Marked

Author's Note: This chapter will be a bit lighter, but still have some dark elements to it. No, this isn't going to turn into a comedy fic.

We stood in the middle of a rocky plain. Spires of stone rose up, and clouds were beginning to gather, hinting at a later rain. Luna's Moon was high in the sky, and I recognized several constellations in the sky above. The picture was marred by a few holes- presumably those of the diamond dogs. Even through all this beauty, my mind was consumed with one thing.

I was completely and utterly lost.

I sighed, and plodded over to a large stone to sit and think.

Think think think, think think think.

Thinking think isn't really helping, I should try to figure out where I am.

I had a severe lack of map.

My not-so-productive thinking was interrupted by a voice from Stingray.

"Hey... Uh, Claire? I was thinking, and I saw that mark on your flank..."

I whipped my head around and said the first thing that came to mind.

"Why were you staring at my flank?" I glared at him.

"I wasn't staring! I was just curious! I didn't think griffons got cutie marks! Ack!" My ...hand? snaked out and grabbed him. Not by the neck, but by the wrist/ankle area. I glared harder.

"If you didn't think griffons got cutie marks..."

"No! I didn't! Wow!"

"THEN WHY WERE YOU LOOKING AT MY FLANK IN THE FIRST PLACE?

After a while, we calmed down. By then, it was beginning to rain. We talked for a couple minutes, and eventually decided which direction we would go- I let Stingray lead. After all, he knew which direction better than I did, and we were planning to head for a place I knew well-

Ponyville, Equestria.

It turned out that we had ended up with a pack not too far away from where Rarity had been captured. Still, it was a fair amount of walking.

Griffon bodies are not really built for walking.

Thankfully for my aching feet/paws/talons, we reached Ponyville soon after that mental note. Stingray had proved to be a much better traveling companion once he dropped the surfer act. Still, my gladness at having reached respite was overshadowed by coldness and hunger, as well as the realization that I had no bits to deal with either one. I was tired... we had been walking for a long time...

As it was rainy, and he wasn't quite sure where everything was, we went back to the edge of town.

We found a cave, and I curled up. It was a bad place to sleep, but we managed to get about an hour before trying to find somewhere in town.

When I woke up, it was still a normal night. My stomach protested this observation immediatly after. I was still cold, wet, and hungry. We walked more, and reached Stingray looked at me. "Well, I suppose you'll be wanting to go back home now. I'll be going home too. See ya." He flashed me a grin.

"Wait!" I stretched a claw out

He turned and looked at me. "Yeah?"

I shuffled my... paws... a little, and glanced at him. "I-I don't really have a place to stay... or any bits to find one, really."

He seemed to think for a moment, and smiled. "Come on. There's always room for one more! Unless the house is filled up... nevermind, the point still stands." He grinned again.

I smiled. "Thanks. I-I appreciate it."

It turned out he only had one bed. It also turned out he had a sleeping bag. I took the sleeping bag with a lighthearted quip of "A featherbed might be nice, but I doubt you want feathers in your bed." He chuckled, and brought out a pair of apples to tide us over til morn.

We really did just sleep, so don't think anything like that.

I got up with a grumble of "Stupid sleeping bag meant for ponies..." which my stomach echoed. Sting was still stretched out in the bed, with a toy pegasus under one arm. I knew I should probably get going, but I figured he at least deserved a goodbye.

"I want to go with you," said Sting over a bowl of cereal. "My shop got closed down," so that was where the first place we went was, "And I figure you can find some trouble for us."

I thought for a moment. He seemed like a nice guy, he had some money, he had magic...

I grinned widely. "Come on. Let's see what kinda trouble we can find."