>>144316It's not clear that Koptis hasn't killed him already. Each heart beat is loud and echoes against his mind. The bushes and grass mix together, and drain of color. White Sands places her hooves together and leaps like a greyhound as she moves. The two go even further away.
>>144317"Sure" she says
>>144318He wouldn't have dreamt Sands saving his sorry flank from the jaws of death. That much he knew about himself.
Although the constant running made it feel like he was in a... everconstant terrain that the gods pulled from at a similar speed that he was running, because it felt like he was dashing in place.
>>144318Silver trots over with Jubee to the couch, and sits down with her to listen to the radio play.
>>144319Sometime passes. It feels like half an hour, but maybe it was one minute. Time doesn't really seem to pass normally. White Sands leads them into a building, then into a room and shuts a door.
>>144320So it sounds like there is this guy who is trying to hide a trained manticore he took from a... managerie? A circus act? It's kind of hard to tell, but some rich guy. And this guy is a business partner of the husband so the wife doesn't want the information to come to life, but she also doesn't want
him to know, or anyone, really, because of how obviously illegal this is. So they are trying to hide it in a room, but then the husband comes in and they have to pass off the manticore as a foreign exchange student that the wife is giving piano lessons. And the only sounds the Manticore can get out is "Roo" so the Husband thinks the Manticore is a foriegn exchange student named "Rue."
At least that is what Silver can discern so far
>>144321Iron kept running towards... somewhere, unsure if he should still do so, considering the abnormal circumstances...
...Sands could stop him from running further if she wanted to, right?
>>144322If she cannot, the walls can. Iron is in an enclosed room now.
>>144321Silver can't help but laugh and chortle at the antics of this family as he listens.
>>144323Thus, Iron crashes facefirst into a wall in his drug-induced, animalistic panic, hopefully without going into a coma or becoming unconscious.
>>144325It's not clear that either of those two things wasn't going to happen anyways
crashAnd things start to go dark
>>144324And now her parents are over. And they want to hear "Rue" play the piano, to show off his progress
>>144326And as they went dark, all he had to think of was... he failed.
>>144326"Heheeee, this will not go well for them."
>>144328Fortunately the need for a performance is saved by the arrival of... the police? Well... that's not a good turn of events
>>144327"You'll get 'em next time," Sands seems to say. Or maybe she didn't say it at all. It's a bit hazy. Iron goes black
>>144330They are looking for... Gasp! The missing Manticore! Shame no one has seen it. But they will stay for tea, however. Anyways, the guests want to know more about Rue's homeland
>>144331Iron wakes up after some time, in severe pain, and feeling weak.
Actually he feels better than he did a couple days ago, to be honest
>>144332Iron groaned softly, his legs twitching softly in wherever he was right about now. Honestly, the pain served to wash away some of his shortcomings as he couldn't quite focus on them just yet.
(This is awful...) he grumbled in his head, with tempered anger.
>>144332"Heheheh, how come none of them notice? This is very silly."
>>144334Rue is reticent to talk about his homeland, though it seems there may be a communication barrier.
Then things come to a true head when the rich pony who owns the Manticore enters, evidently following the police there.
>>144333There's a sensation of burning, as it seems White Sands - bandaged herself - has placed bandages on Iron
>>144335Iron simply sighed soon after, being reminded once again of his failure to keep his word, simply staying silent with a dejected, shamed demeanor while staring at the floor.
>>144337The unicorn immediately accuses Rue of being the missing Manticore, to which the mare has to explain that the owner is simply ignorant of griffyaks and really should apologize for his insensitivity. A loud argument breaks out, with the police and the husband not knowing who to believe. The husband in particular is concerned about possible deception.
>>144336He may as well, feeling as weak as he does.
Sands says nothing at the moment
>>144338"Ah, lies are like building house on sand. It will always have flimsy foundation."
>>144338Thus, only his thoughts made him company while laying on the floor with a vacant look on his eyes.
Not only did he fail to take out the exemplary bull that would've sent the message of not messing on Waterfront's turf, he had to be saved by the mare he was supposed to show how reliable this is...
It won't be long before they try and send assassin squads, scouring around the city with the minotaur at the front, looking for them to finish the job. Sure, he may have had pretended to be some disgruntled lover, but soon, the pieces will fall together and the many gang members will realize what his role actually was. They were going to be persecuted for as long as they remained here the moment they find out.
A big failure all around... and condemning White Sands to die or flee due to his incompetence.
