April 21 Around 3:45 PM
Crack. Crack.
“Next time, can we make sure we never do that drive again?” I rolled my left shoulder and wobbled my right leg around, producing two more cracks. My head was still a little foggy from the painkillers so I scratched it to clear away a bit of the dizzyness.
“Of course,” mom said as she unloaded a suitcase from the back of the car. Dad was next to her, helping her unload. That left me standing around my house’s garage. More importantly, it let me slip around and make sure the guest house didn’t look too dirty from the outside.
It looked the same as the rest of my house did: white with red roof tiles. Perfect for baking in the Arizona sun. A shame I couldn’t get a better look inside the guest house with its tiny high up windows. Then again, that meant no one could look inside it either.
To my left, dad was already moving to the garage door. I followed along with mom and waited by the door while dad fumbled with his keys. To my surprise, there was a lack of familiar scratching at the door. “Where are the dogs?”
“The vet,” mom explained. “We told them about what happened and they let the dogs stay like they normally do when we go on a trip. I actually called the vet in the car but you were probably asleep. I’ll need to pick them up along with your sister.”
“What about the car?” I asked as I eyed the rental.
Mom bit her lip and looked at me with unnerved eyes. “Well... we already spent a fortune on driving it here and renting the first thing we saw, so your father needs to drive it back and I’ll have to pick him up too after I get your sister and the dogs. We’ve also got to pick up my car at the airport.”
Dad stopped fumbling with his keys and marched over to stand between us. “We don’t have to do this all today. John...”
“Would like some alone time,” I interrupted. “I really just want to relax by myself and this is a good time for that.” A good time to get the Crusaders settled too.
Mom raised up a hand to tenderly grasp my left shoulder. “John, are you...”
“Yes,” I replied, moving her hand away before it made contact. “No offense, but I’ve been cooped up in the car with you two worrying that my earbuds were gonna strangle me.”
Mom’s eyes went down to the ground. “O-okay. Is... is there anything else?”
My shoulders slumped a little, heavy with the weight of manipulating my parents. I reached into my pocket, pulled out a slightly crumpled piece of paper, unfurled it, and handed it to mom. “Since I’m here, I thought we might as well stock up on food.”
Mom’s eyes went over the list and then over it again. Her head turned up and her attention went back to me. “It’s a bit much, but I think I can get all that. Do you want any meat? I can make you corned beef or anything else that you want.”
I mulled the thought around for a second. I had already crossed the line of playing with my parent’s emotions and mom’s corned beef was definitely worth a broken arm and rib. “Yes, I think that’d be nice.” At least the girls will like the leftover potatoes and cabbages.
By now, dad had unlocked the door and made his way inside the house. It had the same smell and look as it always did: beige walls and tiled floors all around. The clear plastic teakettle filled with a thick black liquid sitting on the kitchen table was an indication of what mom and dad had been doing before they left. I shuddered, hoping nothing else had been left out to rot. “I’m gonna go use the bathroom, okay?”
“That sounds like a good idea,” dad said before putting down his suitcase and making way for his own bathroom.
I passed through the kitchen, noting that I’d need to check the pantry and fridge while my parents were out, and into the long hall that led to my and my sister’s rooms and my bathroom. Once inside my bathroom, I ignored the toilet and instead pulled out my phone. A few clicks and the line was ringing. Sybil quickly picked up. “What’s the situation?”
“We’re unpacking right now, then we’ve got a good space of time to move in. I got food provisioned too. I’ll call you again when the coast is clear. Now if you’ll excuse me, I really do have to use the bathroom.”
~~~
“Please don’t make us drive again,” Scootaloo complained. She had a hand on my mailbox and looked like she would collapse without it there. Sweetie and Apple Bloom didn’t look much better with their shaky legs. Their hair was unkempt and soreness seemed to radiate off them. I couldn’t really blame them though, the I-10 is a very long and very boring drive.
“Don’t worry,” I replied. “We shouldn’t have to do any more driving for a bit.” Until Doug’s tickets get here... then we’ll have planes to deal with.
