Medical Procedures

“Hurry up, Twilight! We’re gonna be late!”

“I’m going as fast as I can!”

If one was to look out their windows on a particularly sunny Thursday morning within the small, sound town of Ponyville, just at the eastern edge, they would’ve seen two familiar ponies racing towards the clinic. It wouldn’t be a very odd thing to see were it not for being the very crack of dawn.

Twilight glanced over her shoulder quickly to see the sun rising. Usually, she’d be at the door by that time, greeting Dr. Stables as they entered and got right to work. Directly above her, Rainbow flew at the same pace. Both ponies couldn’t believe they’d overslept.

When Spike came to them that morning telling the two what time it was, Twilight almost threw a fit. It wouldn’t have been directed at Rainbow or Spike, but mostly herself. She made a promise not to ever be remotely late for her job, so this was, naturally, one of her worst imaginings ever conceived.

“It was that book,” Twilight thought to herself while galloping along. “I spent too much time reading last night, and added with the training session Rainbow went through, both of us could’ve predicted this happening while fully awake, but not tired! Noooo!”

“Twilight, I see it!”

The unicorn huffed from relief once looking back up, but felt numb when she saw Dr. Stables with his keys. “Hurry!” Twilight chimed in.

They pushed themselves faster and faster. And then, the doctor dropped his things, giving Twilight and Rainbow a few more seconds. He picked it up again, and they hastened their pace. Just before he was able to insert the correct key into the slot, Dr. Stables turned around.

Twilight and Rainbow stood right behind him, huffing and puffing, but smiling all the same. “H-hey, doc!” Rainbow said awkwardly, trying to keep her cool. “What’s up?”

Twilight interrupted. “We’re on time, right?”

Dr. Stables took a deep breath, and then chuckled sheepishly. “You’re fine, girls. You know, I’m nothing if not a lenient boss. You show up late on a blue moon isn’t gonna make me too awfully upset. Just don’t make a habit out of it,” he looked Rainbow’s way, “Dash…”

The doors were unlocked, and the three walked in. Rainbow and her friend was just getting ready to head down the hall, straight for the dressing room when Twilight heard Dr. Stables gasp. Rainbow heard it too, so they returned briefly. Inside the half lit lobby, Dr. Stables stood open mouthed, and staring at the calendar partnering the light switches.

“Doc?” Rainbow asked, tempted to nudge him on the shoulder. “You alright?”

“It’s the seventeenth…”

Even Twilight was confused by the significance of that particular date. “What about it?” she asked.

With a wayward glance towards the two, Dr. Stables smiled slightly. “Twilight, you don’t remember?”

And then it hit her. It’d been well over a month since Nurse Redheart left for the convention, and unless Twilight was mistaken, that meant today was her returning day in which she’d be coming back home to resume her work.

With a smile forming of her own, Twilight nodded. “Whatever you need, Rainbow Dash and I will be more than happy to help.”

“Huh, what?” Rainbow looked back and forth at the two. “What’s going on? What happens on the seventeenth?”

In a girly tone of voice, Dr. Stables squealed, “Nurse Redheart’s on her way!”

Even Twilight couldn’t stop herself from snickering at his excitement. “You see, Rainbow, before I was hired, Nurse Redheart held the role of Lead Nurse around here. She did what I’m doing now. That, and she’s Dr. Stable’s best friend.”

Rainbow nodded with a growing smirk. “Oooh, I see! The doc here’s got a thing for her, don’cha?”

He took a step back, cheeks redder than a tomato. “What? me? I… don’t know what you two are talking about! We’re just acquaintances is all, and I’m overjoyed to have her back.”

Rainbow chuckled, “Whatever you say.”

Twilight then said, “We’d better hurry up and get dressed. I’ll snatch some cleaning supplies, and Rainbow will-”

“Whoa, whoa, why do we need to clean anything? The place looks fine to me.”

Dr Stables answered, “Because! We want this clinic looking spic and span for when she arrives. Just do this for me, please?”

With a rather drawn out groan, Rainbow complied with, “Fine, I’ll clean… But I won’t like it!”

“Good, then I’ll take care of the counter, front windows, and everything she’ll be seeing when she gets here.”

With a sarcastic tone, Rainbow asked, “Does that include your office?”

Before he could mumble an embarrassed reply, Twilight yanked Rainbow out of the room and down the halls. The two got dressed into their usual clothing and proceeded to gather cleaning supplies. “This way,” Twilight instructed while Rainbow pulled along a yellow bucket filled with soapy water.

“I thought we’re doing the halls,” Rainbow commented.

“We are! But first, I wanna get Nurse Redheart’s personal area situated.” The two entered a door located at the very front of the clinic, right where the hallways started. “I haven’t been in here since forever. While I mop, think you could dust?”

