For a Customer in Need
There were 135 tiles on the kitchen walls. Wallflower had counted them for the third time that day. Boredom was something she was used to, but she was also used to being able to smother it with some internet videos, or series online, or fanfiction, or whatever the mass digital network could deliver to her computer. Sadly, today the internet wasn't delivering anything. She had called the company, and they said that service would return close to midnight... of the next day.
So, here she was, sitting in the kitchen, counting tiles to pass the time.
One would use this time to learn some new hobby, go out with friends, or maybe catch up on some house maintenance. But Wallflower didn't have the interest for the first, the relationships for the second, or the energy for the last one, if the pile of dirty dishes and overflowing trash bin was any indication.
A growl from her stomach reminded her that she hadn't had any lunch yet. She also didn’t have dinner last night. Had she even eaten breakfast?
Wallflower slowly rose from the chair, leaving a perfect imprint of her butt behind, and made her way to the fridge. Opening the door reminded her of why she hadn't eaten anything lately, or at least, her excuse to not do so. It was empty. She needed to buy groceries, but she couldn't order them online, and going to the supermarket wasn't worth not starving to death, so she closed the door and went back to her chair.
Another growl, more painful this time, made her reconsider.
Pulling out her phone, she turned on the small amount of internet it could provide on its own, and started looking for some quick food she could order. She was about to get the same pizza she always got, mostly due to muscle memory, but the mere thought of tasting cheese in her food again made her gag.
Message received, she started looking for the exact opposite of cheese.
Sushi seemed to be the answer.
She quickly found one restaurant that had a discount offer, which was great for her ever diminishing funds, but as she checked the menu for the cheapest offer, she found something that made her double check.
"Cheer Up Special, for the lonely souls that need some comfort with their food?"
Wallflower wondered if the sushi restaurant was a front for a weed dealer, but she wouldn't really complain if it was as long as they also delivered the food. She selected the option, chose one of the predetermined menus, and wrote down her information so they could make the delivery, but there was one more step that took her by surprise.
It asked her to take a picture of herself, smiling.
There was definitely some sort of shady deal going on, but she had already sent them her credit card details and address, so if what they wanted was to rip out her kidneys in the night, that line was already crossed.
Wallflower opened her camera, pointed it at herself, and took the picture with the best smile she could muster. She quickly sent the picture, and frowned when the app received it and immediately placed a sad face over it.
Then a message appeared saying that the transaction had been canceled.
"Oh, come on!" Wallflower shouted, frustrated at the massive waste of time.
Then another message appeared.
'Your Cheer Up Special is on its way.'
Wallflower huffed as she leaned back on the chair. If her kidneys didn't get stolen when they arrived, she was gonna give them one star.
Wallflower was counting the tiles in the kitchen for the fifth time when a couple of soft knocks on the front door of her house startled her.
Supposing it was her food, or weed, or kidney stealers, she quickly went for the door. She made some very vague attempt at straightening her hair a bit, which simply wasn't happening, and pulled the door open to see… No one.
She huffed again, cursing whatever children thought bothering her was funny. She closed the door and turned to go back to the kitchen when she suddenly heard those same soft knocks again. She slowly turned around, looking at the door curiously.
She opened it again, and this time looked down in case the─
Wallflower's eyes grew wide at what she was witnessing.
Sitting on her doorstep was the most adorable creature she could've ever imagined.
A small amber unicorn pony, or more accurately, a cartoon version of one, a bit bigger than a housecat, with big sapphire eyes, a cute tiny snout, long fire-like mane tied in bun, with a small puffer fish next to her left ear, and wearing a miniature blue sushi maid costume that tied everything together in a small package of adorableness.
She couldn’t resist, she picked it up from the floor, confirming it was real, and looked at it with wonder. It was light, and very soft.
She was about to hug it like a teddy bear when the small pony started squirming in her grasp. “Oh, sorry, sorry!” She quickly put the pony down carefully, cursing herself. Her first contact with small ponies and she had already assaulted one of them. Typical of her to make things awkward and ruining─
Soft taps caught her attention, and Wallflower looked at the pony hitting the small bag that was hanging from its mouth, reminding her that it was delivering her food.
