James and Rachael sat in the waiting room. James looked over the posters for vaccination reminders, check-ups, adoptions and other pet related events for the fifth time. Rachael stared up at the ceiling, kicking her feet back and forth. After several seconds, she grew tired of it and began to rock back and forth on the chair.
“Rachael, don’t do that.”
“Why n-”
The chair toppled over, sending Rachael falling onto her side. The door to the examination room opened up as an older woman in a doctor’s coat, her graying hair tied back in a messy ponytail entered, carrying the shivering and terrified Rhapsody in one arm.
“…Mac, you got a moment to talk?” she motioned to the pony, “got some questions.”
Rachael scrambled back onto her feet and in two leaping steps stood in front of the vet holding out her hands. James looked at the vet.
“She checked out alright?”
“Test are negative for any diseases,” the vet shrugged, “I’m more careful, but…well, things check out far too well.”
“Go on and take her, Rachael, go wait in th’ truck.”
Rachael’s quickly snagged the pony from the vet’s hands as James got up. The little girl ran out, as Rhapsody gripped her tighter.”
“What do you mean, Doc Goodall?” he asked.
Doctor Goodall pulled out a piece of hard candy, unwrapped it and popped it into her mouth before she started talking.
“What the hell did you bring me?”
“Beg your pardon?” His eyebrow rose.
“I thought you had brought me a miniature horse, but then I saw the horn,” Doctor Goodall paused, “Why didn’t you say anything about it?”
“I wasn’t sure what th’ tell you. Are you gonna take me seriously if I called sayin’ I had a unicorn?”
“Mac, I’ve been taking care of your animals for years. I remember seeing Jackie and Sarah as snot-nosed kids. If you called me saying you had a Manticore living on the farm, I’d believe you.”
“So it’s real?”
“Best I can tell.” Goodall paused as the candy shifted to her other cheek, “I thought someone had glued a horn to her head, but when I looked closer it does appear to be coming straight out of her skull. I would have tried to take a sample, but she kept struggling when I touched her horn and she seemed very distressed when I got the equipment out. Could have taken the sample anyway, but decided against it.”
“So is it more like a deer or a sheep?”
“Hard to tell. I wouldn’t be able to say until I get a sample. I’m willing to say that she was born with it, and that it’s more likely something they bred into her.”
“What else?”
“The mane and fur isn’t dyed, that’s her natural color. Never seen any with a shade like that though.”
“You said everything check out too well, what did you mean?”
“Well, the test results aren’t back yet, but I have a feeling they’ll be clean,” Doctor Goodall paused as she bit down on the candy, cracking it.
“Everything about her is too clean. Her hooves are well trimmed and clean, her fur doesn’t show any real signs of damage. Someone’s been taking care of her, it’s nice, soft, silky, and it’s still got the faint smell of shampoo. She looks well fed and well cared for.”
“So you think she’s someone’s pet?”
“Hard to say. I’ve never really heard about people keeping miniature horses as pets.” Doctor Goodall shrugged, “Even if I consider her a GMO, I’m not entirely sure why someone would want to make a little unicorn.”
“Even with th’ whole Hasbio thing?” James chuckled.
Doctor Goodall bit down on the hard candy again, shattering both halves into tiny pieces, “Don’t even get started on that nightmare. I want to know what half-brained idiot tried to do that,” she paused as she popped another piece of hard candy into her mouth.
“Goddamn idiots should stay in the damn toy industry, not pets.”
“So lemme see if I got this right,” James paused, “For all intents and purposes, I got me a real life unicorn runnin’ around on my farm that looks far too well cared for to be a wild critter, but there’s no way we can tell if she’s somebody’s science experiment?”
“Basically. There are really only two things that bother me.” Doctor Goodall paused, “One, her eyes are far too large for a normal horse.”
“Could have been bred like that.”
“Mac, she looks like one of those Japanese cartoon characters with the big eyes. I don’t think they’re going to be a problem for her, but it seems odd.”
“An’ th’ seconded thing?”
“She’s smart. Far smarter than most horses I’ve seen. Her reaction to needles and the test I had to give her are more like a little kid’s than a horse. Somehow I think she understands what I’m saying and doing.”
“…So what do you suggest?”
“I think she’s safe to keep around,” Doctor Goodall shrugged, “I’ll know more once I get a few test back. Lyra might not like having her in the house.”
“She’s housebroken.”
“Really?” Doctor Goodall shifted the candy from one cheek to the other, “Interesting.”
“Well, I’ll have t’ talk to Lyra about what we’re gonna do with her.”
“Like I said, I’m pretty sure she’s safe to keep around. There’s a few things that I think are odd about her, but I’m sure it’s fine.”
“Thanks again, Doc.”
“No problem Mac. Don’t forget to tell Jackie to bring in ol’ Winona on Wednesday, she’s due for a check-up.”
“Eyup.”
James closed the door behind him and stopped at the reception desk. The secretary paused, looking over her computer screen and notes.
“Mac, We’ll just send you the bill, alright?”
“If you say so.”
James left the office, and found his daughter sitting in the back of the truck, still clutching Rhapsody.
“…Rachael, what have we said ‘bout ridin’ in the truck?”
“That I can sit in the back when mommy ain’t here.”
