One Month After Gregory’s Arrival In Griffonstone…

“Hey, Gregory! I bet I can beat you in an arm wrestling contest without even using a quarter of my strength!”

“Is that right, Gills? Care to put your bits where that beak is??”

“Fifty bits says I beat you in…oh, what’s the phrase I’m looking for? Ah yeah! Ten seconds flat!”

“Oh, it is fucking on!”

Gregory was in Gobbler’s Groggery after a particularly hard Saturday’s work in the city’s east side rebuilding and renovating some of the smaller single griffon houses. The Groggery was one of the most popular taverns in Griffonstone, run by the aforementioned Gobbler, a gray furred, dark green feathered and yellow eyed griffon female about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. Like most taverns and bars in the city itself, this place was bustling with business and one of the cleanest spots in the city. It resembled a typical medieval tavern, with lantern sconces on the walls illuminating the booths where the roaring fire in the main fireplace couldn’t.

Outside, a moderate rain had been falling ever since the late afternoon, but that hadn’t stopped many griffons from continuing to rebuild their city where they could. When the rain had started that mid October afternoon, Gregory, who’d been working close with Gabby, Gracie, Gilda and Gallus, had moved from building a fence into another abandoned house which they found to be in decently stable shape. The five had spent hours cleaning it until the sun set a few hours later, and now Gregory, being in a really good mood after all they’d accomplished, decided that he would treat everyone in his team to some well deserved grog.

“Get your human ass over here and let’s have a duel, then!” a partially drunk and unusually jovial Gilda shouted, holding up her mug fast enough that some of her ale spilled out, splattering on the table and floor around them. “I’m gonna drain you dry!”

“How naughty!” Gregory laughed as he stood fast, sending his chair sprawling onto the floor behind him as he stomped over to the neighboring table where Gilda was drinking with Gallus. Gracie was sitting at another table alone, but Gregory had made an effort to include the younger one in the conversation frequently When the four had arrived, all the booths had been taken so they’d found two tables, each only able to seat two griffons. They’d ordered a round of the best ale along with a platter of fried shrimp and scallops, both freshly imported from the sea.

“Not like that and you know it, fucker!” Gilda sputtered, her cheeks flushed. Either with embarrassment or just from the alcohol flowing through her system, the tipsy Gregory couldn’t tell.

Nor did he care. A challenge had been issued, and he would not let his pride as a human take that. Gallus, who’d been nursing his ale, quickly vacated his seat so that Gregory could sit opposite one of Griffonstone’s best scone makers. Griffonstone’s lone human put his elbow on the table, hand outstretched. “Get that greasy claw over here and let’s do this! Fifty bits says I last against you more than ten seconds.”

“Yeah, right!” Gilda scoffed as she took a long drink from her mug, slamming it on the table where Gabby watched this with some amusement in her eyes. She got prepared, sitting on the chair opposite Gregory and put out her own arm. “You’ll be eating those words!”

“Bring it on!” Gregory roared with a grin as he took Gilda’s claw in his hands. Despite what he’d said earlier, he knew that her claw wasn’t greasy. In fact, it was actually quite smooth and oddly pleasant to hold.

Even though she was drunk and in a competitive mood, Gregory noted that Gilda was still careful not to dig her talons into his hand. A few scabs on his hands had quickly told the four griffons that human skin was a lot softer than a griffon’s hide, so they’d been trying to be careful around him. But Gregory was tipsy and feeling on top of the world that night. “What, not gonna grip my hand hard enough to win? Your loss, then!”

Gilda’s grip on him tightened instantly and he could feel the painful jab of her talons on his skin. However, he didn’t feel skin being punctured, so he reasoned she was still being careful. “That better for ya?”

“Awww, young love,” Gabby, who was the least drunk out of all of them, still had drunk enough to get loose a bit more, enough to become a tease. “Cute, isn’t it Gracie?”

