//------------------------------// // Hospital Run (edited) // Story: A Dog and Zebra Show // by bluemoon1996 //------------------------------// “I’m looking for a couch. Lovely piece; green upholstery, wood frame, seats three ponies, slight scuff on the left side,” Time Turner asked. His voice was pleasant despite his search, though his dark brown mane and tail were both in a state of disarray. He motioned to the thick cuff strapped to his brown fetlock, ticking away steadily with a few gears and springs exposed, a small air bag pumping occasionally. “According to my scanner-matic mk17, it passed by this way. Bit of an incident with chaos magic. Discord escaped—never did think leaving him in the garden like that was for the best—and of course he came to Ponyville, similar to the reason I settled there I assume, though without that unfortunate University incident. But chaos magic and a lovely couch go very well together, apparently. The fridge too. Managed to keep that one from leaving the house though. But, enough of that, have you by chance seen it?” The earth pony looked up, hope in his blue eyes. The blue jay he was speaking with, perched one of the low branches tilted its head and chirped in confusion. “Oh, whickering stallions, this is hopeless,” Time Turner sighed, trekking off again, not without nodding a salutation to the bird. “I never did learn how to speak bird. Seemed more like a pegasus curiosity.” He fiddled with with his device and pointed it around a few times until it whistled. With a new bearing, he trotted off again, following the whistles. The trail took Time Turner deeper into the woods, making him more than pleased that his couch decided to head to the Whitetail woods rather than the Everfree. It would have been an entirely different journey if it had. It didn’t change the fact that bits of branches and leaves were getting in his coat and mane and his collar was likely to be ruined if it caught on many more branches.. “Chaos magic or not, how did a couch manage to get this far? Perhaps it would have been wise just to purchase a new co- Ahaha! There she is, my beautiful couch!” Somehow the couch had gotten caught in a stand of oak saplings, suspended a few hooves above the ground as if it had been trying to dig it’s way in before the chaos magic was dispelled. Time Turner sighed with a mix of amazement and astonishment, climbing over a fallen tree. “My goodness… how will I get you home? I suppose I should have considered that before setting out on this venture…” Since he was already there, he wanted to at least check if it was possible to get it free. What he didn’t expect was to find two ponies at the heart of the stand, caught in curiously tangled branch formations. Not exactly ponies, actually. One was clearly equine, but the striped coat and longer dock marked him as not being a pony. The other wasn’t even equine, claw tipped paws slack against the branches and his coat in blue, tan and black. “Great Whickering Stallions! That’s a zebra and a diamond dog foal!” Time Turner exclaimed. Both were unconscious, their breathing shallow and ragged. Recovering his couch temporarily forgotten, Time Turner got closer. “But what are you doing out here? In a tree no less.” Neither was responsive to Time Turner’s comments. The stallion’s face grew worried. “Great Trot, I’ve got to get you to a doctor. A medical doctor!” With as much haste as care would allow, he grabbed them, first the zebra then the diamond pup, maneuvering them by the scruff to the couch, then transferring them to his back to carry them back to town. ~~~~~ Ponyville General Hospital wasn’t the only medical facility in town, but it was the largest and best. Being a large enough town on the edge of a place like the Everfree Forest did necessitate a facility that was far more comprehensive than one would expect for it’s size. Normally they were more than capable of dealing with most of what the town could throw at them. Ponyville General Hospital was busy. In the wake of Discord’s eventful, though thankfully brief, rule, the number of ponies who ‘needed’ medical attention soared. From scratched knees to itchy tails, everypony swore they needed professionals to check them out. It went without saying that the staff were stressed and bordering on overworked. The pink mare behind the welcome desk wasn’t thrilled to see Time Turner racing in. He was one of the more regular visitors. Even his nickname ‘Dr. Hooves’ wasn’t only because he was brilliant, but because he tended to be something of a bumble hooves. That and his experiments had him in once or twice a month. If it was a good month. “Turner, this really isn’t the best time for...” Nurse Sweetheart started. “No time! I’m not here for me. I’m fine,” Time Turner interrupted. He came to an awkward halt by the desk, his body angled so Sweetheart could see his passengers. “They need help!” “Sweet Celestia!” Sweetheart exclaimed, her weariness momentarily forgotten as she became instantly alert. She quickly made calls for assistance. “I need two gurneys to reception! Two foals, look badly injured!” Once she had the call made, she darted around the desk and started checking them. “A zebra and diamond dog?” Though taken aback, she didn’t hesitate,touching her hoof to their chests, forehead and muzzles. “They are hardly breathing. Pulse is erratic. Skin seems a bit clammy but I can’t tell for certain. Circulation seems poor… have they been like this since you found them?” “Ah, well yes, as far as I can recall,” Time Turner said, though not with full confidence. While he wasn’t well versed in medical sciences, he wasn’t uninformed. A fringe benefit of his frequent incidents. Even as he responded, the sound of hooves and wheels rapidly approached. “I didn’t exactly pause to check their vitals. Getting them here seemed to be the more pressing priority.” “Gurneys, nurse Sweetheart!” the stallion leading the group of orderlies said sharply. “The foals on Time Turner’s back! We need them in pediatrics intensive care, stat,” Sweetheart directed. Not even waiting for their confirmation she grabbed the diamond dog and transferred him herself. “Nurse, is that a diamond dog?” One of the more skittish orderlies asked worriedly, ears dropping. “We don’t have time for that,” Sweetheart said curtly, leaving no room for discussion. “And have somepony make sure Tenderheart and Dr. Stable are informed.” Just like that the two foals were taken off Time Turner’s hooves and rushed off into the halls of the facility. Time Turner, standing beside Sweetheart who remained at reception, watched nervously as the orderlies moved with dispatch. He looked at Sweetheart with concern. “Will they be okay?” “It’s too early to say. To be honest, neither one looked good, but only a full examination can say for sure.” Sweetheart admitted. She took Time Turner back to the desk and got out a clipboard to start working on the paperwork. “Do you mind telling me their names and what happened?” “Well, actually,” Time Turner said, pursing his lips, “I don’t know. I found them like that in the Whitetail Woods. My couch did, actually.” Sweetheart slowly cocked her head to the side. “Your couch did?” “I know. I never thought it had that kind of talent either.” Time Turner shook his head slowly. “Looked like it was trying to get them out, too. Makes me wonder what the fridge would have gotten up to if I had let it.” While still skeptical about his claim, Nurse Sweetheart decided to accept it. After all, she herself had seen strange things during the time Discord had his ‘fun’. A couch trying to rescue some foals wasn’t that farfetched in context. “Well then… this is going to be a lot more difficult than expected…” “Is it?” Time Turner asked. “Thank you for you help with this, Time Turner,” Sweetheart said as she swapped out the paperwork for another set. “I’ll have to get in touch with the Ponyville Police, maybe Townhall as well. But in the meantime do you mind helping me by telling me more about how you found them?”