You walk down the stairs of the cottage having just gotten out of the shower, your coat now shiny and clean. Scanning the bottom of the steps, you found your name tag laying on a nearby end table as well as a long piece of black string next to it through which you can thread through the name tag to hang around your neck. Next to the name tag was your wallet with a tiny square picture of Fluttershy poking halfway out. You smile at your wife’s cute gesture. You then move to the end table and lash the name tag around your neck and deposit your wallet in your work saddlebags marked with a big red cross with a medical syringe overlapping the middle of the cross.
As you move towards the front door, you look up high at the wooden ceiling and take in the sights of the many birds, squirrels, mice and chipmunks rising to the early morning as they step out of their tiny, hoof-made homes to stretch their legs and wings.
You were drawn in by the rising of the animals for so long that you failed to notice the twin car bullet train that was Angel and Remi rocketing towards you. They intertwine through your legs back and forth several times, causing you to lose balance and fall to the floor face first. Annoyed and confused, you quickly heave yourself up onto your legs and regain your hoofhold.
You look on with disapproval as you catch Angel and Remi sword fighting with two large, pointy carrots. They played it out as if it was a dramatic scene in a storybook. While still annoyed, you were somewhat impressed by how well they played the part. When one of them jabbed his carrot forward, the other parried the blow and struck back with lightning speed. They sidestepped and circled each other like two crabs battling for dominance in an epic territorial war.
After taking in the fact that they could get seriously hurt, you decide to step in and halt the sword play before anything bad would happen.
“Alright you two. That’s enough,” you say while placing one hoof in between them, causing them both to quickly glance up at you. Red faced with embarrassment, they both took a few steps back and made a somewhat silly attempt to hide the long carrot sticks behind their backs.
“Where did you two get those anyway? you ask while scratching the back of your head.
Suddenly, you felt somepony press up against the side of your head. Taking a quick and startled glance to your side, you find Fluttershy looking up at you from below your chin.
“I gave them the carrots,” Fluttershy confessed, “I know that it’s far from lunchtime, but Angel and Remi are the only two animals here that eat them.”
“Really? That’s nice of you, but then again, what part of you isn’t nice?”
“The other critters weren’t interested when I asked them if they wanted any. I just didn’t want them to go to waste,” Fluttershy continued as she moved out from underneath your chin. “Do you want anything before you go to work? You don’t have to travel hungry you know...” she said with slightly worried eyes.
“I’ll be fine. Trust me,” You move a bit closer to the front door and open it. Before you could take another step, Fluttershy pulls you back in a hug and kisses you once on the lips. Having completely forgotten to do this earlier, you embrace her with the same amount of loving kindness just the way she liked it.
After pulling away from the hug, you kiss her once again on the nose -which made her blush a little- to finalize your goodbye.
“I’ll be back home as soon as I can, alright?” you said.
“Alright,” Fluttershy replied.
After being drawn into another quick kiss, you walk through the front door and set off down the path to the Ponyville town square, Fluttershy watching you as you went from the doorway.
~~~~~
It always seemed like there was something completely different about Ponyville every time you walk through the crowded social district. Ever since you took up a job at the Ponyville General Hospital, you have made several new friends along your commute, mostly shopkeepers, and have seen several new faces from creatures of all kinds. Sometimes on your walk to work, you would catch eye of one of Fluttershy’s friends and stop to give a friendly hello and maybe even have a little chat to pass the time. You were glad that you were offered the job in the first place when the head nurse took thought as to how you and your wife would support each other during your marriage.
You merrily walk through the sliding front doors of the Ponyville hospital and move up to the front desk, where Nurse Redheart was sorting through a pile of patient records kept on file.
“Hey there Nurse Redheart!” you greeted the white mare with a short wave. The busy nurse looked up from the mountain of paper and ink and smiled once she saw your face.
“Hey there to you too,” Nurse Redheart replied. “How’s it going? Still treating my sister well I assume?” she asks with a playfully raised eyebrow.
“Of course. Same as always, not a thing missed,” you reply. Taking your eyes off of the tired looking mare, you look down at the mass mountain of paper and file folders, which were strewn out onto the small desk like lily pads in a muddy pond.
“Is any of that work for me?” you ask, “I wasn’t given any advance notice on what the hospital needs today.”
“I took care of that,” Her words made you smile knowing that there was a chance that you could leave early today. “There’s a list on a clipboard pinned up to the wall in the lab. It isn’t too much work, but with three certain fillies with a mind for mischief running rampant around the town, it would be best that we’re prepared just in case another they decide to try to get their ‘balloon cruising’ cutie marks again,” said Nurse Redheart as she rolled her eyes.
“Riiiiight,” you faintly reply to break the moment of silence that came after. “Well. if you need me, I’ll be in the lab.”
“Alright dear. Good luck,” said Nurse Redheart as she lightly waved you away while she continued focusing on the mountain of extra work hours staring her in the face.
Making your way down one of the many white washed corridors-making several turns in the process-you finally reach the entrance to the medical lab, which was probably the most safe and secure part of the hospital, if not in all of Ponyville. The door to the lab was steel bolted four massive rivets into concrete wall posts with a spinning valve wheel on the front that opened the door. Carefully positioning your hooves around the valve wheel, you push down on the shortest corner will all of your might until the pressurized seal gave way. You push the door open and immediately close it once you are inside the lab.
