BridgeWorld

[994AB Day 258]
Where am I? she wondered when she woke. Looking down at her hands—that were almost paws with such stubby fingers—she wondered, Better question: what am I?

The bipedal felinoid creature nervously looked about the slowly waking city. At that time of the morning, there seemed to be very few of those quadrupedal creatures wandering about.

Poking more of her head out of the carboard box, she cautiously looked around. She was alarmed to see a couple of the creatures further down the alley, loading debris into a large dump tru—

Garbage collectors! she thought, suddenly realizing why the scene, so unreal in its detail, looked so familiar in the setting. Instantly, she ran off.

Literally "instantly".

The moving world of strange surreal creatures doing the varied tasks of ordinary living came to a halt once more.

But only long enough for her to rush over to the entrance of another alley across the main road, where she stopped to look back and watched for any signs of pursuit.

"Did you see that?" one of the earth ponies asked the other.

"Eh. We probably just scared off a cat," the other muttered uninterested as he lifted one of the garbage containers and emptied it into their trash truck.

Zipping from the entrance of one alley to another, pausing only to use their cover to look out upon the city life going on, she made her way down one main road after another, looking for any sort of familiar landmark. However, all she saw was more of the surreal environment: an ordinary city, not too unlike any such place on Earth, but with just more of those four-footed creatures, resembling equines only in a very vague manner, making up the populace. She knew horses—these things were NOT horses! Some had wings. Some had horns. Most wore clothes. This was some sort of civilization, just not a human one!

But then, she wasn't human anymore, either.

The sudden realization made her come to a complete stop.

"Momma! What's that!?" a voice sounding like a child's called out. She turned to look and saw a young creature pointing its hoof at her. Its evident parents stared at her in fear and moved to shield and protect their young. That's when she realized she had come to a stop in the middle of one of the main roads.

Instantly (again, literally), she sped off to the cover of a nearby alleyway before pausing to look back at the scene. The creatures all blinked and looked around confused, as if they hadn't seen where she had run off.

More and more of the same types of creatures throughout the city.

"Just how big is this place!?" she wondered aloud while crouching down near the entrance of another alley to fearfully look out onto yet another main highway.

But then, such a wondrous appetizing scent suddenly caught her attention. Looking about, she spotted what looked like it might be a restaurant, and the sight of the evident clientele shocked her.

On the street, there were still the ubiquitous quasi-equines walking and or flying about, but she could see a new set of creatures were coming down to line up for the restaurant. They were part bird-of-prey in their front half, part feline in their rear. What was especially shocking was the fact that only a few of the city's equines were reacting to the new creatures, and even then, only barely. And those reactions, from what she could see, seemed to consist entirely of normal social greetings: a few waves from the equines that were often returned as the individuals walked on by, a few that stepped aside to chat with each other, and even a number of the winged equines joining the line seeking to enter the establishment.

The sight made her blink. And blink. And blink.

The new creatures were clearly predatory. What she was smelling was the wonderful aroma of meat cooking. And yet, the equines didn't seem to react to these predators. Clearly, she, herself was a predator, now, and they all had looked at her in fear, if not outright terror.

Why!? she wondered.

She looked at the scene again, trying to understand what was going on.

Half-bird, half-c— "Griffons!" she suddenly exclaimed out the rest of her thought.

Immediately, several of the griffons looked at where she was crouching at the alley's entrance. A few of the winged equines did too. She caught her breath, wondering if she was going to have to run off again. Instead of fear or hostility, however, they all simply looked at her in curiosity.

She was trying to take her time, to make up her mind, hoping she wouldn't be forced to run off again, when a rumbling from her belly decided for her. That wonderful aroma was making her hungry, and she was already feeling like she was beyond starving.

Resigned, she stood up and walked across the main thoroughfare and approached the end of the line.

"Mmm, not bad," she could overhear from one of the griffons staring at her. "I wouldn't mind a little of that for dessert." That got the griffon speaking a light hoof punch from a nearby equine.

"Be nice, birdbrain!" the equine grumbled, earning a few laughs from other griffons and a couple equines in line. "But, yeah, she is rather cute."