“Right, I’ll take that. Sorry for the─” the pony shook its little head, which Wally found adorable, and pointed to the inside of the house.
The girl turned her head back to her mess of a living space. “You want to come in?” The pony gave a small nod. “I… wasn’t expecting that. My house isn’t really-” The pony didn’t seem to mind as it trotted past Wallflower and into the house. “Hey, wait!”
The little pony made its way to the fridge and set the sushi inside, tearing off the little receipt before closing the door. By this time, Wallflower had managed to catch up to the surprisingly fast pony, or maybe she was just that out of shape. While she was catching her breath, the small equestrian showed her the receipt in her tiny hoof.
Wallflower took it and read it, one line in particular standing out. “Two hours of company?! I didn’t see that in the online shop!” The pony just looked at her with its big sapphire eyes, which Wallflower couldn't object against. “Look, you don’t have to stay if you don’t want to, you can go back and I’ll give you five stars.” The pony flicked one of its ears and just kept staring at her. Wallflower sighed. “Fine, but, please don’t say anything. And you can leave whenever you want.” The pony gave a small nod and moved closer to her, sniffing her clothes and immediately scrunching up her nose.
Wallflower raised an eyebrow and sniffed her clothes, nearly gagging at the smell. When was the last time she had bathed? It couldn’t have been that long. She then felt the pony pushing her leg with her head in the direction of the bathroom. “Okay okay, I get it. Just wait here please.” With that, she made her way to the bathroom.
Once she was alone in the shower, Wallflower started to really think about the current situation. Apparently, a sushi restaurant just sent a small cartoon pony with food to her doorstep as a sort of comfort animal companion.
She pinched herself.
“Ouch.”
Not a dream.
She pulled her head out of the shower and looked at herself in the mirror, but other than bags under her eyes, she didn't seem to be high or hallucinating.
Once she finished showering, Wallflower poked her head out of the bathroom for a second and spotted the little pony making space on the small table between the TV and the couch.
She really had a tiny horse in her home. And Wallflower had no idea what to do. So, she defaulted to her usual M.O: being quiet and doing what she was told to do.
Right at that moment, the small pony turned to look at her with those big sapphire eyes, starting an impromptu staring contest as both parties waited for the other to make the first move.
Suddenly, the unicorn's horn shined with a red aura that made Wallflower take a step back. With a flash of red light,a set of clean clothes appear in front of the bathroom door.
Wallflower blinked a few times, realizing she had just witnessed actual magic coming from a real magical pony.
"Should I be freaking out?" She asked herself before watching the pony wave at her with her little hoof. "Awww." It then pointed to the clothes still on the floor.
"Oh, yes, thank you." Wallflower quickly picked them up and pulled herself back into the bathroom. Looking at the clock on her phone, she had already spent a bit more than half an hour with the small equestrian. "Just one and a half more hours." She said to herself before getting dressed and coming out, finding that the pony had already set the table for her.
Her stomach rumbled at the sight of the food the tiny pony had prepared, rolls of sushi arranged so they looked like a flower field, with bits of salads and other stuff Wallflower couldn’t describe in any other way than looking delicious. The pony had even set scented candles that were very appreciated by the house since the air had been stagnant for months.
Wallflower quickly sat down on the couch, right in front of the food, and was about to dig in when she felt something hit her hand. “Ouch.” She turned her head and saw the pony lifting some chopsticks with her magic, giving her a disapproving look. “Sorry,” Wallflower said before taking the sticks and splitting them. She then looked at them for a few seconds before the pony showed her how they were used. “Thank you.” Wallflower turned her head away, feeling increasingly embarrassed as she continued to be a disaster of a person in front of the magical─
Her thoughts were interrupted when she suddenly felt something crawl under her sweater. “Hey! what are you─” the head of the pony popped out of the sweater’s neck, letting her fiery mane spill out and tickle Wallflower before it settled. The small Equestrian then shuffled a bit under the stretched clothing before closing its eyes. Wallflower couldn’t help but chuckle at the actions of the tiny horse. “Are you comfortable there?” the pony gave a small nod and even let out a tiny pur. The girl smiled and slowly raised her hand, wanting to pet her small companion, but she was hesitant. She didn't want to offend it, which she had already kind of done and surely would do again.
