Griffon of Canterlot
Chapter 52 – Check Up and Thoughtful Recap
Gale sat in his room painting the cut out pieces to place on the large model floating island, with Gilda gone home, Luna asleep, Shining Armor doing his duty as captain of the guard and his mum Celestia with Cadance working as princesses of the land, Sunbeam or the other guard didn't even count since their job is to do with protecting the castle, the citizens of the city and the royal family, this left Gale with no one to interact with.
Gale finished painting to model fountain placing it down on the table to dry out, he pick up a card box model of a cable car and string, he flies above the island model using his talons to tie them in at the island ground level to the near top of the city with the cable car resting through the string in mid air.
Flying back a bit he nod in approval that it was in the right place, he flew around picking up already dried out pieces, looking over to the noticeboard stand, he took a good look at where to place them, one by one they were placed. “Good good!” He lands on all fours with a glee seeing that the hard work was paying off piece by piece.
Gale went over to the comic books of Pistol's Misadventures, jumping onto the beanbag cushion he took one getting comfortable on it shifting around on it, he open up the comic to read and look at the pictures, after about a few hours past a knock of the door came and his ears twitched to that direction of the doors. “Yes?” He called out to the door.
A guard open the door. “Doctor Trace is here for your check up Prince Gale, shall I let him in?” Gale nods, the guard step back and the blue macaw griffon wearing a doctor's coat fit for a griffon carrying a doctor's bag with one talon walking on the other three limbs entered.
“Hello Prince Gale, how have you been?” Trace asked, Gale wonder for a second to recall the Changeling crystal that Trace wears when he a griffon.
Gale responded with a groan with a fake yawn.
Trace smirked placing down the bag opening it up as Gale put the comic down and came over. “I am going to say your bored, am I close?” Gale nods sitting down before him. “From today every other Friday I be doing a general check up on you and your mother requested it.” Gale tilt his head a little.
“Check... Erm... Normal?”
“Yes, pretty much the case and all I'll be doing is... Checking your wings, talons, paws, beak, ears, temperature, magic and heart rate, which is basic stuff for a griffon part from the magic, that usually a unicorn thing but since you have magic it part of your case.” As Doctor Trace said that he set out on the table a stethoscope, touch, plastic flat stick, chart with quill and ink well, tape measure, thermometer and a few disposable gloves.
Gale wasn't exactly sure what all these stuff going to be used for this check up, but he trusts Doctor Trace. “Okay, do stuff check.”
Doctor Trace put the gloves on standing on his paws only, he walked on them using his wings as counter balance with his tail as the blue griffon gentle grab Gale's wing. “Now open up your left wing.” Gale did so and Trace pulled it out fully, he rubbed the gloved talons over the main limb to the wings checking the feathers. “I see you been preening, Gilda taught you?”
“Yes.” Gale nods. “She say normal.”
“Indeed specially for those that have feathered wings like you, me and the Pegasi.” Trace confirmed. “They very strong and healthy too.” He take the tape measurer pulling it across the top of Gale's wing taking account the wingspan. “Good wingspan Gale.” He let go of the wing. “You can close your wing back up and open your right one.” Gale did so.
Doctor Trace repeats the same test on the right wing. “You can close the other wing up I am done with checking your wings.” Gale close it up resting against his side. “Now...” He walk over in front of Gale taking the stick in one talon and the touch in the other. “Now say ahhh.”
“Ahhhh.” Gale open his beak up.
Trace put the plastic stick on the tongue pushing it down and shining the touch inside taking a look around the beak, from gum to teeth, part of the throat to the inner part of the beak. “Strong healthy beak you got there.” He remove the stick.
Gale close and open his beak a few times shifting the muscles around lapping his tongue. “Strange... Weird...”
“It is but you did a good job cub.” Trace moved next to the ears, grabbing one of them he shine the light down the inner parts. “Your really are in tip top shape, best I seen for a griffon.” He checks the other ear before he turn the touch off putting it down. “Now for the talons, please raise your left first and once I am down follow with the right okay?”
Gale nods lifting up his left talon up to Trace as he step up around in front of Gale once more.
