1 – One of Those Days
In Quiet Moments
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~ by Krickis ~
for ArchAngelsWings, who brought calmness into my life
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Chapter One
One of Those Days
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There was a great cruelty in the world. An injustice that snuck up on ponies unaware, catching them when they least expected it. It cared not whom its victim would be; it came for all, with neither mercy nor prejudice, and it did not come quietly.
The sun was not yet in the sky when it came for Redheart. She was asleep in her bed, as anypony would be at such an hour, when the great adversary began its wailing.
Redheart awoke with a start and glared at the monster that was her alarm clock. She smacked the button on the top, with perhaps a bit more force than was strictly necessary. At least the alarm went quiet, although that scarcely made up for it having the audacity to ring in the first place.
With a heavy groan, Redheart pulled herself out of bed. A low light coming in from her bedroom door was all that lit her way as she shuffled towards it, guided more by memory of the room than by the little vision provided by the light.
The light brightened as Redheart stepped through the door. Even if it was still fairly tame, she winced and lifted a hoof over her eyes. She slowly continued her shuffle towards the kitchen, but she stopped when she heard the sound of claws tapping against the wooden floor. That finally got her to smile, and she held out a foreleg in preparation.
Two tiny paws wrapped around her foreleg, and Redheart lifted her pet. The little skunk climbed from her leg to her shoulder. “Well, good morning, Feverfew. Sleep well?”
In response, Feverfew nuzzled against her cheek.
“Glad to hear it. Now come on, this pony needs coffee.”
It was always the highlight of Redheart’s mornings. When Fluttershy had suggested she adopt the baby skunk, she’d had her doubts. She often worked unexpected hours, so the amount of time she’d be able to spend with her pet was never guaranteed. Plus skunks had a certain… reputation that was cause for some concern.
But Fluttershy had convinced her. As Fluttershy had explained, skunks could be very social animals, but also did well independently. The quality of time that Redheart was able to spend with her pet would be far more important than the quantity. As well, Fluttershy informed her that skunk spray was only used as a last resort method of self-defense, so it wasn’t likely to be something she’d need to worry about.
It turned out that Feverfew had been the best choice Redheart could have made. If anything, the nurse often felt like her pet took care of her more than the other way around. Every day, when Redheart’s alarm would go off, Feverfew would wake up and turn the kitchen light on, then wait. And every day, Redheart would be greeted with cuddles, finally giving her a reason to smile in the mornings.
Of course, coffee was still an important part of the day. Redheart set the skunk down on the kitchen table and set about making her morning caffeine boost. “Some days, I wish you knew how to make coffee, Few. Then you’d really be taking care of me.”
Feverfew sniffed around the tabletop.
“I know, it’s coming.”
Of course, Redheart did take care of her pet as well. While waiting for the water to boil, she opened her refrigerator and pulled out a bowl full of mixed vegetables. Before giving it to Feverfew, however, she set it on the counter. She pulled a bag of oats from a cabinet under the counter and poured some into the bowl. She started to tuck the bag away again, then looked at the bowl and thought better of it and added a little more. Oats were her favorite, after all.
“Here you go, girl,” Redheart said, finally setting the bowl on the table. Feverfew immediately went to work on it. Redheart frowned; Feverfew was always such a voracious eater that Redheart was occasionally concerned for her. “Maybe you could try to actually chew your food, Few?”
It didn’t slow her down any. With a sigh, Redheart turned back to the stove and added coffee grounds to the now-boiling water. “Well then don’t blame me if you’ve got a stomach ache later.”
By the time Redheart was sitting down at the table with her coffee, Feverfew had already finished her breakfast. “Don’t give me that look. You know that Dr. Fauna gave specific instructions for how much to feed you.”
Feverfew turned up her nose. Regular check-ups showed that she was perfectly healthy and was always the proper weight for her age, but she maintained very strong opinions about Dr. Fauna’s proposed diet for her.
