Barrier did what he could to keep from fidgeting as his doctor moved his head around, examining every minute detail of his horn.
“Hmm…” the purple unicorn gave a disapproving look at Barrier as he pulled away. “You tried to use magic while you were recovering.”
“Only a little bit out of habit in the first few days,” Barrier confessed bluntly, “After that, I did my best to forgo using magic.”
“You’re lucky that you’ve still got a horn after all that.” The doctor turned away from Barrier and started to fish through one of his drawers.
“Sorry, Dr. Stitch; but is there any good news about this?” He pointed a foreleg towards the spiraled spire on his head. “Not having magic for over a month is just… it just feels so wrong for a unicorn.”
The doctor pulled a brown bottle from his drawer, shutting it with a kick. “Thankfully, you smartened up with the trying-to-do-magic thing before you made it even worse.” Lighting his horn, the bottle was enveloped in a rosy light as it levitated over to Barrier’s forelegs.
“Just drink that down and lay off of the stronger spells or trying to levitate things over ten pounds for the next week and you’ll be right as rain.”
Opening the bottle with his hoof, Barrier caught a whiff of the medicine he’d need. “Ugh, skelegrow…” After a brief instance to prepare himself for the foul taste, he quickly tossed back the bottle and chugged it down as quickly as possible. “Blaurgh… Isn’t there a way to make this stuff taste better?”
Dr. Stitch gave his patient a smirk. “Well if you’d like, Mr. Big Tough Soldier, I could get one of the children’s varieties for you. It comes in strawberry, banana, grape and bubblegum flavours.”
As Barrier rolled his eyes, his doctor levitated a clipboard over to examine. “Also, after going through everything, you’re all clear to make your sperm donation, but there’s something I need to ask.”
“And what would that be, Doctor?” Barrier slid off the examination table, coming closer to the physician.
“Is there any particular reason why you asked if your donation could only be given to thestrals?” He levitated the clipboard in front of Barrier’s face. “It’s a simple thing where you just have to check the boxes of the different species and tribes you’d be willing to breed with on your contract. The check box for thestrals is right between earth ponies and donkeys.” He then levitated a pen over to Barrier, who lit his horn for the first time in weeks to take it.
After giving the paperwork a thorough overview, Barrier let out a sigh. It was something he had been thinking about since he first heard of the Thestral Restoration Program. He had been seeing Dr. Stitch since a few days after he and the cadets had moved into the house. Now, he was ready to do what he must to atone for his old friend.
“If you must know, I had a friend a long time ago and he… he really hurt the thestrals after I disappeared…” With a brief moment of apprehension, Barrier checked the box for thestrals and signed his name. “If I’d been there for him, I don’t think he would have done what he did… I feel like I’m responsible for what he did, Doctor. I feel that I should do what I can to help the thestrals rebuild their race, and this will help.”
Stitch gave took back the clipboard before carefully examining that paper. “Right, that’s all taken care of. Just remember that your contract requires you to give thirty-six donations with a recommended three day waiting period between each ejaculation. Also, be aware that the mares that get impregnated from this will be able to contact you and may ask for child support.” Laying the clipboard down, he opened his drawer once more before pulling out a small sample cup.
“That shouldn’t be a problem, Doctor.” Taking the cup in his magic, Barrier gave it an inquisitive look before turning back to face Stitch once more. “Um… I’m not sure this will be big enough. My girlfriend and I have been a bit more… cuddly than usual, so there’s a bit of build-up, if you know what I mean.”
The doctor gave Barrier a bemused snort before getting the door for him, “That sounds like it’s the janitor’s problem and not mine. After what she did to my cart, I’d say she probably deserves it.” Briefly stepping out of the room, he pointed a hoof down the hall. “Room 104 should be free, and I’m pretty sure we’ve got the newest issues of Fine Flanks and Curvaceous Curples there for inspiration.”
He gave Barrier a wink as he passed him by. “Also, you might want to do it manually to avoid hurting your horn again. Once you’re done, just give it to one of the nurses at the front desk. I must be off now, lots of other patients to take care of.”
Barrier took a deep breath before heading along to the room the doctor had told him to use. Making sure the door was locked behind him, he gave the room a quick once over. It was small, surprisingly clean and mostly empty. All that was there was a single comfortable looking chair and a small table with some magazines that the doctor had mentioned. Taking his place on the chair, Barrier attempted to collect his thoughts.
This is what I have to do. I’m one of, if not the biggest reason why Flash committed that atrocity. It’s my responsibility to help those that he hurt… even if it means having children I may never know.
Letting out a deep breath, Barrier got more comfortable before using his magic to flip open one of the surprisingly clean yet dirty magazines.
The time has come for you to finally become a father, Barrier… Never expected this was how it would finally happen.
***
After collecting his sample and washing off his hooves, Barrier approached the front desk, his cup levitating beside him in his magic. “Here’s my sample, Nurse.” He carefully placed the cup on a small tray on the desk in front of one of the three mares there.
“Thank you, Mr. Barrier. I’ll have this put in cold storage immediately.” The pink earth pony carefully picked up the tray. Before she headed off, she had pressed a button on the device he knew was a cassette player, thanks to Daring’s musical tastes. As she started to leave, a song started to fill the air.
“Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name!”
“And they’re always glad you came!”
This drew a chuckle from the two remaining nurses while the pink one turned the corner with a grin on her face. Barrier could just barely resist the urge to slap his hoof against his face.
If my magic were fully healed, I’d melt that damn tape.
Keeping his thoughts to himself, Barrier took the bits he was offered from one of the giggling mares and exited out the front door, where he found Verdant waiting outside for him.
“Hello, Captain,” the green stallion called out with a wave as Barrier approached. “I trust your doctor’s appointment went well?”
“Well I’m supposed to go easy on the magic for a week, but once that’s done, I should be back up to full form.” Barrier gave a slight stretch before his former cadet and himself walked into the early afternoon sun. “And how did your appointment go?”
Verdant’s tail twitched happily as he answered. “Wonderfully! My wound has healed as well as could be hoped. Now I no longer have to wear those damned bandages. Their itchiness was starting to drive me to madness.”
“And yet you still choose to wear that vest,” Barrier spoke up as he glanced at the greenish-yellow garment that was covering his back.
Verdant nearly rolled his eyes as he responded, “I would not throw away a gift Swiftsword asked Rarity to make for me. Besides, I don’t want to have everypony in Vanhoover see the sizeable burn scar on my back.”
“Fair enough,” the elder spoke as he glanced around. “So, where are the lessons being taught?”
“The community center’s third floor, and we should be just in time for the cooking classes. We should be able to see the building shortly. It’s right near the library.”
“Excellent. Hopefully it won’t take too long. I don’t know why you insisted we both have lessons instead of just borrowing some books from the library.”
Verdant could only grin as Barrier spoke. “Was it not you that once said, ‘Hooves on experience is always a far greater way to learn than reading a book’?”
Barrier gave a quick snort. “Maybe for combat or survival training, but I think a book about cooking would be adequate.”
“Perhaps.” Verdant glanced upwards, spotting the tip of the library’s roof. “But I believe you taking a lesson for how to cook something besides pancakes would lead to better results in practice, which will lead to Ms. Do being happier.”
Barrier thought back to why he agreed to these lessons in the first place. Daring was starting to grow tired of so many take out meals and the simple things they could make at home from their limited culinary skills.
Looking back at the younger of the two present, a thought occurred to Barrier. “And why do you wish to learn how to cook, Verdant?”
“Well there are several reasons, sir,” he answered as Barrier shot out a foreleg, keeping him from colliding with Orange Crush, who was running around in her mascot costume. “One is that I believe learning to cook will be fun, and that it’s a good thing to know. It allows one to take care of themselves, and it would allow me to be a better homemaker for when I manage to gather or join a herd.”
Barrier’s eyebrow climbed at what the young stallion had said. “You do realise herds are less common these days, right? Besides which, it’s extremely likely that herd structures have changed a great deal since our time.”
“I know, but…” The green stallion halted in mid-step. “Herds… how they work… it’s the only way I know a family should work. That a stallion should only have a career until he manages to attract some mates. After that, his duties all revolve around taking care of his herd. Tending to the house, making the meals, siring foals when mares ask him to, to raise the foals while the mares have active careers…” He stopped when he felt Barrier gently place a hoof on his withers.
“Verdant, I’m sure that you’ll find someone, or even several someones, that you’ll want to form a family with. I’m not sure if you’ll have a herd, but I’m certain you’ll make whoever you end up with very happy.” Spotting a grin starting to form on the green pony’s face, Barrier started to trot ahead of him. “Still, you should try to do some other things before trying to find a mate.”
“I know, sir,” Verdant replied as he quickly caught up with Barrier, “I should probably try to find a career in the meantime. That will help me find—”
Barrier put a foreleg out in front of Verdant, snapping him out of his train of thought. “I meant that maybe you should try to do some fun things before you settle down. How relationships work aren’t the only things that have changed since our time. How old were you when you started working, Verdant?”
Bringing a hoof to his chin, Verdant briefly pondered as he tried to recall. “I think I began my apprenticeship under Cosmos LeBlanc in Canterlot… Well, Old Canterlot, which I suppose is in the middle of the Everfree Forest now… Anyway, I began that when I was twelve. I then had to—” Barrier’s hoof shot out again, silencing him again.
“From what I’ve seen, that would be too young for a job these days. You probably would have been out having fun and what not if you were from this era. You now live in an era where there’s no longer a need to do things like that when you’re so young. I know some colts at your age would have likely been married and sired a few foals, but it’s just another thing that’s changed. You should probably wait a while before that happens, live a little, have some fun.”
“Hmm… You raise a good point, sir.” Verdant trotted forward once more, getting ahead of Barrier. “Still, I believe learning to cook, along with meeting new ponies at this class, will be fun.” He gazed over his shoulder at the charcoal unicorn behind him. “Shall we get going?”
A smile came to Barrier’s face as he started up again. “I’m coming. I’m coming.”
A snort and a giggle came from Verdant. “Not the first time I’ve heard you say that.”
“What?” a perplexed Barrier inquired, the faintest hint of a blush on his cheeks.
Looking towards Barrier, Verdant gave an amused smirk, “Let’s just say that everypony in the house will be grateful when you can raise a sound shield spell again.”