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// 25 - A Little Angel 
// Story: Universal Language 
// by David Silver 
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Angel looked around the clean doctor's office with his big, curious eyes, noting all the toys scattered around, and the pretty pictures on the wall, of animals, flowers, and some old place with lots of little buildings all packed together. He sniffed at the air, detecting the scent of disinfectant, and other chemical smells that were a bit unkind to his nose.

Cindy helped him up onto the table. "This is just a normal check-up. Nothing scary." She sat in a chair beside Angel as the doctor, wearing a white coat over her dark blue scrubs, stood before them, clipboard in hand. She had a name tag on that said 'Dr. Mary'. "I am not a doctor."

Both Cindy and Angel started at that. Angel pointed at the name tag. "Doesn't that mean doctor, Miss?"

Mary smiled at her little pony patient. "I'm a special kind of doctor. Most would call me a vet." She reached out to tap Angel on the nose gently. "I specialize in medicine for things that aren't human. Like you, little Angel. Most of my patients can't talk though, but I think that's a plus. You can tell me how you're feeling. Do you like being called Angel?"

Angel bobbed his head quickly at that. "It's the best name! Momma is so smart. She named me!" He pranced on the table a little bit, letting out a soft huff as he settled back down again. "Momma says you're going to make sure I'm okay, Doctor?"

Mary smiled gently at that, earning a small whinny of delight from Angel as he pressed his hooves together and wiggled them about. She took one of those hooves, examining it. "I've had experience with horses, but Angel isn't a horse. He has quite a few anatomical differences. We can start here." She slowly rotated Angel's arm so that it was even with his back. "Do this to a horse, and they would be very upset with you, and likely hurt. For Angel, just a silly doctor, being silly. Right?"

Angel let out a chuckle at that. "You are silly. What's next?"

Mary took one of Angel's ears in her fingers, carefully prodding it and the soft fur beneath, smiling as she did so. "But there are many similarities. I'll be using those to give me a headstart on how to proceed. Now, Angel, have you hurt anywhere? Even little things." She pressed a stethoscope to his chest, only to start. That heartbeat wasn't quite right. It was a nice reminder that Angel was an alien being. "Your heart seems to be working, though."

Cindy rubbed the back of her neck. "He's been growing up fast. He says he doesn't hurt, but he eats like he has a stomach made of a black hole. I'm just hoping I'm feeding him enough." She ruffled the mane of her dear child. "You know his age. Look how large he is."

Mary pulled over a ruler to doublecheck that. "We won't be able to call you Little Angel for long. You're growing as quickly as any horse would. Assuming the same rate, I'd expect them to reach full size within a year and change." She tickled Angel under his chin. "Looking forward to being bigger? Stronger?"

Angel wiggled gently at the tickling, cooing softly before nodding eagerly. "I'm hoping I keep growing. Momma will still love me if I'm big, right?"

Cindy flicked at his ear, making him let out a cry of surprise. "I will always love you, little Angel. If you grow up into a big one, I'll just have to get on a stepstool to give you a big hug, but I will." She gently stroked along his sides. "Anything wrong?"

"Nothing I can find." Mary gently flipped  Angel onto his back. "Let's take a look down here. Your belly is a little different." She gently pet over that tumtum. "If I had to guess, which I do, you're an omnivore."

"Omni-what?" Angel inclined his head, still on his back. "What is that?"

Mary laughed once before helping Angel to his hooves again. "I mean you can eat anything. That heart means you have something called six-chambered. Horses and humans only have four. I'm not sure which is better, but we'll assume more is good." She gave gentle pats to the colt. "You are such a good boy. Speaking of that, sex: male. You didn't need me to confirm that, but everything's growing properly there, as far as I can tell. For a pony, you seem very well put together."

Cindy sighed out a breath she had been holding for some time now. "Thank you, doctor. I've been worried about Angel since he was born. I love him, but he's not, you know, human. I never know exactly what I should be expecting." She wrapped an arm around him. "I just want him to be healthy and happy."

"And so do I." Mary scribbled notes on what matched with horses, and what deviated entirely. She snapped her fingers, causing Angel's closer ear to flick towards it instantly. "Mmhmm." She made another note. "Angel, when something surprises you, say it comes out of nowhere and startles you, how do you feel? Or, maybe, how does your body feel?"

Angel looked up at his mother as he considered the question. "My heart starts beating faster, and I move my legs around without meaning to. Sometimes I jump in surprise. My mane goes all weird too." He burst into sudden giggles. "I feel silly afterwards."

Cindy stroked along Angel's side. "He has good reflexes."

"Normal." She made a new note. "You are a curious little pony, but entirely healthy from what I can see. As a precaution, you can keep using the food and treats we've given you. No harm in that, and it's all good for you." She pulled a chart from her desk. "If you can manage it, I would like to meet with you once a month."

Angel hopped up to his hooves. "Okay, doctor!" He did a tight circle in place before launching himself at her, knocking her back as he gave her a tackling hug. "Thank you for making sure I'm okay!" He bounded back to Cindy, giggling the whole time. "Momma, we're going home now, right?"

