Firefly: The Long Job

by psychicscubadiver

Chapter Five: The Virtue of Patients

Editor: Silentcarto
Proofreader: Coandco
Story Image by: Silentcarto

Disclaimer: I don’t own Firefly or My Little Pony; that is Joss Whedon and Hasbro, respectively. This is a fanfiction that portrays MLP characters in a ‘Verse very clearly based on Firefly. Shake well and enjoy.

The smell in the impromptu surgical theater was worse than ever, but Twilight took a deep breath of satisfaction. Tin’s wound was debrided to the best of her ability in the current circumstances. A quick check with her heart-monitoring spell informed her that his rate, rhythm, and pressure were all within normal limits.

She picked up the small biohazard bag that contained the various … contaminants left over from the surgery, sealed it, and passed it to ‘Old’ Yellow, the blonde-coated Dog assisting her. “Please, dispose of this whenever the village gets rid of organic waste.” She paused. “Hopefully, somewhere far from water supplies.”

Yellow chuckled, though his nose wrinkled in disgust as the bag neared him. “That would be the mushroom fields, Doctor. That’s where anything organic goes, and this wouldn’t be the first, ahem, personal contribution. Waste not, want not, after all.”

Twilight felt her stomach turn, but forced a smile anyway. “Thank you,” she said. Yellow nodded and left quickly, probably looking to dispose of the bag and its smell as quickly as he could. “I may be sick,” Twilight muttered to herself.

“No topsoil down here,” Cliff rumbled, making Twilight jump in surprise. He had been so quiet that she’d forgotten he was even there. “And where else to put it?” He rose from his seated position to stand over her once again.

Twilight swallowed and reminded herself that he probably didn’t mean to loom and scowl like that. After all, he seemed to be on her side. Still, it was hard to forget the feeling of his massive paw around her neck and how easily he could have killed her.

“You done?” Cliff asked, eying Tin’s sleeping form.

“Not quite,” Twilight replied. “I still need to cast my antibiotic spells; otherwise we risk recurrent or even systemic infection. A good dose of VANC and ZOSyN should alleviate those concerns.”

Cliff paused for moment and stared at her. “Are those real words?”

Twilight chuckled awkwardly even as she began preparing the first spell in her mind. “They’re acronyms. You tend to see that a lot in the medical community. VANC stands for Valiant Aid’s Nanoorganism Cleanser and ZOSyN stands for Zealous Order’s Synergistic Nostrum. I don’t have a lab to culture and examine the causative agents, but those two in combination will cover any non-magical pathogen.” Unless she was dealing with some truly foreign bacteria, but that was a fairly small risk.

Cliff sat back down, his expression nonplussed. “Should have studied Pony harder.” He let out a heavy sigh that Twilight would almost swear ruffled her mane from across the room. “Get on with spells, please. Special patient next.”

Twilight nodded to shown that she had heard and threw herself into the proper formulae and spellwork. Still, a part of her couldn’t help but wonder at Cliff’s last statement. The spells commanded her attention for now though, and she put a hold on her pondering. Power gathered at her horn, directed by a mind honed from countless hours of study and practice. A concentration of energy built and built, ready to wash through the patient’s body, purging it of foreign organisms.

Slowly Twilight lowered her head until her horn just barely touched the clean skin above wound. With a breath she released the VANC and Tin’s body pulsed with the purple light of her aura. She slowed her own heart rate, then checked on the spells monitoring Tin. His vitals were steady, and no adverse reaction was making itself known. Always a positive. She began to prepare the ZOSyN, keeping a careful eye on Tin’s vitals. After ten minutes and another substantial outpouring of magic, Twilight was done.

“You mentioned a special patient?” Twilight asked, carefully washing her horn and fore-hooves in one of the basins the Dogs had provided. She dismissed the visual portion of her monitoring spells, but left the emergency measures that would alert her if Tin’s vitals strayed outside of a healthy norm.

