//------------------------------//
// Chapter 14 
// Story: Tales of Valor: A New Pony in Ponyville 
// by NobleValor 
//------------------------------//

Noble woke up, looking about in a place he didn't recognize. Then memories of what had happened last night filtered through, causing him to recall he was in Iron Clad's lodging. He had no idea what time it was, but given the lack of noise, he assumed it was still early. 

For a moment, he considered slipping back into the covers and going back to sleep. The idea was interrupted by a certain call of nature that even the mightiest of stallions couldn't ignore. With great reluctance and protest, he kicked the cover off and rose from the bed.

After seeing to his needs, he was sorely tempted to answer the call of the covers. Rather than answer it, he thought about which course of action he should take: whether he should explore his temporary dwelling or leave altogether. He was indecisive about his choice as both had advantages. The fact he was still a little sleepy didn't help much. 

He was brought out of his thoughts by a muffled lively sound from somewhere in the house. Curiosity getting the better of him, he followed it towards a slightly ajar door leading into another room. He pushed it open a bit more to have a look inside, finding an unusual sight.

He found Iron Clad gripping a strange wooden object in his hoof while dragging another wooden object across it. Noble was fascinated by this and the noise that it produced. In fact, he would even go so far as to call it enjoyable. 

All too soon in Noble's opinion, the noise ended causing Iron Clad to turn around with a surprised look on his face. "I didn't wake you, did I lad?"

Noble replied by shaking his head. Iron gave a small smile. "I assume by that smile you're wearing, you enjoyed my violin playing."

Noble raised his eyebrows, not realizing he was smiling until Iron had mentioned it. However, his smile didn't depart and he nodded his head in reply.

"That's pleasant news," Iron Clad replied cheerfully. "Most of the ponies I know don't share my appreciation for rustic music. 'Pedestrian,' I think was the term they used. It's reassuring seeing the younger generation take such enjoyment out of it."

Noble wasn't certain what he said, but it sounded pleasant at any rate. 

"Mind if I ask a question, lad?"

Noble tilted his head curiously at the stallion, but shook his head in reply. Iron turned to Noble, his dark blue eyes meet Noble's brown ones and his expression serious. "Do you plan on leaving again soon?"

Noble was taken back not only at the statement, but also in the way it was said. It wasn't stated as a demand, but rather it was asked out of a genuine concern to know. The fact he had been thinking on that very question a few minutes prior didn't help matters either.

Noble thought for a moment before answering honestly, "I don't know."

Iron Clad took this news with a gentle nod of his head. "In that case, I wouldn't advise going out until the weather passes. The weather ponies up here prefer to make it rain for days on end."

Noble raised an eyebrow at the stallion as he rose to put his violin back in its case. Noble wasn't sure what to make of this pony. Before any further thoughts could form, he stifled a yawn. 

"Yes, it is late- or early rather- isn't it?" Iron replied, putting his violin case on a shelf "We both need to get to sleep."

Noble nodded his reply, turning to leave the room with his head full of thoughts.

**************************************************************************

Noble found himself in bed, uncertain if he had slept any at all. He rose from the bed stretching the kinks out of his limbs. He listened for a moment, still hearing the rain as it landed on the roof. 

He noticed the smell of cooking filling the air. While he wasn't necessarily hungry, he had to admit the smell of food cooking was inviting. Opting to get out of bed, he once again sniffed at the air and followed the aroma. 

As he approached the dining area he saw last night from the window, he heard movement coming from the next room. Upon entering the room, he noticed Iron Clad bending over a stove with slight bit of smoke coming from one of the pans in his magical aura. When Iron turned around, he gave Noble a sheepish half-smile.

"I did warn you about my cooking," he replied, "The fact the stew came out as well as it did was nothing short of remarkable." He peered critically at the contents of the pan and finally gave up on the charred ruins of what he was cooking. "Looks like I need to get more groceries when I head into town. Fortunately, there's plenty of produce about the place." 

Noble eyed the contents of the pan, wondering if he could eat them. Growing up as he had, he learned to survive on items most would consider 'inedible.' The fact he was able to eat his fill last night allowed him to be a bit more discriminating. If he had been starving, he might have considered eating. Even though it was a waste of 'food', he left whatever was in the pan where it was. 

Looking about, Noble summed up his thoughts with a simple question: "Where's Lightning Joust?"

