When Ponyvillians think of a ‘laboratory’ they often think of Quickfix’s house. This was of course easy to see. Her entire house was made to be a station for her engineering marvels. There wasn’t a day that went by that she wasn’t fixing some toaster or creating a new tech that would, four times out of five, blow up or cause mayham.
Yet, there is another laboratory that doesn’t get as much attention from Ponyville. Mostly out of respect for the owner. She wasn’t as ‘insane’ as Quickfix, but when she was in the zone… she was in the zone. It wouldn’t be the smartest thing to disturb her. Yet that was what Rumble planned to do. He planned to go to the very heart of one of Ponyville’s infamous labs.
Right under Ponyville’s hospital.
Rumble was up to the challenge. Nothing was going to stop him from getting his cutie mark. ‘I’m so going to rub it into Scootaloo and Silver Spoon’s faces. My cutie mark is going to be awesome.’ He just needed to find a way in. He needed to be smart, like a true guard. He was going to be sneaky-like. He’d outsmart all the grown up and prove to the world that he was the best guard ever.
“Uhh, kid?” A local cop stared at him with a raised brow. “Are you going inside or not? You’ve been standing there, looking at the door, for the last several moments.”
Rumble blinked in surprise, “Ummm, I’m going inside?”
The cop opened the door, “Then go on inside. A little colt like you shouldn’t be outside all alone. Something could happen to you.”
Rumble rolled his eyes. The grown ups had been saying that a lot lately, ever since Nightmare Moon happened. ‘I’m a big pony. I can take care of myself.’ He didn’t say that out loud, since the cop would say that wasn’t true. “Thank you.” The little colt grinned in victory as he trotted inside, ‘I’m in.’ He had it made. He just had to find…
‘Wait, where is Redheart’s lab?’
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Nurse Redheart was a mare of science. That’s pretty much a fact anyone could guess upon meeting her. She wasn’t as ‘enthusiastic’ as Quickfix all the time, but she had to admit. She had her moments. She did her best to keep them isolated in her laboratory though. ‘I don’t want to spook the patient's.’ Her laboratory wasn't as grand as Quickfix's house, but it was rather expansive. There were vials and notes everywhere, with little experiments going on. This was a place where she could live out her passions in life, aside from helping others. More specifically, genetic manipulation was her truest of passions. Right now, the mare held a microscope over a little petri dish. She smiled.
“It seems my tomato hybrid is coming along nicely,” Redheart nodded and turned around, only to come to face a little colt… wearing a nurse outfit. “Rumble? What are you doing here and why are you wearing that?”
Rumble looked down at himself. Nurse Redheart had to admit, it made him even more adorable. “I asked where you were, Nurse Redheart. Some ponies said that only nurses and doctors could go down here, so I grabbed this... “ He blushed in embarrassment. “It was the only thing I could find.”
Redheart shook her head, resisting the urge to chuckle. “And why do you need to see me?”
Rumble smiled as he looked up at her, “I want to get my cutie mark.”
“Ah, I see.” Redheart nodded. ‘He’s going through his cutie mark phase.’ “Well why don’t you go over there,” she nodded to the changing room. “And get out of those clothes. I’ll see what I can do.”
“Yay~” Rumble hugged her foreleg, melting her heart from the cuteness. “Thank you, Nurse Redheart.” He sped off.
Redheart sighed, “This is going to be a long day.” It wasn’t that she didn’t want to help Rumble. He was a nice colt and never gave her a hard time when he came in for check ups. It’s just that she knew what mischief little ponies could get into when looking for their marks. She knew this from experience. ‘I’m lucky to still have any hair.’ She mentally grumbled as she remembered Lightning Dust’s early years.
He trotted out, stripped of his clothing. “Now can I get my cutie mark?”
Redheart giggled and ruffled his mane with a hoof, “We’ll see what we can do. Not everyone can get a cutie mark in science.”
“But you did,” Rumble pointed to her cutie mark.
Redheart shook her head, “No, that means I’m great at healing others. Genetic research is my other passion. It’s a long story, but I’ll tell you it one day. Now let’s practice some science.”
*One Hour Later*
Rumble groaned, regretting his decision. He was a brave colt. He’d weather any storm. Fight any monster if he had to. This however…
“And as we can see,” Redheart tapped a chart detailing a splice of DNA with a pointing stick. “DNA structures are quite complex in simple terms.”