Cliff nodded. “Not here. Follow me.” He rose and padded out of the room, barely sparing her a backward glance. Twilight frowned, but grabbed her kit and followed him.

A small group of Dog pups were playing some kind of game involving several lines drawn on the ground and a multitude of pebbles. They quickly abandoned the game to peer curiously as Twilight left the building. She gave them a small wave, and they began to talk amongst themselves in hushed barks and growls. A few of the bolder ones met her eyes instead of avoiding them. One especially brave little girl grinned and spoke in thickly accented Equestrian. “Hi pretty pony!”

Twilight was about to reply when Cliff barked at the pups. They scattered with barks of their own, some of which sounded suspiciously like laughter. Cliff growled, but his ever present scowl relaxed in something that was almost a smile as he watched them. “Nice to hear. Happy pups are worth more than diamond pickaxe.”

“Are any of them yours?” Twilight asked.

Cliff’s scowl returned, and his eyes were … sad for a moment. “No. Follow.” His tone didn’t brook any argument, and Twilight didn’t hesitate to follow. Cliff led her to the far side of the cavern, down a narrow tunnel Twilight hadn’t noticed before.

More of the glowing substance lined the ceiling, and the walls were filled with more home fronts. Cliff was large enough to nearly scrape the sides, but he navigated the passage with what seemed like long practice. Twilight couldn’t help but notice that many of the doors looked old and uncared for. In a few places they even hung open, revealing bare, unlit rooms beyond. She shut those with a flick of magic. Partially out of respect for those gone, but mostly because she didn’t want a path to darkness hanging open behind her. She’d had quite of enough of lightless rooms after their trip here.

They eventually arrived a richly carved hardwood door, larger and better kept than most of its neighbors. Cliff knocked surprisingly gently, then sat back on his haunches to wait. It wasn’t long before a weary-looking female Dog came to answer it. She wore a loose apron that covered most of her white fur. She was also covered with black patches, and Twilight initially started running through a mental list of diseases that could cause such discolorations. On a closer look, though, she realized the spots were just a unique coloration of the Dog’s coat, and that other than possible mild sleep deprivation she appeared to be in good health. The Dog’s smile upon seeing Cliff was kindly, but tired.

Cliff said something to her in Canine then gestured to Twilight. The new Dog barked in surprise
and looked up to Cliff, hope in her eyes. He nodded, then turned to Twilight. “This is Peridota, my brother’s wife. Brother is inside.”

Twilight nodded once and followed Peridota down the dim hallway. Light inside the home was provided by luminescent mushrooms growing from small metal fittings that reminded her of candle holders. She moved deeper and deeper into the warren, passing small rooms which branched from the central hallway. Eventually, the smell of stale sweat and sharp spices overpowered the natural musk of the Dogs. Peridota moved a thin curtain aside and gestured for Twilight to enter.

“He is in here, doctor,” Peridota said in halting Equestrian. She looked sadly at her husband, then turned back to Twilight. “Can I get you anything? Mushrooms? Tea?”

Twilight hid her shiver of revulsion at the mention of the mushrooms. Peridota was only trying to be nice. “Tea, please,” she replied. Peridota excused herself, and Twilight inspected the sickroom. There were was a low table with chairs in the corner, a shallow closet and a dresser, but the focal point of the room was a modest bed,on which a twitching, muttering Dog lay. His angular features were made all the sharper by the gauntness of his face. One ear and a patch around one eye were colored brown, but like his wife, that appeared to be just part of his coat. Sweat beaded at his brow, matting his fur. His eyes stared wildly, focusing on nothing, constantly darting without any sign of comprehension. The covers of the bed had been tossed aside at some point and lay on the floor. Cliff sighed, and picked them up. He gently laid the sheet on the sickly Dog, who struggled weakly to kick them off.

