Fire and Ice

Chapter Seven: An Accidental Knockout

King Talonblaze sat impatiently upon the bed in his designated guest quarters. He apparently had a mild allergic reaction to the bee sting, and was currently waiting for a nurse to tend to him. A young mare soon entered, tossing a single look at him. Surprisingly she wasn’t frightened, or even intimidated, to be in the same room with him. Her pelt was rose in color, with a mostly blue mane and tail with a yellow stripe running trough the wavy locks. She wore a nurse’s cap, with her flanks emblazoned by two red hearts with a band-aid crossed over them.

“So. Bee got you huh?” she asked, allowing herself a small smirk. “That had to be embarrassing.”

The Draconian arched his brow, astounded that this small pony showed no hint of fear towards him. The guards and servants were afraid of him--even dragons back at home were terrified of him!

Quickly brushing off his bewilderment, he huffed indignantly to be seen in such a state.

“Uh-huh. Let’s get it over with,” he grumbled as he eyed the mare. He was eager to get this taken care of. Not only was the swelling in one of his nostrils humiliating, but the throbbing in the area where the bee had stung him was annoying. He could still feel the little insect’s stinger inside of his nose.

She chuckled, plodding over and dropping her back onto the floor--bumping it lightly with her bottom.

“Of course, of course.”

Reaching into her bag physically with her mouth, she pulled out a long candlestick and match and quickly lit it. Holding up the candle in one hoof and gazing up his nose, she searched.

“Ha, ha! There’s the little bugger. Though, hrrm…” She paused, appearing a bit flustered as she sat down upon her rump and tugged her bag closer for better access for the contents inside, sticking her other hoof in to pull out a set of tweezers. “It’s a mighty small one. Tiny little thing. Not sure if I’ll be able to get it out, but I’m damn well gonna try.”

King Talonblaze felt a flash of anger and irritation as the nurse moved the tweezers around inside his nostril, repeatedly failing to get a grip on the stinger. Growling softly, he shifted his head as her actions caused a tickling sensation.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, trying to get at the stinger--however, each time she got a bit closer or was about to get it, the winged reptile would jerk a certain way and cause her to miss and slightly scrape against the swollen inner walls of his nostril. She grunted after the fourth time she had failed.

“Now, dammit, stop squirming and hold still!” she said, bopping the dragon on the snout with the bottom of the candlestick. “Do you want me to get that stinger out or not?”

The Draconian king growled a little louder.

“Well, you were tickling my nose!”

She hastily mumbled a sincere apology for the discomfort, before immediately going back to her work. This time, she was able to actually clamp down on the small part of the stinger still sticking out and squeeze it out.

“There we go! Finally.”

The mare sighed, blowing out the candle and putting it and the tweezers back in the bag--keeping the hot end out of the bag. Retrieving a small bronze glass bottle and a cotton swab, she dabbled the swab with the liquid and rubbed it against where the swelling had originated.

“This will help reduce the pain and possibly stop swelling,” she breathed, removing the swab and disposing of it in a nearby trash basket. Trotting back over to her bag, she picked up in her teeth and set it down on her back. “Let me know if it still hurts later, and we can get you some ice or additional medicine.”

“Yes, yes. Will do,” he gruffed with a roll of his eyes and watched the mare exit the room.

***

Rhem wandered out of the labyrinth with Princess Celestia in tow, bounding actively in the garden and unwittingly scaring the exotic animals that resided there. Curious about the various species of flora, he zipped from blossom to blossom, asking the princess questions about them.

The alicorn found his near limitless and childish energy amusing. The animals weren’t much used to other individuals being in the garden aside from the caretaker and herself, and they generally tended to flee whenever someone else was there.

She had a mental image of one day introducing some additional ponies to her garden. In the meantime, she followed the dragon to answer his queries and educate him on the numerous plants that decorated the landscape.

He breathed in the plethora of aromas as he touched his nose gently to each type of flower he came across. One specific flower caught his attention. Padding up to it, he marveled at it as his vision drank in its unique physique. He lowered his nose to it and took a whiff. He really liked the scent of this one.

“Hm. This one smells really nice,” he remarked as he turned to Princess Celestia expectantly.

The princess trotted up to his side, the grass beneath her hooves giving a crisp crunching sound.

“That, my friend, is a very well-known flower: the rose.” Smiling, she brought down her head to smell one of them. “They’re very popular in perfumes, and they are often given as gifts to express emotions… commonly, love, such as the red ones here.”

She turned her body to her right where other colors of roses were growing further down.

“Red is not the only color. Roses come in quite a number. White, yellow, pink… In fact, the rose has come to be symbolic, and is often portrayed in art.”

That was very interesting! The flower was symbolic and given as a gift? That gave Rhem an idea… Opening his jaws, he clamped them down on one of the thorny stems and yanked off a rose, managing to tear a few branches off in the process. Bouncing in front of the alicorn, he presented her with the rose and a small chunk of the bush.

