The doctor visit was starting off with a few bumps.
"What do you mean you don't know if he is healthy or not?" Silver demanded.
The elderly Nurse Redheart sighed. "I told you; we have no doctors who are familiar with naga. There's nocreature here that can tell what's healthy and what's unhealthy for him. You might even know more than the staff here can tell you. Have you considered taking him to a veterinarian?"
"A veterinarian?! He's a kid, not a pet!" Silver shouted in outrage, making the nurse flinch back.
Redheart gave her a tight smile. "Miss Spoon, I understand your frustration. I would be just as upset in your position. I'm not telling you this because we don't want to help. Bad medical advice can be worse than no advice. We don't want to tell you anything that might end up hurting the… hurting your student."
Silver glared and wondered what Redheart was originally going to call Sisstet. He couldn't be that different physiologically than most other creatures. She was sure they just didn't want to deal with a naga, no matter how much the nurse protested to the contrary.
Sisstet, for his part, kept quiet. He was curled up into a tight ball next to her left hind leg. It was unfortunate that he was hearing all of this, but she didn't really have an option to keep him away from it. She wasn't just going to leave him somewhere by himself while she fought with the staff, not with the way ponies had been looking at him. Most of her interactions with him had always been in the classroom, and she had pride that her students knew to treat every creature with compassion and respect. She should have realized that adults weren't so tolerant and accepting. It hadn't been too bad on the walk up to the clinic, where every creature could give them a wide breadth of space, but being confined into the smaller space of the lobby had revealed a whole other side to the citizens of Ponyville.
"Is there anything else I can assist you with, Miss Spoon?" Redheart asked, as if trying to end the discussion about Sisstet. "I noticed you have a large bandage on your leg. Do you need medical attention for that?"
She'd promised Twist that she'd have her leg looked at, but right now she was too angry at the clinic staff to stay any longer. "No, it's fine. I guess I'll just be going, and trying to find somecreature else to provide us care. Come on, Sisstet. We're leaving."
She was glad when Sisstet uncoiled and followed her as she matched out of the clinic with her head healed high. Her behavior might have appeared to onlookers to harken back to her snobbish foalhood days, but she wasn't about to let them get away with treating another intelligent creature like a pet. Although- they could be correct about bad advice being worse than no advice. Admitting that fact to herself took a little of her moral outraged strut out of her step, but only some, as it still didn't excuse them for looking at him like he was some monster.
That still left her having made no progress on her morning endeavors. She still needed to have her leg checked out, and she still needed to find a foalsitter for Sisstet while she visited his former guardians. About the only thing she might have accomplished was inadvertently alerting the authorities that she was planning on taking full custody of him. Sweetie Belle was almost certain to tell her boss- Starlight Glimmer- about it, and the headmare of the School of Friendship would in turn communicate that on to the Princess. It was still going to be a good idea to visit the headmare herself though.
After aimlessly traveling a short distance from the clinic she had to stop to determine where exactly she was going. "Sisstet, where have you been going to the doctor?"
Sisstet tilted his head in confusion. "Doctor? I've never been to a doctor."
She turned and stared at him. This really shouldn't be a shock to her, given who his former guardians were, and how basic their ideas of nurturing and care were, but it still was a shock all the same. "What happened when you got sick? You do get sick, right?"
He nodded. "Misss Fluttershy comes to visit me when I get sick. She's nice, but she talks funny, and always tells me how cute I am."
Silver felt a wave of relief. She had a good friendship with Fluttershy, and on many times she had taken her classes on field trips to the animal sanctuary. If there was one creature in Ponyville that could be counted on to treat Sisstet properly, it was Fluttershy. The soft spoken pegasus was also known to be fairly well versed in information concerning uncommonly seen intelligent creatures, like the breezies and bushwoolies. It seemed like that knowledge might extend to naga as well.
"We're going to go visit her then," Silver announced. "I'm going to see if she can watch you for a little while."
Sisstet cowered down and whimpered. "I- I thought you wanted to keep me."
She immediately lowered herself down so she could look him in the eyes. "I do want to keep you, but I need somecreature to watch you for maybe two or three hours while I take care of some things. I'm just getting you a temporary foalsitter."
He gave her a puzzled look. "Why do I need ssomecreature to sit on foals?"
He doesn't know what a foalsitter is? "What did your guardians- excuse me- former guardians do when they both needed to work and you weren't at school?" She was already dreading the answer.
He shrugged. "They just left me at the house."
She grit her teeth. "How often did they do that and when was the first time they did it?"
The young naga seemed confused. "Um… they do it at least once a week, ssometimes more. I don't remember the first time. They've always done it that way, since before I started school."
Now she had another reason to rage. A kid his age being occasionally left alone at home for an hour or so might not be too bad, not ideal, but not completely neglectful. However, this wasn't an occasional thing according to what was described, nor for just an hour or so. What was worse, they had been doing this back when he was four or younger- which wasn't okay under any circumstances. No one should leave a foal that young unattended at home for hours on end! What if he got hurt? What if someone with ill intent noticed they were doing it and came after him when they knew he'd be home by himself? She didn't want to think anycreature in Ponyville would do such a thing, but there was clearly not much love for nagas to be had- not to mention Ponyville was a tourist hotspot, bringing in strangers who might do anything.