Trace remove the gloves and put them in a plastic bag, he put on another pair and feel the talon from the palm to the claws up to the tips, Gale shift slightly feeling it was a bit ticklish to the touch from the gloves. “Strong, firm and sharp, next.” Gale raise his right and same result from the touching. “Reaction normal, that good.” He let go.
Gale rubbed his talons against each other feeling not the same reaction to touch from Trace.
“Now for your paws, you going to need to lay down, this may cause you to react either uncomfortable, laugh, nothing happen or you flinch and snort with laughter.” Gale nervously shift with a shake of his head. “Prince Gale I have to do this, your claws and pads are another major part of a griffon, when you land on a tree branch you feel stable right?” Gale nods slightly. “That because of your claws both on talons and paws.”
Trace shows shifting his right hind leg in view, Gale watch the claws come out between the toe tip and back into the fur. “Ooooh.” Gale slap his forehead feeling silly that he forgot that his paws had retractable claws.
Trace chuckled. “We all forget the simplest of things cub.” Gale laughed too.
Gale lay down on his side slightly with both paws to the right, Trace grab one and Gale tries not to laugh but fails, as he does and try to kick away, Trace wrestled with the strong kicks managing to hold the hind leg in place to press on the pad causing the claws to come out, after checking he let go with the claws retracting.
The teen stop laughing and shaking his hind legs a bit to get the strange ticklish feeling away from the pads, he sat back up wiping away some tears with a smile breathing heavily a bit, it felt weird from the touch and laughable all in one.
“Nice reflex, reaction as expected with the sensitivity to paw pads from touch and claws look good, the pads also good and healthy.” Trace writes down the results on the clipboard chart, he pick up the thermometer. “Now I am going to put this partly in your beak, don't clench your teeth okay?”
Gale nods and Trace put it in.
Trace put on the stethoscope, placing the tips into his ears. “Now I am going to put this round part on your chest, this will let me hear your heart beat and while we wait for temperature to stablize on the read out, breathe normally okay?”
“Okay.”
Trace place the round part on his chest hearing the steady heart beats coming from within Gale. “Nice strong heart beat.” He remove the stethoscope from his ears placing it down, taking the thermometer to see what it says. “39.9 C, that a nice temperature for a griffon, the avenge is about 39.5c to 41.5c, you are as from all tests so far perfect in every way as I ran tests on you when we first met.” Trace checked the results he wrote down.
Gale sat up. “Good?”
“It is good youngster, now for the last test on your magic.” Trace pull the gloves off putting them in the bag. “Now I want you to hold this clear crystal and let your magic flow around it okay?” Trace pulled out a case and open it to show a clear crystal in it, he give it to Gale.
Gale close his talon around it and focus the magic to burst around it.
Trace tap a claw a few times. “Stop.” Gale did so and gave it to Trace, the blue griffon took a good look at it. “Hmm... Impressive, you see it turn white with these bluish white wavy lines in it?” Gale took a good look seeing the pattern. “The reason the crystal turn white with these bluish white lines means your magic is around for a unicorn level is high, it most likely to do with what happened with the whole thing in the past.”
Gale rubbed one foreleg with the other talon feeling a bit uncomfortable about that moment, he only knew about it because he was told, the memories were still very scrambled. “Magic... try force out me...”
Trace sighed. “Yes... Grogar tried and failed thanks to Grifiax Boreas.” Trace put the crystal back into the case closing it. “I believe that everything, I got other rounds to make back at the hospital, it a good thing everypony use to my form switching now.” He chuckled lightly packing away the stuff.
“Same... Next week?” Gale tilt his head.
Trace pick up the bag walking towards the doors. “No it be about every two weeks Prince Gale, so not next Friday but the following one.” Gale nods in understandment watching the blue griffon head to the door, open it and exit out of Gale's bedroom with the door closing behind.
Gale walk up to his bed jumping onto it, he pick up the plush leaning backwards to lay down holding out his plush above in front of the ceiling view. “Hello Gale plush, it been five weeks coming six hasn't it?” Gale spoke in thought to his plush, making it do a nod motion.
“Thinking back to the first two weeks, it seem that it all happened in a day, not much to remember part from fear, caution, eat, sleep, protect you at all costs and erm... Business stuff.” Gale turn his head slightly looking over at the window next to his bed stand. “Mum teleporting those tickets triggered something in my mind, I suddenly could think, feel and remember.”