She wondered what he was doing behind her when she heard the rustling of leaves and the snap of branches. Eyes widening, she stared at him in surprised… then smiled with a hearty chuckle.

“… Thank you, Rhem. That’s… sweet of you.”

The mare felt flattered--tactfully choosing not to point out the fact that he had inadvertently torn up her bush, accepted his gift graciously.

Parting his jaws, he let the rose and thin branches to exit his mouth, revealing the nicks on his tongue from the thorns. He was used to cuts, so he hardly noticed them.

“Sweet?”

He tilted his head with wide, questioning eyes.

Holding them in her cloud of magic, she removed the branches and thorns from the stem of her rose, allowing them to drop to the ground.

“I mean to say it was very kind of you,” she explained as she tucked the stem into her mane, extrapolating on her words.

“Oh.”

Satisfied that she appreciated his gesture, he turned around to search for any flowers he might have missed. That was when his attention was stolen by a single monarch butterfly. He had seen many kinds of butterflies before, but none of this variety. Turning back around, he watched the vibrant winged insect flutter around his head a couple of times before it settled upon his nose.

Princess Celestia had been about to ask the Draconian general if his tongue hurt when she, too, became distracted by the butterfly. Following his gaze, she broke out into a smile when it landed on his snout.

“How cute!” she chuckled.

“I do not know what cute means either.”

Eyes crossing as he peered down at the creature perched on his nose, he observed it inspect the scaly surface of his muzzle for a few moments. Spotting another butterfly, it promptly took to the air to give chase.

“It means finding something pleasing, pretty, or delightful by virtue of eliciting affection towards it… predominately because it looks especially dainty, or charming.”

Rhem nodded as his brain processed the mare’s words.

“I suppose the butterfly is cute then. And you, as well.”

A light shade of pink dusted over her cheeks as she stared at him. Blush disappearing, she smiled, mentally brushing it off. He was just ignorant of his words.

“Um, thank you, General. That’s very kind of you to say.”

He nodded.

“Princess Celestia? Do you think I could… explore your land? I would like to see how your subjects live, and what they do.”

The princess’ small smile spread wider.

“I don’t see why not. If you don’t mind me accompanying you.”

Normally, she would have let him head out on his own, but recalling the reports that ponies were rather frightened of him and King Talonblaze…

It would be best if she went with him to allay suspicion and the fears from her subjects.

“I do not mind at all.”

Eager to see the monarch’s people, he unfolded his wings and pushed off the ground. Remaining suspended in one place, he waited for the princess to do the same.

Princess Celestia had been about to call for an attendant to procure a carriage, but decided against it and spread her wings to lift herself into the air. Despite the romp through the labyrinth, she came to the conclusion that she wasn’t going to get this much exercise in a while, and was grateful for the opportunity.

“Why don’t we start in Canterlot proper?”

The excited dragon nodded eagerly, powerful muscles gliding under his scales as he flapped his wings. He flew alongside the alicorn, his eyes exploring the scenery below.

The mare’s smile grew further, feeling the wind beneath her feathery extremities as she pumped them to provide her with additional altitude. Soaring past the castle and out over the lands of Canterlot, the princess gazed out at the stretches of farm land going out for miles. There were quite a number of mills, ponies working out in the fields, with only one particular building appearing a bit different from the rest. A sole winery could be spotted on top of the rolling hills down from the city.

That was outside the walled borders. Inside the large stone walls was the city proper. Cobblestone streets were paved with buildings on both sides of them, alleyways leading to other areas with major roads connected to a central hub. The city was home to mostly nobility, with only the southern end open predominately to the merchant and the upper middle class.

Excited and unable to hold himself back, Rhem made an earthbound dive, swooping over the buildings and landing heavily upon one of the cobblestone paths. His actions unintentionally frightened a large amount of civilians, causing them to scream and run amok. The Draconian was confused by this. He didn’t see anything dangerous around. Why were they running away?

Princess Celestia gasped, diving after him.

“Rhem!” she called out to him, landing next to him. Flaring her wings out, she cried out to her citizens, “Fear not, my little ponies! Rhem is a friend! He will not harm you!”

“Why would they think I would hurt them? I never acted hostile towards them,” Rhem asked the equine beside him with a confused askew glance.

A multitude of the ponies remained indoors despite their princess’ reassurance. The thought of a dragon wandering the streets was too much for them to handle at the moment. Those who did venture out rooted themselves at a safe distance, observing the dragon.

“Xenophobia, I’m afraid.” She sighed, and brought her lips close to his ear frill to whisper to him. “A fear of foreigners. You’re an outsider, General Rhem… and, I hate to say it, but even though you’re sweet… you don’t exactly look… non-threatening.”

She loathed to admit it, but the sheer presence of Rhem did seem as such. She had hoped that by being in close proximity to him, the princess could demonstrate that he was nothing to fear.

“… None of them will… want anything to do with me?” he queried. The general couldn’t help but feel a little bit hurt.

