//------------------------------//
// Home for Now 
// Story: What Changes May Come 
// by Bluegrass Brooke 
//------------------------------//

"Cheesie, come on. Wake up!" 

"What?" Cheese blinked awake, staring into his mare's rather irritated face. "What?"

Pinkie rolled her eyes, "I've been trying to wake you up for five minutes already!"

"Oh, sorry." He yawned, looking around at the room. The theme apparently was baby blue. Just about everything, from the curtains to the rocking chair cushions to the wall was the same shade of it. To compound the situation, morning light was spilling in through the open window, making the whole place shimmer. "Urgh, turn off the light."

"Nope." Pinkie pulled on his ear, "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

Is he serious? "I'm taking you to Bulk's. Don't you remember?" 

"Uh." He closed his eyes in concentration, then opened them, shaking his head. "Nope."

She gave a rare pout, stamping her hooves in frustration. "Urgh! I told you last night when I helped put the twins to bed." 

"Oh." The memory finally came rushing back to him. "Yeah, now I remember."

"Good. Come on." Though her face still reflected irritation, she held out a hoof for him to grab. 

"Thanks." Cautiously, he stepped onto the floor. There was a lot of pain, but it was more bearable than yesterday. "You know, I think that rest did me some good."

"Uh huh." Pinkie's eyes followed his movement as they left the bedroom. Cheese headed for the stairs, but Pinkie pushed him towards the bathroom. 

"What?"

"I'm cleaning you up." Pinkie gestured grandly to all of him.

Cheese looked perplexed, "Am I that dirty?"

Seriously? Slapping a hoof to her forehead, she shoved the reluctant stallion into the bathroom and closed the door. "Yes, yes you are." 

The frilly pink bathroom had changed little since he last was in it. Though, the number of bath toys seemed to have multiplied exponentially. It was oppressively warm, but at least the tile was nice and cool. Cheese glanced nervously at his marefriend, who seemed on quite the mission. He watched her pull down some towels, a sponge, a scrub brush, and a bucket. "What are you-"

"-You're not supposed to get the burns wet, right?" Pinkie hummed, trotting around Cheese with the bucket. 

He watched as she filled it with water and soap and set it down in front of him. Before he could react, she soaked his back in icy water from the sponge. "Yikes! Pinkie!"

"Sorry. I didn't want to use warm water with the burns." She stuck out her tongue, "And it's not that cold, silly."

"Yeah, yeah." He flattened his ears, letting pinkie scrub off the layers of filth matting his coat. Though it was embarrassing, it felt nice to have her body pressed so close to his. She did smell much nicer than he did. 

"Geeze, Cheesie. You need to take better care of your coat." She sighed longingly, holding the scrub brush to her chest, "And it used to be so soft and clean."

His laughter echoed around the bathroom, "It wasn't that clean."

The pout returned, "It was too." 

Cheese rolled his eyes. Then he picked up the sponge, splashing Pinkie with water. "Here. You can be clean too."

She giggled, pushing him on his back and kissing him on the muzzle. "Yup. Now we match."

He nickered softly, kissing her back. Then, reluctantly, he pushed her gently off of him. "Better finish up."

Pinkie nodded, and picked up the scrub brush again. After his coat, she turned to his mane. It looks awful. "Cheesie, why'd they cut it so short?"

He shrugged, "Dunno. I didn't think I singed it that bad."

"It makes you look like some uptight city pony." An attempt to poof it up again just resulted in it lying closer to his neck. "It doesn't even curl when it's this short."

"Nope. It's different from yours." He picked up a mouthful of Pinkie's mane for emphasis. 

Pinkie squealed in protest. "Cheesie, my mane's not for eating."

"He, he. Well it tastes pretty good." He grinned with the strands still in his mouth, "Kinda like cotton candy."

"Cheesie!"

A fit of laughter caused Cheese to drop her mane. "Sorry. I couldn't resist. You're just too cute."

Pinkie's cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk's, "No fair."

Guess I should stop teasing her. He reached down, kissing her on the forehead. "Love you."

Her face grow warm, "You too."

"So, now that I'm clean, can we leave?"

"Nope." Pinkie stood up, throwing a towel over him. "Dry off and I'll help you change your bandages."

