I sat in Jewel's room, forcing the filly against my lap as she tried to scramble away. "Stop it you little-- stop!" I tried to stop her from wiggling, the filly refusing to let me get her dressed. "We're going to see your dad, now stop it!"

She let out a shrill scream as I forced the dress over her head. It sounded like a fawn mewling in the jaws of a timber wolf. "No! Nooo!" Her pitch was high enough to break glass. "Nooooo no no no!"

"Holy shit! Calm down!" I struggled to force her legs through the holes. "It's a dre--"

"No!"

I yanked her up and straightened out her dress. "Come on, don't you want to look pretty for your dad!?"

Jewel dug her hooves into my belt as I pulled her up. "No, no, nooo!" She started wailing, hooves kicking the top of my balls as she squirmed. "Noo!" Her whimpers and cries devolved into something utterly pathetic. I pulled her dress over her flanks and threw the filly down. She landed on all fours and immediately threw herself down. She let out a sharp, shrill wail and started to kick her legs. "I hate you! I hate you!"

"Oh my god!" I threw my hands up. "What did I do to you!?"

Jewel looked up at me, blue eyes wrought with pain. "Eeeeeeheh-heh-heh!" She beat her hooves against the floor and slammed her head against her play table. "I don't wanna! I don't wanna!"

"Oh my god, what the fuck?" I stepped back and leaned my head out of Jewel's room. "Rarity, what did I do!?"

I could hear Rarity's cough over her filly's screams of anguish. "Did you get her dressed?"

I looked down the hall, out the window. "Yes, but I'm afraid the market is going to think I'm killing somepony!"

Rarity cleared her throat. "She does that every time I dress her. She's absolutly horrible about getting dressed. The only words I've ever heard her say have been angry bitter screams...."

"I hate you all!" Jewel hopped up, kicking and screaming, bucking and running around the room. Her voice was outright painful, ripping apart my ears as she stood in her room and screamed at me.

I stormed over to her. "Jewel, knock it off!" I grabbed her under her forelegs and tossed her over my shoulder, deflecting her screams away from my ear. "Good god!" I felt myself frown extremely hard as I whisked her down the stairs, kicking and screaming like a maniac the whole while. "Rarity, your child is insane!"

She turned to me, her brace squeaking as she turned. "Oh I know! I put anything on her and she screams her head off! A pair of pants, a dress, skirt, a hat!" Rarity shook her head. "If she doesn't want to put it on, she screams and screams, and when she can't scream, she sulks, she sulks and moans."

Jewel's screams started to turn into sobbing. "Well...I'd call it bleating or mewling, but either way." I rubbed the filly's back, her tail hanging low as Rarity turned around. "Does she do this--"

Rarity nodded and flicked her tail. I couldn't help but look, checked back into place by her panties hiding her privates expertly. They matched her coat and made her look almost like a featureless doll. "Every, single, time." She wheeled herself through the shop, ushering a few ponies out as she walked. "Now, I'll be getting my cast off. Vintage will be getting out soon enough, but I'm sure he'd appreciate the visit."

I carried the whimpering filly outside, the warm spring morning sprinkling heat over my arms. "If I can ask, how bad was it?"

Rarity turned around, walking backwards through the market. "The fall?" Rarity flipped her mane. "Oh dreadful. I fell perhaps five meters, Vintage fell five, then six, then thirty." She shook her head hard. "I do feel...a modest amount of sympathy for the diamond dogs, when they saw he was that badly injured they dug him out and brought him to the surface." She bit her lip. "I'm still not a fan, rather savage creatures, but I don't think they mean to hurt others, simply negligent in their tunneling."

I licked my lips and bounced the filly's flank with my forearm. "There are a few up in Storm Side, a few test subjects for drugs and spells and what not, and two students."

Rarity's eyes popped open as she swung around. "Really? Hmm...still, I'd like it if they stayed away."

"Understandable considering--"

Rarity shook her head hard. "Oh no, this isn't why. We've had previous interaction. This is simply the latest trauma in a series of poor choices on their part."

I shrugged. "Only so much I can do, and I don't think I'm going to change your mind." I bounced Jewel against my shoulder. "...This however, this is ridiculous."

Rarity looked back at me and rolled her eyes. "She is just the most belligerent creature about getting dressed, and being dressed."

I rubbed Jewel's back, the sobbing filly emanating sympathy like a bomb emits radiation. "I suppose better to be a pony then, if you're going to be a nudist I mean."

Rarity stopped and looked back at me. "You mean because of breasts? Well, I'm doubtful that would stop her."

