I slipped away from the small camp that I now called home, and began to wander through the forest. As I moved, I adjusted the new armor that had been made for me, though calling it armor was a bit of a stretch. A mess of metal, and half-treated leather, it was at least quiet, and kept the burrs off me, so it was at least halfway serviceable.

My little amateur blacksmith was getting better, but he was still a long way off from being able to forge plate mail or the like. Still, it at least did what I wanted it to without being noisy or constraining me in any way so huge plus right there. With the small snag on my right shoulder fixed, I began to wonder what manner of thing I would hunt this time.

Being a borderline obligate carnivore (non-meat makes me nauseous) I needed something to tide me over for a bit. My thoughts went to one of those big rocky crocodiles but figured that probably wouldn't be the easiest to eat, provided it was even edible to begin with. I didn't want to resort to killing a squirrel, or rabbit as they were both cute as heck, and had about as much nutritional value as a single cracker.

With that in mind, I started to go a little further off the beaten trail, ranging to the east, and trusting in my tracking ability to get me back home when the time came to return. I have a great sense of direction and have only gotten lost like, once while in the Everfree forest so I wasn't too concerned. I was also strong enough to take most critters in a fight, or at least stealthy enough to avoid them if I didn't feel like a struggle.

I may look lanky and uncoordinated, but I can actually hide really well when I want to. Takes a bit of prep to hide my scent though, I’m a musky girl especially after I start sweatin'. Right, where was I? Oh yeah, so I was heading out hunting when I found this little griffin guy wandering around a rocky area.

I was crouched low in one of the few bushes present in this area dominated by canyons, and red-orange rock. It was a bit of a struggle given my size, but you’d be surprised how small of a ball I can squeeze down to. So I was sitting there, watching him flying around aimlessly, searching for something amidst all the barren rock and sparse vegetation.

He looked, young but kinda wealthy? It was a bit hard to describe. His plate armor armor barely fit, and he carried around a real fancy spear adorned with a bunch of feathers. There was an emblem of a two-headed bird on one of his shoulders, but that was the only iconography that I could see on him.

Thankfully he didn't have his helmet on, that dangled from a strap on his back, so I could see his face. He had a longer, more angular beak than what few griffins I had seen at that point, and his plumage was mostly white. The guy did have some cute green eyes, really bright too, like they damn near glowed in the afternoon sun.

“I thought you were gay,” Luna deadpanned. “What with your infatuation with Cadance and whatnot.”

“I thought the same,” Twilight admitted.

“Okay, one. I am only sort of a girl. My gender identity can best be described as a mess. This is due to the fact that I was a guy, but I kept some aspects of masculinity, but also have those parts,” I rambled only to clear my throat and wave a hand in the air. “None of that matters right now.”

“Ahh, a fellow bisexual then. Interesting,” Luna muttered.

“I think the term would be pansexual,” Twilight corrected.

“How rude Twilight. I hardly think Fareeah here is sexually attracted to kitchen appliances. Do you think Cadance resembles a toaster?” Luna exclaimed in utter confusion.

“She does get real hot if you touch the right button,” I added.

“Augh, that's not…” Twilight sighed deeply, her head hanging low. “Just get back to the story please.”

“Right, where was I again?” I murmured, scratching my chin.

“You were observing what I imagine was a minor griffin noble,” Luna replied.

“Oh yeah. So I was watching him-”

He seemed nervous and sweaty, and I couldn't see any provisions on him or anything like that. Meaning he had either stashed that stuff nearby, or had set up a camp in the area. It didn't really matter to me, mind you but I was curious and decided to observe the cute lil guy. After all, you ponies find griffins to be kind of fierce and warrior-like, but I always thought of them as big tsundere cats.

No, I will not be explaining what that word means, we’ve interrupted the story once already and if you keep prying this is going to take forever.

So I was curious, I wanted to know what he was doing way out here, and I also had some bad vibes about the guy. Not like I thought he was some manner of villain or whatever, but that he seemed a bit like a fish out of water. For some reason, I could just tell that if he didn't accidentally stumble upon danger, then the danger would find him.

Sure enough, after a bit of flying around, I noticed that he had stopped and was staying as still as one can be while still staying airborne. His gaze was fixed on something I couldn't see somewhere below me, deeper in the canyon. I tried to clamber over to the edge and spot whatever it was that had caught his attention but before I knew it he had dove down, disappearing from sight.

“What the hell are you doing little dude?” I muttered to myself.