She gathered her feelings and bundled them up so she wouldn't let him see her anger. "A foalsitter is a term for someone who takes care of a foal for short periods of time when a parent or guardian isn't available, usually for a few hours, though sometimes for a day or two. You'll have foalsitters from now on when both Twist and I are unavailable to be with you."
"Twisst is the other pony at your house?" He asked.
Silver nodded. "She's my wife. She'll be your other guardian."
This seemed to puzzle Sisstet for some reason. "But… you are both female. How do you make eggss?"
That question took her by surprise. Intolerance towards same-sex couples was rare these days, and mainly circulated among the upper class were they were greatly concerned about the production of heirs to family lines. She had suspected that her parents might have felt that way about her and Twist when she first brought up her engagement years before. They object to her, at first, but not because of that. It turned out they were more concerned that Twist didn't come from a wealthy family or have any large personal wealth. She didn't expect that kind of reaction out of one of her students.
She decided to just do her best to explain it. "We love each other very much. Couples like me and Twist might not be able to produce foals together, but we can adopt, or become pregnant by other means. The most important thing a couple should have is love and respect for one another, and Twist and I have that."
"Oh…" Sisstet replied, and she could see him trying to think it through. "I'm not ssure my guar- my old guardians love each other. I'm not sure they love anycreature. Does that make them a bad couple, Miss Silver Spoon?"
Silver grit her teeth again. "Sisstet, I want to be honest with you, but if I express myself about that it might not be pretty. So let's just not discuss it. You're very intelligent, and I'm sure you can guess my answer."
He huddled up on himself slightly. "Okay, Misss Silver Spoon. Are we going to go see Miss Fluttershy now? I don't mind being with her for a few hours. She's nice."
Sisstet had a very simplistic view of others that she could appreciate. He divided them into two camps, nice and not nice. She wished she could have as easy to understand view of the world.
She stood back up. "Yes, we're going to see Miss Fluttershy now. She's going to make sure you're healthy, and maybe watch you while I get what I need done."
He nodded, and followed her as she began walking again.
Silver sat by a stream at the sanctuary, surrounded by bunnies, and watched as Fluttershy thoroughly examine Sisstet.
The pegasus poked at Sisstet's coils. "Is anything sore when I do this? How has your appetite been lately?"
"I eat normal, right now," Sisstet replied. "Nothing hurtss."
Fluttershy nodded and stopped poking. "Okay, then your summer shed isn't getting ready to start yet."
"Summer shed?" Silver asked.
Fluttershy turned to her. "Yes, naga typically shed their skin during both the summer and winter. He's probably been on his summer and winter breaks from school when it has happened before. You can usually tell it is getting ready to start because their skin will become very sensitive and they'll lose their appetite."
Okay… shedding skin. It was different from what she was used to, but it was apparently something normal. She could at least expect it now. "What do I do for him when he's doing that?"
Fluttershy ran a wing over Sisstet. "Don't touch him much during those times. His new skin underneath is going to be very delicate at first, and you can damage it. He still needs to eat, but focus on very soft foods, like soup or pastes- nothing big and solid. Keep him hydrated as well, with plenty of water. Light sponge baths are okay, but let him be the one cleaning himself. He'll know how much pressure he can be applying without it hurting. Oh! And he'll be a bit of a grumpy-gus, don't let it hurt your feelings; he's just uncomfortable. Warning signs start about a week before, the shed itself lasts about a week, and he'll still need you to be gentle with him for several days after it is over."
"Thanks for warning me about that," Silver said with sincere gratitude. "I'd have been freaking out when it happened. It's nice to find somecreature that knows a lot about nagas."
Fluttershy beamed. "Oh, thank you! But, I don't really know that much, to tell the truth. Not as much as I'd like to. I know about the very basics for when they're healthy, what they should be doing to stay healthy, and the normal things they go through regularly- like the shedding skin, but I don't know much at all about naga illnesses or a lot of other things. The staff up at the school in the Crystal Empire know a lot more than I'll ever know."
"But he said that you come take care of him when he's sick."
Fluttershy smiled. "Normal colds and flu for nagas aren't really different than colds and flu are for ponies. They have certain illnesses that are naga specific though, and I don't know how to treat those. He'd need an expert from the Crystal Empire for that." She then hugged Sisstet and nuzzled him. Sisstet's seemed to have conflicting mix of heartfelt appreciation for the affection and the strong desire to get away. "Thankfully this cute little guy hasn't ever gotten any of those kinds of sick."
Silver huffed in frustration. "Darn it. I was hoping that somecreature around here would have like a big book on everything to know about nagas."
As soon as she finished speaking, two big yellow eyes popped right in front of her face, making her flinch back in fright. "Hello! I was in the neighborhood, as I always am- since I'm always lending my dear Fluttershy a hand, a claw, or a hoof- and I couldn't help overhearing you need a big book about nagas."
