The food here is delicious. I don’t know what what they make it with but it’s a thousand times better than anything served in the hospital. I’m guessing that it’s Pinkie Pie’s cooking. She is the best at baking, after all.
The sweets are delicious without being too sweet, and there is plenty of chocolate for everypony here. For me, since Pinkie Pie seems to have remembered how I do not care for it, there are sweets and candies of the fruity variety.
Yet I do wonder how they were able to make something as simple as sandwiches taste so good. I checked the one given to me before I ate it to make sure that it didn’t have anything like daisies, dandelions or some other type of plant. Thankfully it didn’t, yet I’m still not sure exactly what some of the ingredients in it are. I saw some lovely peppers and tomatoes, along with a weird looking kind of cabbage. At least it was good, whatever it was.
“Pinkie Pie, the f-food is delicious,” I say upon swallowing the last bite of my sandwich. “G-d bless you for th-that.”
“Aw, thank you Micah!” Pinkie says as she gives me a hug. “You needed some good yummy food! Not that icky nasty hospital food.”
“Um, is the food in the hospital really that bad?” Redheart asks as she takes a sip from her glass.
“It could’ve been a lot better. Some of the sandwiches there were nasty,” Skittles says with a gagging action. “I’ve never been at a hospital with good food.”
“Speaking of the hospital, how was your time there? I hope it went well,” Twilight says as she takes a bite out of a chocolate cupcake.
“A mixture of b-boring, tiring, painful, and a b-bit of embarrassment to t-top it off,” I list off.
The last one gets a raised eyebrow out of all the assembled ponies; save for Redheart and Skittles of course, who know what I’m talking about.
“Embarrassing? What was embarrassing about it?” Fluttershy inquires as she shifts looking between Redheart and I.
There’s not really any point in hiding it. It was just an accident after all. Well, at least I hope it was an accident.
“Wh-when I was getting dressed, Sk-Skittles decided to barge into my r-room. So two ponies n-now know what I look like in all my n-naked glory,” I say as I cast a glare at Skittles and Redheart.
Skittles’ cheeks turn bright red as I mention that, while Redheart remains unaffected.
“I am your nurse, Micah. We had to take your clothes off to operate on you,” she says as a smirk crosses over her face. “Besides, it wasn’t all that glorious to begin with.”
Oh, ouch. Leah’s the only one to ever say something like that.
“What are you talking about? He looked great!” Skittles says.
Her statement gets the attention of every other mare in the boutique.
“Rainbow Dash, were you staring at him?” Rarity asks with a raised eyebrow and a grin to match.
“That wouldn’t be nice if you did that. He deserves his privacy,” Fluttershy says.
Skittles looks about at the mares who are all staring right at her as she begins to speak. “Well, uh, it’s not like I meant to barge in. And I didn’t stare at him, I just… glanced.”
“You c-call having to be d-dragged out of the room by R-Redheart ‘just a g-glance’?” I ask with a raised eyebrow. “And for some r-reason your wings stuck st-straight out afterwards.”
A mix of gasps and chuckling echoes through the room, with Skittles going bright red.
“Shut up! It just happens sometimes, okay?” Skittles says adamantly and gives me a sheepish grin as the other girls continue to laugh.
“What? The w-wing thing? How is that e-embarrassing?” I ask.
But judging from some blushes from the mares, and how Applejack and Pinkie Pie have bursted out laughing, they seem to find it pretty funny.
“Oh you don’t know?” Redheart asks with a wide grin. She quickly steps towards me. “Well Micah, what happened to her wings is commonly called a wingbo--”
“Don’t say it!”
Skittles leaps straight at Redheart, and soon they’re rolling on the ground. They’re moving so fast it’s like watching a cloud and rainbow in a blender.
“He’s going to know!”
“You’re not going to say it!”
“Yes I am!”
“You’ll never say it!”
All the girls, along with myself, can’t help but laugh at the sight. I have never once seen Redheart like this. Sure she can dish out a joke here and there, but I never figured that she’d be the sort to wrestle about on the ground. What the hell is it that Skittles doesn’t want Redheart to say? This just makes me want to know more.
“Girls stop it! Don’t make a mess of everything! You’re almost knocking the dishes off the table!” Rarity pleads with the two.
It would seem that those words were foretelling future events. Somehow while wrestling, a stray hoof of Redheart juts out and kicks the table. A plate that was already on the edge shakes for a moment before sliding off, plummeting to the floor. Rarity’s eyes are as wide as the falling plate as she watches it plummeting to the ground.