Rather self-conscious due to her nudity, she glanced over the twenty or so creatures in the line. But then, only a few were wearing clothing, a mix of griffons or equine, while the rest were likewise nude, their modesty hidden by their fur and tails. Most of them went back to their own conversations while a few individuals let their eyes linger on her for a little while longer until she clearly took her place at the end of the line, then they, too, went back to minding their own business.

A few more griffons and equines arrived behind her as the line began moving, even including a horned equine, who struck up a conversation with one of the griffons.

"Okay, I came up with a new idea," the horned equine suddenly blurted out. "Equestria and Germane versus the rest of the world."

"Against Yakyakistan, Neighpony, and Saddle Arabia?" the griffon asked. "Hmm, sounds doable for the Legion. The League would lose Equestria's economic and military might while picking up Neighpony's naval force that would still try to decimate Equestria's western fleet on their first move. The League's best attack would be to have Saddle Arabia and Neighpony support Yakyakistan through their uncontested land bridge to pound on Germane. Don't forget, as weak as Yakyakistan is, their hoof-soldiers roll snake eyes far more than is statistically normal. We've both seen our share of times where Yakyakistan wipes out half of the Germane forces on the first move. If that happens, Germane just wouldn't be able to produce enough unicorns and pegasi to hold all that off in time for Equestria to rebuild their fleet to provide support."

To her ears, those two seemed to be talking in some sort of code rather than having a normal conversation, but the words unicorn and pegasi stood out.

She looked sharply at the winged equine creatures.

Pegasus! she thought. Or pegasi! Of course! I should have seen that!

And unicorns! she considered, glancing back at the creature behind her in the line.

"Uh, hello?" the griffon spoke to her. "New here?"

"Uh, yeah," she replied. "I—arrived in town—yesterday," she admitted.

"Oh, well, welcome to Manehattan," the unicorn spoke up, grinning.

"Thank you," she replied, surprised. "Sorry about eves dropping on your conversation, but I couldn't help but overhear. What were you talking about?"

"Heh! We're discussing a board game that we've been playing ever since we were young chicks," the griffon told her. "'Leagues And Legions'. Ever hear of it?"

"Uh-no," she replied, confused.

"It's based on a centuries old war, where there were several nations fighting," the unicorn piped up. "Equestria was allied with Saddle Arabia and Yakyakistan against Germane and Neighpony—"

"It's not exactly a historically accurate game," the griffon added. "Each nation has a starting set of troops in different territories and the players controlling the nations each take turns. Yakyakistan goes first, then Germane, followed by Saddle Arabia, Neighpony, and finally Equestria—"

"And each turn consists of phases," the unicorn took over the explanation. "There's a technology development phase, purchase phase, combat moves, combat resolution, non-combat moves, and finally placing the troops you bought during the purchase phase. You get economic rewards on how many territories you control at the end of your turn—"

"And each type of troops you have advantages and disadvantages on their attack and defense die rolls—" the griffon added.

"As well as each nation seems to have certain advantages on those die rolls," the unicorn cut in, "although that was never really acknowledged by the game creators, but so there are so many anecdotal stories about Yakyakistan's hoof-troops and other nations' troops—"

"After all, how can dice know when you're playing Yakyakistan and not another nation?" the griffon protested. "And yet, it's real! We've both seen it! Those dice know!"

"…" she reacted.

"Oh, and ignoring the politics that existed back then, you can also swap around who is in the Legion and who is in the League," the unicorn added. "Each nation has different economic, strategic, and tactical strengths. Equestria and Germane are the two strongest economic powers, while Neighpony and Saddle Arabia are medium, and Yakyakistan is the weakest—"

"But the die rolls make Yakyakistan the most tenacious on the board," the griffon said, to which the unicorn nodded.

"I see, I guess?" she replied, shrugging her shoulders, not really understanding what they were talking about.

"So, are you here for the fish, the pork, or the beef?" the griffon asked.

"I—I probably shouldn't even be here. I don't have any money," she sadly admitted. "But the smells are just so wonderful. I hope I can talk the owners into hiring me. I mean, I can work for my food, can't I?"

