cloudominium Gally Day Care (Closed: SteelEagle, Foxxy)

[Hippo]

 

The flamingo flew downstairs to the cloud floor where the front door was. It was lost inside the home and couldn't find an obvious way to escape. But did it even want to escape? The pink bird flew around the main lobby causing mayhem and knocking down lamps and shelves as he passed them. He tried landing on the coffee table, but slipped on the coloring supplies and flapped around to gain stability, spraying coloring supplies all over the room. Finally, the flamingo landed in a corner of the room, scratched a minor itch under its left wing with his large gnarly beak and looked around for his predator. He wasn't the brightest crayon in the box.

 

Zap attempted to follow the pursuit, first in his best zipping flight, but quickly disengaged his small wings and elected to run down the stairs instead. "A fla-ming-o?" He asked in discovery. "Why is it here?" Though the bird was making a huge mess, Zap did not mind it as he was bewildered by the animal. "We should catch it. It can be my pet! Oh can I keep it? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I?" He was so excited by the prospect of having an animal to take care of, he wasn't even sure Gallus could properly wrangle the bird up to begin with.

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                                                     


It wasn't much of a chase. Nocreature would claim that flamingos were fast or agile flyers, though the same was said of the majority of Griffons now that he mentioned it. It was rare to see a Griffon being complimented on their fantastic flying skill or trailblazing speed. Even then he was good enough to keep pace and outfly the flamingo, though what he wasn't prepared to do or expected he would have to do is try to predict where it was trying to go. In a short amount of time it had been corralled in the main lobby though not before it had made one heck of a mess. A mess he would have to clean up, he thought ruefully. Thanks, wild an random bird incursion. He had barely gotten Zap to stop crying and now he had another crisis on his talons.

He sighed.

Luckily, a barrage of questions offered him a way out of the current vexation he had with this pink creature. "Yeah, flamingo. Sounds funny. Don't know why they named it that but its unique at least," he said as he eyed up his prey from behind a cloud banister post. He was going to have to get it to move in the direction of the door and he would need Zap Japple to go ahead and make sure it was open if it was going to work. Well, assuming he was able to dissuade the colt from wanting it as a pet. "I mean, that's up to your mom. Or your other mom. I wouldn't keep them as pets though. They're stinky and stupid. You should get a cool animal to be a pet or an easy one, like a Hipporiff or a dog," he said as he leaned down, settling in for the plan.

 

"Okay buddy, I need you to open the front door really, really fast. I'll shepherd it out and then we'll eat those cupcakes which should be ready in," he looked for a clock- then did the quick math- "sooner rather than later. So on a count of three, you run and open the door, okay? Show me that Rainbow dash spirit, kid," he encouraged as his eyes locked onto the target. He'd wait a second longer to allow the flamingo to react to Zap Dapple before he made his move. That way Gallus would have time to react to the flamingo and herd it in the right direction. This'd be so much easier if he could just kill and eat it, uggh.
"Okay. One...two...three!"

[Hippo]

 

Zap Apple trickled down the stairs to see Gallus in a standoff against the flamingo. He heard Gallus' instructions and after a short comprehension test, he saluted Gallus with enthusiasm and pattered his way to the door. The door was locked of course, so he wasn't sure how he could open it. If he knew the mechanics of the lock he could probably open it. But if he had known, he would have attempted to leave with his mother before being stuck with the stinky griffin. He looked back at Gallus by the door. "I can't. It's locked." Instead of issuing the lack of knowledge he explained the length of his misfortune. "Dashie says I have to grow up a little before I can open the door, anyway."

 

Just then, the door knocked on the other side three times. The knocks were hoof-induced and seemed urgent. Gallus was perplexed at the knocking wondering who it could be and looked back at Gallus with a puzzled look. Just then, the flamingo flew at Gallus, probably calculating it's best possible chance at escape the griffin's rage. The long-legged bird flapped and flopped around on Gallus smacking him lightly with his webbed feet. And then sound came from the door. The sound of keys turning the lock mechanism, and the doorknob twisting. Was it Dashie!? Zap thought. He rushed towards Gallus who was being attacked by the flamingo. "Gally! It's Dashie, she came back to get me!" When Zap approached the pink and blue tussle, he got a quick jab from the flamingo's right foot and it tossed Zap back a few meters from the commotion, and applied a very noticeable bruise on his left shoulder. Zap was not physically hurt all that much, but he knew that if his mother was coming through that door, there would be no quicker way to get her attention then by giving the best wail for empathy, and making sure the bruise was in the sight line of the door. And yet, a third sound started to chime in.

