The arrow head of the crossbow like bolt pokes into my nose, I put my hands up in surrender. The griffon gestures for me and my companions to come out slowly. When we are all standing in the open corridor, I notice that there are four griffons holding the same weapon as the first.

“No sudden moves!” The griffon says.

“Take it easy!” I say, as the bolt is almost shoved up my nose.

The actions of the griffon was almost bordering on the funny side as I was about two feet higher than they were. So all the griffons were looking up at me and ignoring my pony friends. I chuckle at them, causing the griffon in front of me to grow a confused expression.

“What are you laughing at?” The griffon asks me.

“Me? Oh nothing just about how stupid you guys are right now.” I reply, smirking.

“What do you mean stupid!?” A griffon shouts from beside me.

“Just that I can do anything and you can't harm me for fear of your colonel.” I chuckle again.

The griffons all look towards one another.

“Yep! Thought so!” I exclaim looking to Strider and his filly.

The griffon turns his crossbow towards Strider and Flower.

“But that doesn't extend to your friends.” The griffon doesn't get a chance as I grab the front of his crossbow and rip it out of his grasp.

“Nobody threatens my friends!” I shout, throwing the crossbow to the floor and stamping on it. The griffon just looks at me in shock. “Now I suggest your little feathered group fuck off and leave us alone!”

The griffon returns my demand with a stern stare. “Shoot him.” The griffon just casually says.

I turn only to have a bolt lodge in my shoulder. The impact forces me back against the wall behind me. I grab my shoulder and slowly slide down the wall, leaving a trail of blood and the metal surface.

“You idiots! He needs to be alive!” I turn my head against the pain and see another griffon coming down the corridor. This griffon looked bigger and more impressive than these bunch of jokes. He actually looked like a soldier. “Who said you can shoot him! Who gave the order!?”

“I-I did sir! The prisoner was being unruly and insulting...sir!” The previous groups leader replies.

“That does not excuse you disobeying orders! Take your men and report to barracks! When I return punishment will be dealt! Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes sir!” The griffons all respond. Three seconds before they all make double time out of sight.

The new griffon stands over me, then cracks a smile.

“Sorry I couldn't get here sooner sir! I was delayed.” I was really not understanding, though it was maybe the pain is was in. “Oh right I should lose this disguise.”

The griffon lifts up a cluster of feathers on his neck and presses a black button. The griffon shimmers and fades out revealing a pegasis stallion with a black coat and blue mane.

“That's better!” The stallion exclaims. “Sir! My name is Midnight, I am a night guard sent here to find you.”

“A night guard? What regiment?” Strider says, walking closer.

“The third Infiltrators.” Midnight replies.

“Really? I was in the second flying regiment, gold squad.”

“Was?” Midnight asks.

“Retired.”

“Ah.”

I try to move but fall back still clutching my shoulder. “Sorry....to...be….a pain, but this....really hurts!”

“Sorry sir here take these!” Midnight pulls out two small vials, one white and one red. “The red one is your standered healing potion and the white....well....it was kind of a personal potion given to me by Princess Luna.”

“What does it do?” I ask, gulping down the healing potion while pulling out the bolt; hissing as I do it.

“I don't think I should say it in front of your companions sir!”

“Just say it midnight!” I say, rising up from my sitting position. My wound already healed.

“It's a blocker for your....cycle sir. It blocks the smells.” Midnight looks away.

“Oh! Right ok!” I say eyeing the vial. “So I just drink it?” Midnight nods. I pull the topper off the vial and down the liquid, I almost gag on the taste. “Luna could have at least made it taste better.”

“She knew you would say that, I think that's why she kept it like that.” Midnight says, smirking.

“Funny!” I reply. I look at my wound now fully healed, I wipe off the blood still left on my arm. “So do we have a way out?”

“I have a way out but i'm afraid there's a catch.”

“A catch?” Me and Strider say both together.

“Yes, John you have to wear this first.” Midnight states, pulling out a necklace with a gem in the shape of a crescent moon.

