New Beginnings: The Saga of Squirt

>Wha- happened?

>where am I?

>Why can't I see?

>or move?

>OR BREATH!

>I struggle with all my might, everything feels wrong

>as I panic my body starts running on autopilot.

>find myself pounding the wall of my prison with my face

>I break thru, I see the outside world as my eyes adjust to the light

>it's animated, literally....

>I look down and realize, I was in an egg

>I just hatched from an egg...

>I have a beak, talons for hands, underdeveloped wings on my back, I'm covered in down

>Wha....

>in a panicked confusion, I start wailing about, echoing in the small corner I'm in

>A passing Griffin notices me, looking in with irritation at my cries at first but a moment of concern graces her beak

>wait, is that Gilda?!

>She picks me up, my lower half still in my shell

>"Hello? Someone missing a Hatchling?" she called out, looking for my parents who probably don't exist, she seems eager to be rid of me, but not before I'm safe....

>She searches high and low

>while I question my sanity, I keep my mouth(beak?) shut so as to reduce the burden of my rescuer

>4 hours later, I'm still trying to come to grips with the existential crisis

>and have no recollection of how I got here

>She asks a number of official looking places, they have no leads for her

>she's stuck with me, and I'm stuck with her

>also I forgot to mention the fact that we are up in CLOUDSDALE

>with me unable to fly, the gaps give me a fright, breaking my silence

>I hope I don't end up having to eat worms

>it seems that Cloudsdale has a Griffin district, the clouds here are more drab, seemingly an aesthetic choice, there are more earthy tones and an atmosphere of hardiness here

>Gilda was clearly not looking forward to raising me, to be honest, I was with her on this

>Her home, a Cloud house on the outer end of town, was sized like a studio apartment, it seems she and dash have more in common than I knew

>entering, she casually plops my shell on the counter of a table, shattering it

>I give her the meanest glare I can for the rough treatment

>She just smirks, I suddenly realize a mean look from an infant wont look very intimidating

>her smile softens, "you got guts kiddo I'll give you that, most hatchlings I've seen never shut up at all, you kept that beak closed most of the trip. Ugghh, you need a name, and food, and a bed..."

>"why me?" she asks, echoing my own thoughts

>Second day

>neither of us are please with hygienic arrangements

>but she seems to have picked up on my embarrassment

>food is surprisingly normal stuff, granted always with milk as the drink

>beaks are nice, no need to regrow teeth

>no teeth, and yet toothy grins can be given, freaking cartoon worlds

>No official name for me, but for now She's calling me Squirt

>Hear a knock on the door, Gilda answers

>a familiar Mail Mare is at the door with a package

>"oh hey" Gilda seems familiar with her to a degree, the tone is weary but not resentful

>"Hey there, Got a package from-" She looks at me, I think

>"what? Oh the kid."

>"So, who's the lucky Man?"

>oh boy, I am now suddenly aware of how awkward her social life is going to be with me around

>"..... No one"

>"you had another break up?"

>"NO!" Oh she is getting a little defensive "I found the little runt out on the street, wasn't about to leave it there to rot, nobody's that heartless!"

>"Well thats a very good thing you did then, I'm sure your friends are all very proud!"

>"yeah, they're thrilled" the tone gave me the sudden impression that these chats with the mail mare were probably the most social interaction she's had in awhile

>they do some signing and she takes the box, with the door closed she opens it and reads an enclosed note

>she seems to get angrier as she reads it further, finally throwing the whole package at the wall on the opposite end of the room leaving a splatter on the wall, she runs into her bed and well, withdraws.

>I hop down and take a look at the mess, a baker's dozen of what used to be Cupcakes, with blue and pink frosting

>wiping away the frosting I read the note

>the note read "Hey Gilda, it's Rainbow Dash, looking back at our last meeting, me and Pinky realized we weren't exactly saints in the matter, I was too quick to let you go for a really dumb argument, and Pinky realized that she was kinda being rude with the earlier butting in, some experiences with a Donkey recently gave some perspective on that for her, we'd both love to talk more about it in person, so, we're sorry if you're sorry?"