“Isn’t.” James corrected his daughter, “But not when you’re holdin’ her,” James unlocked the truck, “So get in.”
---
Lyra heard the door open and two different sets of footsteps enter the house. She didn’t need to look up from her Sudoku puzzle as one of the footsteps stopped in the kitchen.
“What did Doctor Goodall say?”
“Said it’s safe t’ keep her.” James responded.
“…Are you serious?”
“She don’t have rabies or any other disease. Doc thinks it’s perfectly safe th’ keep her here.”
Lyra turned around to look at her husband, “Are we seriously going to let our daughter keep an unknown horse-like thing in our house?”
“…Unless we either find her owner, or buy Rach a dog.”
“…Ugh.” Lyra shook her head and turned her attention back to Sudoku.
“Would we even be havin’ this conversation if she had found a stray dog or somethin’ like that?” James rolled his eyes, “It ain’t like she tried t’ adopt a coyote or somethin’.”
“I’d prefer a coyote over something no one has ever seen.”
James walked over to Lyra and leaned over the back of her chair, rubbing her shoulders.
“It’ll be fine. Rachael’s a good kid an’ she’ll take care of it.”
“James, the poor thing’s still terrified of her,” Lyra rolled her eyes.
“It’ll get use to her.”
Rachael pause in the hallway, holding Rhapsody.
“Pa, where’s Winona’s old collar an’ stuff?”
“In th’ garage.”
“Kay.”
“Where are you going?” Lyra called out after her.
“Clubhouse.”
“Be careful, and be back in time for supper.” Lyra reminded her.
“Kay.”
The door slammed open and shut as Rachael left.
“I really wish she’d stop slamming it.” Lyra grumbled.
“Kids’ll be kids.” He shrugged.
“You tell Rachael if she wants to keep that thing in the house, she needs to give it a bath.”
“You gonna let it sleep in her bed?” James frowned.
“No. Get like one of those little dog beds or something for her.” Lyra clarified, “Put it in the living room or something.”
“She’s gonna want it in her room.” James pointed out.
“Well she’s not getting it in there.” She huffed.
---
Rachael pushed her way past the bushes, as Rhapsody reluctantly followed.
“C’mon, I want you to meet my friends! Sylvi’s gonna be jealous.”
The girl abruptly stopped as Rhapsody stopped next to her. The filly looked up, only to be shocked at what she saw: The clubhouse. Not the Cutie Mark Crusader’s club house, Rhapsody corrected her self, but it looked awfully close to it.
“This use ta be my Aunty Jackie’s clubhouse when she was little. Then my Aunty Sarah took over an’ she fixed it up. Then they gave it ta me an’ all my friends.” Rachael paused, “You’ll like them.”
Rachael scooped up Rhapsody in her magic aura before starting up the stairs. Rachael reached for the door, but paused as she gripped the handle.
“…Maybe I should leave you out here for now.”
Rachael placed her aura down on the porch, and released a portion of it. After Rhapsody stepped out of the bubble, it vanished.
“You wait out here, Ok?” Rachael slipped the end of the leash onto the doorknob as looked back at Rhapsody. The filly nodded.
Rachael quickly opened the door and slipped in. Rhapsody sat down and rolled onto her back.
“…..What if I’m stuck here forever?” she sighed.
Rachael quickly glanced around the room as the door shut. Two boys, one Caucasian with wild and curly pink hair, the other dark skinned with a blue buzz cut sat in the corner on beanbag chairs while reading comics. In another corner of the room a young Chinese girl with cerise hair tied back in a ponytail worked on math problems and other schoolwork as a dark skinned boy with a messy head of rainbow hair and another Asian girl with blonde hair looked over the Chinese girl’s shoulder.
“…How come you spend all of your time doing more math problems?” the rainbow haired boy asked.
“Because I like it.” she responded.
“…Brad, I’m confused.” The pink haired boy flipped his comic upside-down, “Why is Megatron a good guy now?”
“Because he turned good to save the universe from Shockwave.” The buzz cut boy, Brad responded, not looking up from his comic, “Didn’t you read the Dark Cybertron stuff?”
“No, I like the Ninja Turtle comics better. ‘Cause Slash is cool.”
“Why Slash?” Brad paused, “Doesn’t your mom still have Gummy?”
“Yeah, but turtles are better.” The pink haired boy looked over at the door, “Hi Rachael!”
“Hi guys!” she beamed back as everyone turned their attention to the door, “How come you an’ Lili are here, Hawk?”
“Our moms are punishing us by making us spend time together so we get along,” Hawk grumbled, “But we gotta be nice.”
“…oh.” Rachael paused, “Guess what I got?”
“A puppy?” the blonde, Liliana, asked.
“Nope.”
“Cat?” the other girl asked, turning her attention back to the math homework.
“That’s wrong too, Sylvia.” Rachael shook her head.
“A little brother?” the pink haired boy called out.
“…That’s a stupid idea, Petey.” Hawk grumbled.
“Nope.” Rachael shook her head.
“…You got the new Jem comics?” Brad suggested.
“Not yet.”
“Well? What is it then?” Hawk asked.
Rachael opened the door and quickly stepped out, leaving the other five kids confused. She stepped back in holding Rhapsody under the filly’s forelegs, and beamed at all the others.
“I GOT A PONY!”