Each of the five beings from Equestria were given their own room, but only Darryl stayed alone in his. Artex, Oriana, Rose, and Razor all decided to take the room right next to Darryl's. The mares removed their saddlebags and Artex laid his shoulder bag out next to the desk in the room. Rose stripped off her armor while Artex headed straight to the bathroom to relieve himself. The bathroom was bigger than some of the bedrooms he had seen, even if it was furnished with the mindset of 'less is more'. The tub was colossal. The sides came nearly up to his knees. Artex could have laid down and stretched out his arms and legs and still not reached the sides. After he was done he changed clothes while the mares refreshed and relieved themselves in the bathroom. He had to chuckle, 'I guess females go to the bathroom in herds no matter what species they are.' Artex had just pulled off his shirt when he heard Razor call to him, "Hey Aaaartex," her voice was flirtatious, "Come here please."

Artex sighed and rolled his eyes as he made his way to the bathroom, 'Man, Razor has been acting like a horny teenager ever since we shared that one kiss.' He reached the doorway to the bathroom and stopped cold. What had stopped him so quickly was the sight of three mares all lying down in the empty tub together and all of them giving him sly looks.

Artex had taken many a romantic shower with his wife back on Earth and the association of being naked and the memory of enjoying some sexy times in a tub brought up an instinctual response in the man. He blushed deeply and turned away from the sight while the mares all giggled at him.

"Come on silly," Razor crooned, "We're all going to end up doing a lot more than this before too long. Besides, none of us have ever gotten a good look at your... you. We need to try to become comfortable with you if we're ever going to... be intimate."

Artex stretched out his right hand and leaned against the door frame sighing loudly, "Look," he said tersely, "I know you're only trying to be playful and I appreciate that but... I've been abstinent since I came here. I'm afraid that if I get into that tub with you girls that I'm going to be way too tempted to... do something I shouldn't. Once we're married I'll be more than happy to bathe with any of you or all of you but for now... I... I'm... sorry." He pushed himself off the doorway and walked toward the big bed in the room shaking his head.

He laid down on the plush bed, 'Has to be stuffed with Gryphon down.' he thought as he laid his left arm over his eyes, 'DAMNIT! Why did they have to do that!? Now I'm all hot and bothered but I can't 'do' anything with them because we aren't married yet.' He felt movement on the bed but said nothing. He knew the mares had all climbed into bed with him but he was in no mood to talk right then.

"Artex," Razor said quietly, "We're really sorry about that. We just thought it would be fun. Rose and Oriana don't know about your religious beliefs and I should have thought about how what we did might affect you. Don't be mad at them, please."

Despite not really wanting to hear her out, Artex had heard her. He kept his arm over his eyes as he spoke, "It's not so much a religious thing as it is a 'me' thing. Granted I was taught that sex before marriage was like cheating on one's future spouse, but there's a lot more to it for me. I want any serious romantic relationship to be centered around the person or persons I love and not just for the physical pleasures that come with sex. I want all of us to be dedicated enough to one another that we don't need to satisfy our physical desires and if I'm being honest... I'm just not ready yet. The only person I've ever been with is my old wife. That's not something most people can say and for me it's a point of pride. When I go to make love it will always be with my wife, whichever one of you it is. I'm sure it's probably disappointing to you but that's the way I am and I'm not going to change."

He lifted his arm off his eyes and turned his head toward Razor Wit with his own sly smile, "Once we're married though," he licked his lips, "You girls aren't going to be able to walk right for a couple of days." He blinked then added, "I don't count myself as religious by the way. A person can do anything religiously. To me religion is just doing the same thing over and over again. I like to think of myself as spiritual instead of religious. I like alcohol quite a bit and many religious people tend to think that's a bad thing. The way I see it is it's only a bad thing if you let it control your life."

Rose and Oriana shared a confused look. Oriana spoke first, "Well then, if we're not going to take a bath together... how about you tell us about your 'spirituality'?"

