Chapter 4
The Street Doctor
The two unicorns trotted towards the farm house, they were greeted by a familiar orange mare.
“Howdy Twilight what can...And just what is HE here for?” she said as her eyes narrowed on the dark stallion.
“He’s going to help you with the orchard today.” Twilight said with a smile on her face.
“WHAT!?” Echo and Applejack said as they both glared at the lavender mare.
“Well Echo you still owe a debt to Applejack so I suggest you get started on it.” she said as she glared at the two ponies. “Applejack he’s trying to pay you back for helping him, just in his own way.”
“Well alright, But I’ve got my eye on you!” Applejack said as she glared at Echo.
“The feeling is mutual.” Echo said with sarcastic tone.
“Great! I’ll be back this afternoon.” Twilight said as she began to trot back into town. Echo and Applejack then entered an intense stare down. Echo let out a sigh.
“Look, I don’t like you and you don’t like me, so let’s just call a truce and just get to work, okay?” he said maintaining the glare.
“Fine! But the second you get out of line, I won’t hesitate to take you down a notch.”
“Noted, so what are we doing exactly?”
“We gotta buck some apples in the south field.” she said as she turned and started along the path. Echo followed her, the two spent the majority of the day working in silence. Until Echo saw two young fillies running towards them, a white unicorn and an orange pegasus.
“APPLEJACK! YOU GOTTA HELP US!”
“What’s the problem? Where’s Applebloom?”
“That’s the problem, we were playing by the edge of the orchard when a pack of timber wolves attacked us.” the white unicorn said with tears in her eyes.
“We managed to get away, but Applebloom is cornered in a nearby tree, she can't hold on forever.” the orange filly said.
“APPLEBLOOM! WHERE IN THE ORCHARD?”
“In the south end we’ll show you!” the two fillies took off with Applejack and Echo in hot pursuit.
“Why are you coming?” she said as she glared at the dark unicorn.
“You’ll need some help, I’ve dealt with timber wolves before.” he said as the group continued towards the edge of the orchard when they got there they saw a small orange filly hanging on to a broken limb surrounded by easily twenty timber wolves.
“Applebloom! Hold on we’re coming, you girls go get Big Macintosh. Hurry!” AJ said to the fillies that ran back to the house. The wolves then noticed the two ponies, five of them began to circle the pair. Echo was focused on the wolves while AJ was looking at her sister who was barely hanging on to the branch. Echo engaged the wolves leaving Applejack to focus on Applebloom.
“Listen, focus on getting to the filly I’ll try and distract them!” he said as he let out a blast from his horn hitting one of the wolves.
“Right!” Applejack said as the two began to make their way to the filly. The branch was breaking Applebloom looked down to see the wolves with hunger in their eyes. Applebloom began to feel the branch to give, it soon cracked in half sending the filly down towards the wolves.
“APPLEBLOOM!” the orange mare shouted, Echo then charged into the pack, his horn glowing he managed to get to the center where the filly was lying unconscious, some wolves had started to converge on her. Echo lifted the filly with his magic and threw her to the orange mare. AJ caught her sister and charged off towards the house. Echo then went to face his attackers head on his horn and eyes beginning to glow, suddenly the wolves stopped moving paralyzed by his magic. Echo then raised his head them flying into the air and into the trees, he could hear the bones crack and break even from the distance. Once he made sure they were gone he hurried back to the house.
Applejack came into the house with the filly on her back, she laid her down on her bed and began to examine her cuts.
“How is she?” Echo said as he galloped into the house.
“Not good.” she said as Echo trotted to her side he began to examine the filly.
“I think I can help her.” he said as he summoned his tool bag by magic, the orange mare the stepped in front of him with an angry look in her eye.
“NO WAY! I’M NOT LETTING YOU ANY WHERE NEAR MY LITTLE SISTER!”
“Listen cow girl, that little filly needs medical attention! She won’t make it to the hospital, so unless you want your sisters’ blood on your hooves, I suggest that you GET OUT OF MY WAY!” he said as he glared at the now shocked mare. AJ let him pass. “Smart move, I’m going to need help holding her down.” AJ did as he was asked and restrained her sister, Big Macintosh soon entered the room along with the fillies.
