//------------------------------// // Lunch time, REWRITTEN CHAPTER // Story: To Return Home // by Yonah21 //------------------------------//      “Now, are you sure you want to go to the cafeteria to eat? There’s nothing wrong with eating in bed.”      “Nurse, please, I w-would really p-prefer to eat at an actual t-table.”      I wish we could just get to the cafeteria. I’m starving right now.      On top of that, it took the nurse longer than I thought it would to get back. Originally I was going to ask what took her, but when I saw how angry she looked with her tail swishing back and forth and her eyes rather narrow, I decided against it. I just hope it’s not anything to do with me.      “Alright then, as you wish. Just, um, remember we will not be the only ones there.” the nurse says from behind as she pushes my wheelchair. I wonder what normally uses this wheelchair? It definitely isn’t made for ponies.      Looking back at the nurse, I say, “We won’t b-be the only folk in an e-entire cafeteria of a h-hospital? Really? I n-never would’ve guessed that.”      “Are all of your kind this sarcastic?”      “Only the r-really sexy ones.”      The instant the words leave my lips the nurse looks perplexed, with her ears twitching slightly. I both see and practically feel her eyes looking me up and down. It’s like she’s taking in every single detail of me, from my toes to my scalp. I don’t much like it. “Okay… I don’t see it. It might be just because I’m a pony, but you don’t do a thing for me.”      Maybe I should have seen that one coming.      “Well, y-you don’t really do a-anything for me either,” I say, looking up at her mane. “P-pink isn’t really my color.”      The wheelchair stops suddenly, the nurse moving in front of me with a surprised look on her face, her ears straight and eyes wide. “What?! I’ll have you know pink is a lovely color,” she says. “The stallions love it” she states as she flips her mane with a grin, causing me to emit a short chuckle.      “Whatever. Pink’s st-still too weird for me t-to ever like it. But c-come on, let’s head to the c-cafeteria,” I say with a grin.      But, the nurse doesn’t do that. Instead, her lips curl into a smirk as she… places her hoof on my head? Why?      “At least I have hair. You seem to be missing most of yours,” she says as she rubs her hoof against the admittedly thin patch of hair on my scalp. Keeping up the smirk, she says, “Do all of you humans lose your hair so young?”      “Oh bollocks,” I say as I facepalm, eliciting a giggle from the nurse. “You’re as bad as L-Leah.”      Wait… Leah. What happened to her? Skittles didn’t tell me anything. Did they find any clue? Did Chrysalis do something to her? They have to know something, right? Twilight and the others wouldn’t just leave without having some sort of information. But why wouldn’t Skittles have told me?      Trying to calm down, I breathe in and out, allowing myself a heavy sigh.      Maybe I should not think about that. If I do, it won’t change anything. But still, I just hope Leah’s alright.      “Uh, Micah? Micah, it’s alright. Your, uh, your hair isn’t that bad, no reason to look so glum.”      Glancing up, I notice the nurse’s expression has changed quite a lot. Her smirk is gone, and instead there is a somewhat nervous grin, with her ears flattened as well. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------      Did I just commit some kind of taboo with humans? Is their hair really that much of a big deal to them? I didn’t mean anything by it, it was just a joke! He may go bald but it’s not that big a deal, I’ve seen stallions with no mane that still are very attractive. Why would he react like this?      “I’m sure there’s got to be a bunch of females where you’re from that wouldn’t mind you having only a little hair,” I say as I try to put on a comforting smile.      Yet now he doesn’t seem upset. With an eyebrow raised he looks to be more confused. “You think I’m upset about th-that?”      “You’re not? You seemed a bit off a moment ago.”      He leans back in the wheelchair with a loud sigh. “It’s not what you s-said about the h-hair. It’s…. It’s s-something else, forget it. L-let’s just keep moving.” he says as he looks down the hall.      “Um… Alright,” I say as I move back behind him, and begin to move the wheelchair.      The short trip to the cafeteria occurs in total silence from both him and myself. For a bit I think about asking what it was that changed his mood but I decide against it. He doesn’t seem to be exactly eager to share what it was he had in his mind.      Soon enough, we reach the cafeteria. The second we go in, nearly every pony here looks straight at Micah and I. Some of them do so with their mouths open, their spoonful of food hovering before their mouths. I don’t see many stares or looks of anger, but some definitely look scared. Before too long they go back to their business, but all of them still look back at the two of us.      Hopefully he won’t get too many more stares. But with the way that Snowheart and Tenderheart acted, and how the ones here are, I don’t know how likely that is. Though anypony that insults him won’t be in the cafeteria for long.      “What the h-hell? Why does that p-pony have an axe in its h-head?”      Axe in the head? What’s he talking about? If anypony was admitted with an injury like that, I would have noticed. Are all humans this by Celestia there’s a pony with an axe in her head!      