The Night Of A Broken Heart

by WanderingPony

Chapter 10: Visiting Privileges

Dragging enough slightly out-of-date medication to qualify for a hypochondriac's medicine cabinet, Scootaloo proudly wheeled her cargo through the front doors of Ponyville Hospital. Straining slightly, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle held the way open.

(The author would like to note that being mostly from Granny Smith said "medication" was primarily prune-based and used for producing movements of a laxative nature. We don't condone giving fillies your leftover Derpaset, Vicoltdin, or anything that should never be handed to anyone who hasn't even managed a cutie mark in three seasons. Common sense!)

Scootaloo rolled up to the front desk with a few squeaks and jumped up to clear the top...well, she did manage to get her front hooves up there, anyway.

"We're....*flapflapflapflapflap*...heeeeeeere...*flapflapbuzzzzzzz*...to see a friend! *thud* ", before the pegasus lost her precarious wing-assisted grip and tumbled out of sight.

The receptionist looked down from the other side to find two fillies looking up expectantly at her, plus a third flat on her back and trying to remember how to breathe like a normal pony.

"Yep, he's almost family!", beamed Sweetie Belle. "I remember him jus' like we met him yesterday!", Apple Bloom added.

Penny Post-It looked dubiously at the trio. "I don't have anyone your age on the visitor's list, girls. Maybe you should come back tomorr-"

Without fanfare, Scribbles dropped Chip's file, fostering/visitation request and all on Penny's desk, nearly smacking her on the nose. "Here's the file on the colt, sorry it took so long, had to decipher Doctor Stable's excuse for mouthwriting again byeeeee!", she added as she zipped back into the office maze, leaving only a drifting random page in her wake.

"Ohhhh." Horseapples, Scribbles! Penny scanned the file. Foster request, visiting request...aha!

"I'm sorry, girls. Your friend is only allowed to have visitors if you have the mare or stallion of the house with you."

"What's that mean?", said Apple Bloom. "I think she's stalling us...", added Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle just fished around in her mane for Celestia knew what.... "Safe from the horde for another day!", thought Penny.

"That means whoever's taking care of your home has to be here when you come to see your friend Chip. So come back tomorrow with your mommy or daddy-"

Sweetie Belle held up a folded piece of paper. Dreading the contents, Penny unfolded it.

Magnum,

While I'm away to see our firstborn daughter in Canterlot, Sweetie Belle is going to be the mare of the house. I better not see any laundry piled up or a single thing left on your honey-do list by the time I get back! She's in charge!

Your little hoofball cheerleader of love,

Pearl

PS NO FISHING TRIPS TILL IT'S ALL DONE!

"I'm Sweetie Belle!", the unicorn added helpfully.

The dull *whump* of Penny's head hitting desk could be heard faintly before she pushed a pad of paper and a quill across to the waiting trio, then the note a moment afterwards..

"Sign-sign in here. I need more coff...I mean, I have to file some papers for the nice doctors. Room two-one-one, up the stairs and to your left.". Defeated, Penny took the somewhat ink-splattered log back with three scrawled names and vowed quietly to call in sick tomorrow with a bad case of the cutie pox.

Near the foot of the stairs, a Filly Scout stood, with a large bin and a sign that said "Hospital Donations".

"Wow, look at that wagon! They brought all that stuff in? This is gonna look GREAT to the Scoutmistress!", thought Tag-A-Long. First that gem the nice zebra gave her in the market a while back, plus a wagon full of donations today? "I am SO getting my Cutie Badge in Giving and Helping tomorrow!"

"You...you came to give all that stuff to me?", she said, giving the three her best green-eyed come-on-you-wanna smile to go with it. If she'd had a halo, it'd have been polished too.

Apple Bloom looked at the sign.

"Why, and I was wonderin' where to put alla this stuff we were givin' to the doctors!"

Yes!

"Here ya go, that's right nice of you!" - and she proceeded to dump the contents of the wagon into the bin. A roll of gauze unraveled and bounced down a hallway. A bottle of Mrs. Purple's Easy-Move tipped a bit, leaving a fruity dribble to glue a stack of old bandage pads together. The scent of old prunes and antiseptic mixed as the Crusaders waved cheerfully and rolled the now-unburdened scooter-and-tow up the stairs.

"Y'all are so nice, thanks for helpin'!" "We'd have never gotten all that upstairs!" "Yeah, good thing she was there to take all that stuff for us!".

Tag-a-long looked at the disaster area that had once been a donation center and began to sniffle.

Softened by the inappropriate application of laxative, the cardboard bin collapsed, sending it's contents scattering in every direction across the hospital floor. Tears flowed to the cheery sounds of Sweetie Belle arguing over whether being the mare of the house meant you got dibs on the cookie jar with Apple Bloom. With a muffled, heartbroken sob, Tag-A-Long gave in to the tide and sank into the ocean of despair, dotted with smiley-face-good-checkup-stickers.

Author's Note:

What, you didn't recognize Tag-A-Long from somewhere else? Tsk, tsk.