Redheart smiled and scooped her up, cradling Feverfew in her foreleg like a baby. She pointedly poked the skunk’s belly. “Although I think we both know you don’t need it, we also both know I can’t help but spoil you.”
Knowing very well that she had won, Feverfew nuzzled against Redheart’s foreleg. Redheart could only sigh and shake her head as she put her pet back down. One of these days she resolved to not be such a pushover, but she knew that day was not today.
She stood up from the table and ducked her head back into the cabinet. After rummaging through it for a moment, she found the box of cereal she was looking for. Although it was meant for ponies, it was a simple mix of grains and fruit with a low sugar content, which Dr. Fauna had recommended as a treat.
When Redheart emerged from the cabinet, Feverfew was already nudging her bowl closer. Redheart chuckled and rolled her eyes, then poured some cereal into the bowl. She wondered if it was a bit too much, but Feverfew didn’t seem to think so.
She didn’t have the chance to wonder for long, however. As she was closing the box, her alarm went off again. This time it signified that she was out of time and needed to run out the door. She quickly threw the box in the cabinet and grabbed her coffee. “Guess I’ll be drinking on the run again…”
She hurried to the door, but stopped when she heard the sound of four paws jumping off the table and running after her. With a smile, she turned to say her goodbyes before leaving. “You behave yourself, alright? Love you, Feverfew.”
Feverfew answered by rubbing against Redheart’s legs. She sat by and watched as Redheart ran out the door, and as usual, the pony couldn’t help but feel bad for leaving her alone.
It was one of those kinds of days. Not just a bad day. It was the kind of day where nothing went right. The kind of day that seemed to take a sadistic pleasure in making things go wrong. One of those days.
Redheart had only drunk half her coffee by the time she got to Ponyville General Hospital. On a good day, she would have had time to finish it while going over the status of the patients with the overnight staff. But this was not a good day, so she immediately found herself being dragged into a patient’s room because he wouldn’t take his medicine. Her coffee was quickly set aside and just as quickly forgotten.
“I don’t need any medicine! Just got to walk it off, that’s all I need.”
“Mr. Waddle, please…” Redheart sighed and checked her charts. Not that she needed to; she was already perfectly aware of why he was staying at the hospital. But visibly checking the chart would give a sense of officiality to her statement. “You’re here for arrhythmia, which causes, among other things, fatigue. You’ve been recovering splendidly, but you’re still not ready to be up and about yet. You will not get better by ‘walking it off’.”
“Nonsense! I’m fit as a fiddle, let me show you.”
It took twenty minutes to get him to take his medicine, which should have been done before Redheart had even arrived. From there, she finally managed to meet with the overnight staff, which didn’t manage to improve her day any.
“We had some trouble with the patient in room 103.”
“103? But that’s Rumble’s room. He’s always been so well-behaved before.”
“Oh no, it wasn’t anything he did.” Nurse Sweetheart sighed. “The medicine was making his pneumonia bearable, but he was still having trouble sleeping. So we gave him a sleep aid, but he had a bad reaction to it.”
Redheart winced. “How bad?”
“He’s not in any danger, but it certainly didn’t help him sleep. He’s been awake all night.”
Redheart nodded. “I’ll check on him and see if I can help him get some rest before his family visits later. I just hope they don’t show up too soon…”
Finally sitting down at her desk should have been a turning point in the day. It should have given her a chance to organize and plan, and to get herself in the right mindset for work. It should have, but it didn’t.
Instead, Redheart found a pile of paperwork waiting for her. It was there, of course, because she had left it there the night before. She always told herself that she would get everything done sooner, but that ideal never seemed to hold up when she was still at work after visiting hours were over.
In the end, it didn’t matter much anyway; before Redheart even had time to properly take inventory of the work ahead of her, she was already being pulled away. It seemed Rumble’s brother had arrived for a visit before Redheart had even had the chance to check in on him. He was in Rumble’s room by the time Redheart got there.
“I don’t feel so good…”
Thunderlane made a good effort at putting on a comforting smile for his brother. “You’ll be better soon, Rumble. The ponies here know what they’re doing, and they’re gonna take good care of you.”