In the middle of the cafeteria, there are three earth ponies. One of them appears fairly normal, with a simple white coat and red mane, save for a rather odd looking hat. It looks like a strange version of a pirates hat. Next to her, in a hospital gown, sits what I swear is the fattest pony I’ve ever seen. I can’t tell exactly from looking at her, but right now she looks like she might be more than double the weight of a normal pony, and with the chin of three ponies combined. And, no shock, she’s eating more than anypony else in the room.      But, of course, the pony with the axe in her head stands out the most. It’s not a huge axe or anything, more the remains of a small wood cutting axe. But, still, that’s something I’ve never seen before. The mane is also weird and strange, with her black mane all in numerous, somewhat tangled, small braids. Her eyes are also darting about, as if she’s trying to keep an eye on everypony in the room at the same time.      “Sh-shouldn’t that pony b-be in the operating room?” Micah asks as he keeps his eyes locked on the axe-struck pony. “How is she even a-alive?”      The moment those words leave Micah’s lips, however, the ears of that very mare twitch, and she looks straight at Micah. Normally I can tell if a mare is upset, confused, or angry, but on this mare I can’t tell a thing.      Suddenly, she gets off of her seat and quickly makes her way towards Micah and myself. The other mare, the one with the pirate hat that was sitting by her just rolls her eyes, and the large pony continues to go about eating.      I don’t know what that mare wants, but considering Micah’s condition, I’m not about to let her get too close to him. Before she gets too close I move to be in between Micah and her, and cast a glare in her direction.      Said mare stops, but only once she gets close enough that she could strike me with her hoof if she chose to. “Ma’am, I ask that you step back. You can stay with you friends, but please stay away from my patient. He’s injured, and nervous, and I don’t want you to cause him any stress, understood?” I ask, speaking in a non-threatening voice, but making clear I won’t let her try anything.      First, she looks around and behind me at Micah. She doesn’t look angry, as best I can tell. At least there’s that. After looking at Micah, then at me, she opens her mouth. Hopefully she’ll agree, and leave the both of us alone.      But instead of saying that, or saying anything that is any sort of intelligible speech, it sounds like a bunch of made up words. Sort of like what you’d hear from someone pretending to speak a foreign language would sound like. I can’t understand a thing this mare is saying. Yet, she doesn’t seem to be stupid.      “Tender Hooves, you stop that and leave the poor nurse alone,” the mare with the pirate hat says as she comes up behind her, getting the mares attention. “Come back to the table with Butter Cream and I. Don’t you go and ruin our visit.”      This mare, Tender Hooves, speaks once more in those gibberish sounding words. Before stopping, she points a hoof at Micah and I, and stomps onto the ground.      “Now lass, don’t you think the lad this here nurse is wheeling about would be surprised seeing all of this? It’s not every day now that you see a mare as unique as yourself,” this new mare says to Tender Hooves.      With a grunt, Tender Hooves goes back to the table towards the rather large mare who I presume is Butter Cream. Which leaves myself and Micah with this other mare.      Going back to behind Micah to control his wheelchair, I say, “Thank you ma’am. I promise you that Micah here didn’t mean anything by what he did. He’s, um…”      “Ah, don’t apologize lass. Tender Hooves has always been a bit off,” she says as she looks back at her companion, who is now sitting with Butter Cream again.      “D-does the axe in her h-head have something to do w-with that?” Micah asks. “That’s n-not something that I’ve s-seen bef-OW!”      “If you don’t want another hoof to the back of your head, don’t be so rude.” I say, before looking back to this mare and nodding for her to continue.      “Aye, that’s right. Ran into a diamond dog as a filly, got an axe to the head, messed with her head ever since. Can’t be taken out because it’s too dangerous. Ah, but where are my manners?” the mare says as she takes off her hat, and does a slight bow. “The name’s Swift Burst, crew member of The Dauntless, serving under Captain Venture.”      Venture? Venture… Now why does that name sound so familiar? By Celestia I swear I’ve heard it before.      “So how is big ol’ Butter Cream doing?”      Quickly looking back, I see a rather interesting pegasus walk in. It’s not often that we see a thestral pony here in Ponyville. Because of the, um, difficulties with Nightmare Moon, they have something of a bad reputation. This stallion, though, is different even from other thestrals. Mostly in the fact that he has a rather pronounced scar over his left eye, and a strange visor over his right eye.      The coat of this stallion is a bit different than most thestral ponies I’ve met. His coat is a steel gray color, while most thestral’s are blue. The mane is also odd, it being a rusty sort of color.      And what kind of cutie mark is that?      “Ah, so this must be the new arrival that Celestia brought back with her,” this stallion says as he walks up to Micah and I. As he does so I notice exactly how many other ponies in the cafeteria are looking, or more accurately put, staring at us. Almost all of them are. And, glancing at Micah whose eyes are flittering back and forth, he definitely doesn’t seem comfortable with all this.      “I’m st-starting to regret choosing to c-come here,” I hear him whisper as he glances up at me. “C-can we just pick a sp-spot somewhere please?”      