I take the gem from his mouth. “What do I do with this?”

“You wear it and it turns you into a griffon.”

“What!?” I say.

“You have to, it's the only way off this boat and the only way I can get you out of the Griffon Colonies.” Midnight exclaims.

After putting the chain around my neck. I look at my hands and nothing happens.

“It doesn't work!”

“You have to tap the gem, it's magically coded to your body; Princess Luna saw to that.” Midnight says.

I tap the gem. “I have to thank her when we get back.” My statement might have waited till after what happened next.

My whole body stiffens as a magical field envelopes me. I try to cry out but no sound leaves my lips as I am forced onto my hands and knees. I look to my hands as they contort and lengthen into claws, my eyes go wide as I see my arms shrink and mutate into yellow ringed legs similar to that a an eagles. I risk a look back as I see my wings alter and change colour to brown. I see my clothes and flesh replaced with feathers, I watch as a feathered tail sprouts from my behind. When the magic subsides and the shock is over come I reach up and feel my face.

The first thing I notice is how fucking weird it is to grasp with claws. I look at them, opening and closing my now clawed fingers. I feel my body and fluff some feathers.

“Well this is new!” I say. “Weird! But new.”

“The transformation does take getting used to, but now the gem has sampled your body it will be quicker next time.” Midnight says, activating his gem and turning back into the griffon. “But I think you've been missing for too long sir...time to get you home!”

I go to thank him but he puts up a claw foot and looks at me sombre.

“You won't thank me after this next bit. When I said there was a catch the gem wasn't it.”

“Then what is?” I ask.

Midnight sighs. “I'm afraid sir, it could take sometime to get you back home.”

“How long?”

“Several months!”

My whole body freezes, everything I could do was rendered useless by my brain. Thought, speech, movement; all were unresponsive. It was strider that broke the silence.

“Several months! Why will it take that long?”

“It took the colonel 3 weeks to set up Johns retrieval out of Equestria even with all her connections. We will be going into the Griffon Colonies with no money and no reputation. Last time I looked that will get you nowhere.” Midnight walks and sits by my side. “I'm sorry sir, but money and respect has to be earned in the Griffon Colonies and they take time to build. I wish by Luna’s moon there was a quicker way, but to avoid a national incident the Princesses both agreed this is the only way.”

“What about my family?” I finally say. The pain of knowing I will not see Applejack for some time weighing heavily on me.

Midnight was about to reply but Strider cut him off.

“Wait a minute you guys are disguised as griffons, why not just earn enough to buy tickets on some inter nation transport and get back that way. John could be home in several days not months.”

Midnight shakes his head. “The griffons have installed special gems at all international ports that scan incoming traffic to make sure they are who they say they are. If a bio match does not stack up they will investigate, and our buttons to turn off our disguises will be found. Which is why this is the only way.”

Strider goes to reply but stops when he knows he's beaten. I walk to the stair case and look back at the others.

“We better get started then, if it's the only way back to my family and my Applejack then I must bear it.” When Midnight comes up behind me. I stop him by putting a clawed foot on his chest. “But I warn you Midnight, if this doesn't get me back, the Griffon Colonies will find out just what a pissed off human with magic abilities can really do!”

Twilight let out a long sigh. For countless days she had come to this spot after John's disappearance, still hoping that he will come home. Twilight kept remembering back to the day she and the others had found John had vanished. Celestia had ordered the royal guard and any that would help to search all of Canterlot, but after seven weeks of nothing; Celestia had ordered the search to be cancelled.

All six of the friends had been told the news that the guard would no longer be searching the city for any signs of John. Applejack took the news worse than anypony else, for two weeks Applejack refused to leave her farm house. Any attempt to console her or talk to her was turned away or met with harsh language.

Rarity and Fluttershy set up a find John fund, using donations to help aid in finding John. But even that failed after a month, the donations drying up as some ponies started to believe he left because he finally saw he never belonged in Ponyville. Twilight had assured them that he loved Ponyville and everypony in it, only for her words to fall on deaf ears.