It was subtle, but Redheart noticed the way he glanced back at her while he was talking. “Your brother’s right, Rumble,” Redheart said. “Everything will be just fine, you’ll see. I promise that we’ll have you in tip top shape in no time.”
And it didn’t stop there. The whole day was filled with things going wrong. Things were misplaced, so Redheart had to track them down. An early appointment ran later than expected, which threw off the schedule for the whole day. Flu season meant more unscheduled walk-ins than they had expected.
It was just one of those days, so it didn’t come as a surprise when Tenderheart asked her to stay late.
“I know it’s short notice, but I just found out my sister came to visit Ponyville. It would mean the world to me if I could leave a few hours early so I can meet her at the station.”
Why couldn’t ponies just schedule these things in advance? Of course, Redheart wouldn’t say that, though. “I suppose if it’s for family… then sure, I’ll find someone to cover for you.”
“Yes! You’re the best, I owe you one!”
Redheart did her best to put on a friendly smile. “Don’t worry about it. Have a good time with your sister.”
It wasn’t even surprising. Tenderheart thanked her more, and Redheart assured her it was fine, all while knowing that there would be no one to cover for her. As much as she longed to just get back home, it seemed Redheart herself would be staying to make up for the lost time. But on days like this, she knew better than to expect things would go according to plan.
It was the only kind of day she seemed to have anymore.
The extra few hours felt much longer than they should have as the events of the day continued to pile up on her. By the end, even little things were grating on her – the flickering of the light in the second-floor hallway, or a document being in a different drawer than she expected. But ever the professional, she kept her cool; anypony around her would believe she was completely calm and collected. It wouldn’t do for the head nurse to break down in front of everyone.
Even leaving didn’t make her feel better. The day had just been too busy to get everything done; she had arrived to a pile of work at the start of her shift, and she would the next morning as well. There was nothing to do about it, though. It was already getting too late in the day, and she’d reached the point where the comfort of home sounded better than a clean start in the morning did.
The walk home was slow, and the sight of shops closing up only served to remind her how long the day had been. All she wanted was to get home, curl up with Feverfew, and –
“Oh, Nurse Redheart!”
Redheart smiled as her neighbor greeted her, and hoped the chat wouldn’t last too long. “Hello, Daisy.”
“Busy day?”
“Well, you know how it is. Never a dull moment at Ponyville Hospital!”
Daisy grinned. “That’s the spirit! It’s so nice to know that the nurses at Ponyville Hospital are so happy to help ponies in need.”
Redheart was feeling like a pony in need herself, but of course she couldn’t ever say that. “Of course, it’s a very rewarding career.”
“I can imagine,” Daisy said. And right as Redheart was about to depart, she continued with, “Hey, since you’re here, do you think you could take a look at my shoulder? It’s been sore for the past few days now.”
Redheart wanted to point out that a sore muscle probably didn’t require medical attention. That she should just take it easy for a bit and see how it feels, or maybe schedule a trip to the spa. And that if she did need medical attention, Ponyville Hospital was open at all hours, and walk-ins were accepted if it couldn’t wait for an appointment.
She wanted to point that out, but what she said was, “I suppose I could take a look. Let’s step inside so I can see it in the light.”
Redheart was so close to home, but still she was kept from it. There was nothing visibly wrong with Daisy’s shoulder, and questioning her revealed that she had been overdoing it at work. The muscle had likely been strained while she was pulling an over-full flower cart, and she’d been using it regularly in the following days.
The only thing Redheart could do for her was wrap it in a compression bandage and recommend that she take it easy for a few days. That wouldn’t have been so bad, but then Daisy insisted that she stay for late afternoon tea as a thank you. By the time they finished, it was late enough for dinner. Daisy tried to get her to stay for that as well, but Redheart managed to get away by using Feverfew as an excuse.
Even though she lived just next door to Daisy, it still felt like a miracle when nopony else stopped her on the way home. Only when the door was shut did she really feel any sort of comfort, but even that was coated with a heavy layer of exhaustion.