“This is my brother and our former Alpha, Fishbone,” Cliff said. Twilight found his name less than impressive, but tried not to show it on her face. Either she was successful or Cliff didn’t care, because he continued on. “Three weeks ago he dug deeper than any dog, looking for new jewel seam. He is our best miner with the sharpest nose. They found him on lowest levels a week ago, shaking and not talking sense. Duke became Alpha and Fishbone got weaker and weaker.” Cliff gestured to a mug that Twilight belatedly realized was the source of the spicy smell. “No herb or shroom helped. I wanted to take him to pony hospital, but don’t have enough money. Then Duke ordered us to raid pony town, and now even if we had money, we couldn’t go.”

He placed both massive hands on her shoulders and locked eye with Twilight. “I will do anything you ask if you can cure my brother. Help you and your friends escape, give you any jewel we have, be your slave for life. Anything. Please, just help him.”

Twilight saw the solution to all their problems there. If she could cure Cliff’s brother he would be able to help her fix all of this. The missing gem could be bartered for, and she could be released. The Dog elders clearly didn’t get along with Duke. Restoring their former Alpha to good health would no doubt earn their goodwill and guarantee that she could walk out of here a free pony, and with the captain's prize to boot. She opened her mouth to accept Cliff’s offer, but stopped before a word could pass her lips.

For all his frightening manner and hulking form, Cliff’s eyes were no different from those of many Twilight had already seen. Her mind flashed to the family members of former patients. Those ponies who wondered, worried, and hoped against hope that their loved one could be cured. Twilight brushed aside any thought of personal gain and felt herself give Cliff a gentle smile.

“I can’t promise anything until I’ve had a look at him, but even if I can help, you don’t need to promise me anything,” Cliff stared at her, his face radiating confusion. Twilight felt herself smile all the brighter in response. “I would never hold someone’s health hostage in return for something I wanted. It’s my duty and my calling to help anyone in need. That is what it means to be a doctor. You can pay me back however you feel is appropriate after the fact, but for now, all I need is some time to examine the patient.”

Cliff lifted his hands from her shoulders and scratched his chin. “I don’t get it,” he concluded.

Twilight nodded, unsurprised by his reaction. “My mentor used to tell me that it takes a special kind of pony to be a true doctor. The patient always comes first, and anything beyond that is for someone else to handle.”

She began to prepare some of the standard monitoring spells and turned her focus on her patient. Delirium and fever were vague symptoms that didn’t tell her much. She set her spells to working and turned to Cliff while waiting for their results. “So, if your brother was the Alpha before his illness, shouldn’t you have become the new Alpha?”

Cliff shook his massive head. “Not how things work for Dogs. Alpha must be a strong, clever, capable Dog.” He scowled more deeply than usual and sighed. “I am strong, but that’s all. My nose is weak and my… skill… is weaker.”

Twilight cocked her head at him and arched an eyebrow. Cliff flushed, or so Twilight thought, but said nothing. “Skill?” she pressed, awaiting an explanation.

“Doesn’t translate well. Closest words are ‘Stone Move’. It’s how Dogs dig through bedrock. We need picks for really stubborn spots, but mostly we just move earth and stone with paws.” He stared at his massive paws, then clenched them tightly. “Was never right size to be good digger. Poor skill just sealed it.”

“So it’s a form of Diamond Dog magic?” Twilight asked, studying the results of her spells. Breathing rate was low and blood pressure was high, but neither were at dangerous levels. There weren’t any visible signs of infection – no inflammation or redness. Some swelling in the lower hind-legs; mild edema, by the look of it. She picked Fishbone up in her aura, watching his reaction, as she searched for any tender spots or signs of injury.

“Not really. Not like what ponies call magic.”

Twilight frowned, but chose not to pursue that conversational tangent. Besides, she had her hooves full with Fishbone. Metaphorically, at least. He weakly fought her aura, but otherwise didn’t react. Not until she poked him in the lower left of his back. He suddenly writhed and said something in Canine that sounded like a curse. Cliff stepped forward, his eyes worried, but as Fishbone subsided, he sat back down. Hiding a wince, Twilight turned to him. “I’m going to try another spot that may produce a similar reaction, please don’t be alarmed.”