Or more accurately, the temporarily falling plate. Right before it strikes the ground it is surrounded by Twilight’s magic. Rarity breathes a loud sigh of relief as it is placed gently back on the table.
“Thank you Twilight,” Rarity says with a grateful smile. “I didn’t want to lose these dishes. They’re the best I have.”
“No problem Rarity,” Twilight says with a smile before turning to look at Redheart and Skittles. “Rainbow Dash, stop it. At this point I don’t think Redheart will say anything.”
The two ponies finally stop their wrestling. Redheart mumbles something with Skittles’ hoof covering her mouth. Skittles sports a smug grin from holding Redheart. But that is short lived as suddenly Skittles lets go of Redheart.
“Ew! That’s nasty!” Skittles says as Redheart walks back next to me with a smirk. “Why’d you do that?”
“When I fight I fight dirty,” Redheart states with a grin as she adjusts her cap. “Next time don’t tackle me and I won’t lick your hoof.”
“What?!”
Rarity looks at Skittles, still wiping her hoof on the carpet with sheer terror. At a speed that would make her herself jealous, she runs over to Skittles with a napkin levitated by her magic.
“Stop that this instant Rainbow Dash! Here, let me clean that!” Rarity says as she immediately begins cleaning Skittles hoof.
Heh, I never get tired of seeing them being this silly.
“So, what was the reason Sk-Skittles tackled y-you?” I whisper to Redheart as Skittles tries to get free of Rarity.
Giggling, Redheart says, “I think the other mares will tell you later. Don’t worry about it.”
Eventually Rarity leaves Skittles alone, but not before looking with disapproval at the spot of the carpet Skittles used as a towel.
“The s-silliness of this reminds m-me of our meals back at my ap-apartment,” I say as I lean back in the chair with a grin, folding my hands behind my head. “You girls remember th-that?”
“Oh yes. They were fun,” Fluttershy says in her usual soft voice.
“Heh, they could turn into a roarin’ good time,” Applejack says as she finishes her plate. “We did make a mess that one time though, didn’t we?”
“That we did A-Applejack, that we did,” I say as I look over the multitude of dishes, cups and plates.
I hope these are some sturdy dishes. I wouldn’t want Rarity to shout at me.
“Micah, what are you thinking about?” Redheart asks with a raised eyebrow.
I only return her query with a grin while I grab a plate. The only time I did this with the ponies was when they were all toy sized. Now that they are normal sized, this should be far more fun.
The weight of the plate seems just right. Not so heavy that I can’t throw it, but not so light that it will be sent flying into the wall.
“Why are you eyeing my cutlery like that Micah?” Rarity asks, her eyes on the plate in my hand.
I shoot her a grin before turning to Pinkie Pie. “P-Pinkie, catch!”
Pinkie doesn’t look surprised in the slightest as I throw her the plate. With a wide smile she grabs it in her mouth with ease. Rarity looks appalled at our actions, but Applejack and Skittles soon grasp plates of their own and join in.
While singing a certain song of course.
It doesn’t take long for everypony, minus Rarity of course, to join in. With great ease and joy we throw or kick the plates straight towards the kitchen sink. The little brawl earlier between Redheart and Skittles seems forgotten as they both work together on this. I guess having fun can make both people and ponies put aside their differences for a time.
“Micah why did you do this?! These are priceless plates!” Rarity cries out as I toss a bowl at Pinkie Pie.
The bowl bounces off of her head, is sent forward by a kick from Applejack, and is sent right into the sink by a headbutt from Skittles.
“Because it’s f-fun!” I say with a wide smile. “Redheart there’s a cup c-coming your way!”
As I send the cup her way, she removes her cap and uses it like a baseball glove. She catches it perfectly, and sends it towards Twilight who has it land perfectly in the sink.
“Do you do dishes like that often where you’re from?” Redheart inquires as she trots back to my seat as the others send the last dish flying.
I respond with a smile as I speak. “Only amongst f-fellow weirdos and n-nerds.”
“You think I’m a weirdo?” Redheart asks as the other ponies return to their seats.
“I know you’re b-both,” I say with a smirk. “All of you p-ponies are.”
“Could you at least be neat nerds?” Rarity asks as she glares right at me. “You nearly made a huge mess! You could’ve broken my dishes!”
Twilight intervenes on my behalf. “Now Rarity you know he wouldn’t break anything. None of us would. Micah’s not like that.”
