//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: First day on the job // Story: Doctor Song M.D.: Pony Surgeon // by Doctor Song MD //------------------------------// Song is ready for this day. She is so pumped and wants to start tearing open patients immediately-- er, helping them. Maybe she is a little too excited. Just a smidge. But nevertheless, she is going to walk into that hospital today with that bold Canterlot strut, and show everypony who the new mare is in town. But, perhaps she should familiarize herself with the town first so she doesn't end up getting lost. And make acquaintance with some of Ponyville's residents. She steps outside for some fresh country air. The birds are chirping, a pleasant breeze is blowing, and all is fine and well until she hears a loud crash! followed by a mare yelling, "Ouch!" Maybe this town has a bit more to offer than she had first expected. Searching for the source of the startling noise, Song starts heading up a hill just outside of town. There she sees lying a baby blue colored pegasus with a gorgeous rainbow mane. She seems to be injured. Song decides to check on the pony and see if she needs any medical care. She gallops up the hill and greets the pony. "Hi, there. Are you okay?" she asks. The pegasus answers, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just crashed and..." The pegasus tries to stand up, and fails. "Ouch! Uh, maybe I am slightly sore. Song smiles and says, "Why don't you come to the hospital and I'll check that leg out for you? I'm the new Doctor in town, Doctor Song." "I don't think I need to..." she trails off. After a moment of consideration she says, "Actually, it's better safe than sorry. Lead the way doc. By the way, the name's Rainbow Dash." "Nice to meet you, Rainbow. Can you walk?" "No, but I can fly." Song nods and they go to the hospital together. When they arrive, Song announces, "I have my first patient!" Song motions for RD to sit down in the waiting area. She goes over to the front desk and says, "Can you tell the doctor I'm here?" Unexpectedly, a wave of nausea hits Song. She grimaces at the pain, and tries to think of what the source might be. Of course! She hasn't eaten since she left Canterlot. What a silly filly! She decides she can probably wait until lunch time. In the meantime, she had to take care of RD's pain. "Rainbow, follow me," Song says. Rainbow Dash promptly hovers out of her seat and follows the doctor, being careful not to bump her injured leg into any furniture. The two enter a small examination room, barely bigger than a closet it seems. The walls are a comforting shade of pale green, meant to relieve any anxieties that the patient might have upon entering such a claustrophobic room. Why wouldn't a pony be scared to be poked and prodded by an array of medical examination tools? Maybe that's why some are afraid to go to the dentist? Both ponies take a seat. Song begins by doing some routine check-up: taking temperature (100°F, good), checking pulse (36 bpm, also good), taking height and weight measurements (about 3 feet, not too fat, not too thin), and visually checking for any infection of the hooves. Song asks Rainbow Dash about her injury. On a side note, dear reader, the hospitals in Equestria are not like the ones on our own planet. They function as a clinic, and a place for seriously injured ponies. Surgeons may not only operate on patients, but also have consultations with them. Often, a pony will only have to see one doctor, and a nurse if they require recooperation time. The more training a pony has, the more jobs a doctor is able to do for their patient. "Well, you see I was training in the skies, so that maybe one day I can fly with the Wonderbolts," Rainbow starts. Song smiles at this, and remembers her first dream of becoming a famous singer. She wonders if Rainbow will ever be get her wish. The Wonderbolts haven't accepted any new members for sometime now. Rainbow continues, "And I was trying to gain enough speed to perform a Sonic Rainboom." What is that? I don't even... "And I guess I didn't fly up high enough, so I came crashing down on that hill you found me at. Last time I was at this hospital, I had crashed and broken my wing. And Twi, she..." Rainbow lowers her voice, "turned me to the dark side." What did she mean by "the dark side"? Most likely just some nonsense. "So, on a scale of one to ten, how would you rate the pain you are feeling?" "Oh definitely a te- a five." Rainbow's eyes shift around nervously, not looking at the doctor. "Right," Song says, not believing it. "So, I would suggest not flying for a few days until you're leg heals up. Use some ice on it for a few days, then apply heat. Make sure to get plenty of rest, and don't, I repeat do not put pressure on your leg. You have probably sprained it, so be really careful, okay?" "Yes, ma'am," Rainbow says sarcastically. "It's for your own good," says the doctor. "Now head right home. Come see me if it get any worse, okay?" "Yeah, sure, whatever." Rainbow leaves. The rest of the morning is rather uneventful, so Song decides to read through some of the patient files. Maybe she could get to know some of the ponies in town through their records. She sees names like Derpy Hooves, Lyra Heartstrings, and Pinkie Pie, all complete with pictures. Right, didn't Pinkie say she was going to throw a surprise party? Maybe she decided not to because she knew it wouldn't be a surprise anymore. As Song is shuffling through the files, a certain file catches her attention. The name at the top was Swift. There was no picture, and as far as she could tell, the only thing wrong with this stallion was mild depression. The file was incomplete at best, which was very odd for a well organized hospital. Song decided not to think about it anymore, and put it back in the file cabinet. At lunchtime break, she went to a family owned bakery called Sugarcube Corner. She wasn't big on vegatables, and would rather have sweets any day. She bought one extra large cupcake and a cup of coffee for lunch. Back at the hospital, she performed a few check-ups on patients. She left the hospital at 5:30 to go home. She arrives at her apartment at about six o'clock. She pauses for a moment because she has a strange feeling. Could it be from that huge cupcake she ate? She slowly opens the door to her apartment. "Surprise!" Pinkie Pie screams. Song stares at her in horror, and almost faints. She looks around briefly and sees approximately fifty other ponies inside. When she gains back her composure, she ask Pinkie in a stern voice, "How the heck did you, all of you, get into my apartment?" "You left your door unlocked. Plus, I told you I was going to throw you a surprise party, so I did!" Pinkie laughs. "Right..." Song sighs. "I guess I'll let you guys stay for a little while, but please be gone by nine." "Yup, okay!" Pinkie bounces into the kitchen. Song tries to enjoy herself at the party. She is not too pleased with the fact that so many ponies were invited in her apartment without permission. She looks out the window next to her bed and thinks she sees a figure moving through the bushes. Probably just a squirrel. At eight, the party finally ends and only some treats and Song are left. At least nopony broke anything. Song is too lazy to clean up, so she snuggles up in her bed at falls asleep immediately from exhaustion.