Taking in the somewhat pleasing smell of rubber hoof gloves and face masks, you turn your head towards a small section of unoccupied wall with a clipboard hanging from a tiny nail hammered into it.
Only three types of herbal painkillers were listed on the assignment paper held by the clipboard. Your eyes went wide at such a low listing of requested medical supplies.
“Wow, slow week I guess,” you said to yourself.
With years of animal interaction experience backing you up, along with a few lessons on the basics of medicine that Fluttershy had taught you in her spare time, safety was still a number one concern for you. There was a reason why the door to the lab was bolted directly into the wall, reasons which mostly implied crazed junkies and escaped mental patients, and you took no chances when it came to your line of work.
You went to the nearest storage closet and retrieved a white satin apron, a white felt cap, a fresh pair of rubber hoof gloves, and a face mask. After clothing yourself in the usual hospital attire, you make your way to a nearby apothecary table, carrying with you a large batch of multicolored plants that you had retrieved from a dry storage closet.
You arrange the herbs into groups and reach for a nearby directory book bound by rings. You open the book and flip through the pages until your hooves stop on a picture of a bowl full of blue and grey fine dust.
“Alright, let’s see here...” you quickly skim through the specific processes listed and close the book when you reach the end. After adding a small assortments of leaves and a few stalks of herb to a clean mortar and pestle, you calmly start grinding away.
~~~~~
Fluttershy tossed the soapy dog brush aside and went for the water bucket. Carefully heaving it over her head, she tipped it over her forehead, letting a large wave of cool water flow down onto Winona’s furry head. Winona barked once and wagged her soaking wet tail in the pit of the wash bucket, sending pelting drops of mildly soapy bath water left and right. Fluttershy giggled when some of the drops impacted the side of her face.
“All done, Winona! Applejack should be here any minute now. Let’s get you dried off.” Winona wiggled around in the wash bucket before leaping out of it to shake around some more. Fluttershy dried the sweet smelling pooch with a soft and clean towel nearby.
“Well would ya’ look at that. Clean as a whistle,” Applejack commented as she approached the pegasus caretaker, her hooves coated with a thin layer of dried mud. When Winona turned and caught sight of her owner, she wiggled away from the cover of the towel and ran over to Applejack, where she then pounced onto the workpony’s side and proceeded to lick her face.
Applejack stammered several times in between laughs as she tried to get the words out. “T-thanks for watching Winona F-Fluttershy,” she said as Winona continued to warmly greet her owner. After a short while, Applejack patted Winona down, coaxing her to stop, which she eventually did.
“You’re welcome Applejack!” she happily replied with a little trill in her voice. “I’m always happy to help.”
“Well now, somepony sure is happy today,” Applejack pointed out with a sly smile.
“I’m always happy! Why wouldn’t I be?” Fluttershy replied.
“Ah’ know that. I’ve just never seen you express it so much.”
“I just have some good things going on, that’s all.”
“Good things? What do ya’ mean?” Applejack asked with a raised eyebrow.
Fluttershy looked left and right before coaxing Applejack to move closer.
“Well...” Fluttershy whispered, “Something wonderful is about to happen..."
~~~~~
Somewhere in the nearest treeline, a curious and annoyed white rabbit lay hidden behind the cover of a clump of leaves on a tree branch, binoculars in his paws. Angel held his ears up high to try and listen in on the conversation happening between the two pony friends nearby.
While it was somewhat difficult to hear the exact words they spoke, Angel could tell just by the expressions on Applejack’s face that Fluttershy had spilled the beans about the very private matter that she and her husband had discussed yesterday afternoon.
In the tree branches on high, Remi was scurrying along the thin sticks of wood, occasionally stopping to stare at a colorful leaf or peek his head into a tiny hole in the tree’s trunk.
Angel squints his eyes in disapproval when he hears Applejack utter a certain set of words to Fluttershy. His frustration levels rose to near new heights. He pondered to himself for a moment, trying at his best to come up with a scheme that would prevent his worst fears from coming to life.
Suddenly, a small, hard object clonked Angel directly on the head, sending him face first into the leaf pile. He recovered from his recent moment of pain only to feel another sharp sting on his skull. He looked up with a scowl to find Remi hanging low from a tree branch with a small pile of freshly picked cherries in his paws. When he reached for another, a loose cherry fell from his grip and Angel stepped out of the way just in time before it could hit him again. Rolling his eyes, he returned to his binoculars and continued to listen in.
~~~~~
“Ya’ll sure about that sugarcube? Are ya’ sure that you can handle something like that?” Fluttershy nods in acknowledgement. “That seems like a mighty big decision for you to make after all.”
“Applejack, trust me. I can handle it all when...that times comes. You don’t have a thing to worry about,” Fluttershy smiled as she quelled her friends worries.
“Well, alright then Fluttershy. I won’t trouble you with asking you about it anymore,” Applejack turned and whistled Winona back to her side. “Thanks again for watchin’ Winona Fluttershy!” she said as she walked away, her energetic dog trailing behind her.
When Applejack was out of sight, Fluttershy gathers up the damp wash brushes and throws them into the brown wash bucket, which she then balances on her back. She suddenly hears a rustle in the trees behind her. Before she could turn to identify the source, the trees had stopped shaking and a few leaves fell the top branches of a wild cherry tree nearby. Ignoring the disturbance, she moves the water bucket over to the nearby water pump before heading inside to light a fire for the coming night.