//------------------------------// // Bonus: A visit to the doctor // Story: Where did you come from? // by Jeweled Pen //------------------------------// Cherilee groaned and slowly opened her eyes, before looking around nervously. No spiders. No colts. No demons. No psychotic unicorns. No summons from the princess. The day was already looking up! She slowly crawled out of bed and looked out the window, a grin forming on her lips. It was a bright, sunny day. The birds were chirping their gentle melody. The princesses had absolutely assured her that there would be no more problems, not even little ones, coming after Val. They'd made sure of that. After that ordeal with his mother, she knew she could use the relief. Things were finally, hopefully, going to wind down now. This weekend princess Luna would be meeting with the boy to give him his first mental evaluation. Twilight had almost finished with the note and would have all that settled, though she claimed what she had already found was most likely all they needed. So it was now time for them to get on with their lives. Tomorrow Val would return to class and begin being around colts his own age. But before that, she needed to make sure everything was okay. After what his mother did, the princesses had assured her there would likely be no lasting damage. She still didn't want to risk it, though. He was a child, anyway. It was time he got vaccinated and had a full, proper evaluation. So today they were going to the doctors. It would be routine, easy enough. But it would give a nice baseline in case there were any other troubles. She took a deep breath and started towards the door. She slowly crept down the stairs and smiled at the sight. Val had finally figured out how to turn on the 'magical box', but sadly changing the channels was still beyond his capabilities. Still, even when the news was on he could sit and stare with such wide eyed wonder, Nipper resting on his head. It made her heart a little warmer watching him, so calm and sweet. It... gradually made up for when he wasn't so nice. “Are you ready for today?” Cheerilee asked, making the colt jump a little. “Huh? Yeah! I'm all ready!” he said proudly, giving his little chest a pound. She nodded and moved over, giving him a gentle hug while being careful to ensure Nipper didn't touch her. “Okay. We'll eat a nice breakfast first, but I need you to do something for me, okay? Promise me. Please promise me. Don't cause any trouble today, okay? These ponies are just trying to help you. I know sometimes it might hurt, but there's a lot we need to get done today. Some of your vaccines, some tests, things like that. Luckily a lot of it was done when you were in the hospital last time, but there's still a lot to do.” He made a little pouty face, but slowly nodded. “Fiiiiine. I'll be good, I promise.” He then lunged up and gave her a big hug. She cringed as Nipper was practically shoved in her face and she quickly pulled back, making a quick trot towards the kitchen. “Good, thank you,” she said, shaking her head. She really wished she could have got him to get anything else as a pet. Something more cuddly. Like a cat. Though, she couldn't really see him with a cat. She then shuddered as she imagined him coming home with a baby hydra. Perhaps the spider wasn't so bad. She hummed happily as she worked, cooking up a few eggs, waffles and hay bacon. She glanced over to him. “Val, dear? Can you try to set the table?” He cringed. “I... ummm... I'm not sure...” “Just try, okay? Use the plastic plates. If you drop one or two, it'll be fine.” He nodded slowly, before climbing off the couch and moving over to the cupboard. She watched him out of the corner of her eye and smiled. He reached out his hoof and used it to pull open the door, gripping the plates in his hooves and slowly putting them on his back. She tried to suppress her smile as she watched him work. He didn't even seem to notice he was grabbing things like a pony now. Once he had the plates and forks on his back he slowly started making his way towards it, precariously balancing it on his back. He was becoming a little more pony every day. She hoped in the end it would turn out that was what he needed. After escaping his mother, she couldn't bare to think of him becoming something like her. He wasn't always the nicest child, but he meant well. He had a sweetness to him. She barely managed to contain a giggle as he made it to the table, only to reach up and use his hooves to put the plates on it. Just a little longer and she bet he could set the table just using his hooves. Soon the food was done and she put it all on one big plate, slowly carrying it over and putting it down on the table. “Now, remember what I said about today?” He nodded slowly. “Yes. If I'm good we can go and get something from Sugarcube Corner. Don't use any magic. Don't light anything on fire. No bleeping.” She nodded. “And the shots?” “They'll hurt, but they're for my own good,” he said with a shrug. “I'll be fine! I've taken lots of pain before!” he said proudly. She opened her mouth to object, then slowly shook her head. “You're right. I'm sure you'll be fine. You're my big, strong little colt,” she said with a smile, before slowly dishing out his plate. She just hoped there wouldn't be any surprises. ------ “He's here!” a