//------------------------------// // 3 - A Mother's Love // Story: Snap To It // by David Silver //------------------------------// Samson settled into his new life, twisting the knob to see to customers on either side of the dimensional divide. Equestrian coins, as it turned out, were worth less than their weight in gold. Not because of the picture, that meant nothing to anyone on Earth, but because they had a core of platinum. At least, that's what an appraiser informed him. "Prices do change over time. I'd stop by before you move to sell them," advised the appraiser. "Unless that's the only one? In which case, go ahead and get your money and have a great day." Samson flicked the coin, catching the significant coin before it hit the ground. "Thanks. Alright if--" "If any future coins are exactly the same, here." He scribbled out some numbers, outlining the weights of various metals in the coin. "You can save your money and use a calculator. But only if it's exactly the same." He snorted. "Where did you get these, anyway?" "Foreign clients." Samson nodded, satisfied with that entirely true statement. "People get a bit odd caring for their horses." "Nice." The appraiser waved Samson along, their business complete. Back in his office, he settled down with a salad he planned to demolish for lunch. He didn't get to finish it with a knock. A single clop. "Hello? Are you open? The sign says open..." Having just come from earth business, the knob was still set to earth. Samson abandoned his salad dreams for later. Hurrying to the knob, he flicked it to the Equestrian side. "Come in." The second pegasus customer entered with a package attached to her back, a parcel wrapped in cloth. "Excuse me?" She was extremely wall-eyed, with only one eye focused on Samson. "I heard you can help ponies?" "I try to help everyone that comes through that door." Samson smiled at the curious mare. "Do you work for the post office?" Derpy looked up at where her hat hung enough forward to see. "Oh! Sorry." She swatted it off with a wing and caught it with a hoof to tuck away. "Yes. Um..." "Mom," spoke her bundle, a much younger voice? "I'm really... I can't even walk." Samson tensed. "That sounds serious..." Samson gestured at the price sheet. "Let's start with a basic examination and adjustment and see what we can discover. Hopefully, that will be enough, but I need to see what we're dealing with. A small purple unicorn poked free of the cloth, looking around until she got her eyes on the prices. "Okay. Mom, pay him." The mother rubbed her cheek, looking abashed. "I'm sorry. I get overwhelmed by these things. Little Dinky here gets it so much faster than me... Oh, I'm Derpy." Samson marshaled his willpower to not note that Derpy was, indeed, derpy. He accepted the coins she was offering and waved them towards the back. "Let's get started. We can't have any little person suffering." Dinky locked eyes with Samson, waiting until he looked back at her. "If that's true, why are you charging?" "Ow." Samson laughed, patting the chiropractic table. "I have my own bills to pay." "You do?" Dinky didn't fight as Derpy put her on the table. "I do." Samson began examining the little pony. Besides being a smaller pony, she was still maturing. But there were things wrong he could see. "I don't think this is normal..." He ran a finger gently along her little spine, trailing where the discs were clearly out of order. "Does that hurt?" "Yes!" Dinky scowled with a little huff. "A lot... Can you make it better?" "Fortunately, this is entirely within my grasp to get started with. Let's begin." He gestured to the front. "You don't have to stand there, ma'am." Derpy inclined her head. "I'm alright." Samson smiled at that. "I am going to have to circle the table frequently. Why don't you..." He pointed to a chair normally used by patients. "Have a seat there?" Derpy wandered over to it and looked baffled. "This chair is... small." She hopped up onto it and slipped right off of it. It was not designed for a pony resting on their haunches. "I'll stand." Derpy shuffled her hooves, looking awkward as she stood back up from the too-small chair. "Oh geez, sorry about that!" Samson rubbed the back of his neck. "I should've realized that wouldn't work for a pony." He glanced around, eyes lighting on a low cabinet near the wall. "Wait, I've got just the thing. Be right back." Rummaging in the cabinet, he pulled out a large circular pillow, typically used for pregnant human patients to sit on. It was just big enough for a pony. "Here, try this." He set the pillow on the floor. Derpy eyed it dubiously, then carefully lowered herself down. To her surprise and delight, it made a perfect little pony seat. "Oooh, so comfy!" She wiggled, getting comfortable as she watched the doctor begin examining her daughter. Dinky winced as Samson's fingers prodded along her spine. "Can you really fix me, mister?" Her voice quavered slightly. "I can certainly try my very best," he assured gently. "Now just relax and let me see what's going on here..." He carefully felt out each vertebrae, frowning at the clear misalignments causing poor Dinky's misery. But he believed he could realign things properly again. It would take patience and care, but that's just what this job called for. Speaking soothingly to the little unicorn, Samson slowly and methodically began applying targeted pressure and adjustments along her spine. Dinky gasped and flinched at first, but soon grew used to the strange sensations under his confident touch. "There now, we're making progress already... You need some..." He pressed firmly at her, each stroke pressing deep into her flesh, unpleasant in the moment. "This will..." He worked along her back towards her shoulder. "Let your muscles get back in order after so long being out of place." "Kinda hurts." Dinky rolled an ear back. "But if it works... worth it." "That's the spirit." He gently pat her back. "This is as much as I'd want to do in any one day. We have to let your body adjust to the changes we've made, and we can push