Gale roll to his side placing the plush on the bed holding it with his right talon making it do a nod and cover it face with the talon.
The teen laughed a little. “Yeah I was so scared of magic when I didn't know what it was, I was terrified of mum and Captain Shiny, all I thought of escape and did that through the whole in the roof, I reacted with running around the castle scared out of my mind.”
The plush he moved the talon over in a embarrassing stance.
“Hey it not my fault I didn't know anything!” Gale turn on his back pushing up to sit up and held up the plush up. “Also that when I had a real memory from my past, how mum told me that it was Grogar, something dark and evil that wanted the pure magic that part of me.” Gale put one talon on his chest, he put the plush talon over it.
Gale smiled at his plush. “I know Plush Gale, we travelled through time because Griffax Boreas was a test subject to Grogar with my magic, learning from that he figured out how to use a transfiguration spell... The very one that ripped me apart to take every inch of magic from me.” Gale jump off the bed pushing open the window, standing on his paws with one talon on the window seal holding the plush with the other talon looking out to the land.
“If it wasn't for Griffax surging the artefacts to a explosive end to Grogar's reign I wouldn't even be alive or maybe alive in a different way, I am a pure griffon now and that can't restore me to whom I once were, I might not be the me I was once but I am the me that is now.” Gale turn to his plush resting it on the window side rubbing his talon over the plushy feathers.
Gale pick his plush up from it pushing off to flap his wings hovering around the island model. “I can bearly recall that I was once something that didn't have wings or even magic, how could I be with magic on the mountain that fell from the sky? What happened to cause me to be there? How a mountain fell from a sky? They are many questions I might get answers for in time.”
Gale raise the plush up holding it again with both talons out in front. “When Greystorm came...”Gale made the plush lower to giver the eyes a sort of eye look up glare. “Yeah I don't like him much either but we need to try to forgive him slowly, being anger consume you and look what it did to Shen even in a dream adventure, his own greed and anger consumed him... Do you want me to be like that?”
Gale place his talon on the chest making the plush shake it head.
“My thoughts exactly, I will learn to control this magic that Greystorm awoke in me, I won't let it control me.” Gale open the free talon out in front letting a magical form appear over it, closing the talon up it fades. “Without control I could harm others, you don't want that Plush Gale, right?” Gale made it nod in agreement to what Gale thought to himself.
Gale land on the bed sitting cross leg putting the plush between his hindlegs looking down at it. “You, my bandanna with the leg bands and that photo you hold is the last true remains of my past, we will figure this out together with mum and my family.” Gale lean down taking the picture out looking at the dog on it. “Together.” He fold it back up putting it back in the vest of the plush.
The teenager reach over to the bed stand pulling the draw open and taking out a book, on the cover it had in griffish 'Gale's Memories Scrapbook'. Gale place the plush beside him putting the book down on his lap, opening it up he looked at the photos inside. “Oh oh this one was taken when I gave Gilda a big hug, she like a sister to me, she maybe a bit grouchy on the outside but inside Gilda has good heart, really good heart.” Gale move his talon over it looking over to the plush beside him.
Gale hummed thinking about Gilda. “Gilda from a city called Griffonstone, she go home there every weekend and recently helped me out to show a light within Discord, also telling mum, aunty Luna an Discord out too, maybe her meany side just a act to be tough? Do you think?” Gale made the plush raise the forelegs up in a motion of 'I do not know' expression.
Gale decided to move on to the next photo coming up to the anthropomorphic cat.
“That one is Amber, she Doctor Trace's wife a erm... A-abyssinia I think they are called, some sort of big cat that stand on hind paws and their forepaws are like my talons, yet they don't walk on-” He laughed. “You want to know about Amber right Plush Gale?” He made it nod. “Okay! She really know her words and how to use it to work on her favour, also work for mum as an anti-scammer officer and Gilda even worked with her!”
Gale rubbed the underside of his beak. “Oh.” He move the talon away poking the next photo. “That the changeling Octicovix, she appearing as Pistol the fictional character in my favourite comics that mum got me.” Gale smiled warmly at the sight of the photo of her with him and Spike. “That was last weekend, Spike came over and we started working on the island of Flaputa, Spike is a dragon maybe older or young than me... Not sure on that one.”
