Chapter Two: This Is Gonna Hurt

Chapter Two: This Is Gonna Hurt

Gareth was in the lead, Tesseth, who’d briefly vanished to return with her bow, was on his right. Tiyo, Derani, Beke and Merkus had split off to take care of other things, leaving the pair to direct Thomas, Jason and Andrew to a corridor that was beside the desk still currently being run by Vineyard Terrace. Vineyard waved at the group of them, and said good morning. Tesseth formed her claw into a fist and bumped Vineyard’s outstretched hoof in greeting as they passed by, then down the hall. The quintet moved through a rather well-lit hallway, with rooms like a first aid center on one side, the Conversion room on the other, and a third door simply marked by a sword and round buckler, all of them well shielded with very heavy steel doors. Gareth opened the back doors, which reminded the human trio of an old school-style entryway, also steel, with glass insets to show the grass outside. Well, what passed for grass, at any rate. More surprisingly, in fact, was quite a large collection of what could be nothing but trees, even if they were petrified. Thomas gaped a bit at the sight of them.

“No way...” Andrew murmured, sounding just as stunned. Tesseth turned back to look at them as the doors closed, leaving the group about 30 yards from the Bureau building.

“What’s to be surprised about?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Trees haven’t really existed in over eighty years... this is... w-wow. Petrified or not, that’s amazing,” Thomas answered.

“Well, you’ll get to enjoy it, sort of,” Gareth said, unsheathing his longsword. The trio took a nervous step back as the Gryphon raised his blade, then brought it down into the false soil, carving a shallow furrow, before he tapped it with the tip. “On the line!” he barked, suddenly stern. Thomas, Andrew and Jason hurried to obey, eyes wide. Upon seeing them standing at attention, he nodded firmly. He brought his sword up in a salute, then pointed to the wall that had been erected, solid reinforced concrete which could take a full-speed ramming from an armored personell carrier several times before falling. The point was aimed at one of the capped columns sectioning the wall off. “That column,” he indicated. Tesseth raised her bow, and nocked an arrow, letting it fly with a severely under-powered shot after a quick sighting. It thunked solidly into the trunk of one of the trees, the sound reverberating off the walls and over the open grassland. “Tesseth’s arrow, you’ll go to that, and touch it... and then that column directly behind you, then back to us. Just once, to start out,” he instructed, and raised his sword again, the steel gleaming dully in the dim mockery of sunlight, looking directly at the column. “Ready...” he began. Thomas and the others prepared themselves. “Go!” he called out, bringing the blade down.

Jason took off, hauling for all he was worth and nearly in a sprint. Andrew was second, also running, but not quite all out. Thomas, for his part, was also running, but definitely having paced himself compared to the other two and obviously trying to keep his footfalls lighter, seeming to wince now and again. By the time he’d reached the first pillar, Jason was past Tess’s arrow and more than halfway to the other pillar. Andrew had just tagged it, himself. Thomas was still pacing himself, chanting under his breath. Tess took to the air, thinking Thomas slower than the others, but as she approached with a few lazy flaps of her wings, her ears caught the cadence, and the words made her smile.

Guideline One, time for fun

Guideline Two, strike them true

Guideline Three, make them see

Guideline Four, prepare for war

Guideline Five, always strive

Guideline Six, master conflicts

Guideline Seven, battle’s heaven

Guideline Eight, defend the gate

Guideline Nine, hold the line

Guideline Ten, we shall win

“So... come up with that yourself?” she called down. Thomas’ head jerked up and he stumbled for a couple steps in surprise before regaining his footing.

“You heard me?” he asked back, eyes wide. She could see the blush suffusing his cheeks. He was kinda cute when he was embarrassed.

“Yeah. Good military marching style. Rather Gryphon-like. So? You come up with it?”

“Well... yeah. Needed something to hold onto, if that makes sense,” he replied with a shrug.

“I suspect it will make more sense when we all sit down with you for your interview after we’re done here. Think you can try to pull my arrow out of the tree there, by the by?” she asked, claws akimbo as she stayed aloft. Thomas reached her arrow and tagged it, then grasped firmly and pulled mightily. It barely budged half an inch, but it moved. “I’ll get it. Keep moving. Wanted to see if you could get it out on your own, if we’d underestimated human strength,” she called out, and Thomas pressed on towards the third pillar. Tess landed and tugged hard, freeing the arrow and returning it to her quiver. Thomas tagged the pillar, and made his way back to Gareth and over the line. Jason and Andrew were pretty much dead on their feet, panting hard and gasping for air. Thomas was a bit on the breathless side, his legs and lungs burning a good deal, but he wasn’t bent over and shaking.