 

---BEEP----BEEP----BEEP----BEEP----BEEP----BEEP----BEEP----BEEP----BEEP----BEEP----BEEP----BEEP----

 

The cloudominium had slowly filled with smoke. The cupcakes were overdone, and the oven's attempt at making them nice and crispy started to vex the air quality of the room. And the smoke alarm above the kitchen area began making its warning heard.

 

Spoiler

 

It was the fourth time this week that Scout had flown away from the sanctuary without permission. Many animals are allowed to come and go, but Fluttershy knew Scout hated taking his medicine. Scout suffered from a minor respiratory infection and though he seemed in good health, she knew that it was best for him to take the full recommended dosage Dr. Fauna prescribed. Once again, Scout the flamingo was resisting the procedure and flew into Rainbow Dash's house to hide from the loving pegasus. No one was more surprised to see a griffin inside her house than Scout.

 

Fluttershy busted opened the front door and saw a lot of smoke, Gallus fighting with Scout the flamingo, and Zap Apple crying in the corner with a big bruise on his shoulder, and crayons and small toys scattered everywhere. She was first attempting to gauge forgiveness for her intrusion, but upon seeing all the calamity and the messes that had been made, she couldn't help but be astonished. The ringing of the smoke alarm drowned out a lot of Fluttershy's high pitched mannerisms. "Uhhh. What's going on?"

 

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                                         


Gallus could only console himself that his plan made sense for so log before he had to admit that it had fallen apart in a less than beautiful fashion. The first flaw was that the door was locked, which he should have remembered. What was more shocking was that Zap didn't know how to unlock it or even that he wouldn't even he would have been allowed. Why did he have to pick that moment to be a good little colt that did what his momma told him to do?

 

Gallus didn't have a lot of time to think about that. He was distracted by the colt's inability to handle the door and didn't see the flamingo use all of its ill-forgotten speed to rush the griffon, and frankly it started to kick Gallus' tail off with a furious assault of smacks and kicks and random flailings that were more embarrassing than it was hurtful. It wasn't hard to get a handle on it, however. He grasped it in his strong talons, firmly enough to stop it in its tracks but without causing any abrasions or marks. "Stop!" he pleaded with it, hoping that would help. 

It likely didn't but he didn't have time to think about it. The Flamingo had knocked Zap for a loop and he was playing it up as a bunch of knocks came at the door, at the same time as the smoke alarm went off. What!? He had timed it perfectly! Oh wait. He hadn't. Now that he thought back to it, he had nudged the timer while thinking about  a certain pink bird.

 

Uggh.

 

The door opened and it was Fluttershy, as if it could get any worse. Still, she could handle one job easily enough. "Is this yours?" He asked as he flew over and dropped the flamingo on her. A quick head-scan- Zap was just playing it up, probably looking for mom. No mom, his crying would subside. But that alarm needed to die. He flew into the kitchen, got the oven turned off and open, and pulled the slightly burned cupcakes out. And only after he put it down did he realize he forgot to use any safety equipment, and his whole front talons blazed with pain. Still he had to something, and tossed all the windows open in the kitchen as he bit his lip. He had never moved so fast in his life, returning to the entryway between the kitchen and the main lobby.
"Hey, Professor. How are you doing today?" He asked with barely hidden cracks as he flew to check on Zap Apple, pulling the little guy in close to inspect his bruise.

[Hippo]

 

Fluttershy took a deep gander at all the commotion and noises, seeing Gallus in a blur moving around trying to fasten things quickly. She was never the kind of pony to acknowledge someone else's stress so she ignored it. But she would still be concerned with what Gallus was doing and if Zap Apple was in any possible danger. Gallus was a smart, responsible griffin, right? After Gallus dropped Scout on her, Fluttershy held comfortably and safely the way she does best. Scout would scramble on the blue griffin, but in Fluttershy's soft possession, the flamingo felt powerless to do anything. For him, the jig was up. "Is everything okay? I'm sorry to drop by like this, I actually forgot that you were sitting Zap today for Rainbow Dash. I saw Scout fly towards Rainbow's cloud and so I thought he might have come in here. Rainbow Dash gave me a key to her place in case I ever needed to borrow something."

