After resting enough to fly back on top of the bridge and making a hasty exit in case of more moving machines, Cobalt weighed her options.

Her leg was killing her, but her wings seemed rested enough for at least a few hours flight. The West opened into plains while the South was forested, the blue outline of another mountain off in the distance. She took flight, and her leg hurt a bit less.

It had been two days now since she had much to eat. The two fish over the ocean, and nothing the day after that. She could have easily cried again, she had never felt this hollow and empty with hunger. A griffon was supposed to be tougher than that.

With her stellar eyesight, it wasn't hard to catch three bunnies in the forest. As she finished the second and started on the third, a unicorn approached from the distance.

Before Cobalt could so much as say hello, the pony screamed and ran. She finished the last rabbit, less sure of everything than before.

Full now, with some energy and vigor, she drank from a clear forest lake and made the mountain by nightfall. She rested in an alcove near the summit, sheltered from the wind. Somewhere off to the west, on the towering monolith of a mountain peak she had seen earlier in the day, torchlight flickered. Had the ponies built a city into a mountain? Probably the flying ones, Cobalt thought to herself.

She would avoid that direction at all costs. It was clear the pony race was no friend of hers. South lie dark and vacant, with the smell of forest.

The dawn woke her. She stretched her legs and wings in the crisp air full of birdsong. The light was painfully bright, and she waited until the sun had risen a bit more to descend.

With a yawn, Cobalt surveyed this new and hostile world around her. She drank river water at the base of the mountain and then flew at a low altitude across a long expanse of plain. This grew tedious; she gained height and speed.

After four or five hours of this, reckoning from the sun at high noon, Cobalt needed a break. As she floated towards ground level, she saw another set of tracks for the ponies' machines. Not a good sign. Probably meant a town was nearby.

Beyond the tracks was a rocky, rugged area that led to a quarry. West from the quarry was a grand expanse of woods, lined with rivers, which looked like a perfectly comfortable place to call home.

Cobalt noticed something far to the northwest. Just on the edge of her vision, the outline of what seemed to be a settlement. She considered moving on, but then again, if anyone would be friendly to her, maybe even help remove the arrow in her inflamed leg, it would be rugged ponies who lived in a small town like that. She decided to rest in the forest for the night.

At the southern edge of the woods, Cobalt found the collapsed stone ruins of some very old looking structure. Griffons didn't have castles, but they did have a fortress, and so this new home became known to her as the fortress.

The next few days were spent here, looking around at the place for some sort of insight into pony culture. Nothing but tapestries, crumbling walls, and a library of dusty old books she couldn't read. She could only speak pony.

As the week closed, Cobalt rested on her belly within the fortress, her injured leg stuck out to the side. The pain had grown even sharper and she wasn't sure how much longer she could walk.

She lie on a pallet of tapestries and torn-up cushions from decayed furniture. For dinner, a neat stack of fish. They had even been cooked--it was cold and she had bothered to start a fire. One of the massive tapestries, torn from the wall, made a fine blanket.

This isn't so bad, thought Cobalt.

Then, she heard a click, click, click of approaching footsteps from the collapsed hall in the direction of the library. A figure rounded the corner and stopped short in surprise. This was a pony with strange black and white striped fur.

"A griffon here in Everfree? Not a sight I thought I'd ever see," the pony rhymed.

Cobalt was puzzled, startled, curious and wary, all at the same time. She began her first friendly conversation in Equestria with a question, "Do all of you ponies like to make rhymes when you speak?"

"Oh my no, it's just a habit of mine. Living alone will do that to you."

"Um, you're not going to scream and run away? Or say I'm a monster?"

"You prove that you're not by virtue of actions, so I choose to respond with a friendly reaction."

Cobalt was so relieved that it felt as though some heavy weight had been removed from her back.

"Are you hungry at all?" she asked, gesturing at the fish.

The striped pony paused for a moment before answering. "The pony race does not eat meat. They abhor violence and prefer plant-based treats. Your diet may prompt a hasty retreat."

"Well, yeah, it already has, but I have to eat. Leaves and plants aren't filling and don't give me energy."

The striped pony noticed her injured leg and said to her, "Allow me, if you will, to be your first friend. The arrow in your thigh, I know how to mend."

This time Cobalt could not help it. She started crying, tears splashing on the stone. Was this... that friendship thing? How the hell could someone make an offer like that for nothing in return?

The odd pony sat patiently, gathering her shawl around herself and nuzzling open a book. Cobalt sniffed and gathered her wits.

"I'm sorry," Cobalt said, embarrassed.

Without looking up from her book, the response came, "The strongest among us all mask their emotions. But pausing to feel, is a powerful potion."

"So, what's your name? And why do you look so different from ponies I've seen?"

"My name is Zecora, a zebra by race, which should answer your questions and tell you my place. Estranged from the ponies, I am a disgrace. So I live alone and enjoy life at my pace."

"Uh, if-if you want, I can bring the fish somewhere else, I don't want to, oh what's the word, I don't want to upset you or anything. I'm just really hungry. Spent the whole day flying over this forest and scouting it out."