>I can't say Gilda's the easiest person to read, I have no idea why she's reacting the way she is, any number of reasons, but nothing solid enough to help, it seemed that this was a matter only she could resolve for herself

>Two hours past

>she didn't move or show any signs of life beyond breathing

>with two hours to observe I was able to conclude that she is actively repressing emotions, trying to not feel anything

>well that's not going to do anything but turn the feelings into a poisonous bile

>Unsure of myself, I move up to her, and try to make contact

>*touch*

>No movement

>*touch*

>"buzz off" no other movement

>*touch*

>This evoked a real reaction, rapidly rising, from her position, glaring at me with an expression of hate, "I SAID BUZZ OFF YOU LITTLE BRAT!!!"

>she held position

>now yes, I was hurt by that, but ooh boy was I going to milk it, sometimes you have to play dirty

>*sniff* *tremble* I give a pitiful sounding whimper adding to it, I'm not exactly faking the tears, building up

>"No, Don't you dare..."

>I keep staring back at her with my sad eyes, trying to time it so she breaks when I do

>"That's not fair!" she says trying to hold her own tears back

>I let the dam burst and ball my eyes out, finding some catharsis as I release some of my own pent up feelings from this whole mess

>She quickly loses composure too, letting all her sadness out, crying like a- well like me

>"It's not fair, It's not fair." she sobs, clutching me like a teddy bear

>I lose track of time for a while, We just sat there, leaning on each other emotionally

>as we finally settle down, she looks at me, then at the mess she made

>"Figure's you'd end up being the one taking care of me Squirt..."

>before dinner she cleaned up the mess, cleaning off the note, looking at it again, without the wall of pride she had built up this time.

>"So Squirt, you up for a trip this weekend?"

>I give some happy babbling, knowing exactly what she meant

>So 3 more days pass until the Weekend

>During that Time Squirt found itself upgraded to a proper name, like she went to an official looking place and marked it down

>Also learned that Griffins lean Precocious and not Altricial (yay)

>This also means that the two of us have been instinctively imprinting on each other, I have an overwhelming urge to follow her everywhere

>Saturday finally comes, Commence trip to Ponyville

>with us having to make use of the mutually humiliating Kid Carry harness for the flight

>efficient, comfy, safe, and severely lacking in dignity for either user

>First Stop is Rainbow's house

>*knock* *knock*

>Door Opens, But Gilda holds it closed

>"Dash, before you open, please promise not to laugh..."

>Dash, too excited by the sound of a friend's voice, rips the door off it's hinges (given it's a cloud this isn't exactly surprising)

>Proceeds to TRY not to laugh

>inevitable awkward questions, but a strange fondness for the company seems to be sparking, making the odd moments worth it

>"So how were the Cupcakes?"

>"I... Uhhh... Heh heh....."

>Oh boy, the mood soured a bit, but only for a moment.

>"You gotta try them for real! Come on we're going to Sugar Cube Corner now!"

>"No Wait-

>but Dash was already dragging us there, I will admit seeing her squirm is still funny as hell, as we approach she seems to stiffen more and more.

>I suddenly realize that it's because this is basically the place she (now nearly) lost her closest friend, I grab her attention and give her a smile and a thumbs up, something to support her.

>she relaxes and moves without needing to be dragged

>we enter the den of Diabetes

>No party in sight this time

>no crowds

>no pranks to rile her up, just a small set of snacks Pinky was making

>"Wow nice work, especially given that I get to didn't even tell you she was coming"

>"Lazy eye means special guests!" is her response

>Gilda looks at her in dubious confuzzlement

>"Don't question it" Dash whisper's to her

>Pinky finally looks up and sees me

>Oh No...*GASP* "I'veneverseenagriffinbabybeforehe'ssocutewhatshisname?who'sthedad?whendidyoumarry?isheacuborachick?

>she continued in this manner picking me up from the confines of the pouch, hugging me

>Gilda, trying to mentally catch up and answer the questions as best she could was making a concerted effort to not be abrasive with her this time finally asks "Look, I know I was locking you out before, But I really do need some alone time with Rainbow Dash, Why don't you play with Squirt"

>Gilda you Bitch!!!

>"He'll love it, I'm watching the Cakes Kids too, he's going to have so much fun with them!!"

>please no...

>but alas I a find myself being carried upstairs by the Pink one, away from my new mommy

>Did I just call Gilda Mommy?

>I futilely reach back to her, winning a bit

>Gilda just smiles and Waves

>Tonight, Mommy Pays...

