I listfully went through the tour, occasionally dabbling in a bit of conversation now and then with some of the new recruits, but it was mostly dull. After talking with him at the speech, his battle plan was clear, a guerilla attack on Masonry until he can lay siege to the keep, hopefully having it go on without a hitch, and rake in a payload. I probably wasn't going to stay on the ship until then, so I might as well have heard him out since he seemed tired of the other ponies asking him about his relations with the princess. I couldn't blame him.

We continued onto the tour until he said something that caught my attention.

"... This is where I store all my freaky alien stuff. Yes, I did just say that..." I looked at the captain, wondering what the hell he was thinking.

"I'd like a word with you when this is over..." I said under my breathe, audible only to Griffin and Gilda.

"Yeah, sure."

"What do you mean by alien stuff?" I hear a voice behind me, it was one of the earth ponies that decided to join, still laced up in a suit.

"If it's classified, I'd think it best not to ask questions." I wink at the captain, "Not knowing may be better for your health." He clears his thoat and stands right next to me, bringing his voice to a whisper.

"Aoi, way I figure, they're gonna find out eventually. Besides, if they can't handle seeing that, they they've got no place on this ship. There's a lot of thing more unnerving than an extra-equestrian."

"It better not be anything dangerous though," I warn, "Wouldn't want your crew... incapacitated before you even set out..."

"It won't be dangerous," he objects, "Just a quick look at what 'certain people' really are. Besides, the princesses know, the element bearers know, Lyra knows, the whole crew knows, and eventually, all of Equestria will. The sooner they find out, the sooner they can get used to the idea. I'd rather show them now then have them go crazy with conspiracy theories." He kept walking, leading the crew behind him. I had a rather uneasy feeling about this.

After the tour, he ordered the new members to assemble on the deck.

"Just need to have a private chat for a sec, then I'll meet you all up there soon." He strided over to me, a grin on his face.

"Show time... ready for the big 'REVEAL'?" he asked me, nudging my shoulder. I thought over what he said last. My mind rewinded back to the Gala.

'I MAY just know a spell that can change us back...' My eyes widened in realization to what he meant.

"You mean..."

"Yep. Let's get it out of the way," he turned to head up the stairs to the deck, then looked back at me, "Although, if you don't want to, that's your choice." I thought about it for a bit, wondering what he meant to accomplish. I decided to bite.

"Why not..." I soon would regret those words.

"Last chance to back out, Aoi..."

"Just don't be shocked when you see me..." I wouldn't call myself intimidating, but that would be an understatement. To be honest, I had people flinch whenever I glanced in their direction, ever since I was young that had been the case, constantly.

"Man, I was sent to Equestria, killed dragons, and nearly got eaten by a giant spider. You think you're gonna be a shock to me? You should be worried about them." He motioned towards the crowd. I felt like I was forgetting something.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." He merely smiled and took off his amulet, shouting out to the crowd:

"FORMA VERSUS!" A blinding flash erupted from the amulet, changing both of us before our very eyes. I suddenly remembered what harm there would be in changing. Griffin changed into his human form, then immediately fell over, his armor toppling him by its sheer weight.

"Little help here?" He whimpered. I looked down at the struggling Griffin, and picked him up. The sleeve of my dobuku immediately drooped over my wrist, being longer than my arm. After helping the armor off of him, I get a closer look at him: spiky brunette, slightly shorter than me, and rather skinny, even skinnier and he would fall out of his... clothes. He still had his former clothes on.

'Well that's very interesting...' I thought to myself, I reached behind me to find another sheath, next to Kokuryu, Was it?...

"Hey thank... WHOA! You weren't kidding!" He looked me over once or twice, then looked back at himself. "Oh DAMN IT ALL!"

"So," I said, looking at him, "You're the infamous Griffin." His body structure was tall, but less defined, "No more than 20, I'm guessing."

"And you're Aoi." He clanced back at me, his expression rather depressed. "Okay, interesting little fact. In Equestria, humans look like anime characters, and WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HOT?!?!" One of the cats, Nadene, started to approach us, purring in a rather sultry manner. I started to back away, unaware in doing so my dobuku starts sliding off of my shoulders.

The croud gasps, I hear gagging behind me, ponies dropping to the deck, and Griffin's eye twitches, "You even have more scars than I do? Come on!" His words immediately bring my attention to my torso and arms, as well as the scars that ran across them in crosshatches, blotches, and hideous scar tissue. Each and every injury, down to the bullet wound in my hand that healed over in a moon shaped scar. Looking at each one brought back memories, rising to the surface as if they were still fresh in my mind.

"So... they're still there..."

"Yes, they are. Look." he undid his hoodie as well as his undershirt, revealing his abused body, "We got new bodies when we came, but the old ones stayed the same."

"Oh my, I better get you to the infirmiry to, *purr* inspect those wounds." Nadene started to lustfully inch closer to me. When she tried to grab my arm, I jerked it away from her, scrambling to tighten my dobuku.

