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Chapter Three: Going Lame is a Death Sentence
Grey opened his eyes and looked left and right. He raised his head so he could see just above the grass. His ears and mane poked up first. It was late afternoon. All looked quiet.
Okay what first?
Grey followed his tracks away from the tree and back to the palace.
Start with a few mouthfuls of grass and a good run. I’m going to make my running paths my way.
Grey ran along the edge Everfree Forest at a nice gallop. The field narrowed the farther East he went. He turned and ran back toward the palace along the far side of the open earth along the top of the river bank and back to the palace. On his third lap Grey saw movement in the forest right next to him. It was about the right size to be a wolf. Grey ran in a straight line while the shadow in the forest dodged trees and bushes to stay with Grey. Grey kicked something very hard as he ran. He lost his balance and rolled forward. Grey jumped up faced the forest with front legs spread and head down expecting the attack that never came. The forest was quiet except for the usual background sounds. Grey was breathing heavily from the run and the adrenalin. He started to relax. He raised his head and looked around. Nothing. His right fetlock screamed at him. He turned and walked down the centre of the field back to the palace. He walked very slow, trying to cover the limp.
That was stupid. Going lame out here is a death sentence. Like this I’m an easy meal. I couldn’t get back to Ponyville with a broken leg. I’m not too sure how to find it anyway. Luna wouldn’t find me until I was a pile of bones even if she wanted to which I doubt she would. That’s it, get mad at yourself and not scared, predators can smell fear.
Gee, last week you faked a limp looking for attention and today you’re trying to cover it, hoping not to be noticed.
Grey made it back to the flat rock turned around and stood on it. He lifted his right leg off the ground. Grey had had his share of sports injuries he considered himself a little clumsier than most ponies.
Let’s see, rest, cold, compress and elevate. Well, all I can do is rest. I could go down to the river and stand in the cold water. That would require more limping in front of possible predators. Look at how much it’s swollen in a few minutes. Alright stand here and guard. How about some brain exercises? ‘The library game’ teacher taught us. If I could have only three books from the library what would they be? A medical book, a guard pony book and a ‘how to survive in the Everfree Forest’ book. That was easy except the last two don’t exist in the Ponyville library. The Royal Canterlot Library then.
Grey stood there on three legs for over an hour. He started to put weight on his injured leg then started to work the sore joint. Grey noticed something on his run and decided to go investigate. On the North side of the palace where the sod had been removed were four plants that had been uprooted and put on the fresh earth with their roots still exposed. They were half the size of Grey’s head with oval purple leaves and woody stalks. Grey dug a trench in the shadow of the palace with his good foreleg and put the plants in and gently covered the roots with soil. He felt Luna watching him.
Is this what magic feels like?
Grey turned around and looked up. Luna must be behind one of the black windows in the upper part of the palace. Grey bowed formally and looked back to the windows.
“Your majesty, may I make a request?”
Luna thought to herself, He presumes I can hear him. He presumes I will hear his request?
Luna turned from the window and made her way to the front entrance of the palace. Alicorns do not hurry.
Ponies and their requests. Always wanting something. Elder sister held court one a month to hear the requests of her subjects. To Luna it was a never ending line of ponies desiring things. Settling squabbles, overturning court decisions, early parole for a relative, the end of a debt that they caused, wanting to be a Pegasus, a longer life, etc. Celestia always listened patiently and gave a wise decision. That was why this ground pony was here.
The palace doors opened and Luna walked through and across the veranda to look down to Grey.
No point in making it easy for him.
Grey bowed again and looked up at her. She was not wearing her armour, she looked a little smaller and her horn was not as sharp looking. Her mane and tail flowed with the night sky.
“Your majesty it’s going to be a garden isn’t it? The plant’s roots were starting to dry out so I planted them. I hope you don’t mind. I would like to help. May I have a watering can and a shovel?
This pony has no idea of what an alicorn is capable of. I just have to think of a cloud and I have rain for my garden. The plants would have survived until I decided where to plant them anyway.
Grey stood still trying to control his breathing. I’m going to have to get used to talking to her, with her?
After a long moment Grey spoke again. “Perhaps just a watering can? The ground is soft I don’t really need a shovel.”
An old steel watering can clanked loudly next to Grey. Grey jumped at the sound. He bowed. “Thank you your majesty.”
Grey picked up the can by the top handle and walked to the river bank. He stomped down the earth wall breaking it up making it easier to get down to the river. Grey walked into the river and filled the watering can. The cold water felt good on his sore leg. Luna was still on the veranda when Grey returned. He set the can down and picked it up again by the side handle and watered the plants. He watched the water soak into the ground and watered the plants again. Grey set the half full can down next to the palace very aware of Luna watching him. He walked over to the pile of cut sod by the garden. The pieces were mostly different sizes of square or rectangle. Grey found a small piece of sod and picked it up by the grass with his mouth. It was more difficult than he thought it would be. The sod was heavier than he imagined it would be and the grass was tearing out of the sod. Grey’s legs banged against it as he walked toward the forest. There was a ditch a few lengths in the forest where Grey deposited it. Back at the pile of sod Grey tried to find another small piece. No luck. So he tried to get a larger piece on his back, grass down.
