Trauma Team: Equestrian Chronicles

by ThatCanadianDude

Fluttershy Part 1: Enter the Matron

Wait-wait-wait-wait; you want to do… what to me?”

Twilight cleared her throat. “As I said, in order to get direct access to the damaged portions of the small intestine and the pancreas, we will be performing an endoscopic procedure to deliver the neutralization agent and the repair agents directly.”

Berry cocked her head, a somewhat disturbed look in her eyes. “And remind me; this endoscopy is… what exactly?”

“Simple. Endoscopy is where we use an endoscope, which is a camera with a series of tools attached to a length of cable, which we hoof feed into the…”

A very quiet knock came from the door, interrupting Twilight’s train of thought. “Ah, that must be her now.” She turned her head to the door. “It’s open, Dr. Kindred. Come in.”

The door creaked open slightly, when a pink mane’d head popped in. “Oh, I’m sorry. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

Twilight smiled, waving her in. “Not at all, Dr. Kindred. I was just in the middle of explaining the planned procedure to the patient. Ms. Punchina, this Dr. Fluttershy Kindred. She is the hospital’s senior surgeon, and a veritable master of the endoscope.” Fluttershy couldn’t help but blush, a little smile creeping onto her lips as she looked down at the ground. “Dr. Kindred, this is Berry Punchina. She’s the one with chronic pancreatitis.”

Fluttershy looked over at Berry, whose face was a clear indicator that she had not liked what she had been hearing. “Um… A-are you alright, Ms. Punchina?”

“… Alright? Alright!” she shouted. “Of course I’m not alright! I’m sitting here dying, and now you docs are planning to stick a camera up my…”

“Ms. Punchina! I`ll thank you to keep from raising your voice in my office. Especially to the hospital’s senior surgeon.”

Fluttershy turned to Twilight. “Oh, it’s ok, Dr. Sparkle. Let me try talking to her.” She turned back to Berry, smiling brightly. “It’s alright, Ms. Punchina. I understand that you’re nervous. Everypony is.”

Berry shot back a confused look back, but visibly began to loosen up. “Can you blame me, doc?”

“Not at all, Ms. Punchina. But please trust me, it’s the best thing for your condition.” She tilted her head to the side, her pink mane flopping over. “You want to be able to go out with your friends again, don’t you?”

“Well, yeah. No fun in drinking alone.”

“Then please, for your sake, let us do this procedure. I promise, you’ll be sedated, and I’ll be very careful when I’m healing you. You’ll be perfectly safe in my hooves.”

“But don’t surgeries typically involve knives and such?”

A quiet cough came from behind the purple pony behind the doctor’s desk. “I can answer that. We’re unaware as to the extent of the damage sustained due to the digestive enzymes activation. A traditional surgery may result in more damage than we would like. The endoscope is a preferred alternative, requiring a less invasive procedure and, subsequently, a much higher success rate, and is viable due to most of the damage taking place from the inside of the organ.”

Berry blinked a few times before looking at Dr. Fluttershy. “Can I get that in English, please?”

“Of course. What Dr. Sparkle is trying to say is that it’s much too risky to go cutting in because of your condition. This way, we can make sure we don’t hurt you any further.”

“That’s what I said.”

A sigh emanated from Berry’s mouth. “Alright, fine. You win, doc. Let’s just get this over.”

A small smile blossomed on Fluttershy’s face. “I promise, Ms. Punchina, I will do all in my power to make you better.”

Twilight cleared her throat once again. “Alright, Ms. Punchina. Please return to your room. A nurse will be by soon to take you to the operating room.”

Berry walked to the door, closing it behind herself. “Alright, alright... I’m going to need a lot more booze...”

Twilight stood up, walking over to Fluttershy. “I must say, Dr. Kindred, your ability to calm down patients never ceases to amaze.”

Fluttershy blushed once more. “Oh, it’s nothing. You just have to calm and kind.”

“Well, I hope you can keep that calm demeanor. We should get going. I’ll be assisting the procedure.”

“I’m glad to have you with me on this, Dr. Sparkle.”