>>144339>>144337But as the unicorn owner goes forward to definitively prove that Rue is actually a manticore, there is a new development:
The husband accuses the wife and the business partner of conducting an affair. He's noticed the two being around either other a lot lately, trying to lock doors, and always seeming like they are hiding something. They both immediately deny this, but the argument stops the unicorn's efforts to uncover Rue's true identity
>>144340Now she speaks
"I told you they were dangerous."
>>144341Iron simply exhales, as if to say he knew that already.
>>144341"I can see why you like this, Jubee, this is riveting!'
>>144343>>144342"Now they will try to find us" she says
>>144344The confrontation heats up, with the husband standing up against the business partner, and the unicorn against Rue. With the husband yelling at the partner, the unicorn makes a run for Rue, but collides with the business partner. They both fall to the ground...
To show a marking on the leg of the Unicorn. The police immediately recognize the marking as a scar belonging to a dangerous sorcerer who is known to use animals as puppets for attacks. He got in a confrontation with Imperial Guard and escaped, but was wounded in the attack, hence the scar
>>144345Iron weakly nodded before trying to stand up, just wanting to get this over with.
>>144346The room is kind of hard to identify. It looks like the back room of a commercial establishment. At least there is a couch, which Iron is laying on.
"Where shall we go tonight?" she asks
>>144347"Someplace that heals me," Iron replied in a monotone, somewhat tired voice. "Cannot complete mission like this."
>>144348The sorcerer quickly uses spells to immobilize both police officers. At this time, the parents - who have tried to stay off to the side of the room - admit to not liking the wife's piano lessons, playing, or even griffyaks. This distracts the sorcerer for long enough for the business partner to tackle the sorcerer to the ground. This works, until the sorcerer gets far away enough to use his horn on the business partner. But the sorcerer is immediately pawed and smashed down by Rue's paws, knocking him out
>>144349"No. You cannot. I don't know that you can complete it at all now. You need a hospital." she says
>>144350"Wow! What amazing climax to story!"
>>144351"All I need is to send those killsquads with a kick in their flanks back to their chieftains," Iron mumbled, looking for an exit to drag himself out of. "All I need... is a revitalizer. An invirgorator..."
>>144352The sorcerer is knocked out, and when the police are released from their magical hold, take the sorcerer into custody. The parents are awkward, both because of the fight and their words about their daughter's chosen hobby.
Although the mare and the business partner wait until the police leave, they come clean. They explain that Rue is actually a manticore they have been hiding. The parents seem to believe it, but admit they couldn't tell the difference between a forest monster and a foreign creature anyways. They leave. The husband, however, does not believe this story at all, and seems to believe this is a crazy story to cover up an affair. With uncertainty, he leaves the room. The business partner and the mare collapse onto the couch, while Rue curls up and goes to sleep.
fin>>144353"You'll need a lot of revitalizers" she says
>>144354"I know," Iron breathed out, starting his tentative walk towards somewhere where he could look at outside, or another room elsewhere. Basically anything that could possibly try to get him out of this debilitating state and into action once again.
>>144354Silver stomps his forehooves against the couch in applause.
"Bravo!"
>>144356Jubilosa giggles, while the radio gives a listing of the names of the actors involved in the performance of "A Mare, a Friend, and a Manticore."
>>144355There is a pair of windows with the blinds down, and the one closed door
"Where are you going?" White Sands asks
>>144357"I will not find the revitalizers in here," Iron answered, opting to shamble to the blinds in order to see any spots where he could get the treatments he needs right about now.
>>144357"If this is what it is like listening to radio play, imagine what it is like watching movie..."
>>144359She opens her mouth wide
"Can we do that?"
>>144358"Stop. I'll take you to one. Unless that Zebra of yours can help you."
>>144360"She can, yes," Iron nods softly, his extended foreleg shaking the slightest bit as he kept himself from opening the blinds. "She knows a healer and is also a healer in her own right."
>>144361She flaps her wings
"Eeek!"
>>144362"Let's get out of this town" She says
>>144363He holds onto his precious griffon tight, as if his life depended on it.
>>144363"Have a route to take?" Iron humored, not wanting to get Sands too worried and get himself killed without even downing one extra griffon.
>>144364Griffin is held. Very tightly.>>144365"Down Percheron" she says
"The question is, how will we get there?"
>>144366"Walking," Iron mumbled, thinking through the pain "If you can somehow change your appearance right now, you can cover me in a blanket and escort me out of town."