 

Fluttershy pulled Scout in front of her. "Now Scout, you know I only make you take this medicine because I know it'll keep you from getting sick again. I know it tastes bad, but just a couple more days of this medicine and I promise you I'll make you that special algae soup I know you love." Scout sighed and then nodded. Fluttershy pulled out a fairly large capsule from her saddlebag intended for swallowing. She held it to Scout's beak, he scooped it up and swallowed it, wincing as he did so. Fluttershy lovingly combed his feathers on his head. "There you go. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

 

Now that Scout was catered to, Fluttershy turned to Gallus who was consoling Zap on his minor injury. But of course, any minor injury was a severe psychological emergency that needed several ounces of tender, loving care. She needed to get back to the sanctuary in order to help other animals with their needs. And since she got derailed with Scout's flying away, she was now behind schedule. Hopefully Angel fed the snakes like she asked him to. She walked towards Gallus and Zap and bent her knees to lower herself to Zap's level. "Oh you poor little thing. Does it hurt?"

 

 

 

It didn't hurt. Maybe it would a few months ago but Zap was now several halves of years old now. He was starting to really fly well, he was eating big boy sized apples, and his mothers started mentioning how handsome he is on the regular. Of course, seeing Gallus stressed out as he was was interesting and entertaining to him. He didn't have the context that Gallus was a student of Fluttershy, only that he was a stinky bird cat thing which is supposed to sit Zap so that his mothers could spend at least a few hours without him asking either of them where apples come from for the sixteenth time. He knew he could use this moment to gain some leverage against his captor. "Yes." He said. "Fluttershy, I need a big band-aid from your cottage." Zap squeezed out of Gallus's inspecting talons.

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                                                  


Gallus didn't have the foal in a very hard grip. His talons hurt and the colt wasn't hurt so he didn't see the point in trying to hold onto him. That didn't mean that Gallus liked it much when the colt decided to be a little jerk and purple up his current predicament. The little liar! He was fine. Why the heck was Zap Apple trying to make this harder on Gallus? He was a little troublemaker.

Gallus was not a fan.

Thankfully he had more pressing concerns and didn't give voice to his thoughts. First was a hammering talon that ached greatly and was barely under control. Secondly was the need for Professor Fluttershy to not lose faith in him. He wasn't sure which was more pressing at the moment.

"Yeah. The biggest band-aid ever. Right across the mouth, zip up the Zap," he said with a wink and a laugh, forced as it was to hide the fact he really felt like he needed to go to the bathroom and pour some cold water on the talon. As Zap and Fluttershy grew closer he allowed himself to rest against a banister and try to keep his demeanor even.

 

"No, its fine," he replied in response to her question about how it was going. A lie sure but a necessary one, and not much of a lie in the first place. "Just a little...hectic is all. Mistimed the cupcakes we were making which-" he huffed with clear frustration. Partially born out of real confusion over what happened, but mostly the pain in his talon, "-okay, you know what? I think cloud ovens cook funny and I don't really get them I guess, but whatever. I'll do better next time," he finished with confidence and a smile that was crooked ever so slightly as he played with his talons. Wishing to distract from that clear injury, he flicked his tail towards the flamingo.

 

"Then this flamingo, Scout? He flew all around like a madwing. Probably just scared," he started off with rising frustration, then bled it off. There was a truth he needed to become accustomed to. "I...probably didn't help matters there. Griffons are natural predators and I look very intimidating. Very dangerous," he said, emphasizing the word dangerous as he puffed out his chest.

[Hippo]

 

"No need for that, I have one right here." Fluttershy pulled a band-aid out of her bag and stuck it softly onto Zap's bruised shoulder. She knew it would have no practical application onto his wound, it was a bruise. But she figured the band-aid would at least provide the colt with a little comfort. The bandage was pink and had white bunnies on it. "Does that feel better? Oh, I'm sorry you can't visit my cottage and see the animals. I know you like to do that from time to time, but today I have too many chores at the sanctuary to keep an eye on you. You understand, don't you? Besides, tough Gallus here is going to protect you from everything. And he's big and strong isn't he?"