Apple Bloom was having an easier time steadying herself, cracking her joints and quickly regaining her balance. While she playfully experimented with cracking her fingers, she asked, “Why don’t ya’ll use trains?”
“We used to,” Sybil explained while she hefted a suitcase out from the back of her car. She pulled up its handle and brought it over to me and the girls. “Too slow and too expensive for long trips these days.”
“At least you can walk around on them,” Scootaloo commented.
Sybil didn’t respond to her and instead put her attention on me. “You’re sure you can handle this?”
I casually waved my left arm at her. “This has got to be easier than what we were dealing with in the dorms. They’ve got their own room, food, and water. Plus, no one ever goes to the guest house unless my aunt and uncle are visiting, and they’re not coming back ‘till next February. You, on the other hand, should get back home. I’m really sorry for what your parents are gonna say and do to you for this.”
Sybil gave me an uncaring shrug. “Eh, can’t be worse than when I dented my dad’s truck. I could always tell them the truth and get sent to a psych ward... it might actually be easier that way. I’d best be off then.”
We all watched as Sybil closed the back of her car and then climbed into the driver’s seat. She started the engine and pulled down the passenger seat’s window. “Oh yeah, John, Jane and I gave the girls what clothes could fit them, but you might want to get them some proper ones too.”
“No problem, you have have a safe trip.” I raised up my left arm and gave her a friendly wave goodbye.
The Crusaders followed my lead, but used both their arms. They flapped them wildly in the air while Sybil’s car grew smaller and smaller and disappeared when she turned a corner. Then it was just me and the Crusaders.
I reached out and grabbed their suitcase. “Lets get you settled in.”
The suitcase clinked across my driveway as we made our way to the guest house. We stopped at the door and I fumbled around my pockets for the key I’d filched from the rack in the house. The door opened up into the dim main area of the guest house.
I flicked the light switch by the door to brighten up the house and was greeted by a musty scent that lingered in the air. The girls’ heads went left and right, taking in their temporary home. To our right were shelves upon shelves of books that reached nearly to the roof. To our left was a small stove, fridge, and cupboards. They were empty now, but I’d soon be rectifying that.
I grabbed Sweetie’s arm when she went out to touch the stove. “You have to promise me that you won’t touch that or the microwave...” I got blank stares at that. “The beeping thing Jane and Sybil used to make food.” My eyes traced over the other girls, making sure they understood. “Got it?”
They all nodded in agreement.
“Good.” I stalked over to the door by the mini-kitchen and opened it to reveal the bathroom. I cringed a little asking the next question. “Did Jane and Sybil teach you how to use the shower?”
“Of course they did,” Apple Bloom said with a slight pout. She went into the bathroom and put her hand on the water knob. “I mean, it’s not that different fro—”
I’d apparently been wrong about Apple Bloom recovering the quickest of the Crusaders from the ride. One second, she was standing over the tub, and the next she was in it getting drenched with water. I quickly moved forward, shut off the water, and pulled her out of the tub.
She was dripping wet, but I grabbed a towel from the nearby rack and draped it over her. “Hmm, you’ve at least proved you know where to get the water from.”
Apple Bloom turned bright red. I heard Sweetie and Scootaloo snicker behind us and was thankful that the showerhead wasn’t detachable. If it was, we might have all gotten soaked by an enraged Apple Bloom.
A few minutes and one clothes change later, we were back in the main part of the guest house. I waved my hand at TV and showed them the remote, promising when I had time, I’d show them how to use it. I also made a mental note to add child locks to some of the channels. We then stopped at a large cabinet with smaller cabinets at its sides. “Aw crud.”
“What?” asked Sweetie.
“We gotta get the bed out. Girls, I’m gonna need your help on this.” I opened the big cabinet’s twin doors and was met with a wall of white and metal. “We need to slowly lower this.”
“Whoa, we get to sleep on a secret bed?” Scootaloo’s eyes were as wide as dinner plates and matched the other Crusaders’. They all happily placed their hands on the bed where I told them to and I grasped the built-in handle. With a tug, the bed started to move down. Even with the Crusader’s help, I still had to carry the brunt of the bed’s weight with just my left arm.
