Chapter 19 (It's Not Lupus)
Chapter 19
God, if you can still hear me, please, get me out of here. I’m not sure how much longer I can stand being stuck in this hospital for. Begged Allen silently as he stared up at the white tiled ceiling of his hospital room.
It had been three weeks since he was admitted to Ponyville General, and in that time, he’d been forced to remain in his room, with only a few instances per day where he was allowed outside, as he underwent treatment. At first, it hadn’t been so bad, the hospital staff were pleasant and took time out of their day to sit and visit with him. Twilight and Lyra also came by regularly to visit with him, and he found that he had actually come to enjoy their company for the most part. Though, Twilight’s incessant questions did get a little irritating at times. It also didn’t hurt that he’d been allowed to return home a couple of times, under close supervision, of course, to retrieve some entertainment.
Thank God their electrical grid is basically the same as ours back home, otherwise, I’d be crawling up a wall from boredom right now...well, more than I already am anyways. There are only so many times you can read the same books, play the same games, and watch the same movies over and over again before you get bored. He let loose an explosive sigh of glumness as he continued to stare up at the ceiling.
Sighing again, he turned over on his side so that he was facing the nearby window. He’d requested that the hospital staff move his bed as close as they could to it so that he could look outside and watch Ponyville go about its business. Even though the hospital was on the outskirts of town, there was still a bit of activity outside his window from time to time. That activity usually spiked when a trio of fillies would either gallop or zip by on a red wagon and blue scooter. For some reason, the hospital would also tend to have more patients come in shortly after those three went by. Even though Allen wasn’t a betting man, he couldn’t help but feel that there was at least some sort of connection between the two events. In any case, he’d decided that it would probably be to his benefit to keep an eye out for those three when he was finally discharged after his treatment was finished.
Speaking of his treatment, he felt his eyes wander upwards towards the nearby IV stand and its softly glowing contents that were steadily dripping into his veins.
Even after being in this world for over a month, there are times when I still can’t believe that magic actually exists. He let loose a snort of amusement, Even more so that I, of all people, am being pumped full of the stuff!
Shaking his head at the absurdity of it all, he turned his attention back to the window and the world beyond. I wonder what Dad and Sis are up to right now? They’ve probably realized that the farm and I aren’t where they left us anymore. I wonder how they’re taking it. Probably not well, he felt a couple of tears well up at the corners of his eyes and spill down his cheeks. He’d found himself doing that more and more these days, especially when he didn’t have anything to take his mind off the fact that he was effectively alone on an alien planet, with little chance of returning home.
Oh sure, the locals were nice enough, but they just weren’t the same. They didn’t feel the same. Allen wasn’t sure what to make of it at times. Everything just felt...off, like a painting that is slightly out of proportion, enough that subconsciously you know something isn’t right, but can’t really tell at a glance.
It’s enough to drive a man insane.
A sharp series of knocks on his door broke Allen out of his musings. Turning over and sitting up, he called out, “Come in.”
A grayish cyan aura surrounded the door handle and with a twist, the door opened revealing a smiling Dr. Stable.
“Good morning, Mr. Ross! How are you feeling this morning?” he asked cheerfully.
Allen returned the unicorn’s smile with a smaller one of his own. “‘Bout the same as yesterday, I guess. To be honest, doc, I feel like I’m about to go stir crazy here in this room. How much longer are you guys going to keep me here?”
Dr. Stable trotted around Allen’s bed and glanced over his vitals monitor, along with the various readouts on his medical clipboard at the foot of his bed. Glancing up at Allen, he replied, “I would say not long now. Everything we’ve been seeing these last couple of days is very promising. Your appendix has responded well to our treatment regimen, and if our calculations are correct, should be of adequate size for your body mass. Moreover, your gut flora seems to be doing well, and your thaumic network is getting stronger every day. Honestly, at this point, I feel that there is little reason to keep you any longer.”
Hope blooming within his chest, Allen expectantly asked, “So does that mean I can leave today?”
Dr. Stable shook his head, crushing Allen’s hopeful smile. “I’m sorry Mr. Ross, but no. While you seem to be doing better, there is one final test that we need to do before we can fully release you.”
