Fables From Equestria

by Shingo

Holding A Heart

In Ponyville General Hospital, a beige unicorn was washing his hooves. The sound of water moving soothed his mind. No matter how many times he did this, it always made him nervous. He turned off the faucet just as a pink earth pony mare entered the room.

“Dr. Stable,” she said. “We’re ready when you are.” Dr. Stable took in a deep breath. With his magic, he grabbed two green medical scrubs. One was passed to the earth pony while the other was put on him. A surgical mask was placed over his muzzle.

“Thank you, Nurse Sweetheart,” Stable said. Both ponies exited the room. They walked in silence for a little while. Sweetheart looked at the doctor, his face held a worried expression.

“Nervous?” she asked. Stable nodded.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” he asked. “Right now, a filly is waiting to be saved. Even the smallest mistake can cost her life. I think my worry is justified.”

“You’ll be fine, Stable,” the nurse replied. “You’ve done this before, and I know you can do it again.” The doctor sighed.

“You’re right, I have no reason to worry about things that might not happen,” Stable turned to the pony beside him. “Thanks Sweetheart.” The mare smiled at him. Both ponies walked through a pair of doors into the surgery room. Various machines were hooked up to a pink earth pony filly. Three other nurses were in the room, all of them had surgical masks on. Stable approached the filly.

“Hello there,” he said to her. “I’m Dr. Stable. Who might you be?”

“I’m Diamond Tiara,” the filly said. “And if I die on the table, my daddy will sue you for every penny you have.” Stable chuckled.

“I can guarantee that that won’t happen,” he said. He signaled one of the nurses. A white earth pony mare placed a gas mask on her muzzle. A squeaking sound echoed in the room. “Can you breathe normally for me, Diamond Tiara?” The filly nodded.

“How long is this going to take?” her eyes were becoming heavy.

“It varies from case to case,” Stable answered. “It takes at least two hours though. But let’s move away from the procedure itself. How old are you?”

“Ten,” Diamond Tiara’s eyes were almost closed.

“Ten, you’re almost a big pony then,” Stable’s eyes were looking at a heart monitor. “What’s your cutie mark?”

“It’s a tiara,” her eyes closed.

“And how did you get it?” Diamond Tiara didn’t respond. Her chest moved up and down in a steady pattern. The heart monitor gave off a steady beep.

“Her vitals are normal,” Sweetheart said.

“Good, let’s get started,” Stable’s horn lit up. “Razor.” A razor was put into his magical grasp. It moved along Diamond Tiara’s chest, removing her fur. Afterwards, one of the nurses washed the area. The razor was given to the same nurse.

“Scalpel.” The white nurse handed him a scalpel. It moved along the filly’s exposed chest.

“Retractors,” two of the nurses handed him retractors. Her skin was opened up revealing her heart and lungs. The same nurses took and used the retractors to hold the skin down. Stable took in a deep breath. A different scalpel was handed to him. He used his magic to grasp Diamond Tiara’s heart. He could feel it beating in his grasp.

“Dr. Stable?” a nurse asked.

“I’m sorry, but it gets me every time,” he explained. “Right now I’m holding a pony’s life in my hooves. This is something that very few ponies get to experience. It just makes me think that about how fragile life really is. If I wanted to, I could crush this filly's heart and end her life. It would be easy too, all I'd have to do is apply a little pressure, cut a vein or two, and maybe stab an artery."

“You're not going to go aggro on us are you?” another nurse asked. “We've already had a doctor do that, I'll admit that taking him down was fun, but it's not something I'd like to live through again.”

"Relax, Nurse Tenderheart," Stable said. "I'm not going to intentionally kill a patient. It's just that the fragility of life makes it beautiful. It's awe inspiring. And it has to be protected."

"That's pretty and all," the third nurse said. "But don't you think we should finish this before you wax on poetically?" Stable chuckled.

“Always practical aren’t you, Nurse Coldheart?” With his hoof he signaled Sweetheart. She brought a cooler to him. “Alright, let’s give this little filly a new heart.”

Comments

[Thorlol]

She needs it.

[Dancing Dead]