Luckily, the bed made it to the ground, but my side was on fire by the time we finished. I let go of the bed and went into a fit of coughing. The Crusaders crowded around me with trembling faces. “It’s fine,” I hacked, “just a little hard to use only one hand on the bed. Thanks...” Another round of coughing. “...for the help. Now lets get you some pillows and covers.”
I opened up the smaller cabinets and pulled out a plethora of pillows, sheets, and covers. With the Crusaders’ help, the bed was quickly made up. Setup done, I took a seat on the bed to catch my breath and clear away the last of my coughs. I then gave the girls a smile. “We’ve got some time, shall we explore the rest of my house? Get you some snacks?”
“Sure!” they all happily replied.
I led the Crusaders out of the guest house and over to the garage. We went through the garage door and stepped into the main part of my house. “We’ll get the snacks on the way out. For now, I’ll just show you around.”
I pointed down the hall to a closed door. “Parent’s room, thankfully the furthest away from the guest house.” I then turned right and led them through the regular dining area and the kitchen.
Apple Bloom’s eyes went over to the pantry, shifting in all directions. She looked up at me after a moment. “I don’t see any apples. Don’t tell me ya ain’t got apples.”
“In the fridge... probably. That or my dad bought some funky fruit from the Asian market. I’ll check on the way out. If there aren’t any, don’t worry, I asked my parents to pick some up.” I clasped my chin and thought over the food list. “Didn’t say what type though.”
“That’s okay.” Apple Bloom gave me a grin. “I’m just happy ya have some.”
I went to the left and entered the hall that led to my room. However, I stopped and gestured to my left at my family room. “To your left you’ll see entertainment central.”
You weren’t able to see the room from the garage entrance due to the wall separating it from the kitchen. The room consisted of a slightly dated TV, a large couch, a regular table, and a pool table. I then remembered the small white rectangle that was hooked up to my TV. “Hey Apple Bloom, Sybil let you play videogames, right?”
“Uh huh!” Apple Bloom shoved her hands up to my face. “It’s really hard though! Ya gotta use your fingers to make all these complimacated moves. Why would anyone think that was fun?”
I chuckled a little at that. “If ever a console was meant for ponies, it’s probably the Wii. I’ll bring that back also if we can carry it. Now onwards!”
With a bit of a dramatic step, I started walking down the hall, but as I turned toward my room, I noticed only two Crusaders had followed me. Sweetie was lingering near the family room, but her eyes were on another area of the house. She’d brought a hand up to her mouth and was shaking like a leaf.
I rushed over and bent down, already knowing what had gotten Sweetie upset. “Sweetie, it’s nothing. It’s just a room.”
“But... but...” she hiccupped.
“C’mon, it’s gonna be okay.” I stood up, put a hand on Sweetie’s back, and ushered her away from the guest dining room. I gave it a quick look; even without guests coming, the room did have an air of sophistication to it. The dining table was made of finely polished wood, atop it sat two eloquent candles, to the table’s left stood a cabinet containing the good china, and a nice looking chandelier hung above all of it. Thank god it’s not made of diamonds, bad enough for Sweetie as it is.
“Sweetie, what’s wrong?” Apple Bloom went over to her friend and laid her hands on Sweetie’s shoulders.
“I... I just m-miss Rarity,” Sweetie sighed.
Scootaloo moved over and all three of them shared a hug. I reached up to my room’s door handle and twisted it. The room had the same musty smell to it that the guest house did. A bare desk and empty blue walls greeted me. “I think some good movies are in order.”
I strode across the room over to the medium-sized bookcase that held everything I hadn’t taken to college. A whole shelf was filled with manga and anime, but my focus was on the highest shelf: my DVD collection.
Star Wars instantly went into my arms, but it got a little tougher after that. Animal House and Breakfast Club were definitely off the table. I struggled for a second with Weird Science, but decided it really wasn’t any worse than Ferris Bueller. Bill and Ted followed suit and I finished my collection with Iron Man. As I backed away, my attention went back to the anime shelf and I considered grabbing Spirited Away but decided it was too similar to what the Crusaders were dealing with though. I picked up Kiki’s Delivery Service instead.
