Crippled in Equestria - Part 6

>Your eyes bolt open.

>You had spent yesterday resting, you dimly recall that the spell had worked.

>Pain spears your leg and you once again wince.

>Mostly worked.

>Still, looking a gift joke in the mouth was a bad plan.

>You see an enormous ass off to your left.

>It’s the princess: she's doing weird shit again.

"Um, good morning."

>"Oh, Anon!  It’s good to see you awake," she says.  Her face shoots towards you with that smile again.  "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah..."

>You pull yourself out of bed, thankfully still in your clothes.

>You lean on your cane.

"Listen, Princess, I'm really grateful for all your help."

>She's still smiling.

"I don't know if I can repay you."

>You suddenly feel very sick to your stomach.

>The silence stifles you.

>GRUMBLE.

>"Don't trouble yourself, Anon.  It was no problem at all.  All I want is for my little p0nies to be happy, even if they are not p0nies at all."

>I guess Celestia really did care.

>She was giving you that look again.

"Um, well, I'm sure you have some royal business to attend to, and, not to sound rude..." you trail off.  "I'm pretty hungry."

>She nods.  "Right this way."

 

 

>You join Twilight for breakfast, and she points out which items set out for you are made from grass and flowers and other things you can't eat.

>You munch once again on - you guessed it - fucking apples.

>You feel good though.  You aren't tired like you used to be, you feel like you've finally gotten some rest.

>It felt weird, you were used to being tired and pushing forward, but now, you feel like you could accomplish something with little effort.

>Your old friend nags at you.

"When do we leave, Twilight?"

>"Well, we could leave today if you wanted.  Don't you want to see more of Canterlot?"

"It would be nice, but, I don't want to live on your kindness forever."

>The Princess seemed to note your response.

"There is one thing, though," you turn to Celestia.  "There's a building in Ponyville, abandoned... I've heard it was home to a florist before she moved here?"

>"I know which one you mean," Celestia said with another smile.  "I've already heard about your machinations for that place."

>You sit silently.  Maybe you had overdone the plugging.

>"I've spoken to Rose, as well."  The former owner.  "Since you've shown an interest in reciprocation, I've decided to purchase the building and hand it over to you."

>What...?

>"On one condition."

"Name it."

>"I want you to run your store and make yourself and your customers happy."

>You certainly had seen the kindness of this land.

>Making money seemed less and less important, the more you were here.

>Maybe it wasn't all that important after all.

>You thought about it a bit more.

>Your own place in this fantasy world.

>Carving out your own slice of this life.

>Actually having a life, instead of looking forward to death.

>Your pain tugged at you, but it didn't seem to matter.

>This was your chance to escape your old life.

>Fuck that gay earth.

"Deal."

 

 

>So that was that.  

>Twilight and yourself had left Canterlot shortly thereafter, riding home on another chariot through the sky.

>You still weren't used to that.

>You look at the flowerpot that Princess Celestia had given you, a single white lily.

>It wasn't in bloom yet, but you weren't ready for that either.

>She had also given you the deed to the house, and so you were pretty much set to go.

>"How are you feeling?"

>Twilight kept asking you that.

>You always told her you were fine but this time it was different.

"I'm good, Twilight, thanks."

>She smiles brightly.

>After a bit while more of flying, you're safely back on the ground.  You wave to your steeds as they fly away.

>The rest of Twilight's friends are waiting for you.

>"How'd it go?" Rainbow Dash is the first to ask.

>You grip your cane as the pain reminds you that it didn't work exactly as you had hoped.

"It went very well," you tell her.

>Smiles erupt across their faces.

"I'm not sick anymore, but it looks like I'll have to keep this close," you waggle your cane.

>"Oh!  That's so good to hear!" Fluttershy says, she sounds excited.  "I could just, just--!"

>She looks around, something big was coming.

>The other p0nies step back.

>"Oh, oh!"

>Your eyebrow rises.

>"yay".

>That was the outburst?

>You suppress a laugh.

>The other p0nies giggle.

>You can't contain it.

>You laugh with them.