A little worried for my strange feathered friend, I jogged over to the edge of the cliff and glanced over. What I saw confused me at first, but even from a single look, I could tell that I had stumbled into the middle of someone else’s story.

The griffin wasn't immediately visible, though what I could definitely see was the thing he was fighting. A manticore, bigger than most I had managed to spot so far, was pissed, though that was probably due to all the pointy things stuck in him. Arrows covered his back like tiny hairs, and a lance was buried in his shoulder along with a dagger or two in his midsection.

Manticores are scary enough, what with their huge batwings and scorpion-like tail but this guy was in a league of his own. He had huge teeth that likely barely fit in his mouth, and his tail dripped a greenish liquid that sizzled upon striking the stone. He was also pale as a ghost, with his fur being completely white instead of the usual orange. His mane was still a bright crimson but so too was the lone eye he had left, with the other having likely been cut at some point given the long scar that covered it.

The huge critter was taller than even me, and that was before it reared back, and tried to stomp the piss out of the poor guy fighting him. I spotted the griffin only briefly, the little guy scrambling out of the reach of the manticore a second before its huge forelegs stomped down. I swore the whole canyon shook when that beast struck, and I could see stone come loose all around us, creating tiny rock slides.

The griffin tried to stab with his lance, but the manticore was able to swipe it away, batting the thing with enough force to send it flying. My little buddy thankfully didn't get carried along with it, the male hopping back and producing a pathetically short knife, er sword. With the reach, height, and size advantage on its side, I knew the manticore was gonna win and that left me with a few options.

I could leave now while it was distracted, or I could help the guy and while I was ruminating on what action to take, the griffon made his attack. Taking to the sky, he was able to use his smaller size to get in close and slice at the beast’s face, drawing a thick line above its brow. The swipe would be painful, but not lethal, something the griffin hadn't seen coming, going from the gasp of shocked surprise that came from his mouth.

He was then blasted back when the manticore’s stinger slammed into his chest with enough force to send him flying into the rock wall. His breastplate had crumpled under the impact, but it had seemingly saved his life as he stumbled into a stand, now weaponless due to his blade having been knocked from his grip. Rising up onto his back legs, the griffin struck what I assume was an intimidating posture of some kind.

“I am Prince Willhelm Ghostfeather and though you may take my life this day, before I expire I will taste your blood,” he shouted.

The manticore roared back and was about to charge the griffon, but that was about when my flying bodyslam struck him in the back. I’m not gonna lie, it kinda hurt when I hit him after achieving terminal velocity during the probably twenty-foot drop. I am pretty durable, but even then I did get stabbed a few times by the arrow shafts sticking out of the manticore’s back. Thankfully he got more stabbed, or at least I assumed he did as he cried out in shock and pain.

I rolled off his back and fell to the ground, hitting the stoney earth with a thud. Though I had managed to avoid getting the wind knocked out of me, the manticore wasn't so lucky, as it was gasping and stumbling around. The griffin seized the moment immediately, barely giving me a glance before raking his claws across the beast’s face.

One, two, then three swipes, each deeper than the last, sending chunks of bloody flesh to the ground. Despite the injuries, our foe was made of sterner stuff, and even mostly blind, he was able to knock the griffin back with a swipe of his own. The griffin was able to raise his arms in a defensive stance before the impact though so he was knocked away but thankfully not killed outright.

I didn't give him a second glance, however, as I had launched my own attack on the monster, using the rather mediocre short blade I had scavenged not long ago. A bit puny, rusty, and not super sharp, it at least did the job when wielded by someone as strong as me. Driving the weapon into the manticore’s side, I stabbed him two more times before the creature turned on me fully.

Its tail swung out at me, but evidently, he thought I was pony-sized as I was able to jump over the swipe. I struck the manticore one final time with my dagger but that was the end of it, and the sword broke right near the base leaving only two or three inches left of blade. I was so annoyed by this that I didn't notice the manticore swiping at me until it was too late.

The slash across my chest was brutal but thankfully my armor mostly saved me, turning a lethal hit into something that was just painful and bloody. It tried to swing a second time, but by then I had gotten my head back in the game, and I jumped to the side. I then kicked it in the chin as hard as I could, causing the poor bastard to bite a good quarter of his tongue off.

“Ooh, that's gotta hurt,” I muttered.

I half expected the griffin to jump in, and when he didn't, I glanced over to find that he had crumpled into a heap, clutching at his chest. He didn't look too good so I decided to end this quickly lest he end up dying on me and making my whole rescue attempt moot. With that in mind, I’d have to do something risky, but what is life if not risk, eh?