“Hm. Not bad. A bit on the slow side, but not bad,” Gareth commented, then nodded towards the doors. “Back inside when you’re not begging for death, gentlemen. I want to see you in the interview room after orientation, if you do decide that you want to try flying with us, which is the door marked with the sword and shield you saw earlier,” he said, and started walking towards them. Thomas followed after a few moments of stretching, while Tesseth waited with Jason and Andrew patiently.

Thomas let out a breath as he came back inside, the cold outside finally getting to him and making his knees ache from the temperature change. Gareth stopped as he heard the door shut behind Thomas, and turned to see the man wincing.

“You all right there, Thomas?” the Gryphon asked as he staggered up a few feet.

“I’ll be fine, thanks,” came the grit-out answer, Thomas stretching his legs and leaning against the wall with one hand.

“If you say so. Orientation room is on the right, before you hit the rooms, just off the entry way. There’s a sign on the door,” he instructed. Thomas sighed as his knees finally popped and the pressure was relieved. He did a couple quick jogging steps, then nodded to himself.

“That’s better... thank you for the info, Gareth,” he said. The Gryphon nodded, and proceeded off down the hallway.

Thomas opened the door, to see Derani inside already, carefully manipulating a DaTab with a deft talon, while a unicorn with a roll of bandages for a cutie mark worked on her own via a holo-display. Thomas noticed there were a half dozen people scattered around in chairs, and, after glancing at Derani who gestured to the open seats, he took a chair against the wall, away from the rest of the group. Derani glanced over at him, then returned to her work. A series of chimes sounded as the clock struck nine a.m., sounding much like an antique grandfather clock. The pony cued up something on her display, and Derani did the same, just as Jason, Andrew, and three others came in. The first two still looked ragged around the edges as they took seats, almost falling into them. The pony stomped a hoof twice for attention, and nodded as everyone looked at her.

“Hello everyone, and welcome to morning Orientation for this group. My name is Poultice, I’m one of the medical unicorns here. Myself and my friend Suture are who you’re brought to if you’re injured while here. While my compatriot here can’t be affected by magic,” she introduced, nodding at Derani, “the rest of you can be... at least for the time being. I’m here to explain the Pony side of things, under the diarchic rule of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Celestia, for those that don’t know, raises and lowers the sun, and Luna does the same with the moon.”

There were snickers at this. Apparently some potential Converts didn’t really believe that yet, and Poultice frowned. “I see that some of you disbelieve this fact. Unfortunately for you, it is a fact. Equestria operates on different rules than your earth does” she said firmly, and tapped her horn for emphasis, then pulled up her holo-display, expanding it with two button presses. She pointed out the region of Equestria with a red gleam from her horn, which highlighted helpfully. “This is Equestria, as it is known to us. There are mild dangers, compared to our Gryphon friends, but I’ll let Derani here explain that in a moment. The key points for Ponies to live by are, frankly, peace and tranquility. Friends and family are loved and cherished, to be sure, but there are other things in life. Business, crafts, politics, studies, economics, art, industry. All of these professions are open to you, and more. Technologically speaking, perhaps, it is a giant leap backwards from what you are used to,” she said, gesturing to the holo-display being generated by the DaTab, “but there are ways to replicate many things. Holographics such as these are easily doable with magical means. Certainly, you won’t have instantaneous access to the latest news, or be able to speak to your friends over great distances in the same fashion as you once could, but that’s offset by the fact that Pony life is slower-paced. We take our time and relish life. We savor each day as something new to be discovered.”

Poultice stepped back, the display winking out as Derani leaned back against a wall, adjusting her wings idily.