Gracie just smiled a bit and nodded. Gallus, on the other hand, just rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Yeah…I can’t see it.”

Gilda sputtered and glared at Gregory. “You ready for this?”

“Ready for everything you can dish out!” Gregory shouted.

By now, their ranting and raving against each other had gathered a large griffon crowd, all of whom were watching the two and placing bets on who would win. It fueled Gregory’s pride when he heard most of them betting against him, so he pulled up his shirt and showing off the muscles he’d built up before coming to Equestria. It wasn’t too much when compared to human bodybuilders, but it had been enough for him to keep up. He’d done this and taken a few self defense classes back on Earth in order to better prepare for the transition to Equestria just in case he found himself somewhere dangerous, like the Everfree Forest.

“Pff, j-just because you have some muscles means nothing!” Gilda sputtered a bit. “Ready whenever you are!”

“Someone give us a countdown!” Gregory said.

Gallus, in a practiced bored tone, began counting down. “Ten, nine…”

“I’m gonna enjoy watching you flip over,” Gilda sneered.

“Eight, seven…”

“Ain’t gonna happen, Gilly,” Gregory replied with a large grin as his grip tightened around her.

“Six, five…”

“I swear, you’re insufferable sometimes!”

“Four, three…”

“Then do something about it, Giggles.”

“Two, one…”

“YAAAH!”

Gilda’s muscles flexed as she put everything she had into the match. Gregory was impressed by the amount of strength she had, but he wasn’t going down without a fight. He leaned to his right and pulled hard against her ironlike vice grip so he would at least last those promised ten seconds. All around the two, the crowd had begun counting, but Gregory wasn’t concentrating on it. Instead, he used all the strength he had just to hold his arm up for at least ten seconds. He’d learned just how strong griffons could be during his weekend times when he would go through the city cleaning up abandoned buildings with Gabby. Other griffons would randomly join in, making the job go by so much faster. It was odd to Gregory to see so many Griffons cleaning up their city when in the show they’d had so little regard for it. He attributed it to whatever that idol had done.

The ten seconds passed by like an eternity, and beads of sweat were forming on Gregory’s brow by the time they eventually did pass. But he had done it. He’d lasted twelve seconds against Gilda, the longest he’d lasted against any griffon. Still, when those twelve seconds were up, he found himself flung through the air, landing on an empty table and flipping over it. He landed on his front, groaning.

“Gregory!” Gabby’s worried voice shouted as she flew over to his side as a couple other griffons helped him to his feet, “Are you alright?”

“Whoo! That was the closest I’ve come to flying since coming here!” Gregory said with a laugh as he took a few shaky steps forward. “Thanks guys,” he said, looking at the griffons who’d helped him up.

“You had me worried!” Gabby shouted, smacking him in the chest with her fist.

“I’m fine, Gabs,” Gregory said reassuringly, stroking her head gently. He turned to a frowning Gilda. “I believe you owe me fifty bits, now.”

“You got lucky, bitch,” she said with a scowl as she grabbed a bag of bits and tossed them onto the table in front of her.

“That wasn’t luck, that was pure strength!” he laughed as he grabbed the bits and tossed them to Gobbler. “Break out the ale! These griffons are thirsty!”

This got a loud cheer from the griffons in the tavern as they rushed to the bar to receive their free drink. Gregory returned to his seat and took a seat, grabbing his ale and taking another long drink before placing it back on the table. He was sore all over, and his arm felt like it was on fire, but he was having a really good time despite everything that had happened since his arrival here.

Gabby rejoined him, a frown on her face. “You do that again and I’ll put worms in your eggs,” she threatened. She’d given similar threats before, but had never followed through.

Gregory giggled but gave her a salute. “Aye aye, cap’n,” he said, then when she frowned more, he turned a bit more serious. Picking up a shrimp and dipping it in their tartar sauce, he said, “I’ll be careful, Gabs.”

