The plum colored pony was turning red with fury. She had finally found her ivory goddess, only to discover her cuddling with some strange green horned monster! Of course it was understandable that her snuzzy wuzzums could get a little impatient waiting for her. It had taken her fifty (or was it five?) times around the building to find her pink haired goddess, but that ugly creature holding on to her, that vial abomination would suffer.
Though, even as the spiral eyed pony readied the custard pie she had procured from… somewhere to throw at the creature, or at least the window, the ugly green thing let go of her white and pink squirty-flower and pulled away. The thing seemed to be saying something and the floating mare pressed her nose against the glass to listen.
“…haven’t changed at all since we were fillies,” the creature said, laughing. “Just traded one blanket for another.”
“Well what about you?” her goddess replied, poking the monster in the chest with a hoof. “You could never get to bed unless you had that old teddy ursa of yours. The only difference now is she actually gets up and bakes for you too.”
The horned beast grinned sheepishly as its face turned scarlet and it began to rub the back of its head. “Yeah well, speaking of Bon Bon, I should probably go back to helping her out in the kitchens. You think you can stay here and actual rest for a while?”
Her ivory beauty closed her eyes and waved a hoof at the creature, smiling gently. “Go. I don’t plan on getting up from this couch until I’m numb as a rock.” The creature smiled back and stood to leave. It made it half way to the door before (insert name here) added, “though I would have thought you’d be serenading the patients instead. A little music might help lighten the atmosphere around here.”
The green creature froze in its tracks, causing the pink maned goddess to blink at it in confusion. “What?”
“I… sort of had to leave my lyre at home today…” the abomination admitted hesitantly. “A few of the notes I played while tuning it this morning sort of… exploded.” Then looking back added, “Do you think our house insurance cover’s musical accidents?”
“Knowing Bon Bon she probably asked for specifically when she moved in with you,” the other mare deadpanned. Then with a teasing smile added, “now go, she’s probably worrying about where you got off too.”
The creature gave a nod and one last smile before opening the door and exiting, leaving her beautiful marshmallow pony all alone at last. The white mare sighed and began readjusting her cold packs again before laying her head down on the worn out couch once more. The spiral eyed face outside took on a cat like grin.
Now, all she had to do was make a romantic entrance.
--------------------------------------
Nurse Redheart let out a deep breath as her cousin disappeared behind the closing door. Laying her head back down on the arm of the less than plush couch, the Head Nurse began what was bound to be a lengthy search for a spot on the polyester and lumpy cotton that could be deemed comfortable. However, no sooner had she found a position that she could pretend to relax in than she felt a familiar tingling sensation begin to build in her nose. “Ah… Achoo!”
“Aardvark,” a singsong voice said politely.
“Thank you,” the Head Nurse replied, rubbing her nose and readjusting herself. A second latter her eyes flew open and she sat up as quickly as her bruised body would allow. “Who’s there?”
The startled mare looked all about the room for the source of the peculiar remark, but she was completely alone, but there was one thing amiss that she did notice. The window, which she was sure had been shut tight just a few minutes ago, was open wide and letting in a gentle breeze carrying the scent of chocolate milk and soap. Being that the aroma wasn’t entirely pleasant, and a strict order was in effect that all windows were to be kept shut at all times during a crisis situation, the Head Nurse forced herself to her feet to close it.
The cold packs slid off of her and fell with a sloshy ‘plut’ when they hit the ground as she stood. The cheep anesthetics had already done their work however, and while stiff, she was able to make it to the window without pain. She closed and secured the window closed without difficulty, but after double checking the latch and turning around she was met with a startling sight.
The room had completely changed.
The walls were draped in tie-dye sheets and pillow cases. No pillows though, just the cases. Several lava lamps of varying colors and sizes had been placed about the room on the table, the sink, the floor, and along the back of the couch, and a large and expensive looking stereo system stood against where the door to the hall should have been. Confused, and a bit frightened by the sudden change in decorum her hospital break room had taken, Redheart took a few tentative steps forward before realizing that the chipping tile floor had been covered by slices of freshly baked bread. As she bent down to examine them closer, there was the sound of curtains being pulled shut and she was plunged into almost complete darkness.
The earth pony quickly turned around to find nothing but darkness and took several more steps back until she felt her flank bump against the table. Her heart began pounding as she pleaded with her eyes to adjust to the gloom just a little faster. She could just make out something moving in the shadows but the uneven and shifting light from the lava lamps made it impossible to discern a distinctive shape, if it even had one. Redheart was no foal; this had to be the work of Chaos, and after her last encounter with its terrible, disfiguring, and mind warping effects she was in no hurry to go hoof to hoof with another of the heavily infected.
