Chapter 13
The Next Day
"I'm telling you, it was just a one-time thing. It won't happen again so I don't need to be babysat all day by you two." Cooper groaned, stepping out through the front door of the castle.
Both Sky and Midnight kept an extremely close proximity to either side of their human charge as he exited, almost comically struggling to fit through the doorway. Once outside, they finally gave him a smidgen of breathing room, but continued to keep themselves close in case anything unexpected happened once more.
Despite her protests, Twilight did not attempt to stop Cooper from leaving in the morning. An assurance that he would only be gone for a short spell and allow his guards to escort him, was enough to stay her grievances for the day. Said guards were quick to jump at the chance to watch over him, both hovering more protectively than ever before. While their eagerness to be at his side was somewhat heartwarming at first, Cooper quickly found himself growing annoyed at just how overly protective the pair of guards were being.
"Sir, with all due respect, you took off and ran into the Everfree Forest. No sane creature would do that so we can't afford to let you out of our sight in case a loud noise scares you off again." Sky replied, literally pressing his barrel against Cooper's thigh.
"Princess Twilight was utterly distraught when you ran off. We're not trying to make you feel bad, but she was about ready to tan our hides when we failed to stop you. We can't let something like that happen again." Midnight chastised, also pressing her barrel against Cooper's other thigh.
Between the two ponies sandwiching him, Cooper struggled to make any kind of decent pace while he walked into town.
"It's just a forest. Yeah, it's a little creepy, but it's nothing I haven't seen before." Cooper rolled his eyes.
"Sir, the Everfree Forest is the most unnatural place in Equestria. The clouds move on their own, the animals don't need anypony to take care of them, there are monsters in there, and so much more. It's a miracle you weren't injured or eaten by something in there." Sky replied, a small shiver making its way down his spine as he continued to match Cooper's pace.
"I think you're being a bit dramatic. Yeah, there are probably some big animals in there but you're making it sound like there are vampires and zombies all over the forest." Cooper responded, raising an eyebrow as he glanced down at the overly protective pegasus.
"There could be! You never know!" Sky exclaimed, casting a quick glance to the aforementioned forest.
Cooper let out a long sigh of defeat as the guards on either side of him appeared to be far from budging on their stance. Loathe as he was to admit it, the company of two individuals who were happy to chat with him, did raise his spirits slightly. Years of solitude made for a poor conversation partner, after all.
So it was with much annoyance and a very small amount of amusement, that Cooper made his way into town with the two pony guard escorts practically gluing themselves to his hips. The simple task of going out to buy some ingredients for cooking, which was his one and only goal for the day, proved to be quite an amusing sight for the rest of Ponyville. As they reached the market street, all eyes in town immediately looked over to the human and his guards as the trio moved from stall to stall like an amalgamation of three creatures fused together into one.
With a small bag of bits he'd borrowed from Twilight, Cooper managed to purchase a his ingredients one by one. While he was trying his best to keep it a secret, it was immediately clear to anypony with even a small history of baking, that he was gathering the necessary ingredients for a cake. Flour, baking powder, eggs, sugar, and even a cup of freshly made frosting from the local café corner made up the bulk of the morning shopping. Despite it's appearance and namesake, Cooper avoided Sugarcube corner as he was made well aware of a particular pink resident in said structure.
While he did harbor some feelings of annoyance for the pink party pony, Cooper struggled to find any kind of anger in his heart for her. As he thought back on the previous days' events, he kept coming to the same conclusion.
It wasn't her, it was me...
Cooper waged a mental war with himself, attempting to justify his actions as reasonable in the face of such a sudden and unexpected surprise, yet he kept coming back to the simple facts of the matter. He'd overreacted and nearly ran himself into the ground, not to mention ending up in the middle of a forest he didn't know, with no supplies or equipment.
The survivalist in him cringed at his hasty and foolish mistakes, but the reasonable man in him knew that there was more to what had happened. Even if she was the spark that ignited the fire in his mind, Pinkie was not the source of what drove him into the forest. Rather, that was something that he knew he would have to address eventually, lest his next reaction be more fight than flight.
With his head dipped in thought over all of these implications, Cooper failed to notice the approaching form of a snow white mare with a curly purple mane until she was just a few paces in front of him.
"Oh, Cooper! There you are!" Rarity exclaimed, excitedly waving her hoof at him.
Cooper looked up in surprise for just a second, his features almost adopting a sense of anxiety at the sudden introduction, but he was able to quickly dispel any inappropriate expressions before anyone could notice. He gave a small wave to the fashionista as she trotted over to him.
"Morning, Rarity." Cooper greeted, politely.
"And what a good morning it is to you as well. Would you like to know why?" Rarity beamed.
Cooper tilted his head to the side, a look of confusion forming on his face, "Uh... why's that?" He hesitantly asked.
"Because I've finished your ensemble!" Rarity cheered, a bright, beaming smile on her muzzle.
