//------------------------------//
// 2- In the House 
// Story: The Tragedy of Lisistrata and Goffredo 
// by Daxn 
//------------------------------//

Goffredo was slightly moaning in pain, while getting carried to a First Aid Post. 

Since he woke up, he witnessed many weird things: first of all, the sole fact that he woke up in the middle of a marsh full of flowers of various colors, and young grass, rather than in the moist basement of his house in Pietrasanta, was a surprise: in fact, if it wasn't for the pain that he felt while moving, Goffredo would have thought that he was dreaming.

Then, the fact that he was found by two weird horses: one of them was only a little smaller than the average horse, with wings and a blond mane; the other was of the same size of him, was lavender and had a horn on its head. 

And, mostly surprisingly for Goffredo, those horses were, actually, sapient: he had heard them talk between each other, and with him. After realizing that he wasn't having auditory hallucinations, he listened to the conversation between the two horses: as far he could gather, they were sisters, and the older one was called "Derpy", while the younger's name was "Dinky".

Goffredo was, at first, stunned by the sight of horses talking, and having limbs that they weren't supposed to have. However, knowing that, if he hesitated too much, it was likely that they were going to leave him in the marsh, and forcing him to scavenge food and stuffs and got around with a broken leg, Goffredo overcame his surprise, and, while faking panic, he asked for help to Derpy. Now the child was grabbing the back's fur of Derpy, and waiting for the arrival to the hospital: while he was waiting, the child looked down, watching a small passing under him, and, for what Goffredo could tell, the 90% of the buildings was made in XVIII century style : the remaining structures were simply too odd to explain rationally.

After five minutes, Derpy slowly landed in front of a glass door, with a sign above saying "First Aid Post": Goffredo sighed at the sight, and felt relieved.

The gray mare, with the boy on her back, rushed in the empty waiting room... for then crash on the row of wooden seats in the hurry: Derpy got a pair of chairs on the back, while Goffredo was violently thrown on the white ceramic floor of the hospital. Clearly, the impact with the ground didn't make Goffredo feel better, in terms of pain: his broken hit again something of hard; his chin made contact with the ceramic of the floor; and his torso full of painful bruises erupted again in a surge of powerful suffering.

Overwhelmed by the sensory overload, the child let out of his lungs a scream.

"MAREMMAMAIALAILDOLORE!": that was the cry of pain that came from Goffredo, who started to breathe heavily after screaming that.

The cry, for obvious reasons, attracted someone... better, somepony: a white mare with a nurse cap on her head, and her mane gathered in a bun; an orange stallion with a white coat, and black glasses; and another brown, fat, stallion, with a bundle of keys around his neck.

The orange stallion was the first to enter in the room, by busting the door, and running in.

"Who needs my help ?"

At the hammy statement of the orange doctor, Goffredo facepalmed, and said: "I am here, and I need medical attention."

The medic said: "Alright let me s..."

As soon the doctor realized that Goffredo wasn't a pony, and so did the other two ponies n the room, the three had different reactions.

The nurse, realizing who was the speaker and his conditions, looked at the boy with a look of pity, and she carefully went near him, as Goffredo was asleep.

The surprise of the orange stallion was soon followed by curiosity: he also went near the boy, but without the carefulness of the colleague mare.

The janitor was a disgusted by the look of Goffredo, and exited from the room with backwards steps, saying: "I don't want to get involved in the mess that it's going to happen. Goodbye."


Goffredo somehow expected the reaction of the janitor, but he was thrown off by the reaction of the other two: instead of be shocked, or outright panic, they just went near him calmly. Maybe because Goffredo was curled up in a ball, and had his voice crack one or two times during his talking; maybe because they were sure that he was perfectly harmless; or some other reason totally unknown to Goffredo.

When the nurse reached the boy, she placed herself at ground level, and asked with a soothing voice:

"So.. what is your name ? Where it hurts ? What happened ?"

Goffredo answered: "My name is Goffredo Carboni, and I think that I am crippled by a broken leg, over to have several bruises on my torso", the boy got off his shirt for show his bruise-filled body, leaving the mare speechless, "all because I was clubbed by my aunt."

The mare just stared blankly at the boy, while the medic spoke with Derpy about where she had found him, and the conditions of Goffredo: Derpy told the story of how Goffredo was found.

After gathering all the information, the medic said with a sad tone of voice: "We aren't technically equipped, not trained for deal with creatures like this..."

Goffredo sighed, and finished for the doctor the sentence: "You should see a vet, ma'am. Understood", then pointed at Derpy "come on, pick me up, and carry me."

At the perspicacity of the boy, the medic bowed his head, and said: "What Goffredo said. Now, please, Nurse Redheart...": the nurse nodded, and proceeded to lift the boy, for place him on Derpy's back.

"Well, sorry Goffredo, but we can't help you." said the mare to Goffredo: the latter just answered "It's ok. I was expecting that."