The eyes pulled back from her face to reveal they were attached to the mismatched form of Discord. Now that the initial jump scare was over she gave the draconequus a suspicious eye. "I don't want you doing anything to harass or torment Sisstet for your amusement."
Discord recoiled in mock pain. He then held up a claw and a halo appeared over his head. "I'd do nothing of the sort. I promised Princess Twilight that I'd do nothing that would upset any of the naga in her realm. She made it quite clear she'd be cross with me if I did." His head suddenly shifted shape to a warped likeness of Princess Twilight- if she had brown fur and big yellow eyes. "Discord, if you do anything to the nagas to frighten, practical joke them, or in any other way make any of them uncomfortable, I'll put you in stone right alongside Chrysalis and Tirek for a year." His head shifted back to normal. "Needless to say, I don't feel like being a pigeon toilet for a year. It makes my back so stiff, and I always find some bugs that decided to make a nest in my ears."
He snapped with his paw, and a large book that was nearly half Silver Spoon's size appeared in front of her. She walked over to it and read it's title aloud.
"Everything You Ever Wanted to Know, Didn't Want to Know, and Would Rather Not Know About Naga, by Some Guy." She frowned and looked up at Discord. "By Some Guy?! Is this book supposed to be a joke?"
Discord's expression switched to something between annoyed and angry. "I'll have you know it is a very thorough explanation of everything your little earth pony mind could think to ask about naga. Everything in it is absolutely true. I told you I have no intention on being turned to stone, and I meant it, but if you don't want my book-"
She quickly huddled over the book. "No! I mean yes! I mean- thank you very much for this. I'm sure it will be very helpful." She actually had no idea how helpful it would be. For all she knew he filled it with pointless naga trivia and left out everything of importance, but she wasn't going to risk that it really would answer any questions she had.
Discord crossed his arms. "Hmm… that's better. Seriously, you ponies are so ungrateful for my very generous aid. I'm always helpful, but I'm met with nothing but suspicion and hostility."
Fluttershy walked over to him and patted him with a wing. "I think you're very helpful, and I'm glad you're around."
As Fluttershy sat and mullified the Lord of Chaos, Silver Spoon opened the massive book up to the table of contents. It was quite impressive, and if it was to be believed it did cover literally every question she might come up with specific to nagas. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to what order the chapters were in; naga history was sandwiched between chapters about naga physiology and one-thousand-and-one uses of naga skin (she'd count that one under things she'd rather not know). There were over thirty different chapters, with each chapter covering a hundred pages or more. There unfortunately were no subdivisions of chapters listed, so if she wanted to find out about anything specific she would be left blindly combing the appropriate chapter until she came across it. Still, this was going to be a massive aid.
However, she realized she had a problem. "Fluttershy? Do you have a cart or something I can use to bring this book back home with me? It's way too big to stick in my saddlebags, or for me to try to balance on my back all the way home." She briefly considered asking if Discord could just teleport it to her house, but she had a feeling it would end up on her roof or some other absurd place if she did.
"Ohh," Fluttershy meeped. "I think I might have something. It would take me awhile to get it though."
Silver nodded. "That might be fine. I had another favor to ask… do you think you could watch Sisstet for an hour or two? I need to go somewhere I'd rather he not be."
Fluttershy immediately grappled Sisstet up in a big hug, hovering in the air and holding him several feet above the ground. Sisstet struggled briefly, before realizing he was in the air, and immediately went still after that.
"Of course I wouldn't mind!" Fluttershy exclaimed. She then set Sisstet back down and gave Silver a serious expression. "But I can only watch him for an hour. My brother is supposed to be coming to drop off my niece for the day. Citrine Breeze is a little older than Sisstet, but she can be… opinionated and abrasive towards others. We're trying to break her of that- which is why she's visiting today- but she might say some hurtful things to Sisstet if he's here with her."
Silver blinked, the idea that Fluttershy had a bully for a niece was somehow more shocking than anything Discord might have done. "I'll try to be quick then. Thank you for doing all this."
Fluttershy's smile returned for a moment before her eyes settled on the bandaged leg. "If it's okay to ask, what happened to your leg?"
Silver held it up. "This? It's nothing. Sisstet just bit me last night while he was upset. It wasn't very deep, barely deep enough to draw blood."
The yellow pegasus mare's eyes went wide. "Oh my! When you get back I need to put a salve on that. Naga aren't venomous, but there are many types of bacteria in their mouths that ponies don't have. Those can cause an infection if not properly cleaned with antibacterials. I insist you give me time when you come back to look at it. I really should be doing it now, but I don't have the right supplies on me."
Alright, so perhaps Twist did have reason to worry about it. Silver resolved not to make a big deal about it to her wife. Just some extra precautions. "I'll make sure to let you do that. I'll be back as soon as I can. Sisstet, I'll be back in less than an hour. Stay out of trouble for Miss Fluttershy and do what she says.
He poked his head up out of where he had coiled in on himself. "Yess, Miss Silver Spoon."
She then turned and hurried off. Not looking forward to her confrontation with the adult naga.