"Do not worry about causing me offense. I respect you and I within our difference. I'll withdraw for now, and avoid a stomach disturbance."

Smiling--actually smiling-- at meeting this, this "zebra" she had called herself, Cobalt munched on the fish and had her fill, and then poked at the books on the floor with curiosity. She hid the fish bones under a rug and called for Zecora, who returned.

"Zecora, do you think you could teach me to read your pony books?"

"I do not have a gift for teaching, but I'm willing to try if it's knowledge you're seeking."

Zecora gathered her books into a worn-out bag which she slung across her back. She gave a look around at the old ruins.

"The castle is drafty and falling apart. Follow me, if you want a fresh start."

"How did you--"

"What's left unsaid speaks the loudest, revealing the motives of the hardened and proudest."

The great and fearsome griffon followed the zebra out into the fresh air of the woods. They followed a clear forest stream to where it met a drop and made a neat waterfall. Zecora was about to descend the hill when she froze, ears perked up. She spoke,

"I must cease peace for this moment. For my transgression, I offer atonement."

Cobalt tripped and fell flat on her back as the stones they were about to climb down jumped up from where they rested. Each stone started skittering towards them on six legs as spikes suddenly appeared. Each one in turn, then, began spinning fiercely, the spines ripping up vegetation.

Zecora kicked a rock at the one approaching a cowering Cobalt. Sparks flew and it went flying into the water.

She pulled a glass bottle from her saddlebag. It contained an oily purple liquid. When she chucked the bottle at the two next bugs, they caught on fire and began to run around in a panic. One remained, towards the bottom of the hill.

The zebra pounced from the cliff top, and squashed the final bug before it could start spinning. It went splat. She asked Cobalt to come down now.

"What was that?" Cobalt asked in a meek voice.

"Ripper Beetles, only one of this forest's evils."

"Why do you call such a scary place home, Zecora?"

"Home and hearth is a matter of heart which pest and monster may not tear apart."

Cobalt, still shaken, followed her new friend to the waterfall.

"Here in this water you should bathe. It will ease the leg which is inflamed."

The griffon did so, as the zebra got a fire going in spite of not having any dexterity like Cobalt did. She used a metal horseshoe on a front hoof to strike a dark stone and make sparks.

Hot water was made, using some kind of bark as a pot. Cobalt drank a bitter herbal tea, and quickly fell into a deep sleep. Zecora retrieved a razor-sharp knife and another potion bottle from her saddlebags.

It was night when Cobalt woke up. Her leg felt better. Twisting back, she saw the arrow was gone and all that was left was an X-shaped scar.

Cobalt walked over to Zecora, who said, "Night has fallen in Everfree Forest. We must make haste before the owls reach third chorus."

Cobalt had no idea what this meant, but obliged to transport Zecora on her back and fly above the treeline deeper into the woods.

They reached her cabin just as the owls all hooted in harmony for the third time that night. Zecora launched herself off of Cobalt's back and made a run for her cabin. The griffon followed suit.

A strange, dark purple energy encompassed a neat stack of firewood by the door, which began to assemble itself into something. Zecora's earring glowed, and so did her eyes, as a beam of white light slammed into this animate construct, the purple dissipated, and the wood hit the ground.

"Be a dear and bring that in please?" she asked of Cobalt.

The griffon grabbed the firewood in her talons, hobbled in on three legs, and Zecora slammed the door and touched several runes on it, which began to glow fiercely. She made a quick circle of the cabin, inspecting metal shutters over the windows, before settling down by the fireplace.

She seemed a bit flummoxed and didn't say anything for a minute.

Cobalt looked around. It was a nice, cozy place, but she wasn't dense and she realized that this probably wasn't an average pony's cabin. She tossed the logs down by the fireplace. The cabin was very neat and tidy, but simple and practical. Cobalt found it relatable. Zecora only kept the basic supplies she needed for life and survival in the forest, and her materials as an alchemist.

Zecora spoke now, "If you would, fetch the firewood...no, that's too forced. Our time is dwindling, fetch that kindling!"

Cobalt nodded in approval at this one, and said, "I like your house. It's nothing like the way griffons live."

She said thank you as she arranged the logs neatly beside the fireplace.

The griffon continued to speak, "Griffonstone is a very practical place. They force everyone to do certain jobs and to be married and live in certain family homes. It's also a very strict and violent place."

Zecora was busy getting the fire going. She said, "I'm listening well, continue your tale."

"I wanted to know what freedom and peace and friends was like. Never had any of that before. But when I got here to your pony-kingdom, all I met was being treated like a monster and having arrows shot at me."

The fire was lit as Zecora nodded sagely, taking a moment deep in thought trying to figure out how to make it rhyme. She said, "Here in Equestria we hold freedom dear, but freedom is a powerful force. Please don't be angry at displays of fear, for it's easy to startle a horse."

"Oh," said Cobalt, getting it, "you're saying you also have the freedom to be nasty to each other if you want. So, I guess not all ponies are the same..."

For the first time, Zecora seemed a bit ruffled at this remark, "Your musings on life are blunt and homely. May I venture to say all griffons eat ponies?"

Cobalt took a breath here, nervous, knowing the next question probably meant the end of this friendship.

