//------------------------------// // Shock Treatment // Story: The Strongest There Is // by Onomonopia //------------------------------// The sun had set and risen during the time that Banner and Twilight spent talking and learning about all the different fields of science. Twilight had used up three notebooks writing down all the wonders that Banner taught her. He told her about how humans had learned to travel faster than any pony could run by creating motorized vehicles that ran on fossilized fuels, allowing fast transportation to other cities and towns. She had barely believed him when he told her about how humanity had created flying machines that could cross continents in a matter of hours. But where Twilight's mind was really blown was when Banner told her that humans had the technology to go into space that didn't require the strongest magic in the land to do so. She had also blown up some beakers and nearly burned the tree down trying to replicate a chemical reaction he had mentioned. "And within about four to six days, a space vehicle can get to our moon and land on it. We humans have actually set foot on the moon--arguably our greatest achievement since a cave man discovered how fire worked," Banner finished, taking a gulp from a glass of water that he had grabbed for himself. Twilight's quill moved furiously over her paper as she took detailed notes of everything Banner said. The quill only stopped moving when she had a question. "Have you been on the moon before, Banner?" Banner smiled and thought back to his first trip to the moon. It had started as a repair mission that the Avengers had set up to fix a stationary satellite that had gone dark. It ended with all the crew besides Banner dead, and the Hulk falling through the atmosphere engaged in combat with some weird space mutant. Ah, memories... "Yes, I have been on the moon. It wasn't too special, but the view was to die for." Twilight wrote down what Banner said and put her notebook down, squinting her eyes and looking out the window at the sun rising over the horizon. "Wow, sunrise already?" she remarked. "Well, we'd better get moving and get you to the hospital," Twilight said with a stifled yawn, putting her notebook on the shelf. Banner gave her a look. "You're not trying to get another blood sample from me again, are you?" Banner asked in a neutral voice. Even though there was no malice in his voice, Twilight heard the underlying threat in his tone. "No, no needles or blood samples. I'm actually trying to get you a job," Twilight said with a sigh. "Job? What job?" a puzzled Banner asked. After your miricle at the hospital the other day, Doctor Lifeline asked me, to ask you, if you wanted to have a job at the hospital. He said that they could really use someone who knew some outside-the-box skills." "That's not the kind of doctor I am, Twilight. I knew about the charcoal because I have studied poisons in the past, but I'm not a medical doctor. I'm a scientist, not a medic," he stated matter-of-factly. Twilight rolled her eyes and opened the door to the library. "Well, I set up an appointment anyway. Don't worry, I'll be with you the entire time in case you get scared," Twilight said in a joking tone. "Hahaha, you're so funny," Banner replied dryly. The two headed out the door and off to the hospital. Twilight started talking about how magic worked in this world as well as its properties, while Banner only half-listened. The other half of his attention was spent on observing the ponies of the town. They seemed to be fine with his presence among them now, and none of them gave him a second glance. There was a number of different ponies, ranging from unicorns to earth to pegasus. All had a different 'cutie mark' (that's what the book he read had called the marks, at least), but some of them looked practically the same except for that mark. But what felt the weirdest to Banner was the sense of peace that seemed to float about in the air. No anger, no getting angry at each other; just peace...a peace of which he didn't deserve to be a part. One slip, one moment of weakness, and the entire town would be gone. He shouldn't be-- "Here we are!" Twilight called out to Banner, who in his musings had fallen ten feet behind Twilight. He snapped out of his thoughts and jogged over to the unicorn. She rolled her eyes with a smile as reached her and the two headed inside. The hospital was calmer than the last time Banner had been here. The doctors and nurses were lounging around, talking to themselves with coffee in their...hooves? How did ponies hold coffee in their hooves? Banner simply shrugged this off, as a doctor with a heart monitor on his flank spotted the two and walked over. "Hello Miss Sparkle. Hello Doctor Banner. Thank you for taking the time to answer my request," he said with a smile, offering them a hoof. "Thank you for inviting us, Doctor," Twilight smiled, shaking his hoof. "Yes, thanks," Banner said with forced happiness and also shook the doctor's hoof. "Well, if the two of you would come this way, we can talk inside