Her expression softened and she smiled a bit. “Good. I don’t like seeing you hurt.” She looked down at the small punctures in his hands where griffon talons had accidentally punctured him.

He followed her gaze, then chuckled. “Yeah, I don’t either. But it’s all in good fun. After the hard work they’ve been doing all day, they deserve to be a little rough and blow off some steam.”

“They don’t need to do it to you, though,” Gabby said worriedly.

Gregory took another bite of fried shrimp and nodded. “I need to blow off steam too, sometimes,” he said, “and besides, we both had fun. Look!” He pointed over at Gilda who had gotten her somewhat free ale and was drinking it with a scowl. “You’ve never seen a wider smile.”

Gilda glared at him and flipped him off, a gesture she’d learned from him. “Fuck you,” she said with a growl, but without any bite.

He flipped her off right back, laughing. “No, fuck you,” he said.

Gilda’s scowl broke and she finally smirked as she raised her mug. “Here’s to you, you old bastard.”

“Who you calling old?” Gregory asked as he raised his own mug. “Here’s to you though, Grinny. And to the rest of you too!” he said, turning to Gallus and Gracie. “Here’s to four of the quickest friends I’ve ever made in my life!”

“Eh, sure,” Gallus said in a bored tone as he lifted his mug, but Gregory could see a small twinkle in the young griffon’s eye.

Gracie lifted her own mug and smiled a bit. “I don't know how I got roped into this, but cheers,” she said.

“I’ll drink to that!” Gabby said, raising her mug. And with that, they all took a long swig of their ale.

Gregory put his mug down hard, then leaned back and let forth a long belch, which got him a laugh from the crowd. Feeling suddenly emboldened, he grabbed his nearly empty mug and stood, raising it above him. “And here’s to everyone in this room!” he shouted. “You’ve all been working so hard to rebuild this city, and it’s showing! You’ve all been doing such a fantastic job! Pat yourselves on the back! You’ve earned this! CHEERS!” The crowd went wild as each griffon raised mugs or glasses to the toast. When they’d all finished drinking, Gregory decided to try one more thing. “Hey, there’s one thing missing from the tavern, barkeep!”

“And wot’s dat, den?” Gobbler asked.

“Drinking songs!” And with that, Gregory stood on his chair and began clapping, a silly grin on his face. “What will we do with a drunken sailor? What will we do with a drunken sailor? What will we do with a drunken sailor ea-rly in the mornin’?” he began singing. All around him, a few griffons began tapping the table with their mugs, following along with the beat. Encouraged by this, Gregory continued. “Way hay and up she rises! Way hay and up she rises! Way hay and up she rises ear-ly in the mornin’!”

To his surprise, Gabby joined in. She’d heard the song a few times back in her house in the evening and had actually liked it. “Shave his belly with a rusty razor! Shave his belly with a rusty razor! Shave his belly with a rusty razor ear-ly in the mornin’!”

Together, the two sang the chorus, standing and bobbing a bit to the beat as more griffons began hitting their tables with their mugs or clapping. “Way hay and up she rises! Way hay and up she rises! Way hay and up she rises ear-ly in the mornin’!”

“Put him in a long boat till he’s sober! Put him in a long boat till he's sober! Put him in a long boat till he’s sober ear-ly in the mornin’!” Gregory sang as he jumped up onto an empty table and began doing a silly jig as he clapped his hands and stomped his feet to the beat. “Everybody now!”

The tavern full of griffons began singing the chorus. Some of them might not have been able to hold a tune to save their lives, but nobody cared. “Way hay and up she rises! Way hay and up she rises! Way hay and up she rises ear-ly in the mornin’!”

“Stick him in a scupper with a hosepipe bottom! Stick him in a scupper with a hosepipe bottom! Stick him in a scupper with a hosepipe bottom ear-ly in the mornin’!” Gregory sang to the beat that the griffons were keeping.

The griffons joined in louder now with the chorus. “Way hay and up she rises! Way hay and up she rises! Way hay and up she rises ear-ly in the mornin’!”

