//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Child of the Swamp // by Topazzia //------------------------------// Fluttershy and Starlight sat in the chairs against the examination room wall. Mud lay on the bed while Nurse Snowheart began looking her over. She felt up and down Mud’s arm, and held her head to look with the ophthalmoscope. Snowheart set it down, motioning with a hoof as she lifted the stethoscope, “Please sit up Ma’am.” Fluttershy reaches up and nudges Mud’s hind hoof, “Please sit up.” The bush pony sits up, eyes foggy with tiredness and boredom. Snowheart lifts the scope to Mud’s chest, “I suppose you have a name?” Fluttershy answers, “Her name is Mud.” The nurse notices Mud’s sharp teeth, but keeps calm, only glancing critically. “Is she from around here?” Starlight shrugs, “We’re still trying to figure that out.” Snowheart lowers the stethoscope, “Miss Mud, have you been experiencing any pain or discomfort?” Fluttershy speaks up again, “Mud, does anywhere hurt?” Mud looks at the Pegasus, pausing before shaking her head slowly. Snowheart looks at Fluttershy, “She can’t speak?” Fluttershy smiles sympathetically, “Not Ponish.” Snowheart turns to Mud, “Well there’s nothing I can find on the surface, we can do a blood test, and see if there’s anything running through her system.” She picks up the small reflex hammer, tapping it on Mud’s leg. The bush pony’s head flinched up, looking down at the nurse, hoof curling from the sudden jolt of nerves. Then the other leg, Mud looked on curiously, lowering a hoof onto her leg to keep the nurse from hitting it again. Snowheart puts the hammer down, “Her reflexes seem alright. Do you know if she’s had her shots?” Starlight shrugs, “Don’t know, she hasn’t told us anything other than her name.” Snowheart nods slowly, “I guess we’ll find out. If you’re not in a hurry, I can get the doctor and we’ll start with blood samples.” Starlight looks up at Mud, “Go ahead.” Snowheart turns and leaves, Fluttershy stands up and rests a hoof on Mud’s shoulder, “You okay?” Mud nods, keeping her eyes on the floor. Mud sniffed the bandage around her elbow, she whimpered as she felt the soreness while prodding it with a hoof. Starlight notices, resting a hoof on it to stop her. “Don’t pick at it, it has to heal.” That Mud must have understood, because she met Starlight’s gaze, and lowered her hoof back to her side, but still looking down at the bandage. Nurse Snowheart came back to the front desk, passing papers to Starlight. “We’ll let you know what comes out of it tomorrow, and keep her hydrated.” Starlight turns and nods gratefully, “Thanks, we will.” They leave with Fluttershy waving behind her, “Have a nice day.” Mud lifted her hoof just above the ground, limping alongside Starlight. Fluttershy moves up on the bush pony’s other side, smiling sympathetically. “How about we go by Sugar Cube Corner, Pinkie should be there.” Starlight nods, eyes glued to the papers in front of her. “Sure, sounds good…” Mud looks at Fluttershy suspiciously, letting out a low growl. The Pegasus shakes her head, “No, they’re not going to take your blood. It’s a bakery, they sell cakes and cookies, sometimes coffee.” Mud tilts her head, any ill emotions fading. She remembered what Pinkie called the small discs of nice tasting dirt, she called them cookies, and Mud wouldn’t deny a chance to get more now, especially feeling so weak from losing what felt like all of her blood. Fluttershy led them through the front door, Mud followed slowly with Starlight close behind. The bush pony dropped low, whipping her head around to each pony in the building. Her eyes were wide, sniffing the air and the floor anxiously. But she followed Fluttershy to the counter. The bush pony slid around the corner, intent stare suddenly fixed on the open cupboard against the wall. Mrs. Cake looks down with surprise as Mud crawled flawlessly into the small space, curling up in the shadows so only her glowing eyes shone up at them. Fluttershy moves around to see just as Pinkie bounced in, the Pegasus gestures a hoof. “I’m sorry Mrs. Cake, she’s new.” Cup shrugs, “It’s alright, I guess we weren’t using it anyway.” Pinkie sticks her head into the cupboard, “Hi Mud!” She pulls back, smiling at Starlight. “Is she all better now?” The unicorn shakes her head, “Not yet, but she seems okay now.” Fluttershy looks inside the cupboard, “Are you okay?” Mud was lying on her side, staring with glowing eyes at the yellow pony’s face, calming as they began to close. She chirped quietly, beginning to drift off. Fluttershy looks up at Starlight, “It looks like she’s fine.” The Unicorn touches a hoof to her chin, looking at the cupboard ponderingly. Pinkie jumps up, “She likes that too?!” Fluttershy glances at the pink pony with concern, before turning to leave. “I have to go check on my animals real quick. Can you two keep an eye on her?” Pinkie waves a dismissive hoof, “Hakuna matata.” Fluttershy leaves, while Starlight looks at Pinkie questioningly, “Hata what?” Pinkie just smiles, “Zecora says it all the time.” Starlight paced back and forth in the library, looking through book after book. Apple Jack walks up, causing the Unicorn to stop and look up. “How’s the newcomer?” Starlight hums, “Just fine… Hey, have you heard of the Chupacabra?” The orange pony raises a brow, “Only that it don’t exist, what ya’ll up to?” Starlight looks at the book hovering in front of her, “Trying to find out what Mud is.” AJ nods, “Its wet dirt.” Starlight gives a side glance the farm pony, “Not mud mud, Mud the thing that’s definitely not pony.” AJ shrugs, “Could be a pony, ain’t ya heard of ponies born with extra things?” Starlight brings up another book, “Yes, but for so many things, reflective eyes, multiple canine teeth, seems to have heightened sense of smell compared to a pony, she doesn’t even speak a language, just growls and grunts.” AJ looks over the unicorns shoulder at the book, “So she’s a cat pony? There’s things like that.” Starlight looks at her, “No, I don’t think she’s part cat… But that’s interesting.” She floats over a book with a paw on the front. Apple Jack turns away to see all the books piled up, “What have you not found? We could narrow things down.” Starlight sighs, “Everything really, books on known species, bestiaries, and even the Tartarus archives. There’s nothing.” Apple Jack lifts a hoof, “Has Twily gotten back to you?” Starlight shakes her head, “Not yet, I doubt she will until the end of the week.” “Well, maybe Mud’ll tell us.” The Earth Pony turns to leave. Starlight sits down, lifting another book. “I guess so…”