I Am A Soldier [Nanowrimo]

by GreyVestibule

Chapter 3 - The Doctor

Chapter Three – The Doctor

Ol' Sawbones, or just Bones as he was more often called, had not expected to be taking on an extra patient that day. In fact, he had been quite ready to tell whoever walked in after he closed the clinic for the day to just walk off whatever they had. In truth though, depending on how serious it was, he would have gladly done the service of helping. It wasn't to say though that his attitude had been without reason. After Scornful and his gang rolled into today and messed up some ponies something fierce, Bones had gotten tired of trying to deal with people, especially when some had needed more attention than others. So, it was because of that that Bones had felt grateful for being able to make it to the saloon and have a chance to unwind with a few friends. He thought he was in the clear for sure. And then that odd mare came in.

For a moment when he caught sight of her coming in, looking like she'd just taken a drag ride through a dune, Bones thought for sure that she was there because she had followed word of where to find the local doctor. When instead she just came up, took a seat a fair number of stools away and got a drink, he felt relieved. As he heard her story though, about being out in the desert for days without water... It seemed too incredible to believe, but looking at her, there seemed to some semblance of credibility there. Her wings felt odd as well—they seemed like they had been subject to a lot impact from the feel of what was underneath the hair and skin, but weirdly there was no sign of a bruise.

So of course, against his “better” judgement, Bones had decided to resume his doctoring duties. Fortunately Knick Knack and Paddywhack were of the mind to help, which was good. Then again, they were good stallions. They might have been younger than him by half, but they were capable fellows. Knick Knack needed some wisdom, but then many ponies still did when they were that age. He seemed like he could handle a simple lookout for a while for now at least.

Bones in the meantime, was heading over to his house where some of his personal supplies – including some food – were located. He was making a quick inventory of what was needed in his head when a voice caught his attention.

“Hey, Doctor Sawbones?” the young, male voice inquired.

Bones looked down to see, to his surprised, Cameo.

“Well hello there young colt – I must say it's pleasant to see you back and well, but I got a patient to take care of,” Bones said, trying to politely get the kid off and away from him.

“Wait, is your patient a reddish pegasus mare with a necklace?” Cameo asked, trying to keep pace with the older pony, which was soon made easy as Bones slowed for a moment to process what he was told.

“She is, yes. You know her?” this could actually be incredibly relavent.

“Know 'er? She's the one that got me away from Scornful's folk.”

So that's who she'd fought... though from the sound of what she described, she'd lost. Was this separate? Or maybe Scornful had dragged her out there to die then she found him and took revenge?

“Well, I'll admit we were wondering how you got away at the saloon, that explains it,” Bones thought.

It was pretty amazing really. She'd seemed so low key it was hard to believe she'd been out there for so long and survived two fights. That in itself made Bones wonder though if maybe there wasn't something fishy about this. Could she be here as a hire, a plant from Scornful? That wouldn't make a lot of sense though since she brought back the colt that Scornful made a big show of saying he'd ransom back for a big enough price. And while he was a crafty fellow, Bones couldn't see Scornful being willing to let his image and by extension, his ego, take a hit by appearing to be taken down by one pony. It just wasn't in his nature – and unfortunately Bones was quite familiar with Scornful's nature.

“Is she okay? I didn't mean to leave her behind but when I saw town all I could think about was my mom and dad and – “ Cameo asked, his shame very evident on his face.

“She seems like she could be better, but she could be worse. Taking care of her right now. In fact, you can help me carry back some supplies on the way back if you like,” Bones smiled down at the colt. Didn't hurt to help make the kid useful.

“Yes sir! I can do that,” Cameo nodded back.

Ah, the vigor of youth... Still, Bones could help but wonder something else.

“I'm surprised you aren't home right now, I'd reckon your parents would have been worried sick about you now that I think about it,” Bones finally figured.

“Uuuuum...”

Uh oh. Bones knew what that sound meant. He sighed haggardly.

“You snuck out didn't you?” he asked.

“Nnnn-yyyeaa-maybe?” the colt tried, the situation was rather transparent though.

“Go home, Cameo,” Bones ordered.

“But I--”

“Cameooooo!” shouted another voice altogether, “There you are! You come back this instant youngin'.”

And here comes Braeburn. Bones seriously hoped the stallion could talk some sense into his cousin, but he honestly has not sure. Braeburn – the poor fellow usually had his heart in the right place but he tended to, well... to put it one way, Bones wouldn't have put it past it being Braeburn's fault that the colt got out.

