//------------------------------// // Exercise, and new friend // Story: To Return Home // by Yonah21 //------------------------------//      “Okay Micah, you know what to do. It should be easy, but I’ll be right here if you need me,” Redheart says.      “Of course it’ll be easy. He’ll be ready for our sparring match in no time!” Skittles says.      G-d help me when that happens.      That dream earlier was just… Ugh, words alone isn’t enough. It does make me wonder though, why is it that dreams here seem so more real than dreams back on earth? And if anypony I ask says ‘because magic’ I swear I’m going to slap them, even if it’s Celestia.      After that horrid nightmare, Redheart got me a new gown to replace the one that was soaked in sweat. She offered to help me put it on, but since I’m not exactly keen on letting her see me in my birthday suit, I politely declined.      That was more difficult than I thought it would be.      I was a bit confused why I was given a different looking gown, but I didn’t say anything as the differences are miniscule. The only differences are the length of it, and the fact that it doesn’t have an opening in the back.      But after being wheeled into another room, I found out why. This room holds weights, a few inflatable balls, and I think I see a treadmill off to the side.      Apparently Redheart wants me to start therapy. I have to say, at first I was kind of apprehensive about it. I mean, if I can’t even stand on my own what kind of therapy can I do right now?      Which brings us back to the present.      Redheart has brought the wheelchair around to a short little trail, with some bars on both sides of it. The bars are adjustable, as she raised them up to a level that would be more fitting to me than a pony. She doesn’t have to say anything for me to figure out what it is she wants me to do.      Grabbing each bar, I begin to lift myself out of the chair. My muscles feel like they are being pushed to the max just from this. I notice that Redheart is right at my side, ready to grab me if I fall. Or, I presume that’s why she’s right next to me.      As a gust of wind goes by, I quickly look side to side to see what it was, and I see a smiling Skittles hovering at my eye level.      “Come on big guy, all you have to do is stand up,” she says. “Besides, if you fall I’ll grab you.”      “That’s my job, Rainbow Dash. Besides, should he fall, there’s a particular way you’re supposed to grab him,” Redheart says, her hoof on my back. “You do it wrong and you’ll just end up hurting him.”      “What? I wouldn’t hurt him! He’s my friend!”      “G-girls? Please stop, I n-need to concentrate,” I say, my arms beginning to tense up as I begin to put some of my weight on my feet. And just about the moment I do, they start buckling.      Oh dear G-d this hurts like hell! Alright, alright just try and block it out, don’t worry about it, just get through it. It’s just standing up, right? Nothing difficult about that at all.      “Well, Rainbow Dash, if you are so sure you wouldn’t hurt him, why did you hug him far too tightly when he woke up? I understand you were excited to see him, but you should try to be more gentle” Redheart says as I continue to focus on just standing straight.      “Oh come on Red, so I was excited my friend woke up and I gave him a hug. You’re making it sound like I broke one of his bones or something!”      Grunting, I utter, “Girls, please, st-stop talking.”      “You nearly did!” Redheart shouts, and as I look at her, she glares up at Skittles. “You don’t get how badly hurt he is!”      “What do you mean I don’t know?! I was there! If Micah wasn’t a patient of yours you wouldn’t care!” Skittles responds, meeting Redheart’s glare with her own.      “Girls… P-please stop-”      “How dare you! I’d help anypony, no matter if they’re my patient or not! If somepony needs my help, they’ll always get it!”      “Psh! Sure, as if you were going to help Micah if you weren’t told to. I bet you-”      “GIRLS!”      Finally, the two of them shut up. It’s about damn time!      “Both of y-you, stop arguing. The m-more you talk, the h-harder it is for me to c-concentrate. Now sh-shut up and let me try to d-do something as simple as st-stand up!” I shout as I look down at both of them.      Wait a second. I’m looking down at them. Meaning…      “Well look at that! I didn’t think you’d be able to stand so quickly!” Redheart says with a wide grin as she examines me. “You’re recovering at a rapid pace.”      “Yeah! Knew you could do it!” Skittles says with a grin as she flies in even closer, as Redheart walks under the bars to get close as well. “Before long it’ll be ponyo e mano.”      I can’t help myself but smile, “It is nice t-to be able to st-stand up on my own for a change.”      The moment the words leave my mouth I feel my legs start to shake, and I tighten my grip on the bars to keep me up. A glance at Redheart gets the message across.      “Micah, do you want me to help you sit down in the wheelchair?” Redheart asks as she looks down at my legs with a frown.      “Oh come on, he’ll be fine!”      Just like back on earth, Skittles gives me a congratulatory pat on the back. And now, just like then, it makes me stumble. I immediately fall, my hands flailing to try and grab onto anything to stop the descent.      “Micah be caref-mph!”      Redheart’s voice is cut off as I hit the ground, feeling something underneath my torso and my hips both. Normally, I would immediately look to see what’s underneath me but instead, I’ve got a different issue in my mind at the moment.      Specifically the pain I feel from falling down onto the ground.      