"In bed asleep, I imagine," Iron replied, removing several apples from a pantry, "Not that I can blame him. From what I saw, he had a full night."

When Noble heard that, the words Iron had said to him last night echoed in his head. "What did happen last night?" Noble asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Well, after Lightning and I discovered the door to leading out open, we knew you had left. After calling you an idiot, Lightning grabbed his cloak and flew off into the rain before I could stop him. He came back about fifteen minutes later with you slung over his back, wrapped in his cloak. Both of you were soaking wet, but he got the worst of it. After dinner and a bath, I noticed he had a bit of temperature so I restricted him to bed. I doubt he caught anything, but I promised his parents I'd look out for him."

Noble had a hard time believing that. Given the amount of hostility Lightning had shown, Noble couldn't imagine him doing something like that. 'One way or another, I'll find out soon enough,' Noble thought.

Iron levitated three apples to Noble in his aura. When Noble made no attempt to grab them, Iron placed them in front of Noble. "They're there when you want them."

Noble sat, looking curiously at the apples in front of him. He had no idea how long he sat there before he finally heard Iron speak.

"Have you given anymore thought to leaving?"

Noble thought for a second before answering. He knew he couldn't lie to save his life, but he learned how to select his answers. "Yes, I have."

Silence stretched between them for several moments before Iron spoke again. "Either way you choose, you're welcome to stay here as long as you like."

Noble not only heard the words, but heard the genuine warmth in them. He looked up to find a Iron looking hopefully at him. He then turned his gaze back to the floor. 

"Why do you care so much?" he asked emotionlessly.

"You say that as though you hadn't a friend in the world."

Noble felt the sting of tears as they came to his eyes. Closing his eyes to distancing himself from the world around him, Noble simply answered, "I haven't."

Noble had no idea how long he stayed that way until a single hoof was laid upon his head. "That's where you're wrong," Iron said, his voice as calming as gentle breeze, yet stronger than stone. "To answer your question, the reason I care so much is because I feel that all life has value. Even one as small and seemingly insignificant as yours."

Noble lifted his gaze to the unicorn, his own muddy brown eyes met Iron's deep blue ones. Iron gave him a small smile that seemed to make his whole body illuminate in it's own light. "Believe me, no one wants the whole world as their enemy. Besides, at the very least, you do have one friend in me." 

Noble lowered his eyes, feeling more lost and confused than he had when he arrived. He wanted to trust this pony, even felt as though he should. Yet, he knew that he couldn't. Adults only care about themselves, no exceptions. In that moment, Noble became very aware of how little he actually was. 

Noticing the apples in front of him, he also became aware of how hungry he had grown. Tentatively, he reached out a hoof, as though he were afraid the apples would be 

taken before he got there. Much to his surprise, he grabbed one and began wiping it on his coat; partly to clean it and partly to make certain it was real. After he 

felt it was clean enough, he just looked at it. 

"Go on, lad," Iron stated, as though sensing his hesitance, "It's yours."

Needing no further prompting, Noble took a bite from it. As the juices ran down his chin, he found it was the tastiest apple he had ever eaten.

**************************************************************************

Noble stood outside the door, staring at it as though he expected it to open on its own. Every bone in him told him that this was a bad idea, yet he knew he had to do 

it. It was the right thing to do. Lifting a hoof, he knocked on the door.

"It's open," a sleep addled voice answered.

Taking a breath to steady himself, Noble pushed the door open. He saw Lightning Joust sitting in the bed with the covers pulled over his lower body, stopping at his 

stomach. His mane was bedraggled as though he had woken up only a few minutes ago. 

"Oh, it's you," Lightning said, sounding more alert than he had earlier. "Why do you carrying a basket of apples in your mouth?"

"Because I can't balance it on my back," Noble answered, setting the basket down. 

"No, I mean why did you bring it here in the first place?"

"Breakfast," Noble replied.

Lightning lifted an eyebrow. "Iron burned the food again, didn't he?"

Noble nodded his reply, not seeing any point in denying it. Lightning shook his head and snorted. "Figures." Lightning then turned a confused look to Noble. "But why are you bringing me breakfast?"

"I figured I owed you something," Noble replied, looking at his scuffing hooves, "you know, for last night."

"On that note, why did you do something as brainless as running out in the middle of a storm?"

"I heard what you said last night."

"Oh..."

As the silence stretched between them, Noble was the first one to act. Noble lifted the basket again and hopped onto the bed. Reaching Lightning's side, Noble placed the basket next to him.

