A Nopony That Everypony Knows

by Taxidermy

A Nurse's Tender Care

I opened my heavy eyes to see the usual ceiling boards. I had a simple home, no husband, no kids, no family. I rolled over and pushed the blankets down with my hooves, wrapping the small puppy at the edge of my bed with them. Poppy kicked around in protest, finding her way out of the endless layers of sheets and blankets. My puppy, Poppy hopped down and greeted me with a slight wag of the tail, and the biggest puppy eyes she could manage.

“Alright, alright.” I groaned, slowly dragging each hoof across the floor, until I came across the kitchen. After I reached the kitchen, I opened the cupboard door and brought out a box that rattled with each movement. Poppy hopped around in glee, expecting many treats. As I poured a few treats into the bowl, Poppy began to eagerly snatch the treats. Another day, filled with the same events as the day before.

I trotted back to my bedroom, where I put up my hair, and graced my face with a bit of makeup, to hide the dark circles of another sleepless night. I finished preparing for work and headed out the door.

“Redheart! You’re late!” Time Turner said spinning an hourglass in a frame with a great push. “You are exactly 6 minutes late, and a lot can happen in 6 minutes! A patient could die, go into cardiac arrest, break a wing, horn, hoof, leg, neck, spine, fore-leg, hip, nose, skull—and don’t even get me started on all the diseases they could get! Look at this place, you’re 6 minutes late, which means the floor hasn’t been swept yet, and look! Look! LOOK! Are you listening, Redheart?—You don’t even have on your nurse’s hat! Nurse hats are an essential part of your uniform! Not only are they cool, but they provide distinct differences for everypony to see!” Time Turner darted around me shouting, “From this angle! You don’t even look like a nurse—“

“Timmy! Calm down. Everypony knows me here, they know I’m a nurse. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have quite a few patients to attend to.” I said in a calm, reassuring voice, as I often had to use here in the hospital.

Time Turner continued with his rant, then straitened his tie and walked down another hallway, my guess was to chew out another nurse or doctor.

“Rainbow Dash.” I called the name of a familiar mare, who was in here often, especially just before the Young Flyer’s Competition. She walked with a uniform limp of after-practice aches, into the office of one of the doctors. After I called a few more names, I began to sweep. Nopony has the sense to wipe their hooves on the giant rug provided for them, instead, they prefer to track in mud, dirt and Celestia knows what else!

My day was over as slowly as it began, and shortly after nightfall, I began my long journey(around the block) to my lonely cottage where my impatient puppy would wait by his food bowl, after a tiring day of being dogsat my the lovely mare, Scootaloo.

My schedule remained the exact same boring run through of each day, for weeks on end, until one day, I got a visit from miss Rarity, one late evening.

Rarity had pranced in, her prestige mane, bouncing with her every hoofstep. Her crystal eyes blinked at me fondly, as they settled upon my rats’ nest of a mane, and skin touched by every color in the rainbow. We nestled down in separate chairs by my fireplace, which Spike, her travelling companion, lit up with much glee. I told her about my long day, working with the Cloudsdale’s factory explosion.

“Well, the first thing I heard of it, was that the factory producing rainbows had a ‘rainbonic’ reaction and blew up. We had pegasi dropping from the sky like rain. Because of the fall, much of our trauma section was filled with groaning pegasi ponies. We had 4 deaths…” The words became sour on my tongue. I didn’t even understand what rainbonic was, but by the look in Rarity’s eyes, she did.

“Oh, I see. You poor darling. You must be absolutely devastated! Are you going on any extra shifts?”

“Well, I have thought about maybe—“

“Good! If you do happen to see a Green pony with darker green mane, give her this!” Rarity handed me a pendulum on a gold chain. “Her name is Medley, she’s simply exquisite!”

“She was in the explosion? Are you sure?” I quested her notion and put the necklace on the table.

“Yes, yes, she’s the one who designs rainbows, after all.” I made note of it and eyed the fire, which was an odd green hue.