---

“Just a little further and... there. We’re passed the ileocecal sphincter. We’re in the small intestine.”

A small sigh of relief came from Fluttershy as she looked at the monitor.

Twilight smiled. “We’re making good time, and from what we’ve seen on the camera, it’s looking like our worries were unfounded. No damage to the lower intestine, and the reflexive bowel paralysis has left us with next to no peristalsis to worry about.”

Fluttershy looked over to Twilight. “Um, thank you for the refresher, Dr. Sparkle, but... um... I already knew all that. I d-don’t mean to be rude, but I was here... performing the surgery.”

Twilight blinked a few times before smiling nervously. “Oh, sorry. I’m kinda used to dictating previous events to Spike to write down. Comes from my time in the lab.”

Fluttershy smiled back. "Oh, um, it's- it's all right, Dr. Sparkle. I understand. Um, do you think we could continue?"

Twilight nodded. “Yes. Let’s.”

Fluttershy turned her attention back to the monitor. Fiddling with the controls, the camera move delicately towards its destination, only for a red splat to cover the lens and for the doctor to suddenly jump back from the control and utter a quiet a yelp of surprise

“Dr. Fluttershy! Are you alright?”

It took a few deep, quiet breaths, but soon, the frazzled pegasus had calmed herself. “I’m so sorry. I was just startled.”

“Startled by blood inside of a pony body?”

“I’m sorry! It just… JUMPED out of nowhere.”

Twilight couldn’t help but give a somewhat skeptical look to Dr. Fluttershy. “O… kay. Are you alright to continue the operation?”

Fluttershy walked up to the controls and pressed a button, causing a small wiper to clear the view screen. “I’ll be perfectly fine, Dr. Sparkle. But I thank you for your concern.”

Sparkle looked over Fluttershy’s shoulder at the screen aa she gently moved the camera around. “Looks like we have a few instances of hemorrhaging of the intestinal wall. Must be from the enzymes.”

“Oh my. It must really be painful.”

Twilight nodded solemnly. “Indeed. What’s the plan?”

Fluttershy flipped a small switch. On the side of the device, a small motor started whirring. “First, we must drain the blood.” Looking at the screen, she quietly drained the blood, pouring into a small container with the engine, until it was possible to see the injuries clearly. Flipping another switch, a metal clap, glowing red-hot, popped out.

“Now, I make the bleeding stop with the haemostatic forceps.” Taking care to aim the forceps directing at the haemorrhaging, Fluttershy placed a hoof on another button. Closing and averting her eyes, she pressed the button. The forceps extended and began to seal the wound, a slight sizzling sound emanating from the monitors.

As Twilight watched, a thought occurred to her. “Why does the endoscope have a microphone on it? Seems rather pointless...”

After a second, Fluttershy let off the button and the sizzling stopped, revealing a fully cauterized wound. Turning to look at Twilight, Fluttershy opened her eyes. “Oh, I asked for that specifically to be added in. It’s so I can perform parts of procedure without looking at the monitor... The haemostatic forceps are very hot and would probably hurt, so I don’t like to look at them when they’re working. I just use my ears to determine when the healing is done.”

“Oh. You can tell when you’ve finished healing by sound? That’s quite amazing.”

Fluttershy blushed slightly. “Why thank you for the lovely compliment, Dr. Sparkle.”

After a few moments, all the haemorrhaging in this portion of the intestine had been taken care of. “Alright, we’d best move on.”

As the endoscope continued on its way, Twilight made a last minute check of the endoscope machine. She payed careful attention to a container of blue liquid attached to the side. She smiled as she looked at it, tapping the glass lightly.

“Um, Dr. Sparkle... I think I’ve found something...”

Twilight quickly looked at the monitor. Even she was taken aback at what she saw. Portions of the intestinal wall had turned black with decay, and had begun to haemorrhage severely.

“Must be due to the enzymes. Be very careful here. Even the slightest bump against that could cause massive haemorrhaging.” The yellow pegasus shuttered and squeaked at the thought. Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder. “It’ll be alright, Dr. Kindred. I’ll guide you in using the medication. Are you ready?”