Gale stared at the photo and looked over to the island model. “Either way he stayed and slept over here, that his bed over there!” Gale point over to the basket bed. “Some reason Spike like to sleep in a basket bed, if it like that I can't complain, just wonder why he like that over a bed.” Gale rubbed his feathered head. “He like a big little brother to me though.”
Gale flip over the next page seeing Cadance and Shining Armor photos. “Plush Gale, they took me to the library here at home the castle, the books I read there I learned so much and also they the reason I got my name, I picked it but without them I guess mum could of picked it.” He look down at the plush. “What do you think mum would of called me?” No response. “Hehe yeah, I get it.”
The photo he look at next was of Blue Star. “That Blue Star, one of the first guards I saw, that one there is Flash Sentry, they both did something amazing too! Blue Star took my ripped clothing and turn them into these awesome bandanna and leg bands!” Gale pull on the bandanna slightly and raise his hind leg showing off the leg band to the plush. “Flash Sentry before Sunbeam came was my first guard, he kept with me and kept a eye out for me, I wonder what he and Blue Star are up to at the mo.” Gale tap the tip of his beak thinking about the two guards.
Gale turn the page over looking at Trace both pony and griffon. “Hehe, that Doctor Trace, he always been looking out for my health, he was just here checking me over, Trace got into a mishap with the transfiguration spell he discovered that Grogar used on me, it now turn him from pony to griffon and back again, something about the pure magic part of him now mixing around with his own magic.” Gale scratched the side of his face slightly.
Gale turn to the photo of Luna. “Aunty Luna I got to know with a dream link, since than I wanted to know more about dream abilities, mum gave me a renewed book from Aunty Luna, I learned so much from that book and how my imagination powers the magic of Dream Walking...” Gale crossed his forelegs humming with a thoughtful looking.
“It isn't pure magic, does that mean I got two forms of magic and why Aunty Luna look like she drop the moon on mum after discovering that I could do what she could do?” Gale closed his eyes thinking deeply. “Aunty Luna taught me how to not misuse it and that when I come of age I get to go to others dreams and help them, she did say I could go with her after my birthday to see how she works in others dreams.”
Gale turn to the calender. “I wonder when my birthday is? Is it soon or has it past?” He gave the plush a confused shrug motion. “Yeah I am confused too, oh well one step at a time right?” He made it nod. “Cool we in a agreement.” Gale laughed a little.
The latest photo made him pause, it was the one he took of Discord's statue. “Di-Discord... I am wary of him at first from the past he admitted, mum and Aunty Luna said about too.” Gale ran his talon over the photo gentle. “Than we had that four day dream adventure in Kung Fu Adventure, gained a new protector for Dream Cavern Alpha, he and Blue get along pretty well and Discord I think was too, but when he was given the option he choose to return to stone, why? I keep asking myself... Why?” Gale sighed closing the book up putting it on top of the stand.
“I guess I find out someday cause mum say he be free in the year, that why I keep this scrapbook, to keep those memories going.” A sudden thought came to mind. “Oh I never got a photo of the griffon that owns the café, the upstairs part for Griffons and Peagsi to eat at! That really have amazing battered fish, maybe when we go there again, I can get a photo of him and the café for my memories scrapbook!” Gale clapped his talons together liking that idea he thought of.
Gale put the plush back down between his hind legs making it do a nod in agreement to that idea.
Gale pat the plushy on the head a few times. “Thanks for listening to me Plush Gale.”
A knock came from the door, Gale turn to it. “Yes?”
The door open and Celestia step in as the doors open. “Son, like to go out for some dinner? I fancy some fish today.” Gale's eyes lit up knowing what she was hinting at.
“Yes!” He jump off the bed closing the window locking it up and flying over to her, he lands, picking up his bag and holding up the plush. “Plush me and me ready!” Gale excited to go and made sure with a pat of the bag to have his camera ready.
Celestia giggled. “It sure looks like.” She put her wing over him turning around.
Gale look down to his plush. “Let's fill more of the Memories Scrapbook shall we?” He made it nod.
“Shall we?” Gale nods to Celestia and they leave for dinner.