>play time with Pound and Pumpkin Cake

>This isn't Rugrats so I have no clue what they're saying, but they clearly have more going on than just a brainless infant with them

>through some nonverbal communications involving Building blocks, body gestures, and a plastic spoon we collaborate our mischief

>it seems they have a taste for causing trouble...

>hehehehehehe...

>we wait, give Mom and Dash all the time they need to catch up, they deserve that much before we unleash hell on them

>Pinky remains oblivious, thinking that we are doing nothing sinister with these Dominoes, Not-Legos, building blocks, race-tracks, and wind up toys

>Soon....

>it went better than expected

>this was a bad thing

>they had to call in some guys to contain the fire

>I don't even remember working with anything flammable

>either way I am not arranging another prank with those two kids

>freaking psychos

>mercifully this level of Malice was not going to be attributed to kids like us

>but Gilda still has been giving me repeated "I'm Watching you bub" Looks

>with the Bakery still full of smoke, and the Cakes returning to handle their children the 3 of them decided to go on a walk, with me in tow

>on Gilda's back and not in the pouch of shame this time

>with the catching up done, introductions between Mom and Pinky have begum properly

>aand then I notice we are heading to the edge of town, near the forest

>towards a cottage

>Girls let Mommy take this one step at a time, don't rush all the reconciliation, it forcing it will just make it unnatural and insincere!

>but alas, they are steering an unknowing Gilda to Fluttershy's cottage, presumably to get one final apology out of her.

>Must think of a way to salvage this

>Think, THINK!

>*knock* *knock*

>CRAP!

>the door opens, Fluttershy does not slam the door at the sight of the Griffin that menaced her

>she actually starts chewing into her a bit before composing herself

>right, assertiveness lessons, forgot that part

>Mom's impressed by the growth, and we get a much more natural reconciliation than I had feared

>we find ourselves spending the rest of the day just getting to know each other,

>naturally Fluttershy cant keep her attention away from me

>at least pinky can be distracted with her ADD

>oh well, at least she can give Mom some tips with me

>Any misgivings Fluttershy had with Gilda were forgotten due to the chance to be all motherly with me

>It was kind of irritating

>for one Flutters borderline baby talked me

>Mom never really dumbed down her speech with me, I admired that kind of respect

>still a first hand (Hoof? Claw?) lesson in a softer touch wouldn't be useless

>Mom seemed just a but uncomfortable watching me in some one else’s care, she's more attached than she knows

>then again I'm calling her Mom after only 4 days

>Am I pot or Kettle?

>We wound up getting derailed with child rearing lessons until 5PM

>How Fluttershy knows so much about Griffin child care I don't know

>frankly I'm a bit creeped out by it

>With day time options done, Gilda, Pinky and Dash decided they'd hit up a place with karaoke, drinks and a dance floor

>leaving me with Fluttershy for the night

>Dinner was awkward

>Mom had included some meat in every one of my meals

>Flutters did not, Even as a Human I was never one for salads

>I had two options, politely eat the salad (maybe gesture for some bacon bits at least) or throw a tantrum

>not wanting to be anything like her horrible rabbit, I went with the former

>as if to taunt me, she indeed had bacon bits, of the soy variety....

>friggin tree huggers.....

>I ate the salad, now I felt entitled to dessert

>but she wanted to put me down for bedtime

>but I'm not even tired

>"Hush now, quiet now, lay down your sleepy head...."

>Fuck! It's going to work, her singing voice is like a velour body glove

>if I still had a libido it might have turned me on

>must.. stay... Awake.....

>zzzzzzz.........

>Dreams were weirder than normal, Human World but with Griffins mixed in

>I kept flashing between my old self and an adult griffin

>but at least I could talk in my dreams

>Equestrian elements were gradually creeping in

>why do I remember this dream so vividly?

>simple, I had a visitor, who seemed to find my dreams very unusual

>The Dark Blue Alicorn approached me (I initially thought she was just part of the dream, she was one of my favorite characters on the show)

>"Who are you? Where are you from?" she asked a tone of scrutiny

>the shock woke me up, mercifully it was morning

>I was now worried

>The Princesses knew...

>That Morning Mom returned feeling vastly refreshed

>I wish I could say the same about

>back home I kept thinking about Luna's questions

>Was I going to be taken away from her?