“Hmph. Well, Micah, since you stressed me out so much you can repay me by helping me with the dishes. They do still need to be cleaned,” Rarity says as she trots towards the kitchen.
Dishes? I HATE doing the dishes. Whether at the bakery or in my own home it sucks.
“Oh, well y-you see, I would help. B-but my arms aren’t f-fully healed yet so I think it w-would be best if I declined for now,” I say politely. She may be my friend but that doesn’t mean I want to clean up after her and the others.
Redheart though isn’t buying it. “Seriously? You seemed well enough to throw plates around like a silly filly. Come on, I’m taking you to the kitchen.”
“Redheart come on, I h-hate doing dishes,” I say, trying futilely to move the wheelchair away from her. But she has none of it, and immediately starts taking me straight to the kitchen.
“Nopony likes it. But I’m not going to let you be a bad guest,” Redheart states as she wheels me into the kitchen.
Looking back at the other ponies, I see that thankfully I won’t be the only one to have to do the dishes. The rest of them quickly walk into the kitchen with Redheart and I.
“Ain’t about to allow Rarity to make you do the dishes on your own,” Applejack says as the other mares nod in the affirmative.
“I’m not about to d-deny help,” I say with a smile as I’m wheeled towards the sink, where most of the dishes are currently piled up.
Well, can’t have a lovely meal without cleaning up afterwards. Every Thanksgiving back home is evidence enough of that.
Rarity speaks up before I have a chance to even grab a dish. “Micah, before you start could you do a little favor please?”
“I’m already d-doing your dishes. You’d r-really ask a poor, wounded f-fellow like me to do more?” I ask while the other mares start on the dishes.
“Oh come now Micah, you and I both know you’re able to do this. Besides, I’m only asking you this because it’s something I can’t do myself,” Rarity says as she nods towards the sink.
Something tells me I’m not going to like this.
“You see, my garbage disposal seems to be jammed. I can’t get my hooves down there to fix it because-”
“Because y-you’re a unicorn who d-doesn’t like getting dirty?”
“Well… That, and because my hooves can’t fit down there. Your hands could though,” she says with a smile. “I’d really appreciate it.”
Glancing down at the garbage disposal I’m almost immediately hit by the pungeunt smell of G-d knows what down there. How long has this thing been jammed? Did she wait this long just so that she wouldn’t have to pay a plumber?
“You p-promise it’s off?”
With a nod from her, I roll up my sleeve and slowly move my hand down into the garbage disposal. It takes less than a second for me to want to vomit from the sticky, slimy feeling. I don’t want to know what exactly has fallen down there.
“Rarity, I can just use magic to clean it out for you,” Twilight says as she looks over at me. “He doesn’t have to do that.”
“It’s alright T-Twilight, I can manage,” I say as I force a grin and try and not retch from the stench.
“Oh my, are you sure Micah?” Fluttershy asks. “That can’t smell nice.”
“I can c-cope Fluttershy,” I say as I feel my fingers touch something more solid, which I grasp.
Even though it’s wet, slimy, and feels as if my hand is going through the mouth of hell itself.
(Insert garbage disposal sound I will think of later here)
“AAAAAAAAH!”
I yank my hand out immediately from the sink, the blockage being pulled out at the same time. The sudden movement of me going backwards nearly makes me fall out of the wheelchair, the slime and muck on my arm getting onto my clothes as I immediately look at my hand to see...
Nothing? No scars? No cuts or nicks? Only old rotten food? How can that be? The garbage disposal was turned on with my hand right in the drain!
“Heh, sorry, my bad.”
Immediately I turn around and see Pinkie Pie with her hoof on the button of a blender. With a sheepish grin she taps the button, and it makes the same sound I hear when my hand was down the drain.
“I just wanted a snack,” she says. “You want anything Micah? I can fix anything you’d like.”
“Are you k-kidding me? Pinkie Pie you scared me to d-death! I thought my h-hand was about to get chopped up!” I shout.
“Now now, let’s not yell. You got the blockage out, so it should work now,” Rarity says as she pushes the button to turn the disposal back on again.
It better work. I’m not sticking my hand in there again.
Thankfully the disposal works like a charm. Rarity looks to me with a grin at first, though it soon turns into a frown.
“Oh my, you look filthy with all that muck over you. Come on, we need to get you out of those clothes and into some new ones,” Rarity says as she looks to Redheart. “Can you wheel him to the dressing room please?”
“Do you already got clothes ready for him or something?” Redheart asks as I have a silent sigh of relief for not having to do the dishes anymore.
