//------------------------------// // Chapter 20 (Goodbye Nurse) // Story: Moving Day // by Timothy48 //------------------------------// Chapter 20 “Sign here, please.” Scritch-scritch-scritch, clink. “And here.” Scritch-scritch-scritch, clink. “And lastly, here.” Scritch-scritch-scritch, clink. Heaving a sigh of relief, Allen set the nib pen back in its ink well on the receptionist’s desk and waited for her to finish filing his discharge paperwork. Turning, he cast his gaze around the deserted hospital waiting room. By now, it was mid-morning, the sun having risen several hours ago and Allen was itching to get out. Bouncing impatiently on the balls of his feet, he felt like a child again, being forced to wait for a treat while his parents took their sweet time. In this case however, he was just waiting for his part of the release forms, and then he would be able to finally leave. “And there you go!” chirped the nurse happily as she hoofed over his portion of the paperwork. Her sunny disposition was infectious, as Allen found himself returning her smile with one of his own. “Much appreciated,” he replied, stuffing the papers in his backpack, which also happened to be filled to bursting with the things that he’d had Twilight and the others bring over from his house during his stay in the hospital. “Have a nice day,” he called back over his shoulder as he strode out the door. “You too!” replied the nurse happily, before she turned her attention to something else. Stepping out through the front doors, he was greeted by a small group of ponies. On his right stood Dr. Stable and Nurse Redheart, both ponies gave Allen a big smile, pleased at his recovery. On the left, stood Twilight and Lyra, each sported a pair of saddlebags that matched their coat colors and sported latches done up as their cutie marks. They had offered to help Allen bring some of his stuff back with him, along with keeping him company on his walk home. Allen, not too prideful to refuse help, had accepted their offer graciously, glad that he wouldn’t have to try and lug everything home by himself. The company was also a nice bonus, as over the past few weeks he had come to enjoy his time with the two studious mares. Giving them a quick nod in greeting, he quickly shifted his attention to the two ponies most responsible for his successful recovery. “Dr. Stable, Nurse Redheart,” he greeted. “Mr. Ross,” they replied in unintended stereo. Chuckling at their response, Allen kneeled down so that he was at eye level with them and said, “I can’t thank you guys enough for what you did for me, but here goes,” Taking a deep breath, he gave them his most winning smile and said, “Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for everything you both did.” Returning his smile with their own, both Dr. Stable and Nurse Redheart accepted Allen’s thanks by extending a hoof for him to shake. “You are most welcome Mr. Ross,” said Dr. Stable as Allen shook his hoof. “I know that this experience wasn’t easy or pleasant, but I am glad that everything turned out fine in the end.” Letting loose a laugh, Allen replied, “Yeah, me too doc, me too.” Turning to shake Nurse Redheart’s hoof, Allen was a little caught off guard when the sturdy nurse pulled him into a sudden hug. “And thank you Mr. Ross,” she whispered in his ear. Pulling back slightly he asked, “For what?” Giving a soft smile she replied, “For listening last night. It felt...good to tell someone about my cutie mark story, I-I don’t often tell ponies, at least not the whole story, just the condensed and sanitized version. I guess I’ve been bottling up my thoughts and emotions a bit too much lately, and I needed to get it out of my system a little bit. So, thank you.” “You’re welcome,” said Allen simply, a content smile on his face. As he stood up from the embrace, Allen found himself being given a stern look from Dr. Stable. “Now remember, if you want to keep getting better, you need to follow the instructions that I have given you to the letter, understand?” He said as he pointed an admonishing hoof at Allen. Holding his hand’s up in mock surrender, Allen complied saying, “Don’t worry doc, you can count on me keeping up with my regimen. No need to worry about that.” Giving a satisfied nod, Dr. Stable simply said, “Good, see that you do or else.” Shooting off a salute in reply, Allen turned his attention to his two traveling companions and said, “Well, I think that about does it. Ready to get going?” Nodding in reply, both Lyra and Twilight turned and after saying their final farewells to Dr. Stable and Nurse Redheart, the trio set out. The three of them forming into a line with Allen in the middle and Lyra and Twilight to his left and right respectively. “So Allen, how are you feeling right now?” asked Twilight, a slight hint of concern coloring her voice. Giving a mighty stretch, Allen shot her a winning smile and happily replied, “Like a million bucks.” “What do male deer have to do with how you’re feeling?” asked Lyra, a very confused look on her face. Shooting her a sheepish smile, Allen replied, “Sorry, it’s an idiom from back home. It means that I feel great.” “But what does that have to do with deer?” said Twilight, from Allen’s right side. Chuckling Allen replied, “It doesn’t, while buck does mean male deer back home, it’s also slang for a dollar.” Comprehension dawned on Twilight’s face as she quickly whipped out a scroll and quill from her saddlebag and began furiously taking notes. “And a dollar is your currency back home right?” she inquired. Allen nodded. “Correct.” Her quill continued scratching across her parchment as she mumbled to herself, “Fascinating.” Seeing that the nerdy purple unicorn was nearly lost to the world, Allen