Gabby joined him on another nearby table, standing on her haunches and clapping her hands to the beat as the two of them sang, “Put him in the bed with the captain’s daughter! Put him in the bed with the captain’s daughter! Put him in the bed with the captain’s daughter ear-ly in the mornin’!”

“Way hay and up she rises! Way hay and up she rises! Way hay and up she rises ear-ly in the mornin’!”

“That's what we do with a drunken sailor! That's what we do with a drunken sailor! That's what we do with a drunken sailor ear-ly in the mornin’!” Gabby and Gregory both sang before pointing to the crowd. “Two more times!” Gregory shouted.

“Way hay and up she rises! Way hay and up she rises! Way hay and up she rises ear-ly in the mornin’! Way hay and up she rises! Way hay and up she rises! Way hay and up she rises ear-ly in the mornin’!”

With that, Gregory jumped off of the table, landing on his feet and stumbling a bit only to be caught by an equally stumbling Gabby. The crowd in the tavern was going nuts, laughing and applauding the impromptu duet between him and Gabby. He sat back down, panting heavily with a large grin on his face. “Whoo! That was fun!” Gracie was staring at him curiously, so he turned to her. “Something on your mind, Gracie?”

“You’re a really strange guy,” she said. “You work hard here, and everygriffon follows your example. You don’t really let things get you down, do you?”

“Hey, even I get sad,” Gregory said as he took a couple scallops and popped them in his mouth. As Gobbler came over and refilled his mug, he continued, “I mean, during my first couple weeks here, I learned something that kinda upset me and it took me a while to get over it, but I’m learning to accept it. That, and I can never go back where I come from, so that’s a bit depressing when I think about it.”

Gracie frowned. “I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

Gregory waved his hand. “Don’t worry about it. I’d rather be here in Griffonstone than back home anyway. Anything’s better than a place where your parents fucking hate your guts and you have a girlfriend who spreads her legs for any guy who shows her the least amount of attention while you work your ass off to provide for the apartment you share. A job that exploits you if you’re good and rewards laziness.”

“Wow, that really sucks,” Gallus said, eyes wide in astonishment.

“Hey, it’s all in the past now!” Gregory said with a wide smile. “I’m in a better place than before! Got four really cool friends! Got a much better job that pays better, at least that’s what I’m assuming since I don’t know how a bit translates to my old currency, but hey! I’m not gonna complain! Money’s money!” He took a swig of his ale again. “Now then, let’s enjoy the night! Hangovers are for pussies!”

“How are you still standing?” Gilda asked an hour later as the human and four griffons walked down the wet streets back towards the residential district. “You had so much!”

Gregory was walking beside Gabby, the latter of whom was pressing herself against him just in case he fell. The rain had stopped and a waxing moon hung in the sky above them. Unlike the one back on Earth, this moon was about three or four times larger in the night sky, but that didn’t stop the stars from shining brightly around it. The constellations were eerily similar to the ones back on Earth, as well. “Heh…I guess I can just hold my liquor.”

“Yeah, until you throw up,” Gallus said with a small smirk.

“I actually feel fine, thanks,” Gregory said with a smirk back. “Unlike you, mister Woo The Ladies While Making Yourself Dizzy He Has To Puke Himself! You’re lucky you didn’t throw up on those griffon ladies!”

Gallus scowled. “Don’t remind me…it was the ale talking, not me.”

“I’m pretty sure at least one griffon female in there found you attractive, Gallus,” Gracie said.

“You think so?” Gallus asked hopefully.

“Take it from another girl,” Gracie said, putting a claw on her chest as if she was an expert. Which, in truth, she probably was more than either Gregory or Gallus, “I know somegriffon in there found you intriguing.”

“Someone’s got a cruuush,” Gilda snickered in a teasing tone, causing Gallus to blush.

“Oh, shut up, Gilda,” he growled in embarrassment.