Damnit! Ugh, why the hell does the human body have to be so receptive to pain? WHY? Shit, I thought that human bones would be more strong than this! For goodness sake, why in the world did I actually try this? That was an awful idea, I should have waited until I recovered more. At least I fell on something soft and furry.      “Um… Are you okay Micah?”      Once I finally come to my sense, I realize exactly why I’m feeling something soft and furry. Laying right underneath me, with her normally blue cheeks turning red, is Skittles. It’s kind of cute seeing her blushing with her mane a bit tangled and cast over her face.      Cute or not, though, I really wish I wasn’t seeing it from this position. She’s on her back, I’m laying right on top of her, and our faces are less than a few inches apart. I can feel and smell her breath on my face.      “I f-feel pretty banged up b-but I don’t think it’s an-anything awful,” I say with a grunt as I try and prop myself up with my arms, but stop almost instantly. They’re still too weak. “Are you okay Sk-Skittles?”      For a short moment, her eyes look down my body before looking up once more. “Yeah I’m okay,” she says. She smirks. “I think you might need to lose a bit of weight though big guy. You nearly turned me into a rainbow pancake.”      “I’m not f-fat, Skittles,” I say, as I feel something squirming uncomfortably close to my groin. “And, um, c-could you please stop moving your t-tail against me? I kn-know you’re not doing it on purpose b-but please stop.”      Skittles raises an eyebrow at that, glancing down. “Uh, I’m not doing that Micah,” she says, and looks to my side as I feel something pushing against my leg. Her eyes go wide as she gasps, then close as she starts to laugh loudly.      “Heh, I think Redheart’s going to have something to say to you,” she says while chuckling.      Confused, I look down my side. I see Redheart, her front hooves pushing against my side, with her head underneath me, probably right next to-      Oh bollocks!      “Sk-Skittles! Help me out h-here!” I shout as I try to turn over.      Oh damn I’m dead, I’m so dead! How stupid am I not to notice Redheart was stuck so close to my… Ugh, how could this happen?!      Still laughing, Skittles wiggles her way out from under me and moves to my side. After tossing her mane out of her eyes, she looks at Redheart. Grinning, she leans down, “So, Red, how’s the view down there?”      “Mmph! Mmrph mph!”      “Oh for g-goodness sake, Skittles, c-come on!” I shout as she continues to chuckle.      Glancing at me, she grins and grabs Redheart’s tail with her teeth. With a single yank she pulls Redheart free, sending her flying for a moment before landing flat on her flank.      Shaking her head vigorously, Redheart puts her cap back on before her eyes and mine meet. She then looks to Skittles, baring her teeth as she looks at her with her eyes narrowed.      Oh crap, this isn’t going to be good. She looks pissed off. Alright Micah, just make sure that she knows that you didn’t mean for that to happen, and that it was an accident. But, if she’s really ticked off she might not be so professional about this. Not all medical people are as professional about things as Leah was.      No, IS. Not ‘was’, is. I can’t give up on her.      Hearing hoofsteps and the sounds of wheels turning, I look up. Redheart looks down at me, with the wheelchair at her side. Instead of looking angry, she looks concerned.      “Micah, how badly do your legs and arms hurt?” she asks. “Do you think you can sit up on your own?”      Well, I definitely didn’t expect to have her react like this.      I push against the ground as hard as I can, but I can only get a few inches off of the ground before I collapse once more. “Ugh, my arms d-don’t feel so g-good. Don’t know about m-my legs,” I say with a groan.      I catch Redheart glaring at Skittles again before she lays down next to me. “Okay, Micah, place your arm on my back, and hold on. I’ll help you get up. Rainbow Dash, you make sure that the wheelchair is in a good position so we can get Micah in it quickly,” Redheart states as I place an arm over her barrel as instructed.      “Are you s-sure you can d-do this? I d-don’t want you to g-get hurt,” I say, though she doesn’t seem to concerned as she already starts to stand up, my grip tightening on her. I notice her wincing as I accidentally pull out a few bits of fur.      Putting on a smile, she says, “I’m sure, we got to get you back in the chair. I don’t want you on the floor.”      As Skittles brings the wheelchair close, Redheart says, “Put your free hand on the chair, and I’ll help you the rest of the way.”      I do as she says, and in surprisingly quick fashion she pushes me up onto the chair, and helps me get comfortable. “Th-thank you for helping m-me Redheart,” I say with a smile. “It’s a lot b-better being here than on the f-floor.”      “Heh, I bet,” she says with a slight chuckle.      Is she just going to ignore the extremely awkward position she and I were in? If this were any other pony they’d say something about what just happened. I know if her position and Skittles’ one were switched, Skittles would be making a few jokes at the minimum.      “So, Micah,” Skittles says as she walks in front of me. “Want to try one more time? I bet that you can do it this time.”      Redheart facehoofs loudly, the sound getting Skittles’ attention as she sighs. “Rainbow Dash, that’s a bad idea. We can try again later, but for now he shouldn’t do anything physical,” Redheart says as she sends a glare towards Skittles.      “Ugh, Red, you worry too much. He’ll be fine. So he tripped, it doesn’t mean he will next time,” Skittles says.      Walking behind me, Redheart unlocks the wheels of the wheelchair and begins pushing me towards the door. “That’s right, he won’t, because I’m not going to allow you to be here when he tries next time.”      What? That’s a bit on the extreme side isn’t it?      Skittles reacts despite being surprised as I am. She puts her hooves on the wheelchair, stopping me at once.      “Alright nursey, listen up. You’re acting like Micah is a tiny piece of glass that you’re gonna break if you touch it too hard. He’s tougher than you know,” Skittles says as she leans in over me, glaring at Redheart.      “Skittles, R-Redheart, please, st-stop this. Let’s not argue, al-alright? Let’s just g-get out of here,” I say.      Both of them decide not to listen to me as they continue to argue, with me being literally right between the two of them. I wish I could just slink down into the floor.      I just don’t understand why these two need to keep going at it over such tiny things.      “Um, excuse me, but is it alright if I use this room?”      As Skittles is in my way , I have to lean to the side to see who the newcomer is. I’m a bit surprised that I could hear him at all since Redheart and Skittles are still yammering on.      This new fellow is a stallion, specifically an earth pony. His coat is a light brown, with a darker brown mane and tail. To me, though, the thing that gets my attention is his cutie mark. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pony with an hourglass for a cutie mark before.      But his reaction to seeing me isn’t all that odd, since most ponies don’t know that much about me. As soon as he sees me, he gasps and jumps back, only to wince as he hits the floor. Glancing at his legs I see why; he has a brace on his left front leg. How could that have happened?      “G-girls, if you want to k-keep doing this, could you t-take it outside p-please?” I ask them.      Thankfully they stop bickering, but the glares between the two of them remain. Though they both turn to leave, Redheart stops for a moment before she joins Skittles outside. “I’ll take you back to your room shortly Micah. I’m sorry for the delay, I won’t be with Rainbow Dash too long,” she says before following Skittles out.      If you ever looked up the phrase, ‘awkward silence’, there would be a picture of myself and this stallion staring at each other. His reaction had been understandable. From what I saw in the cafeteria, most ponies seem either scared or upset with me. Redheart, Skittles, Venture and his crew seem like they’re in the minority of ponies.      Eventually, however, this stallion breaks the silence. “So… What are you?” he says as he examines me.      “Um… I’m a h-human, named Micah,” I say as he takes a few steps closer, the look of fear in his eyes lessening.      As the stallion continues to close the distance, I have to admit I’m now the one who’s a bit nervous. I shouldn’t be, since it’s a pony who’s in a cast. An earth pony in a cast. A stallion earth pony in a cast.      This could actually go rather badly.      But oddly, he just puts out his hoof as he smiles nervously. “I’m Time Turner. Earth pony,” he says as he continues to hold out his hoof.      “Well, it’s a p-pleasure to m-meet you,” I say as I make a fist and bump his hoof with it.      Raising an eyebrow, Time Turner pulls his hoof away. “I gotta say I didn’t expect you to know what a hoof bump is,” he says as he shuffles his braced leg a bit.      “Let’s j-just say that b-before I got here, I met somepony who sh-showed me,” I say, recalling that event from when I was on earth.      “Mhm,” is all Time Turner says as he looks back at the equipment in the room. “So… What did you come here to do?”      “To s-see if I could stand up. I d-did, but only for a f-few seconds,” I state with a sigh. “Let’s just s-say it didn’t end w-well.”      Time Turner chuckles for a moment, before saying, “Heh, yeah, I could hear bits of what happened down the hall.”      Raising an eyebrow, I ask, “Uh, exactly h-how much did you hear?”      “Enough that it’s clear that you landed on top of the mares that were just here,” Time Turner says with a grin as he walks towards the treadmill.      Huh. This is going better than I expected. Maybe I’ll be able to have a somewhat normal conversation. I don’t mind speaking with Venture and his crew at all, though I would prefer to talk to someone who’s a bit more, well, normal.      But him warming up to me so fast definitely wouldn’t qualify as normal… I remember it took me a while to warm up to Skittles and the others.      “Time Turner?” I ask, getting him to turn around. “I h-have to ask, why d-do you not seem too n-nervous around me? You w-warmed up to me pretty quick.”      As he steps onto the treadmill, he says, “I’ve traveled with my father on business a lot. You see quite a few things when you go beyond Equestria. You did surprise me at first, but not any more than when I saw my first minotaur.”      “W-was that how you g-got your leg busted?” I inquire, glancing down at the brace.      “This? No, no that was just me being a klutz. Never try moving a grandfather clock by yourself, let me tell you,” he says with a grin as he begins to use the treadmill.      “Oh, that w-would hurt,” I say, trying to imagine that. The closest I can come to that is dropping an extremely hot, and heavy, baking sheet. It might not have been as heavy as a grandfather clock, but it still hurt like hell.      “Yes, yes it did,” he says with a shudder. “But, how did you end up in a wheelchair?”      “Uh… Th-that’s a long story.”