"Right." He winced at the thought of it. It needed to be done, but it was awfully painful. 

Pinkie trotted over to the door, "Are they in your saddlebags?"

"Yeah." He watched her leave, then turned to his legs. Slowly, he unwrapped the bandage on his right front. "Argh! Why's it hurt so much?"

"Hey, Cheesie. I got it." Pinkie trotted into the bathroom, closing the door. The sight of his leg nearly made her gag. "Cheesie!" 

"That was quick." He smiled weakly, lifting his hoof so it would not touch the tiles. 

Pinkie's eyes sparkled with worry. Every inch of his hoof was a raw, red color. There was no hair left on it, only burnt skin. Her heart pounded uncomfortably fast. "It's really bad."

"Yeah, but it's just the front hooves. The back one's are a lot better." He glanced to the fresh bandages Pinkie had brought. "Could I have those?"

"Huh? Right." She watched him wrap the leg up, trying to hide the panic she felt. "Cheesie, it'll get better, right?"

"Yeah. It'll scar up kinda bad, but most of the hair should grow back." An unconvincing smile flickered across his face. "Hey, at least we'll match."

"That's not funny, Cheesie." It's not fair. Why'd he have to get hurt too? Fighting the urge to cry, she burrowed her face into his chest. "Messed up."

"Huh?" Cheese finished wrapping the last bit of the bandage and staring the mare. "Pinkie, what's messed up?"

"Everything." The tears came for real this time, stinging her eyes and dripping into Cheese's coat. "You, this whole mess with your parents." She pounded her hooves against his sides, "It's not supposed to be this way! It's not. Why should you have to pretend to be all right when you're not!"

"Pinkie, calm down." Cheese held her close, rubbing her mane gently. "I'm not trying to pretend. If I only focused on the bad, how would I cheer anypony up?"

"But, you need to talk about it sometime."

He kissed her on the forehead, "Well, I've got you, don't I?" 

Pinkie pulled away, eyes serious. "It wouldn't hurt you to show it to the others."

"Why?" 

"Because, acting like everything's all right, when it's not is just fake, Cheesie." Her hooves shook a little as she picked up his left front, removing the bandages. "You've got friends who care about you. Don't cheapen that relationship because you want to spare their feelings. That's selfish."

"Right." Beat me again, dear. You always do. It was a little humiliating to have her bandage his hooves, but he was not about to stop her. The amount of determination in the mare's eyes told him to let it go. So he sat there in silence, watching Pinkie bandage up the burns, and hoping she was not mad at him.

"There. All done." She smiled weakly, ruffling what was left of his forelock. "Come on, we'll get you over to Bulk's."

"Kay." 

"Be right back." Quick as a flash, Pinkie darted off towards the bedroom. When she returned, the large traveling hat was perched comfortably on her head and his saddlebags draped over her back.

He chuckled, "Changing your wardrobe?"

"Yup. I think it suits me." With a flourish, she set the saddlebags on his back. She stood in front of him posing like Rarity, "I simply can't find anything suitable to wear."

He tilted the hat until it covered her eyes. "It suits you."

They made their way out of the house and into the sunny day beyond. Cheese marveled at the change Ponyville had undergone. Every corner of the place was decorated in fall colors, pumpkins, corn stalks, and whatever else the townsponies could think of. The street was packed with ponies, all chatting animatedly with each other. It was a thousand times better than the cold streets of Manehattan. 

Why's he just standing there? Pinkie nudged him gently, "Come on, Cheesie, this way."

"Huh? Oh, right. Coming!" The chattering ponies grew silent as they passed. A tangible tension filled the air, and whispers spread like wildfire. Cheese lowered his head, trying to avoid the unwanted attention as he limped along. "Pinkie?"

Pinkie glanced nervously at him. "Yes?" Instead of a reply, she felt the hat being taken off of her head. "Hey, I could carry that."

"Uh huh. But-" Cheese gave a meaningful glance towards the ponies, "-your job's calling."

She snorted, "They'll be fine."

"Nope." His voice was scarcely more than a whisper, "They're nervous. One of Ponyville's two party ponies just came back covered in bandages and limping. That can't be good for morale." He gave her a gently push in the ribs. "Go. I'll be fine. It's not like I can get lost here."

Her chest puffed out defiantly.

