The Alicorn Disability

by TypewriterError

A Pony Leaves

Luna was certain she had never been this sick before in her life. The rings no longer mattered. Her stomach had taken over and demanded a cure to whatever was wrong with it. Her insides gnawed at themselves and groaned like the creaking of an old ship. She would be freezing one moment and then kicking her sheets off the next from the heat. Her sweat would become a welcome chill before it became a freezing nuisance.

Feeding time was now welcomed though the nurse seemed somewhat put off by Luna’s stumbling inquiries. The male earth pony had been replaced by a female unicorn with a seafoam green coat. Luna had asked once where he went but the nurse never answered. She never spoke to Luna, just fed her the medicine in her oatmeal. Perhaps it was the oatmeal but her stomach seemed to calm whenever she was done.

Cadence hadn’t spoken anything intelligible for weeks. Sometimes whimpers came from her direction with a few sobs mixed in, other times she would mumble... rapidly. No matter what Luna would say, Cadence no longer acknowledged her.

About once a week another alicorn was “put down” and the room felt more spacious with another bed removed and the beds spaced evenly to make up the difference. Most of the time she just slept. Her horn was growing back again and she knew her filing was coming. She didn’t want to be awake for that.

Everything was so loud.

Why couldn’t they oil the doors? Their screech shot through Luna’s ears and sickened her even more. A cart rolled in as three sets of hooves entered the ward.

The curtain moved again and the unicorn stood next to her bed.

“Can’t they... oil that?” the nurse silently poured the medicine over her oatmeal, “Can they... my fever...” a cool hoof went to her forehead for a few moments, “Am I dying?”

The nurse’s looked at her but turned back to the oatmeal. The other sets of hooves walked to a bed farther into the room. A mare spoke.

“Thank you so much, Nurse Redheart. You have no idea what this will mean for my son.”

“Not at all...” the head nurse said, “What color did you need again?”

“Light green. He’ll be so happy to have his wings back.”

“Of course. These alicorns have no need of them and they can serve a purpose by helping ponies who can still be healed.”

Wings...

“Oh, I agree! You’ve given my son’s life back. He won’t have to be different.” There was a sound of curtains.

“Almost a perfect match?”

“Oh yes! Now how do you take them off?”

Take them off...

“I’d rather not go into detail here. It’s painless. As you know, alicorns also lose their sense of pain when their magic interacts with their pegasus bloodline.”

“It’s a shame... do you suppose unircorns...” she trailed off.

Luna could see her nurse’s brow contract over honey-gold eyes. The spoon held in her aura crumpled as she looked in the direction of the voices.

They were going to cut an alicorn's wings off...

“I doubt it. Your son will have his wings by tonight.”

“Thank you again.” the cheery pegasus quipped as she trotted towards the exit. The nurse’s eyes followed her with cold intensity. The pink mane of the head nurse soon entered Luna’s line of sight.

“How is her fever?” she asked.

“Still present.” the nurse said, magically fixing the spoon.

“Yes, but has it progressed?”

“Difficult to say unless we had a nurse on here at all times to measure her temperature.”

“Staff is limited.”

“I would be willing...”

“No, Nurse Heartstrings. I would rather assign someone else.”

“To do my job?”

“Did I say that?” the pink-maned pony asked rhetorically.

“I would prefer to stay with my current charge. I’m sick of watching ponies...”

“What have I told you..?”

“I’m sorry... alicorns... I’m sick of seeing them be put down.”

“This is your job. You should be grateful.”

“Grateful? Because I’m paid obscene amounts of money to keep quiet?”

“Shush! You knew what was involved when you started.”

“Do you ever listen listen to them howl when one of them dies? It’s enough to make you...”

“I know..." she interrupted, "and sometimes... I just ask when...” the head nurse said, her eyes rooted to the bowl of oatmeal.

“...Ma’am?” The head nurse paused before picking up the spoon in her small mouth and holding the handle out to the unicorn. The unicorn eventually took it with her aura and scooped some oatmeal up. Was Luna’s fever getting to her? Why would the head nurse...

The spoon entered the mouth of the white earth pony and she convulsed, almost gagging on what she had just tasted.

“Yes... Miss Heartstrings. Do what... you’re told.” she gasped out before shuddering again. Luna looked at the other nurse for... some sort of explanation... why would she...?

Nurse Heartstrings sniffed. Her eyes seemed shinier.

"You... didn't..." The head nurse turned around and walked away, slowly.

She never appeared in the hospital again.

Comments

[SgtFrog]

“I’d rather not go into detail here. It’s painless. As you know, alicorns also lose their sense of pain when their magic interacts with their pegasus bloodline.”

Well, that's obviously a lie. Hmm.