"Sorry to disappoint, but these scars won't be going away... If modern medicine couldn't take care of these scars, you can do nothing for them..." I said harshly to the cat, her response was a pout and a sigh as she turned her attention to the captain. It was hopeless to try and retighten my clothes, for they simply slid off again. I sighed, trying to turn my gaze away from my body, only to meet the horrified gaze of the other ponies on deck.

'Do you fear me now that you have seen what I've been through?' I thought as I gazed at each and every pony. I looked back at my hand, the scar that forever reminded me of the agonizing bullet that passed through it, nearly robbing me of my ability to hold a sword again. I clenched my fist and grit my teeth.

"Change me back..." I demanded from the captain, my tone growing harsh and cold.

"Aaaaaaaaaand we're done here." He gripped the amulet in hand again, "Reverti." We changed back almost immediately. I was satisfied that I was back to my 'new' body. I slipped on my kosode and dobuku and tightened the obi again, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Are we finally done with the 'tour', Captain?" He nodded in response.

"Well, I'm gonna go store this, you should all go pick a room, because you'll be staying in it. Aoi, come with me. There's a separate living area, and I'm sure you'd like your privacy." I left the deck with him, finally glad to not have to look upon the scars of my past.

I walked down to the private quarters with Griffin, he showed me the way to the room I would be staying in, the wooden halls made for a gloomy, yet warm atmosphere.

"So... you came here a while ago, am I right?" He looked at me with interest.

"Yeah, what about it?" he quipped, stopping for a bit.

"It was only about half a month since I arrived here."

"Really? That's it? I've been here over a year." He chuckled.

"The point is, like you, I never knew exectly what would happen when I took that deal. When I finally got here, I know it sounds cliche, but I finally got a chance to start a new life here. I could finally actually LIVE, for adventure, for exploration, or even to actually meet a friend. Anything to find a new purpose in life. Believe it or not, the gang members in cahoots with the guy I killed bribed the cops to hunt me down my last day on earth... no surprise." I stopped to lean on the wall, "Then someone offers me a chance to go to a whole new world. I took the deal after he finally convinced me he wasn't spouting complete bullshit. So now I'm here."

"Heheh, yeah, who would have thought that me--wimpy, nerdy, loser Griffin-- would be doing THIS? I mean, think of it, guy at the bottom of the social food chain soon becomes the damn sexy pirate Captain with ties to Royalty." I'm actually the second human to come here through, at least I'm pretty sure. The first was brought over by Discord, which I'm guessing opened a little hole between universes that various, non-specific deities and spirits can use to throw their own pawns on the board. I'm still trying to figure out why though." He scratched his head in deep thought.

"If what you're saying is true... We're some experiment... what purpose, I don't know," I huffed, "and quite frankly, I don't care..."

"As for me... I just wanted an out." He kept walking forward through the hallway. "I was so sick and tired of all the pain, all the misery and strife. No matter where I went, I was despised, most often for no reason at all. People would go out of their way to find something to hate about me, just so they could take out their frustrations on me." He turned back, a fire in his eyes, "I wanted to leave so bad, leave it all behind. I found myself wishing I could come here--a place of peace and harmony-- where I wouldn't be blindly hated by everyone." He went over and relit some of the dim lamps with a gem.

"When that guy showed up, I thought it was too good to be true. When I found out it WAS real... well... happiest day of my life." We kept walking until we hit a junction, the main barracks where some cots were hung out, some occupied by weary crew members. Griffin took the liberty of laying down in a hammock before continuing. "Then I find out that it ISN'T all it's cracked up to be, and decided to change that. Well, here I am." He crooked his arms behind his head, "So what if it's an experiment? I'll happily play the lab rat."

"So, we each find this place, not much different on our own, and want to change it." I scratch an itch I had behind my ear before remembering my conversation with the princess, "Tell me, did Celestia by chance ever called you a hero at one point?"

"Probably. If it was to my face, I don't remember, but most definitely behind my back." He stood up and posed overdramatically, "'For great service to Equestria and the protection of the innocent...' something along those lines." I shook my head in response, giving a wry chuckle.

"Heh, figures..." I breathe out deeply, a vapor forming in the surprisingly cool room. "Apparently, now I'm seen as one, like Eol said, 'word's spreading around, that the Lunar Legend is back..." I rub the back of my head, smoothing out my fur, "I don't think others WANT the 'Legend' to come back..." Griffin folded his wings and kept going.

"They don't get a say in the matter, so long as the 'Cursed Bird' is around." He pulled over the covers on a unicorn exhausted from working, "What will the history books say about the hounds' greatest hero and worst enemy as friends? These are interesting times... who knows what will..." He belches loudly, sending a scroll flying into his talons.

"Oh look, the princess sent us a letter!"

"Oh? So, what does she want?"

"Ahem.

Dear Griffin,
You are the third most infuriatingly difficult being I have ever encountered, beaten only by a certain cow with a knack for riddles and Discord himself. Just when I think I have you figured out, you surprise me yet again. I am NOT amused. And Aoi as well? I had thought better of him..... Do you know the embarrassment you caused with your little vanishing act? You have no respect for authority whatsoever, although I suppose I should have expected that from you. Be forewarned, I will be keeping a very close eye on you in the future.