 

Fluttershy gathered her things and started to make way for the door. "It's okay, Gallus. I'm sure Scout here is fine. And even if you did accidentally scare him, he knows you didn't do it on purpose. Right, Scout?" Scout rolled his eyes. Gallus confessed his issues but tried to reassure Fluttershy that everything was going to be alright, and Gallus' charisma was good enough to convince her that it would. However, he couldn't finish with such a declaration that he was intimidating. Fluttershy giggled. "Hehehe, oh Gallus, you're such a kidder. Everyone in class knows you're one of the sweetest, most kindest students I have."

 

 

 

Zap Apple looked at Fluttershy. He looked at Gallus. He looked at Fluttershy again. Then he looked at Gallus. A small smirk began to grow and he started to exhale a snicker.

 

"I need to go now. Sandra was getting hungry and I need to get back before she decides to find something for herself to eat. I'm so sorry we can't chat more. Bye!" Fluttershy hastily walked out of the cloudominium and closed the door behind her clutching her flamingo patient in her hooves.

 

After she left, it was quiet. Zap Apple looked up to Gallus, noticed the current defaulting setting and started to well his eyes up again for another big cry.

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                                         


Professor Fluttershy left but not without taking the wind out of his wing. Okay so he wasn't the nastiest, meanest Griffon of all time but he had claws and talons and a predator's jaw. That had to be a little intimidating, right? Uggh. These ponies and their carefree alliance with just about anything with a beating heart. With the exception of the Everfree they didn't seem to fear anything. And that was cool and all, he liked that, but just once or twice he'd like to feel like a lion and not a cub. "See ya," he said, taking the small victory of not having to deal with that stupid flamingo. He already had one out of control, ill-behaved bird to deal with today and he wasn't sure he could handle another.

 

Heck, one was hard enough. One quick look at Zap Apple told Gallus he was ready to start crying his heart out again. Boreas, why was he so full of tears and anguish? Throw him onto the streets of Griffonstone for a week and that'd give him something to cry about. Okay, cool it, Gallus. You got this, he thought to himself as he reached into his bag.
"Hey kid, I know we didn't finish those cupcakes but don't worry, I came prepared," he said with a smile. He had hoped to have these for later but solving a problem now was enough for him. He pulled out a cardboard box wit bright colors and flashy images. It was sugarfilled, apple-flavored, pegasi-adored hulled sunflower gummies that were all the rage. He had purchased two boxes. "Wanna sit down and have some snacks?" He offered a talon with several gummies as a peace offering. 

[Hippo]

 

Zap's tears were held for the time being. Because for one, fruit snacks were great, especially ones that were apple flavored. Mommy-approved and foal-approved. And secondly, and probably more importantly, Zap had not redeveloped enough tears for a second round of wails. Maybe later, but not now. He would reserve his tear ducts for the next time he needed something from the blue birdcat. "Okay." Zap happily stood straight up and trotted to the kitchen table, sitting up on a stool carefully. He waited from Gallus to deliver the goods on his place mat in front of him. You know, like how mom does.

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                                       


Gallus breathed a massive sigh of relief, even though he tried his best not to show it. Any time you could forestall a foalish crying fit was a major victory. It just hurt griffons more. They had very acute hearing and kittens and chicks didn't scream or cry. They might screech or hiss or meow but they didn't develop into screamers and criers until they developed physically enough, and by then they were simply less likely to do so. So a foal's screaming and crying fit hit Gallus a little worse than it would a pony. It hurt his ears, and it hurt them a lot. Or maybe Zap was just loud. The judge was still out on that, though the verdict was decidedly irrelevant. What it really boiled down to was: Dude, stop screaming and crying.

 

Luckily it was all working out. Zap Apple made his way to the kitchen and Gallus flew by him as the foal sat on a stool. Finally, something was working just right. He looked for a tiny peanut bowl or something similar- somecreature needed to do Rainbow Dash's dishes, sweet Griffonstone- but he had to settle on a small plate. Gallus pulled the plate out and placed it in front of the foal and poured some of the gummies onto the plate. He wasn't even sure how they made gummies. It seemed like a weird product to him, but whatever. "Here you go," he said as he took his seat and stretched out his wings. Now that he was calm and eating, Gallus figued this was a good time to learn some things. "So little guy, what do you like to do around here?" He asked energetically, trying to maintain this positive momentum for the sake of his ears.

[Hippo]

 

Zap was patient for once, waiting for the gummies to arrive in front of him. When gummies were poured onto the plate, Zap reached for one with his mouth. He grabbed one and started chewing it rather obnoxiously. He wasn't playing with his food, but he was content to leave it mashing around in his mouth full of flavor for longer than was necessary. While he did so, the griffon asked a question.