my office." Doctor Lifeline turned and indicated for the two to follow him. Twilight followed with a smile, while Banner followed a little more slowly. He despised hospitals. Not the work done there, but the fact that every time he wound up in one (except here), he ended up strapped to a bed and forced to fight his way out. As the three walked down the hallways, Banner looked inside the rooms and noted that the beds were mostly empty. In fact, there were only three ponies, total, who were actually there for medical reasons. "Here we are." Lifeline opend the door to his office and the two guests stepped inside. Banner looked around at the doctor's office which was nothing special, just an office. The doctor sat behind his desk and cast his eyes towards Banner. "So, saving a foals life the other day...How'd that feel?" Doctor Lifeline asked with a raised eyebrow. "Someone needed my help and I helped. That's all there was to it," Banner responded with a shrug. Doctor Lifeline raised both eyebrows. "You managed to keep your calm in a panicked situation and helped save the life of a foal that was beyond the help of our other doctors, when YOU were supposed to be here for medical treatment yourself. Doctor Banner, if you don't mind me saying, that was more than just helping somepony," Doctor Lifeline said in a serious tone. "What you did was go out of your way to help someone else, even after your little...episode." Banner frowned and narrowed his eyes at the doctor's mention of his rage attack, but Lifeline's words hit him in the heart. Banner had often gone out of his way to help others, but had he ever done it in a pre-rage state before? "I was happy to help. I was the only one there with the knowledge to help, so naturally I helped," Banner said flatly. "And that's what I wanted to talk to you about," Lifeline continued. "The other day reminded me that we don't always have the answers to all the problems, so your new information was very interesting to see. I wanted to ask if you would consider working at the hospital until the time the mothership comes to pick you up?" Banner rolled his eyes about the 'mothership' joke, but he debated about the job opening. "What kind of work would I have to do?" Banner asked cautisously. The doctor smiled at Banner's answer. "Well, we'd liked to hear about your medical knowledge and all the different treatments that could help our patients. You could be an advisor or work with the staff. And if you don't want the job, that's fine with us too. It's up to you," Doctor Lifeline concluded. Banner wasn't sure what to do. He held within him a monster, a monster that could destroy this world. But he had helped, and for the first time in a lifetime, his help had been accepted. These ponies were accepting him for his actions and for who he was, not for whom they wanted him to be, and certainly not for what was inside of him. He looked over at Twilight, who nodded her head eagerly. "...Alright, I'll do it," Banner decided. Doctor Lifeline smiled and hopped out of his chair, motioning a hoof for Banner and Twilight to follow. They went back out to where all the doctors were sitting around and Lifeline clapped his hooves to get their attention. "Doctors and nurses, let me introduce you to our newest colleague...Doctor Banner!" Lifeline saluted, pointing both his hooves to Banner. The other doctors and nurses started to clap (an odd sight to see), making Banner feel a bit awkward. "Well, while you get aquainted, I need to send a letter to Princess Celestia. And since Spike is away for awhile, I need to mail it. Sooo..." Twilight teleported out of the hospital, leaving Banner to be given a tour of the facility. Doctor Lifeline talked while Banner "listened." "Over here is the operating room and this is the x-ray room. Also, we have the--" SLAM! Banner and Lifeline both spun around as the hospital doors were slammed open. Everypony (and Banner) stared at the sight that greeted them. A massive red stallion was standing in the doors, panting as if he had just ran for miles. On his back was a small filly with a red bow, who had tears streaming down her face. Also on his back was a wrinkly green pony that wasn't moving. After a moment, the doctors and nurses rushed over to the stallion's side. "Big Macintosh, what happened?" Nurse Redheart asked. Applebloom did her best to respond through her tears. "G-granny Smith j-just collapsed on the floor. She's not moving and she's barely breathing," she choked out through her tears. Lifeline took over. "Get her to a medical room, now. Doctor Banner, go with them. They might need your help," he instructed. A unicorn doctor levitated Granny Smith off of Big Mac's back and floated her down the hall, followed by other nurses and doctors. Banner chased after them as Lifeline got more details from Macintosh. Banner entered the room where Granny Smith had been placed and watched the other doctors hook up wires to her. "What's her heart rate, doctor?" Redheart asked. "Barely beating and her pulse is falling fast," the doctor muttered. The heart