• Published 3rd Jul 2015
  • 4,981 Views, 892 Comments

Snails 1/2: Vol 2 The Perfect Stallion - kitsy-chan



Cursed, Snails searches for a way out of a life that would be a dream for some, but a nightmare for him. The continuing story of Snails as he travels to the Crystal Empire with his mentor.

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Part 8: This One's Too Old

Part 8

“Then you challenge my claim to her!”

“She sure does!”

Why? Why would he want them?

This one’s too old

“So you’re her?” Gisa asked, wide-eyed.

Escargot looked curiously at the little griffin beside him. “Who?”

Gisa tilted her head, eyes growing even bigger, “The one who used her magic to protect the little filly? The one who saved the princesses?”

“I didn’t do any of that- I just froze.” Escargot protested weakly.

“If you weren’t there, then Sombra might have won, right? That means you did do it!”

He studied the little griffin; how was she supposed to be an assistant?

“Then you can protect me too!” The little griffin said, scooching closer to Escargot.

“Wait, what? Protect you? From whom? From what?”

“My wings don’t work well. I’m not that good of a flyer, so my protector gave her life to bring me here- to keep me from the griffins that would hurt me. The ponies here are nice and all, but you could be my real protector!”

Escargot looked down at her. “But…”

The grifflet’s eyes were huge and glassy with tears. “You’ll protect me, right? You wouldn’t let anything bad happen to me, would you?”

“I- I-” Escargot felt totally trapped. What could he say, what could he do? “I’ll protect you.”

“YAY!!!!” Gisa cheered, “And I’ll be the best scribe and helper you could ask for! I’ll even protect your honor!”

Protect my honor? What does that mean? Did I have any honor left to protect?

Escargot stood and surveyed the room, “Do you need help packing?”

The little griffin looked around for a moment and hummed. She picked up a cup and gave it a cursory look before tossing it over her shoulder. With a smile, she looked up at Escargot. “Ok ready.”

“Don’t you have anything?”

“Only my locket.” From under her feathers, she pulled out a small, silver pendant, inlaid with gold. It depicted a stylized chalice with a flaming wing curling off the top. Embedded in the chalice was a cloudy red dawnstone. “I don’t know what it means though.”

She returned the locket to its place in her feathers and looked up expectantly, then promptly leapt onto Escargot’s back and sat down.

With a resigned sigh, Escargot turned and headed back to the meeting hall.

As she watched the two, Cadence smiled softly. “Escargot, could you come here please?”

Blinking Escargot trotted forward and bowed.

“Please, Escargot, there’s no need; we’re just friends. How are you enjoying your stay?” The princess asked, lounging on a pile of pillows.

“It’s been exciting, terrifying, and confusing.” Escargot lay down with a sigh.

Gisa jumped off Escargot’s back and lay down beside her, watching Cadence with wide eyes.

“And hello, Gisa.”

“Hi, Princess.”

Looking back to the little filly, Princess Cadance laughed softly, “Twilight’s visits are always eventful: if it isn’t the forces of evil, it’s book-hungry ghosts, or kingdom-shattering accidents.”

“Oh, so kind of like Ponyville?” Escargot asked innocently.

“Not quite- here, disasters only happen once or twice a season, rather than on a weekly basis.” Cadence said with a knowing smile.

“Oh. Maybe it’s because Ponyville is so close to the Everfree.”

“Escargot, may I ask you something? Why do you always look so forlorn? So sad?” The Princess of love had a good sense of ponies’ emotional states, but Escargot was downright confusing.

Escargot blinked in confusion- he wasn’t always down, was he? “What do you mean?”

“I can see it in your eyes, in your ears, in the way you act when ponies are happy around you- at first, you are happy, then you start looking sad again.”

“It’s because it’s not me- it’s not who I am. I don’t try and do these things, they just happen.”

“Do you think Twilight ever wanted to be a princess? She never tried to be an alicorn; she never sought that kind of power, but now she’s the Princess of Magic.”

“Oh, Celestia! Please tell me I’m not going to become an alicorn!” Escargot panicked.

Giggling softly, Cadence shook her head. “I don’t know how it works, but I speak from the heart when I say this: don’t dwell on this- you’ve got many ponies looking after you.”

“But would they look after me if they knew the real me?”

“It’s based on what’s in your heart. That’s the real you that matters.” she smiled, “Just think of what the Crystal Heart showed you, that should help.”

He could only shudder at the thought; the image of a beautiful, graceful mare, with legs and a body like Princess Luna, standing proud and true. His dad would expect him to commit suicide for the shame it would bring to his family! Not only would it end his father’s dreams of a stallion to carry on the family line, but it was done through magic. A good outcome was impossible!

As he opened his eyes, he realized he just couldn’t do it: he had to tell Cadence the truth, “Princess Cadence I can’t, I’m really a-”

The doors to the throne room burst open with two crystal guards arguing with three griffins. All three were in griffin armor, two wearing the royal black of Griffonstone, one wearing green and brown.

“I demand to see the Princess IMMEDIATELY!” The griffin wearing the green armor stated.

Cadence stood and spread her wings firmly, “What is the meaning of this intrusion?”

Escargot stood up, somehow finding himself between the adult griffin and Gisa. Gisa had curled into a small ball behind Escargot’s legs.

Waving off a pony guard with a wing, he stood his ground against the princess. “I am Kunibert of Griffinstone. My scouts have informed me that a maid brought a fledgling here.”

From beneath Escargot, Gisa called out, “You can’t have me! I’m under the protection of Princess Escargot! She promised to protect me!”

Escargot went wide-eyed. He looked between Gisa and Kunibert in alarm.

Drawing his sword, but leaving it sheathed, he pointed it accusingly at Escargot. “Then you challenge my claim to her!”

“She sure does!” Gisa called out.

Escargot looked between his legs in shock.

“Enough! There will be no challenges in my court!” Princess Cadence cried out.

“You! What is your name?!” Kunibert turned on Escargot.

“Escargot.”

“Escargot... the name given to a crystal goddess of beauty. A princess of Equestria as well.” Turning, he shouldered his sword. “If I wed her, I could lay claim to Griffonstone as a protectorate of Equestria. Celestia would back such a claim, and not challenge me.”

Turning once more, he looked to his guards. “But Giselle... A wedding with her would have me a sole leader, I would not have to share my rule; I would be the next great king.”

Looking back to the two, “Oh how to decide? Escargot or Giselle? Both could serve me well as a wife! Why can I not have both? To choose is like having to choose between night and day, both are equal in all things.”

Princess Cadence had her hoof over her face, shaking her head.

Escargot looked over to Gisa. With a sigh, he looked up at Kunibert, “You do realize we can hear you, right?”

“Escargot, take Gisa up to my private quarters and get some sleep. I have something to discuss with this griffin regarding his ideas of love.” Princess Cadence was the Princess of Love, afterall.

“Yes, Princess.” Gisa said and hopped up onto Escargot’s back.

Escargot turned for one last look over her shoulder. Why? Why would he want them? Seriously, this one’s too old. Why would he want to marry foals?