The bat pony seems to have heard him, since he quickly speaks before I have the chance to do so. “You can sit with my crew and I. Most of these other ponies seem like they’re liable to shriek like a filly if you get too close. I think we have room for you two, though with how much Butter Cream is eating I don’t know how long that space will be there.”      “Well, what would you like Micah?” I ask, looking about and seeing most tables rather filled up. The table with Butter Cream and Tender Hooves is the least crowded.      Looking at Venture, Micah says, “Sh-should I expect stares or in-insults from your table, like w-what Tender Hooves did?”      “You don’t need to worry about her lad. I’ll make sure she won’t bother you anymore,” Swift Burst says with a grin.      Well, I did not expect that. But it’s better than not being offered a seat by anypony, that’s for sure. Maybe it will help Micah not feel too awkward here.      “What do you think Micah?” I ask him. “Your choice.”      For a moment Micha looks at the other tables, but quickly looks back up at me. “Well, better w-with them than be around the ot-other ponies.”      “Well… Alright.”      With a grin Swift Burst trots back to the table, with Venture next to her. Following the two of them, we get to the table as Swift pulls out a chair to make room for Micah. Once he’s close enough to the table, I sit down next to him.      And the moment I do, I feel like if a picture was taken of us, it would be the perfect definition of ‘awkward silence’.      Butter Cream continues eating with an occasional glance at Venture, myself or Micah. Swift Burst seems to be trying to think of something to talk about, her hoof under her chin. Tender Hooves’ eyes are darting about, as if she’s trying to look at everypony at once. Micah, after looking at the just mentioned ponies, seems to be trying to sink down into his wheelchair.      Venture though, thankfully, breaks the silence. “So Micah, does your species indulge in awkward silences as much as my crew does?”      Well that’s something I didn’t see coming.      “Um… That w-was kind of r-random of you,” Micah says with a raised eyebrow.      “Awkward silences are boring. When you’re on a ship for weeks or months at a time, boredom is the last thing you want,” Venture says as he relaxes in his chair.      Thinking of a way to continue the conversation, I ask him, “Speaking of your crew and ship, why is Butter Cream here in the hospital?”      It’s hard to tell with Butter Cream, but I think I can see her face turning red. Venture glances at her, and she gives him a nod.      “She was climbing up to do repairs on a sail. But, the rope decided that would be just the right time to break. So, down she went. Broke a few legs, but she’ll be alright eventually,” Venture says as he ruffles Butter Cream’s mane with his hoof.      “W-what kind of ship d-do you captain exactly?” Micah asks.      Upon hearing that Venture’s eyes light up with a near insane sort of glee. “How wonderful of you to ask. She’s a lovely ship. It’s not the largest, but she’s fast, not to mention quiet. She’s powered by wind caught in the sails and also by steam boilers. No ship in the Equestrian navy is faster than she.”      “And don’t forget to mention that no ship has a better crew,” Swift says with a smirk.      “A crew that, need I remind you, seems to have forgotten to clean their quarters before going on shore leave,” Venture states with a short glare at the three mares.      Swift Burst stammers, “Um, well, we just were away for so long and, uh…”      “Fair enough. Though, how many days have you been on shore leave?” Venture asks with a grin.      “One and a half weeks.” Swift Burst responds quickly.      Venture grins widely, and says, “Then you’ll have your duties doubled for one and a half weeks.”      “Ponyfeathers.”      Micah interjects before the conversation can continue. “Excuse me,” Micah says as he rests his hands on the table, “B-but, I’m curious, I notice you d-don’t seem too shocked by m-me.”      Raising an eyebrow, Venture says, “Would you prefer me to run around screaming, ‘Ah! Monster, it’s going to eat me!’ If it’d make you feel better I could.”      “I think he’s just saying he’s confused. If you take a look around, everypony else is looking right at him,” I say, not trying to speak quietly. A few ponies take the hint, and look elsewhere.      “I’ve seen too much to be surprised easily. My crew and I have traveled far enough away from Equestria and seen enough oddities that it’d take more than Micah here to surprise me,” Venture says.      Well, it looks like now there are some ponies that won’t be staring at Micah. This ‘Venture’ seems like a decent stallion. His crew though is rather odd. I’m surprised the navy allowed a pony with an injury like Tender Hooves has to join.      “That’s a g-good thing to hear,” Micah says as he starts to smile. Though a loud rumbling sound from his abdomen draws his attention away from the conversation. “B-but that’s not. Um, nurse, could you m-maybe get me something to eat p-please?”      “Heh, sure,” I say as I get up. “Pancakes sound good?”      “That sounds g-good, thanks,” Micah says with a grin. “Oh, another th-thing, I d-don’t know your name. I don’t w-want to just call you n-nurse.”      Huh. I forgot that this entire time he hasn’t known my name. Don’t know how I forgot that.      “Redheart. You can call me Redheart.”      “P-pleasure to meet you Redheart,” Micah says with a grin. “Thank y-you for all the help today.”