Lightning was the first to break the silence. "Thanks," he mumbled, "So, whose idea was it to bring me breakfast?"

"Mine," Noble answered. 

Lightning lifted an eyebrow. "You don't say much do you?"

Noble shrugged in response. "Not much to say I guess."

Lightning shrugged in response, grabbing an apple from the basket and biting into it. "Hey, would you do me a favor and grab 'Understanding Medieval Equestria' from the bookshelf?" he asked, his mouthful of food. 

"Huh?" 

"I'd do it, but if Iron catches me out of bed, he'd chew my ear off. It's right over there on the bookshelf."

Noble looked at the bookshelf along the wall, seeing it filled with books of varying size. He hopped off the bed, hoping that the book in question might stand out a little amongst the others. As he approached the shelf, he saw that hope was in vain. He searched questioningly the endless tomes in front of him before Lightning snapped him out of it.

"What's the problem?" 

"Umm...could you maybe describe it?"

"What do you mean? It says it right on-" the words died on their way out "-You can't read, can you?"

Noble sighed, turning to the pegasus. "A little."

"Do you at least know your letters?" When Noble gave him a look as though he had started speaking a foreign language, Lightning's expression dropped. "You're kidding, right?"

Noble shook his head in response. Lightning put a hoof to his head, shaking it unbelievingly. "Sorry."

Lightning sighed before responding. "See that desk over there?" Noble gave a confused look. "That wooden thing in the corner-" Noble turned his head towards it "-Grab some paper and a pencil from it and bring them over here."

"Why?"

"I have to teach you letters somehow," he explained, as though that explained everything. Noble was puzzled, but did as he was asked. After grabbing the items requested, he walked over to the bed and hopped back on it. Taking both, Lightning began, "First thing, there's two kinds of letters: Uppercase and lowercase."

**************************************************************************

"Do you think you got it now?"

"There's twenty-six letters, each one with an upper and a lowercase?" Noble asked uncertainly.

"Right."

"And these get put together to form words?"

"Right." 

"Lightning, what are you doing?" Both foals turned their eyes to Iron Clad, who stood in the doorway with an amused look on his face.

"Teaching the kid here how to read," Lightning answered. 

"Why do you keep calling me 'kid?'" Noble asked curiously, "We're about the same age." 

"Only physically, kid," Lighting replied smugly.

Iron placed a hoof on Lightning's forehead. "You feel about normal," Iron explained, "but, I'd stay in bed anyway, just to be sure."

"Iron, I don't get sick," Lightning said with an unamused look on his face.

"Be that as it may, we're having lunch."

"What is it?" Lightning asked, his eyebrow raised suspiciously.

"Leftover stew from last night," replied patiently.

"In that case, I'm hungry." 

"How about you, lad?"

"I can eat," Noble replied meekly.

"In that case, you two better wash up," Iron replied with a wry smile, leaving the room.

"Why do I have to wash up?" Lightning complained as he hopped off the bed, with Noble close behind. "It's not like I've done anything to require washing my hooves for."

"I don't know," Noble answered sincerely.

"That question was meant to be rhetorical," Lightning replied.

"Oh. What's 'rhetorical?'"

"It means you don't expect an answer to the question," Lightning replied, turning on the sink. 

"Oh," Noble replied, thinking for a moment. "Hey, Lightning. Why are you showing me how to read?"

Lightning shrugged. "I was bored and you were handy. Besides, anypony who doesn't know how to read at your age is disgraceful." While Lightning was drying his hooves, Noble went to the sink to wash his appendages. 

"Noble?" Lightning asked when he was done, "You don't plan on doing something silly like leaving in the middle of a rainstorm, do you?"

"No," Noble answered honestly. 'Next time I leave, I'll make sure the weather is nice,' he finished silently, following Lightning to the kitchen.

**************************************************************************

Noble woke up, stretching his limbs as far as they would go. He glanced at the clock, reading six a.m. off its face. He smiled at the fact he was able to get eighteen hours of sleep at a stretch. 

'Of course, I still have to explain to Twilight where I was,' Noble thought amusedly. When he walked in yesterday, her mouth was firing off twenty questions in the course of a second. For a second, he thought Pinkie might've followed him in. He managed to buy sleeping time by saying that he would explain in the morning. He wondered briefly how she would take it if he told her he was in the Everfree Forest again.