Rainbow Dash was never the quiet one but after the news she never spoke to anypony even her friends. Twilight would see her moving the clouds or performing her weather duties but everytime she went to speak to her Rainbow would fly off, there were sometimes Twilight could swear she could hear crying when Dash flew off.

Pinkie Pie was hard to read or even understand. Though she went about her job at Sugercube Corner, Twilight could see she was really hurting inside. Some days Twilight would see Pinkie sitting on the road leading to Ponyville from Canterlot, only to see her go home with tears streaming down her face.

Twilight had to face the facts. John wasn't coming back.

“Twilight?” Twilight lifts up her head and looks behind. Spike was standing almost right behind her, she never heard him approach. “It's time to close the library, do you want me to do it?”

“Yes Spike, I think I'll turn in early tonight. I don't feel like staying up.” Twilight slowly slides of the chair she was sitting on and walks to the stairs.

“I miss him too Twilight.” Spike says, getting Twilight to turn around. “I mean he never really asked me to be his brother or anything but I treated him like a big brother. I just wished when he left he could have said goodbye.” A tear rolls down Spikes face, Twilight walks back and hugs Spike.

“He loved us Spike, more than anypony. What ever reason he had to leave must have been important, but I agree with you. I miss him but I hate him for the way he left and didn't say goodbye, I just hope that he has found peace where ever he has gone.” Twilight released the hug and turned back to the stairs. “Now, how about shutting up for the night.” Twilight gave Spike a half forced smile.

“Yeah, I'll get right on it.” Spike replies, turning and heading for the main door.

Spike went outside and removed the open sign from the front door, he was about to close the door when a yellow claw caught the door. Spike looked up and saw four griffons standing at the main entrance.

“C-Can I help you?” Spike stutters.

“Yes, this is the residence of Twilight Sparkle?” The first griffon asks.

“Yes.” Spike answers.

“Good, I have a message to give her.”

“I can take it.” Spike states.

“I would like to give her the message face to face.”

“Um..Ok.” Spike opens the door wider and let's the griffons in. “Twilight you have four griffons wanting to speak to you!” Spike shouts up the stairs.

Twilight appears at the top of the stairs. “Griffons?” Twilight looks down and sees the four guests standing by Spike. Twilight walks down the stairs and stops in front of the new arrivals. “Can I help you?”

“You are the owner of this library?” The first griffon asks.

“Yes, What is this about?”

“I have a message for you, a letter from a friend.” The griffon turns to one of his companions and nods. The second griffon pulls out an envelope and hands it to the first. The griffon holds it out so Twilight can take it.

Twilight takes the letter in her magic and looks it over.

“Who is this from?” Twilight asks the griffon.

“I am not privy to that info Miss sparkle, i'm just the messenger.”

“With three griffons as escort?” Twilight looks at the griffon confused.

“A precaution, sometimes the deliveries can get heated.” The griffon replies.

“I see.” Twilight looks over the letter one more time before using her magic to open it. Twilight became even more confused as there was only a piece of card inside, and written on one side were two words.

I'm home

“I don't understand! Who's home?”

The griffon nods to his escort and they one by one lift up a group of neck feathers and press little black buttons. The griffons all change before Twilight's eyes, one even shrinks to colt size and changes into a unicorn filly. When all the griffons disappeared, two stallions and one unicorn filly were left standing behind the yet to change leader griffon. The leader griffon lifts up a group of feathers and presses another black button. The same change happens, but this time the griffon stands on it's hind legs as it form alters to become longer and more muscle built. The griffons front legs change into fleshy arms and it's legs alter to become long legs complete with feet. Even it's clawed feet change into familiar fleshy appendages.

Twilight sits there in awe at the event unfolding before her, the light surrounding the griffons change slowly dims to reveal a figure Twilight starts to heavily tear up upon seeing.

The figure spreads out it's arms and in a clear voice states.

“I'm back!”