The quiet of the house told her that Feverfew was asleep. She’d get up soon enough, though. She was never late for dinner.
Redheart made her way into the kitchen, then opened the fridge and pulled out a plate with a partially cut up fish on it. It had been difficult to adjust to the needs of an omnivorous pet – finding meat in Ponyville wasn’t always easy, not to mention cutting, cooking, and storing it – but there was no way Redheart would ever hold back on Feverfew’s dietary needs. Besides, it had been six months since Redheart had adopted the skunk, and it no longer fazed her as she cut the remaining meat off the fish into smaller pieces and discarded the bone.
She set the meat to cook and assembled the rest of the meal. Along with the fish, dinner for Feverfew would be a balanced meal with a bit of everything: cheese, rice, almonds, and mixed vegetables. Dinner for Redheart would be whatever she found the energy to make afterwards.
“Feverfew, dinner time!” Redheart called out as she was adding the fish to the bowl with everything else. “And it looks pretty good. If you don’t hurry, I think somepony else might wind up eating this!”
The sound of claws on wood was slow and quiet. Instead of running over to her at full speed, as she normally would, Feverfew walked in at a slow pace with her head hung low.
“Come on, Few, it’s your favorite time of day.” Redheart set the bowl on the table, but Feverfew made no effort to climb it. She walked past the chair she would use to climb up and instead leaned against Redheart’s legs. “What, did you have a rough day too? Well alright then, but I really do need to stop spoiling you so much.”
Redheart lifted Feverfew and placed her on the table. The skunk looked at the food, then turned away from it.
“What’s gotten into you?” Redheart asked. “This morning you act like you’re starving, and now you don’t even want to eat at all.”
Although she knew better, Redheart didn’t have it in her to put up a fight. So with a sigh, she turned around to get the cereal out of the cabinet, only to find that the cabinet drawer wasn’t closed all the way. Opening it further revealed the box of cereal on its side, with nothing but a few spilled pieces remaining.
Realizing what happened instantly, Redheart pulled her head out of the cabinet. “Feverfew, did you eat that whole box!?” Feverfew covered her head with her paws.
“Oh, dammit…” Redheart muttered to herself. She had been so preoccupied in the morning that she hadn’t remembered to close the cabinet tightly. Feverfew had always had her diet carefully monitored, and so she had never learned what too much of a good thing could mean. If it had just been grain, there wouldn’t have been a problem; Feverfew would have a stomach ache, then she’d feel better after sleeping it off.
But the cereal had fruit in it, and there was certain fruit that skunks either couldn’t eat, or that they could only eat in small amounts. Dr. Fauna had been clear to only give Feverfew the cereal as a treat, but Redheart found she couldn’t recall why.
“It’s going to be okay, Few,” Redheart said as she scooped up the Skunk. She walked towards the front door as quickly as she could without jostling her poor skunk too much. “We’ve just got to see Dr. Fauna and we’ll get you feeling better in no time! I just hope we’re not too late…”
They were, of course, too late. Dr. Fauna’s office must have been closed for hours, and Ponyville didn’t have a twenty-four-hour veterinarian’s office. And since Redheart didn’t know where Dr. Fauna lived, and nopony at Ponyville Hospital knew more about skunks than Redheart did, her options were limited.
Which is how she found herself on Fluttershy’s doorstep far too late to drop by unannounced under normal circumstances. But one look at the whimpering skunk was all it took to push concerns of politeness from her mind.
And so she shifted Feverfew so she was half balancing on her shoulder and half in the crook of her foreleg, then awkwardly knocked on the door. ‘Please be home…’
There was an agonizing moment of stillness before the door creaked open. “Hello?” Fluttershy said tentatively.
“Fluttershy!” Redheart grinned as the soft light from inside fell on her, but her relief was short lived. “I’m sorry for dropping in, but Feverfew is sick, and…”
Fluttershy opened the door wider. “Oh dear… Please, come inside.”