Cliff didn’t look enthused about the idea, but he hesitantly nodded. Twilight carefully put pressure on Fishbone’s lower right back. He cursed again and fought her aura harder. Twilight set him back down. “Please call Peridota back into the room,” she asked Cliff. “I have some questions for her.” Cliff nodded and left, while Twilight withdrew a small syringe from her kit and carefully took a blood sample. She set an examining spell to work on it as Peridota entered the room, two mugs of steaming drinks in her paws.

“Cliff said you had questions,” she said, setting one of the drinks down, and nervously cradling the other one to herself.

Twilight nodded. “This might sound like an embarrassing question, but it is very important. How much urine has Fishbone produced since he was found and what color was it?”

Peridota looked at her with a puzzled expression, but answered. “When he first came back it was normal, but now he makes much less and it’s dark.”

“I thought so. Was there ever blood in it?” Twilight asked, taking a quick sip of her tea. It had a strong, earthy flavor that she found strange but tasty.

Peridota shook her head.

“Hmm.” That made crush damage unlikely, at least. “I don’t know the cause of this yet, but your husband is suffering from some serious kidney damage. Cliff said that his symptoms have gotten worse over time, is that correct?”

“Yes. We tried many cures, but he is just slipping away,” she said, her ears drooping back. She settled herself, taking a deep draught from her mug, but Twilight could see the toll Fishbone’s condition had taken on Peridota.

“Then it’s progressing. I will do what I can to help him, but given the slow worsening of symptoms I don’t think the damage will be reversible.” Twilight felt her mouth go dry as the implication began to sink in. “I’ll need to run more tests and examine him further, but our only option may be a kidney transplant.” No proper surgical theater, limited tools, limited drugs, no professional assistance. She’d check every other avenue first, but if it came down to it, she was certified for transplant operations. Not that the approval of the Confederation Medical Association would mean much out here, but she knew the proper surgical techniques and had learned the spell to temporarily prevent organ rejection.

“What?” Peridota looked more confused than alarmed, but then probably didn’t know Equestrian well enough to understand what Twilight had just said.

Twilight shook her head. “I need to do more tests and see if I can figure out the cause. It’s very possible that this could have a simple solution once I understand what’s at work.” Possible, but not very likely. She paused then met Peridota’s eyes, her expression serious, but as calm and kind as she make it. “But just in case, it would be helpful if you would gather anyone related to Fishbone. I may need their … blood to help him.” Explaining modern magical medicine to someone in their second language would not an easy task, but Twilight hoped that she would be able convince any volunteer Dogs that she had only pure intentions.

Peridota nodded and left in a hurry, her tea forgotten. Twilight blinked as she heard the door open and shut in quick succession. That was one Dog who apparently had no qualms about her proposed methods. Twilight turned back to her patient, crafting some test spells to examine his blood in greater detail. All the while planning for a surgery that she dreaded would be necessary.

………

Snoop listened carefully from around the dark corner. The ponies and their cat-bird were arguing about something. She put a paw on Snow’s shoulder and gave a quick squeeze and pulling gesture. Snow patted her paw, and in the faint light from the ponies’ distant lantern, she could see her sister grin.

Trailing the ponies was tough, that hat-pony had ears like a Dog no doubt. They were careful to stay out of the light and move quietly, but even the smallest sound made hat-pony’s eyes dart around, looking for the source. It was a good thing she didn’t have the nose of a Dog, or they’d be in real trouble. With the ponies shouting like elders in a town meeting, they could move in a little closer. Snow sniffed delicately then gave a small giggle. Snoop grinned; she could smell the frustration coming off the ponies too.

They’d walked for hours and hours, looking for their friend and the Dogs. Silly ponies, these were some of the oldest mines on the planet. Diamond Dogs had been digging out shafts and carving tunnels for generations. They could wander forever without finding the village.

Not that the Dogs could get much work done with ponies all in the mines. That was why Alpha Duke assigned them the big important job of watching the ponies. The ponies avoided the chute traps after that doctor pony got taken, but it didn’t matter. Time and the mines were on their side. The ponies would have to leave or else rest at some point. That was when Duke would lead a team to catch them.