And the gray mare, helped by the white mare, took Goffredo on his back, and exited from the structure. Out of the structure, there was a panting Dinky struggling for running at the entrance of the hospital: as soon she saw that her mother and Goffredo were going out from the structure, however, she facehoofed, and said: "Whatever. I'm going home, mom.", and ran away.

After shrugging Dinky's running, Derpy took off the ground.

While in flight, Goffredo thought what to do next, since the doctors refused to treat him: just let him examined by a vet, or get to the home of the mare, and fix it by himself ?

Then Goffredo remembered the time that the clock in the hospital signed: one o'clock post meridian.

As far Goffredo knew, at that time, the only medical facility open was the hospital: since the medics there refused to help him, Goffredo had only one option.

So he asked casually to Derpy:

"So, what's the plan ?"

"I am going to bring you to the vet, since the hospital rejected us. Why ?"

The boy said a with a tone of false disinterested: "Because, while I was on the floor, I've seen what time it was..."

The gray mare asked interested: "And what time it was ?"

"The one o'clock post meridian, ma'am Derpy. I think that we won't find it open: let's get to your home, and let me try to heal myself."

Derpy rotated her head, and watched Goffredo confused: she wasn't expecting such a request by Goffredo, since he was claiming to be dying, when she found him in the marsh. Surely, he could not have healed in such a short time, especially from a fatal injury !

"Wait... when you were in he marsh, you claimed to be dying... why you say that I can carry you to my home ? I surely cannot heal you !"

"I was lying, Derpy. It was a way to get you help. However, I'm not faking a broken leg, not the bruises, but I have a plan for that."

Derpy kept asking, this time with more interest: "And if you were faking to be gravely injured, why you asked to be brought to the hospital ?"

Goffredo facepalmed: "Because it was safer to get my leg splinted by professionals, rather than me, ignorant kid. However, if the doctors don't help me, then it's a case of 'Do it yourself' medication."

Derpy nodded... and crashed int a tree, shooting out Goffredo, and sending him on a branch: once again, Goffredo screamed in pain. After screaming, Goffredo crawled to the gray mare, stuck into a hole in the tree, and said:

"Next time, pay more attention. This accident could have killed me.", then he propelled himself onto Derpy's back, and, while he was on Derpy's back, he helpt his carried to pull her head out from the tree.

After doing that, no more accidents happened: Derpy flew carefully to her home, a rectangular brick house that resembled a "casa cantoniera".

Landing in front of the simple wooden door, Derpy knocked the door, and said:

"Honey, I am I: please, open the door."

Few seconds later, the door opened with a squeak, revealing a figure of a light brown stallion with a dark brown mane.

"Honey ! You are home ! Where you have been for so long ?" asked the stallion to Derpy.

"I was at the market with Dinky... until we met a 'special guest'."

The stallion inclined his head, and asked quizzically:

"'Special Guest' ? Who is ?"

Derpy rotated her head, and made sign to Goffredo to show up: the boy complied, and moved himself towards the head of the gray mare for show himself to the stallion.

The brown stallion changed his expression from curiosity, to worry.

"Are you sure it's safe to carry him in, Derpy ? Remember the last time we gave home to an animal ?"

Goffredo answered a bit offended: "Well, I am technically an animal, but I'm sapient just like you. So, don't worry about the integrity of your house: I can control myself. Rather, do you have bandages, two wooden beams, and two canes ?"

"That's true, my beloved husband. He is pretty nice and polite. I think we can have him in our house for a while."

The stallion stood for few seconds in a contemplative pose, before shrugging, and letting Goffredo in.

"A while” thought Time Turner, "I don't think I can afford his upkeep."


"About the beams, the bandages, and the canes: yes I do have them. Why ?"

The boy asked Derpy to drop him off on the couch, and, while lying down, he said:

"I have a broken leg, and the hospital doctors refused to help me, so I'm doing it myself. Don't worry: I know what I am doing."

The stallion expressed his concerns: "Are you sure ? I think that..."

The boy answered dryly "No, we can't. Now, please, Mr..."

"Time Turner"

"Would you kindly take for me said materials ?"

Time Turner sighed, and went upstairs. "I should have three rolls of bandages, the canes and the beams.": then Time Turner said this, Goffredo smiled.

After telling Derpy to prepare him just a salad, since Goffredo figured out that was the only edible thing in the house f the horses, Goffredo started to think.

Think about what happened during the morning.

"Alright, let's see: I woke up in a marsh; near a town full of impossible creatures; I have a broken leg, and I am going to be hosted here for a while. That's good and nice, since Lisistrata cannot reach me there.

But how I am supposed to survive now ? I am an alien creature here, if the reactions of the ponies I've met so far is anything to go by, and I might not be so lucky next time.

They might recognize me as a child, yes, but who would adopt a member of a unknow race ? 

It seems I will need to go hobo, once out of here."