“H-hello?” she called out into the shadowy room. “Who’s there?”
She was answered by a hungry (or possibly seductive,) growl. Redheart swallowed involuntarily.
“Listen,” she said, doing her best to seem calming and sincere. “I know you’re very confused right now, but I’m a nurse. I can help you. We’ve discovered a cure, so if you can just calm down and open the door I’m sure we can-” She was interrupted by a soft buzzing sound and several catcalls that were suddenly whistled at her from the darkness. The mare stopped for a few seconds in surprise before continuing, “…help you…”
By this time her eyes were finally starting to adjust to the dim light, and she could just make out the shape of a mare standing on her hind legs, leaning causally against the wall near the curtained off window. Growing up with Lyra, it was a silhouette she was more familiar with than most ponies. In fact, there was something very familiar the shape of the head and body.
“Please,” Redheart asked, squinting her eyes as she attempted to penetrate the gloom. “Just… come into the light so we can see each other.” There was a few seconds pause before the other mare reacted. Sliding off the wall, the pony landed on all fours and slowly made her way into the space just beyond the glow of the light.
“That’s it,” Redheart prompted, her smile friendly and beckoning the other mare to come closer with her hoof. “It’s okay now, don’t be shy.”
The light from the closest lava lamp turned white before the other mare slid smoothly into view. The neutral light clearly illuminated her plum coat as well as a yellow and orange propeller beanie that rested atop a mane of wild purple and white streaked hair. The violet swirls of her eyes were partially hidden between half closed lids, and her smile was small and playful, (though it was difficult to distinguish in which sense of the word.) Redheart’s own eyes widened and she brought a hoof to her mouth to cover the gasp that escaped her lips when she recognized the other mare.
“M-Mercy? she asked, her voice small and frightened. Is… is that you?”
The plum pony batted her swirling eyes and stepped closer, swaying her hips slightly as she did so. Redheart stood stalk still, frozen to the spot as she stared, eyes nearly the size of saucers. Screwball, the thing that had once been Mercy Sweetheart, continued to creep closer and closer to her prey in the dim light until,
*GLOMP*
“Sweet Celestia, you have no idea how worried I’ve been!”
The spiral eyed mare felt herself skid across the bread strewn floor on her back after being tackled by a white a pink blur that had grabbed her about the neck. Which was odd because even with a mind flooded with chaos and almost boiling over hormones, she had been quite certain she had been on her feet a second ago.
“When you didn’t show up at the Medical Center I thought something had happened to you. I even sent Bon Bon and Lyra to look for you so I could try to focus on keeping the hospital together. I swear I would have gone to look for you myself, but everypony needed me here and… well… oh Mercy I’m just so glad you’re okay!”
The confused Screwball felt the mare grabbing her squeeze her even more tightly, eliciting her to let out a squeak like a rubber duck. The babbling pony on top of her gave no indication of hearing the noise, and instead continued to repeat over and over how happy she was to see her missing friend. After several seconds, reality finally dawned on Screwball that the object of her affections was currently laying on top of her with her forelegs around her neck and her face buried in her shoulder, almost sobbing with joy at seeing her. The plum pony made a very wide a goofy smile as she began to proliferate tiny floating hearts again. She began to see the appeal of plans not going entirely as expected.
“Don’t ever leave me like that again, okay?” Redheart continued, her eyes shut as she gently shook the other mare to emphasize her words. “Understand? I was going out of my mind with worry over you, you… you silly pony!”
Screwball nodded her head in def agreement. Given in the state of bliss she was in the ivory mare could have asked her to cut off her own head and she would have happily agreed. Not that it would have done any lasting damage of course.
But something was causing a lasting effect in the plum pony’s mind. Something was beginning to wake up admits the desire, chaos, and pocket full that made up Screwball’s brain. The warmth that twice before burned her bliss and euphoria that was Screwball was rising again. The memories and pain of Mercy Sweetheart rose with the prickling heat, but instead of burring away what was already there, the two minds began to swirl and mix. Like oil and water, they would not truly combine, but they were both present, and both the mind of a single mare. A mare who was exceptionally calm and contented in the embrace of her two year crush.
Sadly, one of the few rules of the universe the lord of chaos had not overwritten was that all good things must come to an end, and all too soon the sniffling white pony was climbing off of her plum colored friend, much to Screwball’s disappointment.