 

Instead of answering the question straight away, Zap decided to pinpoint a problem with the way Gallus was addressing him. He swallowed his gummy. "I have a name, you know." Zap reached for another gummy and started chewing. He had something else to say, but this time he would not wait to swallow before he spoke. "You know like your name is Gally."

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                                                   


Gallus rolled his eyes, though he did so with a smile. It was better than being screamed at. He'd take foalish small talk any day of the week over the other possibilities. He just didn't know whether it was a real break or whether Zap was gonna continue not settling down and playing or drawing or doing whatever it was they could to pass the time before his parents came home.

"Okay, Zappy. What does Zappy like to do? Gally wants to know," Gallus asked again, this time making sure to use his name. Truth be told he was kind of curious what there even was to do up here for a foal. Rainbow Dash didn't seem the type to have a lot of foal-safe activities about and he did need to start getting Zap Dapple on some sort of activity. They couldn't just rush from one small crisis to another with bouts of temper tantrums and the eating of candy to break it apart. Gallus wasn't a childcare expert by any stretch but he was sure most of that was against any number of training manuals for soon-to-be-battle-tested foalsitter. With an outstretched wing Gallus opened the fridge and got the milk out, pouring himself a glass. "Want a glass there, ki- Zap?"

[Hippo]

 

Despite the antics he could get into, most of Zap's hard pressed memories in his short span of life experience had been developed while listening to his Wonderbolt mother brag about how awesome she was. Rainbow Dash would make sure Zap was cloud trained and could do regular pegasus abilities, but if there was one priority the rainbow mare would set on Zap's early education it would be that at least one of his mothers was the best flyer in all of Equestria, with the ribbons and trophies and medals to prove it. And so far, Zap had yet to tire of listening to the stories.

 

When asked about what he likes to do, it was not possible for him to explain the kind of things he would do if he was left alone in a room to play with toys or if he was outside with the pigs on the farm. Instead he would just articulate the first thing that comes to mind when he talks about his foalish musings. "I like to fly as fast as possible, faster than anypony has ever flown before." Zap caught a good look at Gallus's talons. "Faster than any creature, too! Yes I would like a glass of milk, please." Rainbow Dash may have taught Zap how to brag and boast, but Applejack didn't raise a colt with no manners.

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                                  


The colt chewed obnoxiously which was a great sign because anytime he had encountered a kitten, colt, filly or chick who was well-behaved when it came to eating they were probably secretly pretty huge jerks. He wasn't sure if there was really a connection or if his brain just imagined one. He also wasn't sure if the difference even mattered. The important thing was that he had teh right idea for a pegasus. Going fast may have been the most pegasi thing he could have said and he appreciated it but those bird brains. "Faster than anycreature else, eh? Your mom's pretty fast herself. Does she show you the ropes or something?" He asked, vaguely aware that flight camps were a thing that Zap may somehow be less liable to be sent to. His momma would probably want to do it herself.

 

Gallus didn't ignore his rather polite response to his milk question. He guessed that was more on the Applejack side of things. Rainbow Dash didn't seem like a please and thank you mare. Gallus poured the colt some milk in a nice cup and then slide it over the table until it rested near the pegasus. "Here's your milk," Gallus said as he sat back down. So he wanted to just fly around? That was cool and all, but Gallus wasn't a flight instructor. "Do you like to read? Or do any of your moms take you to the projector theater?" He asked, searching for ways and means of keeping the colt's mind occupied for as log as possible and as safely as possible. Applejack's threats still rang through his head like bells rung violently.

[Hippo]

 

"Dashie shows me how she flies and how to move your body around in the air. She says I will be fast one day like her!" Zap picked up another fruit gummy and chewed it. "I like to read books about flying." Or rather, he liked when Rainbow Dash read books to him about flying. She would try to use some of the made-for-foals books, but Zap's favorite was page 46 of Daring Do and the Marked Thief of Marapore when the protagonist is explained through action-related details of a high speed flight pursuit she endured. Rainbow Dash had no problem reading this to him almost every night he stayed the night with her. "A what? I've never heard of that." Zap had never used the word projector or what it meant. He had heard theater but didn't understand the context.