Though I would have preferred a far less messy reason to get out of that chore.
“We’ll handle the rest of the dishes for you Micah. I hope you like your new clothes,” Twilight says as she and the others get back to doing the dishes.
I hope so too. Though I wonder how Rarity was able to get the proper size for me. I can’t recall her doing so at any time.
Redheart pushes me towards the dressing room swiftly, with Rarity following.
“It seems you don’t have to do dishes after all, lazy bones,” Redheart says with a grin.
“I’d r-rather not be c-covered in slime, but yeah. Can’t complain about not d-doing dishes,” I say as I return her grin with my own. “I still n-need to recover after all. Though not f-for too long. Before l-long I’ll be able to have the rematch Sk-Skittles wants.”
She chuckled. “You’ve got a bit of an ego don’t you? If you were here at the wedding in Canterlot I wouldn’t be surprised if you would say you could fight the changelings single handedly.”
The changelings. With all that’s happened it just about left my mind. That hive was… Oh G-d am I glad I was able to get out of there. With it being underground, dark, and filled with changelings, it was horrible. And that’s not counting Chrysalis and what she did.
Where could she be?
“Here we go Micah! We’ll just wheel you in and you can change,” Rarity says with a smile as she takes the wheelchair from Redheart.
“He might need some help. He wasn’t able to dress himself at the hospital,” Redheart states as I’m wheeled behind the changing curtain.
Before I have the chance to say another word Skittles zooms in and peaks her head around to look at me. “I can help! I mean, if you need help,” Skittles says as I swear I see her usually blue cheeks turning a bit red.
“Um… No thanks Skittes. I’ll b-be fine on my own,” I say as I wheel myself a little bit away from her. She seems a bit too eager for my liking.
With a sheepish grin she goes back behind the curtain. A box is shoved behind the curtain next to me soon afterwards.
“Take as long as you need Micah,” I hear Rarity say. “I do hope you love the outfit.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Redheart pov*
This boutique is extremely nice. Maybe when I’m off work I can come in and get myself a nice hat. Or perhaps a good new dress? There’s a nice purple one that could really help make my flank look better. It doesn’t look as good as I’d like.
“Are you looking for an outfit?” Rarity asks me, drawing my attention away from the dress. “That would be a lovely choice. It’d help make your flank stand out a lot. The stallions would be all over you.”
“It’d be a nice change. It’s been quite a while since I’ve had a stallion in my home,” I state as I imagine how I’d appear in that dress. “And I don’t go for mares, even though I’ve been hit on by a few.”
Rainbow and Rarity nod.
“Yeah, it blows. For every stallion there are five mares. And all the good ones are snatched up fast,” Rainbow Dash says with a sigh.
“You s-serious?” Micah asks as I see his pants landing outside the curtain. “Five mares per st-stallion?”
“Yep. Five for each stallion. Good for the males, but it sucks for us,” I say as I take a seat. “Is it different where you’re from?”
“Yeah. It’s v-very different. It’s about an even m-match.”
An even match? Oh, if only that was the case here. It would be so much easier for everyone. And us mares wouldn’t have to settle for the rudest of stallions.
“How did you meet your mare? I bet she’s quite a beauty,” I say with a smile.
I don’t know why, but for a while he doesn’t say a word. I can’t even hear him moving. It’s almost as if he froze up.
“Redheart don’t ask him that,” Rainbow says in a whisper as she quickly appears next to me. “It’s none of your business.”
I take a few steps back from her and respond in a whisper. “Why? It’s an innocent question.”
“His marefriend was… Just don’t ask that sort of thing again,” Rainbow says as she slinks back towards Rarity.
Okay, I’ve got to talk to Micah about this later. From what Rainbow said, whatever happened couldn’t have been good.
“Her n-name’s Leah. And she’s more b-beautiful than you can ever imagine,” Micah says.
“A nice sounding name for what must be a lovely mare,” I say with a smile.
“M-more than you know.”
A few more moments pass before Rarity speaks up, breaking the silence. “So Micah, how do you like the new clothes? Do you like the color and the fabric?
“Yeah I l-like it. It’s nothing like what I’d w-wear back at home though,” he says. “I’m coming out n-now, and thanks for the cane. That’ll h-help.”
“Of course, no problem at all. Now we won’t have to have Redheart here push you around everywhere,” Rarity states with a grin. “Now come on out, I absolutely must see how you look. This is my first time creating attire for a human after all.”
