//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4. Blood Tests and Lunch 
// Story: Space Ponies 
// by Boss_Hoss1 
//------------------------------//

Space Ponies

By Boss Hoss

Chapter 4.  Blood Tests and Lunch

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Rainbow Dash was waiting outside, laying against the base of a tree with her forehooves pillowing her head as she smirked at the still-blushing unicorn. 
"Hiya Twi. I heard there was a new unicorn in town. Don’t waste any time do ya! ...Or is he an old coltfriend from Canterlot?"
Dash giggled as her ribbing made the unicorn blush even more.

Twilight raised her hooves "Woah, hot shot. He's just a stranger in town in need of help. Granted "stranger" than most, but still needing my help,.." 
The magical mare narrowed her eyes slyly and tapped her forehooves together in anticipation of SCIENCE! "...And testing in my lab. He's a unique opportunity..."

Dash giggled even louder "I'll say! I haven’t seen you with a guy before. Got a comfy bed down there?" She then rolled on the grass in a fit of full blown laughter.

Twilight testily stamped a hoof, her face now quite red in embarrassment "I-it’s not like that! Pinkie Pie brought him here. He's... he's from somewhere ...else. He's a... a..."

Shocked at what Twilight was trying to say, Rainbow Dash suddenly sat upright "W-what? Pinkie brought him?! From where!? You aren’t saying she's right about..."

Just then, Pinkie pie bounced up with a poinging sound. "Oh there you are Dashie! Here's your invitation to a party for Skybright. Oh, and this is for both you and Scott, Twi since you are bringing him..." 
With that, she bounced off to the next pony she saw on the street. "Tra-la-la, la-laaa..."

Dash looked up from the invitation to Twilight's face with a stunned look "...Space Ponies…?!"

Twilight groaned and facehoofed with a audible clop sound. She was hoping to keep that part quiet until she could explain to her friends so they would not freak out.

Suddenly, a girlish stallion squeal sounded from the window of the Exam Room, prompting Twi to stuff her invite in her saddlebag, unread. 
"Oh dear, I think she just checked his... tail. I'd better get back inside. See you later, Dash."

Dash nodded quickly, her expression still one of shocked surprise. "Y-yeah... I think I'd better tell the others about this alien before Pinkie does! Seeya!" and leapt up into the sky, leaving her trademark rainbow streak.


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Twilight found Scott, standing wide-eyed with all four hooves pulled tight together and a stunned look on his face, his tail clapped down tight behind him.

Nurse Redheart was removing her rubber hoof sheaths and tossing them in a biohazard bin while was speaking comfortingly to him "...Very good boy you are, yes you are. I don’t suppose a lollipop would help you when we are done?" 

She took a Fluttershy squeak from him as a "yes"...

Hearing hoofsteps, she looked at Twilight as she came in. "Well, he has no hernias, appears in good reproductive health, and as you just heard, his prostate is doing fine and he has no worms or other parasites."

Twilight leaned over and looked around the nurse at Scott, who gamely gave another "hooves up" sign even if he was still wide-eyed in shock. "All right, what's next for him?"

Nurse Redheart put on another set of hoof sheaths "Blood, I'm afraid. He tells me he hasn’t eaten or drank anything in Ponyville yet so likely nothing significant for his other testing media for a day or so. He should however enjoy the next part after this, the cognitive testing."

Tapping a hoof, Twilight hmmed and frowned, sensing trouble.
"Blood? Ummm, Scott? Are you going to be okay?" She turned and could see his face covered in sweat and beginning to tremble on his hooves. 

Nervously, he gulped, sending a nervous glance around the room, and then looked down at the floor with a blush "Well...I'm afraid of needles..."

Twilight gave a reassuring adorkable smile and patted him comfortingly with her hoof, making him look up at her "Don’t worry Scott. I'll be right here to help you. You'll need to stay perfectly still as the needle can cut you badly if you jump."

Nurse Redheart waved a hoof as she went to a cabinet "Oh, He will be just fine." She turned from the cabinet holding a syringe the size of her foreleg. "He won’t feel a thing."

Instantly and without warning, Twilight gasped as she suddenly had to support the weight of a stallion with her horn power, easing his limp form to the floor. 

For some reason there was the soft "baah" of a fainting goat as he was laid on the floor. 
Twilight raised an eyebrow as she thought 'Hm, just like we hear with Fluttershy. It must be a universal sound...'

Giggling softly, Nurse Redheart set the syringe down and brought out a normal sized one. She then clopped up and drew blood from a foreleg of the passed-out unicorn. "…Works every time with the nervous ponies."

Chuckling nervously, Twilight helped hold the unconscious stallion steady while carefully not looking at the syringe being used. "Just be careful flashing that huge one around. You almost had two unicorns on the floor..."

Softly giggling, Nurse Redheart worked quickly.. "Sorry Twilight. Oh, I actually use that one too, on large creatures when they need my help... Ah, there we are."
She pressed a cotton ball to the needle, then slid the needle out as she held the cotton ball in place with a hooftip. 

"Okay Twilight, band-aid please."