I charged the manticore just as it reared back, its claws lashing out at me, intent on removing my head from my shoulders. He was basically blind at this point, as so much blood had flowed into his eyeball that it was completely red. This meant he didn't even notice as I came up lower than anticipated, getting in close and stabbing him in the stomach.

My sword was barely more than a letter opener at that point, but I made up for its lack of size by putting a few dozen holes in his midsection. The manticore flailed and struck at me but I was so close that his attacks didn't carry enough weight to do more than bruise me. Then, just after I had finished stabbing it for the twenty-third time, it tried to bite me, but I was able to get a hand on the bottom of its jaw, forcing its snapping maw high into the air.

I held it there while it gnashed and flailed for another few seconds, during which I continued to stab him probably another dozen or so times. By then his blood was flowing so thickly that the ground was starting to become slick with the stuff, creating a crimson sheen over the rocks. His movements were also starting to slow, and I could tell it wouldn't be much longer before he died from exsanguination.

He was able to twist out of my grip however, and was about to chomp down on my face so I had to think of something and quick. Abandoning my close attack, I shoved him away from me as hard as possible, ditching my little stabby knife in the process. Even then, he only just barely missed me, his jaws slamming shut so close that for a second I thought he had taken my nose off.

“Ha, not today, jerkwad,” I spat.

The manticore roared, and it was at this point that I noticed he was near the very lip of the outcropping’s edge. With my opening found, I surged forward and shoulder-checked the beast over the edge, taking a swipe from his claws in the process. I was bleeding from three new cuts, but the manticore was tumbling backward down the side of the canyon.

I glanced over, to make sure he died and was a bit surprised when I saw him manage to open his wings and right himself. He started to flap but slammed into an outcropping of rock somewhere thirty or forty feet below me. I could hear the ensuing crunch from up there, and I watched as the strength left him, the manticore bouncing off one jut out of stone to another before coming to rest far, far below me.

“Well, shit. You were one tough bastard, weren't you?” I murmured to myself.

“Come, beast. I still have breath left in my body,” muttered the griffon.

Turning around, I watched as the silly little guy stumbled into a stand, his one paw raised and claws extended.

“Speaking of tough cookies, you sure are a fine specimen, aren't you?” I mused, walking over to him.

Stumbling around on his back legs, and barely able to stand, he was bleeding pretty bad, though his chest injury looked worse still.

“I hope you choke on my… bones,” he murmured before swaying to one side and nearly falling over.

I caught him before he hit the ground and gently lifted him up.

“Woah there tough guy. Don't waste your strength. You don't look so good,” I exclaimed.

“Die, beast,” he muttered, batting his clumsy limbs against my chest with all the power of a pool noodle.

“Alright there buddy. You just hold on and I’ll try to find someone to help ya,” I stated in as commanding a tone as possible.

He blathered something incomprehensible before falling still, alive but unconscious. Which was good, because I carried him around like a cat, his head against my armpit, and my arm supporting his back. It made it kinda hard to climb that wall, what with only one arm, but I was a fairly adept rogue, so it still only took me about twelve seconds, give or take a second or two.

Once up, I made a beeline to Zecora’s, my charge’s breathing growing increasingly shallow as time passed. By the time I reached her hut, it was starting to get dark, and I was beginning to worry. Still, he had yet to die so I decided to cling to hope and pounded a hand against Zecora’s door.

“Zecora, it's me!” I shouted. “I got someone that's in pretty rough shape here!”

“I swear if another mushroom you did eat, your ugly face I will beat,” grumbled Zecora.

“It's serious, I swear!” I yelled, trying not to remember that rather unfortunate trip I had gone on after eating a mushroom I thought was safe.

Zecora’s bitter mutterings ended when she opened the door and laid eyes on the wounded griffin being held like an overgrown house cat.

“My word, this is absurd,” she murmured. “Quickly bring him in and lay him there, I must find something powerful and rare.”

I did as she asked, and deposited the bloody griffin on a spare table that thankfully had nothing on it. I stripped off his armor by using a nail to slice through the leather straps holding it in place. Each time I managed to remove another hunk of metal I tossed it aside, revealing an ever more grim picture beneath.

“Holy shit,” I murmured to myself.

Not only was he cut up, and had a deep puncture in his chest, but the flesh around the impact site had seemingly started to necrotize. That didn't seem possible given how little time had passed, but then again he was afflicted with some kinda venom. When Zecora returned, she let out a gasp and nearly dropped her various supplies.

“What kind of crime, have you gotten up to this time?” Zecora exclaimed.