He rolled his eyes, "I'm not running off to Manehattan. I'm staying, so you're stuck with me. Got it?"

"Kay." She pawed the ground uncertainty, "Promise?" 

Cheese's soft kiss on her muzzle was all the answer she needed. "Cross my heart." 

Pinkie nodded, turning to leave, "Take it easy, kay?"

"Yup." For a split second, he thought about calling her back. But, no, with the amount of pain he was in, his usual routine was off the table. So, if only for today, he would let it pass. Slipping on his hat, he drifted onto one of the side streets and out of sight. 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Fluttershy tapped her hooves as fast as Angel Bunny's feet. Though she had waited for over forty minutes, Bulk was nowhere in sight. "Oh my, where could he be? I hope he's not hurt." Her eyes darted across the clearing as if expecting the hulking stallion to materialize by the nearest tree. "Should I get the girls?"

Just on cue, a white figure appeared in the sky, and landed clumsily beside her. He folded his miniscule wings, panting heavily, "Sorry I'm late."

"That's okay, Bulk." It only took a few seconds to see that he was anxious about something, "Did something bad happen? You've never been late to our practices."

"No! Yes! Uh-" Flustered, he started to stare down the grass blades, "-I dunno…"

"You don't know what's wrong?" Fluttershy eyed him nervously, pressing a hoof to his forehead. It doesn't feel hot.

Bulk's heart thumped like a hammer in his chest. "Fine! Yeah! Just fine."

"You're not fine. Anypony can see that. You can tell me, we're friends after all."

Bulk let out a huge sigh, "Cheese."

"So that's why you were late." Fluttershy's face broke into a broad smile, "How is he?"

"Uh-" He dug one of his small yellow hooves into the dirt, "-Not good." 

Fluttershy felt her heart skip a beat. Yesterday, when Twilight had asked about a place for Cheese to stay, she thought something was off. If Cheese had wanted a place to stay, he would have gone out and looked for one himself. "What's wrong with him, Bulk?"

He glanced up at her, "Bandages." 

"Huh?"

"He's all covered in bandages. And, he can hardly walk." Bulk gave an involuntary shudder. "He said he got burned in a fire, and had to stay in a hospital." The thought of anypony he knew going to a hospital always sent his mind racing. It's just like sissy. "Hospitals are no good."

Fluttershy rested a hoof on his shoulder. "Oh, it's okay, Bulk. I'm sure he's fine. Pinkie wouldn't have let him out of her sight if he wasn't."

"Kay." Bulk's red eyes flashed concern, "What should I do?"

Fluttershy's laugh tinkled like wind chimes, "You don't have to do anything. Just, be your wonderful self." She gave him a friendly squeeze on the hoof, "Thanks for caring so much."

"Yeah!" He raised a hoof in his typical motivational fashion. "Now let's practice!"

"Uh huh-" Then, in her best shout which was scarcely more than conversation tone, "-yeah."

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Cheese awoke to the sound of wind chimes ringing above him. Blearily, he opened his eyes and took in the unfamiliar, tidy room. Its matching bed set was probably an antique by now, but it was so lovingly maintained that it was hard to tell. The whole place reminded him of a little old mare's house, from the lacy curtains down to the flowery quilt he was laying on. But, that was far from a deterrent for him. This place was his home for now, so he might as well enjoy it.

Most ponies would have at least been taken aback by waking up in an unfamiliar place. Pinkie often suffered from the "where am I" sensation whenever she woke up somewhere different. But, after years and years of traveling, Cheese could care less where he was as long as it was not the apartment he grew up in. No, if he had a list of all the places he wanted to wake up, this would be pretty high up there. Then again, waking up next to Pinkie was on another scale entirely.  

Sighing, he rolled over on the small bed, enjoying the peace and quiet. I wonder what time it is? A quick glance out the window showed that it was close to sunset. Great, I slept the whole day away. Shaking off the sleep, he got to his hooves and went to investigate the room. It contained the bed, a matching dresser, an endtable, and a roll top desk. Neeto. 

From the look of the desk, it had been there nearly as long as the house. The rollers were fun to play with, and opened up to reveal a neat stack of paper, a quill, and some ink. Though sorely tempted to write a letter to Quill, he shut the top. Maybe later.