* * *

The four of them sat there talking about the many varied aspects of different faiths for the entire afternoon. Artex was hardly surprised when the three mares all expressed that they liked the ideals and teachings of the Church of the Jedi. When Artex recited the basic doctrine of the Jedi the mare all took it to heart very seriously. The mares then told Artex about how the Jedi Church had many very close similarities with what they understood as Natural Magic. The two were nearly interchangeable.

A firm knock on the door startled them out of their discussion. The room had been issued to Rose so she was the one to answer, "Come in."

An armored Gryphon opened the door, "King Myrmidon and his family are ready for you. I will take you to the Mead Hall when you are ready."

They all slid off the soft bed and the mares brushed out their manes and tails while Artex put on a shirt and tied his hair into a top-knot. He then buckled on his belt and grabbed his khopesh, still in its sheath. He held it in his left hand as he headed for the door where the mares were already waiting for him. Razor, Oriana, and Rose all looked at him oddly when they saw the khopesh, but none of them said anything.

The guard silently led them through the fortress and by the time they arrived they were well and truly lost. The doors to the Mead Hall were just like Artex imagined they would be. Two stout wooden doors reinforced with four heavy iron bands stretching across the fronts. The guard pushed the doors open revealing the hall beyond. The Mead Hall was a grand thing to behold. Finely carved thick wooden columns dotted the space spanning from floor to ceiling. Two massive tables laid on either side of the main floor space which held a huge bonfire in a recessed pit in the very center of the hall. There were dozens of Gryphons already within and many were already deep into their cups. Stout tankards made of dark red clay were filled, clanked together, emptied, and refilled. Numerous platters rested on the long tables, each sporting a different food. Some held vegetarian foods while others held the cooked or raw carcasses of various animals. The sweet smell of fruit mixed with that of alcohol and the savory smells of every dish on the tables. Artex noticed that there were even a few Kavim scattered around the room.

Motion caught his eye and he turned toward it. Darryl was standing up and waving Artex, Razor, and the rest of their herd over. He was sitting with his back against the far left wall. Artex led the way as the doors thudded closed behind them. They weaved their way past dozens of Gryphons and one obviously inebriated brown Pegasus mare and sat down on the plush pillows Darryl indicated next to where he was sitting. Artex laid his khopesh against the wall behind him, well within reach. They all sat down and Artex noticed, over the roasted turkey sitting on the table, King Myrmidon sitting across from them. He had a dark brown and black spotted Gryphoness sitting on his right and three younger Gryphons sitting on his left. Artex assumed they were his children.

The King chugged down the contents of his tankard and leaned over the table while the female Gryphon next to him drank hers more slowly, "Do you enjoy the taste of mead as much as your Marine friend?" he asked.

Artex nodded with a huge smile, "I do, King Myrmidon."

The King shook his head, "Dispense with the titles for now. Here," he gestured to the hall, "We are all equals! Titles hold no place here!" He rose to a standing position and yelled loudly, "A mug for our guest!"

From the tall roof rafters above the tables, which Artex had initially missed, flew a slightly smaller Gryphon holding a clay mug filled with an amber colored liquid. Artex accepted the mug before it even touched the table. He held it up toward the King then tipped it into his mouth. Strong flavors of honey and the burn of alcohol hit his tongue and he drained the entire mug in one draught. As he lowered the mug he noticed that a large metal plate had mysteriously appeared in front of him. He set down the mug and belched loudly.

The King threw his head back and laughed heartily, "A contented noise if ever I heard one!" He gestured to the platters all along the table, "Help yourself! If you leave here hungry it's an insult!"

The mood seemed infectious and Artex began to feel more relaxed. He reached forward and pulled a drum off the turkey and plopped it on his plate. Looking to his right he saw that Razor and Oriana were looking slightly uncomfortable while Rose had just finished her second mug, if the already empty one on the table in front of her was any indication. She slammed the mug down and cut lose with a belch that nearly rattled the table.

The old Gryphon sitting to her right laughed loudly and slapped her loudly on the back. Another Gryphon came down from the rafters and refilled both of her mugs before disappearing again. Artex leaned down to Razor, "You alright?" He had to raise his voice to be heard over the sounds of merriment.

Razor nodded, "I'll be fine. It's just so... vulgar. Don't worry we'll get used to it." She motioned to the platter, "Go on, enjoy yourself."