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                                              

"Of course you would," Gallus dryly, though he knew well enough to hide his eye roll. Okay, he knew that Professor Rainbow Dash was all about going fast and speed speed speed but this was a little silly. Was it just a foal looking up to his mother or was Rainbow Dash so sucked into the vortex of her own awesomeness that she couldn't even let her foal escape from the gravity well that was her personality? He was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt only so much because...well, ya know. From the mouth of babes and all that jazz. "Well, I'm sure she'll tell you all about her exploits, and maybe give you a piece of helpful advice...every once in a while, at least," he said with a laugh as he got up and hovered over to his bag.

 

"A projector is a theater where you can watch movies, serials, ya know. Programs," he said as he pulled out a reel, ignoring the rating on it. He knew Rainbow Dash had a projector in the house- she had bragged about getting a new one to showcase her moves in stunning detail. He was sure that it would be enough to satisfy Zapple if he just showed him her mom's moves but he was also sure Rainbow did that all the time. He turned around. "I just so happen to have snagged a Daring Do serial on my way here. Interested in some popcorn and a show?" He asked hopefully as he hovered into the living room, just to eye up the location of the projector- there it was- and shot his head back in. If Zap said yes, then boo yeah. It would be fun and foals liked fun. And he liked foals when they sat still and watched something.

[Hippo]

 

Zap looked like he was thinking hard about what he wanted to say, but he was just trying to swallow his gummies. "Okay, yeah sure!" Dashie had never shown him these 'shows' but he always thought they were for big ponies only. But then again, he was a big pony, right? Zap tried to carry the rest of his gummies in his hooves as he tried to hover himself to the living room where Gallus was setting up the projector. Some of them fell out of his hooves and like a normal colt, he ignored the mess he made. He sat in the middle of the room looking at Gallus setting up the reel. "Do you like Daring Do, too!? I thought griffons didn't like pony stuff."

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                                                   


Success! Okay, so Gallus wasn't damned to a day of nonstop horror and issue. Projector shows were popular just about everywhere and Gallus had to admit that his time in Griffonstone would have been better spent in front of a screen than on a street. Who needed harsh lessons on the nature of street survival and the needs of survival when you could plop yourself in front of a screen and watch all sorts of specials and serials? He liked serials more than specials himself, since coming back again and again to watch ongoing stories gave him a sense of routine that was comforting. He didn't think that the colt would think the same but Gallus was also sure it didn't matter. Zap Apple would have moving images and something cool and at that age that would hopefully suffice.

 

Gallus moved the projector into position and then moved the screen likewise. "Daring Do is a pretty cool pony. Lots of adventure and danger, that sells everywhere, regardless of who you are," he smirked. "Not as cool as the tales of Grover the Great, but they don't film griffon legends like they do pony ones," he finished setting up and then started the reel. The special was more recent and certainly looked the part of an adaptation of one of the earlier Daring Do stories. Daring Do and the Forbidden City of the Clouds was one of the more popular ones and had a host of specials and a vaunted place in one of the more well known serialization series. This one starred a slightly older actress for Daring Do who was known for her hardboiled action movies, not that Gallus knew that. 

 

"Alright. You just sit tight and watch. I'm gonna go take care of some things. You need anything, just give me a holler," Gallus said as he started to hover away towards the kitchen, where a mess needed to be fully cleaned and real food prepared. Snacks could tide over just about anyone, but if it wasn't backed by substance...well Zap would be fine but he was sure Professor Applejack would be livid. And he lived to not make her livid, because he might not live long if he did.

[Hippo]

 

The little burnt sienna pegasus sat patiently as the film started playing. The projector was clicking and the speaker mounted on the wall began playing a soundtrack associated with the movie. The first few minutes seemed kind of boring, several words Zap didn't understand or could read easily and nothing exciting was happening. But eventually, he became stimulated by the pegasus protagonist that occasionally would flap her wings on screen. It wasn't much of anything, but Zap could relate to that more than anything else in the film.

 

As characters started dialogue, Zap grew bored of the film and began to let his mind wander. He looked around the room, and in the opening to the kitchen, he could see his glass of milk still on the table where he had left it. It was only half empty. He got up, scampered to the kitchen, climbed onto a chair and reached for the glass. Carefully with both hooves, he tilted the cup to take a drink and upon successfully utilizing gravity, continued to empty the rest of the glass of its contents. He finished and set the cup back. He wore a milk mustache for about two seconds before wiping it off with a heavy swipe of a front hoof. He then jumped off the chair and made his way back to the living room having not said a word to Gallus who was busy cleaning. Why was Gallus doing the things Rainbow Dash's cleaning lady typically does? He wondered.

