“Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Daaaash!” I sing. She’s buried under her sheets with a firefly lamp, and by the looks of it, she’s been reading a book all night! Looks like Twilight took my advice. The hospital sheets bounce around as Rainbow digs her way out from inside.
“Oh! Uh- good evening-” she starts.
“Morning,” I correct. I know how she feels, losing track of time.
“Morning, Doc!” something must’ve clicked after she said that because she then rushes to the window to see proof that I’m correct, and indeed the sun is high in the air, and rising.
“Have you been up all night?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“Uhh-of course not!” She answers, blowing out the lamp, and with it the fireflies. I’ll have to remember to let them out before the next patient comes.
“Well, I’ll be quick. Congratulations Rainbow Dash, we’re checking you out of the hospital!” She’ll get to finish her book in the comfort of her own home.
“WHAT? Later today?” She looks somewhat nervous, but I can’t imagine why. She was so upset to be here in the first place.
“No," I answer with a cackle, "right now!” I thought I would let her out a little early, since she seemed so depressed being in here.
“Right now!? right now right now?” exclaims Rainbow, in a nervous, stunned state.
“Right now, right now!” I confirm as I hold the door for Nurse Sweetheart and Coldheart.
“But I don’t feel better!” Why would she say that? Why does she suddenly want to stay in the hospital? Nevertheless, she is wrestled into a wheelchair, and Nurse Sweetheart begins to wheel her out.
“Now, take it easy Rainbow Dash, remember to stay off that wing for a week.” I inform her. It’s not quite healed, and if she starts flying too soon, we might have to patch it again. She looks back with large, longing eyes, but I don’t know what she’s looking at. I drop it pretty fast, what with all these patients I’ve got to think about.
About an hour later, I hear Rainbow Dash burst through the lobby doors, melodramatically complaining about her wing.
“Rainbow Dash, what are you doing here, anything wrong?" I wonder.
"Well, uhh…my wing! Its still hurting,doc!"
I trot closer, and examine the wing, and she exaggerates a flinch. “Ohh, ouch! Right there!”
Figures. “I was touching your good wing.” I say, narrowing my eyes.
“uhh, right. Well, I think that ones hurting now too!”
I chuckle. I like this one, she reminds me a bit of myself at her age. A very small bit. “I think I know what the trouble is. A severe case of lazy-itis!” everyone gets it once in a while. Why, I think I've got a case of it, myself!
“B-bu, you’ve got me all wrong doc, I’m not being lazy!” She protests as I push her out of the lobby.
“Your fine, Rainbow Dash. Give it some time, and you’ll be right back in the swing of things.” I reassure her.
Now, back to my patients. I trot inside, but before I go to my first checkup, I decide to make the bed that Rainbow was in, just to help out the nurses a little. As I do so, I discover something peculiar underneath the sheets. I float it out, and everything makes sense now! It’s her book! The one she’d been reading all night! She wasn't being lazy, she just wanted her book! She must’ve misjudged our understanding, and thought we wouldn’t let her just go in and get it. Oh well, nothing I can do now. I’ll just go put it back in the hospital library. What book is it anyway? I flip it over to the front facing me. Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stones!? I remember these! I read them as a filly, back when it was a brand new series.
I cautiously look behind me. Fracture’s asleep, and no one’s trotting though the halls. I’m completely alone in here. No harm in reaing a page or two, just for old time’s sake, is there? I open the hard cover book, and suddenly a wave of nostalgia wipes over he. And I yearn for a time when I was younger, and life was simpler. When I could just open up a book to escape the sometimes melancholy feeling of reality. Chapter One. As daring Do trekked through the tropical jungle…
“Doctor Stable!” snaps me back to reality. The door is open, and there are numerous ponies and unicorns galloping about. Oh no! how long have I been reading? My eyes trail downward to the page number. 77? Great, I hope nothing too bad has happened while I was gone! I snap the novel shut, and float it under the bed, leaping off of it, and falling in the process.
“Nurse Sweetheart! I was…just-” I begin, pulling myself up.
“Oh, you don’t need to explain yourself, everypony finds themselves goofing off at work sometime or another!” she explains, nudging my shoulder. “But, while you were gone, Lather Law had another mopping accident, and I need you to check and make sure he didn’t break anything…again…” she sighs.
“Oh, yes of course!” I reply, clearing my throat.
