Rhino takes a deep breath, his patience wearing thin. “Sir, please hold still, we’re almost done here.”
The grey diamond dog he is working on only continues squirming as the vet tries to work. “No, green pony only trying to hurt me. We’ve been doing this for an hour now, why pony not done?”
The stallion moves the portion of his black mane with the blue stripe in it out of his face. He doesn’t respond as he actually manages to pry another gem shard out of the dog’s foreleg and drop it into the jar containing a sizable amount of blood-tipped shards he has already extracted.
The canine flinches mightily and yanks his hand away. “Enough! I came here to be helped, not hurt by some phony pony doctor.”
Rhino’s patience wears out, as does the will he was exerting to hold back his usual quirk of mimicking the manner of speaking of any being he was speaking to. His voice adopts the gruff edge the diamond dog’s own has. “Green pony has been trying to get this done as quickly as possible. You were offered a pain killer but refused. Now, stay still and let pony work, or you might end up losing leg!”
The patient shuts up quickly after that rather blunt bark from the normally calm stallion.
The last few fragments come out without incident and Rhino stitches up the few holes that required it. He quickly applies an ointment and wraps up the limb before nodding and smiling at the diamond dog, his speaking back under control. “Alright, you should be good to go now, sir. Just try to not perform any excessive activities with this arm for the next few days and it’ll be good as new.”
The canine flexes the injured limb before smiling satisfactorily. “Doesn’t hurt anymore. Thank you po- er, Doctor.”
Rhino nods. “You’re very welcome. Just go see the pony at the desk up front and tell her you’re all better before you leave.”
He nods and hops off the table before exiting the room and walking down the hall.
The green stallion cleans up a bit, a number of things were disturbed by the dog’s constant movements. After he’s done, he grabs the jar of gem shards in his magic and walks back to the front, setting it down on the desk up there and smiling at the pony behind it. “Well, that was certainly an interesting case. How often do diamond dogs drop by, Manila?”
The manila coated mare adjusts a lock of her light blue mane as she files some papers away. “We usually only see about one every three months. They only really come to us when they’re really hurt.” She giggles as she takes the jar. “Well, at least we don’t have to go through any payment arguments. I’m not sure they even use bits, but either way the leftovers from their accidents pay for them easily.”
He chuckles. “Well, if they don’t want to look at the reminders of them falling into piles of sharp gems, who are we to judge? Are they always so impatient though?”
The office manager shrugs. “Most of the time yeah, I think it’s just in their nature. Not everything can be as polite as Daisy Jo and the rest of the cows.”
Rhino nods. “True, but then again, the local herd and I talk all the time when I go to stock up, so I’m a bit biased there.”
As the two converse, the doors to the clinic open and a mare that looks very similar to the one he is talking to walks in. She is a slightly darker shade than the mare at the desk, as well as having her barely two-tone mane up in a bun.
The two ponies look up at the arrival.
The stallion raises a hoof. “Hello Doctor Goodall.”
Manila waves excitedly. “Hey Mane!”
The new mare smiles and waves at her coworkers. “Good morning you two. How was your shift Doctor Rhino?”
Rhino takes off his white coat even as Mane dons hers. “According to what Manila has been telling me, fairly normal. It did leave me with an appetite though.”
The mare in question perks up behind her desk. “Oh, that reminds me, I wanted to recommend a place for you the next time you go out to eat.”
He turns to her. “Oh?”
She nods and tells him the directions to it. “The waitstaff was really friendly, and the food was good too!”
Rhino is halfway out the door as he turns back and waves. “I’ll be sure to check it out! See you Monday!” He starts to turn back forward only to suddenly halt as his path is blocked by a grinning pink mare. “Oh, hello Pinkie.”
The party pony bounces in place. “Hiya Rhino! Mind if I talk to you on your way home?”
He raises an eyebrow at the unexpected question. “Sure, if you want to.”
“I do! That’s why I asked!” She bounces beside him as they progress through town. “So Rhino, what’s all this with you having a new mare in your house?”
Rhino sighs. “I’m not even going to ask how you know that. Suffice to say, she needed a place to stay and seemed nice, so I helped her out. Simple as that.”
Pinkie has a knowing smile on her face as she responds. “It never stays simple you know~. Anyway, the reason I brought her up is that I think,” she pulls a pink envelope out of her mane and sticks it in his saddlebag, “that you should come to her party tonight!”
