//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Visiting Nancy // Story: Adventures in The 6ix // by Wiz Ahmad //------------------------------// MANE 6 AND SPIKE POV HOME, LIVING ROOM 10:00 AM “So now what?” Rarity blurted out. “We can’t touch or use anything, Xavier told us not to touch anything.” “He said not to touch his mother’s stuff,” Applejack pointed out. “It is important that we respect both their property.” “Yeah, they were the only ones who would take us in even though we’re completely alien to this land!” Pinkie pointed out. “So it’s just a matter of being bored out of our minds until he returns?” Rainbow Dash groaned, flopping down on the couch. “I am so done with this place, it is not cool.” XAVIER POV STREETS OF TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA Out on the roads of Toronto, I felt much more relaxed. It was where I spent most of my time, and I knew almost every intersection. Today’s road trip was different. This time Skystar rode in the backseat, while Tempest sat up front with me. She stood upright, her chest stiff and her eyes watchful, observing every movement. “You act like a bodyguard, Tempest,” I teased. “I might need to be one,” she countered. As if to prove her right, the number of people crossing the street in front of us was triple what I usually saw during this hour. A little boy pressed his face to the side window, and Tempest glared right back, causing him to jump out of his skin as his mom pulled him away. I let out a little giggle, but deep down I knew the situation would get ugly real fast. Within seconds people were lined up alongside the sidewalk’s edge, snapping photo and after photo of me and Tempest in the car. I had no problem with photos - I’d had zillions of photos taken as part of promotion during my skateboarding sponsorship days. But this was going too far. “We should get out of here,” Skystar whispered from the backseat. The lights finally turned green. Just as I was about to press the clutch a guy with a large fancy camera leapt in front of the car to take a grand photo. “GET OFF THE ROAD!” I yelled as loudly as my lungs would permit, window down. I threw the car into second gear and sped off in frustration, slamming Skystar against the seats, resulting in a little yelp. The guy moved out of the way just in time, and I swerved to avoid hitting him. “All this time in these humans’ lives, and they waste it harassing others…” Tempest hissed, her voice thick with anger. “Hey hey,” I said, softly caressing the back of her neck. “Don’t get your hooves up in a twist over it. This stuff happens all the damn time in this city. People have rather boring lives, so anything out of the ordinary is bound to grab their attention. Besides, don’t you want to be a pony who’s admired and respected rather than be a pony who’s feared and shunned?” Tempest’s face fell. “Absolutely. But defending is in my nature. I guess I became quite aggressive in my act of it in my previous days.” “You don’t have to tell me about those,” I replied. “Now that the trouble’s behind us, let’s set a mood.” I quickly skimmed through the playlist on the car’s headunit, before finding an ideal song. Even though I didn’t give a formal introduction, Tempest was already into it, her head bouncing along to the African-style beat. Before I knew it, her lips were quietly singing. “And you are, unforgettable…” “Like it?” I asked, a sly smile across my face. “Interesting lyrics,” Tempest confided, “Though there are a couple words I don’t understand. Seems like a stallion and mare noticing each other during a dance at a party, and the stallion can’t get himself off her.” “That’s exactly it,” I replied. “How about you, Skystar?” “I can’t even understand this lovey-love stuff,” she muttered. “Literally every song talks about that these days,” I replied, laughing. “Let’s see what else I can find. Ah, here’s a icon from a couple years back.” “This sounds better!” Tempest and Skystar declared at the same time. “Glad to hear,” I said with a smile, turning up the volume. We were having so much fun with the stereo that I almost forgot where I was headed, and nearly got trapped downtown. Finding my way back uptown I located a familiar street and soon we pulled up in the vet parking lot. “Stay here,” I ordered, looking at Skystar dead in the eye. I pulled the e-brake to keep the car stationery, hopped out, and headed inside. I had been here before, but only once - when my middle school friend’s rabbit got sick. Still, seemingly insignificant memories have a way of sticking with you. “Hello there… Dr. Nancy!” I said in a cheery voice, strolling over to the front desk. Somehow after all these years her name was still in my head. Out of all the vets that worked here, she was by far the most friendly, helpful, and easy-going. “Hi there, how may I help you?” she asked in her usual jolly inquiring voice. Again, another memory that still existed in a far corner of the back of my head. I sighed, the