Chapter 2
Gilda apparently wasn’t the type for casual conversation, either. Even after four hours into the flight, she’d barely said anything beyond giving him instructions on which air currents to take or avoid, and on how to glide more efficiently so he wouldn’t have to drown if he exhausted himself and fell out of the sky. Charming.
Thankfully, her mood seemed to improve when they had land beneath their wings once more. Maybe the warm thermals were thawing out her icy aloofness. She pitched and banked closer until their wing tips almost touched, so that they could speak without needing to shout.
“Equestria’s pretty big,” she said. “Anyplace you’d like to go?”
Lenny remembered seeing a crumpled old map of Equestria in school, but even if he could remember the names of their cities and villages, he hadn’t the slightest idea which place he’d find the least boring. Ghastly Gorge sounded like a wickedly awesome place to visit, but Audri had stressed that his trip needed to involve ponies in some way, so that probably disqualified it.
“Well, you’re the expert. I’m thinking someplace that has both ponies and… Hmm. What’s the craziest place you know?”
Gilda tilted her head. “We talking crazy as in asylum or as in exciting?”
“Both?” He highly doubted the ponies would impress him either way.
She must’ve read a lot into his doubtful tone, because she brightened up considerably as she said, “Yeah, I know a place like that. It’s another half-hour’s flight inland.”
“What’s it called?”
“Ponyville.”
Lenny blinked. “Ponyville.”
“Uh huh.”
“Creative.”
She grinned. “I know, right? Oh, and by the way, do you hunt?”
He chirped an affirmative.
“Ponies don’t like it when you kill stuff, so do it far from town. Unless ticking them off and getting locked up is part of your holiday plan.”
“Why? Do they keep them all as pets or something?”
“No, they just don’t like blood. And the killing part. Freaks them out, you know.”
That made him kind of sad. They were really missing out; there were few things that could match the thrill of stalking his prey, the adrenaline rush wearing it out in a chase, and the triumph of finally sticking it with a spear. He highly doubted the same could be said for plucking fruit or biting grass. Moreover, anything tasted ten times better if he’d sweated and bled to bring it down first. His stomach rumbled at the mere thought of roast boar…
They relapsed into silence as they soared onward to Ponyville. That gave Lenny plenty of time to take in the countryside. He found Equestria exceedingly fancy and colourful. The vegetation was so green and the lakes and rivers were as blue as the sky. Trees and grassy knolls had never looked so comfy, even from this altitude. And there were so many clouds floating over the land – huge, puffy ones that looked so much more inviting than the thin streaks back home. He even saw a rainbow glittering in the misty cascade of a waterfall. Some of the old kooks who’d been here claimed that ponies had some of the toughest armies around, but that seemed completely at odds with the nature of their homeland. There was no way this place could produce anything other than idle, contented daydreamers. If he didn’t watch himself, this place would probably turn his lean musculature and sharp plumage into flab and fluff in short order.
After some time, he realised that Gilda had begun her descent towards a settlement close to the edge of a dark forest. He put on a burst of speed to catch up, squinting against the beams of light reflecting from a towering structure in the middle of the town.
“What is that?” he asked when he’d caught up to Gilda, hovering several hundred feet above and away from the settlement’s edge.
“Not sure. Wasn’t there the last time I visited,” Gilda replied. “Anyways, have fun. I’ll be—”
“Hey, wait!” he interjected as she twisted round to fly away. “Where are you going? Aren’t you supposed to take me in there?”
“I promised Audri I’d take you to Equestria and back. It doesn’t include giving you a personal tour through your town of choice.” She jerked a thumb over her shoulder, pointing it towards a low mountain surrounded by forest in the distance. “I’ll be hanging out near the peak. Come find me when you’re ready to leave this joint.”
Is there something you’re trying to avoid in there? He’d detected a hint of resentment or fear in her voice, but decided that she probably wouldn’t take too kindly to his poking around in matters that didn’t concern him.