pony yelled out the moment the two of them stepped into the building. Cheerilee rolled her eyes as she saw two of the aides readying fire extinguishers. “He'll be fine today,” she said calmly, with just a hint of annoyance. “He's promised to be on his best behavior.” “Of course,” Redheart said before looking down at her clipboard. She gave a soft, gentle sigh. “If you'd please just follow me?” Cheerilee nodded, slowly following the mare to the back room. Seemed they were desperate to get him in and out as quickly as possible. She glanced down at Val. “Remember, best behavior.” He gave another nod. “Of course! I'll be on my absolute best!” The two of them were led into one of the small rooms. He was directed to a small plastic bed and she took a seat in one of the chairs. “Okay, let's start with your blood pressure,” the nurse said as she grabbed the small strap and put it on his leg. Cheerilee watched and, to her amazement, Val was completely still once the mare began. He didn't fight, or object or even threaten as the mare worked on him. He cringed a lot at first, but that was normal she supposed. The nurse took notes, though paused when she checked his heart beat. “My, it's going a mile a minute. Are you okay?” Val merely gave a small, trembly nod. “Okay then. Please take a few deep, calming breaths,” Redheart said, before looking down at his hooves. “Dear, you're shaking. Are you feeling okay?” “Y-yes,” the child said softly, his eyes lowered. The nurse gave a small frown, before nodding. “If you're sure...” Cheerilee couldn't help but smile. She'd never seen Val on such good behavior. He was barely even objecting, giving his hoof when told. Though now that the nurse mentioned it, she couldn't help but notice his hooves were shaking a lot. He was keeping his gaze lowered, too. Whenever he was told to give his hoof, he'd offer it rather meekly. It wasn't anything like him, it was-- Alarms went off in her head and she got to her hooves. “Um, Nurse Redheart?” The mare glanced up. “Yes?” “Can Val and I have a moment alone, please?” The earth pony gave her a flat look, before sighing. “Fine. I have to go get the needles ready anyway, and prepare to draw a bit of blood.” “Of course,” Cheerilee said. The moment the door closed, she sat besides Val. “Honey? Are you okay?” “Y-yes, I'm f-fine,” he managed to get out gently. His hooves were shaking and she could see the way he just stared at the ground. His lower legs were interlocked tightly, so tight she was sure they probably hurt. His other hooves were digging into the cushion. Slowly she reached over and put a hoof over his shoulders. “Honey... have you ever been to the doctors before?” “N-no.” “Have you ever been examined before?” He slowly gave a weak nod. “Honey... was it... scary?” He didn't move for a while, but then slowly nodded his head. “You know that she's not like the drow, right? She's not like your mother. She won't... hurt you like they did.” She couldn't even begin to imagine what tortures they'd probably put this child through. Here she'd thought the shots would be the worse. She gently pulled him close. “Do... you want somepony else to finish this?” “C-can you?” he asked softly. She shook her head. “I'm not trained.” He nodded. “O-okay.” He was quiet for a few moments, then gently looked up. “Can... can a ummm... a stallion do it? Somepony who isn't like... that?” She slowly gave a nod. “I'll go talk with her, okay?” Cheerilee said, before slowly letting him go and climbing off the bed, before walking out of the room. Mentally she cursed a long tirade of her own little bleeps. She couldn't believe she hadn't thought about this, what kind of mother was she? He'd just been actually KILLED by his mother less than a few days ago, a pony version of her. Then just dragged him along to get poked and prodded by some other mare. She had to be the worst mother ever. How could she possibly hope to raise this child without causing irreparable harm? She stood outside the door and fumed, grumbling darkly to herself and hating herself as she waited. Finally, Redheart came walking down the hall, pushing a cart ahead of herself. She cocked her head to the side. “Miss Cheerilee? Is something wrong?” The teacher gave a small nod. “I'm sorry to ask this, and I know it probably sounds weird, but by any chance are there any male nurses or doctors who can take care of this?” Redheart looked stunned, offended then angry. “Miss Cheerilee, this is a hospital, not a bar. If you wish to--” “No, no no no, no!” Cheerilee said quickly, shaking her head and waving a hoof back and forth. “It isn't ANYTHING like that. I swear. No.” She then gave a sigh and glanced back to the door, before looking back to the nurse. “You know... part of his story. About the other dimension. Well, the mares in his world aren't exactly...” She frowned as she tried to think of the word. “Evil. Pure, unadulterated evil. He's not handling having a mare examining him very well.” She then glanced to the needles. “I... don't think he'll handle that very well, either.” Redheart blinked a few times before nodding. “Oh. I... see. Yes. Abuse can make certain things... difficult. I'll see if Dr. Horse can administer the shots. Okay? But we don't have very many male staff, you understand. This could make future appointments difficult.” She