Allen groaned. “Another test? Come on doc, you guys have been poking and prodding me for weeks now! I’ve passed all the other tests with flying colors according to you guys! So why do I need to do one more then?” he asked, a petulant look on his face.
Peering over the top of his glasses, Dr. Stable shot Allen the look a parent would give a misbehaving child that should know better by now. “Mr. Ross,” he began, seriously, “I understand that you don’t want to be here any longer. Trust me, I’ve dealt with many patients who, upon feeling better, want to get out as soon as they can too. However, your case is unique, we’ve never encountered a situation like this before, and I pray we never have to again. It was touch and go for a little while and there were times we weren’t sure if your body would actually respond to our treatments. Thankfully, it did, and now you’re about to the level of a young foal in terms of mana management capabilities. However, much like a young foal, your thamic network is still fragile and hasn’t had time to properly develop. If we let you go, and you oversaturate your network by accident, it could cause untold damage. That’s what this last test hopes to look at.”
Feeling sufficiently chastised, Allen slumped low in his bed, muttering quietly he said, “Sorry doc, I’m just feeling cooped up right now. For some reason, I feel like I’ve got enough energy that I could run a hundred miles and not feel tired right now. Plus, a lot of the aches and pains that I’ve accumulated over the years are just gone. Hell, my skin feels like I just got back from some kind of all-day spa visit or something. I looked in the mirror this morning, and there’s not a pimple or blemish to be seen!”
Dr. Stable nodded, a smile on his face. “That would be your thamic network moving the mana through your body properly, Mr. Ross. Just like any nutrient, our bodies need mana to repair themselves and keep our energy levels up. Now that your body actually has the ability to absorb and use the mana that you give it, it’s using that mana to repair damage to your body. It’s a well-established fact that ponies who can handle more mana than others tend to live longer, more productive lives.”
“What, so I’m going to live longer then?” asked Allen incredulously.
Dr. Stable nodded. “Oh most definitely. I know that we’ve spoken a little about your species biology in the past and that I’ve shared a little bit about ours with you. But I’m very confident that your lifespan has probably been lengthened by at least another ten or twenty years, if not more.”
Looking down at his hands, Allen simply went. “Huh, so I could easily live to be a hundred years old then.”
“It’s certainly possible, barring an accident or unforeseen incident, I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to have a longer and healthier life than those back in your homeworld. However, I believe that we’ve gotten a little off track here.”
Allen nodded. “Yeah, you were saying something about that test?”
“Yes, this test,” replied Dr. Stable with a nod, “is designed to see how much mana your body can take in at once before it begins to struggle. Now, we’ve gotten a decent baseline to start at, seeing as how we’ve been giving you some of our food and water over the past week or so, and you haven’t had a negative reaction to it yet. However, the amount of mana you’ve been getting is still very small, and has been spaced out over a certain time in between doses. Though that gap has been steadily shrinking, we’re still not up to the levels that a normal Equestrian consumes on a daily basis.”
“So this test will see what my current upper limit is then?” asked Allen carefully.
Dr. Stable nodded in reply, a pleased smile on his face. “Correct! If we can have a rough estimate of where your upper limit lies, then we can create a diet plan that will allow you to consume Equestrian food and drink with little risk to your wellbeing.”
Allen thoughtfully rubbed his chin and said, “Alright, I guess that makes sense. So when is this test then?”
Glancing at the clock on the wall, Dr. Stable replied, “Not much longer. I have Nurse Redheart setting everything up downstairs for us. Once this test is done, then we can see just how far along your treatment has truly progressed, and whether we can safely discharge you. Though truth be told, if what I’ve been seeing is true, I would hazard a guess and say that you’ll be out sometime this week.”
“Here’s hoping,” replied Allen.
“Quite,” said Dr. Stable as he began readying Allen for transport. A few minutes later and a knock on the door prompted Dr. Stable to call out, “Come in.”
Pushing the door open, Nurse Redheart stepped through, and giving Allen and Dr. Stable a smile, she cheerfully reported, “The testing room is ready now, Dr. Stable, we can begin whenever you’re ready.”