"That's my point." I looked across the street, our walk already finding us on the road just outside the hospital. "Better to be decent, and...no off--"

Rarity kept on down the cobblestone walk, ignoring the carriages and carts that joined the ponies in the main street. "Oh no, I think human modesty did a lot of good for Equestria--"

I smiled wryly. "And this is completely independent of you making clothes?"

Rarity chuckled and hung her mane to cover her face. "Of course darling. Why ever would you insinuate that making an extremely large sum on panties alone would influence my decision?"

I laughed and bounced the sobbing Jewel in my arms. "Oh no, I would never suggest such." I looked off towards the hospital. "Now, about clothes...Darcy bought some--"

"Her shirt, a few others, pants, skirts, and...a sweater." She smiled back at me. "I do believe it was for your benefit though, it...how can I say this without being lewd...." Rarity bit her tongue and let her eyes roll up towards the top. "It...it.... It framed her cleavage very well. And by very well, I mean you could lose a limb in there." Rarity stopped to cover her hoof and laugh. "Oh dear...I'm sorry, it was an open chest sweater and with the bra she bought, it's ridiculous."

I coughed roughly. "They are bloody massive. I really don't know how she looks as slender as she does most days!"

Rarity smiled at me. "And she's only a c-cup. Or I believe that's what it is. To be honest even after I had Jewel mine were rather petite."

I moved my hand up and cupped Jewel's head, covering her ear. "I don't know cup size...."

Rarity started off again, up the walkway to the hospital ramp. "It's proportional. Size of the body and size of breast are measured to find the cup size."

This is fucking fascinating.

Rarity turned onto the ramp, leading me along despite my able bodied status. "Darcy's breast are large, but considered a smaller cup than she looks because she's simply so tall. And yes, I dress her down into a b, it suits her. She's rather tough, but I put her in a dress and she looks willowy, it distracts from her height and draws the eye to her legs." Rarity sighed loudly. "She really did draw that card quite well."

"Her legs?" I walked ahead of Rarity and pulled the door open. "Why's that?"

Rarity nodded and me and walked inside. "The shade of her coat is very rich, and her hooves are nicely proportioned to her thighs. Not like some ponies, gangly or stout legs never look amazing."

I stared at Rarity. "...You know, I was making enough to move out soon, but--"

"Well if you do, be sure to visit." Rarity slapped my leg with her tail. "Craftspony to craftspony, it's a nice chat without having to worry about offending somepony."

I scratched my head and leaned back to keep Jewel against my chest. The large hospital lobby really a blank floor with benches lining the side of the wood worked walls. "Why's that?"

Rarity walked up to the counter and slid a piece of paper to a pony being it. "Because dear, I have no real hold in glass making, and I don't think you hold much stock in tailoring. With vintage, well, he knows tailoring, and I do know a bit about vinting. So, criticism can be taken as insults...from both parties." She huffed softly as the pony behind the counter hopped up.

"Ah, a fair point, and I was going to ask if I could stay longer--"

"So long as you pay rent." Rarity was met by a pony in a strange hat. "Now, if I'm not done soon, take Jewel home. I'm sure being dressed was enough of an ordeal for her already."

I nodded. "And well, I hope you won't be offended, but I'll do my best to leave as soon as I can find an apartment. I will visit though."

Rarity smiled and walked off. "Oh! He's here to visit Vintage by the way!" she shouted to the lobby desk. A human looked up for her desk and over to me.

The woman hurried over to the desk and looked me up and down. "For Mr. Vintage?"

I nodded. "Yes."

The woman pointed to the side. "Elevator to the third floor, someone will meet you there." She quickly walked away, leaving me a bit deflated.

"Hmm I suppose bedside manner is more for the patients...but still." I turned to my right, a long hallways with a set of stairs and a pair of elevators offshot from the main room. I hurried over, Jewel huffing and mewling in my arms, a step down from her pained  howling earlier. "Jewel...are you alright?"

Jewel stayed silent.

I walked up and jammed the elevator button. "Oh come on...you're not going to talk to me now?" The elevator opened up, offering itself free to me. I stepped in and leaned against the back wall. "Filly...that's just rude." I dug my fingers into her mane. "Anything?"

"I hate you...."

"Oh no you don't!" I grabbed Jewel and held her out at length. "Don't you start! Filly, your mother might tolerate that, but we're going to visit your father! Now, I can take you home if you're going to be bad!"

Jewel took a deep breath, obviously getting ready to scream. "Eeee--"

I pulled her against my chest and jammed my thumb into her mouth. "Don't!"

Jewel bit my thumb hard. "Aah--"

"No!" I squeezed her against me, pulling my thumb out and replacing it with the side of my index finger, where my finger lead into the inside of my thumb. "You can bite and kick, but the screaming has to stop."