That it is. If she did a good job this could be pretty good for her business. What could she have made for him?
Shortly he steps out from behind the curtain. Now, I know nothing about human fashion. For all I know he might be wearing clothing that would appear ridiculous to most humans. Though I have got to say, from a simple nurses perspective, he looks rather… Nice.
What gets my attention faster than anything else is his long, dark blue coat. It looks a little bit odd but it hugs his body nicely enough to get a good idea of his shape. It is cut somewhat lower than I originally thought it would, but it definitely doesn’t look bad. And, for some reason Rarity decided to put on a few golden six pointed stars. There also seems to be a hint of an undershirt of some kind of a lighter blue hue, with only a slightly higher cut than the coat.
But the boots… What in the name of Celestia possessed Rarity to design boots for Micah that are bland and brown? The rest of his outfit is colorful and vibrant and stands out. His boots though, to me, just don’t make sense.
“Yes! Micah you look amazing! Now be a dear and spread your robe a bit, I need to check to make sure your trousers fit you well,” Rarity says with a wide smile as she trots towards him.
With a raised eyebrow, Micah parts his coat to reveal blue trousers, the shade of which is somewhere between the light blue of his shirt and the dark blue of the coat itself.
They seem just a little tight though around his legs. But I like it. It shows off his form more.
Glancing at Rainbow Dash she seems to think the same as I as she has a grin that would nearly rival Pinkie Pie. Her eyes take in every single detail of Micah’s attire. Specifically his legs. And thighs. And his groin…
I give Rainbow a shove with my hoof.
“Ogle later. And if you must don’t be so obvious about it,” I say in a whisper.
“I… I wasn’t staring. All I was doing is enjoying Rarity’s work,” she responds as softly as I.
“Yeah. The part right between his legs from what I can tell,” I say to her with a glare.
Rainbow shoots a glare right back. She can pretend as much as she wants to, but it’s obvious to me she likes him. If it wasn’t her rather constant ogling of him, it is how she seems to always be very happy just by being around him.
I wonder why Micah doesn’t see it.
“Now Micah could you turn around please? I need to see how the trousers hug the back of your legs,” Rarity says with a smile from his side.
“Sure y-you’re not just t-trying to take a peak at m-my ass?” Micah says with a grin as he turns around.
“Tsk tsk tsk, Micah you should know better. I simply need to make sure it fits just right,” Rarity says as she looks at the back of Micah’s legs.
Or, as it seems to me, stares at his flank. I know she’s just trying to make sure it fits right, but it does seem like she’s just staring at his flank.
“I think you look great Micah,” Rainbow says as she keeps up her smile.
By Celestia Rainbow, if you keep staring like that I don’t think you’ll be able to look at anything else. Not to mention that pretty soon you’re wings will probably get a bit stiff.
Poof!
Or, suddenly go into full wingboner mode. Oh if Micah only knew what that means it would be hilarious.
“I trust that y-you’re not staring, right R-Redheart? I know it m-must be tempting but t-try not to,” Micah says.
“Trust me Micah, your flank is the last thing I’m staring at right now,” I say, stifling a chuckle from the sight of Rainbow’s stuck wings.
With her ears flat in embarrassment, she tries to press her wings down with her hooves.
“Stupid wings! I can’t let him see me like this!” Rainbow whisperss as she glances at the door. “Uh, I’ll be back in a bit Micah! Gotta take care of something!”
In no less than a second Rainbow Dash zips out of the room so fast my cap goes flying off my head.
I really got to tape that thing down.
“Alright Micah, I think it looks perfectly fine,” Rarity says with a smile as Micah turns around to face me.
“Where did Skittles go to? Did she tell you where she went?” Micah asks as I pick up my cap once more.
“Yeah. She had, well, something to attend to. She’ll probably be back in a bit,” I say as my grin finally leaves. “You clean up well Micah.”
That gets him to smile quick. It seems the more he’s out of the hospital the more he smiles.
“Thanks Red. It’s different than w-what I normally wear b-but I like it,” Micah says as he grabs his coat. “It’s so soft.”
“Well the day is not yet over Micah. There’s more to come,” Rarity says with a smile as she walks towards the door back to the kitchen.
“How much more? I don’t know how much he can handle at this point in his condition,” I interject as I get between Rarity and the door.
“Ugh, R-Redheart, I’m fine. What d-do you have planned Rarity?” Micah inquires as he follows her. He’s able to walk rather well with his cane.
“Why the spa of course!”