image of Skystar’s bleeding leg feeling like a pair of dumbbells on my shoulders. “Um, I have two very special guests I’d like to bring in today. One is rather… large and doing fine, the other has an injury that needs examination.” “Oh, could you please bring them in? I’d like to see them right away!” “The thing is though, Nancy; they aren’t regular pets. In fact they’re nothing like any pet or animal for that matter that I’ve seen before. They… talk.” I lowered my voice at the last part, but Nancy still caught it. “Really? Sounds quite the tale!” I rolled my eyes. Seeing is believing. So true. “I’ll bring ‘em in,” I simply replied, and darted out the door. Back in the parking lot, I unlocked the passenger door and let out Tempest, then moved the seat forward so we could pull Skystar out. This would be the defining moment. How would Nancy and the other doctors react? Would they be surprised, scared, or fascinated? And what if they didn’t want to give Skystar treatment at all? Stupid brain, stop panicking! I directed my energy into holding Skystar’s arms while her body draped over Tempest’s back. I shut and locked the car doors and we stepped inside. Nancy gasped. “Is that…” “Yes,” I asserted. “I’ve got a hippogriff here with a bad leg injury that will definitely need attention. My unicorn friend here tagged along to help out.” “Don’t you worry, little one,” Nancy cooed to Skystar, stroking her furry neck. “We’ll get that little boo boo all gone.” I rolled my eyes again. Nancy was very affectionate with animals, and it only stood within reason that it was a considerable factor in her landing this job. Skystar was loaded onto a stretcher and whisked away to an examination room, in spite of Nancy’s fellow shocked doctors. Tempest and I eagerly followed, before being ordered to sit in the waiting room. As we sat patiently, Tempest soon became the center of attention, and the clerk behind the desk couldn’t help but ask. “Your horn, how did it break?” I rose and glared right back at her with a I-haven’t got-time-for-this -BS look, but thought better of it and sat back down. “It’s a long story, but when that horn did break, so did the heart and spirit that it was connected to. The healing process is still ongoing, mind you.” Sensing that it was a sensitive topic, the clerk fell silent and continued with her office work. As I sat back in the chair, my mind drifted to the other ponies back at home. How were they doing? Did they manage to keep themselves occupied? And more importantly, had anyone else found out about their existence in that little basement? It then hit me: I had ordered them not to touch anything, which meant they were more than likely bored out of their minds. Slapping my forehead in self-disappointment, I pulled my Samsung Galaxy out of my overalls pocket and called the home landline. MANE 6 AND SPIKE POV HOME, LIVING ROOM 11:00 AM “It’s been an hour!” Rainbow Dash groaned. And there’s little to no room in this little place! I can hardly fly!” “Stop bickering,” Rarity groaned. “At least we’re not out on the streets where some ruffian could abduct us and hurt us badly.” “But it’s sooooooooo boring here!” Pinkie whined. “I’ve found a whole collection of shells in the storage room, a whole lineup of exotic jewelry up on that shelf, and a chess set, but it’s all off limits!” “How are you supposed to enjoy yourself and stay out of trouble when you’re left without anything to do?” Fluttershy complained. DDDDDRRRRRRIIIINGGG! “What was that?” Fluttershy yelped, her eyes darting around worriedly. Twilight’s ears flicked, and she soon picked up the sound, as well as the others. Soon Rarity spotted it. “Oh, it’s the phone! I wonder who’s calling?” Before the others could even decide to respond, Rarity rushed over and picked up the receiver. “Hello?” “Hey Miss Rarity,” I replied in a lustrous voice, though my Caribbean accent made it sound more like a mischievous kid. “How’s everybody doing? I called because… I need to apologize.” “What for?” “Leaving you with no options of what to do or how to have fun. You poor ponies have likely been bored out of your minds for about an hour now! My mom is pretty strict about her personal items, especially her shell collection, her jewelry, and her sewing machine. I guess you could use the chess set though.” In the background I could faintly pick up the sound of Rainbow Dash’s hundredth groan of boredom, and Twilight’s magic as she  levitated something. Probably reading through a book, I thought. Before I could inquire about that, though, Pinkie burst onto the line. “Hi there! Who is iiiiiiiiiiit?” “It’s me, Xavier, or Breezy X,” I muttered, somewhat angry that she’d forgotten my name in less than 24 hours. “Oh, right. Sorry! I just wanted to ask how Skystar’s doing and will her injury heal just fine or…” I cut her off. “Well, we’ll just have to see in about half an hour. Anyways, there’s something I thought you guys could do while I’m at work after noon today.”