turned his attention to his other traveling companion and asked, “So how have things been with you lately, Lyra?” Glancing up at Allen, Lyra shot him a content smile and said, “Pretty good. My doctorate is coming along nicely and thanks to you, ponies are starting to take my thesis and research theories seriously now. I’ll have you know,” she said, placing a hoof to her chest, and sticking her muzzle up in the air in mock haughtiness, “that I am currently the leading scientist on human mythology right now.” “I’m pretty sure you’re the only scientist, Lyra,” replied Allen dryly. Letting her forehoof fall back to the ground, she stuck out her tongue jokingly at him in reply. To which Allen simply rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Real mature there, doc.” Giggling in response, Lyra bumped against Allen’s hip and said, “All joking aside, things have been going very well for me. If everything goes the way I expect it to, I’ll have my doctorate finished by the end of the year, maybe even sooner.” “Really? I thought you still had a ways to go?” Lyra shook her head. “I’ve basically finished all the class work needed for it. I’ve got maybe two semester’s worth of work to go at this point. Really, the only thing holding me back was my thesis, and thanks to you, that’s nearly done. All that’s left to do is edit it, and submit it for review. And considering how your presence here is shaking up the scientist community, well...I figure it’ll be accepted no problem.” “Nice, glad to hear that. So what happens after?” Lyra shrugged. “It’ll probably be more of the same, studying you, asking you questions, looking through your collection of books, music, art, etc. with your permission of course,” said Lyra quickly, as if afraid Allen would think she was taking advantage of him for her own gain without considering his feelings on the matter. “Of course,” replied Allen simply. “And putting my findings to paper to be published,” she finished, a yearning sigh at the end. “There is just so much to learn about you and your culture Allen! It boggles the mind when I think about it. About how our worlds could have at one point been in regular contact with each other and that for some reason thousands of years ago they were disconnected somehow.” Allen nodded in agreement. “I agree, there seems to be a lot of evidence pointing to our worlds having at least limited contact at one point in history. I mean hell, my people are learning about things that happened just a few decades ago that either went unreported or were misremembered. A thousand years is a long time to forget stuff, never mind five or even ten thousand.” “Exactly, who knows what knowledge could have been lost to the sands of time!” exclaimed Lyra excitedly. “In any case, while history does interest me, I’m afraid I won’t have a lot of time to dwell on it going forward.” “Oh, and why is that?” “Well, the fact that I need to find a way to earn some income is a bit of a pressing concern at the moment,” remarked Allen dryly. Lyra felt her ears fold back against her mane. “Are you going to be okay? I’d hate for you to lose even more because you couldn’t pay your bills.” Allen waved her concerns away. “I’ve got a couple ideas that should help buy me some breathing space at least.” Her ears perking up at hearing that, Lyra said, “Oh, like what?” Allen shot her an unsure look as he scratched the back of his head. “Well, I’d rather not get into too much detail right now, but there is a pony who is willing to help me out by entering into a business partnership with me as it were.” “Can you say who?” asked Lyra curiously. Looking down, Allen had to stifle a laugh when he saw her expression. She looks just like a dog when it’s confused, it’s kind of adorable. Some of his inner thoughts must have leaked onto his face, as Lyra’s expression quickly morphed into one of annoyance. “What is that look for?” Quickly glancing away, Allen innocently asked, “What look?” “Never mind,” she said, shaking her head, “you were saying?” Allen shrugged. “I’d rather not get into the specifics of it at the moment, as we’re still in the process of hashing out the finer details. But the gist of it is that they would front me a sizable portion of bits along with access to some unused farmland. In exchange, I would plant and harvest the products that they would then sell on the market for me using their various commercial connections.” “Well, it sounds like things will work out for you then,” replied Lyra with a smile. Allen shrugged again. “Maybe, if there is one thing I know about farming, is that it’s the only form of gambling that is legal everywhere in the world. All it takes is one bad season, and you're done.” “It sounds like you have some experience with that,” remarked Lyra softly. Letting loose a humorless chuckle, Allen pointed in the direction of his farm. “You’ve seen first hand just how run down my place is, Lyra. Back home, in my world, we were barely scraping by. My dad did his best, but the economics of modern farming don’t leave a lot of room for the little guy. You basically buy retail and sell wholesale, and the rule is generally that you owe your soul to some corporate banker in New York rather than owning your farm.” “That sounds terrible.” “Could be worse,” said Allen, simply, “I learned that lesson the hard way. So long as I had a roof over my head, food in my belly, and clothes on my back, I figured the rest was just details. Still...” “You wish things were just a little bit easier,” finished Lyra, a sympathetic smile on her face. “Yep, pretty much,” replied Allen as he turned his attention back to the road in front of him. By this point, the group had passed the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres, and