A new thought occurred to him as he looked around at the empty room. None of his belongings were there. In fact, he had absolutely no idea where any of his things were. To compound the issue, he realized he had left Boneless 2 in Milo's apartment. Then, an extremely nasty, icy feeling crept over him. How am I supposed to work? The condition his hooves were in, it would be weeks before he could lift anything substantial, and months before he was back to full strength. A lousy situation for a carpenter. "Now what?"

The thought of asking Pinkie to for money was degrading. No, he would think of something, he always did. "Stupid hooves!" 

A soft knock at the door caught him off guard. Bulk's voice came through in the usual loud manner, "You okay?"

"Yeah, just rambling to myself. You can come in." Cheese watched Bulk squeeze his huge body through the doorframe. 

The pegasus was covered in sweat and just a touch less enthusiastic than normal. "Say, uh you settling in okay?"

Cheese nodded emphatically, "I love it here. Thanks for letting me move in on such short notice." Searching for conversation, he gestured to Bulk's sweaty form, "Been lifting?"

Bulk's red eyes bulged enthusiastically, "Yeah!" Then, quieter, "But first I practiced flying with Fluttershy."

A stabbing pain shot up Cheese's legs again, nearly doubling him over. As casually as he could, he leaned against the bedpost and grinned, "Oh, how'd that go?" 

"Great!" Truth be told, between the two of them, they had barely managed to perform the basic tests in the flight school manual. But, Bulk was always one to stay on the positive side. "You hungry?"

"Yup." Because of everything going on, he had not eaten since he left Manehattan. He followed Bulk out of the door and into the other room. The house was not large, and the space was dedicated to a simple kitchen, a small square table, and a makeshift work out space. But, despite all that was going on in the room, it still retained some open space and the same comforting feeling as the bedroom. "You need me to make it?"

"Naw." The constant shaking in Cheese's legs was more than a little offsetting. He okay? "You can sit, I'll make it."

"Thanks." Cheese happily took a seat and watched the pegasus pull out some bread, cheese, and a frying pan. He raised an eyebrow, "Grilled cheese?"

"Yeah! You like it?"

Cheese glanced down at his cutie mark. Really? You have to ask. "Yup, it's my favorite."

"That's good." He flew to the ceiling, pulling down one of the many herbs hanging there, "But, you've never had my grilled Cheese before." 

As he watched his new roommate make dinner, he realized he hardly knew anything about him. He likes to work out, and practice with Fluttershy. Guess that's a start. "Say, Bulk, why are you and Fluttershy practicing?"

Bulk was glad Cheese could not see him blushing, "After the qualifiers for the games, we wanted to get better at flying."

"That's a great idea. You know, it's always better to practice with another pony." Cheese sat in silence for a while, wondering what to say. It was nothing like talking with Pinkie. He jumped a little when Bulk set a plate of sandwiches in front of him. 

"They're done." Bulk across from Cheese, grinning at his handiwork. The sandwiches were grilled to perfection, and filled with a mixture of cheese and herbs that he had perfected over the years. "Let's dig in. Yeah!"

"Yeah." To his surprise, the sandwiches were amazingly tasty. All the herbs blended together in a flawless mixture of cheesy goodness. "These are amazing!"

Bulk nodded, swallowing a large chunk of sandwich. "Mom taught me how. She loves to cook." 

"Nice." Cheese wolfed down his portion and watched Bulk finish up. Once again, he felt extremely awkward. Should I say something else?

"How's your family?"

"What?"

"Well-" He took a sandwich, bouncing it on his muscles, "-Fluttershy said you went to Manehattan to visit them. Bet they were worried sick when you got hurt though."

His emerald eyes flashed with anger, and his voice was icy, "No, they weren't."

Bulk's sandwich toppled to the ground, "Huh?"

He sighed, "They aren't the nicest ponies in Equestria. I really didn't go there to spend time with them."

"Oh, business?"

"Yeah." His legs were hurting worse than ever now. Slowly, he got to his hooves, "I'm going to lay back down."

Bulk smiled, "Kay, see you." 

Cheese fell on the bed with a thud. His whole body felt hot and painful. So much for getting better. Urgh! For a brief moment, he thought about writing the letter to Quill. But, the desk was so far away, and he was so very tired.