nodded. “I know. I'll... work something out,” she muttered. “Val needs it.” ------ Dr. Horse hummed softly as he grabbed a bandaid and slowly put it on Val's leg. “Very good. That was the last shot. You were very, very brave,” he said with a smile. “Mmm hmm,” Val mumbled, little tears formed in his eyes. There had been five shots in all and there would be more in the future. But to Cheerilee's surprise, he had managed not to cry. He'd come very close and even had to grab her hoof on the third one, but he hadn't cried. He was still a bit tense and nervous, but nowhere near as bad as he had been with Redheart. “Well, that should do for now. Let us know if there's any complications, okay?” the doctor said before looking at Val's file. “Would you like to schedule a follow-up?” “Not right now. Just call me when all the blood work is ready and I'll schedule then,” Cheerilee said with a small smile. She then climbed off the bed and helped Val down, giving him a little kiss on the forehead. “You were very brave.” “I-I get ice cream now, right?” he asked softly. She nodded. “Yes dear. Come on, we can go there right now.” She gave him one last hug before giving the doctor a small wave and trotting out the door, Val following along besides her. She glanced down to the colt and gave him a comforting smile. “Val, when you're scared or upset like that, just let me know. I'll do whatever I can to make you feel safe.” He nodded. “I-I know. I'm not weak though!” he said proudly, giving a big wide grin. “I'm not scared, really! I'm just... I ummmm... I just don't like it.” She smiled and gave a little nod. “Of course. But being comfortable is for the best.” She watched him for a few more moments. “There's nothing wrong with being scared, Val. You've been through a lot. Nopony would blame you for--” “I-I'm not scared,” he said again, shaking his head, his fluster quickly returning. “If I'd wanted, I could have blown her up in a second! Fire and ash everywhere!” His voice leaked with pride. “I suppose. But then you would have been grounded. Just about forever,” she said with a shake of her head. “R-right. I'm also a, ummm... good. Pony. Right?” he said sounding a bit awkward. “Yes. You've been a very good pony lately,” she said with a nod. “And I am very proud of you. Now, let's go get some ice cream.” ------ Val darted into the shop and jumped up against the counter, going right past the line. “Val, get back here,” Cheerilee ordered, scolding him. “You have to wait in line.” “But... but I got shoooooots. I earned this!” he whined. “Yes, you did. But you have to be patient. Now come back.” He hung his head and sulked, but none the less made his way back towards her. “Have you decided what you want?” she asked with a soothing smile. “The mega explosion double fudge ripple banana split.” She rolled her eyes. “That's not happening. It's bigger than you are.” “But mooooooooom.” “Not. Happening. Do you want a normal banana split?” She hummed and decided to give. Just a little. “With extra whipped cream and another cherry?” His eyes lit up and he gave her a hug. “Yes yes yes you're the best ever!” She nodded and patted him on the head. “I try. But you have to be patient and wait your turn, okay?” “Hey Val!” a voice called out, making them both turn towards one of the tables. Sweetie was sitting down with a shake in front of her, sitting next to a small brown colt. “I was just talking about you.” Val's cheeks turned red and he stared at her for a moment. “You... were?” Cheerilee gave a soft, exasperated sigh. Of course he wasn't afraid of her. At least, not yet. “Hello, Sweetie Belle. Hello, Button Mash.” “Hi Miss Cheerilee,” the two said in unison. The teacher glanced down. “Val, how about you go talk with your friends and I'll get the ice cream?” He nodded and ran off, jumping into the chair besides Sweetie and smiling. “Sooo, who's the filly?” he asked, pointing at Button. Both the ponies stared at him for a moment. “I... I'm a colt...” Button said softly. “Wait, really? But you're like so...” Val said with a wave of his hoof. “Anyway,” Sweetie said before looking between them. “I thought you'd want to meet each other! Button likes those games you like.” Val blinked, then a grin formed on his lips. “Oh hoh?” A hoof moved up to his mouth as he eyed the earth pony. “You imagine yourself a great commander as well?” Button stared for a moment, before cocking his head to the side. “I... guess? I mostly like video games, though,” he said with a shrug. “But I've got a lot of the really fun card games. Battles of Equestria, Awesome!, Embers rise of the Dragonborn and Cyborg Leylinerunner.” He paused and gave a sheepish smile. “Though my mom is the one who plays the last one the most. It's... kind of confusing and I can't really figure out everything in it.” Val blinked a few times, before shaking his head. “Very well then! If you wish to challenge me, then so be it!” He lifted a hoof dramatically into the air. “I shall crush you and all shall know of my unparalleled might! Then once I have destroyed you--” “Val!” Cheerilee called from the line. He blinked, then sighed. “Fine. Once I crush you I'll totally like... make fun of your weak deck and stuff. Yeah.” He grumbled and nudged the table a little bit. Sweetie sighed and rested her head in her hoof. “This was a bad idea...”