apples trees now lined the road to either side. In the distance, Allen could just barely make out the open grasslands that marked the end of the Apple family’s land, and the beginning of his. “However, as the old saying back home goes, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.” “I take it the meaning was that if wishes could come true, then everyone would have everything they ever wanted?” Looking back down at Lyra, Allen nodded. “Got it in one.” “Fascinating,” came a mumbled response from his right side. Looking that way, Allen could see that Twilight’s scroll had grown considerably longer, and that she now had another two hovering in the air next to the first. It was honestly both amusing and slightly concerning for the displaced human. “Is she going to be okay?” he asked, not taking his eyes off of the distracted unicorn. Lyra peered around Allen and with a laugh replied, “She’ll be fine. By this point, Twilight has mastered the art of trotting with her muzzle stuck in a paper or book. Just let her be, though if we need to make a sharp turn, we’ll need to gently nudge her onto the new course, otherwise we risk losing her.” “I can hear you talking you know,” replied Twilight from behind her scroll, an annoyed tone prevalent in her voice, and most likely upon her face. Though Allen couldn’t be sure due to said face being blocked by levitating parchment. “Oh, I know,” replied Lyra cheekily, “I just like poking fun at you every now and again, you know, to make sure you’re actually paying attention.” Motioning for Allen to bend down closer to her, Lyra loudly whispered in his ear saying, “Of course, there was that one time back in Junior year that she got separated from us during a field trip and accidentally ended up on the wrong train.” Jerking her notes out of her face, Twilight shot Lyra a glare and retorted, “It could have happened to anypony! Both the train for Van Hoover and the one for Manehatten were on the same platform! I just happened to turn left, while the rest of the class turned right!” “Of course, if you hadn’t had your head muzzle deep in that book you were reading, you probably wouldn’t have gotten on the wrong train because you would have seen the class get on the train that was on the right side of the platform,” shot back Lyra, in what Allen assumed by this point was a well rehearsed argument between the two friends over an embarrassing incident. Twilight opened her mouth in preparation for another retort when Allen cut in saying, “Maybe we should change the topic?” Realizing that they had been in the process of working themselves into a full blown fight, Lyra and Twilight, both blushing heavily in embarrassment, quickly agreed with Allen and apologized to the other before moving onto a less touchy subject. “So,” began Lyra hesitantly, “what were you planning on doing when you got home today?” “Well that depends on what needs to be done when I get there,” replied Allen simply. “You know you’re supposed to take things easy for a bit longer,” said Twilight, a note of warning in her voice. Allen rolled his eyes. “I’m a farmer, Twilight. It doesn’t matter if I’m half dead from some disease, if the animals need feeding, they get fed. If the harvest needs to be brought in, it’s brought in and I worry about my health second.” Twilight quickly trotted around and stopped in front of Allen, pointing a hoof at him, she spoke in a very serious tone. “Now you stop that right now, mister! I don’t care what you are. If you are not feeling well, then you should ask for help! Just ask my friend Applejack. She tried to harvest the entirety of Sweet Apple Acres by herself, while also helping other ponies in town at the same time. In the end, she nearly worked herself sick before she finally admitted she needed help.” “And in the process she helped poison half the town,” grumbled Lyra. “Wait, what?” asked Allen incredulously, “how did she manage that?” Rolling her eyes, Lyra replied, “She was so tired, she used the wrong ingredients to make muffins with. As a result, anypony who ate them got sick. A few ponies had to be hospitalized for over a week because of it.” Twilight nodded. “And when Applejack found out about that, she was extremely sorry and upset that she had let her pride get in the way of not just her safety and well being, but others as well. So please,” she said, looking up at Allen, a concerned look on her face, “don’t make the same mistake that my friend made. If the doctors told you to go easy, then you need to go easy until they say otherwise. If you need somepony to come help you, then we’ll help, and if we can’t, then I’m sure we can find somepony who can. I mean, who do you think has been taking care of your farm for the past few weeks?” finished Twilight with a smug smile on her face. Throwing up his hands in capitulation, Allen replied exasperatedly, “Alright, fine. I’ll take it easy, geez.” Trading her smug smile for a soft one, Twilight gently placed a hoof on Allen’s chest and said, “Thank you, I’d hate to hear that you hurt yourself because you didn’t want to be a burden for anypony, but that is what friends are for, Allen. They are there to help you when you need it, and right now buster, you need our help.” Returning her smile with one of his own, Allen nodded and said, “Thanks, the both of you. I really appreciate it.” “Your welcome,” replied Twilight happily. Lyra just nodded her head in agreement. “Now, let’s get going, we don’t want to be late for your party after all!” and with that, both Lyra and Twilight shot each other a grin and turned quickly trotting off. Allen meanwhile stood there staring ahead, a far away look on his face and mumbled to himself, “What party?”