We should be on that team, Snoop thought sourly, pouting in the darkness. They weren’t pups anymore. They’d already helped capture the doctor pony, and wedge the chute hatch shut. What else did they have to do before older Dogs started to treat them like real adults?

Snow grabbed her, stopping her from accidentally kicking a small stone on the mine floor. Snoop breathed out a sigh of relief and patted her sister on the shoulder. It wasn’t easy being sneaky, but they had each other’s back. But now they were close enough to hear every word. Total success!

“You’re leadin’ us in circles, Captain!” hat-pony shouted. Snoop heard her set down the lantern with a weighty ‘thunk’.

“Oh, and you think you can do better?” bird-pony shot back.

“Seriously? You two are really doing this?” the cat-bird said. She sounded fed up with her friends. Snoop wished she could peer out from the around the corner, but cat-bird and the bird-pony captain had some impressive guns. Best to keep some distance for now.

“I know I could do better! We’ve already been down this hallway, and even if we hadn’t, this place is darn near endless. So what if you flew through some mines back when you were some ‘teen rebel’? That doesn’t make you some expert, and we’re riskin’ a lot more than mom’s disapproval here!”

“Don’t you bring my mother into this!”

“Oh, sorry,” the hat pony said, but from her tone Snoop suspected that she wasn’t really sorry. “Fine, let’s leave the past out of it. You got no idea where we’re goin’ now. I don’t wanna get taken like Star. We either need more ponies or a better plan.”

A slow stamping sound came from around the corner. “Brilliant, Applejack. More ponies. Why didn’t I think of that? But where do we get them? Most of the crew won’t be any use, and if we bring them anyway, who guards the ship and watches Cardinal?”

Snoop glanced at Snow wondering why the ponies would want to watch a bird. Snow just shrugged; she didn’t get it either. Crazy ponies.

“Fine. You can drag Gilda along with you, but I’m heading back,” hat-pony declared with a fierce snort.

“Do you two really think this nonsense will-”

“Shut up, Gilda!” bird-pony yelled.

“You heard the high ‘n mighty Captain, Gilda. Best do what she says or she’ll get angry and stomp around like a foal until she gets her way.”

“Ha ha,” the bird-pony, but it didn’t sound like she was really laughing. Crazy ponies. “Whatever, go if you want, but we’re keeping the lantern.”

“No way! It’s my lantern.”

The gun cock echoed in the tunnels and everything went deadly silent. Snoop and Snow held their breaths, straining their ears to the limits.

“I wasn’t asking,” bird-pony said coldly.

“Captain, you can’t be serious. That’s my only source of light. Gilda, you wouldn’t leave me in the dark… would you?”

The cat-bird gave an exasperated sigh. “Don’t look at me. I’m not involved in this stupidity.”

“Step away from the lantern, Applejack,” bird-pony demanded, and Snoop could imagine the steely glint in her eyes as she leveled her pistol brace. So cool. Still a crazy pony, but so cool.

“Then I’ll find my way out of here, light or no light. Have fun with the Diamond Dogs and try not to die, you idiots.”

“Follow your own advice if you can. See you later, AJ.” The lantern’s handle squeaked softly as it was picked up. The faint light retreated down the tunnel. Hat-pony started cursing under her breath, and Snoop gleefully committed those words to memory for later use. The hat-pony turned and began trudging back the way she came, only to bump into a wall and curse again.

Snoop felt Snow tense with anticipation; the same thought was shooting through both of their minds. This was the perfect opportunity. The hat-pony was practically helpless in the dark. They could capture her by themselves.

Snow put a paw on her shoulder and squeezed twice, pulling a pick out of her pack. Snoop bit her lip worriedly for a second, but she pushed it away. Earth ponies might be stronger than a Dog, but that wouldn’t do her much good down in the deepness. It was two-on-one and the pony would have no idea where her attackers were. Snow squeezed her shoulder again. Snoop nodded, then patted her sister’s paw, signaling her agreement.