Fluttershy nodded nervously. “I’m r-ready, Dr. Sparkle.”

“Alright. First, drain what blood there is so that we can get a better look.”

She nodded. Soon, the blood was drained, and the haemorrhaging black walls could be seen clearly.

“Now we can’t do anything to repair the damage as long as the enzymes are saturated into the tissue. We need to force it back out. Start by using the haemostatic forceps to stop haemorrhaging.”

Fluttershy nodded once again, flipping the switch and averting her eyes as all the haemorrhages were seal.

“Good. Now, with the haemorrhages sealed, the blood will start to build up in the tissue... Like so.”

After a moment, the blackened tissue turned a deep red.

“That’s the cue to inject the medication. Go ahead and inject it right into the dark areas.”

Another switch was flipped, and soon, the blue medicine was being injected into dark areas.

“Alright. At this point, the formulae should be binding with the enzymes, rendering them temporarily inert. The blood pressure should force it out of the tissue... There!” Twilight suddenly shouted, pointing at the screen.

Sure enough, a yellow fluid began to seep out of the dark area. “The binding is temporary. Drain it before it resettles back into the tissue.”

She didn’t have to tell her twice. Soon the yellowish fluid had been drained. Fluttershy breathed a slight sigh of relief.

“Don’t look away just yet, Dr. Kindred. The best part should just be coming up.”

Fluttershy watched the screen, a look of amazement on her face. Slowly, the decayed tissue began to reform before her very eyes. “It’s a miracle.”

“It really is something, isn’t it? Found a special reparative protein that’s actually activated by trace amounts of digestive enzymes in tissue. Combine that with binder removing the access enzymes, and you get this. I’m particularly proud of it.”

“I can see why. Many ponies owe their lives to you, Dr. Sparkle.”

Twilight blushed. “Well... yeah.” Suddenly, Twilight snapped back to reality, remembering that there was currently a surgery going on. “Oh, yes... Um, continue on to the pancreas.”

“Um... Dr. Sparkle?”

“Yes, Dr. Kindred?”

“I don’t mean to be rude, but we’ve already arrived at the pancreas.”

Twilight looked at the monitor once again. “Ah. Excellent... Why didn’t you tell me this a moment ago?”

“Well, you looked so happy thinking about the medicine you helped make that I didn’t want to bother you... I didn’t do anything wrong, did I? I-I’m sorry if I did.”

“No! No, not at all, Dr. Kindred. Perfectly alright. Now let’s get a look here...” Both Twilight and Fluttershy looked over the screen with a scrutinous eye. “Dr. Kindred? Your opinion?”

Fluttershy looked up at Twilight for a moment before returning to the monitor. “Oh... Um... Well... It’s really inflamed. The enzymes seem to still be streaming out. It’s probable that the inflammation is caused by the enzymes themselves activating.”

“That’s the most reasonable conclusion.”

“I suppose the best chance we have is to inject the medicine directly into the pancreas, then use the drain to get rid of the excess. Hopefully, it’ll bring the inflammation down and stop the enzymes from causing any more damage... Um, is that right, Dr. Sparkle?”

Twilight was taken aback somewhat. She gave a sheepish grin. “Um, well... yes, that is probably the best course of action, Dr. Kindred, but I don’t think you need my approval.” Twilight smiled. “You don’t become the senior surgeon of a famous hospital without some serious experience under your belt.”

Fluttershy gave small grin. “Why thank you, Dr. Sparkle. But please, all I really have on any of the other doctors here is a few years of experience. Many of them are just as good, if not better than me at medicine.”

“I doubt that. You’ve handled yourself amazingly well during this surgery. I don’t think I’ve seen such delicate manoeuvring.”

A red flush entered Fluttershy’s cheeks. “Why thank you again, Dr. Sparkle. But as much as I’d love to talk some more, we should really complete this surgery.”

Twilight nodded. “I agree. Inject the formulae when ready.”