“But cuz', I need to help somepony, it's the mare that I told you about!” Cameo insisted.

“No, you need to get back to my place and apologize to your folks for sneaking out like you have, you've nearly given them a heart attack!”

“But Braeburn --”

“No more buts! Ya'll head home this instant, ya hear? I'll help out ol' Sawbones with yer friend, nothin' to worry about.”

Cameo looked down reluctantly, some frustration clear on his face, but he eventually nodded and headed back the way Braeburn came. Bones, who had stopped momentarily from witnessing the exchange, resumed his pace, Braeburn following alongside him.

“Sorry if my cousin bothered you there, doc,” the leather vested pony apologized.

“Wasn't a problem. Poor colt just wanted to help out somepony that helped him. Just unfortunate he decided to be a disobedient one about it,” Bones nodded.

The two stallions came to a stop at Bones place not too long after, the conversation continuing as Bones went in and started to look around for his materials, Braeburn staying behind him.

“Yeah, to tell the truth I'm not looking forward to going back myself, I'm feeling pretty certain I'll be getting an earful myself for not locking the place up. Even though I swear I did—every door at least. Noticed one of the windows cracked open on my way out,” Braeburn figured, tipping his hat upa little as he did, looking Bone's living room idly as the unicorn open a chest and was using his telekinesis to sort through what he needed.

“I reckon you also figure that because of experience,” Bones thought with a smirk, glancing out of the corner of his eye for a moment to see Braeburn looking self-consciously over the ground.

“Well, maybe,” Braeburn replied, scuffing the floor a little bit with a hoof.

“I knew you when you was just a colt Brae, no sense in pretending,” Bones went on as he filled a set of saddlebags and floated them off to Braeburn. The strong stallion was in his prime after all, he could carry all that.

“Well, yeah, but I like to think I've done my share of growing,” Braeburn insisted.

“And you have,” Bones said as he walked outside with the other stallion still keeping up despite the extra weight, “Just saying that's how it is. I feel safe in saying that sort of thing is in your blood, cuz that streak is a long one. Not just you an' Cameo, but your cousin Applejack, Granny Smith, Red Gala – there's something to you Apples.”

“... Sneaking out?” Braeburn said, confused, as though he wondering if he should be offended.

“A stubborn streak you silly stallion,” Bones rolled his eyes, “When you want to do something you set to it until what your doing gives, or until you give.”

“Oh, well... I suppose?”

“Don't think too hard on it fella' just making an observation,” Bones insisted.

The two stallions eventually came to a stop outside the clinic. Bones was pleasantly surprised to see Paddywhack sticking his head out the door, looking around with an uncomfortable look on his face.

“Well, how's the patient?” Bones asked.

Paddywhack sighed, holding a hoof to his face for a moment.

“Just... just see for yourself,” he insisted, pointing into the room that Dusty had been put in.

Bones was concerned, immediately looking in before trying and failing to hold in a laugh.

“What, what is it?” Braeburn asked before looking in himself, “Oh my.”

“Well, I imagined Knick Knack would do his best to make her feel comfortable, but I can't say I expected that,” Bones went on, continuing to vent his amusement.

Right there in a corner of the room was Dusty and Knick Knack on the floor. Judging from the positioning, she looked like she approached.

“Honestly surprising though,” Bones then said as he laid the supplies he'd gathered from his house on a convenient table. He glanced over at a sealed jug that Paddywhack seemed to have dragged over, “We were only gone a few minutes I thought,”

“Wouldn't be the first time Knick Knack couldn't hold his liquor,” Paddywhack observed.

“There's that yeah, but I also mean how it looks here. She didn't seem too keen on being approached at the saloon,” Bones brought up – she'd seemed rather insistent on being left alone, which was perfectly understandable. As well off as Equestrian society was as a whole, Bones knew well how some folks could grow a hard shell to others. It was rather sad really, how some seemed to get the impression that they were better off without the rest of the world – or perhaps sometimes worse, thinking the world was better off without them.

“She was at the saloon huh?” Braeburn asked, looking her over, “That's... decently far I guess.”

Broken form his previous thoughts Bones looked over to Braeburn, piecing together a little of what those words meant.

“You saw her in town before now?” Bones asked.

“Yeah, right around Knick Knack's place actually. Saw her stumblin' into an alley. She looked mighty beat up so I thought I'd try to help her, but...”