“Also, Mr. ___ went missing again, and you always seem to know where he is.”
“Fantastic.” I say, slouching. That Stallion is more trouble than he's worth! Still, he is a patient, and we couldn't just kick him out. Or could we?
“Also...” they were busy without me. So busy in fact, that a list of things to do piled up so high, I had to start writing it all down, and it ended up taking 18 inches of my scroll paper. Its gonna be a late night tonight.
Countless hours later, I am still in the hospital even though it just closed a few moments ago, near the end of this never ending to do list. Is that an open window? Ugh, the nerve of some ponies. You know how sometimes you’re so bored that you wish something dangerous would happen, just to make your life more interesting? Well, guess what? Suddenly, I hear a yelp from across the hall, and my heart skips two beats.
“Burglar, burglar! Someone’s trying to steal my slippers!” I dart toward the noise. Whoever it was couldn’t have timed it any more perfectly. I’m at the point where anything out of the ordinary is worth my full attention. Nurses Sweetheart and Coldheart are already on the scene, but for defensive reasons, unlike me. The thief looks oddly familiar, but the lighting, and black suit that she is wearing prevents me from making her out. She won’t get away with thievery in this hospital! I declare inside my head, trying to trick myself into multiple motives. I stand in front of the hallway to block her from getting through, with my chest out to intimidate her. Of course, she decides to fly over poor little Cotton Ball who hardly reaches off the floor. Suddenly, the masked robber crashes into a shelf of books from causes unknown, for it is too dark to tell.
“Come on, while she’s down!” I suggest, and gallop after the thief right behind security.
“We need flashlights!” The security pony whips out three flashlights from his pocket on our way to the window. I am the first one to jump, even though I can’t fly. It is possibly the most exhilarating feeling I’ve had on years! Who knew leaping out a window to one’s imminent death could be so exciting! I land safely on the ground, and I don’t even lose my balance, making me appear as if I’d done this before.
The nurses decide to exit through the lobby, but the security guards, who are much faster than I, followed my hoof in pursuit.
We chase the Pegasus all the way down the large hill that our hospital stands on top of, and straight into the heart of Ponyville. On my way through the town square, I hear many complaining voices behind me, and see many shadows cast in front of me by building lights. But I am not about to stop and apologize for chasing a thief, they can see clear and well what we are up to. Despite the blur that this chase has cast in my vision, I notice that the burglar’s tail boasts all the colors of the rainbow. Its Rainbow Dash! It can’t be that serious if it’s her. She leads us past the town square, and around numerous homes in hopes to lose us, which indeed fails.
We finally catch up to her at the library, of all places. “Rainbow Dash! What in the world is going on? Why are you stealing slippers?” I demand. Suddenly, the group of friends that visited her in the hospital all appear out of nowhere. Or maybe they joined in the chase, I wouldn’t know; I was near the front the whole time.
“What’s all the ruckus?” wonders the orange pony.
“I’d say it’s more of a fracas than a ruckus.” Declares the crazed pink pony.
“What’s going on, Rainbow Dash?” asks Twilight Sparkle.
Rainbow Dash is trembling, and a sweat breaks down her forehead before she announces with a sigh, “I’m an egghead.”
“Pardon?” replies the white unicorn, as baffled as the rest of us.
Rainbow begins to explain, “See, I was trying to in the hospital to finish the last chapter of-”
“Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Statue!” finishes Twilight.
“You got me.” says Rainbow, slumping down in a defeated manner.
“Wow, I knew the book was good, but I didn’t know it could drive a pony to petty theft!” she exclaims.
“Good? Try awesome-ly amazing! That book is undeniably, unquestionably, un-put-downable!” replies Rainbow.
“But, then I had to put it down, I was sent home before I could finish it”
“Well, I’m glad that’s all this is about.” Announces Twilight.
The apple pony trots toward Rainbow,“There’s no reason to go around casuin’ a ruckus-”
“Fracas!” corrects the pink one.
“-causin’ a fracas, just because you like to read!”
“That…was…GREAT! Let’s do it again!” I shout in between breaths. I never realized how invigorating a chase was, or just an adrenaline rush in general. I should schedule a weekly burglar just so I can chase them down again. Then I realize what I’ve just announced, and notice all the large, confused eyes on me, and sink down a little.
“Oh, Doctor, I think you need some rest.” Smiles Nurse Sweetheart. I sigh. I suppose that could work as well.