Returning her smile with one of his own, Dr. Stable replied, “Excellent! I’ve just about got Allen ready to move here. Would you come and lend me a hoof, Redheart?”
“Certainly doctor,” she said readily, quickly jumping in and getting Allen prepped for transport. A few minutes later saw Allen’s bed being wheeled out of the hospital room to parts unknown. Laying back in his bed, Allen closed his eyes and relaxed, content to let the hospital ponies move him as needed.
Pushing his bed into an elevator, Dr. Stable pushed a button and they began to descend to one of the lower floors. After a few moments, the elevator chirped and the doors slid open revealing that they were in the basement of the hospital. Quickly wheeling him down the hall, they soon arrived at their destination, a nondescript examination room, bare save for a motivational poster on the far wall with a pony pulling a heavy load up a steep incline, and a caption that read, Determination, is about never giving up when the going gets tough!
Allen gave a mental snort of amusement at the cheesy poster and its message. However, he was quickly distracted from it by Nurse Redheart turning his bed around so that he was facing the way he came in and locking the bed's wheels.
Walking around to the other side, Dr. Stable began lifting various wires up from various machines and placing them on different parts of Allen’s body. As he was doing this, Redheart was busy with another machine that looked like a large square box with dials and gauges on it. It also had several glass cylinders attached to the top of it. One cylinder appeared to have a glowing clear liquid inside, while the middle one had some sort of sponge-like material, and the last held nothing. In addition, the machine had a pair of IV tubes tipped with needles coming from opposite ends. Turning to Allen, she quickly and efficiently cleaned and prepped his arms to insert the needles, and after some stinging pain on Allen’s part, had both IV tubes hooked up to him, one in each arm.
Turning away from Allen, she began turning dials and hitting oversized buttons on the machine, which quickly whirred to life. Shooting it a dubious look, Allen asked, “So, what is that thing?”
“Hm? Oh, this?” she asked, pointing at the machine. Upon seeing Allen’s silent nod, she explained, “This machine is going to help us measure your mana saturation levels in your blood by extracting blood from your system, and passing it through these analysis chambers here,” she pointed to the glass cylinders on top, “before then returning your blood back to your body.”
“Okay, and what about all this wiring?” he asked, using a hand to pick up a random wire slightly in emphasis.
“That,” interjected Dr. Stable, “is to measure your vitals. Such as your temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, etc.”
Redheart nodded. “The purpose of this test is to inject you with small doses of mana to see how well your body reacts to it. This, Mana Analysis Machine” she pointed again at it, “will let us measure the level of free-flowing mana in your system and help us determine if your body is properly absorbing, processing, and storing it. Moreover, this machine helps us regulate the mana in your body if there is too much for it to handle. This allows us to safely measure your mana metabolic rate without placing you in danger.”
Allen nodded in understanding. “Okay, so it measures my blood’s mana levels while also filtering out excess mana, good to know.”
“Precisely,” remarked Dr. Stable, “once we reach a point where the machine is having to pull mana from your blood to keep you stable, we’ll know where your upper limit is, and can then recommend a proper diet for you. Eventually, you won’t have to worry about sticking to this diet long term, as eventually your body will become fully acclimated to your new magical environment.”
“And how long will that take?” asked Allen curiously.
Dr. Stable shrugged as he finished hooking up the last wire. “I don’t know, it will depend on what we learn today. However, if I had to guess, I would say at most two to three months of proper diet and exercise would see you properly acclimated to our world. Now, I need you to lay back for me and breathe steadily, we’re ready to begin the test, and remember, if you feel strange or uncomfortable, please let us know immediately. I do not want a repeat of what brought this issue to our attention in the first place, okay?”
Giving a nod, Allen did as he was told and laid back in his bed and willed his body to relax. Looking from Allen to Redheart, Dr. Stable nodded once and said, “Alright, let’s begin.”