“Hey, leave the poor kid alone,” Gregory said with a small smile, putting a hand on Gallus’ head. “Nothing wrong with him trying to find someone to have that special connection with.” Turning back to Gracie, he asked, “Who was the lucky griffonette?”

“I don’t know her name,” the younger griffon said, “but she had black fur, dark red feathers and green eyes. How old are you, Gallus?”

“Just turned eighteen,” he said.

“Ah, then she was probably the same age,” Gracie said.

“I think I know who you’re talking about,” Gabby said. “I’ve delivered to another griffon with the same color scheme. Pretty sure her name’s Gia. Want me to ask her?”

Gallus’ face went read and he shook his head. “N-No, that’s okay!” he said with that teenage nervousness.

“Hey, could be a chance for you to finally get some action, little dude,” Gregory teased, nudging him with his elbow.

“I’m not a little dude!” Gallus said, face flushed more now.

“Hey, it’s not about the size, it’s how you use it, right ladies?” Gregory asked. That got him the satisfaction of all the girls in the group blushing a bit. He couldn’t help himself now. He laughed loudly. “So uptight! Relax, I’m just having fun with y’all!”

Gabby smacked his legs with her backside, glaring up at him with a small smirk slowly forming on her beak. “You’re lucky you’re my friend,” she said.

“Heh, I’ll be quiet now,” he replied.

“Some night, though,” Gilda said, stretching her wings and trying not to fall onto the ground in her tipsy state.

“I had fun,” Gracie admitted. “More fun than I’ve had in a while. Although I probably shouldn’t have had as much as I did.”

“You barely had a quarter of a cup,” Gilda said.

“Yeah, I don’t do well with ale,” Gracie admitted. “It does weird things to me.”

“That’s fair,” Gregory said. “Nobody was forcing you to drink, though, If I remember right, they had some nonalcoholic drinks.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t want to be rude.” Suddenly, Gracie stopped, her wings fluttering as she looked around, any smile she had gone.

Gregory saw this and stopped as well, tensing up. “What is it?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” she said. “I thought I heard something-there! Hear it?”

The group paused and tilted their heads, Gregory putting his hand to his ear to try and get a better sense of what Gracie might have heard. They stood still for a while, listening to the night around them. All he could hear was some dripping water from a few nearby roofs onto the ground, a few crickets chirping and some distant sounds of griffons talking loudly. They were near a few closed restaurants now, walking passed alleys where they’d placed garbage cans they’d recently made instead of just tossing them into piles as they had before.

After a full minute of listening, Gregory removed his hand from his ear. “I don’t hear-”

“Shh!” Gracie said suddenly, putting a talon to her lips. She had a surprisingly icy glare in her eyes as she moved extremely quietly towards one of the nearby alleyways. She moved as if she was stalking some prey, hardly like anything Gregory had seen other griffons do before. The others followed behind her, trying to keep quiet as they followed the young female.

As they approached, Gregory thought he heard a small sound. He couldn’t identify it, but the next sound was one he could definitely identify. It was the sound of someone cursing under their breath. Instantly, any alcohol induced brain fog lifted as he tensed up, slowly going to his pocket and grabbing a switchblade he’d brought from Earth. Slowly and quietly, he brought it out and held it just in case. Gabby saw this and looked at him worriedly, but he just gave her a reassuring look.

Gracie, still in the lead, came to the edge of the restaurant which led to the alley where the noise was coming from. She peaked around the corner and her wings bristled. She held up a fist, halting them all. Turning to Gregory, she motioned him forward with a quick gesture. He approached, leaving the three concerned griffons behind. She motioned for him to be silent and only to look.

What he saw stunned him.