The pony seemed to sense her intentions and moved its head towards her hand, allowing her to brush her digits against the soft strands of fire that composed her mane. Wallflower slowly moved her hand over them, giving it soft strokes that were very appreciated by the pony. She even later dared to brush her fingers against the very soft fur of its ear, making them wiggle reflexively but not bothering the pony in the slightless.
After a few good minutes of petting, Wallflower’s hunger came back and she focused her attention back on the food, picking one of the portions and bringing it to her mouth. It was as delicious as it looked, and she made sure to savor it all she could. It didn’t taste like any ordered food she had before, it somehow felt homemade. Wallflower continued enjoying her food, till something scratched the underside of her jaw. She looked down and saw the pony looking at her with big puppy eyes that could melt hearts and warm souls.
Wallflower chuckled and shared a bit of sushi with the pony, who seemed to enjoy it as much as her, letting out more purrs and giving her a few nuzzles.
They continued like this till another hour passed, leaving now just half an hour left.
With both bellies now full, Wallflower leaned back on the couch and returned to petting the small pony inside her sweater, who accepted every little caress she had with soft purrs. Wallflower started to wonder if it was half cat.
Suddenly, the pony pulled itself back inside the sweater.
"Did I scratch something wrong?" Wallflower asked worriedly, peeking inside her clothes, seeing two bright sapphire eyes looking at her from the darkness.
Then a hoof was pressed against her nose.
"Boop."
Wallflower started giggling immediately, but then the pony disappeared in a flash of magic.
"Where did you─" she turned her head and found another hoof pressed against her nose.
"Boop."
With another laugh, she tried to grab the pony, but it teleported away again.
"Alright, I see how the game is!" Wallflower started going around her house, looking between the chaos for the little ball of orange fur. However, each time she managed to see it, she was too late and received a boop against her nose that got her laughing no matter how many times it happened.
Eventually, Wallflower was able to find a fluffy red and gold tail poking out from under the couch. She stealthily moved closer to it, making not a sound as she placed her hands to the sides of the pony and quickly grabbed it by its haunches. "Got you!" She quickly but carefully pulled it out from under the couch, and lifted it to her face, rubbing her nose against its snout before thinking, but the little pony didn't reject the nuzzle like she had momentarily expected. It nuzzled back, wiggling its tail and letting out a small giggle.
They continued like this for a few seconds, just standing still and together, almost like a hug, until the weight of the small equestrian started to become too much for Wallflower, and she had to put it down and sit on the couch.
The pony didn't waste any time and quickly jumped on the couch and layed on her lap. Wallflower smiled and started scratching its head, going behind her ears and under the chin, which seemed to be nice spots for the pony.
"I would do this all day." Wallflower thought, but that sentiment reminded her of the time, and when she looked at the clock, she realized she barely had a few minutes left. "I… can I extend our time together? I don't mind paying extra."
The little pony turned its head to look at her, its big sapphire eyes reflecting Wallflower's worried expression. It slowly shook its head.
"I see…" the girl whispered, looking down at nothing in particular. "Nothing good lasts. I don't know why I let things go so far," The feeling of a hoof pressing against her chin made her look up at the small, compassionate smile of the pony, who then opened its legs, inviting a hug.
Wallflower took it, hugging the small pony and not wanting to let go. To lose this little bit of happiness that had appeared in her life.
They stayed in that hug till the minutes passed by, and the two hours were completed. Then continued for a few minutes more. But eventually, the pony let go, and Wallflower, reluctantly, did too.
The small equestrian fixed its clothes and trotted to the door, Wallflower following with heavy steps. She slowly opened the door, letting the pony walk out of her home.
"Goodbye," Wallflower said, trying not to cry. She felt stupid for wanting too, and an old memory told her that she shouldn't be crying in public.