So he turned back to Ponyville and began his slow spiral towards an afternoon of boredom. “Okay. I’ll see you later, I guess.”
“Hey, Lenny,” Gilda called out.
“What?” He craned his neck around.
“Avoid the pink one. You’ll know why when you see it.”
The pink one?
Somehow, he got the feeling that her grin was born of equal parts anticipation, glee, and pity on his behalf. The sort of look that people had when they expected something to go hilariously wrong for someone else.
Lenny snorted. Bring it on. He knew his way around difficult situations.
He landed on the outer side of the river that formed the eastern boundary for the town and sauntered over the bridge into the settlement proper. No guards attempted to stop him, and a quick search revealed no sentries on watch. Unless they had hidden themselves well from his normally keen eyes, he felt certain that no pony was aware that an outsider – and a potentially dangerous one, at that – had entered their town. Had he tried the same with a griffon village, he’d have a dozen spears and crossbows trained on him by now.
Not that he held ponies in high esteem to begin with, but that did not speak well about their sensibilities. If he’d been so inclined, at this rate he probably could have set half of their needlessly fancy homes on fire before someone put an end to his nonsense.
What could they be so preoccupied with that they couldn’t spare anyone to keep watch over their territory?
He picked up the pace as he made his way into town. The reflective structure that had nearly blinded him earlier turned out to be a crystalline castle perched rather precariously on top of a massive tree trunk. A fortress, perhaps? Maybe he’d been too quick to judge them, after all. Any worthy leader always had a defensive structure ready, whether artificial or natural. That would probably be the best place to meet someone noteworthy.
Lenny met his first pony after fifty or so paces ahead. A female, if he wasn’t mistaken. Pinkish-purple hair, pale yellow body, green eyes. And a tattoo of some sort of flower on her rump. Busy watering clusters of flowering plants that matched her tattoo almost perfectly. He slowed down to observe her, careful not to stare directly lest she take it as a challenge. She eventually noticed him and looked up from her work with a smile forming on her face, but it died off rather quickly.
Not good. He tried smiling back; someone once mentioned that ponies preferred those who did.
Her pupils shrank as she stared at him. Slowly, she bent down to pick up her watering can with her mouth, and then sidled towards the entrance of her house. Her eyes never left him. She pushed the slightly ajar door open with one hind leg and plodded in backwards. Then, once she in the safety of the shadows, she slammed the door shut.
Interesting…
Ponies loved staring at newcomers, it seemed. Mothers hushed their children and herded them inside when he approached, and he could feel their gazes lingering on him even after he’d gone past them, on his way to the fortress. Male and female alike kept their distance, and some even crowded together like frightened sheep before a predator. That lightened his mood, but only a little. So far, they’d done nothing to change his mind about ponies. He sighed and carried on.
Lenny happily noted that ponies were at least capable of behaving sensibly when they weren’t focused on a stranger in their midst. The street grew more crowded the farther in he went, and past a certain point, there were too many ponies going about their business for any one of them to make a fuss of his presence and raise the tension in the air. A big guy lumbered past him, dragging along a cart laden with fruits of all kinds. Further up ahead, wooden stalls lined both sides of the street with dozens of ponies milling about or conversing with those at their stands.
I’m in a market, he realised.
A myriad of scents assaulted his nostrils. Sweet, sour, watery fresh, acrid, musky… far too many to identify. And the colours! He’d never before seen fruits and vegetables with such intense hues of green, yellow, red, purple and orange. The same could be said of the ponies themselves, who came in every colour of the rainbow, often in combinations of at least two or three. Some had horns whilst others had wings, and those with neither tended to be stockier. Unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies, he recalled. Some haggled over prices, others chatted with friends and still others shouted out their wares or went peddling around.
“Delicious apples! Come and get yer delicious apples here!”
“Quills and inks, the best a student can get!”
“Nopony has as many friends as the mare with many cheeses!”