As Artex turned back to the table he noticed that his mug had already been filled again. He gripped it by the handle just as a smaller black and white spotted female Gryphon sat down to Darryl's left. She immediately leaned forward and ripped a chunk of breast meat off the turkey and set it on the plate in front of her. She picked up the meat in her talons and tore a piece off.

Darryl leaned over to Artex, "The Gryphon to my left is Heidi. She's the Flight Leader for tomorrow and she's going to act as our scout and representative."

Heidi leaned forward and waved at Artex, "Heard your mare's belch all the way across the hall. It's good to know that some Ponies know how to take their mead. I'm Heidi by the way. Darryl's been telling me about Marines and what to expect. I asked if he could demonstrate how Humans fight, but he said it wouldn't be fair unless it was against another Human."

Artex was feeling good by that point. He stood up and offered his hand to Darryl, "How about we give them a little demo."

Darryl quirked his right eyebrow at his friend, "You really want to get manhandled that badly?"

Artex smirked, "You can try."

Darryl's face broke into a shit-eating grin as he grasped Artex' offered hand, "You do realize that you'll be up against MCMAP right?"

Artex hauled Darryl up and onto his feet, "What is that?"

Darryl grinned in an almost evil manner, "MCMAP stands for Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. The motto is, 'One Mind, Any Weapon'. Just wanted you to know that I'm going to mop the floor with you."

Artex chuckled, "Yeah right."

* * *

Artex groaned as he woke up the next morning. He was slightly sore after the sparing match with Darryl the night before. He had been of the mind that his Earth Pony strength and toughness would help. He had not been completely wrong, 'Technique trumps muscle every time, but hitting a brick wall wears on you. Heheheh.' He thought as he cracked his eyes open. Darryl's holds and joint locks had been nearly useless, but the Marine had danced around Artex like he had been moving in slow motion and his strikes ALWAYS connected. Artex' movements and strikes were not as quick as Darryl's but when they landed the Marine went flying. In the end it was declared a draw.

Artex slipped his arms out from under Razor and Oriana fairly easily but getting his legs back from Rose was practically an exercise in contortionism. He got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. As he did his business he smiled at the memories from the previous night. Razor and Oriana had eventually become comfortable and had even enjoyed a few mugs of mead. The Gryphons had cheered and screeched their approval during the exposition fight between himself and Darryl.

Darryl had later confessed that he had an edge during the fight because of his passive Noun and Verb, 'He was able to read me like a book.' Artex chuckled at the thought, 'Twilight would be proud of the analogy.' Artex rubbed his joints briefly. His passive Noun and Verb had been healing him all night and when combined with a bit of stimulation in the morning, he felt like it had never happened.

He finished his business and put his hand on the bathroom door. He opened it and saw Oriana standing just on the other side. The Zebra mare's eyes widened as she got a full view of what was standing proudly at attention at her eye level. Artex looked down and quickly covered himself with his hands, "Sorry Ori!" he said as he edged past her.

Oriana shook her head to clear her thoughts and closed the bathroom door behind herself. As Artex looked to the bed he noticed that Rose was missing. A grunt of exertion caught his ear and he looked toward the door of the room. Rose was balanced on her forehooves doing vertical pushups with her hind legs sticking straight into the air. Artex was impressed by her balance and then was further impressed when his eyes wandered to her stomach. Rose was a pert B-cup and the motions of her exercise were doing marvelous things to her teats. Artex tore his eyes away from the bouncing mammaries and sought out his clothes before his morning wood distracted Rose from her morning workout.

Oriana emerged from the bathroom just as he finished pulling his shirt down. She instantly blushed when she saw him and cleared her throat, "Your turn Rose."

Rose smoothly brought her hind legs back down to the floor and turned around, "Thanks. I'll only be a minute."

It suddenly occurred to Artex that only two of his mares were awake. He glanced over to the bed and spotted a lump in the blankets. He walked around to the side of the bed while Oriana was brushing out her mane. Razor's head was exposed as she continued sleeping.