>Sent back to my world?

>kept under surveillance in a gilded cage?

>how would mom react if she was told the truth?!

>as the hours wore on, these questions mounted

>Every minute that passed I expected a knock on the door from a Royal Guard

>or the Element Squad, she would send them in an attempt to ease the blow to Mom

>and undo all the work I put into mending her friendships

>as these thoughts built up, the scenarios in my head only piled up and became more terrible

>I started crying

>now I usually don't cry unless I know it will serve a purpose, but this was just me losing control

>as a result Mom wasn't ready for this, nothing she did could comfort the pain I was feeling

>and the fact that I was causing her distress only made me hurt even more

>I couldn't compose myself and Mom thought something was wrong, I wasn't acting like myself

>I was scared in ways I never imagined, for the first time since hatching here I truly felt helpless

>sleep didn't come easy that night

>I dreaded it, Luna was coming for me, I knew it

>I never thought I'd be lying awake in bed fearing the arrival of one of my favorite cartoon characters...

>but in the end fatigue won out

>no dreams this time

>only Nightmares

>horrific visions of spectral alicorns snatching me from Mom's grasp planting me in a cage

>reverting me to my old self before her eyes

>tears of betrayal running down her face

>"How could you play with my heart this way you freak!?" she screamed at me

>I pleaded with her, with the Princesses, tears streaming down my face but to no avail, Mom screamed at me how she never wanted to see me again, that I was nothing but a monster, no better than a changeling, the phantom princesses nodded in agreement, opening a portal to hell beneath my cage

>I begged them not to throw me in, to let me show I never meant any harm, that I wasn't even trying to come here originally

>they just narrowed their eyes at me, glaring at me with contempt, I was trash to them

>and now they were throwing me out....

>but instead of me waking up, the nightmare began looping

>I don't know how many times the loop happened

>it never got any less painful

>once again they were about to cast me out

>and then they exploded

>the hell mouth vanished and so too did my cage

>I was still human

>"I see I left quite the impression, My sister warned me that I might have inspired something like this"

>"I- Uh!"

>"No need to fear, I'm simply sorry I could not have ended this nightmare sooner, I discussed our encounter with the other princesses, they all agreed that as a hatchling, we must communicate here, in the dream world"

>"are you going to take me away?"

>"Why would we? We would learn no more with your physical body with us than with your surrogate, we are not going to tear a new family apart over the unknown, I never meant to frighten you, I simply wanted to know you visitor, or do you prefer Squirt?"

>and so I told her everything I knew, she told me that she would be checking in on me via dream on a regular basis, as a non disruptive means of keeping touch

>it was also the only practical means of communications as my hatchling body could not yet speak

>I woke up, relieved, laughing, tears of joy one my face

>and I woke Mom up, oops

>Mom was annoyed to be woken up so early, but happy to see me acting like myself again

>wait, Luna said she had discussed our encounter with the other princesses, does that include Cadence and Twilight?

>The question was tossed out of my head as Gilda showed me some "Belated Birthday gifts, she had gotten me the other day, apparently Pinky's idea

>I also saw her looking at real estate

>it seemed that she wanted to move closer to Ponyville to keep tabs on her friend and friends of her friend

>No complaints from me, cloudsdale was nice but getting dull fast for one as flightless as I

>Dash was only too happy to help us move, the Mail Mare that may have started so much of this was also lending a hoof

>a week later we were moved to a cloud house bordering the town

>4 days after that on the ground, Mom and I were at the library, Rainbow had insisted that she give Daring Do a try

>as she browsed, Twilight was looking at me

>"What are you looking at, never seen a baby griffin before?" spike asked

>"No" she shot back honestly, she looked back at me again, smiling reassuringly

>"Hey Gilda, I know kids that don't talk can be tricky, you want me to see if I can whip up a translation spell?"

>I knew the real reason, Twilight wanted to talk to me personally

>frankly I had mixed feelings on the matter

>"nah, he can work it out on his own, he's a bright kid"

>Mom's confidence in me was once again a lovely asset

>Twilight looked at me for a moment, "I believe you." she said back to her.