Redheart followed her into the cottage. Fluttershy led her to a couch, where she placed Feverfew down. “What happened?” Fluttershy asked.
“While I was at work, she got into a cabinet and ate a whole box of cereal. It was a mix of grains and fruits.”
Fluttershy gently stroked Feverfew, making sure the skunk knew she didn’t mean any harm. Feverfew gave her a weak nuzzle, likely remembering the pony who had cared for her before Redheart adopted her. “Were there raisins or grapes in it?”
Redheart shook her head. “No, just cranberries.”
Fluttershy turned to her and smiled. “I see. In that case, Feverfew isn’t going to be very happy tonight, but she should be just fine. Cranberries aren’t something she should overdo it on, but a tummy ache is all she’ll have to worry about.”
Redheart breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness.” With the immediate danger out of the way, she fixed a hard glare at Feverfew. “And maybe you’ll finally learn a lesson from this!”
Feverfew whimpered, and Redheart melted. “Aww, I’m sorry, Few. You’re already feeling crummy enough without me grumping at you.”
Fluttershy giggled. “Of course, it would be best if she spent the night here. That way I can keep an eye on her, just in case.”
Redheart winced. She had been afraid of that. “I understand.” She forced a smile as she said her goodbyes to Feverfew. “Alright, Few, Miss Fluttershy is going to take good care of you tonight, and I’ll be back to get you tomorrow.”
Even though she was still sick, Feverfew’s head shot up.
“Now don’t give me that look,” Redheart said. “It’s only for one night.”
“Aww, come on now,” Fluttershy said. “You’ll get a good night’s sleep, then tomorrow you’ll be able to play with all the other animals while you wait to go back home.”
Feverfew wasn’t having any of it. She bowed her head sadly and wouldn’t respond to any of Redheart’s or Fluttershy’s attempts to cheer her up.
Eventually, Redheart had to give up. “Sorry, Few, but I have to get going. And I’m sure Fluttershy would like to get to sleep.” Since there was no response from the skunk, Redheart turned back to Fluttershy. “Thank you again. And she really is well behaved, I’m sure she’ll be no trouble.”
Fluttershy smiled and walked Redheart to the door. “Oh, it’s no trouble at all. And you don’t have to worry about a thing, she’ll be in excellent –” both ponies stopped walking and stared back at Redheart’s hindleg “– hooves.”
Undeterred by being sick, Feverfew had run over and latched herself onto Redheart’s right hindhoof. Redheart was torn between exasperation and adoration. “Few… I know you don’t want me to leave, and, well… who am I kidding? I don’t want to leave you either. But you need to let Miss Fluttershy take care of you.”
Redheart’s attempts to remove Feverfew proved futile; all that happened was Feverfew transferring from her hindleg to her foreleg.
“Uhm…” Fluttershy said. Redheart turned to see her smiling sheepishly at the two of them. “You could stay the night, uhm, if you wanted to. I don’t have a spare room, but you’re more than welcome to stay on my couch.”
“Oh, that sounds nice, but I’d really hate to impose…”
“It’s no trouble at all. I understand not wanting to leave your pet behind.”
“In that case… I’d love to. Thank you, Fluttershy. Again.”
As they walked back inside, Feverfew finally loosened her grip, giving Redheart the chance to shift her passenger from her foreleg to her shoulder. Fluttershy looked at the skunk clinging onto her and giggled. “You know, she’s lucky to have someone who loves her so much.”
Redheart chuckled. “Yes, she definitely is.”
Fluttershy cocked her head and looked at Redheart. “Hmm? Oh!” She mocked surprise then smiled playfully. “I was talking to Feverfew. I don’t know what you’d do without her.”
“What makes you say that?” Redheart asked, even though Fluttershy was completely right.
Before Fluttershy could reply, Redheart’s stomach rumbled. She blushed as Fluttershy giggled. “Oh, just a hunch. I take it somepony was so busy worrying about her pet that she forgot to feed herself?”