Giving a nod in return, Redheart wordlessly hit a button, and the test began. Allen watched as his blood snaked its way up the IV tube and into the machine, at the same time, he saw Dr. Stable inject a very small amount of mana from a syringe into his right IV catheter, having used the catheter’s second, unused port. He then watched as his blood continued to flow through the mana analysis machine for several minutes with nothing really happening. Finally, after a while, the machine beeped and both Nurse Redheart and Dr. Stable crowded around the machine’s printout and began going over the data. After a minute without them saying anything, Allen gave an awkward cough and asked, “So, what’s going on?”
“Huh? Oh, sorry, Mr. Ross,” apologized Dr. Stable, “we were just looking over the initial results. It seems that the small amount of mana we injected has finally shown up on the machine's print out.”
“And?” asked Allen when Dr. Stable wasn’t forthcoming on additional details.
“And it seems your body is handling that amount well. We’ll wait a few more minutes and then give you a bigger dose.”
“Okay, so how long is this test going to take then?” asked Allen curiously.
“A few hours at least,” replied Dr. Stable as he readied another dose of mana, “either we reach your body's current upper mana metabolic rate or we find that your body is able to handle an adult pony’s daily dose of mana. If we see that, then we’ll most likely put you on either a less restrictive diet or no diet at all. If we find that, then we’ll unhook you, take you back to your room, keep you overnight and then release you in the morning. With a follow-up appointment to be determined later.”
Nodding, Allen replied, “Alright, I guess I’ll just take a nap then while we wait.”
Dr. Stable shook his head, “I’m sorry, Mr. Ross, but you need to stay awake for this procedure, in case you have an adverse reaction. Plus sleeping changes your mana metabolic rate, and that could skew our results. If you’re worried about being bored, I could have Nurse Redheart go back to your room and get you something to keep you preoccupied while we work.”
“Okay, I guess that’ll be fine,” replied Allen, a slightly disappointed look on his face.
Shooting Allen an apologetic look Nurse Redheart quickly trotted out of the room in search of something for Allen to do while he waited. In the meantime, Dr. Stable remained vigilant at his post, carefully watching the machine’s readout as it analyzed Allen’s blood. A few minutes later, and the approaching sound of hooves on tile announced Nurse Redheart’s return. Pushing through the double doors, she trotted over to Allen’s bed and laid several books next to him. They were from his personal collection that had been brought over from his home, and as such, he’d already read them several times, but at this point, it was something to do, so he grabbed one and started reading. Nurse Redheart meanwhile resumed her post beside Dr. Stable.
Time slowly passed as the test continued. Every so often, either Redheart or Stable would inject Allen with a little more mana and then go back to watching the readouts. Finally, after several hours, the machine made a whirring sound which immediately caught the attention of everyone in the room. Setting his book down, Allen turned his curious gaze to the two medical ponies, who were now hunched over the machine’s current readout, whispering quietly to themselves. After a minute or so, Dr. Stable turned around, while Nurse Redheart continued monitoring the machine’s gauges, and said, “Well Mr. Ross, I’ve got good news and bad news. The bad news is that your body still isn’t strong enough to handle an adult pony’s level of mana in their system. However, the good news is, it’s getting pretty close,” he said, a happy smile on his face.
“In fact, if my calculations are correct, you won’t need to stick to your new diet for very long, maybe a month, month and a half at most. In addition, it also looks like we won’t need to limit your diet as much, so that is good. However,” he held up a cautioning hoof, “you’re still going to need to take it easy for a bit, especially when it comes to physical exertion. Your body is not used to burning mana yet, and if you’re not careful, you could suffer mana exhaustion, which is not a pleasant experience. However, if you follow the regimen that we prescribe you, you should make a full recovery in no time.”
Shooting the doctor a relieved smile, Allen happily replied, “That sounds good doc, thank you guys, for everything.”
Placing a hoof on Allen’s arm, Dr. Stable softly said, “No Mr. Ross, thank you. I know that this experience hasn’t been pleasant in the slightest, but thanks to your cooperation, we know so much more about you and your species biology. I’m not sure how useful this will be in the future. But it will definitely allow us to better treat you at least should something happen. Plus,” he continued, a giddy smile on his face, “I get to be the first pony to publish my finding on human biology in the Royal Equestrian Medical Societies Journal of Medicine! Oh this is so exciting, I can’t wait to rub this in my colleague's muzzles back up in Canterlot! They thought me being posted here to Ponyville was the end of my career. Well the jokes on them, ha!”