 

Zap Apple calmly continued watching the film with medium amounts of enjoyment. He wondered if the cool parts of the story were later, but so far everything was about archaeology and investigating things with scientific means. Zap yawned. While waiting for things to pick up speed, he began to notice something inside of him that began to develop its own level of urgency. Hoping it would pass, only a minute later would he realize that something might have to be done about it. He always had his mothers Rainbow Dash and Applejack to help him in times like these, and he became overly nervous about what he should do. Of course, Gallus was in charge, so what choice did he have? He quickly stood up and walked back to the kitchen. "Gally? I need to go pee-pee."

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                                           


Daring Do and the Forbidden City of the Clouds was one of the better Daring Do books, if you listened to the critics. It started with a lot more focus on her scholarly pursuits as she looked into a legend that even she did not think existed. Indeed, it was kind of dry...to a point. Because once she started looking into the facts behind the Forbidden City of the Clouds and was pursued by her enemies, and triply so once she found the city itself. Traps and fights aplenty. More importantly, it was one of the more visceral experiences. The author didn't like to talk about the book as much as others and it easy to see why- Daring Do went through a lot and did a lot, and most adaptations tried to err on the side of caution. This adaptation, however, did not do so. There was a reason it was meant for adults, or for older kids who had adults there with them.

 

The closest thing to an adult was in the kitchen.
Gallus got to cleaning pretty quickly. He knew he didn't have forever and the longer he dawdled the more likely it was that something would happen with Zap Zapple. He scrubbed the mess around the oven and then used a bristle brush to take care of it. His face was partially covered in soot and the flaky remains of a failed baking but he wasn't hired for his beauty. Next was the main meal. He pulled out a container with bright logos and Equestrian advertising for an oven-ready meal of roasted eggplant lasagna. He pulled the magical seal off and swore he saw the strands of magic filter off of the seal as he cranked the oven to the right temperature and time and put it in. He hated this Equestrian diet but whatever, he'd dream about some field mice later on.

 

"Gally? I need to go pee-pee."
 

Gallus has just finished putting the food in the oven when the foal came in, shocking Gallus' world with the revelation that ponies used the bathroom. Shocking developments tonight at the Cloudhouse of Doom.
"Well, okay. Uhh, go use it?" He asked with confusion. Then it dawned on him...wait, was he waiting on Gallus?
"Oh."
That was weird. Did parents escort their foals to the bathroom in Equestria? That was weird.
"Oh, okay. Uhh, where's the bathroom?" he asked as he started to hover and offered a talon to walk him. there. He guessed?

[Hippo]

 

Zap put his hoof in Gallus' offered claw. It wasn't really necessary but Gallus seemed insistent. "Over here." Zap led Gallus to the door for the bathroom.

 

Every pegasus home was fitted with a water closet of some sort. Usually there was a large tub either made of wood or ceramic material. All of them had a sink, but also a compartment through a hole in the floor to collect all of the business. Equestrian taxes help pay for the service and removal of pony waste on a regular basis. Rainbow Dash's cloudominium wasn't the fanciest facility in the skies, but she was no filthy pegasus. Her bathroom was fitted with a standard sanitary flushing device that could be used by mares and stallions. Of course, the features used by male ponies hadn't been used for their purpose until recently. For Zap, all he needed to do was stand over the hole with his legs extended slightly and aim in a general area beneath him.

 

The little colt was practically done with his potty-training, however, his mothers still expected he be supervised. Recently, Zap had an accident where he made quite the mess in the bathroom after failing to position himself properly. Until he perfected it, he felt as if supervision was required. Whenever he had to go, he would inform one of his mothers so they can prepare for the drill. Zap walked into the bathroom and trotted towards the toilet and backed up into it to prepare. He stared at Gallus for his approval.

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                                                


Gallus was led towards the bathroom and breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know why but he had half imagined that Rainbow Dash's bathroom would either be a total disaster or it would be chock full of posters and other materials aggrandizing her. You know, in case all the trophies and newspaper clippings didn't do a good enough job across the rest of the house. And it was clean, or at least as clean as it needed to be. He didn't know why but he always assumed that the athletic types tended to leave their abodes a bit rough around the edges. Or maybe that was just Smolder, who knows?