The pony turned around to look at Wallflower, and signaled with her hoof to get closer. The girl crouched down, expecting maybe another hug, but she was at its level, the pony bopped her in the nose.
"Boop"
Wallflower chuckled, then laughed, rubbing her nose. "Thank you, for everything." The pony smiled and gave her a nod before turning away and began trotting out of the property.
Wallflower watched it leave, wanting to follow, make sure it arrived safe, or at least use that as an excuse. The pony suddenly stopped on the walkway, and she took a step forward, expectantly.
"Achoo!" The pony sneezed, and then continued its trot.
Wallflower watched it slowly disappear in the distance, and after some very long minutes, she finally went inside the house.
She felt tired, but not in the usual way. This time, she went to bed with a smile on her face.
The next day, Wallflower found herself with another conundrum.
She had to make lunch (breakfast had been skipped as usual) and despite her rule of not ordering food two days in a row, she could only think of that sushi place.
Or more specifically, the pony that delivered from it.
The problem was… the Cheer Up Special wasn't available anymore. The app didn't even allow her to repeat her order automatically.
Was this a sign that she didn't deserve the Special anymore? Had she offended the establishment in some way? Of course she had. The pony probably asked for her to be banned from the list due to…
Wallflower's train of thought stopped in its tracks. She wanted to see that pony again. She had to try.
"It's possible that the pony works on regular deliveries too," Wallflower mumbled as she placed a new order, not really caring about what the food was.
Was what she was doing ridiculous? Yes. But she didn't care. Even if the chance was slim, she would try.
When the order was finally sent and accepted, a wave of anxiety crashed on top of Wallflower.
What if the pony really did ban her? What if it only delivered for the Cheer Up Specials? What if she had just hallucinated everything and she was about to make a fool of herself in front of some random delivery person and probably get sanctioned again?
Wallflower started curling into a ball, her anxiety wanting to shut her down and keep her paralyzed. But then she remembered the hug. The nuzzles. The boops. The caring.
It had to be real. She needed for it to be real.
Wallflower sprung up from the couch, determined to not fall down into that familiar pit.
She decided to focus elsewhere while she waited for the food to arrive, and her eyes quickly landed on the trash and dirty dishes around her house.
Taking a deep breath, she went to get her dusty cleaning tools and got to work.
It took her an hour, and it wasn't a full turn over like she expected, but things looked better, and opening the windows after so many months had been literally refreshing.
Now that the surroundings were in better condition, she looked at herself. The previous shower had helped, but she could do better.
She went to the bathroom and took another shower, this time making sure every spot was clean. Her mess of hair was the biggest obstacle, but despite not being able to change its wild look, she was able to clean it and make it look more vibrant. She was also tempted to open the makeover kit her sister had gifted her long ago, but she had no idea how to use it.
Just a few seconds after she left the bathroom, she heard the ring of the doorbell.
At first, Wallflower felt ecstatic, but then she remembered that the pony hadn't used the doorbell when it arrived. She walked over to the window close to the door, and managed to see the silhouette of a human standing at her door, no pony in sight.
Wallflower let out a defeated sigh. She should've seen it coming. Why would things go her way? Why would she deserve happiness?
She dragged her feet to the door and opened it, ready to tell the delivery person to just keep the food, but as soon as she laid eyes on them, her jaw dropped.
In front of her was a young woman, close to her age, with amber skin, shining sapphire eyes, a cute tiny nose, long fire-like hair tied in a bun, a small puffer fish next to her left ear, and wearing a blue sushi maid costume that fitted her perfectly.
Wallflower couldn't utter a word in front of what she believed to be the most beautiful being in existence.
"Your food has arrived!" the girl announced with a voice Wallflower thought was angelical. "May I come in?"
Wallflower almost fell on her butt as she scrambled to leave as much space as possible for the girl to pass.
The fiery haired girl chuckled. "You're adorable," she said before pressing her finger on Wallflower's nose. "Boop"
The sushi girl then walked inside the house, and Wallflower closed the door, her smile beaming like the sun.