His face is unsure. “I don’t know Pinkie... You know I turned down your offer for a welcome party myself because parties aren’t really my thing.”
She is undeterred. “Hmm... alright then, how about this: She’s your friend right?”
“Yes...” he responds, not sure where she is going with this.
“You’re also one of the few ponies she knows in town.”
“Right...”
“And because it’s the kind of stallion you are, you would go with her to this party if you knew that being there would make her feel more comfortable!”
Rhino thinks back to this morning and how down she had seemed. He would definitely do what he could to avoid seeing her like that again. Maybe I’m just being selfish by not going... this party is about her after all... It’s not like it would kill me to go, and I would feel better keeping an eye on her. He comes out of his thoughts as he turns to the party pony. “Alright Pinkie, I’ll attend the party with her.”
Pinkie’s bounces double in frequency. “Yay! I’m sure she’ll love having an escort! See you tonight!” With a puff of dust, she is gone.
Despite how used to her he thought he was, Rhino still stops and stares at where she had been for a moment before continuing on his way. “Her escort... it is a very noble thing to do to...”
***
Gel steps out of the bathroom, sighing softly. I really needed that cold shower. She blows at her still-damp yellow mane, rolling her eyes a bit as she feels it stick to her forehead. I'll just dry it off with some magic later. It's not like anypony's going to be here to see me like this, right? She heads down into the kitchen, moving over to the fridge to grab some apple juice.
To be fair, though, I was in there a long time... She glances at the clock, curious and confused. ...What time is it?
The universe proves to tell her what the time is in a different way as the lock to the front door click open. Rhino strolls in, lightly humming a tune under his breath as he tosses his bags into their usual corner. He calls out to the house at large as he makes his way to the kitchen for a snack. "Angel, you home?"
Oh. I guess it's almost noon, then. "I'm in the kitchen, Rhino." She takes another sip of her apple juice, turning towards the kitchen door. "How was work?"
"Pretty good. Usual collection of clients except for a surprise one at the end but-" He spots her damp form and has to stop himself from almost walking into a chair. He allows himself a few seconds to look at her before yanking his head away and continuing to talk. "So yeah... Mostly normal... Erm, do you want a towel or do you prefer to air dry?"
She giggles softly, seeing him blush like that. I'm not wearing a maid outfit this time...maybe he really does like me like that? She tilts her head to one side, raising a hoof to her chin. ...or maybe he's a bit of a pervert? This requires further study... "I actually dry myself in an...unusual way." She lights her horn up, a circle of blue flames appearing around her, floating above the floor. The water on her body quickly evaporates and she disperses the fire, sighing quietly and brushing her mane back into place. "Much better. So, you were saying something about a surprise client, Rhino?"
He looks to the now steaming mare, his eyes waver a moment before he clears his throat. "Yes, well, it was a diamond dog actually. He was my first physical one to work on so it was a bit of a milestone... How has your day treated you so far?"
"It's been fine. I almost got caught in the rain, and I met a couple of interesting mares." She glances at the clock, frowning slightly at the time. "I need to get ready for work, now. I'll see you when I come back down, okay?" She smiles softly at him, a small blush on her cheeks. Can't chance my mission by being late, can I? She brushes past him as she exits the kitchen, purposely giving him a teasing flick with her tail. I may not be able to tell him his feelings, but I can help him figure them out sooner. She ascends the stairs and enters her room, quickly getting ready.
The fur along his spine visibly rose for a moment as she flicked him and he seems to space out for a moment. Once he comes out of it, he walks over to where she had been standing when she dried off and runs a hoof along the ground. "Interesting technique..." he looks back towards the stairs, "then again, interesting mare..." He appears to be lost in thought as he goes through the motions of making a snack.
Gel sneaks back down the stairs once she is dressed and peeks into the kitchen. Seeing him with his back to her, she slyly smiles, eyes narrowed slightly. Time for test one. She quietly walks behind him and, giggling softly, gently brushes her side against his as she moves to stand next to him, looking at what he was doing. "What are you making, Rhino?"
His head turns so he can look at her with a soft smile. "Just a couple of tomato and daisy sandwiches." He lightly bumps her side. "Glad you decided to come back down so quickly. Did you want me to make you something too?"