“What happened?” he asked as he burst into the room.
“Timber wolves, they attacked the girls.” Echo said as he withdrew a syringe and injected the filly with the substance.
“What’s that?”
“A sedative, now I can get to work, you all have to leave the room now.”
“No way, no how!” AJ said as she released her grip on her sister.
“Look, I know you want to be there for her, but I need time to work in privacy. Plus this is not going to be pretty.” the group of ponies started to leave when AJ stopped next to him.
“Please, please save her.” she said with tears running down her face, Echo gave her a nod and began to get to work. The apple family was waiting in the living room, the rest of Applejack’s friends soon arrived after Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had spread the word. The group waited for hours, Rainbow was comforting her friend in the corner. Echo then came down the stairs to see the group a little bit of blood was splattered on his chest. The group then crowded around the jet black unicorn.
“She’s going to be fine, the bleeding has stopped, I closed and disinfected the wounds. She’s still under the drug I gave her, she’ll be awake in a few hours.” Echo said as he wiped his forehead with his hoof. AJ then brought him into a hug.
“Th-thank y-you!” she said as she began to sob, Echo then broke the hug with a blank look on his face.
“Forget about it. I may be an ass hole but I wasn’t about to sit by and let a little filly die.” he collected the rest of his tools and began to trot out the door until he was stopped by a red hoof.
“Yer all welcome to stay for dinner, it’s the least ah can do for helping mah little sister.” the red stallion said with a smile. Echo looked over to Twilight who shook her head in approval.
“I’m not sure if Applejack would-”
“Of course you can stay for supper. It’d be my pleasure.” the orange mare said with a warm smile. Sweetie Belle left with Scootaloo soon after. The ponies sat around the table, the mares mostly gossiped while the black and red stallion ate their dinner in silence.
*Ahem* the red stallion said as he nudged his sisters’ shoulder and motioned his head towards Echo.
“Alright ah know, Echo ah’m sorry for the way ah treated ya before, I guess you’re not so bad after all.” the mare said with a grin.
“You don’t need to apologize, I acted like a jerk and deserved it.” Echo said as he gave a blank stare back to the group of ponies who now had a look of confusion spread across their faces. A silence fell over the room fro several minutes until Twilight broke the silence.
“So...Echo where did you learn how to heal like that?”
“Mostly from experience and some books I ‘borrowed’ from time to time. I was the unofficial street doctor, drug and potion maker for the city’s underground.” the mares then looked at him with a quizzical look.
“Now darling when you mean drugs do you mean-”
“I’m not talking about any hardcore stuff, just medicine to help ponies get back up on their hooves and if they did become addicted then I’d check them into a real hospital.”
“What kind of ponies needed you for that?” the cyan mare asked.
“Mostly gang members after a territory war or some poor pony that just got mugged. I’d patch them up then send them on their way.”
“Wouldn’t the gangs fight while you were healing their enemies?”
“They may be scum but they have their own code. No fighting near schools, hospitals or any other thing like that. If any of them tried to start something in my O.R. I would give them a beating that they’d never forget.”
“Why didn’t the gangs give you trouble?” AJ asked.
“It’s never wise to anger some-pony who has extensive knowledge of the body and knows how it works.”
“I don’t get it.” Twilight said with a confused look on her face.
“If any one of them tried anything I’de take em down before they knew what hit them, I could hit a pressure point and make them fall unconscious, knock them out with a sedative or any number of things. Heh, one time a stallion tried to steal some drugs from my supply, I hit a couple of pressure points. Not only did he fall to the ground but I accidentally made him void his bowels!” Echo started to laugh at the memory, Rainbow joined in soon every pony was hysterical.
“So it was a good life?” Rarity asked.
“It had it’s ups and downs. But the pay was good.”
“So, you mostly helped criminals.” Big mac said as his eyes narrowed.