monitor confirmed what he was saying, as the old mare's heart barely made a beep on the monitor. The doctors began to frantically try to find a medicine to restart her heart. "Revitalizing potions are having no affect. Energy boosters aren't working either. What else do we have?" a doctor growled, trying to find a medicine that would work. "Nothing else will work. There's nothing we can do," the nurse said with a fallen face. As the ponies desperately tried to figure out what to do, Banner watched them with interest. By his calculations, they had about one minute and thirty seconds to figure out what to do before the mare was lost. He'd give them thirty seconds before he intervened. "No, no, no! Nothing's working!" Doctor Cleancut growled, looking at Granny Smith's heart monitor. It had essentially flatlined, and the long beep that all doctors feared to hear followed. Banner shook his head at their antics. Twilight was right; these ponies did need his help. "Alright, time for me to step in. Cleancut, get a pegasus to get me a thundercloud," Banner said in his serious voice. Banner had read in one of Twilight's book that pegasi could move clouds, and Banner needed electricity, lots of it for a powerful jolt. Cleancut wasn't sure why he wanted a thundercloud, but he went with the man. "Nurse Healthcare, get me a thundercloud, NOW!" The pegasi nurse flew out the window and came back in a few seconds later with the cloud. "Good, place the cloud over her heart. Right here," Banner directed. The nurse moved the cloud over Granny Smith's heart. Banner added, "When I say 'now,' kick it." "CLEAR!" Banner yelled, "Nurse Healthcare, NOW!!!" and the nurse kicked the cloud hard. Electricity flooded through the mare's body. Banner shouted again and the nurse kicked the cloud for more electricity. On the third attempt, the green mare's eyes shot open and she jumped out of the bed, twitching a bit. "Woooeeee. I feel livelier than a June bug near a porch light. Hehe, sorry Death, but this old girl's still got some fight left," she laughed to herself, dancing around the room. The nurses and doctors stared at her in disbelief, had she really been at Death's door a moment ago? Doctor Banner smiled as the old mare continued to dance around the room, still taunting Death. The merriment was interrupted as the door to the room slammed open. All heads turned towards the orange pony that had opened the door with tears rolling down her face. She looked around until her eyes fell on the old green mare, who had a silly smile on her face. "Applejack, glad ya came to see me. I've cheated Death once again. Hehe, he must hate me." Applejack stared at Granny Smith. "Yer alright," she whispered. "Ah'm better than alright, I'm supercharged!" AJ pulled her grandma to her heart with a hug, resulting in her mane standing on end. Banner smiled and left the room, not wanting to interrupt the moment. He decided to go down a different corridor, taking the long route to the entrance. He entered the lobby and walked by the red stallion and the little filly, who gave him a desperate look as he passed. He nodded with a smile and the two rushed past him to the old mare's room. Banner walked outside, to where the pink pony from yesterday was waiting. "I heard the news. How is she?" Pinkie asked in a very worried voice, her bouncy mane laying flat on her head. "She'll live," Banner said with a smile. Pinkie sighed in relief and her mane reinflated. She smiled at Banner and asked her question... "Well, with that crises over, could you come to Sugarcube Corners with me?" she asked. Banner wondered what she was up to. Was she leading him into a trap, some sort of trick? "Sure," Banner agreed. Pinkie smiled wider and bounced towards the sweets house with Banner following behind. ======--------------------------+------------------------===== A pair of green eyes watched from the shadows as the Royal Carriage flew off in the direction of Ponyville, with the Princess of the Sun seated inside of it. The eyes swiftly turned and headed down the Canterlot streets, invisible to all who walked there. It quietly moved through the shadows, it's destination already decided. The shadow reached the castle gates and slipped through them without incident. It slipped past the guards and snuck through the inside of the halls. After a few minutes, it reached its destination; the castle garden. It walked past a multitude of statues until it reached the one statue it had sought: The statue of Discord. The shadow slipped from the darkness, revealing a tall, black, insect-like creature, with bug-like wings and a crooked horn..Queen Chrysalis. "Hello, Discord. It's been awhile," the queen said in a silky voice. 'Indeed it has. I hope that you came to see me for more than just small talk?' the statue of the draconequus asked in her mind. Chrysalis smiled evily. "How would you like to help me throw the world into chaos?" "What? Throw the world into chaos? Only somepony that was completely insane would do that. I'm in." Chrysalis smiled and used her magic to let chaos loose.