“You and your family sure own a lot of books,” Sweetie commented. She and the other Crusaders were practically pressed up to the bookcase, staring at each book. I noticed they lingered on novels that had more intricate cover art.
“I’d let you take a look at those too if you could read English.” It did trouble me a bit that they couldn’t read even the simplest signs. If I had time, I’d need to teach them the alphabet too.
My final order of business in the room was opening up the the windows. From my windows, it was easy to see the guest house to the left. Once I was sure the girls saw the house’s position, I faced them. “If there’s an emergency, just come out and tap on my window, okay?”
“Yup!” they all replied.
Room tour done, I placed the movies between my arm and side and led the girls out of my room. I was already going down the hall when Apple Bloom spoke up. “Hey, where’s this door go?”
The color drained from my face when I saw that Apple Bloom already had a grip on my sister’s door knob. Sweetie and Scootaloo were looking at the door with curious expressions. “Girls! Get away from there.”
Apple Bloom recoiled from the door like the metal had turned scalding. She nearly tripped up the other Crusaders and they all had to flail against the walls to avoid falling down. The scurried back over to me but Apple Bloom had a curious look on her face again. “What’s in there?”
“Nothing... right now,” I sighed. “If you disturbed anything in there though, my sister would have my head on a stick.”
“You have a sister too?” Sweetie and Apple Bloom asked at the same time.
I awkwardly scratched my head. “Yeah. She very... sensitive about her privacy.” Try insane.
“Oh,” Sweetie mumbled, her head drooping a little. I should have just said the room was a closet.
“Anyway, the ride must have tired you out, you need some good food.” I quickly spun around and went down to the kitchen and into the pantry. It was a bit tight with four, but we managed to fit. “My mom’s gonna get everything I could have thought you wanted, but we’ve got stuff here too.”
I reached up and grabbed a brown bag, its contents rustling as I did. I hung it in front of the girls’ faces. “Pretzels?”
Scootaloo peered over the bag and looked inside it. She drew out a tiny stick of bread covered in salt and scrutinized it. “Uh, how is this a pretzel?”
“Yeah, pretzels are supposed to be big, fluffy, and warm.” Apple Bloom moved her arms around in a pretzel twist to illustrate her argument.
“Hmm, guess they don’t have hard pretzels on Equestria?” I pondered aloud while I continued scanning the shelves. My eyes went to the shelf my dad kept his health foods on. I got a devious grin as I carefully reached up and grabbed another bag. “Bet they don’t have these in Equestria either.”
Apple Bloom took the bag and reached in. She pulled out a handful of dry flaky leaf-like things. “What is it?”
“Kale chips, my dads nuts about them.” I decided some tortilla chips wouldn’t hurt either. I did wish I’d put guacamole on my food list though.
While I got the chips, Apple Bloom spoke up. “Your dad must make a lot money to afford kale. I’ve only had it at the big party we had when Princess Luna came back.” She proceeded to pop a few chips in her mouth and her friends did the same.
“Kinda salty,” Sweetie commented.
“Yeah, most pantry food is like that. The fridge will have some better stuff in it.” I ushered the girls out of the pantry and over to the fridge. I handed the tortilla chips over to Scootaloo, the DVDs to Sweetie, and scanned the fridge with a finger. My attention quickly went down to the vegetable and fruit drawers since I didn’t feel comfortable having the girls carrying glass jars.
I opened the door, smiled at my findings, reached in, and pulled out a medium sized red apple. . Apple Bloom took the fruit with both her hands when I held it out ot her. “That what you were looking for?”
“Yeah...” Apple Bloom softly replied. She cradled the apple in arms and held it close to her chest.
“Apple Bloom...” The gears were turning in my head as soon as I saw her reaction. “What type of apple is that?”
“Macintosh,” she whispered.
No one spoke after that. I took a few more apples and some pears from the fridge and shut it. Apple Bloom’s gaze was still fixed on the apple. Sweetie didn’t look much better with her melancholic eyes. Only Scootaloo seemed okay, though she kept looking back and forth between her friends. “I know things are rough now, but they are looking up. We’ve already found Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Celestia.”