As a team they were invincible; there was nothing they couldn’t do together. This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to prove themselves to the entire village. They couldn’t tuck their tails and run back to Alpha Duke. They needed to show everyone what kind of Dogs they were!

Still, it only made sense to be cautious. Together, Snoop and Snow padding silently after the hat-pony. Their picks were ready, and they had plenty of rope in their packs. The hat-pony continued on, sometimes bumping into walls, sometimes feeling her way along. She was heading in the right direction, which impressed the sisters, but wouldn’t do her any good once they caught up. Slowly, slowly, they gained ground on her without alerting her to their presence.

Then, in a long tunnel with no branching points, she suddenly stopped. Snoop grabbed Snow’s shoulder, holding her back. Something was wrong. She sniffed the air and realized that she wasn’t smelling any fear from the pony. Frustration, yes. Anger, a little. But no fear.

Hat-pony turned around. Snoop knew she couldn’t see them, but that that didn’t stop a chill from running up her spine. “Gotta say. Y’all have given us a pretty good runaround, but the games stop here.”

Snow let out a low growl that echoed in the tunnel, bouncing around the hard walls. The pony chuckled and Snoop brief wondered how she could hope to pinpoint from just that sound. Instead, the pony made rustling sounds, like she was digging around in her vest. Snoop didn’t know what she was doing, but her every instinct told her to run or take down that pony right now.

Snow surged forward, a slight scuff on the ground was the only sound betraying her movement. Snoop couldn’t abandon her sister. She rushed forward in concert. Snow moved right and Snoop moved left, ready to hit their target from two sides at the same time.

Hat-pony brought out something that smelled cold and metallic and sounded small. “Sorry about the noise,” she said, letting the object drop to the floor as she clamped both hooves over her ears.

A tiny sun went off in front of her with a thunderclap that shook Snoop down to her very bones. Light stabbed into Snoop’s eyes, while pure sound smashed into her skull. The pick fell from her paw and she didn’t even feel it happen. Her world was nothing but light, pain, and disorientation. She couldn’t tell up from down anymore. She dropped to the floor, but the world still spun around her at stomach-churning speeds.

Something hard touched her. She tried to struggle, but it was too strong. Strong coils of something wrapped around her, strapping her arms to her body and locking her legs together. The pain in her eyes and ears fading and her hearing returned. She heard Snow yipping and the hat-pony cursing again. Her sister’s voice cut off suddenly.

“That’ll stop you from trying to bite me, ya varmint.”

“Don’t hurt my sister!” Snoop barked, a growl rising at the back of her throat. Her words were brave, but there was a sinking feeling in her stomach and slowly growing fear.

Hat-pony snorted. “I didn’t hurt’er. I just slipped a rope over her muzzle for tryin’ to bite me.” A faint light appeared at the end of the tunnel, revealing a pair of dark goggles on the pony’s face. She took them off as her friends and the lantern neared. Snoop could see the grim determination etched into the pony’s expression. “But y’all took my friend and our goods. So, hurting ain’t off the table.”

The pony put a hoof on Snoop’s chest and leaned down until their faces were almost touching. “After my friends get here, we’re gonna have a little heart-to-heart, and you’re gonna tell me where your village is. Like I said, we’re done with games.”

The pressure on Snoop’s chest increased from uncomfortable to painful, and she couldn’t help letting out a small whine. “And believe me, sugarcube. You don’t wanna be standing in our way when we get serious.”

Comments

[MrAskAPirate]

Oh, I love it when they pull this trick,

[RanmaChaos]

Another enjoyable chapter. Good job.

[SilentCarto]

More dog name references! Did you catch them all?

[Maran]

I like Twilight's antibiotics spells. A potion would've been more conventional, but a spell is a unique twist.

[Jomama]

Yup! Still a good read.

[Beware The Carpenter]

So was Applejack fighting with the other two real or a trick?