“Well, I…” Redheart turned away, realizing she didn’t really want to admit how hectic her day had been. She was in charge of overseeing the well-being of her patients, and she was expected to take joy in her work. “Yeah, I suppose you have a point there.”
Fluttershy nodded. “Wait right there, I’ll make you something to eat.”
“What? No, you –”
Before Redheart could finish her complaint, Fluttershy was already walking into the kitchen. Pausing only to make sure Feverfew was secure in her spot on Redheart’s shoulder, she ignored the request to wait and followed Fluttershy into the kitchen.
“Fluttershy, please, you’re already doing too much.”
“Nonsense. You’re my guest.” Fluttershy hummed as she moved around the kitchen, getting various ingredients out. When she saw Redheart was about to protest, she bashfully added, “And… I haven’t eaten either.”
“Can I help, then?” Redheart asked, determined to at least do something in return for the hospitality. It seemed Feverfew was finally satisfied that Redheart wouldn’t abandon her, since she allowed her caretaker to set her on a chair.
“Sure! Would you mind cutting the onion while I get out the rest of the ingredients?”
Redheart smirked knowingly. “Cut the onion? No wonder you agreed to let me help so easily.”
Fluttershy didn’t even try to deny that she had offloaded the worst job. “Well, you did offer.”
Both mares laughed as they worked. Fluttershy pulled out more ingredients for them to work with – garlic cloves, an eggplant, a zucchini, a bell pepper, and tomatoes – and Redheart prepared them as Fluttershy cooked. It reminded Redheart of simpler times; although she had always been a decent cook, she hadn’t actually done much of it in recent years. Well, aside from preparing meals for Feverfew.
Even though Redheart was hungry before they had started cooking, the time flew by quickly. Redheart was reminded that Fluttershy was much more friendly and talkative than she would have expected. Sure, everyone in town knew who Fluttershy was, but few ponies really seemed to know her. She was the first stop for ponies looking for a pet and was becoming a bit more of a common sight in town when she was with her friends, but she largely came off as a pony who preferred her peace and quiet. And yet here she was, playing the gracious host and fully participating in the conversation.
“...and after looking all over Ponyville, guess where those pesky bunnies were?” Fluttershy asked as they carried their plates to the table.
Redheart was already smiling. “Don’t tell me they were back in their burrow already?”
“Of course they were,” Fluttershy said with a laugh. “Tucked away safe and sound, completely unaware that I was even looking for them.”
Redheart laughed and shook her head. “I know what that’s like. We’ve had that happen at the hospital a few times.” She set her plate down and gently lifted Feverfew, who immediately tried to climb onto the table. “Sorry, Few, but I don’t think Fluttershy wants a skunk on her kitchen table.”
“Oh, I don’t mind,” Fluttershy said as she sat down. “She, uhm, she wouldn’t be the first. Animals kind of make themselves at home here.”
“Sounds good to me.” Redheart let Feverfew onto the table, where she gave a curious sniff to their food, then walked away from it and lay back down. And judging by the way she buried her face in her paws, it was clear that she was still feeling quite sick.
Maybe Feverfew was in no mood to be around food, but Redheart was. And as it happened, the meal before her was tantalizing. The two mares’ work was certainly going to pay off, as the ratatouille they had made looked and smelled delicious.
Redheart took a bite and found the looks undersold the food. It tasted amazing, and was exactly what she needed. Feverfew was going to be okay, they’d spend the night together after all, she was eating a wonderful home-cooked meal, spending time in delightful company, and she wouldn’t have to think about –
“So how’s everything going at Ponyville Hospital?”
Well, it was nice while it lasted. “Oh, we’ve been busy as usual. With the flu going around, you’d think ponies would be a bit more careful about washing their hooves, but…” Redheart shook her head. She was supposed to be positive about her job. “But of course, it’s very rewarding to help everypony feel better!”
Fluttershy frowned for a second, then returned to a comforting smile. “Well, of course, but that still sounds very frustrating. Nopony wants to do more work than they have to.”
That was a hell of an understatement. “I suppose that’s true, but really, I do love my job.”