"Oh—" they both said, looking at each other.

"Well, how about we pay for whatever you want?" the unicorn offered.

"I don't want to impose—" she protested.

"It's no imposition," the griffon told her.

"And tomorrow, I'll introduce you to my uncle," the unicorn said.

"Your—uncle?" she inquired astonished.

"He's the owner," the unicorn said, grinning.

"Really!?"

"Yeah, he does," the griffon said, shrugging his wings. "Me, I just come here for the food and music."

"… So Gandon, here, saves my rump from a severe beating from those earth ponies, and we've been friends ever since," the unicorn, who was named Fireplate, finished regaling her about their friendship. He reached for his glass to drink after the long story.

"Not that that beating wouldn't have been well deserved, seeing as how it was Fireplate who pulled that prank on the hoofball team, but it was such a great gag, I felt I had to step in," Gandon added, laughing. "A pony that devious deserves the chance to grow in maturity and excel in his future pranks!" That caught Fireplate by surprise and got him to coughing in laughter.

"So, where do you come from, Jackie Valentine?" Fireplate asked when he finally recovered. "I've never seen or heard of your kind before."

"I've been all over just about everywhere," she evasively told them. "I was part of a four-girl band, but we got separated on our last gig. I ended up here."

"A band?" Gandon asked.

"Musical band," she answered, resuming her full attention to the group of musicians currently playing. It was a mix of three ponies, one from each tribe as their species was explained to her, and four griffons. The selection of music they played was quite rich in dramatic chords, lyrics, and themes. Their instruments were very much like those she and her friends were used to playing.

"These guys are pretty good," she said, listening to their singing.

"They sure are!" Gandon agreed. "Griffon ballads are popular here."

"Gee, I wonder why," Fireplate sarcastically said, prompting Gandon's fist-thumping his shoulder, getting them both to chuckling.

Jackie focused on their play, watching how the griffon guitarist plied his four-talon style. Whatever that speed-thing she seemed to be gifted with, it let her slow time down almost at will so that detailed and intricate motions were easy for her to catch their complexity and varied rhythm.

As Fireplate and Gandon had escorted her to their table, she had been keeping her eyes peeled to note things like how the tableware was laid out for arriving customers, the way the pony waitresses took orders, delivered the food, and how the tables were bussed when their meals were finished, and the customers departed. And the musicians also caught her attention. Several options for employment were percolating in her mind.

She really wanted to take work here, as the meal they provided her was so freaking awesome, she was almost convinced that she had already died, and this was Heaven!

"So, what sort of music do the customers here like?"

"We just told you. Griffon ballads," Fireplate replied deadpan.

"No, I mean, aside from the songs they've played, I've never heard of Griffon ballads," she explained, laughing. "I'm not from here, remember?"

"Oh, yeah," Fireplate said, facepalming—or facehoofing? she wondered if a term like that would apply here.

"So, what makes up a 'Griffon ballad'?" she inquired.

"Fighting, fighting, fighting, and more fighting," Fireplate quickly jumped in. "Chick kicks butt, gets some cock, lays some eg—" Gandon clamped his talons over Fireplate's mouth.

"Don't listen to him," the griffon grumbled. "Griffon ballads hold a very simple formula: fighting, fighting, fighting, and more fighting, chick kicks butt, gets some cock, lays some eggs, does more fighting, gets more cock, yada, yada."

She blinked at him and Fireplate glared at him sideways.

"No, just kidding," Gandon said to her grinning. "And I know where you were going with that," he added to Fireplate as he removed his talons from holding him.

"Seriously, though, Griffon ballads are a pretty simple formula," Gandon told her. "Fighting for family, friends, and nation, in that order, an epic struggle, heroic actions, and facing impossible odds. And no, the chick doesn't always get the cock. Sometimes the heroes die, but it is their fight that is remembered."

"You say your uncle is the owner of this restaurant?" she asked Fireplate.

"Yepper," he replied, smiling.

"Do you think that gives you enough pull to introduce me to that band over there?" she asked….