Once again the switch was flipped. Both watched as the needle plunged into the pancreas and the medicine was injected.

“Alright, now we wait for... wait a minute...”

“... Oh no...”

Suddenly, the pancreas started flinching, contracting and expanding. After a second, it happened; a large squirt of enzymes, powerful enough to push the endoscope back a few inches, burst into the intestine, causing the dark decay to spread once more. Several haemorrhages appeared, spewing large quantities of blood.

“Oh my Celestia!” called Twilight Sparkle. “Oh no-no-no-no! This is bad! Abort the surgery. I should have known the enzymes would have built up in the organ and would be forced out if we pulled something like this. We need to stop this now and think up a new plan...”

“...No.”

“... Wait, what?”

Fluttershy sat at the controls, surveying the damage to the intestine. She pointed to the pancreas, still visible in the back. “The inflammation has gone down. A few more injections should get it back to normal.”

Twilight blinked at the image. “Well, yeah, I guess... but there’s no way you can get close again with all this damage. We need to pull the plug and rethink our strategy.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I can fix this.”

“What? No! No pony could fix that! There’s damage everywhere! The slightest wrong movement and Ms. Punchina’s next drink will be a Holy Water at the 5-6 Happy Hour Lounge in the sky!”

Fluttershy gripped the controls. “I won’t make a wrong movement. I’m not letting Ms. Punchina remain in pain anymore.”

Twilight watched in awe as Dr. Fluttershy worked her magic. Switches were flipped, cameras were moved, blood was drained and haemorrhages cauterized. She was like a dancer, hooves moving smoothly between all the knobs and switches. It was poetry in motion.

“I’m ready to make the second injection.”

Twilight watched for a moment. Suddenly, an idea came to her. “Dr. Fluttershy! Wait?”

The camera stopped and Fluttershy turned to look at Twilight. “Um... Yes, Dr. Sparkle? If you’re going to ask me to stop, I thank you for your concern, but I’m sorry to say that I’m not leaving until Ms. Punchina is better.” She gave a very meek look. “I-I hope that’s alright...”

“It’s perfectly fine, Dr. Kindred. I’m not asking you to stop. I am, however, asking a simple question; does your endoscope have a dye sprayer for ulcers?”

“Um... yes. The container is on the back.”

“Perfect! Give me a minute.”

Fluttershy watched as Twilight grabbed the container for the dye and proceeded to pour all the die down the drain. Taking out the container for the medicine, she poured half of it into the dye container. As she did, she looked up at the endoscopic pegasus. Their eyes met. Twilight smiled. Fluttershy smiled back. They both knew the plan now. Twilight quickly placed the two containers back.

“Alright. She’s plugged in. Dr. Kindred, she’s all yours.”

Fluttershy beamed, flipping a switch and injecting the formulae. She quickly flipped a different switch and braced herself.

At first, there was nothing much.

After a moment, however, the pancreas began twitching again.

“Ready..."

"...Now!”

As the pancreas contracted and started spraying out more enzymes, Fluttershy hit the button and began spraying the offending juice with the formulae placed in the dye sprayer. A few drops got by and few dark spots popped up, but when all was said and done, the pancreas sat, fit as a fiddle, and floating in front of it, being drained off by the endoscope, was a large collection of the yellowy fluid emulsion of the formulae and enzymes.

“Congratulations, Dr. Kindred. You did it.”

“No, Dr. Sparkle,” came Fluttershy’s reply as she quickly took care of the few remaining dark spots in the intestinal walls, “We did it.”

---

“We've recieved your tests results. We’ve found no further traces of the enzymes in your blood stream, and your digestive system is back on track. However, we’d like to keep you here a few more days to let you rest. Is that alright?”

Berry Punchina lay in a hospital bed. It’d been 24 hours since she got out of surgery, and she was still incredibly tired. Yet, despite that fact...

“I feel fine doc. Heck, I feel better than I’ve felt in probably 2 years. But you’re the doc, so if you think I should stick around, I’m not gonna say no to free room and board for a few days.”

Fluttershy smiled. “I’m glad to hear that.”