“So... Gryphons... many of you aren’t here for that. A rare, precious few are. Gryphons live hard, and play harder, as the saying goes. We are intense creatures, unlike our more laid-back Pony friends. More rough and tumble, to use an old colloquialism. We’re smiths and crafters. Artisans and metal-workers. We duel with blade and spear and pike for fun, and if we want to get away from it all, we really CAN get away from it all. Our speed is unmatched save by a rare few pegasai in a straight shot... for all of five minutes, and we can outfly damn near anything except dragons. Gryphons have a few other tricks that Ponies don’t, and you’ll learn them as you need it, if you desire to fly with us and pass muster. Any of you that decide to try your luck against one of us in a fight while you’re here will find out that Gryphons are much more combat-oriented. We’re not nice in the way Ponies are. We’re even less pleasant if we don’t have our caffeine. We get sick, it’s not a minor thing, so there’s a drawback to being one of us, too. You get a head cold as a human, it’s a few days of being stuffed up and miserable. You get the same thing as a Gryphon, it’s more akin to the nastier kinds of pneumonia out there. Full medical quarantine kind of bad. It’s not a joke. In exchange for this, though, we are stronger and faster than most other species, and nearly as tough. Sure, you could break bones... but you wouldn’t live long enough to regret it, either. I say again, we are INTENSE beings. If you want to become a Gryphon, remember that. Thank you.”

Poultice stepped forward again, smiling, and clopped her two front hooves together, leaning on a desk. “Well then,” she called out, “now that you’ve heard the spiel from both sides, a show of hooves, er... hands for those that wish to go pony?”

Nine hands went up, including, to Thomas’ surprise, Andrew’s. Poultice nodded, and took everyone’s names down.

“All of you interested in flying with the Gryphons?” Derani snapped, military-stern. Thomas’ hand went up with Jason’s and one mousy looking girl in blue-framed glasses and thick brown hair. The Gryphoness nodded, and took down each name, including the girl’s, Jenna Ronson.

“That’s orientation, for the most part. One note, however. Classes start at 10 a.m. tomorrow morning. No alcohol or synthetic tobacco is allowed on the premises once classes are in effect. You have roughly... a twenty-four hour window to enjoy those things one last time. It cuts down on possible issues come Conversion. Makes sure your system is clear, you see. That is all. Dismissed!” Poultice chimed back in. Thomas got back to his feet, wincing, and left the room with the others, spotting Gareth walking past. He fell into step several paces behind him, smiling shyly.

Gareth glanced behind himself, then nodded once, before reaching the door and knocking twice firmly. The sound of multiple massive deadbolts sliding back was heard, and the door opened revealing Merkus, who nodded in greeting and swung the door back to let the two of them in.

The ‘interview room’ was an armory. A fairly good sized one, too, judging from the pulse rifles and what Thomas assumed were un-strung arbalests and bows akin to Tesseth’s lining one wall, while body armor and Gryphon plate armor lined a second. Thomas saw a lot of variation in the latter, but one thing was consistent, and that was practicality. Easy to get into, judging by the rest of the Gryphons present, and hard to penetrate. The third wall seemed to be all melee weapons, swords and extendable batons. The fourth wall, where the door was, lay the medical supplies. First aid, mostly, judging by the small lockers and metal cases. Thomas was pressed forward into a chair by Gareth’s claw on his back, before he took his own seat. Merkus re-opened the door at the same two knocks, letting in Tesseth, who told Jason and Jenna outside to wait there, that they’d be next. The Gryphoness stepped inside and the door was sealed once more, with the last two taking chairs.

Thomas was seated with the medical wall to his back, and the Gryphons arrayed in a half-moon around him. Expressions ranged from sleepiness on the part of Tiyo, to annoyance from Beke, to piqued interest from Tesseth, Gareth and Derani, to pure silent stoicism from Merkus. Thomas felt like he was a meal getting sized up for how to be pieced out, and he began to sweat nervously.

“So... you want to be a Gryphon,” Beke crooned out, the annoyed look he wore also showing in his tone. It was apparent that he thought this, and Thomas, a waste of his time. Thomas took a deep breath and steeled himself internally.

“Yes. I’d like to be,” Thomas answered levelly.

“What makes you the ideal candidate?” Tiyo asked quietly. Thomas cocked his head at that. He was afraid of getting questions like this.

“Nothing, if I had to be perfectly honest. I’m not military. I know how to fire a gun, and handle myself in a fist fight, but that’s the extent of my combat prowess before now,” he admitted.

“That’s not what he asked. What makes you ideal?” Derani’s tone was velvet-gloved steel, her eyes hard. The human swallowed nervously.

