Sentinel

I hummed to myself as I swept the floor – I didn't have much to do aside from waiting for Redheart to arrive, though I was understandably excited at the prospect of permanent employment. I wasn't exactly poor, living economically, saving the bits I earned, but I would be glad to have some reserve funds to use should any emergencies arise. One-time jobs and suchlike around Ponyville could be easily found, but they seldom paid well. Thus, Redheart's offer was an unexpected, but a welcome surprise.

About ten minutes later, just as I had finished my task, I heard a couple of quiet knocks on the door.

Ah, that must be her.

I went over to the front door and opened it – lo and behold, there was Nurse Redheart.

“Hi, there. Come on in!” I stepped aside, letting her enter the hallway.

The pink-maned mare hummed as she looked around – Alice's home looked quite empty, or as humans said, Spartan in its appearance. Nevertheless, there was a strong sense of order to be found. Then again, considering Alice was a soldier, it was to be expected.

“Thanks. Now, I've got the list right here.” She tapped her left saddlebag.

“There's that many vacancies?”

“Not really. Most of it is simply descriptions and requirements of the jobs available.”

“Ah, okay. That makes sense. Want some coffee or tea? Ah was jus' gonna make some. An' before ya say anythin', it's not a problem.”

“Caught me red-hoofed, you did.” The white pony snarked good-naturedly, luring an amused chuckle out of me. “Well, since you insist, I suppose some tea wouldn't hurt. With a teaspoonful of sugar, please.”

“One tea, comin' right up! Take a seat in th'livin' room, Ah'll be right over!” Though Alice couldn't see it, Redheart nodded and trotted inside the living room and sat down on a couch, pulling out the folded sheets of paper. She set those down on the table and took the time to look around. A pair of chairs and the couch she currently occupied were arranged around a table near a fireplace built into one of the walls, and a pile of firewood was stacked at its side. Her ears twitched occasionally as she heard Alice prepare their drinks and her thoughts were drawn to the anomaly she'd discovered in the human's blood – it had even dried up in a noticeably different way...

I stepped into the living room, setting down the tray on the table – there was Redheart's tea, a cup of coffee for me, and a plate of muffins I'd bought from none other than Pinkie Pie.

“There ya go, ma'am.”

“Oh, thanks! Bought these at the Sugarcube Corner, am I correct?”

“Indeed Ah did. Miss Pie sure knows how to bake 'em.”

“Now, then...” Redheart picked up her tea cup and took a couple of sips, then took a bite from a muffin. We ate for a moment in silence. “Let's see, here...” She picked the papers up and examined them. “These are mostly simple menial tasks, but important to everyday proceedings at the hospital. Here, take a look." She passed the list to me and I took a closer look, scrutinizing the available posts. Groundskeeper, janitor, technician, security, and so on and so forth... Hrm.

“Hm... Ah think Ah'll go for th'security vacancy. Be kind of nice to have some use f'r that Ranger trainin'.”

“Well, remember it's your choice to make. Keep the list and make good use of it. When you've decided, come to the hospital and ask at the reception.” I nodded at that.

“No worries, ma'am. Shouldn't take me too long. Ah'd say y'can look towards hearin' from me tomorrow. Just need t'make sure Ah've tied up any loose ends, if there're any, that is. F'r now, however, let's finish these muffins. Be a thing of shame if they were left uneaten.” The white mare let out an amused nicker at that.

“I hear that.”

It was fifteen minutes later that Redheart left Alice Bradley's house, thinking to herself – her job involved talking to ponies, and she had become a good expert on reading one's body language over time. And Alice was definitely hiding something. Whether it was something dangerous or not she did not know. Considering than none of the humans or Chimera had caused too much trouble around Ponyville, she soon began berating herself about it – maybe Alice had a blood condition that applied only to humans and posed no threat whatsoever? Who knows? Most likely she was just making a fuss over nothing, that's all – Alice had been friendliness incarnate, so to speak. And she had been happy to find out about a post that would let her make use of her training.

Well, I guess I can keep an eye out, just in case. Better safe than sorry, right?

I hummed to myself happily, washing the dishes – I'd soon have a proper job! Doing guard duty was something I was familiar with – during basic training I had been put on watchposts on the occasion. Perimeter patrol, passwords, and the sort.