Cooper's brow furrowed in disbelief, "Already? But you said that it would take at least a week or so... It's only been like, two days..." He replied.
Rarity shook her head, "While I did quote the time table for this little wardrobe as 'a week or so', I was hit so such inspiration that I simply could not stop myself. I worked almost through the entire night after taking your measurements, as well as the entirety of yesterday. Why, I think I made you an outfit for every day of the week." She proudly explained.
Cooper shook his head in amazement, "Wow... that's... you didn't have to do all that for me, Rarity." He responded.
Rarity dramatically stomped her hoof on the ground, "I'll hear none of this nonsense from you, Cooper, my dear. I wanted to do this for you, not just as a thanks for saving my friend, but also as a gift to welcome you to Equestria. Come along to my boutique, won't you? I would absolutely love for you to try them on." She offered.
Cooper glanced back down at the two pony guards beside him, finding both to be giving him equal shrugs of indifference.
"I would offer to fly your groceries back to the castle for you, but..." Sky awkwardly trailed off.
Cooper rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, I know. Then you can at least hold them while I try on these clothes."
"I've got your bags. It's no trouble." Midnight kindly offered, taking hold of all the groceries with her magic.
"Thanks," Cooper replied, before turning to Rarity, "Alright, let's see what you've made." He announced.
Rarity clopped her hooves together in excitement and spun around to lead the way, "Follow me, Darling. Right this way."
With that, the snow white unicorn lead the group of guards and man back to the familiar sight of her boutique. Just like the previous outing, the carousel-like exterior was a strange sight to Cooper's tired eyes, but he kept any thoughts to himself as he was ushered inside by the fashionista. Unlike the previous outing, however, there was a distinct lack of any poniquines laying around with mockups of attire or the beginnings of a dress, anywhere to be seen. It was as if Rarity had completely emptied the foyer, save for the stages where she took measurements or held small runway modeling shoots.
As alien as the rest of Ponyville was to Cooper, there was something oddly familiar about the boutique's interior that had failed to manifest the previous time he visited. This time, however, a small memory found its way to the surface of his mind. The thought of his daughter riding on a carousel at the pier, made him freeze in his step. His eyes slowly fell to the floor as the beautiful memory of that summer day made itself know. The sun glistened off of the rippling waves crashing into the sandy beach below, while children played and the sounds of merriment filled the air.
Though, try as he might, he couldn't see his daughter's face. He tried to squint to see her better, but it was to no avail. For whatever reason, her face was simply a blurry amalgamation of features he knew she had but couldn't properly place. He watched her slowly bouncing up and down on the carousel, another feminine figure sitting beside her while he rode in the place behind them. Laughter and happiness filled the air just in front of him, yet he couldn't feel it. He could see the warmth and color of the memory just before his very eyes, but he could not touch it.
"Cooper!" Rarity exclaimed, waving a hoof in front of his face.
Cooper gave a start and shook his head free of the memory, glancing down to Rarity to find a worried look in her beautiful sapphire eyes.
"What?" He asked, his voice nearly choking up.
"Cooper, Darling, are you alright? You were just standing there for quite a while, completely staring off into space. I've been trying to get your attention for nearly a minute now." Rarity explained.
Cooper shook his head, "Uh, sorry. Just kinda got lost in thought for a second, there. Did you bring the clothes down?" He asked, in a hopeful bid to change the subject.
Thankfully, Rarity didn't appear to pick up on his lies, and instead turned toward the stage with a small flourish.
"Of course. They're right here. What do you think?" She asked, trotting over to the clothing rack.
Cooper followed after, carefully examining the fabric of the first outfit to meet his eyes. Much to his surprise, the design was something he was immediately familiar with: a flannel. The long sleeves, soft fabric, and elegance of the pattern, were immediately appreciated as Cooper ran his hand over the material.
"Wow..." He murmured, relishing in the softness of the fabric.
"Do you love it?" Rarity impishly inquired.
Cooper slowly nodded, "I... love flannels... used to wear them all the time before... before everything happened." He replied.
Rarity gingerly placed a hoof on Cooper's thigh, "I... can't imagine what you've gone through... I hope that this evokes good memories, as opposed to..." She trailed off, an apologetic look in her eyes.
Cooper quickly shook his head of the sad thoughts plaguing his mind and turned to give Rarity a grateful smile, "It does... thank you." He replied, taking the flannel off of the rack.
Rarity positively beamed as Cooper removed his tattered, nearly threadbare shirt and donned the flannel, buttoning it up until just the top button was left undone below his collar. He looked down at the accompanying pair of jeans on the rack and removed them as well. The fabric was surprisingly stretchy for a pair of jeans, leading him to the assumption that these were most definitely not 'work' jeans and better suited to casual wear or aesthetics.