Rarity went home and took baby Spike with her, leaving me utterly alone. I wandered through the house, killing time, in dead silence, minus the slight clunk of my hooves against the surface of the floor.

I climbed into the bath tub and filled it with water I could barely withstand, laying on my folded up legs, with my silent puppy laying on the towel outside of the tub, I kept thinking about the mare Rarity described to me. I’ve seen everypony in town, and in Cloudsdale and I’ve never seen a pony with light green body and dark green mane, not with the name Medley, at least. How odd, I knew all the Rainbow Designers… There was Firefly, and—I know Rainbow Dash had a few done up the same way her cutiemark was. Spitfire had designed a few before she joined the Wonderbolts, and even Soarin’. I knew them all, but not Medley. Something about it sounded… wrong.

* * *

I had fallen asleep on the floor with a towel draped over me. What a wonderful night’s sleep. On top of that I was late as usual—I wasn’t! I had 2 hours until I had to leave, but if I went back to sleep, I would only be later than normal… Sigh. I would get ready and go to Sugarcube Corner for a bit before work.

I went through the daily regime, and this time, did not forget my nurse’s hat. Trotting out of the house, I noticed something odd. Something was not right. I was… Happy? Usually I was just meh, but today, I was happy to go to work.

“Redheart! So lovely of you to join me! I knew you would come around, with being on time and even—you wore your nurse hat!” Time Turner jumped from his seat in glee. “Look at you, look at you!” He chimed, “All dressed up for work like a good mare.” He gave me a sincere grin, and I couldn’t help but to laugh a little at his optimism.

“Time Turner, I just came to eat.” I tried not to giggle, but it escaped.

“Well! Breakfast is a very important meal, so all is well.” He nodded at me and took another sip from his drink. I assume it was tea. Or at least, I hope it was. I cannot imagine Time Turner on the hype of coffee. Another giggle tickled my throat.
What the hay was wrong with me? I was as giddy as a school filly today.

“Something wrong, Redheart, you look confused?” He got close to my face and put his hoof on my head. “Must not have slept well—well—all is well!” He pushed a box to me, on the top of it, were decorate letters “Sugarcube Corner” in a fancy looking handwriting. “I don’t want anymore, so’ere! You take ‘em!” He grinned again like a little colt. But I happily accepted, after all, I probably wouldn’t have bought anything, what with my pay cut and all.

Time Turner burst suddenly, “Ha—well I’ll see you at work.” He was serious for the last line, in a sudden weird tone. I dismissed it, and continued to eat.

Later that day, I looked at every one of the pegasi patients. Spitfire had lost quite a few primary feathers and even a bit of skin. She was unable to fly; she lost so many. Soarin’ and Wave Chill had horrible concussions. Rapidfire is in a coma and Fleetfoot has internal bleeding and three broken ribs. Rainbow Dash though, was fine, she had saved 3 fillies that couldn’t fly and stopped Spitfire and Soarin’ from hitting the ground at full force. Scootaloo, who had been to Cloudsdale to learn to fly, rode on the back of Rainbow Dash but sustained burn injuries from the explosion. Blaze was completely fine and helped me with cataloging all of the injuries and Pegasus ponies.

At the end of the hallway full of patients who lie on cots Airheart, April Showers and Bon Voyage were crowding around one Pegasus pony and watching her. April Showers closely resembled the pony in front of her, but her colors were slightly off.

“Mother…?” April Showers nudged the pony in front of her with a worried hoof and tears in her eyes. Bon Voyage put a foreleg around April Showers endearingly. “Mommy, please, please, please, be okay!” April whispered under her breath and cried into the shoulder of Bon Voyage. Another pony, as elderly looking as the pony in front of them, slowly walked up and gave silent and early condolences to April.

“Medley, please be okay.” Brilliant Bloom said. She had the longest mane and tail I had seen. Both were longer than Fluttershy’s, even Celestia maybe—Medley! The pony I needed to find! Medley twitched as my hoofsteps grew closer to her.

“Miss Medley, I have something to give you from Rarity.” Her ear twitched in recognition.

