Lost in the woods for more than a few days, Justin and Ruby both stumbled across a village inhabited by Gryphon-like creatures that stood on two lion-like legs, with clawed fingers. They said they were in the Islands of Gryphonia, a land ruled by Gryphons. Of course, they didn't just tell them, and take Justin's appearance all too well. At first, they addressed him as a monster.

After seeing Ruby in her new form, however, they greeted them like they were royalty, and agreed to help them find their way home, as long as they help their town for a short period of time, guaranteeing food and drink to be on the house. With no choice, they had to accept, only to do manual labor in the town for a whole month, cleaning the streets and making sure everything was perfect for their upcoming visitors from the western lands, known as Equestria. If they did a good job, they would take them to Canterlot, the capital city, ruled by two princesses who they claimed were in charge of raising the sun and moon.

At first, Justin didn't believe them, but after witnessing the magic of a few Unicorns (each of whom also stood on two hooves, and had hands) that visited, he stood corrected.

The labor, of course, wasn't as bad as they would've thought. Most of it was just small requests from the locals, asking for things to be delivered, or cleaning certain parts of businesses that the inhabitants were unable to reach. All of it, however, was mostly aimed towards research purposes for the only human known to exist in this world.

It didn't take long for them to even befriend the locals, along with some of the visitors from other continents, like Druathica, the lands of the Druids, which contained both Zebras and Foxes, each of which were as anthropomorphic as the other intelligent races around these lands.

The Zebras often spoke with rhymes, and were skilled Shamans, while the foxes were the best hunters and scavengers, always ending up finding something on their hunts, whether it be good or bad.

Then, there was The Highlands, which was where the Minotaurs and Goats lived. The goats, of course, were almost like Minotaurs, only they were more gifted with intelligence, with the pen being mightier than the swords for them. It was always a mystery to Justin about just how the two got along, despite their differences.

Further to the south of The Highlands, below the sea level, was the aquatic city of Atlantis, which was inhabited by Rock Golems and other creatures from different factions, along with a few Ponies that visited the place for research and intellectual trades. It was there that the ideas of Rock Farms became popular, due to their varieties in both value and uses. The Rock Golems were actually friendly with all races, even allowing Changelings to live with them, under an oath that they would not try anything hostile towards them, and that they remain their true forms. Failure to do so, of course, would be death by twenty tons of rocks... if they resisted, of course.

To the North of The Highlands rested the sandy land of Saddle Arabia. While inhabited by a few Ponies, the whole continent was mostly ruled by Horses, who were naturally built to be taller and stronger than the Ponies of Equestria. They also had a few snake people, known as Slithians. The Slithians, while resistant to the heat, can't live in the cold weather, so they often wore thick layers of clothing, even in the middle of the summer, to protect them from the cold nights. While they are naturally strong, they tend to avoid violence, and only act aggressively if they, or their friends, feel threatened, and/or are attacked.

Further East, and you would reach Drakensonia, a land inhabited by both Dragons and the dragon-like race, the Wyverns. While dragons are naturally tall, the Wyverns normally reach about a foot higher than a Minotaur. While their dragon relatives are strong but clueless and reckless, they are naturally flimsy, but smart and stealthy. The dragons rely mostly on fire to burn their opponents then and there, but the Wyverns rely on poisons that kill their enemies only a few minutes slower.

Further East, or directly West of Gryphonia, and you would reach Equestria, home of all three Pony races; Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and the Pegasi. The Earth Ponies are the most complex of the three, despite the Unicorns with their magic, and the Pegasi with their flying.

While the other two can do most of the same things the Earth Ponies can, the Earth Ponies tend to be the best with gardening, strength, and even food-related businesses.

The Pegasi, or "Pegasus" for singular, are naturally gifted with wings, which allow them to fly. That's not to go without consequence, though, as they tend to require more food and drink than the others, due to the constant usage of their wings. They also normally weigh less than Earth Ponies. Their muscles, however, have been known to even surpass certain Earth Ponies at times, but only with the right amount of balance in both running and flying.

Then, there's the Unicorns. While the other two excel at physical exercises, the Unicorns tend to be more superior with intelligence and knowledge. Like the Earth Ponies, they can deal with any kinds of businesses, including food-related, however, they tend to be more on the higher-classed businesses, like universities, colleges, and even schools on magic, which they are all born with.

If ever in a physical fight, it is most likely that a Unicorn would lose, due to their lack of natural strength. Instead, they rely on their magic to levitate the enemies away from them, sometimes hurling them in the air, at dangerous levels of height, but the Pegasi are naturally capable of defending themselves from that, which would make them more of a problem in a fight.

That's why the Unicorns usually avoid fights at all costs, and prefer to focus more on defensive or passive spells altogether. That's not to say they can be entirely useless, however! With their magic, they can easily harvest the vegetation from the farms run by Earth Ponies, or make it possible for the Non-Pegasus creatures to walk on clouds for a given time.