That wasn't to say there weren't any mishaps, though... On a sunny day, 1st of April, the rest of the trainees bought three pigs, and numbered them 1, 2 and 4. They released them when I was on guard duty. I managed to chase the damn things down and lock 'em up, however.

And then I made a complete fool of myself by spending ages looking for the non-existent number three. I wished ground would open up beneath my feet and swallow me when I had to explain it to the fort commander, seriously...

I got the last laugh in the end, however. I wasn't the one stuck with cleaning the barracks when several cows mysteriously broke inside on an unspecified night at an unspecified time...

The commander was a pretty cool guy when off-duty, I have to say.

But, going back to my point, I was glad I was going to be able to put my training to some other use than killing. And honestly? I had gotten more than my fair share of killing over in Europe...

Pushing that depressing thought out of my mind, I stacked the now-clean dishes to dry and hummed thoughtfully, turning to survey the room. I had gotten this place for a rather low price. There was a catch, though - at the time, it was in quite a poor condition. But I got it fixed up with the help of my friends.

But I wished we would meet each other more often – I wished our encounters were more than a simple greeting or a nod. I can't blame any of them, however – at some point, even the closest of friends will part ways and live their lives out, or pursue whatever their ambitions are.

Oh, there I go all depressing-mode again. Ah, damn it. I'll go to the hospital first thing in the morning and get that job.

So there, depressive mood. I'd stick my tongue out at you, but, you know...

I probably should stop talking to myself now.

Good idea, Alice.

…

Sometimes, I wonder whether my brain ever is useful and contributing in some way to my existence.

Next morning, I left for Ponyville General hospital in high spirits. Pausing at the market to buy myself a quick snack from Applejack, who always could be found there, plying her trade, I continued onwards, humming a jaunty tune to myself.

The mare at the reception desk smiled at me as I walked up to her.

“Uh, hi, ma'am. Ah'm here about the vacancy you have open an' Ah'd like t'apply for it.”

“Let me guess – Nurse Redheart is involved, hmm?”

“Um... Yeah, what of it?”

“Oh, nothing. She is well-reguarded among the staff, so if you have her vouching for you, there should be no problem in gaining the vacancy – she has somewhat of a knack for finding good employees. There are some tests to be gone through, however.”

“Ah can take 'em. Where do Ah go to, then?”

“Take an elevator to the top floor. When you leave the elevator, turn left and keep going until the end of the corridor, take another left, and the director's office is at the third door on the right. He'll sort you out.” I nodded and set off, examining the sterile, white hallways as I went.

I reached my destination without any setbacks, and soon found out that I wasn't the only one hoping to apply for work here – there were three ponies sitting by the door, waiting patiently. They turned to look at me and gave me a wave, which I returned.

“Good mornin'.”

“Hello! You're here for the vacancies too, yes?”

“That Ah am. Ah'm hopin' t'get the security guard post.” One of the ponies - a charcoal unicorn mare with a two-toned purple and white mane – stood up and smiled, extending a hoof to shake. I accepted the, um, hoofshake.

“I'm Silver Starlight. I recently graduated from Canterlot Medical University and when I heard about the openings here, I just had to jump at it. I studied to become a surgeon.”

“So, ya like t'help others?”

“Of course! It's a noble cause, after all.” Silver beamed, then jabbed the pony next to her in the side, a slate grey pegasus mare with dark blonde mane and dark blue eyes. “Iron, stop slouching. Where's your manners?” Letting out a grumble, the pegasus sat up and stuck a hoof out at me and I shook it too.

“I'm Iron Night.”

“Alice Bradley. Nice t'meet y'all. Guessin' you're goin' t'apply for a job here too?” Iron shook her head.

“Nah. Just accompanying my marefriend.” She hummed and sat back down, giving Silver a slight nudge.

“Ah. So ya two're together, then?”

“Yes, though our relationship hasn't been without its trials and problems...” Silver hummed thoughtfully. A moment later, the door opened and a purple-coated stallion poked his head out, and asked her to come in. Iron gave the unicorn mare a reassuring smile as they went inside, leaving me sitting outside with the last applicant, a green pegasus stallion with a two toned blue mane.

“So, what's yer name?” That seemed to get his attention and he coughed twice before speaking.

“Tech Beat. Nice to meet you, Miss Bradley.”