Nodding, Twilight floated one over and put it over the cotton as the hoof was pulled away. In moments, Nurse Redheart had roused the stallion, and when he looked down he saw a smiley face band-aid was on him. 

Shaking his head, He chuckled and thought 'Figures... well, it's cheery at least...'

Sealing the blood and popping it in a small fridge for testing later, Nurse Redheart turned to the strange stallion. "And as promised, we will now have some fun..." 
With that, she trotted over to a toy chest and stopped in sudden worry "I'm afraid these are for testing younger foals in their mouth, hoof, or horn abilities. You won’t be offended by this, I trust?"

Sheepishly, Scott spread his hooves "Like I have a choice? I'm practically a foal now until I relearn handling things."

Nurse Redheart raised an eyebrow curiously "Yes, I noticed you having difficulty earlier. An accident? Or...?" She looked to Twilight questioningly.

The unicorn mare shuffled her hoof "Technically an accident. I'm afraid we must rely on Doctor/patient confidentiality. 
He's from someplace else, and until Pinkie found him and brought him here, he wasn’t even a pony. Something about bringing him here changed him."

Scott nodded "Admittedly I've never felt so at-home in my life as in Equestria. The loss of my hands is a small price compared to that."

Smiling, Nurse Redheart set down several buckets of toys in front of him. "That's the spirit! Think of this as physical therapy and building anew after an accident. I'm sure we have a place for anypony in Equestra."

The mare dumped the toys out on the desk and arranged them in groups; blocks, sticks, wooden cut-out shapes, small plastic pony dolls with curiously long, pointed legs, a tennis ball and some crystals.

Moments later, Nurse Redheart smiled and pointed to one of the toys "There we are, lets see you pick up that block with your hooves. Just think about it as you do it."

Scott got a determined look on his face and placed his right hoof on top of it. He closed his eyes and thought of holding it, then raised his hoof. "Nothing Scott, try again." 

He tried over and over again for a small eternity, until finally Nurse Redheart spoke "Very good, you're doing it!" 

Scott opened his eyes, only to see the block fall back to the desk with a clatter. 

Smiling brightly, Twilight patted his shoulder "Don’t worry, you're getting the idea now. Just keep practicing and I'll run and get you both lunch. Is there anything you would prefer you two? Scott?"

Scott watched, fascinated as Nurse Redheart's ears perked forward, she smiled at Twilight "I'll have a daffodil and daisy sandwich, and iced tea."

Scott shrugged, not yet daring to ask if it would be considered weird or impolite to simply walk out and eat somepony's lawn. 
"I don’t even know what to ask for other than cupcakes or other pastries. That's one thing our worlds have in common. Maybe a sampler platter of things ponies typically eat?"

Twilight smiled "All right, be right back."

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After a stop at the Make Hay Café (1), Twilight returned to find Scott stacking blocks by using his mouth, and rolling a ball between his hooves where his old palms would be.

Nurse Redheart was smiling brightly "That's it! You are doing great!... Oh, there you are Twilight! He is improving nicely. I figure he's now at the level of a young foal in manipulating things."
She looked to the crystals as Scott continued to practice, apparently even enjoying himself. "We have not tried his horn power yet. We saw how that went with the clip board so I thought it best to wait for you. Usually in this testing there is a parent around to assist me, but..." She shrugged helplessly.

Nodding, Twilight levitated the paper bag over in a magenta nimbus and set it on a cart, then started floating the food out to the desk "Not a problem, Nurse Redheart. As old as he seems to be, I'm probably the only one in town strong enough to take control if his powers get out-of-hoof. First things first though, let’s eat."

Scott set the toys down and moved them aside, then stretched, making his neck joints pop. "Thanks Twilight, I'm starving! What’s on the menu?"

The purple unicorn smiled "Well, aside from what the nurse asked for. I got a couple salads, a garden sandwich, a HLT -Hay, lettuce, tomato (with mayonnase), extra crispy acorns, hay fries, and donuts. I also got some teas and a clover smoothie. Please, take your pick, Scott." 

The stallion nickered excitedly, sniffing at each example of pony food. They smelled more delicious than he would have imagined, making his stomach growl. The sandwiches were cut into halves, so he took a part of both, and also got half portions of the acorns and hay fries and one of the salads. He also found the pink and green swirled smoothie to be very sweet and tasty.

Twilight watched Scott in wonder while she ate. 
While he was still using his hooves and mouth as clumsily as a foal, hunger was clearly a good motivator on finding ways in shoving food into his muzzle any way he could manage "Wow! He wasn’t kidding about being hungry! Is that okay for him?"

Nurse Redheart giggled "Oh quite okay, -quite normal for a young, active stallion his age. -In fact. I place it about 18-20 years or so."

Scott gasped and nearly choked on a bite of sandwich. 
After washing it down with some tea, he looked at Nurse Redheart with wide eyes. "Ohmy… Gosh! Whatever happened... I'm younger! I really have been given a second chance!"

Twilight peered at him. "Ummm how old ARE you..."

Scott blushed and looked down "Iyyy would rather not say..."

Giggling, the mares shook their heads "Never mind, I guess it's not important Scott." 


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(1) Special thanks to Pixelkitties for permission to mention the café http://pixelkitties.deviantart.com/