“I guess,” Apple Bloom sighed.
“Hey, I know what will cheer you up.” I squatted down again and looked Apple Bloom right in the eyes. “When my parents get back, they’re gonna have something I’m sure will cheer you up.”
Apple Bloom’s expression brightened up a little and a curious glimmer returned to her eyes. “What?”
“Now that is a secret,” I said with a small grin. “You’ll all like it though, I promise.”
We made our way back to the guest house and unloaded everything we’d gathered from the main house. The girls had whispered the entire time about what the thing was that my parents were bringing back. I mentally assured myself that nothing save for their families would make them happier.
We loaded up the fridge with the fruits and partially filled a shelf with the pantry goods. I was about to explain the DVD player to the girls when my phone rang. I answered it and gave a gruff “okay” when mom said she’d be home in about five minutes. I put the phone away and stared down at the girls. “Alright, I’ve got to go now, but I’ll be back soon. Remember, don’t come out for anything unless its an emergency.”
“Uh-huh,” said Scootaloo, “but what about the surprise?”
“I’ve got a plan.” I flashed them a smile and shut the door behind me. I went back into the main house, closing the garage so that nothing looked like it’d changed since my parents had left.
A few minutes later, the garage opened once more and the hum of my parents’ cars filled the air. I heard mom getting a handle on something and got up out of the couch where I’d been waiting. I heard scratching at the door and opened it up.
My dogs were upon me in an instant. Their black tails lashed out and whipped through the air while they clawed at my legs with equally black paws. I stooped down and ran my hand through their fur. “Hey guys, I missed you too.”
I got a flurry of licking that smudged up my glasses in response. I gave them rubs on the head and scratched their bellies. They ran around me, taking any chance to pounce up and lick me again. “Kloe, Oxford! Geez, it hasn’t been that long!”
“They were just worried about you,” mom commented while she scooched past us carrying multiple grocery bags. “I’ll need to take them out after we unload everything.”
I looked down and saw that both Kloe and Oxford still had their leashes on. That was lucky since I wasn’t in the mood to deal with Oxford snapping at me. I clasped his green leash and Kloe’s pink one and got back up. “Why don’t I take them for a walk while you’re unloading?”
“Oh...” Mom put the groceries down by the fridge and stared at the ground for a moment before speaking again. “I suppose... maybe you should take your sister with you.”
“No,” came a voice behind me. I turned around and was met with Rachel glaring at me. And I haven’t even said anything to her yet. “I already had to move enough stuff around for John. I just want to have my own room back.”
“Lovely to see you too, Rachel,” I droned.
Rachel glanced down at my cast and then back at my face. “Sorry about your arm.”
She trudged off to her room while I stared and contemplated what had just happened. “Did... did she just say sorry?”
“I think so.” In my confusion, dad had snuck up on me with more groceries. Oxford got on his hind legs and scratched at dad’s leg. He gave the small cockapoo a friendly rub on the head. “I also heard this talk about the walk. It’ll be good for the dogs, and your mother and I are tired from all this driving.”
If mom had any objections, she didn’t say them and instead went back to the cars to get more groceries. I tugged at the dogs leashes and followed after her. As I passed her on the way out of the garage, I said, “It’s fine, I won’t go far.”
I was very truthful about that. I left the garage and headed down the driveway. However, my dogs nearly made me fall over when they darted over to the guest house. Oxford gave a few harsh barks while Kloe made her odd noises that could only be called guttural in a cute way. I suppose that’s what you get for breeding a shih tzu and a poodle.
I yanked them back and hastily walked away from the guest house. Both Kloe and Oxford still pulled at the leashes though. “Just wait a few minutes,” I cursed.
With a little effort, I got the dogs away from the house and onto the street. True to my word, I took the dogs around the the block and let them do their business on a empty lot. I then made my way back to my house, checking to make sure that the coast was clear.