Shooting Nurse Redheart, a worried look, she simply rolled her eyes good-naturedly and said, “Alright, Dr. Stable, there will be plenty of time for gloating later. Right now we need to get Mr. Ross unhooked from the MAM and get him back to his room so that he can get some rest before we release him tomorrow.”
“Huh? Oh, uh right, I was just about to do that,” replied a slightly embarrassed Dr. Stable.
Giggling at his reaction, Nurse Redheart shook her head in amusement and quickly set about unhooking Allen from the medical machines. In no time at all, Allen was back in his room, clean, fed, and ready for bed.
Dr. Stable had already begged his leave as soon as they had gotten Allen back in his room, mumbling about getting started on compiling the data that had collected over the past few weeks. Nurse Redheart for her part was used to this and simply shooed him out, quickly and effectively caring for Allen as she readied him for bed while humming a happy tune.
Having just finished her duties, and said her good night’s, Nurse Redheart turned to go and was almost out the door, a hoof on the light switch, poised to plunge the room into darkness, when Allen called out.
“Hey.”
Pausing, she turned and gave Allen a quizzical look.
“Thanks again, for everything,” he said, a tired, but content look on his face, “I know I haven’t been the easiest patient you’ve probably ever had, and I’m sure there was a time or two I probably tried your patience more than I should have. But, I just wanted you to know that I’ve really appreciated everything you’ve done for me while I’ve been here.
“You’re welcome, Mr. Ross,” she said, a warm smile on her face, “and you’re right, you weren’t the easiest patient I’ve ever had,” she giggled when she saw Allen’s face tinge red in embarrassment, “but that’s what being a good nurse is all about. Seeing to the needs of the patient, and understanding that when they are difficult it’s best to not take it personally. In that moment, they’re often going through a difficult time in their life, and sometimes, all they really need is somepony to vent their frustrations to. Though there has been a time or two when even my patience has been pushed to the limit. When that happens I take a deep breath and realize that they’re probably just scared and that they feel so helpless. Getting sick or injured enough to warrant a hospital stay can be very stressful on a person, and as a nurse, it’s my job to make them as comfortable as I possibly can.”
She paused, glancing back at her cutie mark, a bittersweet smile forming on her lips. “After all, that’s how I got my mark,” she said softly. As she looked up at Allen, he could see that bittersweet smile was still adorning her lips, though now, Allen could see a pair of tears falling down her cheeks. “You know, I got my cutie mark when I was nine years old by caring for my sister after she nearly died when a tree branch fell and hit her on the head, putting her into a coma. My parents thought she wasn’t going to make it, even the doctors weren’t sure. But I was stubborn, and I didn’t want to believe them when they told us that there was nothing more they could do and that the best thing was to just wait it out and hope for the best. So, I spent every waking moment that I could, caring for my sister. I would help clean her, brush her coat and tail, her mane had been shaved and her head was wrapped in bandages, so I couldn’t brush it for her. But I would also read and talk to her when we were together, I did anything and everything that I could think of to help her. And after nearly a month of her lying in a coma unresponsive to the world around her, she suddenly woke up one morning while I was brushing her tail.”
Redheart glanced over, staring out the window as the memories came back, and this time the tears flowed freely. “She turned to me and said, ‘I finally found you, big sis.’ After I finished hugging the stuffing out of her, and I’d managed to get my emotions back under control, I asked her what she meant. She told that she’d been lost in a dark wilderness and that at first, she was scared and alone, not sure which way to go. She said that ‘it felt like no matter which way I went, the forest just got darker and colder. But then suddenly, I heard your voice, at first, it was quiet, so quiet that I could barely hear it, but I heard it and I started following it. The longer I followed it, the warmer and brighter everything became until finally, I stepped out into a meadow of sunshine and flowers, and that’s when I woke up and found you.’ Both my parents and the doctors were amazed and happy that my sister had pulled through. In all the excitement, I hadn’t noticed until one of the nurses pointed it out, but I had earned my cutie mark. It was the happiest moment of my life, and at that point, I knew that I wanted to be a nurse when I grew up. I wanted to help other ponies find their way through the dark wilderness of sickness and pain, to the bright, happy fields of health and wellness.”