The Unicorns require the most rest and plenty of extra drinks, due to the constant strain of their spells. The ones from Canterlot also tend to be naturally snobby, and view any Non-Unicorns as "Peasants". There have, however, been the rare exceptions rumored around the places by travelers from across the lands.

North of Equestria is the Frozen North. Not much is known about it, other than the fact that there used to be an ancient civilization of Crystal Ponies, but any explorers that ever entered the place were never heard from again.

South of Equestria is the infamous "Badlands". As it's name implies, most of the creatures that live there are most likely a mix of any, and tend to be hostile to anything on sight. Only a few travelers dared to enter it, and any stories they managed to bring back were, without a doubt, bad.

The Badlands even inherited an alternate name, due to it's dangerous nature; "The End of Equestria".

Then, there's the East, the high-rising island of Gryphonia. Despite it's name, however, it is only run by Gryphons, but also has a mix of Diamond Dogs, Ponies of all kinds, Wyverns, a few Dragons, Slithians, Horses, and a few mixed breeds of the many races. No doubt they tended to gain stares from many, but surprisingly, they were nothing compared to when Justin first arrived.

When they were finished with their month of work, Justin and Ruby were given a few gifts to aid them on their travels, should anything happen to the ship.

Justin received a modified Saddlebag that wrapped around his waist, a staff for him to lean on, should he get tired, and a few pieces of light armor, like a Leather Shoulder-pad to wrap around his right shoulder, a longbow with a magic enchantment that creates arrows out of pure energy, a longsword for if he ever gets in danger, and a shortsword for secondary parrying. He was also given a wooden buckler, in case something happens to his shortsword. Finally, he was given one of his jackets that he entered the world with, but it was patched up, and modified to be a long yellow cloak that he could wear, in case he got cold. It also came with a pair of built-in leather gloves that ended at the tips of his knuckles, allowing his fingers "room to breathe", as the tailor pointed out.

By a Zebra visitor, he was given an assortment of enchanted rings, each of which containing a different stone on them that gives him the ability to cast magic of that stones nature; a Ruby, which gives him the power of Fire, a Sapphire, which gives him the power of Water, an Emerald, which gives him the power of Nature, and a Diamond, which gives him the power of Light.

The Fire element, despite it's infamous usage of combat, could also be used in healing, if combined with a Sapphire, to burn impurities from any wounds, while the Sapphire numbs the pain, and uses magic water to heal the wounds, both outside and inside.

The Water element, while it is known to be used for quenching thirst, can also be used in manipulating the weather, as well as the lands. Of course, while it can create water to heal wounds, it can even enchant water that comes in contact with it, while purifying it as well. If combined with both Fire, and Nature, it can bear the same effects of the Wind element, which is created from Topaz.

The Nature element is mostly used by farmers to help their plants grow healthy. Combined with Light and Water, however, the wearer of the said rings can make any plants that they can consume grow for them instantly, even in the harshest of deserts, or the hardest of rocks, at will.

The Light element is considered the most useful of them all. Not only can it light a path for those who travel in the dark, but it also grants the wearer to see in the dark. It can also be used to remove curses from any poor victims of the Demons of Tartarus. It can also be combined with the Fire element to melt anything the wearer desires to melt, or burn anything the wearer desires to melt, by waving his or her hands over it, while leaving what the wearer desires to leave unharmed.

While Justin received his gifts, Ruby was also given a Saddlebag of her own, containing a few toys for her to play with, like stuffed dolls, toy swords, and other random accessories. Her saddlebag was loaded with spare changes of clothes for both of them, while Justin's was loaded with snacks, drinks, and basic survival gear, along with an atlas, which contained descriptions of the world's continents, along with a variety of major landmarks for each.

When they made it to the docks, which they've never truly been to, they were surprised at what they saw. Instead of taking boats by sea, the Gryphons actually drove their passengers in massive Air Ships, which were operated by large propellers, which circled overhead by steam and coal power. The ships themselves were made of a type of metal that resembled brass, but was noticeably more sturdier than it. In a way, they resembled a bunch of Blimps, only more "Steam-Punk like", as Justin would say.

When the last ship arrived, a little over fifty passengers walked out, each passenger being a few ponies, along with a large amount of other races. That's not including the staff that worked inside it, which looked to be about ten or more. The scary thing Justin thought... there were enough seats to fit a hundred inside! After saying their good-byes, both Justin and Ruby, along with one of their friends who decided to join them, were booked into the VIP lounge, which rested close to the top of the large balloon-shaped contraption, containing it's own windows that couldn't be seen from outside.

Another month on, and here they are, cooped up in an air ship from a month-long voyage to Equestria. They've been well acquainted with most of the staff, and a large amount of the passengers. Ruby even made a few friends inside, as well! Little do they know, however, that they are being watched, and followed, by an ominous-looking ship with a black flag on the top.