Graff's Inter-Dimensional Adventures

After who-knows how long, the trees began to thin out, and I stumbled upon a secluded cottage along a path. Thankful to finally see signs of civilization, I began to pick up my pace, only to fall flat on my face as my legs couldn't adjust.

I mumbled a few curses that were muffled by the dirt in my face.

"Are you okay, mister?"

My mind nearly did an excited flip when I finally heard another voice. I peeled myself off the ground and looked up, then froze at the sight.

It was a pony.

A bright yellow, winged, talking pony with long pink hair and an image of three butterflies on each hip (or were they hocks?). Oddly enough, she reminded me of someone I'd seen a while back, during the Friendship Games.

I gaped for a moment, before forcefully snapping myself out of my dazed stupor. "I–I fell into a r-r-river..."

She jumped, concerned for my well-being. "Oh dear, you must be freezing! Come on, let's get you inside!"

Before I could protest, she flapped her wings and leapt up, landing behind me. She used her front to gently but firmly push me towards the cottage.

After fetching a towel and some healing ointments, she proceeded to tend to my wounds, before wrapping said towel around my midsection like a blanket. She flew through a door (from what I could see, it was a kitchen), giving me a moment to look around the room.

The first thing I noticed was all the animal-related stuff. There were birdhouses, birdcages, mouse holes, basket beds, networks of pathways hanging from the ceiling, bags of birdseed leaning against pantries, and even the painting above the couches depicted butterflies.

The second thing I noticed was how pony-friendly it was. The cabinets were low enough for easy reach (not that a pony would be able to open one with hooves), the couches were wide and sturdy, and the doors were made to accommodate for the fact that a pony would be opening them by running face-first into them.

The third thing I noticed was the snow-white rabbit that was scowling at me.

I blinked. Was that right? The bunny looked like it hated my guts, but animals usually didn't have that level of emotional depth.

Then again, I had transformed into something resembling a griffon, and I was standing in a flying and talking pony's forest-side cottage. And somehow, I was still mentally functional.

Before I could figure out what the rabbit was doing, the yellow pony returned, carrying a tray with her teeth. On the tray, there were two teacups and a kettle, as well as a bowl of sugar.

"You know," she began surprisingly coherently, considering the tray in her mouth, "it's not every day you see somepony come out of the Everfree Forest, let alone a griffon!"

'Okay, so I am a griffon,' I noted to myself.

She set the tray on the coffee table near the couches, then continued, "So, what brings you here?"

I considered making up a story, but she was being so kind; it didn't feel right to lie to her.

So after a moment of deliberation, I began: "Okay, this is going to sound crazy, but I promise I'm telling the truth."

She raised an eyebrow warily. "Okay...?"

I took a deep breath, then rambled, "I'm not supposed to be like this. I have no idea how I got here, or why I'm a griffon. I was jogging at a park near my home, and I went to rest against a tree, when I somehow fell through it and ended up in a river in that forest. Now, I don't know what's going on, and I'm kinda freaking out!"

She stared at me for a while, and I started to get the feeling that she didn't believe me.

Then she asked, "So, if you're not supposed to be a griffon, then what are you supposed to be?"

"Well," I tried to think of a way to explain it. "Our species is kinda ape-like, except without most of the –"

"Oh, you're a human?"

I stopped short, dumbfounded. "Wait, you know what humans are?"

"My friend Starlight has a portal that she can use to travel to a parallel dimension where ponies here are humans there."

No joke, I actually squawked in surprise. "She does?!"

She nodded proudly, then elaborated, "Although recently, one of her friends in that world discovered that there are naturally-forming portals that open occasionally. I'm guessing that's how you got here."

I collapsed to my hindquarters, holding my throbbing head. "C-c-could you please slow down a bit? This is a lot to take in all at once."

She quickly backpedaled. "Oh, sorry. Here, let me do something real quick." With that, she left the room to retrieve something.

I sat there, brain working in overdrive. Parallel dimensions with naturally-forming portals between them? That'd certainly explain how I got here. But what did she mean when she said 'ponies here are humans there'? Did that just mean that they simply transformed between worlds, or were there–

Before I could ponder any further, she returned with a small bag of herbs in her mouth's grasp. She shook a small amount into the tea she'd set out for me, then used a small spoon to stir.

Noticing my confused expression, she explained, "This herb relieves headaches. Starlight says that going through the portal can cause pretty bad migraines."

"I'll say," I agreed, carefully focusing on getting my talon to grab the cup. I held it up and tried to drink, but my new beak wouldn't cup around the rim, and a large portion spilled onto the floor. Noticing this, I quickly stopped and stammered out, "S-sorry! I'm not used to having a beak, a-a-and–"

She held up a hoof, "No, no, it's alright. Getting accustomed to a new body is hard; trust me, I know."

I stared at her, dumbfounded.

She blushed. "It's a long story. I'm Fluttershy, by the way; what's your name?"

Still trying to process everything, I replied automatically, "I'm Graff."

She chuckled. "It's nice to meet you."

I nodded, then turned my attention back to my teacup. With my new body, I was gonna have to be creative about how I drank it. I tried to find a suitable angle of approach, twisting and turning my head but not finding any openings.

She watched with bemusement before offering, "Should I get you a straw?"

I sighed in relief. "Yes, please."

She smiled, then headed back into the kitchen.

I set down the cup (managing to only spill a third of it on the way) and let my eyes wander, but my gaze was once again drawn to the bunny. Except now, he wasn't scowling...

Instead, he was holding back laughter.

"What?" I shot out defensively.

The bunny burst out laughing, pointing to my face. I rubbed a hand (Claw? Talon?) along it until I found what he was looking at:

I'd spilt tea all over my face, and he was laughing at the sight of it.

My face flushed. "I'm under a lot of duress; give me a break!"

That only drove the bunny further into hysterics.