“Hey, I didn't do anything wrong this time!” I retorted, throwing my hands in the air and accidentally punching her ceiling. “There was this weird albino-looking manticore that was killing this dude and I saved him but not before it stung him.”

“This is the venom of the flesh eater, and to best it we’ll need luck by the liter,” Zecora exclaimed. “Acquire these ingredients from the nearby town, or else prepare to put this poor fool in the ground.”

Zecora then hastily scribbled a list of supplies on a scrap of paper and thrust it into my hands.

“Right, I’ll get right on that. Hey, wait do you have any bits or anything? I don't exactly carry money around,” I replied.

“The insult, the cruelty, the gall! As if I have time to worry about something so small,” Zecora exclaimed. “Now go, shoo! Let me be rid of you!”

“Alright alright I’m going,” I whined.

“The side of town it is on is east, and upon the sign is a priest!” Zecora shouted as I left.

Despite my whinging, I was serious about this and took off with all the haste I could muster. It thankfully didn't me long to find the right place as there aren't too many businesses on the east side of Ponyville. I broke in, stole what I needed, and returned to Zecora, handing over all the ingredients.

After that, there isn't much to say. I helped Zecora as her assistant for the next few hours, and then once we had done all we could, I went home. I gathered up a few bits, and whatever jewels we had kicking around and returned the night after to break back in and leave the money.

“Which brings us to the end of that particular story,” I concluded, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Wait, hold on did the griffin live?” Twilight inquired.

“Pfft yeah, of course,” I dismissed. “Swell dude too. Swore some kind of life debt thingy before he left. Said something about returning home with news of old Bale Eye’s death.”

I paused and frowned.

“I’m not sure why but that name feels familiar for some reason,” I muttered.

“I recall that name as well,” Luna remarked. “Back during the civil war, there were tales of a red-eyed and white-furred manticore that was exceptionally intelligent. If the stories are to be believed, it was capable of hunting down whole groups of trained soldiers though I never heard what happened to it.”

“Albino or not, Manticores don't live that long,” Twilight retorted.

“Look I’m just telling you what happened. I don't know if they are one and the same,” I replied.

“It wouldn't be the strangest thing to happen,” Luna added.

“Anyway,” Twilight interrupted. “Was he really some griffin prince of some kind?”

“Apparently,” I answered, shrugging. “It's not like I know much about griffin nobility.”

“Fair,” Twilight murmured.

“Did you damage this facility that you were breaking into?” Luna inquired.

“Nah-well the first time I did. Since I was in a hurry,” I stated. “The second time I wasn't in quite such a rush so I just picked the lock, and then relocked it on the way out.”

“That explains the confusion from the store owner,” Twilight remarked.

“See? No malice intended,” I exclaimed, opening my arms wide. “And it was all in service of saving someone’s life so that's gotta be an exception under some kinda law, right?”

“Yes, although technically the store owner could still press charges. That being said they would only be able to demand that you repay up to the amount you stole, you could not be found criminally liable,” Twilight concluded.

“I did not know that,” Luna admitted, blinking in surprise. “Such a law was not on the books as they say, in my time. It is good to know that it is now.”

“Yeah the nobles and business owners made a big hubbub at the time, but the bill was supported by Celestia so it got through anyway,” Twilight added.

“Neat. So what's next?” I asked, standing up from my chair. “You dismiss all charges, grant me a knighthood, and send me off with a slap on the wrist?”

“You wish to enter the service of the crown? I did not see that coming Fareeah,” Luna remarked.

“Ha, not really. It's more of an honorific back where I come from,” I dismissed. “Though if its Cadence I’m in service of…”

“There was talk about granting you a pardon for saving Cadence, and Celestia even mentioned the possibility of giving you a medal but neither of those things have been finalized,” Twilight commented pointedly, cutting me off before I could say something more about the alicorn of love.

“That's pretty fucking cool,” I murmured, tapping my chin. “A medal eh? I’m gonna need a coat to pin it on rather than this serviceable if a bit basic bit of clothing.”

“We should still speak to the store owner. It may not be necessary but I’d like to clean up any loose ends,” Twilight stated somewhat firmly.

“Then I will leave you to it. I must check in with my nightguard,” Luna added.

“And after that, hit the hay, right?” I needled, poking her in the shoulder.

“I am not sure what punching food will do but I will be getting some rest if that is what you mean,” Luna dismissed.

“Okay,” Twilight murmured, dismissing the zone of truth. “Fareeah, follow me. Let's go have a little chat.”

Author's Note

Thank you Breaded Bread for the request which resulted in this update!