“Nurse Redheart, is she okay? She hasn’t spoken. I think... she was working in the factory when it blew up.” April’s tears returned.

I affirmed her worries with a slight nod and nudged Medley’s wing that wasn’t split in half. I did a routine check of all bones that were broken—she had broken both front forelegs, her back-left hoof was shattered and most of her mane and tail had been singed to the point of no return. She had the worst of the injuries next to death and the worst of the injuries was her left eye that had been completely blown out by the explosion, her tongue had been singed as well, and was but a dry sponge now. I did my best to make her drink water, but it was futile. Why did Rarity know about this—did she?

I placed the necklace around her neck and gave each of the ponies nervous glances, then smiled at April to assure her that I would do my best. I had to.

“…Redheart, please, please, please save mommy.” April said a bit louder now. I stopped in my tracks and frowned. Could I? All of the doctors were busy with Wonderbolts and socialite ponies that had a massive amount of funds they could donate to the hospital, so they got the beds in the rooms by themselves.

“I’ll be back at lunch, and I’ll see how she is then. Hopefully we can get her to drink water. I think she’s very disoriented.” I nodded and smiled again. “Everything will be okay.” It was like telling her nothing would be alright and her mother was going to die, except, nicer.

Around lunchtime, I returned with food and with Rarity following close behind me. She had her saddlebags at her side and both filled to the brim with brushes and washcloths and such. Recently, Rarity has been making each of the ponies presentable and helping them wash down.

“Nurse Redheart!” I happy voice came from my left, I turned around to see who it was---Medley?!

“Aren’t you—your wing—your eye! How?” I looked to the injured Medley but she was still there. “What?” I looked back and forth.

Medley stared at the injured Medley and giggled a little. Bon Voyage was now accompanied by another Pegasus with minor injuries who had been helping out as well, they were so close it were as if they were attached at the hip.

“Skyra, be a dear and lift up Medley’s wing, could you?” Rarity levitated a weird brush looking thing. She gently ran it across the injured wing—Changling! That’s what it was! A changling! I ran up to the non-injured Medley.

“You’re a changling!” What had come over me, I would never know.

She stood there for a moment then giggled again. “You’re silly. I’m not a changling, I’m her sister!” I paused. I glanced at their cutie marks. One was green music notes and the other was a rain cloud.

“Oh… Oh…Then what’s your name?” I said a bit ashamed.

“My name’s Rain Drip!” She said. She was considerably younger than Medley, but looked almost the same.

“Ra…” A quiet syllable was heard from the injured Medley on the cot. “Rain…” She coughed.

“It’s okay, I’m right here, Medley, I wasn’t in the explosion.”

“Drip… Run, Drip, run.” She said under her breath. April looked at her mother in question. Medley screamed. “Run! Now! It’s going to explode! It was she! She messed up! Run! Drip, April! Run! Please!”

She opened her eyes quickly, and looked around, disoriented. I settled her down after a while and she quickly fell back to sleep. Her eyes were filled with tears.

Nothing much happened after that situation, so I went on with my day, bandaging, treating, cleaning, feeding and such. At the end of the day, I joined Time Turner for dinner with two of the patients to talk about the explosion. There were two stallions and Time Turner.

Serenity, an old childhood friend, smiled at Time Turner as he spoke.

“Long time, no see, you two. Not since medical school, right?” Serenity chuckled and let his goggles fall around his neck. He looked over to the stallion next to him. “This is Meadow Song. He’s River Dance’s husband, if that helps you to identify him any.” River Dance, a good mare.

“Ah,” Time Turner prolonged the noise. “I remember River Dance. She was the one who bust through the wall of the emergency room the other evening! Ahaha, what a great time—but had to be picked up quickly. Her, and her… gorgeous friend! What a blue mare—the bluest blue I’ve ever seen! Simply amazing, and her eyes, her eyes like the eyes of—you know!” I stopped him before he said something he would regret, or better yet, kept talking. The two stallions simply ignored this.

“I trust you know what this is about.” The atmosphere shifted from happy to serious in a millisecond. “I believe one of the mares here ignited one of the rainbonic pots.” What an odd word… Rainbonic? I had never heard it in my life. Serenity noticed my confusion.