Ever the professional, Rarity levitated a privacy curtain over for Cooper and gave him a few minutes to shed his pants and underwear before trying on the replacements she made for him. He ensured to keep the pistol hidden in his old pants, only transferring it to his new jeans once he was sure even Rarity couldn't peak over the curtain to see. Quick enough, he was dressed in his new attire, and Rarity removed the privacy curtain to allow the rest of the room to see him.
The comfortable fabric of the jeans and flannel were like a constant warm hug, wrapped around his entire body, making Cooper sigh in content as he reveled in the comfort the clothing provided. The fitment was absolutely perfect, while leaving material fastened away that would allow the flannel and jeans to size up as he put weight back on. He was so taken by the masterful work of the fashion pony that he didn't noticed the pair of socks and shoes being levitated toward him until they bumped into his shoulder.
"I took the liberty of working with one of my colleagues down at the horseshoe store and we put together a little something that hopefully will be to your liking. She did the work on the soles of the shoes while I did the fabric that makes up the body. Granted, hoof-er, footwear was never my forte, but I hope it'll suffice as something to wear while we fix those boots of yours up. I know AppleJack knows a thing or two about making a set last, so I was hoping you'd leave them with me and I could take them over to her later today or tomorrow." Rarity kindly offered.
Cooper took the pair of shoes and stared at them for a few moments, his jaw dropping ever so slightly. While the design was certainly crude in certain aspects, namely the shape of the actual shoe being more square and angular as opposed to the usual 'rounded off' design he was used to, there was something undoubtedly charming about its design. Whether that was the dark brown fabric choice or the black accents that complimented the design, he couldn't say, but he found himself gratefully accepting them all the same.
"Wow... y-yeah, that's fine." Cooper agreed, taking off his worn out boots and socks.
Within a minute, he slipped the second of the pair of shoes onto his feet, finding that the interior was extremely comfortable. Despite his initial reservations about the usability of a pair of shoes designed by a species without feet, he was quickly coming to like the new set of footwear.
With that complete, Rarity stepped out of the way, allowing Cooper to turn to his pony guard escorts to find them both nodding approvingly at his new attire.
"That looks really good on you." Midnight complimented.
"Yeah, now we just need to get you a mane-cut and you'll be a real hit with the mares." Sky joked, giving a friendly smile.
Cooper snorted in amusement at the response before running a hand through his shaggy mop of hair, "Yeah... I guess a haircut wouldn't be a bad idea, huh?"
"I know we passed a salon on the way over here. We can probably get you an appointment if we head over there next." Midnight offered.
Cooper nodded in agreement, but before he could say anything, Rarity chimed in, "I can deliver the rest of these to the castle if you'd like. I would also highly recommend taking a day to go to the spa. Aloe and Lotus do phenomenal work, as well as grooming if you're in need of a trim. Oh! Before you go, I need to give you one more thing! I can't believe I almost forgot!" She blurted out, scrambling upstairs.
It only took a minute for her to return, barreling down the stairs with Cooper's cloak held in her magical grasp. She came to a screeching halt just a few feet away, huffing and puffing from the exertion.
"Whew... sorry about that... anyway, this was quite a challenge but I am quite proud of the final result.
Cooper inspected the cloak with the utmost scrutiny. While it was clearly still the same cloak, a part of him struggled to believe that it could be, given that all of the holes, tears, burns, and cuts were completely repaired. Even the color of the cloak looked nearly new, save for a few area's that were stained more heavily than others. The bluish color stood in stark contrast to the white pony standing just beside the garment, her brilliant blue eyes looking up to him expectantly.
"It's... perfect." Cooper mumbled, gently grabbing the fabric in his hands, almost as if to see if it was actually real.
If Rarity's smile could possibly get any wider, it would have split her face, "Oh! I am so happy to hear you say that! I spent nearly three hours working on the cloak alone! I was starting to think I'd never be able to get some of those stains out."
Cooper slowly shook his head, "I... this is amazing... thank you, Rarity." He responded, giving a soft smile to the unicorn mare.
Rarity blushed at the praise before igniting her horn once more, "Oh, I'm just thrilled that you like it. You'd best get going if you plan to get that mane-cut today though. I know that the salon gets pretty busy around this time of day." She tittered, shooing Cooper away with her magic.
The lighthearted shove prompted an amused snort from the human as he headed over toward the exit, "Alright, alright. Again, thanks for this. It means more than I can say with words." He relented, stepping outside after Sky and Midnight.
"It was a pleasure to make them for you, Cooper. Just let me know how the rest of the ensemble fits!" Rarity chirped, before closing the door behind them.
With the goodbyes concluded, Cooper turned around, only to find both his guards standing defensively between him and Pinkie Pie.
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WARMs my heart.
Pinkie Pie returns... maybe with a new and less trauma inducing party?
Homophones moment
I'd imagine that his memories of his daughter would eventually overlap with his memories of Twilight as she apparently looks like her
Your portrayal of Zecora was SPOT ON, my man.
11864656
I'm so glad to hear that! She's one of my favorite characters so I really wanted to make sure I got her right.
11865719
Well then mission accomplished.