>She had that look in her face

>you know the one, the "I'm only pretending to drop this" face

>she was going to be insistent

>oh boy

>well fortunately she decided not to press it yet

>If Luna visits me again, I'm going to see if she can get her to be more patient

>well back to contemplation on the way home

>now do I abuse my archive of old world knowledge? And if so, how so?

>say, did Equestria ever have Dinosaurs?

>Did cave Ponie pegasi have archeopteryx wings?

>How DID Griffins evolve?

>all these questions and more

>would not be answered today

>I'd need to "Develop" these interests in order to gain any answers

>on the plus side, Mom was going to read the book Rainbow recommended to me (For me was how she won her over, I forgot that part of being a kid)

>Second Childhood may have more perks than I thought.

>Mercifully the book was not the same one the series had covered

>This story was "Daring Do And The Curse Of The Yeti"

>A story that took place after a cliffhanger of some kind in her second book, something involving a presumed dead father being alive

>Mom was trying to do the character's voices, I could tell she was defaulting to what she thought a normal mother would do

>I poked her during a read that strained her throat and my ears pretty harshly

>The look I gave her said it all

>She started reading more normally, and even chiming in her own comments on the events

>now I was perfectly capable of reading but,

>1. she did not know this and to let her know might strain my cover

>2. It was kinda nice having her read the story to me, and I could tell she was enjoying it

>I was worried that I'd nod off and she'd finish the story without me, when I noticed her speech slow down

>zzzzzzzzz

>she read herself to sleep

>I carefully saved the spot in the book and curled up to join her

>2 months pass, we bond, play, learn

>all the schmaltzy stuff

>Also despite Luna's promises to talk to Twilight, that Purple mare is still curious about me

>fortunately she know's better than to get between a mother and her kid

>especially not a Griffin mother

>ESPECIALLY NOT GILDA

>also it is now Nightmare Night

>Luna is gracing Manehattan this year, having heard that it has an active night life

>I was able to make my costume a Hippogriff

>and just to troll her and Dash, I made the back end look like Dash

>Oh yeah, I've been treating "Auntie Rainbow" like my second Mom

>My Shipping has not been able to intensify

>Then again the subject of orientation never came up in canon

>Well until I work out how they swing I cant play matchmaker beyond some jokes nobody would accuse me of making deliberately.

>Also youthful body, very receptive to candy

>Me and Pinky are bounding about town, and I'm working out my wings

>I am still scootaloo tier on the flight front

>energy low....

>thoughts slowing....

>ne-eed, more candy...

>SUGAR FIX BACK

>I FUCKING LOVE NIGHTMARE NIGHT!!!!!!

>Hearths Warming Eve

>Half secularised Christmas, Half Founders Day

>I still get gifts

>Mane six invited to play, not in it this time, they decided to watch this year

>Dash Brought Mom over of course

>and Mom Brought me

>Griffins grow fast, I can walk on my own and even get some lift with my wings now

>play went off without a hitch

>apparently Mom had never seen it

>most griffins don't seem interested in Equestrian history

>Twilight was changing that

>Twilight had finally laid off as well

>apparently Luna would contact her after our interviews and tell her everything, just to get it out of the way

>Gifts were most of the typical young boy stuff you'd expect

>Mom had gotten an aerodynamic flight suit

>she gave Dash a Griffin made shield

>I gave them a hoof made card, with a doodle of them Getting married

>with Dash as the groom Mom as the bride

>Dash got a good chuckle out of it

>Mom thinks she may need to give me "The Talk" ASAP

>Good times

>Tonights dream, Luna visits, usual well wishing, but then

>she tells me, Mom cant be left in the dark forever, not after Twilight tells her friends, which she says is soon....

>Hearts and Hooves day

>AKA Shipping Intensifies, day

>seriously though it was mostly friend level stuff

>Pinkie was here with the Cake Twins, Their parents on a date

>Mom was trying to see if she had a date of her own

>Even with the bridges repaired Pinkie still always had Mom on edge

>can't really blame her

>and then Pinkie found my doodles of Mom and Dash

>she got a good laugh out of it, to Mom's embarrassment

>She Looked at me, I was caught with my smirk on

>Over the year she was catching on to how smart I was

>she didn't know the truth, but she knew full well that I was a wily one

>This Joke was getting stale in her eyes

>Dash always found it flattering that I saw her as family

>Mom would just blush, or laugh nervously

>Now Pinkie had seen this

>well her anger was beginning show

>Mom's scary when she's angry

>Pinkie, having learned a lot about her, promptly stopped laughing and apologize

>with the mood calming Mom gave the usual explanation about my naivety, which she at this point no longer believed herself

>Dash arrived soon after, she and Mom left to hang out, Pinkie nearly letting the obvious joke slip her mouth, but stifling it just in time.