When I was sure everyone had gone inside, I went over to the guest house. The dogs were tugging at the leashes again and scratched at the door when we got to it. I looped the leashes’ handles up my arm and used my now free hand to twist the knob. What followed could only be described as the perfect storm of chaotic cuteness.
Oxford flew off my arm, giving me a few rope burns in the process. He raced forward and tackled Sweetie to the ground. Kloe followed suit and went for Scootaloo. Whereas Oxford had knocked Sweetie off her feet, Kloe only managed to paw at Scootaloo’s chest.
“Puppies!” Scootaloo and Apple Bloom shouted. Sweetie could only laugh while Oxford licked her face. Kloe rolled onto her belly and let Apple Bloom and Scootaloo rub it. I went over and got Oxford off Sweetie and he went onto his back as well.
“He’s so friendly!” Sweetie beamed before giving him a nice rub on the stomach.
“Yeah, best dogs I’ve ever had. Knew they’d like you.” I gave Oxford another rub and then went over to Kloe’s group. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were on their knees letting Kloe jump up and lick their faces while they petted her. “Having fu—”
Oxford interrupted me by rushing over and vying with Kloe for the girls’ affection. Kloe simply slinked over to Sweetie and gave her the same treatment she’d given Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. While Apple Bloom scratched Oxford’s ears, she looked up at me. “What are their names?”
“The one trying to lick off your face is Oxford...” I peered over my shoulder. Sweetie had managed to somehow calm Kloe down enough to cuddle her. “... and the one with Sweetie is Kloe.”
“Why’d ya call ‘em that?” asked Scootaloo.
“Well, Oxford’s also the name of this really fancy school, so my dad decided to go with that and my sister named Kloe... I still don’t know why she went with a ‘K’ though.”
Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. “A what?”
“A K, it’s part of the English alphabet,” I explained. “It’s what we use in words like knife or kick.”
“Oh.” Sweetie’s eyes lit up with understanding. “You mean pa...” I, my dogs, and the other Crusaders stared at Sweetie in confusion as she wheezed out her mouth, scrunched up her lips, and twisted her head. She stopped whatever she was doing when her face started to turn red.
“Are you okay?” I asked with a twinge of concern in my voice.
Sweetie rubbed her throat. “Yeah, but I can’t say the letter you were talking about.”
“Hmm...” I mulled the strange sound around in my head and a vision of a horse’s head appeared to me. “The way ponies talk and pronounce some things might be different from humans.”
Before we could go more into pony linguistics, my phone rang. “That’s my signal to head back. Parents have probably thought I’ve been out too long.” I reached out, clasped Oxford and Kloe’s leashes, and got off the ground. “I can bring these guys back whenever you want. I’ll be back later with dinner. Just tap on my window if you need anything.”
“Okay, thanks John!” they all replied with ecstatic voices.
I was very glad to see the Crusaders in such high spirits after everything that had happened. After a wave of my cast, I closed the door. Outside, I picked up my phone a few steps away from the guest house. “Yes mom... in the driveway right now... yes, I think the dogs had a fun time.”
~~~
I was thankful that I’d convinced mom to make spaghetti with marinara instead of tuna casserole. The Crusaders had probably seen meat on the drive over, but I wasn’t about to start serving them any. I’d made sure to only have one plate so that there was plenty of leftovers.
After dinner, I’d slunked back to my room and gone online. No new emails had come in and after a day of driving I was too tired to try and look for other ponies. The painkillers didn’t help much either.
I soon gave up on my computer and pulled out a One Piece volume from my bookcase. I plopped myself down on my bed and started to read.
A rapping at my window woke me up. Crap! Dinner!
A shot of pain to run through my right side when I bolted up from my bed. I grunted and lumbered over to the window. Scootaloo’s panicked face greeted me on the other side of the glass. The way she threw her arms around and tried to talk through the glass sent my heart racing.
I was out of my room in an instant and speeding down the the hallway. With all the lights out, making my way down the hall was difficult without falling. At least the darkness meant my parents were asleep. I rushed through the side door that led to the patio, glad I still had the wits to use the patio door and not the garage’s. A cool night’s air washed over me as I rushed over to the guest house, praying that I could handle whatever was wrong.