“I’m sorry about that,” Redheart said, horribly embarrassed yet still smiling as she wiped her eyes with the back of the hoof. “I just… Lyra says I get emotional when I miss somepony I care about. And, well, I guess it’s no secret that I care about you…”
The ivory mare looking away shyly, her faced clearly tinged scarlet even in the soft multicolored light and Screwball felt herself turn to into a puddle of jelly. She quickly reformed herself into a pony when she heard the Head Nurse begin speaking again after a few seconds.
“Um, look I… I know this probably isn’t the time or place,” Redheart said nervously, looking down at her hooves. “But… well, I want to tell you that you’re my… I’m not even really sure how to say it.”
Screwball was on her hooves and sitting at the ivory mare’s side in an instant.
“Well… Mercy, you’re…”
‘Yes?’ The plum pony thought, leaning closer.
“You’re my…”
‘Yes?’
“My…”
‘YES?’
Redheart took a deep breath to steady herself. Then she turned to face the waiting mare and said, “Mercy, you’re my bla…”
The words died in her throat as she locked eyes with the other mare’s violet/blue orbs. They were large, pleading and glistened with hope in the soft glow of the lava lamps around them. Those quivering, spiral and solid sapphire eyes looked at her as if she held the power of life and death. The plum pony’s mind had stopped. Every synapse and scrap of lint poised with absolute focus as she waited to hear the completion of what could have been the most important sentence she would ever hear.
Redheart remained silent however, simply looking at the slightly smaller mare just as much attention. Then slowly, hesitantly, the ivory mare reached up to gently cup Mercy/Screwball’s face.
“Mercy…” she whispered, slowly moving her head closer to the other mare. The both halves of the other pony mirrored her actions and slowly rose up to meet her. Her two toned eyes began to flutter shut and she felt her lips pulled forward like magnets searching for their counterpart. She could feel the warmth radiating off Redheart’s face, almost taste her lips, and then...
“Is there something wrong with your eye?” Redheart asked concernedly, taking a firmer hold on the other mare’s head and using her other hoof to pull open one of the now duckfaced pony’s eye lids. “Err, hold on I can’t see in this awful light. Come over here.”
The Head Nurse stood and walked back towards the window, leaving the other mare frozen with her lips pursed and both of her minds completely blank. She remained in that awkward tableau for several seconds until the other mare realized she wasn’t following grabbed her by the shoulder to pull her along.
Light flooded the room as soon as the baby draconequus patterned curtains (which had not been part of the room’s original decor,) were pulled away. Both, or perhaps all three, ponies had to shield their eyes from the harsh and blinding light outside. Redheart wasted no time however and immediately grabbed Screwball’s head to examine her. The mare wriggled in her hooves like a little filly as she continued to try to shield her eyes, her more mature half still stunned into complete indifference. “Hold still,” Redheart cooed instinctively, “I need to see.”
Her words had an almost immediate effect, and the plum mare settled down to allow the Head Nurse to perform her examination.
“Clammy coat, almost to the point of feeling artificial,” Redheart said to herself, habitually listing symptoms. “No bruises or discoloration along face, neck or shoulders. Temperature feels normal. Eyes…” Redheart gently pried open the more unusual eye of her friend, absentmindedly stroking the mare’s neck with her other hoof as she did so to keep calm her.
“Dilated? No, discolored? No, I… I’ve never seen anything like this,” she muttered, again moving closer for a better look as her friend’s spiral patterned eye.
She came almost nose to nose with the plum mare, and still slowly stroking Screwball’s neck in a way that was supposed to be relaxing. The response wasn’t quite the one she was trying to elicit however, and her assistant’s face began to glow crimson and warm.
“It looks like you have a high fever as well,” Redheart commented, pushing up the mare’s overly curly bangs to press their foreheads together. As she did so her hooves moved down Screwball’s neck and began checking the now whirling eyed mare’s chest and sides for any swellings or inflamed tissue. Her patient however, was nearly ready to sprout steam from her ears as her boss intimately investigated her body for any signs of illness.
As both sides of her brain began to panic, the poor creature began to tremble so badly, due to various reasons, that Redheart had to lead her over to the couch and lay her down to finish her examination.
“Cough,” she instructed, pressing her ear against the mare’s chest. Screwball, upon feeling her love’s face pressed so snuggly against her, and the tickle of warm breath against the sensitive nerves of her stomach could only manage to hiccup.
“It’s worse than I thought,” Redheart said worriedly, lifting her head from Screwball’s stomach and moving up to look down at her face to face. “Mercy, listen to me. You’ve been infected by what we’re calling the Chaos bug. We’re not sure what’s causing it yet, but Zecora has a potion read that can reverse it. I’m going to go see if I can move that thing in front of the door so I can get it for you. I want you stay here and keep calm, okay?”