>Pinkie took me and the Twins back to sugar cube

>She after releasing the kids into their room, she sat me down and said

>"You're pushing you're luck Squirt, You don't want to give Gilda a shock, what if this make her realize no kid is that witty?"

>My eye's bug out

>"No I'm not psychic, Twilight told me, and Applejack, and Fluttershy, and Rarity, and Spike, and Rainbow Dash"

>This did not comfort me, they KNEW, and now Rainbow knew I wasn't just being ignorant when I made those jokes

>....

>Well I knew that I was cutting down on the shipping jokes from now on

>a week later, Dash Volunteers to watch me

>We're alone

>We both know the other knows

>She looks at me with uncharacteristic seriousness

>then she smiles

>and hands me some paper and pen

>motor skills have gotten better, and we have communication now!

>well I try to let her know I didn't mean anything by it other than the part where I saw her as family

>she told me she was actually cool with it, she and Mom already knew what they were and nothing was going to change that (what they were she never explained to me, She's taunting me I know it)

>we hung out, played some pranks, read some Daring Do

>She told me that after getting over the shock, she was mad at Twilight for being such a blabber mouth, Fluttershy and Rarity were just flat out curious

>Pinkie I already knew as enthusiastic about such an exotic friend

>Only Applejack was suspicious, wondering if I was some new extra-dimensional changeling

>no that doesn't make sense, AJ just can't trust anyone who lies as long as I did

>She and Twilight really need to understand discretion

>Dash, just felt like making sure I stopped those jokes after she knew I was being deliberate

>She really is a bro

>next day, Mom is off with family, needing to explain shit to them and ease them into the situation, she'll be here with them at 6

>the six and spike are watching me for the day at one of their usual picnics

>AJ is eyeballing me, Twilight feels more at liberty to talk

>Spike seems to be the one who gets me right now, understands than under all the alien-ness, I'm just a guy

>Rarity and Flutters ask me questions, Twilight tries to take the load off by answering for me, but they assume she's being rude, they'd rather read it from me

>No matter how many times I tell them It's okay

>Pinkie is trying to ask what I want for my birthday

>then AJ asks the question I stopped asking too long ago

>"How the hey did'ya get here?"

>as the time for me to meet Mom's Family loomed closer, I found myself questioning again

>How DID I get here?

>Why am I here, did I die and get reincarnated?

>am I dreaming?

>What about my original family?

>But I had to save it for later, bring the question up for Luna.

>Mom was here to pick me up, and she felt that this should be between family

>Mom's Family reunion was eventful

>her Doting and embarrassing mother, Stella, Her eccentric father Iroh, or should that be Grandma and Grandpa

>and her sister/my aunt Grizelda, a perky little ball of fur and feather that reminded me of Scootaloo with a hint of Babs's bite to her

>overall the parents were happy to see me and we generally being friendly to her, talking at length to catch up with her recent events, the reconciliation I instigated was news to them and triggered some hugs

>Grizelda idolized her older sibling, so seeing her 180 on Dash again was confusing her deeply "Make up your mind! How can I write who the villains in your autobiography are if you keep going back to being friends with them!?"

>Grandma and Grandpa were wondering if it was fate, given that it was when she found me that she started changing her outlook

>maybe it was.....

>but enough of naval contemplation for the moment

>Grizelda had been feeding Mom a lot of praise thru her life

>not all without merit, Mom's a skilled flyer and one tough cookie

>she showed me a photo from a claw to claw fight she had with a Manticore as if I didn't know the last part

>but she seemed to be one of the roots of her ego

>she looked at me with scrutiny as they all mused at me catalyzing her reconnections

>it seemed that Mom in her anger had fed her a lot of bad talk about Dash and company

>seeing her "flip flop" on the matter because of me had her very suspicious

>but I was wondering how many friends Grizelda had

>but before things could get heated it was time for us to go back home

>I looked forward to sleeping, I had questions to run by Luna