Berry yawned. “Perhaps I should get some rest. Nearly dying like that really knocks the wind outta ya, you know what I mean, doc?”

“Oh yes. I have some firsthoof experience with that.”

“No kinding? Well, nice to know I got a doc that knows how it feels.”

Fluttershy stood up. “Well, Ms. Punchina. I’ll allow you to get your re..”

“Where the Tartarus is she?” came an angry voice from outside the hospital room.

Berry’s eyes opened. “Ah nah... It can’t be...”

It was a poor janitor standing out their room that pointed the cream coloured pony into the room. She had a dark blue and pink mane and a look on her face like she was about to hurl Berry’s bed out the window.

“Why didn’t you call and tell us you were in the hospital? We’ve been worried sick for two days! I only found out you were here because Pina told me you were!”

Berry sighed. “Look, Bon Bon, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you and the girls where I was, but I wasn’t in much of a hurry to make you guys worry over what could of simply been a case of indigestion.”

“Um, excuse me, but Ms. Punchina was going to be getting some rest...”

The cream coloured pony walked over to Berry’s bed. “Don’t give me that! You’ve been in the hospital for two days, and you want to pass it off as indigestion?”

“Hey, I didn’t know it was this bad.”

“Um, excuse me, Miss, but Berry here was going to...”

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t slap you right now!”

“Because you shouldn’t hurt the sick!”

“Oh, but hurting your friends because you’re sick is perfectly valid! What a load of bull...”

“QUIET!” came a rather loud voice. Both Berry and the cream coloured pony turned to see its source.

It’s source was a rather angry looking Fluttershy. She stepped up to the intruder and looked her dead in the eyes. “I don’t know who you think you are, barging into a hospital and acting like this to a sick friend, but you sure aren’t acting like any friend I’d want! Ms. Punchina has just gone through a very trying ordeal and a very dangerous surgery, and she needs rest! If you’re really such a good friend of hers, then GET OUT OF THE ROOM AND LET HER RECOVER!”

The cream coloured pony looked meekly at the enraged pegasus before slowly creeping out the door.

“Dude... Harsh.”

Fluttershy turned back to face Berry. Her typical cheery demeanor had returned. “Well, Ms. Punchina, I wish you a good rest and a speedy recovery. If you have any questions or if anything is bothering you, please let one of the nurses know to contact me. I’ll come down straight away.”

“Uh... yeah, I’ll get right on that, doc...”

As Dr. Fluttershy walked off, one of the nurses from the other end of the floor came over. “What was all that noise?”

The janitor was the one who spoke up. “Nothing. Just Dr. Fluttershy getting overly protective of the patients again.”

The nurse shook her head. “Poor devil. I know she means well, but one of these days, she’s going to yell at the wrong pony...”

Fluttershy didn’t hear them speak. To her, it was just another day and another precious life to save. It felt good to help ponies. Ms. Punchina would be fine. And so would Mr. Orange. And Mr. Breezy. And Ms. Junebug. As long as she kept an eye on them every step of the way, and made sure no one interfered with their recovery, they’d all be just fine...

Comments

[Zephyrus Scary]

This is very intriguing, and I am pleased by the existence of a Trauma Team crossover. Additionally, I love how you've both made each character reflect their TT counterparts yet their problems are still their own. Refreshing use of the Pinkie/Pinkamina construct as well.
Usually I'd reserve my judgement until a story is a bit more along than this, but as long as you keep this quality up, you definitely deserve my thumbs up.

[Chaos Light]

842599 memelinks.com/eu-vi-o-que-voce-fez.png

[Cellin]

“I don’t know who you think you are, barging into a hospital and acting like this to a sick friend, but you sure aren’t acting like any friend I’d want! Ms. Punchina has just gone through a very trying ordeal and a very dangerous surgery, and she needs rest! If you’re really such a good friend of hers, then GET OUT OF THE ROOM AND LET HER RECOVER!”

*takes off sunglasses* ...Whoa...
Wait a sec...Who the hell are those last three she thought of?