//------------------------------//
// chapter 2 the farmers 
// Story: Tales Of The Gargoyle King 
// by discordjediknight 
//------------------------------//

The horse seemed to fly past the trees, seemingly going faster than they headed out. Melody could feel the horse run as if in a panic. "WoAh, woah calm down." She tried to control it but it wouldn't stop at all. 
Melody rode her hose all the way home. She didn't mean to stay out that long, and the sun was begging its slow descent. As she got back to the little cottage, she pulled back on the horse, who stood on two legs and neighed at the sight of the cottage. She thought the horse would stop. But the horse ran right past the cottage.
"Hay, where are you going!?" Shouted melody. The horse didn't respond and kept running.
"Home is that way, you crazy beast." She pulled on the ropes trying to get it to turn around. It frantically whirled its head back, slapping Melody with its long ear. It then continued to gallop until it reached the farmlands a little ways away from home.

He finally stopped and flung his head back with a cry.
"Woah, woah. Hay!" she petted the horse's main. "Hay, what's all the excitement about? It is not often you get this exciting Flash." 
The horse jumped, aging as if it was in a panic, flinging melody off its back.
"Hay, what did you do that for?! Melody complained as she stood up, rubbing the back of her head.
Suddenly, she heard someone call out to her.
Melody, Melody over here! 
She turned to find Big Mac Apple, the farmer closest to her home, standing just outside his house.
"Oh, I'm sorry, sir. My horse wouldn't…"
"Come quickly, Melody. Come. " Big mac cried out. "Quickly."
Melody's eyes grew as she raised an eyebrow. The tension in Big Mac's voice made things seem like something was wrong. She grabbed the horse by its ropes, leading it closer to the house before she headed inside.
The moment she got in, her heart sank at the sight. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
Big Mac's wife and sister were tending to Melody's mother. She lay barely moving on the couch. Other than a dreadful cough. It was only then did she opened her eyes and saw her daughter.
"Oh. Hi honey." She coughed aging, this time louder than before. "How was your birthday?" She smiled softly at her daughter. As if nothing was wrong with her at all. As if the scene Melody found herself in was a happy one.
Melody shook her head. "Mother, what happened?"
"Oh, I'm fine, really I am. You know how the cold bothers me. I was getting some milk from big mac when…" she coughed a few times. "When my illness crept up on me. I promise you I'm fine. Tho I did not make you supper, I'm afraid."
"Oh now, don't you worry about that…" a cowgirl in a brown hat said, with a heavy country accent. "Why she can have some of ours, there's plenty left over."
"Thank you AJ". Melody's mother told her. 
"Any time."  Said the other lady. 
Sugar Bell mind helping me in the kitchen? Big Mac's wife got up with a nod. She patted melody on the shoulder reassuringly as she followed her sister-in-law out of the room.
MMelody was benign to shake a little, trying to hold back tears whelping inside her. She wanted to walk over to her mother and hug her. But she was frozen from the waist down.
With another bad cough, her mother rolled her head away from her. "Come, you need to eat, and your mother needs to rest. You're more than welcome to stay here the night." Big mac told her. "It's best not to move her till the morning."





Later on, that night, melody did not go to sleep. Instead, she crawled onto the roof of Apple's home and sat staring at the moon. She looked over and could see flash the horse with its head drooped down as if he reflected her own emotions back at her. She didn't know why or how. But somehow it was as if flash knew her mother would be ill. She remembered how only a few hours ago, the horse practically yelled at her as if he wanted to leave the forest right away.
She then thought back to moments of her mother when she was younger. It seemed strange, but she never questioned it. Her mother would always sing and dance around the little cottage and yard, and the animals would follow her. Whenever an animal had a hurt leg or a problem, she seemed to instantly know. Melody growing up would also often watch as her mother would sit there with a cup of tea and talk to either the hens or flash as if they could really talk back to her. As if she could understand every word. The giggling smile on her face came into view on Melody's mind, and soon it was replaced by the coughing sound coming from inside the house. Reality setting back in.