>A few moments later you're at your new home.

 

 

>The place has two floors.

>The ground floor has a few supporting beams, but is otherwise pretty open.  There are some shelves set up, and you guess this must have been a storefront when Rose lived here.

>The top floor is pretty much what you expected, a few rooms, bathroom, and even a bed was here.  

>It looked like Celestia had dropped off some linens for you to use.

>"This place is sure naice, Anon."

"Can't argue with that.  I will need some help cleaning up, though."

>"Well I'm certain we could--"

>"ON IT."

>Rainbow Dash tore through the bottom floor.

>A rainbow tornado screams through your house, then ejects through a nearby window.

>The dust is all gone, and so is the fence in your front yard.

"Well then."

>The place looked spotless; you couldn't say the same for your yard though.

>There was a ditch across an empty garden bed, and your fence had become firewood.

>Rainbow Dash lay at the end of it, looking dizzy and covered in dust.

"You flubbed the landing."

>"Did not!"

>"Oh, it is positively ruined!"

>Rarity looked over the devastation.

>"You should apologise, Rainbow Dash!"

>You bit your lip.

"No need.  I needed something to do anyway."

>The others try to voice arguments but you don't listen to them.

>You didn't like the fence anyway.

"Ladies, I'll handle it from here.  I've taken up enough of your time."

>They keep trying to push more kindness on you, but you've had enough.

"Ladies, please."

>"We want to help you, Anon," Twilight notes.

"And I want to help myself.  I appreciate the offers, but I'd like some time to myself."

>They seem to finally understand, and slowly file out of your yard.

 

 

 

>Now that you realize it, this is the first time you've been alone for longer than a few minutes.

>It grates at you, a lot more than it should.

>You were used to solitude.

>It shouldn't bother you that much.

>You tap your cane on the ground, the sound bringing you back.

>Going around the side of the house, you emerge into the backyard.

>The garden was mostly intact, a few plants had been excavated, but other than a few weeds the place looked pretty dandy.

>There was even a greenhouse.

>Inside there were a few saplings growing.

>You realized that they needed water, badly.

>Right, time to get to work.

>In the shed, you found some shovels, buckets, and a few other tools that would make the work easier.

>Pain lanced up your leg, reminding you that garden work was always a two-pill job.

>You had zero.

>You find some twine, and fashion three straps using a knot you'd devised.

>You tie Titan to your right leg, fastening the bottom of your foot, your knee, and your upper thigh to corresponding spots along its length.

>You gingerly shift your weight to your right leg.

>Titan takes the weight, the straps sat fine.

>It still hurts, and you grapple with your nerves for control.

>You really wanted a vicodin.

>Stepping out of the shed with a bucket, you hobble over to the water pump and fill 'er up.

>You go back to the greenhouse and water the pots there, hoping it’s not too late.

>It takes a few trips, and your leg demands a rest.

>You bite back the pain and replace the bucket.

>You put your gift from the princess in the greenhouse and leave the back.

>You couldn't do this without painkillers.

>You really missed vicodin.

>The feeling clawed at you.

>Your fingers rubbed at each other, trying to emulate rolling a pill between them.

>You swallowed hard.

>A cold sweat broke out across your body.

>You exhale sharply, and can't catch a breath.

>Your muscles tense.

>You can't think straight.

>Moving back to the house, your body runs on autopilot, searching every drawer, nook, and cranny.

>You had to find them.

>There had to be something here.

>Desperation flows through your body like an inexorable tide.

>Vicodin.

>Nothing else mattered.

>You couldn't remember the last time you'd taken one.

>The pain was unbearable.

>You cry out in frustration, you still had some, somewhere.

>You had to have a stash somewhere.

>Just needed to find it.

>The pain would subside soon.

>Just one little pill.

>Maybe two, you'd treat yourself this time.

>It wasn't an addiction.

>No, you just needed your medicine.

>You were a sick man.

>Just some medicine.

>No problem.

>Just teeny little pills.

>The pain would be gone soon.

>All your problems would be gone.

>You just needed to find a few little pills.