“She refused.”

Braeburn nodded at Bones' conclusion.

“Think she'll be alright?” Braeburn asked.

“I'm sure she will, just help her into bed,” Bones responded, nodding at Braeburn before motioning to Paddywhack to help him out, disentangling Knick Knack and Dusty in the process. The two earth ponies were then just left to watch as the doctor did his work, trying to help Dusty with a slow drip of water into her mouth, just a little at a time to make sure she wasn't drowned because of incompetency. Three days in the desert then dying of drowning, that sure as Tartarus would be ironic if there was ever a good use for the word.

“Apparently she's a soldier,” Braeburn muttered as he watched.

“What was that?” Paddywhack asked.

“A soldier. Cameo mentioned it while describing her, said she'd used that very word for herself.”

Bones found himself looking directly at Dusty's eyes at the mention of that.

“A soldier huh. Maybe that'd explain some things,” Bones figured.

“How do you mean, doc?” Braeburn asked.

Bones glanced back at Braeburn for a moment before refocusing on Dusty.

“Brae, did yer father ever tell you about his service?” the doctor asked.

“His service? Like his military service?”

“Aye.”

“Well... he mentioned his 'brothers-in-arms' or something like that, being places, not much beyond that. He wasn't exactly one to talk about it much,” Braeburn thought for a moment, “How's that figure in about Dusty though?”

“Just thinkin' is all,” Bones shook his head, “I've known a fair share of those brave ponies who come back from the borders. Not all of them really come back, even if they seem to.”

“I... don't think I entirely get what you mean,” Braeburn shrugged.

“And hopefully you'll never need to,” Bones mused.

“I swear he said something like that once too...”

A silence fell over the room on the note, everypony there lost for a moment in the atmosphere that had started to be generated from the conversation.

“One er both of y'all should probably get Knick Knack back to his place,” Bones eventually noted, bringing the silence to a thankful close.

“Right,” Paddywhack nodded, already going over to get Knick Knack up off the floor, carrying him out.

Bones took note of Braeburn's continued presence.

“You know it'll be better if you just go back to them now,” Bones noted.

“Yeah, just afraid of facing them I guess,” Braeburn said as he rubbed the side of his neck with a hoof, “Wantin' to keep putting it off.”

Braeburn sighed before starting to head out the door.

“Think she'll be good to talk in the mornin'? I reckon Cinnamon and Wheel are gonna wanna personally thank the pony that saved their foal when they get a chance,” the vested stallion asked.

Bones nodded slightly.

“I think there's a decent chance of that. I'll just turn 'em away if she doesn't see well. Judging on what she's survived through though I willing to guess it'll take more than dehydration to keep her down.”

Braeburn nodded back himself before finally committing fully to heading out the door.

“Thanks doc.”

“Mhm.”

With the other ponies gone, Bones was left alone to look after the mare for a while, wondering on the nature of her. She looked fairly young, maybe a little more than Braeburn's age. What skirmishes could she have been involved in then? Bones knew that Equestria hadn't been in an official war in years, but that didn't mean that fights still didn't happen. The griffin empire and the minotaur tribes held an uneasy peace with Equestria, though that didn't stop rogue elements from getting into scuffs either. Bones sighed as he dripped a little more water into Dusty's mouth. He felt grateful that he didn't live a country where there was a constant threat of attack, a constant need to heed the need to survive. On the other hand though, it felt like cases of soldiers coming back... worse for wear, for lack of better term, were avoided topics of conversation, even though they ought to be addressed. This poor mare – did she have any family who could support her? Or was that why she was out in the middle of no where, picking fights with criminals? That was a serious death drive if that was the case. And if it was, what should he do? Just do what he could for her and let her go through on her merry way to drift wherever?

Bones shook his head. For all he knew he was thinking too far ahead. Even if he wanted to help her, he had no guarantee she would be willing to accept it. He practically twisted her hoof to get her to come along and get looked at.

After finishing up a little more light direct drinking towards Dusty, Bones finally took a break and stepped back, de-leviating the dropper he had been using to give her water. Just let her rest for now, maybe have her take some vitamins in the morning. In the meantime, Bones decided to lock up the front door and lay on one of the extra beds in the clinic. No sense in heading back home when it was this late anyways. Bones looked out the door through across the main room to the other room where Dusty was.

“G'night miss.”