He grew a little lightheaded as he brushed past individuals in the crowd, lost in a sea of colours, sounds and scents. Griffon markets might’ve had meat and weaponry going for them, but the ponies sure had them beat where colour, smell and artistic crafts was concerned. Lenny had to admit that he liked it.
“Hey, buddy!” said a male voice uncomfortably close from behind. “You look like a guy who knows what a mare likes, and what better way to a mare’s heart than—”
Lenny felt pressure on his shoulder and whirled around in an instant. He swept a hind leg low to trip his would-be assailant, slammed a foreleg into his chest and then pinned him to the ground as he spread his wings wide, ready to take to the air if necessary.
“Whoa, what the hay!” the blue earth pony yelped as he lay hyperventilating under Lenny’s weight. “Why’d you hit me? I was just trying to sell you some flowers, not kick you in the back!”
Lenny blinked and saw bundles of flowers scattered about them. The male was telling the truth. “Then why didn’t you just say so instead of touching me?” he growled.
“I—what?” The male blinked. “I just tapped you on the shoulder. You’re the one who acted as if I’d clubbed you or something. Now please let me up!”
Lenny hissed but allowed him to get up. He still kept his wings out and ready as the blue pony rose, groaning, and hurriedly picked at his scattered flowers.
“Dude, aren’t you going to apologise? He didn’t mean to do… whatever you thought he was trying to do,” someone nearby said.
Lenny shot a glare in the general direction of the voice, and the throng of ponies that had surrounded him took a collective step back. Almost immediately, he regretted his aggressive response. Of course ponies wouldn’t know that only mothers and sisters had the privilege of such intimate contact. He’d been terribly unfair, treating the flower peddler like a rival who’d pounced on him.
He turned to apologise to the blue pony, but found that he’d already fled the scene, leaving a trail of petals and trodden leaves in his wake.
Well, if he doesn’t want the apology… I suppose I should go. I’ve had enough of this place.
He turned to leave, but they had him surrounded. A hundred or so eyes of different colours, all staring at him. Some ponies seemed more confused than anything whilst others watched him like curious cubs. Most of them periodically glanced around and shifted in place, but a few had also bunched up like quivering prey, seeking safety in numbers. But this time, Lenny did not feel like a predator. His heart raced as he spun around, trapped in a sea that had become a tempest. His wings had locked up. He couldn’t fly.
A part of him resided in those ponies, for some unfathomable reason. He saw it. Especially the nervous and frightened ones. He shook his head in an attempt to clear it, but the connection with these equines persisted. Being amongst them just felt right, somehow. Not in the middle of the crowd’s gaze, but by their side. And the feeling had little to do with the awkwardness of being the centre of attention. More like the desire to be part of a clan. Or a herd, in their case.
He chuckled. What am I thinking? Griffons don’t belong to herds!
“Mister, are you okay? You don’t look so good.”
“Maybe he’s had too much cider.”
“Should we get help?”
“What’s up with the face paint? Does he—”
Lenny turned to face the direction from which he’d entered Ponyville, crouched low and snarled at the ponies blocking his way. That gave him the desired response; they parted and allowed him to dash out of town quickly as his legs could carry him.
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That coverart ... I applaud the use of quills, but I do believe that you're missing a sofa.
Cutting it a bit close for the contest, hmm?
Interesting, but we've seen at least two griffons interact with ponies and a whole team at the game. Surely he can't be that ignorant about their social graces?
:3 dammit now i am all out of crunchy snacks...
Poor Lenny, regardless of his request Gilda really should have brought him someplace a little more cosmopolitan.
This seams intersting.... I'ma read it....
Poor Lenny. Can't really blame a foreigner for making a faux paus.
So, basically an awful lot like the grin every single reader sported upon reaching this part.
Welp, that went well.
Ahh, good old culture shock. Delicious!
Right above: ad for train to Paris
Lol
They do. . - Spike!