There was a strange non-griffon figure digging around in the garbage. A pony figure, to be precise. He couldn’t see what exactly the pony looked like in the dark, but what he could see was that whoever it was, they were gaunt, presumably from lack of food. He watched the pony carefully. They’d taken no notice of Gracie or Gregory since they had their upper body halfway inside a tipped over wooden garbage can. Listening closely, he heard a quiet female voice whispering something in an angry tone. As she came back out of the garbage can, he heard her whisper, “Nothing…damn it…”

Gregory frowned. He couldn’t be sure, but he felt that there was something unusually familiar about that voice. He and Gracie pulled back, then looked at each other. Gregory was surprised to see an unusual amount of anger in Gracie’s eyes. He put his hand on her back. “Stay here,” he whispered. She frowned, but took a step back, albeit reluctantly. Gregory walked out, slowly putting his knife away as he approached the pony in the alley. He took a deep breath, then said in a quiet and disarming tone, “Um, excuse me, miss?”

This did little to apparently assuage the starving pony, who quickly came out of the can and facing him. In the dim light, he saw a horn on her head, meaning she was a unicorn. “I found this first!” she hissed angrily, lowering her horn at him. “Back off!”

“Easy there,” Gregory said, moving away, “I’m not here to try and steal your…garbage can,” he said. “I’m just wondering what you’re doing in Griffonstone and if there’s something I can do to help you. You don’t look so good.”

The mare snarled at him, and lit up her horn with an aquamarine glow. “I said this is mine!” she repeated, only for her anger to slowly morph into confusion. “You’re not a griffon.”

In the light of the magical glow, Gregory finally caught a glimpse of the pony’s features. And he finally realized where he’d heard the voice before. He took a few steps back, hands still raised. “No, I’m not. I’m a human,” he said. “I live here.”

The mare’s eyes narrowed at him, and in the dim light of her magic she looked like she was gazing at him suspiciously. However, he quickly dismissed that as her eyes rolled back into her head and she slumped to the ground, hitting her head very hard on the stone. Gregory quickly approached her, pulling out his phone and turning on the light. He looked at the mare in horror. “Holy shit…how long have you not been eating well?” He put his phone away and gingerly moved to lift the mare up in his arms. He frowned at how light she felt. “Fuck…this isn’t good.”

“Is everything okay?” Gabby asked, looking down the alley, only for her eyes to widen when she saw what Gregory was carrying. “Is that…a pony?”

“And a starving one, at that,” Gregory said. “Gabby, what kind of veggies or fruits do we have back home?”

“Well…I’ve got some pears I got from Equestria,” Gabby said, “Why?”

“Ponies don’t eat meat like we do,” he said, “and this mare looks like she hasn’t eaten in days, if not weeks.”

“Are you seriously thinking about taking her in?” Gracie asked incredulously. “She’s a pony! They look down on everyone who isn’t a pony!”

“She’s also seriously malnourished,” Gregory said. “I can’t just leave her here to die.”

“As much as I dislike ponies, he has a point,” Gilda said. “We’d be pretty heartless not to at least try.”

“Alright…but I think you’re making a mistake,” Gracie said. “Ponies aren’t all sunshine and rainbows and harmony. They’re all a bunch of xenophobic and racist fucks.”

“Jesus, that’s a bit harsh, isn’t it?” Gregory asked.

“I don’t think it’s harsh enough!” Gracie shouted, startling the others with how forceful she was. After a while, she took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. “I…I’m sorry,” she said. “I haven’t had good experiences with ponies…”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Gregory said, and he meant it. He knew ponies weren’t perfect, and it wasn’t his place to pry as to what her own experiences with them were, anyway. “Still, I don’t want to leave her here to die. And if she’s ungrateful for it, that’s fine. I helped her, and that’s the important thing.”

“You’re so naïve,” he heard Gracie muttering as he walked back towards their homes.

As he walked, he took one look at the flank on the pony he was carrying. The cutie mark there was just like the one he’d expected to be there. As the group fell into silence, one thought was on his mind: How the fuck did Starlight Glimmer come all the way to Griffonstone?

Author's Note

Sorry that this chapter is a bit shorter than the others. Hope you enjoy regardless!