Cindy brushed her hair behind her ear. "Of course we are, sweetie. We'll come back here next month, okay? Keep an eye on that calendar." She brushed him towards the door and they headed that way. "Thank you again, Doctor." And they slipped from the office.

Mary went back to her desk, looking over the notes she had taken and considering what had been observed. "That is one healthy little pony. His development is spot-on with horses in nearly every way. I'm tempted to say this was a deliberate choice. Did they build him from scratch?" She had no idea how close to the truth she'd arrived. "Fascinating."

At School, Angel eagerly absorbed the information offered to him, and it wasn't nearly enough. When he wasn't making friends, he had his nose in a book. It began with easy children's books, but swiftly moved on to things intended for kids older than he was. Even that didn't satisfy him for long.

His teacher, confused at having a pony for a student, was keeping an eye on him, and noticed his appetite for greater and greater things. She brought the case to the principal. "He's not a human. We can't use human measurements. In terms of scholarly learning, I'd put him around fifth grade, and he hasn't finished kindergarten! We will be doing him an injustice if we don't do something."

The principal looked up from her paperwork, then glanced back down to consider what she had been told. "There is the gifted program, but he's past where we normally allow for gifted students. Five grades ahead?" He shook his head slowly. "What about physically? Shoving him ahead will be setting him up to be bullied."

His teacher rubbed her chin. "From what I've seen, his physical growth matches his intellectual growth. If you move him ahead, it might even improve his social development. I don't want him to end up sitting in a corner and moping." She flumped back in her seat. "This is unprecedented, but so is this student. I want the best for him."

"I understand that." He curled a hand to his chin. "This may be absurd, but has he rubbed off on anyone?"

"Pardon?"

He rolled a hand. "Did he make any friends, or prompt and rivals to try and keep up with him, and did any actually manage the feat?"

The teacher looked dumb-struck. She hadn't even been looking for that. "I'll keep an eye out for that."

"Please." The principal gestured for the door. "This will be easier if he has a friend he can take with him. May not be possible, but it'd be nice."

That put Angel's teacher on her feet, sending her back to class and sitting down next to her newest student. "Angel, I have a question for you."

Angel put his book down, twisting his head to one side in confusion. The book wasn't made for other kindergartners, and he hid it in case that was the problem. Not very well, just behind his back. "Yes, ma'am?"

The teacher smiled gently. "You're not in trouble. I just wanted to know if you made any good friends, the sort that keep up with you. I know you're racing ahead of the class." She looked over the kids playing around him, watching them pretend to be cars or airplanes, a couple were having a mock boxing match that would impress not a soul that knew the sport.

Angel pondered a moment before he bounced to his hooves and rushed over to pounce a girl. She laughed as he wrestled with her a moment. "She's my best friend!" He got off of her and smiled gently at the girl. "C'mon, Sam. Let's go play, okay?"

Sam smiled back, then tossed her brown hair. "Alright, Angel." She joined him as they trotted away together.

The teacher smiled as the two little students sank in front of her. "Hello, Samantha. I hear you and Angel are good friends. Did you notice the books he's been reading?"

Sam tilted her head to one side as she pondered that question, then glanced back towards Angel, where he was pawing at a soccer ball, bumping it with his hooves before bucking it back and forth with other foals. "Yes." She paused in thought. "Big books with big words." She spread her arms to encompass how big they were. "Good though. I like them. Sometimes we read them together."

The teacher beamed at the response she was given. "So, Angel isn't making you feel stupid? He's not looking down on you for being behind him?"

Sam shook her head. "No. He's really smart, but that's okay. He wouldn't ever hurt me. We're friends!" She looked amazed at the very idea that Angel would ever harm her.

The teacher turned her attention to Angel, watching him play with the other children with a gleeful smile on his face. He was just enjoying himself, having fun in the moment. She wondered what he thought of their discussion about him. "We're still talking, Samantha, but your friend may advance, in grades. But I think he may be lonely." She brushed Sam's hair back gently. "Would you want to go with him?"

Sam laughed as she turned her head towards Angel. "That would be cool! We'd get to hang out more!" She pounded a fist into her hand.

The teacher snorted gently. "I didn't say you'd go with him, but I was thinking about that. Would that scare you, being with older children?"

Sam's shoulders sank a little. "Oh. No." She plopped down in the seat next to the teacher, drawing shapes on the table with a finger. "But Angel is nice. He would never hurt me. Even if I had to go somewhere new, he'd make it okay."

The teacher had to smile in pleased shock a moment. The trust Sam was displaying was warming to her heart. "I want it to be clear, Samantha, if you ever feel bad, you let us know. A little bad or a lot bad, doesn't matter. Tell us." She laid a hand on Sam's shoulder, drawing her close to her side as she brushed through Sam's hair gently with her fingers. "It's important that you are happy and safe."

Sam looked up at the teacher and giggled. "I am!" She scrambled to her feet and rushed over to join in the game Angel was playing, the two joyfully playing. If one didn't know better, they'd just be two kindergartners, enjoying their day.