"But no, behold, here before my eyes! A griffon who just wants friends! But you see, I'm not surprised. Others of your kind may be my demise, but you won't all be the same, you're not a changeling hive. I'm sure you'd never eat a pony alive."

Cobalt shuffled and fidgeted, struggling for words.

Zecora dropped all of her pretense on the floor. "Uh, you haven't... right?"

Cobalt felt like her heart was in her throat. To make a nice friend and then lose one so fast! She started to speak, slowly, "You know how I said we all had jobs we had to do? Well, if you refused, you'd be imprisoned, or worse. My job was to live on the mountain as a miner and also gather wood and meat. We have these mines there, and sometimes ponies would sneak in and attempt to steal our gold, so, well, I didn't like having to, but, it wasn't a choice..."

A long pause. Zecora sat by the flickering flames, her back to Cobalt. At length she spoke,

"I live alone, and I defend myself, and I alone maintain my health."

Cobalt lie couchant on the hearth rug, looking more like a nervous dog than a fierce griffon.

"I healed a wounded dragon--this was many moons ago--I gave him potion and a bandage but he didn't want to go. 'I'll repay my debt!' is what he said to me, but a dragon is a beast I cannot trust entirely. So I allowed him to stay, in return for one demand: To be forewarned of danger, by means of magic brand."

Zecora walked over to where crates and baskets and barrels of various sundry supplies were neatly stacked and organized in a corner nook of the cabin. She climbed a spiral stair to a loft, and rooted through a dusty old tote bag.

She came back down with it, set it on the rug beside Cobalt, began taking items out, and finally said, "I'm willing to believe you, if you want to start again, but many will bereave you, even those you call a friend. Everfree is as dark and cold as you must be to survive. I've learned this with the loss of friends and nearly with my life. This magic brand will warn me if you have evil in your mind, and betray all secrets with a telepathic bind."

Cobalt looked at the metal object in front of her. It was some sort of rune, maybe part of an ancient or forgotten language. She knew what a brand was, and this was crazy. Zecora showed her how her other earring was a match for the rune.

"The choice to leave or stay is up to you," said Zecora, "You may refuse, or follow through."

"Alright," said Cobalt, "I'll do it. I'm not going to lose the only friend I have."

Zecora had her lie on her left side on the hearth rug, so it could be on her uninjured right leg. She tied Cobalt's beak with twine, and heated the metal pole in the fire. There was a sizzle, and a muffled scream from the griffon.

Her beak was untied, and she nervously looked back at her leg. The burned mark there was glowing slightly with a green hue.

The zebra closed her eyes, her runic earring also glowing green. Within Cobalt's mind was a swirl of doubts, questions, concerns, tragedy and misery, and under it all, a spark of hope.

Do not be alarmed. I mean you no harm.

The griffon jolted back and broke a side table.

It feels like you're in my head! It's like my inner voice has company. This is so weird.

I'm so sorry, my friend, to bring you pain. Let me make amends and let me explain.

"Could we just talk? This is too weird."

"Notice, now, that the rune has changed hue. We are at peace, and the rune glows blue."

Cobalt looked back; the mark was a dark blue, same color as her feathers.

"Green is uncertainty, confusion, or fright; yellow is anger or dark thoughts in the night. If my life is in danger the rune will glow red, and if it stops glowing, that means I am dead. For the sake of new beginnings you endured so much pain. Now I know that I can trust you, and this friendship will remain."

The griffon sat down, humbled, recognizing that the magic rune burned onto her flank wasn't actually about warning and distrust at all. The fact she had actually gone through with it rather than be kicked out and lose Zecora as a friend meant that she was willing to do whatever it took to start over. Now she had proven that point to the zebra, and now Zecora could feel safe sharing her home with a creature that had once eaten ponies similar to her.

Weeks, moons, and then years ensued in the company of this zebra. Cobalt was assigned various tasks she was better suited for in order to earn her keep. Since she had to eat meat, she learned how to properly handle different kinds of monsters, and which were safe to consume and which were likely poisonous.

Cobalt learned to read the pony language, and frequented the old castle to learn all about them. Zecora let her know the castle was from ages ago, and the books might not be up to date.

The griffon gained a well-balanced education in alchemy, wilderness survival in Everfree, the various tricks and secrets of the forest, how to stay in communication at a distance with telepathy. She improved her flying acrobatics by flying through the forest until she reached and surpassed the average Wonderbolt skill level. She made nets to capture fish with, she helped the zebra chop firewood, and then she would rest by the fireplace with a good book or some exotic story of adventure from the zebra.

They spent five years together, happy in the forest. Cobalt even ventured to the edge of the town called Ponyville a few times. To her shock and surprise, a farmer pony by the name of Big Mac was willing to chat instead of running off, and she learned a great deal about pony culture and traded for delicious apple products from him and his family members.

This was the best time in Cobalt's life so far. And then, in the sixth year, darkness suddenly fell far earlier than it should have.

Author's Notes:

Some original creatures have been added to this story which are not part of canon.

Slimes may be canon since the smooze exists. It seems plausible that there would be other critters like it.