further next time." He turned to Derpy. "Ma'am, can you bring Dinky back once a week?" Derpy hopped to her hooves. "Of course!" "Mom." Dinky forced herself to her hooves, trembling lightly. "Huh... I'm standing." "We can do better, but feel free to start light exercise. Nothing better than just getting some movement to help get things in the right place." He waved towards Derpy. "Your mom's waiting for you." Dinky sprang to the floor, just to wince faintly. "Not... all fixed... But better..." She took slow steps towards Derpy with a little smile. "Look... I can walk." "You sure can." Derpy grabbed up her daughter in a firm hug, nuzzling at her. "Do you want a ride, or are you feeling like walking?" They left, satisfied customers. This meant Samson could take care of that salad. "Letter!" That postal carrier wasn't Derpy. They weren't even a pegasus. The earth pony dropped a letter on Samson's desk. "Here you go." With a light hat tip, he turned about to get back on his mission. Samson reached for the letter curiously. "Thank you..." Oh wow! Celestia's open border policy has really reached a new level, and I'm all for it! I hear you're putting smiles on pony's faces, and that's my job! I'll be visiting shortly. Let Them Eat Cake, Pinkie Pie Samson blinked at the exuberant letter now resting on his desk. Apparently word of his unusual talents had spread rapidly across Equestria if even this 'Pinkie Pie' had caught wind somehow. He chuckled softly. Well, he had wanted to explore life in this magical land. It seemed eager to welcome him with bright smiles and boundless curiosity. Having lost track of time while working, Samson's stomach rumbled loudly once more. Right, his long delayed salad! He grabbed the takeout box and eagerly dove in, thoughts drifting between nibbles. Who was this Pinkie Pie gal that would be visiting shortly? She sounded quite...unique. Though with a name like 'Pinkie' she was surely just as colorfully hued as the other ponies he had met so far. He imagined another patient soon trotting in, some minor ache or pain for him to gently realign and smooth away. It gave him satisfaction being able to offer such relief from suffering. Maybe that was a small way to make up for the many troubles happening back on Earth right now. A thunderous series of knocks suddenly rattled his door. "Knock knockity knock knock knock!" sang an exuberant voice. "Special delivery for one magical migratory medicinal mammal mechanic!" The door flew open and a beaming pink pony pranced inside, soggy boxes and bins somehow balanced impossibly on her back. "Name's Pinkie Pie and I heard you like cake, so I brought every cake in Ponyville!" She deposited the mountain of desserts onto his desk with a splat. "Now let's get this party started!" Pink and white frosting sprayed over Samson's salad as the hyperactive pony began excitedly bounding around his office. Samson laughed at the sight. "That is more cake than any man... or pony, could hope to eat." Pinkie plopped to her haunches. "Well, go ahead and find your favorite." She leaned forward, brows wriggling. "Because I wanna know which one that is. This does not count as your official party, but I can't do that without knowing more about you." Her eyes wandered upwards. "Doctor... Samson? Neat! Hi Sam!" "Hello." He took a bite of his salad, which seemed destined to not be enjoyed that day. On the other hand... There were cakes right there. "My absolute favorite is ice cream cake." "Ooo!" Pinkie grabbed one and plonked it down on Samson's desk. "Fancy! I had to pick this up locally, but I had a good feeling." She winked. "Princess Celestia also mentioned your world has a lot of gizmos in it, so having things hotter or colder than normal? Natural fit!" "Huh, I can't argue that logic." With a pen, he flipped up the cover of the box to reveal the happy birthday cake. It had nobody's name, but it was clearly designed for birthday celebrations. "It doesn't have to be anypony's birthday to enjoy cake!" Pinkie declared cheerfully, watching Samson inspect his gift. "That's Chilly Cob's famous Fudge Ripple Confetti Crunch Cake - best ice cream cake in Equestria!" She bounced on her hooves excitedly. "Go on, try it!" Samson couldn't suppress an eager grin. It did look absolutely mouthwatering, studded with sprinkle-coated brownie chunks and swirled with rich fudgy ripples. Retrieving a fork from his desk, he carved out a huge creamy chunk. One taste and his eyes widened in bliss. "Oh wow...the fudge...the crunch...it's incredible!" He hastily shoveled in another sumptuous bite, then another. Perfection! Pinkie beamed, delighted at his reaction. "I knew you'd love it! Anypony with good taste goes ga-ga for Cob Cake." She watched him devour more, bouncing in place. Then with a little gasp her tail twitched. "Ooh! New idea!" Before Samson could react Pinkie had snatched up the remainder of his abandoned salad. In a blur she tossed it into the air, added various cake crumbs and frostings from her hoard, doused it in sprinkles and whipped cream, then let it all splat onto Samson's plate. "There ya go! Salad a la Pinkie - the only way to properly enjoy your greens." She nodded with great self-satisfaction and held out a fresh fork expectantly. "C'mooooon, just one little bite..." she wheedled, wiggling her brows. "You'll love it, Pinkie Promise!" Samson chuckled with soft trepidation. A horse would know the best way to prepare a salad, right? He plunged a fork into it and took a bite. Savory Flavor exploded with a pleasing crunch. "Mmm, that is good. You could sell this on Earth, I imagine." Pinkie crossed her arms. "Open borders, but one way. Princess Celestia lets creatures come here, but ponies outside of a few special ones aren't going to the others." She casually gathered all the cakes save the ice cream one, making them vanish into her floofy mane as if that was normal. "Now, when is your birthday? Do you like soda, what flavor? What's your favorite game!" She had many questions to prepare for the ultimate Doctor Samson introduction party.