Artex knelt down then reached out and stroked Razor's fuchsia mane, "Razor," he called softly, "Razor Wit it's morning. Time to get up."

She nuzzled into his hand, eyes still closed, "Hmm, I haven't slept that well in months."

Artex smiled, "Come on Razor," he said playfully, "It's time to go to work."

"I don't wanna work," she whined, "This weird alien guy I work with is such a boar. He's always getting himself into trouble. I can't stand him." She finished with a small playful grin, "He's not too bad though. He can be really sweet after you get past his gruff mannerisms, his looks, his messed up face, his..."

Artex scoffed, "Get up you silly Pony."

Razor opened her eyes briefly, pulled a face, and stuck out her tongue, "Make me."

Artex stood up, "Alright." He ripped the covers off of her dramatically. She clutched the pillow beneath her head and snuggled deeper into it. Artex bent over and wrapped his arms around her barrel, bent his knees, and lifted her bodily off the bed. She squeaked and flailed wildly as he hefted her onto his right shoulder then proceeded to playfully spank her backside. Razor shrieked with laughter and batted her forehooves against his back.

The door to the room burst open and in stepped two Gryphons holding their spears at the ready. Artex froze in place and the Gryphons looked at him strangely, "Is this some kind of courtship ritual?" one asked.

Artex felt his face explode with heat as he set Razor down, "Uh... no. Just a bit of play."

Darryl walked up behind the two Gryphons. He was wearing his armor and weapons, but he had a strange leather harness around his chest, shoulders, and thighs, "Come on, we need to get going."

"What are you wearing?" Artex asked as he headed over to buckle on his khopesh.

Darryl rolled his eyes, "It's a safety harness, duh. Now come on."

"Rose still needs to put on her uniform and armor." Artex explained.

The clunk of the bathroom door heralded the emergence of said mint colored mare, "I'll hurry. Could you help me Darryl? I don't want any mishaps with my gun and fingers work better than hooves."

Darryl helped Rose with her armor while Artex, Razor, and Oriana finished prepping themselves for the trip. Once finished, they followed Darryl and the Gryphon guards through another dizzying series of corridors and up some stairs to an open balcony bathed in morning light. Despite the fact that the balcony was ten Fathoms wide and four Fathoms long the distinctive lack of a safety rail made the Ponies nervous. An oddity which stuck out to the team was a three Fathom tall, 'T' shaped piece of wood set upright into the stone balcony. Nine Gryphons wearing strange harnesses were waiting for them, Heidi was there as well. The Gryphons were all fluffed up. They looked silly with their front half fluffed, it made their backsides look tiny by comparison. The reason for their fluffed state was the frigid early morning air. For Artex and the mares it felt like somebody had dipped them in icy water. The constant stiff breeze off the mountain top did nothing to warm them either.

Heidi had a series of four leather harnesses resting on the floor of the stone balcony, "Here," she yelled over the wind, "Put these on."

Artex had worn a safety harness when he worked construction and was familiar with the basics of how they worked. Poor Razor, Oriana, and Rose though had no idea what the first step was for donning a harness. Darryl reached down and picked one up off the floor, "Come here Rose. I'll show you how to put one on." He then spoke loudly to Razor and Oriana, "Ask the Gryphons to help you with yours. We need to go soon before we get cold."

"I'm already cold!" Oriana yelled indignantly, "Why are we putting these things on anyway?"

Heidi looked over to her and smirked, "How are you going to get to the forest? Walk?"

Realization dawned in the Zebra mare's eyes and she shook her head, "I don't like this..."

Razor suddenly yelled over the wind, "It'll be fine. I did this once when I visited here before. It's scary at first but it is SO FUN!"

Before she could continue, a brawny male Gryphon walked up to her and sat back on his backside. He picked up the leather harness and motioned for Oriana to come to him. The young Zebra mare was very unsure about the idea but she shakily complied, "Razor," she asked shakily, "A-are you REALLY sure about this?" Almost every muscle in her body was shaking and not all of it was from the cold, "Zebras are meant to stay on the ground." She stood stiffly in front of the Gryphon and allowed him to strap her in to the harness.

