//------------------------------// // Growing Pains // Story: Equestria Exiles: Dawn of Dream Valley // by Paradise Oasis //------------------------------// Growing Pains "Oh my stars!" Nurse Redhart exclaimed, trotting into Dream Valley clinic. "This is terrible!" The medical mare had been guided through the everfree forest by the three mysterious Pegasus. When she had first seen Dream Castle, the caring nurse thought she might be dreaming! "Who would build something like this place out here?" Redhart asked aloud. "There's nothing but forest for miles around!" "One of Luna's projects." The lead Pegasus snorted. "Your Equestrian tax bits at work!" But when she got inside the medical ward, the pony nurse was horrified by what she saw. Sick ponies sprawled out on cots, as far as the eye could see. Many of the bodies were covered with sores, and many had I. V. tubes stuck in their hooves that were clearly not sterilized! "This is totally unacceptable!" Redhart snorted in anger. "How cold Princess Celestia just- ohhhhhhh, this tears it! If I ever see that alicorn muzzle-to-muzzle, I'll give that old nag a piece of my mind!" Stamping her hoof in anger, the nurse pony immediately galloped forward, and started giving the volunteers ponies orders. "You there! Bring me some gauze for this pony's wound! And you, bring me some sanitizing solution! We need to clean these medical tools, at once!" As the diligent and hard working nurse proceeded to take over the Dream Castle clinic, Shadowvale watched from the back of the room, and smiled.... ... In the Castle throne room, the queen was holding mid afternoon court, in order to get updates on all the happenings in the castle. "So you actually got the generator up and running?" Rosaline asked, looking down at Sassaflash and Caramel. "I notice the electric lights and other appliances are now functioning." "Yes, the earth ponies were able to help us re-route the power cables, to have the generator run off the waterfall's flow." Caramel told her. "And the unicorns were able to give us the spark that was able to restart that junk pile." Sassaflash continued. "With the repairs the Pegasus have carried out, that generator could run for ten thousand years." "You have done well, my loyal subjects." Rosaline replied, satisfied with what the two had accomplished. "Now I wish to discuss the matter of our recent acquisition of both vital medical supplies, and a nurse." It was then that the Pegasus Shadowvale stepped out from the darkness, and bowed to Rosaline. "I trust the results we produced are to your liking, my queen?" "Yes, you have more than delivered on your promise." Rosaline replied."And even though I have little reason to trust you, I shall deliver on mine. I hereby grant you and your ponies sanctuary, and hereby appoint you head of my intelligence division." "I hope you know what you're doing, my queen." Minuette thought to herself worriedly. Rosaline then looked towards Cherry Jubilee. "And how is Golden Harvest adjusting to her new eyes?" "It's... it's hard for her, yer haighness." The Cherry-growing mare responded sadly. "She's having ta adjust ta a whole new way o' life." ... “Oh dear… what a day this has been!” The grey mare thought to herself. “Twenty thousand lunches, made by two hundred pony cooks…. I really don’t know how we manage to keep that kitchen running the way we do!” Inky Pie was trotting back to her room, having completed her work for the day in the kitchen. It was then that the kitchen mare saw Prince Blueblood trotting down the hall towards her, a smile on his face. “Oh no, not him.” Inky muttered hopefully to herself. “Maybe if I quietly trot away, he won’t notice me.” “Ah, Inky Pie! There you are!” Blueblood said with a smile. “Just the pony I was looking for!” “Oh, Blueblood! I didn’t see you there!” Inky replied with a smile. “ I would love to stay and talk, but I really have some stuff I need to go and take care of right-” “Look, Miss Inky, I just wanted to apologize for what happened in your kitchen the other day.” The stallion prince whinnied. “I am really sorry I accidentally dumped those beets on the sea ponies’ heads.” Inky looked at up at the thimble-brained stallion, and smiled sadly. "Thank you, Blueblood, that really does mean a lot coming from you." "If, it is all right with you, lady Inky, if I could perchance handle small, inconsequential tasks around the kitchen, that I could not possibly mess up. It is the least I could do, to make up for what I've done." The grey earth mare thought for a moment. "Hmmm, you know, I think I might just have a place for you, your highness." ... On the floors below, an earth Pony named Noteworthy was helping Sapphire Shores with her latest routine. The stallion was busy playing a piece on a piano, while Sapphire was practicing her singing and dancing routines. “Ok Sapphire, that’s enough for today.” The blue earth pony with the music note cutie mark replied, looking up from his sheet music. “We’ll try the routine for the third piece tomorrow.” “Thank ya, Noteworthy!