“Nurse Redheart?” Rumble piped up. “How is this going to get me my cutie mark?”
Redheart chuckled and put down the stick. “Before one can truly achieve their talents, they need to study.” She patted his head. “It will take some time, but you’ll get the hang of it.”
“I don’t want to wait,” Rumble crossed his forehooves and pouted. “I want my cutie mark right now.”
“Cutie marks don’t work like that,” Redheart shook her head. “You can’t just force them to appear and start with science. We don’t know how to create the phenomenon and I’m not willing to test out possibilities on a child.”
“Not even once?” Rumble did his best puppy stare. He even jutted out his lower lip and quivered slightly.
Redheart wasn’t phased, “Nice try, but I’m a nurse. I’ve seen that trick far more times then I can count. I’m immune to cute.” She booped his nose. Suddenly, there was a loud beeping. She sighed and trotted over to the wall. She tapped a large green button, stopping the noise. “I’ve got a couple patients to take care of. Stay here and don’t touch anything.” She narrowed her eyes, “I mean it.”
Rumble nodded before she walked off. He smirked and rubbed his hooves the moment she closed the door. He had his chance. There would be no stopping him now. His time had come and he was going to get his cutie mark.
‘...So which one should I take?’ He pondered as he walked around. The little colt didn’t really know what to think of all the vials and stuff lying around and he was hesitant to just try them. ‘Maybe they might make me sick.’ He thought to himself, doubting his plan. That is, until he came to one potion on the bottom shelf. He didn’t even have to fly up to get it. He looked down at the label.
“Growth serum?” Rumble said aloud. “Well, only grown ups have cutie marks. Maybe this will help.” He took the bottle, uncorked it, and took a long swig. He smacked his lips as he tried not to throw up. “Ugh, this tastes nasty.” He put down the potion and wiped his lips. “I’m never trying that again.”
Before he could move, he felt his body start to shift. Everything seemed to itch and the room around him started to shrink. At least, that’s what he thought at first. “Hey, what’s going on?” His eyes widened. “My voice sounds like a grown ups.” He smiled and then looked to his flank. He frowned, “Awww, still blank.”
“Redheart?” A mare’s voiced called down into the lab. “Are you down there? I brought you the samples you wanted. I can’t believe you actually want this stuff though.” Cloud Kicker trotted into the room with a large sack on her back. She placed it down on the ground. “Hello, is anypony…” Her eyes widened when she saw Rumble. A strange smile came across her face. “Oh hello big boy~”
Rumble blinked in confusion, “Umm… Hello?”
“What is a hunk like you doing in a place like this?” Cloud sauntered over to the stallion. Her flank was moving more than it should.
Rumble was starting to feel nervous and he didn’t know why, “I… I’m helping Nurse Redheart.”
Cloud pouted as she stood right in front of him, barely a couple hoof lengths away. “And she didn’t invite me? For shame. I could help.” She touched his chest, moving her hoof in ways that made him tingle. “I’m good at that~”
“Rumble,” Redheart called down as well. “It appears Flitter’s here to….” Her and Flitter’s eyes widened when they saw what was going on. “Rumble? You drank my growth potion, didn’t you?” Rumble nodded, looking down at the ground in shame.
“Rumble?” Both Cloud Kicker and Flitter said in surprise. Cloud Kicker’s heart sank and she started to sweat.
“You were trying to seduce little Rumble?!!” Flitter roared.
“I didn’t know he was really a colt!” Cloud Kicker said in her defense. Flitter wasn’t having any of that as she tackled the mare.
Redheart sighed and shook her head, “She should really get a hold of her anger.” There was a ‘pop’ and Rumble was back to normal. “Huh, wasn’t expecting it to wear off so soon. Not with how much you drank. I must have used too much magic and it burned through your system.” She walked over to the table and started taking notes.
Flitter huffed and used her wing to scoop up Rumble onto her back, “We’re leaving.” She trotted upstairs.
Redheart nodded as she continued to take notes. She used her tail to pull on Cloud Kicker’s own, since her head was stuck in the nearby wall. Thanks to her Earth Pony strength, it was easy. “Next time, don’t try and seduce my assistants.”
“Duly noted,” Cloud groaned and shakily trotted out. “I’m… going to check myself in now.”
Redheart sighed and rubbed her forehead, “Nothing is ever easy in this town.”