 

He let go of Zap's hoof and let him go to the bathroom, turning his back to give him some privacy. So, what else was being planned? Movie. Food. That should keep him happy and full and then...maybe an activity? Foals liked activities. The best one would have been the quiet game but Zap Apple didn't seem like he'd want to play that game. He was the antithesis of silence. Maybe they'd throw a ball? Foals, like animals, loved to play fetch. Outside though. He didn't want to shatter something important and get an earful from his professor when she got back. Or from Professor Applejack if Gallus went against one of her hidden, secret foal rearing rules that he was oblivious to.

 

His head feathers went on the ends as he felt something boring into his back. Finely tuned street senses were always on point, though he never would have expected they be used in such a situation. He turned around and saw Zap Apple looking up at him with...expectation? Is this how ponies use the bathroom? It was very awkward. Zap Apple was awkward. Or was Gallus making it awkward? He realized it was awkward only after there was a moment of expecting silence. He blinked and regained himself. "Uhh...go?" 

[Hippo]

 

Zap went. His focus was on maintaining a straight stance while not moving too much, but his facial expression could have been mistaken for a blank stare that seemed rude, especially when someone else was sharing the bathroom. Zap looked down underneath him to see the end of his relief and given a few grace seconds, stood straight up and pull the flush cord above him that would pour water into the hole to sanitize the waste surfaces. He then walked to the sink and started washing his hooves.

 

This whole experience in the bathroom will later make Zap feel embarrassed. Not necessarily because he felt bad about his innocence lacking full context of this situation, but rather that he let a stranger griffon watch him urinate at all. No mental scaring would prevail, but it would serve as a deep secret he would only tell his best friends. And maybe not even them. Zap finished rinsing his hooves of the suds he lathered on them, and then dried them off with a hanging towel. He then showed his almost-reflecting hooves, soles point upwards, to Gallus.

[SteelEagle]

                                                                                                                    
 

 

Once Zap Apple started to go, Gallus felt relieved. He was able to look around and distract himself, only turning back once he heard running water. Being a parent must be really awkward and weird. He was increasingly happy that he wasn't a parent because it just must be a constant and evolving series of weird interactions and horrifying accidents that made your head spin. How Professors Applejack and Rainbow Dash were able to maintain their sanity and raise a kid was beyond him. He was going to assume that they didn't really have it all there anymore, not really.
 

Zap Apple was done in good order and thank Boreas for that. No accidents, only a little mess, nothing too awkward. Why was he needed in the first place? Zap seemed pretty capable of handling his business himself. Meh, not his call. If that's how his mothers did it, that's how he'd do it for the day. Better that than the unreasonably angry Apple mom flipping her lid over some small detail he missed. He wasn't really sure that she was the type of mare who'd do something like that, but threats had a way of playing with a Griffon's mind. 

 

"Good job," he said evenly, not sure how to give congratulations on such a minor task. He then tossed his head back towards the living room. "The good part's coming up. You don't want to miss it, do you? Want a drink?" He asked positively as he fluttered into the kitchen. In the living room, the projector show was playing and it was getting to the good part. The exciting part. The violent part, and the part that took up the rest of the show. Zap Apple was old enough for that, right? Right? Right.

[Hippo]

 

Zap followed Gallus and sat down in the living room where the movie was playing. "Can I have juice?" He asked with a perky squeak in his voice. As he watched the film, he couldn't really follow what was going on, but he could tell the pace of the plot had increased considerably. The minor details weren't important, but he began to be fixed on things that characters were doing that seemed out of the ordinary. Why was that pony with the scar holding a knife? Was he about to slice a cake? And where do those two unnamed ponies go when they fell off the cliff? Did the Wonderbolts save them? Probably. Yeah, the Wonderbolts probably saved them. Zap wishes he could have seen that scene.

 

Daring Do in the story seemed to be composed, but obstacles kept giving her close calls, a typical trope in Daring Do fiction. But eventually, she fell down a pit. In the pit, a dark monster who seemed very large and had evil green eyes started menacing the screen, giving a horror vibe that could be felt through the minds eye of the protagonist and the viewers alike. Zap's eyes widened and his hooves clinched to the pillow he was sitting on. His imagination could scare himself pretty easy if he thought a monster of some sort was hiding in hid bedroom while he slept, but seeing it in a brilliantly shot black and white film made the reality of such an abomination more real than Zap has ever felt, and he started to quiver.