“Likewise. What position are ya applyin' for?”

“A technician. I've got a good grasp on electronics, and feel like I can put my skills to good use here. And you?”

“Security. Y'know, guard duty and suchlike.” He nodded at that.

“Ah. I see.”

We spent about half an hour, chatting to and fro as we waited for Silver's interview to be done with. When it ended, the unicorn all but bounced down the hallway – much like Pinkie Pie used to do. Iron was cantering after her, chuckling amusedly.

“I told you they'd accept you here, didn't I?”

She got a strange squeaking noise in return and I chuckled to myself. The director returned again, and ushered Tech Beat inside, leaving me to wait alone with my thoughts.

I didn't scare easily. The Chimera had seen to that. But the possibility of not getting the job was quite unnerving for me, which I found to be quite ironic – I was able to face certain death, yet still got cold feet in anticipation of the interview.

Life is funny that way, no?

Either way, Tech Beat exited a while later, also in an upbeat mood. He wished me good luck before leaving. A couple of moments later, I was invited into the office. The purple stallion – a pegasus, I now noticed – gestured towards a chair.

“Please, take a seat.”

I did as asked and eyed the stallion in front of me as he sat down in his chair, humming – now that I was able to get a better look at him, I could see that his mane was two tones of brown.

“Now then... My name is Final Draft and I'm in charge of Ponyville General hospital.”

“Ah'm Alice Gwendolyn Bradley. Nice t'meet you.” He nodded at that.

“I know that you are here for a vacancy in this hospital. Which one did you intend to apply for?”

“The security one.”

“I see. What sort of skills do you have that would be of use for that post?”

“Well, Ah used t'be a soldier. Ah was a Ranger, in th' First Ranger Regiment, United States Army.” I chose to skip the happenings of Project Abraham for obvious reasons.

“Yes, your arrival to Equestria caused quite the stir. We've heard quite a lot about your friends' exploits, yet know little of who they are as an invididual. So, tell me more about your training...”

As time went on, I noticed how he kept his eyes locked with mine – obviously, I returned his stare. I don't back down easily. Kinda difficult to tell where determination ended and stubborness began. Other than that, though, he was well-mannered and polite, not interrupting even if I stumbled with my words at certain points.

Final Draft hummed, looking up from the notepad he'd been busily scribbling on with a pen – he was taking some sort of notes. Or just doodling. Either way, he still eyed me, making me feel like I was a teeny tiny ant under a magnifying glass...

I would later find out from Redheart that it was his way of evaluating possible employees. He didn't have much respect for application forms, and preferred to put the would-be employees on the spot in his own way, to see how they'd cope with his questions. He also was an expert at reading body language and could tell in a flash if the applicant was genuinely interested in the job or not, whethere they were being truthful with him or not. With these skills, he had enabled Ponyville General to prosper – employees were paid well, patients seldom complained, and everything was in pristine condition.

Either way, I guess I must have left a good impression on him because I got the job! I was to start next week, and in the meantime I'd ensure I was ready to start my duties.

I now kind of understood why Silver had pranced past like that – I could barely keep myself from doing the same as I headed home, feeling better than I'd felt in days. Stopping in the market to buy some things that I'd forgotten about yesterday, I resumed my trek. Seriously, this was the best day ever, far as I was concerned.

Of course, my real concern reared its head a moment after I got back to my house.

The inhibitor shots. Without those, I'd turn into a Chimera once I ran out. That wasn't a fate I was eager to meet, as one can well imagine. It would be stupid of me to dilute the serum, too. I had no idea how to make any myself, either.

I was a Sentinel. This was one secret I did not wish to reveal to my friends. Why?

I didn't know myself, really. I guess I didn't want them to think different of me. Secrets from my past would only complicate things in my opinion. I wasn't without a plan, however. I knew that there was one pony in all of Equestria that could help me find either a cure for me. I'd met her at the Gala in the year before...

Princess Celestia.

She and her sister held absolute power over Equestria. If there was even a possibility of finding a cure for me, they would have ways of making it happen. I just needed to find a way of meeting them and explaining my situation to them. Discreetly.

As luck would have it, the Gala was starting in about a month and a half. I just had to hold out until then, and be as sparing with the inhibitor as I could without growing another four eyes and a set of teeth that a lion would be jealous of.

Here's hoping.