Razor looked over from where she was being strapped in by another Gryphon, "It's fine Ori. Don't worry these things are safe. They could hold something eight times your weight and not break." Razor blinked, "Wait, are you afraid of heights?"

Oriana lowered her head and laid back her ears, "No," she lied, "I just like having all four hooves on the ground." She felt bad for the lie, but the teasing she had endured about her fear growing up, rushed back to the forefront of her mind. She shook her head and put on a false smile, "I'll be fine." She had to wait even longer than she expected because the Gryphon strapping her into the harness would not stop fiddling with the buckles until it was quite snug. Oriana had become very uncomfortable when the Gryphon buckled the straps around her tail but he had been completely professional about it.

Artex found the harness to be uncomfortable due to the khopesh on his back but he was happy that his shoulder bag was not a problem. It fit right in with the rest of the harness. He looked at the mares and noticed that their saddle bags were not hampered in any way by the harnesses. Darryl finished with Rose and stood up. He walked over to the wall of the fortress and retrieved a heavy looking haversack, one of five leaning against the wall. Each one had a thick fabric shoulder strap and was made of what looked like strong burlap.

He handed the first one to Artex, "Here, the King had these filled with food. Don't worry the Gryphons can take the extra weight. They're a lot stronger than I thought they would be."

Heidi, seeing that Artex was ready, spoke a few words to one of the other Gryphons in Areophene. The Gryphon walked over to the T shaped piece of wood and reared back on his hind legs, placing his talons on the cross bar at the top. Heidi motioned for Artex to go to the Gryphon, "Just stand along his underside and he'll fasten the back of your harness to the brackets on his. You see that cord hanging down from the front of his harness? When we're ready to land, he'll tap you. That's your signal to grab the cord. He'll swoop in low and you pull the cord. It will release you from him. Try to land with your knees bent to help absorb the impact."

Artex stood in front of the Gryphon and held still as he strapped his passenger in tightly. Heidi watched keenly and nodded in satisfaction when the Gryphon tapped on Artex' shoulder, "Pull your legs back and lean forward. It will feel like you're going to fall but do not worry, your carrier will not let you come to harm."

Artex grit his teeth as he pulled his legs back and put his weight on the harness. Somewhat to his surprise, it held his weight with ease. The Gryphon he was tied to, let go of the top of the pole and fell forward. Artex forced himself to stay still as the cold hard stone floor rushed up to meet him. He felt himself jerk to a stop with his face still at least two Hooves away from the floor. He relaxed and looked around. The mares seemed to have a much easier time. All they had to do way lay down on the floor and their carrier Gryphon would step over them and connect the harness.

Darryl handed out haversacks to each of the mares once they were secured to their carriers then he grabbed the last one and then stood and waited while the last Gryphon strapped him in.

Once they were all strapped in, Heidi screeched a sharp word to the other Gryphons and they all stepped up to the edge of the balcony. Oriana gasped and began shaking at the sight below. From his vantage point, Artex had a clear view of the sheer drop below them. He swallowed hard. The distance had to have been several Leagues to the bottom, "How far down is this?" he yelled to Heidi.

Heidi kept her eyes on the drop as she spoke, "Twenty-eight seconds of falling until you hit the roof of the houses below." She turned her head and looked at him, "Don't worry, we haven't had any deaths from this kind of thing for generations. We practice with full grown Minotaurs."

Artex could not help but to think, 'Well, at least we know why they had that T shaped wooden thing.'

Artex looked to his right and saw Darryl grinning like a fool. The Marine cast a glance over to his friend, "Remember the movie Aliens?" He asked looking back down, "We're an express elevator to Hell!"

Heidi screeched a command and the Gryphons began diving off the edge of the balcony in three second intervals with her in the lead. Poor Oriana was nearly crying from the anxiety. Artex held the haversack in a death grip as his Gryphon tensed for his jump. The Gryphon's powerful legs pushed off the edge of the balcony and Artex felt his stomach in his throat. He had thought he knew what cold was but as the wind whipped by him, he realized how wrong he was.

Let me know if there are any typos. There is now a T.U.P. group. You can find it HERE.