion shot a glance down to his marefriend, rubbing his orange mane while thinking. He thought for awhile in silence, a grin steadily growing on his muzzle until he came to a conclusion.
I'll propose to her in two weeks!
Roach glanced up at the high ceiling, water dripping onto his shoulder, making his silver armor shine in what little light there was in the tunnel him and his team was.
He looked over to his squad, consisting of nothing but ponies. That was to be expected when you join the Royal Guard, but he still felt awkward and out of place, no matter how many times his marefriend assured him.
"Private Roach! Get over here!" Speaking of his marefriend. The Gryphon stood up, his bow and quiver of arrows clanking against the armor on his back.
He approached the group of ponies that his team. To the very left was a stallion, unicorn to be precise, who specialized in recon. Roach couldn't tell the coat or Mane color, there was an enchantment in place that disguised them. His name was Corporal Spring.
Next to him was Corporal 'Kid'. He was the youngest stallion in the whole military, only being fifteen years. But, what he doesn't make up for in strength, he does with agility and speed.
Across from him was Sergeant Cry, second in command of the squad. She was a Pegasus, and was the best with a spear. Although, she didn't like Roach much, he noticed.
And finally, his secret marefriend, Captain Pacific, first command in of the squad. She was in the middle of the group circle. Roach knew she wouldn't treat him like her coltfriend, to preserve their relationship.
"Alright, now that we're all here, let's go over the objective." Pacific said, pulling out a document out from under her wings and placing it on the ground, which was dirt and rubble.
"The city of Canterlot is going to be using these tunnels as a Metro; an underground route for the train to pass through. The construction starts in a few weeks, so we have time."
"Princess Celestia has sensed alien and foreign magic and material down here. Very strong, and very dangerous. It's to be approached with caution, because we don't know what it is yet.
"Our mission: Investigate this magic and destroy it if it proves too dangerous. The tunnel will be closed off in a few hours as a precaution, so we don't have much time in here today."
"Everybody got it? Good, let's move out!" Captain yelled out, glancing to Roach for a second before trotting down the tunnel. The Gryphon sighed before following, worried about what these tunnels contain.
* * *
The Gryphon jumped forward, breathing heavily. Holding himself up with his claws behind him, he scoured his mind of the offending dream, trying to rid his brain of the dreadful memory.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped to the direction of Keen and Baddy's bedroom. His chest and head pounded, making him clutch his head. He groaned in discomfort.
He felt so many little pings in his head and chest, heartbeats and thoughts, it overwhelmed him. Only in Winter though, that's the kicker. Otherwise, it's manageable.
It was a pain living with Keen and Baddy, he knew it would only get more painful as time went on. And he was right, it got worse the more their relationship progressed.
But he's been there for Keen since he was twenty. Helping him, guiding him, and overall being a good friend to him. As much as he could anyway, other times he couldn't control his impulses and things like yesterday happen.
Keen got his own house at twenty two, the one they're all living in right now, and he offered to Roach if he wanted to live here. And he said yes. And so began a friendship he only shared with one other person.
Of course, it's been a very long time he's physically seen them. Sometimes he would catch glimpse of them out of the corner of his eye, but they would disappear before he could get a good glance.
He would see his team often. The Gryphon didn't pay attention to them, they were all fake illusions. The mind tricking them. But, then he was convinced it was something else when they began speaking to him.
Roach couldn't have a conversation with them, they repeated a simple phrase over and over again, like a broken record. It's practically engraved into his mind;
"Last one out... Get the lights."
He knew what they were speaking about, he just didn't want to acknowledge it. If he did... All the effort to preserve his sanity would be gone, he would fall into lunacy.
Twenty One years in there. Twenty. One. Years. In that hole. Alone. Unable to escape, and infected with... No, he can't think about it. He finally got it under control.
Most of his team fell to it. To them. Only him, his marefriend, and the young one survived, but not unscathed. Them and him were infected with it, but unlike him, he got left behind.
Even after all this time back on the surface, he hasn't found them. Not his marefriend. Not the Corporal. Although, he hasn't made any effort to search for them, either.
What he and them were infected with... It's been destroyed, but there's no cure. Roach heard there's been research going on to find a way to cure it, but... It would require a live subject.
The Gryphon rarely ever changed his form, in fact he hasn't since he met Keen. But, he has to occasionally, to keep the illusion he's older than him, which he told Keen he was by three years.
His real age is in the forties. Almost fifteen or more years older than his best friend. The infection stopped the aging process, another side effect of it, one he hated.
Another was the harming when in contact of... Emotions. It doesn't matter what kind of feeling, positive or negative, it harmed him. But, it also strengthened him when the emotion was love.
After all, there was no food in that tunnel. But, his marefriend's love for him kept him fed. It's a very odd thing, but it's part of the infection. One he benefitted from and one he loathed.
He's been feeding off of Keen and Baddy's love for years, and he was so terribly ashamed of it. He hated doing it, in fact. But, he just. Couldn't. Stop. It was delicious.
The stallion he's known for years doesn't know that the Gryphon has been like this, he never told him and he'll try not to tell them for as long as he can, but secrets are dangerous.
He'll probably be punished sooner or later for that secret. Betrayal. Death. Or something else entirely to punish him for his stubbornness and will not to open his mouth and confess.