“Yes, mostly. But once in a while I’d go down to the shelter and see if any-pony needed medical assistance, I even helped some med students pass their exams.” he said as he took a sip from his glass.
“Wow, so you’re like a doctor.” AJ said as her eyes widened in surprise.
“Well sorta, doctors have to take an oath to ‘do no harm.’” he said as he made quotation marks with his hooves.
“You didn’t?”
“No. If I had ,then I’d be dead by now.” the mares expressions had shifted from interested to shocked. Echo glanced at the clock. “Well, I think it’s time that I get out of your mane’s, I’ll see you back at the library Twilight. Thanks for dinner.” he said as he looked to Applejack and Big Mac. The two nodded back to the stallion, as soon as he left the house the group huddled up.
“Okay any-pony else really creeped out?” Rainbow said.
“Me.” Pinkie said as she held the concerned look.
“As am I.” Rarity said.
“Um...sort of.”
“Y’all are being paranoid. So he has a sketchy past, big deal.”
“Oh please AJ, you’re only saying that cause he saved Applebloom.” Dash said as she rolled her eyes.
“That.....is......true.” AJ said with a defeated tone in her voice. “Ah hate to admit it, but he does seem a bit intimidating.”
“Eeyup.”
“Come on girls, you’re all acting ridiculous. He saved Applebloom, he saved me! What ever he’s done in his past I’m sure he’s paid for it. Echo spent years living in the Everfree forest in total isolation, how would you guys react in that situation?” Twilight said as she looked at her friends.
“Sheesh calm down Twi, didn’t mean to dis your colt-friends like that.” Rainbow said to the lavender mare, who’s face had now turned scarlet.
“Wh-what! He is not my colt-friend! He’s just a pony who I’m helping out.” she said nervously. Applejack then started to stare at Twilight.
“Sugar cube yer lying. They don’t call me ‘Honest AJ’ for nothing.” she said as Twilights’ face grew redder in embarrassment.
“Well looks like Twi here wants to play nurse with our little street doctor.” Rainbow said as she burst into laughter.
“Rainbow that’s enough! Obviously Twilight has a small crush on our....interesting friend. It’s nothing to be ashamed of dear.” Rarity said as she put a hoof on her friends shoulder. Twilight put her head on the table and let out a loud groan.
“Will ya’ll just be quiet ah’m trying to get some sleep.” said a small voice coming from the stairwell. The ponies turned around to see a bandaged Applebloom glaring at them with a confused look on her face.
“Applebloom!” AJ then ran over and hugged her sister. “You’re okay!”
“Of corse ah’m okay, what happened? I remember playing with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo then something about wolves.” Applejack then told her what Echo had done for the family. “Ya mean that stallion cured me!”
“Eeyup.”
“Wow, that’s so cool.” the filly said in excitement.
“Alright y’all it’s time to get this filly to bed.” AJ said as she led Applebloom upstairs, the six mares left the farm and made their way back to their homes. Twilight’s mind was filled with questions,
“Do I have crush on him?” Twilight pushed the thought out of her mind as she came into the library, she trotted up to her room and laid down to rest, her restless mind was soon put at ease as she drifted off to blissful sleep.
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Echo trotted back to the library, he was deep in thought at what had just transpired on the farm.
Excellent progress today.
Whatever.
No, not whatever you saved a ponies life, you’ve still got it!
Ugh, the stitching could have been a little neater, I’m rusty.
Oh don’t be so hard on yourself and you left a good impression on a certain mare.
Twilight? Please she’s too smart to go for some-pony like me, plus I’m only staying until I’ve paid them back.
Bullshit, you like her!
I’ll admit it’s nice to have a conversation with some-pony intelligent.
Okay, now THAT hurts.
You know what I mean...... That filly Applebloom, she looked just like.......
I know. She looked just like ‘her.’ Do you remember that night?
How could I forget?
Sorry, well lets take this one day at a time. Maybe start with Twilight tomorrow?
I’ll think about it.
Good.
Echo was so lost in thought that he almost bumped into the library’s door. He went inside fell asleep onto his bed, but he would find no restful sleep this night.