Fluttershy nodded. “I understand. It’s always so wonderful to know that I’m making a difference in the lives of all the animals I look after, even though they can be a hoof full sometimes.”
“Oh, I’ll bet.” Redheart grinned at the potential to move the conversation away from the hospital. “Must be tough to get the animals to cooperate, even with your gift.”
“Most of the time it’s not too bad. Although sometimes I have to think outside the box a little.” Fluttershy looked around before leaning in closer. “Especially with Angel Bunny.”
“Uh oh.” Redheart leaned in as well and matched her conspiratory tone. “What’s so bad about Angel Bunny?”
“Oh, he can be a real hoof full. A little while ago he even got it in his head that he wanted to try parkour.”
Redheart snickered. “How’d you talk him out of that one?”
“I didn’t.” Fluttershy smiled at Redheart’s surprise. “Well, I tried to, but he can be very stubborn. So I set up a safe place where I could make sure he didn’t get any serious injuries, and I let him try it. Between you and me, I knew he wouldn’t like it. But I also knew there was no way to convince him that until he tried it himself.”
“Huh.” Redheart returned to her normal sitting position. “Pretty sneaky, Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy just giggled and resumed eating her food. The evening went on, and the conversation lasted longer than the food did. Neither of them admitted to it, but Redheart was certain that they both knew they were letting more time pass them by than was wise.
Hours had passed by the time Fluttershy finally decided to call it a night. She made sure Redheart had plenty of pillows and blankets, then went to her bedroom upstairs.
The couch was by no means a replacement for a bed, but it was comfortable enough for one night. And as tired as she was, Redheart couldn’t bring herself to care. She snuggled into the blankets and had to fight to keep from falling asleep immediately. She just had one thing to make sure of first.
“You doing alright, Few?”
Feverfew, who was snuggled against Redheart’s chest, made a soft whimpering noise.
“Yeah, I know. But tomorrow you should be good as new.” Redheart stroked Feverfew’s pelt, and in turn she nuzzled her way closer to the pony.
“I love you too, Few. Goodnight.” Redheart stretched her neck to reach Feverfew’s forehead for a goodnight kiss, then closed her eyes to go to sleep. “But if you throw up on me while I’m asleep, I won’t forgive you.”
If Feverfew had a reply, she was too soundly asleep to give it. And before long, Redheart was as well.
Nurse Redheart’s cutie mark in this and future chapter headers was made by The-Smiling-Pony 
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I love this story already?
As usual your writing is excellent I can't wait to read the rest of it! Well done!
8505232
I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying it, and I hope you’ll continue to like where it goes from here 
Wow, that was fast! I didn’t expect any comments so soon, but I’m certainly not complaining
Can't say I've heard of a pet named after a painkiller before. Like how this is going though.
8505263
The name was chosen both because flowery names for skunks is something of a tradition (started by Bambi having a skunk named Flower), and because it goes with the theme of the story; Feverfew is a flower that has a number of medicinal uses, including treating anxiety
8505273
Wow, comments coming in fast today. This one snuck in while I was replying to another lol
Anyway, happy you’re enjoying the story, Script, and I look forward to bringing more to you
8505274
Interesting. I had only heard of it being used for headaches/breaking fevers.
I havent started reading and I'm already hooked.
8505853
Haha well I hope you enjoy it whenever you do get to reading it
I remember my piano teacher had a pet skunk when I was a kid. Sweetest little bugger.
8508252
Nice! I love skunks so much, they're pretty much by dream pet
I love this story and can't wait for this story to be completed
8516470
Thank you, and I'm looking forward to bringing more of it to you
Reminds me of the scene in the movie when Egô (I really don't know how to spell that name. Help) finally takes a bite :v
9885714
The use of ratatouille was actually a reference to the movie. I wrote this this story for my wife, who struggles with anxiety issues, and Ratatouille is one of the movies that helps calm her down when she has panic attacks. It's a small reference so people probably think it's a coincidence, but just a little fun fact about this story.