“I... I saw the pictures, of the Gryphon Kingdoms, after what happened in Manhattan. How you, along with the ponies and squads of humans took down a threat that could have destroyed millions of lives. I heard about the bravery, and compassion, and skill of all involved. I saw news articles and programs about that first Gryphon convert. All of that...” he started, trailing off, then he shook his head and ran a hand through his hair, “all of that made me feel like there was maybe, possibly, some place I might find purpose in my life. I’m not proud of my family line, in fact I’m ashamed of it. I know I’m not meant for a peaceful pony existence, that’s not who I am. That being said, I feel that I’d be much more at home, happier... saner, perhaps. I’d finally have a place to call home, something to be proud of in my existence.”

“Why are you ashamed of your family line?” Tesseth asked. Her expression was inscrutable, but the tone was genuine concern. Thomas dropped his head into his hands at that question and groaned aloud.

“I was afraid of this... it’s why I’m worried I’d be rejected, hell, why I wouldn’t blame half the humans here for wanting to kill me. I’m ashamed because of my father. He’s a local leader for the HLF,” he admitted.

“Explain!” Beke growled, his expression dark and claws twitching.

Thomas smiled sadly at him. “You’re not happy about this, are you? Imagine how I feel. My old man’s always been an insular asshole, but when Equestria popped up, and he found the barrier was unstoppable, it became his personal damn crusade. He seriously considers this a holy war, and I don’t want any part of it, or him,” he answered.

“Do you blame us? or Celestia?” Gareth asked. Thomas shook his head firmly no.

“I can’t. It’s impossible to fault any of you. How can I? It’s obvious that Celestia regrets the way things are going, but far be it from me to say that there’s anything bad about the situation. Humanity’s grown complacent and stupid. Yes, I’m belittling the race I’m part of. We KILLED our world, accidentally through sheer stupidly bad luck, but the fact remains. I’m surprised you all, much less Celestia, don’t just leave us to our fate. The fact you all offer conversion is a kindness I cannot comprehend, but one I am eternally grateful for. You’ve all given us a way out, if we choose to accept it, and I gladly do. Even if you don’t think I’m a good match to be a Gryphon, I still intend to LIVE. There’s too much in the world, on either side of the barrier, just to give up hopelessly. There’s so much to see that I can’t ever see myself willingly going ‘Hey, screw conversion, I’m just going to die’. It doesn’t make any sense,” he finally said, choosing his words carefully, but meaning every one.

There was silence from the assembled group as Thomas rubbed his eyes. Merkus looked over at Beke and raised an eyebrow. Beke frowned and shook his head in response. Derani and Tesseth traded looks with Tiyo and Gareth, before the four nodded. Merkus drew his blade and tapped it on the plascrete floor, making a pinging sound that got Thomas’ attention. The sword was sheathed as the human looked up.

“We’ve made our decision. We’ll see how you handle for these coming two weeks, but you’ve impressed us. Mostly,” Tesseth announced, sparing a moment to look at Beke, who snorted derisively, “since some of us are hard to please. I’ll be taking you under my wing personally, Thomas. We’ll get you settled in with me. For the next two weeks, you sleep when I do, you eat when I do, and I’ll certainly be putting you through your paces, as the saying goes. However, it won’t be all work and no play. There’s some rest and relaxation, too. Whether it’ll be ‘necessary’ rest and relaxation, on the other claw, remains to be seen.”

Thomas let out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding, and smiled. “Thank you. All of you. You don’t know how much this means to me,” he said genuinely.

“I’m pretty sure we have an idea, actually,” Derani said, laughing quietly. Tess rose, and offered Thomas her claw. He rose in turn and took it, the pair of them shaking firmly.

“Just to warn you, Thomas? you might come to regret this,” she said quietly.

“Oh, probably, in some regard. But the opportunity is too magnificent to pass up, even at the prospect of immense pain,” he replied.

“Boy, are you going to regret telling her that,” Gareth commented, a wicked look in his eyes as Merkus opened the door and pointed at Jenna, while Tesseth beckoned Thomas to follow him, grabbing two wooden practice swords from the melee section of weaponry on her way out and headed back for the lawn and span of trees where they’d just had their run. Thomas was suddenly worried about what she had in mind as she tapped the blades together thoughtfully.