Jewel clamped down on my hand and huffed. Her nostrils flared as she chewed on me. "Meph." She snorted and wiggled around in my arms, her eyes watering slightly.

"That's fine. You huff all you want, but I won't put up with you screaming in my ear!" I lifted her up with my knee. "All this over a dress...." I looked down at her, the thin tan sheet barely covering her. "Really more of a poncho with sleeves." It was completely plain, with a blue band across her flank. I had to guess the plainer the better considering her disposition to the matter.

The elevator dinged, a mare with a tight fitting set of scrubs already waiting. "Mr. Rarity?"

I scratched my head. "Uh...not family, but I'm here to visit Mr. Vintage."

The nurse nodded. "Yes, we were waiting for you. Right this way." The nurse spun around, her tail was slashed short and tied up at the base. I couldn't help but feel a bit heavy, my tail still long and bushy.

I should cut my tail like that.

The hall was extremely dull. White, obviously redone, the doors equally white with small windows on each. The pony charm was there, but everything felt sterile and human. And as efficient and clean as it was, I did have a fondness for the pony style architecture. Each door that passed felt oddly prophetic, like I was going to open the door to meet Rarity's spouse, and he'd be some cut and copy pony.

The nurse spun around and nudged her head towards a door. "He's in there, he should be awake. And if he's not he's supposed to be."

I looked into the room, blankets and sheets covering the window. "Hmm, I don't want to be a burden." I put my hand on the handle and pushed it open. The room smelled of fresh hay, heavy and warm. "Oh...hmm, rather nice."

"Hello?" A warm voice pulled me over. "Who's that? New nurse?"

Jewel wiggled in my grip, dropping to the floor and scurrying over to the hospital bed. "Hi daddy!"

A cream pony with a thick, dark red mane turned his head. "Jewel, hi sweetie." He looked down at his child with a smile. His reddish gaze traveled up to meet me. "You must be Glass, right?"

I looked him over, his body wrapped up in sheets, his forelegs forced against his chest by braces, his back legs were extended and held high in a series of ropes. "Oh... I didn't realize my reputation preceded me."

The pony, Vintage, nodded. "Well, Rarity asked me before she sent you those letters."

I nodded. "Makes sense. And it's good to meet you, your wife has been lovely to me."

Vintage smiled, Jewel leaning against his bed and nuzzling his neck. "I'm sure- oh wait!" He looked down. "Jewel and you talked?"

I sighed loudly. "We did...she's stonewalling me because I had to get her dressed."

Vintage frowned hard and looked down at his filly. "Jewel...still?" He looked up at me. "I was hoping she'd have to talk, but stubborn as her mother it appears."

I chuckled softly. "Can't say I'd know. But, she is tolerable."

"Who, Rarity or Jewel?"

"Both!"

Vintage snickered. "Good answer." He settled back into his bed. "Oh boy...almost out of here."

I coughed into my hands. "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, I'll leave you alone with Jewel." I turned to the door. A loud cart tappering down the hall caught my attention. I rubbed my face. "Hmm...he seemed, nice." I leaned against a wall as the cart was pushed away. "Huh." I looked around, the third floor of the hospital was nearly empty.

A satyr pushing the cart along stopped next to me, pink hair, white coat. "Sir, do you need help?"

I scratched my head. "No, I'm just waiting to take someone home."

The girl nodded at me. "Let me know if you need anything then."

I stretched my arms. "I will, thank you."

I got a warm smile in return for my kindness. It knocked around my insides, giving some semblance of life back to the copy pasted hospital. It didn't do anything against the hanging sense of dread the washed over me as I stood there, waiting to catch some incurable disease or die spontaneously from some explosive chemicals.

I pushed off the wall and wandered around the clean white halls until I found a small office and lobby. I hurried up, greeted by a pony with no mane, buzzed clean down to red stubble. "Hello, can I help you?"

I sighed and looked around. "Can you tell me what exactly is taken care of up here? I don't see many doctors, and it all seems very empty."

The pony closed her eyes and nodded. "This is stable recovery. Ponies simply resting up from long term injuries. Generally speaking we don't have many ponies in here at all, and those that are, well they stay for just long enough to learn their names." She smiled and cocked her head. "They stay in care watch for a while after their operation, then once we know they're safe and need minimal attention they bring them here." The pony rubbed her hooves on the counter. "It's more about talking to them and keeping them company than actually treating them."

"Hmmph, I suppose that would explain that." I scratched my head.

The mare nodded. "You're visiting, I take it."

I nodded. "Sort of. I'm bringing someone to visit. She's too young to be wandering around on her own."

The nurse smiled at me. "That's sweet of you."