Melody could not sleep, not while her mother showed signs of such illness. Then aging, she thought back. There wasn't a time she could remember when her mother wasn't working herself to the bone. She worked herself until she was ill and had to rest. No doubt, her mother was a workaholic. And not in a good way.
She heard the front door open up and didn't react. She sat there, quiet as can be as she heard two people walk out. By the sound of the voices, it was Big Mac and his sister Jacky Apple.
"I fear she's getting worse," AJ told her brother. A grumble could be heard from him as he sat down in a rocking chair on the porch. "Winter is only a week away. The first snowfall will be harsh on her. In her state, I don't know how shell survive through winter. Especially not in that tiny, cold cottage."

"I'll call for her doctor in the morning." Big Mac said.
"The little town doctor wouldn't be enough. I fear not even doctor Hooves from Canterlot would be able to save her." She sighed, half choked on a cry. "If only Melody's father were here. With a snap of his fingers, her mother would be right s reign." 
"I"… big nodded.  "He was a powerful man. With a good heart. I miss my old friend dearly. We all do."  
Melody could hear whimpers of AJ. 
"Look sis, ill ride to Canterlot. Maybe there will be someone who could…"
And with what money? We barely have enough food to last us through winter. We have nothing to sell and no gold to trade."
Melody's heart began to sink deeper into her stomach. "No gold to trade," she whispered to herself. Then an idea came to her. "No gold to trade!" she said out loud. Alerting big Mack and AJ to her presence.
She jumped off the roof, landing on her feet. "We may not have a lot, but we do have gold to trade., or at least a rare metal." She ran inside the house, leaving the two adults in confusion. She quickly went to her mother and gently took her mom's ring from her finger. Her mom only snored in response.

She rubbed the ring with her thumb. It had an odd symbol on one side. A small turquoise-colored diamond cut like a butterfly. On the other. It was a black metal ring and looked hand forged by the finest metalworkers to ever lived. Not a speck of imperfection anywhere. The question was, tho. What metal was used to forge it? And how much would it be worth?
"What are you thinking?" Uttered AJ in a whisper. Furious and confused.
Melody smiled and headed back outside to let her mom sleep. AJ followed. 
"The ring. If I travel to canterlot perhaps I could trade it for some help."
"That ring won't be enough. AJ told her.
"Maybe not, Doctor Hooves. But surely there are a lot of good Doctors in the kingdom. I'll find one and bring them home."  She then ran over and got on the back of flash. 
Big Mac shook his head.
"You're crazy going all the way to Canterlot…" shouted AJ
"Got any better ideas?" 
To that, the two stood quiet. After a moment of silence, melody spoke up, aging. "I have a week till winter comes. If I leave now, I might be able to be back in two days' time. Flash is no ordinary horse. He's the fastest that ever lived. Hell, get there. I'm going to go home and get some supplies. I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise." she then looked at the ring aging. "Father can save her. One last time"

AJ knew she couldn't argue or stop Melody. She just shook her head at first. But nodded." On one condition. Do not use your talents unless it's an emergency. Many of those in canterlot fear magic. They have since the beginning of the endless war that ended before you were born. You must be swift and careful.
Melody nodded to that and set course for home. She ran inside and lit a small lantern lighting the room. She quickly packed her bag up with food and other equipment she might need for camping. She was running so fast that she bumped into the shelf, knocking over a book and her lantern. Creating a little fire.

She ran over to the kitchen, grabbed some water with a bowl and tossed it on the flames. She waited till the flames went out, breathing heavily. It was the first time since the idea popped into her head that she had a moment to breathe. She stepped closer to the fire before it went out. And in its light, she saw the book she knocked over. She read in plain English the words. Gargoyle King. It had a childish drawing of a gargoyle on it. She picked it up and stared at it till the light went out completely, leaving her in the dark. The only light was the moonlight spilling in from the open door.

She finally set the book in her bag and set off to canterlot.