“ The pony singer looked up at him, and batted her eyelashes. “I really appreciate your help with my performances! I lost all my songwriters, choreographers and personal staff when I got exiled, so I’m grateful for all your help!” “Glad to be of help!” Noteworthy replied, putting all the musical equipment away. “I never thought I’d get to work on a musical program again after my banishment.” Originally from Ponyville, Noteworthy ‘s special talent was working on musical performances behind the scenes. He planned and set up musical concerts and events throughout the region, until a new generation of producers and choreographers took over in the Ponyville region. Out of work, the blue earth pony went out west to the settlement of Appleloosa, in hopes of finding a second chance. He was able find tons of work on the frontier… until a musical about the plight of the Buffaloes losing their lands put him in the bad graces of the earth pony settlers. It wasn’t long before the Equestrian bureaucracy sent him on a one-way trip to Dream Valley. “I gotta say Note, these pieces are quite good!” She looked over several sheets covered in notes. “In fact, some of your songs are even better than my old songwriters work!” “Aw, you’re just being nice, miss Shores!” Noteworthy said bashfully. “My work really isn’t that good!” It was at this point, that nurse Redhart trotted by the door to the music room, and Noteworthy’s eyes went wide, and his face blushed a deep red.. “Why Note! Yer turnin’ redder than a beet!” The pony of pop exclaimed. “You know that mare?” "H-her name is Redheart." Noteworthy replied nervously, after the nurse had trotted by. "She was from Ponyville like I was, She worked at the local clinic, and I- and I...." "Ya had a crush on her?" Sapphire asked, looking at him mischievously. "Ah can tell by the way ya looked at her!" . "But I never had the courage to tell her." Noteworthy slowly nodded. "After I left Ponyville, I never thought I'd see her again!" "But here she is again!" Sapphire replied gleefully. "Fate has brought ya together again! Ya really should go try and try ta talk ta Nurse Redheart!" "Well.. I... um..." The earth pony stumbled backward, and dropped his music folder. "Woah-oh-oh-a!" But before the papers inside could scatter, they mysteriously levitated back up into the folder, and into the earth pony's hoof. "Wait, there's no unicorns in here!" Noteworthy exclaimed in surprise. "How in Celestia did-" "Well, I gotta go," Sapphire Shores replied abruptly. "Talk to ya later, Noteworthy!" The pony of pop trotted quickly out of the room, leaving the bewildered and confused earth stallion behind. ... It was after court had been dismissed, that Cherry Jubilee caught up with her friend Golden Harvest. She was surrounded by the Twinkle-eyed ponies from the Tambelon laboratories, who were trying to make her feel better over her recent misfortunes. The other twinkle eyes scurried away, as the Cherry picker approached. "Carrot Top, so good ta see ya again!" Cherry Jubilee greeted her. "How're things going?" "Oh, not bad, not bad." Golden Harvest said sadly. "My eyeballs were wolf food, I've got gemstones in my eye sockets... life couldn't be better!" Cherry shook her mane sadly. "Awwww,, now Carrot Top! It could be much, much worse!" "Yeah, I could've lost something that wasn't replaceable!" The earth pony rolled her eyes. "And I've told you a thousand times, don't call me Carrot T-" Golden Harvest suddenly trailed off, as she saw Shadowvale and his Pegasus guards trotting through the hallway. As the three ponies walked by, the earth mare noticed that she could see right through their thinly veiled disguises. "Those... those ponies over there!" Golden Harvest exclaimed in horror. "They're Changelings! Somepony do something! They're changelings!" The three Pegasus looked at her in horror, while Cherry Jubilee tried to quiet her friend down. "Come on, Carrot Top!" Cherry Jubilee said nervously, trying the lead her friend away from the scene. "Let's nawt bother the nice Pegasus ponies!" "She can see us!" Shadowvale thought to himself in horror. "The twinkle eyed pony's gemstones eyes allow her to see us! What are we going to do now?" ... A few ponies were still in the throne room, cleaning up after the queen had left. Minuette, seeing North Pole was stacking some papers over by the throne trotted over to him. "So, I heard that Nurse Redhart is really cleaning things up down in the clinic." The unicorn mare whinnied. "And it's all thanks to our newest pony, Lord Shadowvale." "I take it you don't trust him." Cancellor Pole stated flatly, getting right to the point as he usually did. "Of course I don't trust a pony that came out of nowhere!" Minuette snorted. "He and his goons could be spies sent by Celestia, trying to undermine us!" "Will you ever get over your anti-alicorn paranoia, Minuette?" North Pole complained "You just can't seem to get past your delusion that Canterlot is out to get Dream Valley!" "They sent us out here to die, didn't they?" the unicorn mare snapped back. "It's your job as Chancellor to be cautious!" "Who says I'm not being careful?" North Pole asked. "I can be cautious, while still taking advantage of the benefits of Shadowvale serving the royal court." Minuette stopped. "So you've taken precautions, then?" "Why of course, my dear!" North Pole nodded and smiled. "In truth,there are few ponies I actually trust at all." ... Word soon got back to Canterlot, of the change in the fortunes of the Dream Valley exiles. When one particular mare high in the government heard the news, her reaction was lest than thrilled. "THOSE PONIES GOT MEDICINE AND A DOCTOR!" The angry mare roared at the stallion in front of her. "YOU PROMISED ME THIS WOULD NOT HAPPEN!" "Technically miss... she's a nurse, not a doctor." The Canterlot paper pusher corrected her. This earned his a powerful ZAP! from the angry mare. "This situation is rapidly getting even more out of control!" The shadowy figure snapped. "I'm afraid more direct action will be required!" "What are you going to do, mistress?" the pencil-pusher pony inquired, quivering behind his clipboard. The mare went over to a nearby table, and took the lid off of a particularly disgusting-looking vile of purple goo. "What the hay is that?" The stallion lackey inquired, looking at the disgusting concoction. "Luna's mages weren't the only ones working on experiments a few years back." The mare said with a smile. "Celestia's scientists were developing several terrible weapons to use against Equestria's enemies, this little terror was among the worst!" As the two equines looked down at the swampy slime, which immediately began to emit a harmonious sound, that almost sounded like singing... "Bow-bow-bow-bow-bow- noth-ing can stop, the-"