I shook my head. "The family is putting me up, so it's the least I could do." I leaned against the counter. "To be honest there's plenty of other things I'd rather be doing."

The nurse closed her eyes and shrugged, still smiling. "It is rather dull around here. Worst that happens around here is somepony still lights a candle."

I chuckled and turned back towards Vintage's room. "Well, I should get back there." I started off, my boots thudding loudly against the soft linoleum floor. Everything felt waxy, the walls, the floor, even me. I hurried up and flung Vintage's door open. I didn't say anything and simply walked up beside his bed.

He glanced up at me before looking back down at his daughter. "Jewel...you have to."

Jewel flopped back down onto her haunches. "But she's mean to me--"

"She's not! Jewel, baby, she just wants you to look pretty."

Jewel huffed and sputtered, hopping up onto all fours. "I don't wanna be pretty!"

Vintage leaned his head back and rolled his eyes. "Hey Glass, welcome back."

I nodded. "Thank you."

He looked over at me from the corner of his eyes. "Alright, so this little filly is being a real pain in the balls, isn't she?"

I rubbed my mouth. "Well, you said it, not me."

"Well it's true! That little horn has a blunt tip, and she had a bad habit of running full tilt like a tiny little lancer." He turned his head to face me. "Imagine walking down the stairs and suddenly you've got a filly horn deep in your gonads."

I coughed softly. "I'd rather not."

Vintage nodded. "It's not good." He turned to face Jewel. "I'd know." Jewel covered her mouth and laughed slightly. "Anyways...you take her home, and you make sure she talks to her mother!" He aimed it more at Jewel than me. "You hear me? Because if I get home and you're still not talking to her I'm gonna tell her about the toothbrush incident!"

Jewel's ears shot against the back of her head as a bright blush crossed her face. She turned to face me, asking me, begging me for some aid. "No...."

I covered my mouth, the implications of a budding young filly and a toothbrush heated up my cheeks. "Uh, should I have--"

Vintage looked over at me, eyebrows held high. "She's twelve, I know she doesn't look it but she's growing up, and she needs to decide if masturbating is going to come before speaking like a normal pony." He turned his head to meet his daughter in a snap. "And I know! And now he knows! And he'll tell your mother unless you go and apologize! It's gone past being a kid, now you're just being childish!"

Jewel let out a shrill squeak. "I don't wanna!"

I backed towards the door. Vintage kept on guilting his daughter. "You wanna be a big girl you have to stop being such a rude little turd! You wanna do that, you'd better grow up all around, because I'll wrap you in a chastity belt if I don't hear you talked to Rarity!" Vintage turned his wine colored gaze to me. "And you, tell her if I'm not out of the hospital!" He grumbled to himself before looking back to me. "She promised me she'd talk to her when I went to the hospital, good to know if I'm not there she won't listen to me."

Jewel frowned hard and pushed her head against her father's ribs. "No...daddy no...."

Vintage's face eased into something calm. "Glass...pet my filly, I can't." He wiggled his forelegs, wrapped up and bound to his chest. "Glass, pet my filly!"

I slowly walked over and dug my hand in against Jewel's head. "Alright." Jewel nuzzled her fathers side as I pressed her against him.

He smiled and turned to me, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Good kid. Now get her out of here, they promised to bring me something special before I left. And I really don't want Jewel sticking around when they bring in Mares in Manehattan."

I chewed on my tongue, letting my flat molars grind my meat. "Sure." I slid my hands down Jewel's sides and slung her up in my arms. "Do you want me to send your wife up if I see her?"

Vintage's eyes shot wide. "Is she getting her cast off?"

I nodded. "Aye, it's why she's not here now--"

"Then yes, yes, yes." He nodded and threw his head back. "And...before you say anything, yes, I'm not exactly the fanciest, and I don't know how I got so lucky. Now, you're going to have to watch Jewel for a while, because Rarity's gonna be a bit occupied until late." He smiled lewdly. "And by the way, it's been a pleasure talking to you."

I coughed wetly. "Uh...wow--"

"I make wine my friend, you learn how to relax and not take life so serious while waiting for grapes to ferment." He turned to face the TV in his room. "I do know how to be serious, but I'm losing my mind in here. I'm sure when we talk outside of this you'll find me a lot more proper."

I nodded slowly. "I understand, I work glass, and if you don't learn to occupy yourself between forging sessions you go mental."

Vintage smiled. "Well then you know what waiting is like, and as stallions, I think we both know the best way to pass the time. Now seeing as I can't, do direct my wife this way." He smiled and looked off towards the door. "Now go on, I don't want anypony else to be stuck here because of me." Next Chapter: Couch Estimated time remaining: 57 Minutes