Allen wasn’t sure when he left his bed or how he managed to maneuver his monitoring equipment around said bed without getting anything tangled. But somehow he had, and in the process, he found himself kneeling next to Redheart as tears continued to roll down her cheeks. Laying a comforting hand on her withers, he gently stroked along her upper back as she took deep, calming breaths. Finally, after several minutes, she looked up at him and smiled. “Thank you,” using a hoof, she wiped some of her tears away, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get all emotional there, and make you feel like you needed to get out of bed.”
Allen looked down at Nurse Redheart, a soft, slightly tear-filled smile on his face, and said, “It’s the least I could do, you seemed like you could use a shoulder to cry on for a little bit there.”
Sniffing, and wiping her eyes again, Redheart gently pushed away from Allen, before gently chivvying him back to his bed. Getting him situated again, she said, “Alright, enough of this, it’s time you got some sleep, and it’s time for me to go off shift. I will see you in the morning Mr. Ross, have a good night.”
“Same to you, Nurse Redheart,” replied Allen sleepily, a yawn quickly escaping from his mouth.
Smiling to herself, Redheart turned and began trotting out of the room, with happy memories of patients that she had helped get better flowing through her mind like a movie reel at a cinema.
Allen watched her turn out the light and shut the door behind her as she left. However, as Allen watched her go, he could have sworn that, for just a moment, he saw Redheart’s cutie mark faintly glow and sparkle, before the door fully closed, plunging his room into darkness before he could say anything.
Did her mark just glow right then or was it a trick of the light? Another yawn ripped itself from his mouth, prompting Allen to make himself more comfortable. Feeling his eyelids grow heavy as sleep slowly overtook his tired mind, he gave his mind a mental shake.
Must’ve just been my mind playing tricks on me. Then again, this is Magical Pony Land, it wouldn’t surprise me if they’re marks could do something like that. Bah, I’m too tired to give a shit right now, I’ll worry about it later.
And with that final thought coursing through his tired mind, Allen finally let sleep take him away to the land of dreams.
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Neat
It's never lupus, except when it is.
A wild plot point appeared!
How nice to see more then hospital again
I wonder what his magic's going to do.
After reading through this, I realized what was wrong/missing - animal care for Allen's animals since there is a vet and Fluttershy (though the vet should be through Tape's and/or Checklist's organizations and Fluttershy by Twilight [Lesson Zero or not] or Lyra [maybe Bon Bon?]. Course with the hospital stay (even with visits) we won't know ...
As for the farm itself, well has anyone actually 'beat the bounds' (walked the edges to determine where the boundaries are)?
I hope he is going to be ready for whatever his magic is going to do, because I doubt the ponies will be ready either.
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But is it actually a Red Herring?! Tune in next time to find out!
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Next chapter is the last we'll see of the hospital...for a while anyways.
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How ominous
Another great chapter, as usual.:D
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It was done "off camera". Everpony knows where the property lines meet. That's why they had that meeting between the Mayor, Allen, Blueblood, Granny Smith and Checklist.
Hopefully none of the ponies have been helping them6to his house. It wouldn't reflect well on them if Twilight was looting it for reasearch materials.
so, when are the rest of the m6 gonna get involved
I've had this one in my backlog for a long time, but now I've caught up, and I'm glad I did. I'd love to see where the story goes from here.
And then he absorbs ALL THE MANA and becomes Tetsuo.
The nurse's story at the end actually made me tear up a little for some reason.
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You are normal. I did not cry. I tried to find out how big the branch should have been to give major head injuries. I should stop using reddit.
I wonder if his animals will start speaking to him ? Maybe Celestia, WILL get to have a ROLL IN THE HAY with Ruben, after all.
hehe... nice house reference :P
I think the ads are spying on the fics they're showing up on now. The first thing I saw when opening this chapter were ads for lupus medications and testing.
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That's both not surprising and kind of scary at the same time.
11353571
You're right. I'm getting ads for farmer loans. I don't even own/rent land