“Give it time,” she gently assured. “You’ll win them over, I’m sure. Just stay close to me… and remember to smile.”

Almost as if on cue, a slightly tattered leather ball rolled to a stop directly in front of Rhem. A small child, chasing after it--came to a skidding halt several feet in front of the dragon and princess upon noticing the scaled beast. Frightened, he reared back and slowly stepped backwards with wide eyes.

Rhem stared at the rounded object. Never before had he seen a ball before. When he was about to lower his head to give it an experimental sniff, the poppy red unicorn colt caught his attention. Blinking over at the little one, he forced an awkward toothy grin.

Princess Celestia dispensed a warm and disarming grin, as the boy who had been chasing the ball gave a squeak at the dragon’s smile and took another few steps away.

“It’s all right, little one,” she softly said. “Rhem’s a nice dragon. He won’t hurt you, we promise.”

Glancing at Rhem, she nodded once.

“Uh… hello,” the Draconian greeted, unsure of what to even say to the unicorn.

The colt didn’t even live in this area of Canterlot, but had been playing with one of the fillies his age that did belong in the proper. He was from the farmlands. His light pink playmate swallowed hard and trotted up to his side with intentions on helping him if he needed it, regarding the dragon with horror.

The colt was terrified, but he stood his ground. Glancing around, the princess didn’t see any concerned parents rushing up to snatch the foals and drag them to safety, and began to wonder what would happen…

“Try rolling the ball back to them,” she whispered to Rhem as she gestured at the spherical object with a hoof, curious to see what the children would do.

Rhem dropped his head and gave the ball a nudge with his snout… with too much force, sending it flying over the children’s heads and smacking a stallion in the face hard enough to knock him out cold.

“… Oops…”

Oops indeed. The colt and filly sprang back, slinking away further before turning and fleeing outright. Princess Celestia’s eyes practically popped out of her head, not having expected that to happen at all.

The reptilian ducked his head in anticipation for a punishment from the monarch for his carelessness, but none came.

She hadn’t even bothered to admonish Rhem, instead running up to the fallen stallion to check if he was all right. The stallion was--like almost every other pony in Canterlot--a unicorn silver in color, with a thinning mane of brown hair and red highlights. He wore a fairly sharp red overcoat, black pants, and a cravat, and was laying on his side with spirals in his eyes. A set of thick-rimmed gold trim glasses were off to the side, one lens with thick spider-web cracks, the other missing entirely.

The alicorn tried to rouse him, nudging him with her muzzle, only to receive a groan in response.

Rhem followed the princess and planted himself at her side. He watched anxiously as she nosed the stallion, hoping that he would get up.

He didn’t.

Shifting his attention to her, he offered an apologetic frown.

“… Sorry.”

The mare shook her head.

“It was an accident, General. These things happen.” Exhaling a sigh, she utilized her magic to levitate the unconscious unicorn up. “We can get him to an infirmary and see that he’s tended to, and then perhaps we can continue to… see the countryside.”

The countryside sounded like a safe place to go. No ponies out there to unwittingly frighten or injure.

Just as Rhem was about to head off with Princess Celestia, a good sized rock struck him in the back of the head.

“Hey!”

He whipped around to get a look at the perpetrator. A pair of teenage colts continued their assault with more rocks.

Princess Celestia stepped in front. The rocks were deflected by magic, bouncing off by a shimmering wall of mana, while at least one was caught in mid-air and subsequently disintegrated.

She was clearly displeased.

“Enough! Go about your business, citizens.”

Rhem was once again bewildered by the mare as she protected him--even though he didn’t really need it. His respect and admiration for her only increased at this. Though, an insulting statement pulled his attention away from her and evoked a soft growl from the depths of his throat.

“But, Princess! That monster hurt our father!” the older proclaimed in their defense.

An expression of shock drew itself upon the alicorn’s face. Of course, how could she not have realized that the poor stallion was the father of these young ponies? Coming forward, she lowered her head to meet the older colt at eye level, looking a little upset.

“I understand, but it was an accident. Rhem didn’t mean to hurt your father.” She gazed over her shoulder to regard the dragon’s miserable expression. “Tell me, does that look like somepony who deliberately meant to cause any harm?”

The colt took a look at Rhem then exchanged a silent glance with his brother.

“But… he’s a dragon! Dragons are evil, heartless beasts that like to kill ponies!”

Princess Celestia shook her head.

“It’s true that Rhem is a dragon, but it should be common knowledge you should never judge a book by its cover. You should also know that one particular individual is not representative of a group at large.”

“B… but…! He has sharp teeth and claws and a bunch of scars! He must have gotten in a bunch of fights and killed things!” the youngest attempted to contribute.

“That very well may be possible,” Princess Celestia mused, but smiled. “However, you should really get to know somepony first before making accusations based just off their physical appearance.”

As it was, standing there and arguing with these colts really wasn’t getting their father the medical treatment he needed.

“In any case, your father isn’t getting the medical attention he needs. Let us see him be given proper care.”

With that, she turned to leave.