Luna appeared in front of him. She was just a little taller than him and looked down at him. Her horn glowed and the sod floated off Grey’s back. It flew through the air to the ditch followed by the rest of the sod pieces. They flew like a line of magic carpets to rest in the ditch.
“Thank you your majesty”.
“Why does thou thank me? Thou art injured, why?”
“I don’t know royal protocol. Teacher always told us to be polite in formal or new situations.” Grey lowered his head. “I tripped running, I’m known for my clumsiness.”
Grey had dirt on his face and back; his hooves were muddy. He kept his bad leg off the ground and tried to hide it behind his good leg.
“And thy name?”
“Um well.”
“Thy hesitates.”
Grey blurted out, “Dusty Miller please call my Grey I’m from Ponyville.”
Ponyville again. The place didn’t even exist until just recently. And now it seemed to be the centre of Equestria. This pony was still covering something up. An outcast from Ponyville?
“Your teacher is correct. Politeness is the basis of protocol. I have my duties to perform.”
With that Luna extended her wings turned away from Grey and flew to the East. She knew she was being short with that pony but he was not being totally straightforward.
If he remains I can question him at my leisure.
Grey walked slowly to his position in front of the palace. The sun set the moon rose. The moon rise was not quite as spectacular as the previous night. Grey noticed something out of the corner of his eye. The palace was glowing. Grey turned around and looked at the palace. The palace was just as bright as the moon. The black windows were now transparent. They were too high for Grey to look into he didn’t want to anyway. He walked around to the back of the palace. Grey expected the moonlight to be streaming out of the back windows but the palace was much too large for that effect. The walls still glowed. Grey walked back to the rock.
“This is nice. I could get used to this as long as I stay alive. More awareness needed.
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Grey woke with the feeling that something was watching him. He knew his breathing had betrayed him. He opened his eyes, turned his head slowly and looked up. Above the grass a lion’s face with fangs was framed in an impressive mane framed by impressive wings. Plus a scorpion stinger was aimed at his throat.
They stared at each other for a long moment.
Grey said, “Hello.” Still no reaction from the Manticore. He stood up slowly and carefully.
“Can I help you?” nothing. Oh well go for broke.
“Why haven’t you eaten me yet?”
The Manticore answered, “Questions.”
“You have questions for me? I will do my best to answer them to the best of my ability.”
“What is this?” the Manticore said looking at the palace.
“This is the palace of Her Majesty Princess Luna.”
The Manticore walked towards it. Grey noted how it had trampled the grass in front of the tree exposing his hiding place.
Oh well, every predator in the forest can probably smell my sent anyway.
Grey walked next to the Manticore. Its chest muscles moved causing a ripple of muscle to go through its body and legs.
“Why here?” it said flatly.
Grey knew that every species had its own way of talking. The cows had their way, the buffalo their own. It had nothing to do with intelligence.
Grey responded,“I think The Princess put it here for the view of the moon rise. We’re not allowed to touch it.”
“Why?”
“Well she just told me not to touch it. I don’t know what she wants the forest creatures to do.”
They walked together to the plot. The Manticore stared at the bear soil.
“It’s a garden. We plant our favourite plants in it.”
“You don’t even hunt your plants.” It said mater-of-factly.
They continued to walk around the palace. Grey wanted to impress the Manticore but couldn’t think of anything to say. They had returned to the front of the palace. The Manticore looked at the palace and at Grey. “This is the place of the young Manticore learning to fly and any young learning to fly.”
So that’s it. I’d talk like that too if I had a mouth full of daggers, Thought Grey
“Can I ask you some questions?”
The Manticore continued to look at Grey.
“What do you eat?”
“Meat, you’re made of meat.”
“Then why haven’t you eaten me?”
“I have questions.”
Grey asked. “What do I do if I come across a cockatrice?
“Don’t bother it. If you want to eat it you must bite its head off from behind and not look at it. Venom is too slow. It is a wasteful creature, it turns meat to stone.”
And finally the question Grey was dying to ask the moment he saw the Manticore.
“Are you the Manticore that had the thorn that was pulled out by a yellow and pink pony? And why didn’t you pull it out and tell me everything about her, I mean it?”
“The thorn was the Princess of the Night. She made it known to me that it was necessary.”
With that the Manticore turned and galloped down the field. After a few paces it had built up enough speed to start beating its wings. The wind from the wings blew down the grass. With a great flap and push from its legs it leaped into the air. It flew in a straight line until it was above the tree line then turned and disappeared.
Well that was impressive.
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