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// Chapter the Sixth: Convalescence 
// Story: Failure, Eternally Retold, Part One: The Human Element 
// by Kiernan 
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After being granted full access to Fluttershy's kitchen, with supervision of course, Nikolas made the two of them a delicious tomato soup and a few grilled cheese sandwiches. Fluttershy didn't really have any meats readily available at the moment, but she promised to have a new shipment in soon. She would regularly have shipments from the local dog food factory so as to feed her carnivorous and omnivorous animals. A fresh shipment would be in tomorrow.

Nikolas sat down on the couch. He was tall for a human, being just over two metres in height, but he was very tall when compared to these ponies. He had to keep his head down so that his scalp didn't drag along the ceiling. He had to duck just to pass through the doorways. As he sat, he was relieved to be straightening his neck and shoulders.

"I've changed my mind," chuckled Fluttershy, sitting next to him. "I now believe wholeheartedly that you used to cook for a living."

"I'm glad to know you believe me now," smiled Nik. He was really starting to like Fluttershy. She was the epitome of kindness. 

"So, why did you leave that behind?"

Nik's smile faded. "It wasn't by choice. Some other humans tried to kill me. First by setting me on fire, then by cutting me to ribbons."

Fluttershy was shocked. "They set you on fire!?" 

"They tried to. I escaped with only a few burns."

"Show me."

Nikolas lifted his shirt, revealing a few minor burns on his stomach. He had more, but he wasn't ready to remove his pants just yet. 

"Those look pretty minor. All I can tell you is to keep them clean and open. I have some ointment, but it seems a little late for that."

Nik put his shirt down. "The damage to my person was minor. But the fire consumed my place of residence."

"That's awful. Just horrible."

"My boss offered me a place to stay with him, and the people who tried to kill me tracked me down again." As he went over the details in his mind again, Nik had only just now realized that the second assassin at Jim's place had been wiping blood off of his sword. He hadn't considered it in the moment, but now that he had time, he questioned whose blood that had been. His face went pale as he put the pieces together. "They... They killed his dad."

Fluttershy placed her hoof on Nik's shoulder. She hadn't intended to upset him so with her questions. She had only meant to have him open up. "I'm sorry to hear that. If you don't want to keep going, we can stop here. I don't want to make you feel bad."

Nik shook his head. "No, we can keep going. I just... He was such a sweet old man. He was a retired aviator for the military who spent his golden years knitting and playing poker. He didn't deserve what happened to him."

"I know. Many that die deserve life. But that is not for us to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time given to us."

Nik could have sworn he'd heard that line somewhere before, though he couldn't quite place it. Still, he knew Fluttershy was right. He would just have to continue living his life. There was nothing he could do to bring back the dead. Even if this world had necromancy, Jim's father deserved to be left at peace. As did Jim, he thought, reasoning that they likely wouldn't just let him go. He would mourn their loss when he could stop worrying about his own situation.

"Do you have any idea why they were after you, Nikolas?"

Nik shook his head. "None. No one came to talk with me about changing my behaviour. I can't think of anything I did to hurt someone else. Maybe I did do something to hurt them and didn't realize it? If so, I guess that makes me a bad person, but if they'd come and talked to me, I would have at the very least opened up a dialogue with them, whoever they were."

Fluttershy nodded. "I believe you, Nikolas."

"You can just call me Nik, if you prefer."

"Nik?"

Nik nodded. "We're friends now, right?"

Fluttershy smiled. "I'm glad you see it that way. In that case, I'm glad we could be friends, Nik." She reached around him, wrapping her hooves around his soft belly, being careful not to rub against any of his burns. He was glad to return the hug.

They sat there for another few minutes before Nik yawned. While he hadn't done much in the way of activity today, he was emotionally and mentally exhausted. He could feel himself nodding off.

Fluttershy noticed his behaviour. "Are you tired?" Nik nodded, yawning again. "I'm afraid that means you'll have to go back into your enclosure. On the plus side, I can offer you a pillow and blanket, if you'd like."

Nik groaned. He wasn't looking forward to going back into the cage. "I suppose a pillow and blanket would make my jail cell a little nicer. If I may ask, before I go back into my cage for the night, might I be allowed to use your lavatory?"

After his bathroom break, Fluttershy put Nik to bed outside. She knew, from her experience with Kai, how uncomfortable it was to be stuck inside of a cage. Granted, she had been allowed to stand up. Nik was not afforded the same luxury. The very moment she was convinced that he would do her no harm, she vowed to find him a better place to sleep. But for now, she had work to do.

Nik wanted to wear clothes. She would have to find his measurements and make new clothing for him. After all, there weren't any stores where you could buy human clothes here in Equestria. Nik wanted out of his cage. She would need to find a place for him to sleep and a place to stay for moments when she couldn't watch him. Perhaps the latter of these would become irrelevant, but regardless, she would need an extra large bed that could be stowed away.

Lastly, but certainly not least, Nik would be needing protection. If those other humans found him here and tried to kill him again, countless ponies could be injured or worse in the process. She couldn't drive them off, she was neither strong nor a fighter. She would need assistance from the royal guards. At the very least, until she was absolutely sure he was safe. 

She wrote three letters. The first, to Rarity, requesting a shipment of fabric and stuffing with which to make a durable bed. She would also need to ask Nikolas what fabric was used for human clothes. His shirt looked like a knit, and his pants looked like denim, but she wasn't sure about the rest. The second letter was to a local pet store, asking the standard dimensions for an extra-large dog bed. The third was for Twilight, asking if she could do anything to offer Nik the protection he needed through either her brother or the princesses. She couldn't risk having a group of assassins visiting Ponyville. Placing them in her mailbox with the flag up, she checked in on Winona a final time before heading to bed herself.