He's not staring. So far, he doesn't seem to be a pervert. "No, thank you. I already ate." She glances around, trying to find something else to talk about. "...So, why did you have a diamond dog as a customer? I-I thought you only worked with pets and the like..."
"That's actually the most common misconception about my profession." He floats his completed snack over to the table. "Vets are actually responsible for pretty much every non-pony species. Including both pets and other sapients. In theory, we treat everything from rabbits to minotaurs." His hoof pulls out a chair and offers it to her.
She smiles at this, blushing softly as she takes the seat. "...Thank you..." Definitely a nice gentlestallion. Plus two karma points. She scribbles in her journal a bit before looking up at him, curious. "...What kinds of sapient species have you helped?"
"Well, the list is a bit short right now since I really only started practicing officially about two months ago." He sits in his own seat. "The diamond dog was the most unusual thing so far. Other than that it's been things like cows and sheep and such." He takes a large bite and swallows before continuing. "According to Doctor Goodall though, Ponyville tends to get a wide species variety of tourists, so the potential number of different species is fairly high."
"I see." She puts her journal down, closing her eyes for a few moments. She looks over at him, smiling brightly. "Thank you for being so open about yourself, Rhino. I feel it's rare to see a pony like that, nowadays."
"To be honest, it's rare for me too. I usually like to keep to myself." His smile matches her own. "But, I trust you, you're a good friend, and you're asking. How can I refuse? It's nice to have somepony to talk to." He squirms a moment. "So... you know... thank you for all that."
...Darn it, he's still referring to me as just a friend... She nods to him, blushing a bit more. ...Still, his affection is nice...it'll keep my strength up for now, so I don't have to worry about passing out from hunger... "You're very welcome, Rhino. I-I'd be willing to return the favor, if you ever want to ask me anything." Not everything, of course. I doubt he'd even consider me a friend if I did.
"I'll keep that in mind, though I probably won't come up with too many because it'll make me feel nosy..." He finishes off one sandwich. "Perhaps a test one: What made you decide to use fire to dry off instead of one of the usual methods? I won't deny the effectiveness, but it isn't the first technique one would think of."
Uh oh. She averts her eyes, nervously squirming in her seat. "...W-well...I-I lived in a location without modern conveniences, a while back...M-my fire magic seemed like a perfect way to help with that..." She rubs the back of her neck, sheepishly smiling.
"So you're an innovator then? Very interesting." He thinks for a moment. "I wonder if that qualifies you for that 'small town girl appeal'..."
She tilts her head to one side, confused. "...'Small town girl appeal'? What do you mean by that?"
His ears fold back as he rubs the back of his head with a hoof. "Umm, well, you know that stereotypical scenario where a mare moves to a place much larger than what she is used to. It is portrayed by the image of wide-eyed curiosity and innocence. She finds some local stallion who introduces her to things outside of what she has known... I am feeling increasingly stupid for even making that suggestion..." He thumps his head onto the table, avoiding his plate.
"Oh, I get it now!" She giggles, holding up a hoof as she continues. "That's a situation that leads one of them to fall for the other, but something keeps them from getting together!" She pauses, putting the hoof on her chin. "...But we aren't living in a romance novel, are we, Rhino?" As much as I wish we were...
He replies while still with his head on the table. "It wasn't meant to go that far into it. It was more of a failed joke saying that somepony who knew about the whole 'small town' thing might find you attractive because of it.... I would appreciate if we moved past that abysmal attempt at humor."
She frowns softly at this, getting up and moving over to sit next to him. "...it's alright, Rhino...for what it's worth, I think it's funny, now that I get it..." She gently nuzzles his cheek, smiling kindly. "...please cheer up..."
The fur along his spine stands straight up as she nuzzles him and stays like that afterwards. He stands up quickly and starts to clean up his dishes, speaking at a faster pace than usual in his flustered state. "Its fine, I'm fine. Just didn't move my head off the table. You are very persuasive by the way. Yes, thank you."
She blinks at this, surprised by both his hastened actions and words. "...You're welcome?" She glances at the clock, eyes wide in shock. "Oh my! I-I'm going to be late! S-see you!" She rushes out the door in a panic.
After a minute his actions slow to their normal pace and his fur lies down again. He reflects on when she nuzzled him, unsure what to think.