Screwball, once again in her blissfully complaint state nodded goofily. What remained of Mercy was nearly catatonic from built up tension. Seeing her best nurse in such a condition wasn’t entirely confidence boosting, and after biting her lip Redheart dove forward to encircle the mare in another tremendous hug, one which Screwball eagerly returned, and nearly finished off poor Mercy.
“I’m so sorry, Mercy,” the Head Nurse whispered into her ear. “I knew I should have gone to look for you myself. It must have been terrifying out there for you.” Again Screwball just nodded in compliance, her eyes sliding shut as she enjoyed the feel and scent of her love who was so willingly embracing her. Even Mercy relaxed into place eventually, making the plum pony whole, contented, and at peace.
It was the most wonderful, and perfect moment she had ever experienced.
“It’s going to be okay,” Redheart continued, giving the mare under her a gentle squeeze. “I’m not going to let anything happen to my best friend.”
Screwball and Mercy’s contented smile faltered at those words and their eyes popped open. Redheart didn’t notice the change in expression as she pulled away and started purposefully for the five by six stereo system that blocked them off from the rest of the hospital.
The Head Nurse groaned as she put her shoulder against the massive black and silver box that was blocking her only path to her friend’s cure. If she could just move it over a few feet she could reach the door knob and hopefully open it far enough to call for help. She couldn’t hear anything past the walls, but she hoped that was just an effect of the strange tie-dye sheets, and not an ill omen. Try as she might though, she could not get the over sized music box to budge even an inch. Stopping to collect herself, and perhaps back up for a running start, the earth pony became aware of a presence to her right. Turning her head, she saw the plum colored earth pony standing next to her, her head tilted down slightly and her curly purple and white bangs covering her eyes from view.
“Mercy, I told you to lay down,” Redheart said pleadingly. “Please, I don’t want you to exert yourse-”
Her words were cut off as the mare slammed a hoof into the wall beside her with a thunderous bang, cornering the white pony between the wall and the stereo. Redheart understandably jumped and her eyes darted from the hoof to the mare’s partially concealed face. “M-Mercy?”
The pony didn’t answer, but instead stretched out her tail flicked it over to manipulate some of the controls on the stereo. The speakers came to life instantly.
“And now here’s the new hit single from D.J. Pon3,” the voice on the radio said before the tail flicked again and changed the station with an audible click of the dial.
“Reports are showing a slight chance for Chocolate rain showers and scattered Chaos,”
*Click*
“We now return to ‘The Adventures of Doctor-”
*Click*
“Good evening fiiiiillieees-,”
*Click*
The bushy tail fell away as a smooth jazzy tune began to play. It was the kind of music that would be complementary to a candle lint dinner, as well as to certain events that might ensue afterwards. The plum colored mare slowly lifted her face to revile two swirling amethyst eyes, both glimmering with a hungry, almost predatory light.
“M-Mercy?” Redheart said asked, her voice shaking as she tried to push herself further into corner.
The multicolor eyed pony began to move closer.
“M-Mercy, Please! Don’t come any closer,” Redheart said, trying to sound braver than she felt. “I-I’m warning you don’t…”
Her voice trailed off as the plum pony came almost nose to nose with her. She could feel the other mare’s body heat against her chest, and knew they were almost flush against one another. Redheart became lost in those strange, swirling eyes. She watched, entranced, as the hunger inside them became a longing; a deep, powerful need that both frightened and, for some reason, excited her.
“Wha… what are you going to do to me?” she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.
The plum pony answered by closing her eyes and capturing the white mare’s lips with her own. Redheart went ridged with shock for an instant before trying (and failing) to vocalize a protest and push the other mare away. Her captor was having none of it however, and pinned her victim to wall whilst deepening her kiss. The Head Nurse struggled for a few seconds more before going completely limp. After a few more seconds her limbs soon found the will to move again and her forelegs slowly snaked their way up to wrap around the plum pony’s neck. Her eyes rolled back and closed lazily as her own lips began hungrily tasting the invasive pair.
Now completely wrapped in their own world, the various signs of chaotic influence began to fall away from the room. The lava lamps collapsed into themselves and evaporated, the stereo beside them sank into the bread strewn floor, and the tie-dye sheets and pillow cases began to detach from the walls and fall into wisps of multicolored smoke. One such sheet fell over the oblivious pair. It covered their gently moving profiles while it was solid, but as it vanished into thin air, so too did the bodies of the two mares.
When the last whips of smoke and crumb of bread had disappeared from the room, all that remained was normal and completely empty break room.