Sincerely, Princess Celestia

Ps: I still win. Check the newspaper tomorrow, I think you'll be surprised. You have much to learn, little troll, before you can take on a master.

Well, maybe she'll tell me what she's planning instead of keeping it a secret." He rolled up the scroll and pointed it at me, "If she's gonna treat me like a child, I may as well act like one," I stare at him with a flat expression, 'You already DO...' "Although I am worried about the 'check the paper tomorrow' thing."

"Hmm, out of all people, I'd have expected the princess to understand why I bailed in the first place... I thought wrong..."

"The only useful information that came from that is that she'll be watching me closely. Yeah, that just SCREAMS spy." He stuffs the letter underneath his armor before blowing out some candles that lined the exit from the barracks, "It wouldn't have been too hard for her to plant one among the recruits..." He glanced at some of the sleeping crew members. I almost felt sorry for them, they haven't even seen the real work yet. Most of the ponies were easy regognizable as noblemares and gentlecolts, not fit for the line of battle.

"I guess that's one more thing to screen for." I yawn and continue on. "I'm tired of having wasted titles piled on me..."

"Same here..." He stretched his arms, prying open a door that was lodged in place that lead into another hallway, back to the galley and the private quarters. "You know what? Let her spy. Show her I have nothing to hide. I mean, I stripped down to my human form right in front of her, making myself helpless, yet she still doesn't trust me, and then expects me to trust her fully and just go along with what she says?" He takes a nearby tin can and oils the hinges, moving the door back and forth to test if it still jammed, then slamming the door shut behind us. "If she's not going to trust me, I'm not going to trust her. Let her spy. I don't even care. But there is going to be a LOT of shenanigans on my part when we DO meet."

"Yeah, have fun with that..." I think that's why she's putting the spy, if ANY, on the ship, knowing Griffin however, he won't get it...

"Hey Griffin..." My mind goes back to the deck, the nagging feeling in the back of my mind.

"Yeah?"

"How many scars do you have exactly?"

"Twelve, and three burns. Some of them have faded and aren't really visible unless you look closely. A couple were from surgery to fix broken ribs." Lucky bastard... "One though, is one that I hate above all else. It's an incision that was made to remove a kidney. I donated, and it went to a guy who used his new chance at life to make mine a living hell."

"Heh, no good deed goes unpunished. Just like no failure unnoticed..." He turns to look at me, and I start listing off the many times I've been injured.

"139 scars, permanent, you've seen them yourself, uncleaned wounds, couple of minor infections, etc. 14 separate accounts of broken ribs, fractured from either impact or simply a 'bad landing'." He winced when I emphasized the landing part. "52 accounts of broken legs and arms, thankfully healed alright according to Wolfe's Law, and 2 cases of near fatal concussion. Coupled with 11 bullet wounds and 31% of my body burned at one point. All in total, full physical and psychological recovery, 14 months. It's nothing short of a miracle that I stand here before you today to retell it."

"Yeah, do you hate your human body as much as I hate mine, even though Nadene seems to like them?"

"I don't hate my body, however I do hate my scars..." I flex my paw, imagining the wound still fresh in my mind, "As well as remembering each and every time I got them. Contrary to modern media, captain, samurai aren't invincible, with only honor fueling our power. After all, samurai are still just human: We get cut, we get shot, we get hurt, we die. Even then, it's often violent, sudden, and more often than not isn't because of an honorable swordfight or duel. As for what fuels me... that's debateable..."

"Oh..." He paused, probably thinking about how he saw himself, "Well I happen to HATE being human-- so WEAK, so PITIFUL." As far as what his standards of an ideal human body was, I wasn't surprised that he would call humans weak. "Sure I was pretty nimble and stealthy, but compared to the benefits that being a griffin brings..." He thought about it for a second before answering, "Well, let's just say I only use my other body for shock-and-awe stuff like what I did back there. I reason it'd probably be better at stealth stuff too, but I haven't had the chance to try." He opened the door to my room, already set and labeled with my name.

"Oh and Dubstep. You've got ears like a diamond dog, avoid nightclubs unless you feel like spilling your guts on the floor like with Octavia." I didn't think her playing was THAT bad...

"Noted..."

"Well, I hope you can do... whatever it is you're planning to do. I've got some interviews to do, and I hope I can get through them before nightfall. See you at dinner."

"See you, and hey..." He looked back before closing the door. "Maybe I can teach you how to not get hurt as much... The only good thing that comes out of scars are to remind you how to avoid them next time."

"I'd like that. After all, It's going to be a fairly long trip, might as well learn a thing or two." He closed the door, leaving me at peace for a while. I looked outside to see the afternoon sun traveling along the horizon. I plopped down onto the bed, having burned out most of my fuel tollerating those aristocratic ponies, escaping from Canterlot, and being attacked by one of Griffin's crew members.

I wondered what other heroes were told about in Eol's storybooks. I looked around the room, a single gem lamp lighting the room, and a very onld newspaper article on top of the nightstand. I flipped it open, bringing over the gem lamp to light up the page.

'Hydras and Changeling Repelled, the Battle of Wethoof Ends'...