Confession. It's something he desired, but something he won't ever do. Something he can't do. He's too far in, now. Too far to go back and fix that mistake, and he now he'll be punished for it.
Punishment. Keen mentioned that to Roach once, and it stuck with him, it's something he mulls over when his mind is clear and his conscious isn't. Something he yearns for.
His cursed immortality has made him watch his family die. His parents, brothers, sisters, friends... The last are Pacific and Kid, but they're no where to be seen. Disappeared.
The fact that they're out there somewhere gives him hope, but he loses that hope when he realized it tainted their minds, including his. They couldn't just pick things up where they left off.
They were scarred, guilty over all the sins they committed while down there. Murder... Cannibalism... Rape. Kid never had to do that to her, it was wrong. She was just as alive and scared as us...
Green flames engulfed Roach's body, his old body returning to him once more. He sighed at the sight of it, knowing this was his real body, but he wants to keep the illusion of his old body, before the tunnel, alive.
His feathers was molted together, and his wings practically glued to his back. The colors of his feathers were replaced by a black, sandpaper like skin. It was very uncomfortable... And painful.
His hind legs had holes in them, as well as his arms, covered in that black skin. His paws were stuck together, and it was painful to try and move them. They were basically hooves, now.
His claws were not much better, though. The golden color of them were replaced by a darkened silver, and one of his claws was missing. Not to mention that his left claw had a huge hole in the middle of it.
Looking up to his face, Roach adopted a grim look on his face. His beak was silver like his claws and was very painful to talk and move it, almost pure agony for any kind of movement involving his beak.
His eyes were the only thing that remained, but his pupils were dark blue, and his eyelids gone. Glancing to himself in disgust, lime green flames crossed over his body and he returned to normal.
Well, as normal as can be, anyway. The Gryphon looked away from his reflection in the window and unlocked his door, surprised no one was awake, considering they both had work at this time.
"Keen! Baddy! Don't you guys have work today?!" He yelled outside their room, hearing commotion after his question. He made a quick exit so he didn't get in their way and flew into the sky, the sun just raising into the sky.
* * *
Fangs chomping down inches away from his face, Roach punched it in the face, shoving it off of him. He breathed heavily, the skin from the creature spreading on his right arm.
He ignored it and readied his bow, taking aim and shot one of the things on top of Pacific, the arrow piercing the back of it's head, slumping over on top of her.
Glad she was safe, the Gryphon didn't have time to rest as another one rushed him, jumping onto his back and gnawed at his wings, the flesh tearing. He yelled as he struggled to pull it off.
A spear pinned it against the wall behind him, and he glanced to Cry who smirked a bit before being overran with the things, several of them biting into her flesh.
"No!" Roach screamed, rushing to help her, but it was too late. He watched as the rest the things tore the Sergeant apart, blood and entrails splattering everywhere as he stood there in shock.
Corporal Spring and Kid attacked the last of the creatures, killing them off. Captain Pacific walked over, closing the deceased pony's eyes before sighing in disgust.
It was too much for the Gryphon, he collapsed onto to the floor, staring at the entangled and bloody mess that used to be Sergeant Cry, now reduced to nothing.
Tears ran down his face, his claws holding himself up. The black substance continued to cover his arm, replacing his feathers with that black skin armor, dragging itself up slowly his arm.
Pacific looked on in sorrow before a the sound of buzzing wings caught everyone's attention. One of the creatures flew into view and a massive bout of green flames engulfed it's body until they dispersed, leaving a massive black wyvern.
"On your paws, soldier, we. Are. Leaving!" The Captain stated, picking the Gryphon off the floor and standing him up. A massive roar resonated through the tunnel as the four of them fled.
* * *
"Wake up!" Screamed a brash female voice. The Gryphon stirred awake, his eyes coming to focus at a cyan Pegasus glaring at him. He blinked a few times before finally waking up completely.
"What do you want, Dash?" He asked, stretching his wings and limbs, hearing a few cracks in his joints.
"You fell asleep on the job! You know you're supposed be awake to be able to do work, you know!" She bellowed at him. He rolled his eyes, pointing behind her.
"I did all my work. Two hours ago. And besides, you sleep on the job all the time, stop being so damn hypocritical." Roach said in a bored tone, tired of having to explain himself to everyone.
"Hey, I'm your boss, the pony that got you this job? I can take it away any time I want." She said before flying away, leaving the Gryphon alone. He mimicked her words and made a talking motion with his claw.
Glancing around for a way to tell the time, his eyes fell on the giant tower near the middle of town. The clock indicated it was only noon, so the Bird didn't make any sort of effort to rush.
The skies were clear, but it was chilly and there was still snow on the ground from last night's brutal blizzard that the weather team and him made, closing everyone off from outside.
Now there was fillies and Colts building snow men and snowball fights, and just having a good time overall. The adults preferred to stay inside and warm themselves.
Although the Gryphon was feeling several heartbeats awfully close together, and it was coming from more than a few houses in Ponyville. But, it wasn't his business in the first place.
That was one of the many things he hated about his... Powers. Being able to tell when people are having sex and more makes him out to be a stalker and pervert, two labels he doesn't want.
Roach is just lucky that the rest of Ponyville doesn't know his secret. He's extremely lucky that Keen and Baddy don't know, otherwise he would be in deep shit, more than he already is.
He can't ever let them know.