“Rainbonic pots are the cauldrons that the grey matter settles and simmers in. Once it’s a bright grey, we dye it with, well…” He trailed off. I didn’t mean to speak, but I did.

“With what?”

“We use plants from the Everfree forest.”

I laughed a bit. “That’s impossible.”

“No it’s not. We send ponies in and they collect dyes.”

“Then explain the sonic rainboom Rainbow Dash made at the Young Flyers Competition.” I chuckled a little.

“That’s the only kind of natural rainbow. The last natural rainbow across the sky—without a sonic rainboom—vanished when Celestia and Luna first took control of Equestria, thousands of years ago.”

“What?” Time Turner said.

“Read up on it.” Serenity dismissed.

“Anyway, we need to search each pony for evidence of causing the explosion.” Time Turner nodded his consent. Meadow Song continued. “Nurse Redheart, since you’re head of the nursing staff, I will need you to give me a list of all Pegasus, and nurses. I’ll need it by tomorrow morning. Come in early.”

I hated going in early, always more work than what I’m paid for. I nodded and we dismissed the meeting. On the way out I saw Carmel, he was assisting Cheeriliee with attending to children. I also saw Rain Drip and Rarity tending to the “beauty-needs” of ponies.

I went home, slept and tried to forget something that lie silent in my subconscious. It was… It was… Something odd, but, normal. I knew exactly what it was.

Medley’s tongue; Medley’s tongue had been scorched. Even if her mouth was open during the explosion, it couldn’t have scorched her tongue to that degree. She also kept murmuring “run.” Over and over she would wake up screaming. From what I gathered, Medley was always emotionally stable and sane. Nopony else had this problem. What happened to Medley?

_________________________________________________

Any commentary, grammatical corrections, etc are always welcome. If you have any questions, fear not to ask.

Comments

[Hivemind]

...read-later

[CaffeineBloodstream]

Sorry, I am very picky about spelling and grammar, and I couldn't help but notice that the word should have been spelled "Changeling". The difference being you forgot the "e".
Other than that, great fanfic-- hope to read more chapters in the future!

[Taxidermy]

1603781Oh, thank you so much! I can't believe I didn't catch that myself.

[CaffeineBloodstream]

1603788 A common mistake, though I take it that in being a fluent writer like you are it is not one you commonly make.

[Taxidermy]

1603901 Either way, feedback is very helpful, I don't have the best spelling or grammar or someone to review my work. Good sir, or madam, thank you.

[CaffeineBloodstream]

1603915 Sir. And you most certainly are welcome! If, in the future, you're writing more chapters (or other stories) I'd be more than glad to proofread them for you.

[Taxidermy]

1603922 I'll get back to you on that as soon as I finish writing the second.

[CaffeineBloodstream]

1603941 Wonderful

[RevenantDark3]

Pretty good, cant wait to read the rest

[Protector of Light]

Definitely will be keeping an eye on this!

[JinxPonyDJ]

very interesting-

MOAR!

[LDSocrates]

Hm... I'll definitely be keeping track of this one; just to see where you're going with this.

[Laycander]

after a tiring day of being dogsat my the lovely mare, Scootaloo.

Couldn't understand this sentence.

[Taxidermy]

1706206
"I began my long journey(around the block) to my lonely cottage where my impatient puppy would wait by his food bowl, after a tiring day of being dogsat my the lovely mare, Scootaloo. "

Nurse Redheart is referring to Scootaloo as a mare because some children adore when they are referred to as "young adults" or anything a bit older than they are, so she is saying that to please Scootaloo, even though she isn't there, almost as a joke to herself.

[JaydexTheShadowKnight]

Interesting story so far! I was thrilled to find this in my Nurse Redheart group. I really enjoy reading stories about her, not to mention writing them too! I'll be tracking this and reading the next chapter later!

[karatepower1]

I don't think the colors come from the Everfree, I blame the rainbow factory. It's more than an Equestrian conspiracy.