“Yeah, sure.” Rainbow snatched her cleaning utensil and brushed it along the book case. While she did, Twilight magically yanked the mop head in and out of the bucket, swishing it along the floor, and then repeating those steps. However, she did this dangerously close to Rainbow’s way, mostly in the section where the pegasus might not see her.

Something unexpected happened at that point. What was supposed to be an easy, quick clean up of Nurse Redheart’s room ended up with Rainbow clumsily slipping on a wet spot, grabbing onto her friend’s shoulder in a failed attempt to retain her balance, and instead pulling Twilight down to the ground along with her.

Just like that, Twilight was toppled onto Rainbow’s frame. Though it was accidental, Rainbow didn’t mind as much as Twilight. “What was that for?” Twilight questioned.

“Ehehe, sorry Twi. I slipped.” Rainbow held the back of her head partly out of embarrassment and pain from the impact.

Twilight simply sighed, “Be more careful next time, alright?”

She looked down, staring into Rainbow’s eyes, waiting for a response. She should’ve known better, though. With the way the lights above were shining down on her, and Twilight’s mane resting in random strands around the pegasus’s chest, Rainbow became slightly paralyzed.

Her smile slowly dissipated, and a worried, partially open mouthed glare replaced that expression in only a few seconds. Twilight acted the same, and just before she was able to ask if Rainbow was alright, she got her answer; not in words, but in a sudden, partially welcomed action.

Rainbow always was a risk taker, and this was no different. She knew Twilight liked her more than a mere friend, and vice versa. Truthfully, there wasn’t much holding her back. By gripping Twilight’s neck calmly, and making it quicker than even Twilight would’ve liked, Rainbow kissed her as though doing so wasn’t going to phase the two one bit.

It was hardly even making out in Rainbow’s opinion. More like a prolonged peck, if anything, but it was just barely enough to see how much she would’ve like it. For what it was worth, her satisfaction was well beyond what she herself expected.

Once it was over, instead of looking shocked or mortified, Twilight merely blushed, blinking a little, too. Then, she stood up, grabbed the mop, and turned the other way mostly to hide her unstoppable grin. Once on her hooves again as well, Rainbow gulped before saying, “Sorry, Twilight. Iunno what got into me…”

“It’s alright,” Twilight said, her back still facing Rainbow. “You’ve got that enchantment on you. Just… don’t let it happen again.”

She didn’t sound at all mad, or even against the instance. To Rainbow’s perspective, Twilight acted cheerful, like she was just as glad that they’d finally kissed, even if it was for little more than a moment or two.

In no time at all, they finished up, and resumed their work outside. In the lobby, Dr. Stables stayed just as busy if not more. One could tell by his irremovable smirk, the spring in his step, and the tiny glint in his eyes that he was anticipating Nurse Redheart’s return more than anypony else in the whole clinic.

“What time is it?” he asked after looking over his self-assigned tasks. “She’ll be here by one or two.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Which is it?”

“Well, she wasn’t exactly thorough with those sort of details. The letter I got about four days ago simply said she’d be just in time for some lunch.”

Rainbow went ahead and told him, “It’s twelve forty five.”

As though getting caught doing something criminal, Dr. Stables quickened his pace, checking the waiting tables for rings left behind by guest drinks, adjusting the picture on his side of the desk, and asking the two, “Do I look alright? No, wait. Do I look presentable?”

Both nurses fought back chuckles, Twilight nodding. “You look fine!”

“Are you sure?”

A voice from behind answered, “Better than ever in my opinion!”

Dr. Stables froze before not only his two employees sitting behind the counter, but also in front of whoever complimented him from behind. It was her. It had to be her. How could it not be her? Who else in all of Equestria had such a lovely, soft voice? She was here, and why was Dr. Stables unable to move?

“Nurse Redheart!” Twilight beamed. “You’re back! How was the convention?”

She walked right next to Dr. Stables, gently placed a hoof around him, and said, “Fantastic! I got awards, talked with Princess Celestia and everything. What about you, Doctor?” He looked at her with a quirky, though natural looking snicker. “How’ve you been holding up without me this whole month, hmm?”

He kept his cool, wondering why he couldn’t stop shaking, and admitted, “Oh, it’s been kind of lonely without you, but Twilight’s been keeping me company while filling in for you. She’ll be your new assistant, and this is Rainbow.” He gestured to the pegasus. “She’ll also be taking orders from you, and Twilight as well.”

Letting go of the doctor, Nurse Redheart leaned over the counter, eyeing the two kindly. “So, you’re Rainbow Dash… Ah, that’s right! You were here once before, weren’t you? What happened this time? If I’m not mistaken, Dr. Stables said something about a hurt hoof?”

Rainbow snickered. “Yeah, it was, like, right after you left. And I enjoyed being here so much, I decided to get a job while the Wonderbolts are away!”

“Oh, that’s right,” Redheart said, nodding. “They’re on some important mission, right? And what about you, Twilight?” She leaned over to the unicorn. “How’s everything been so far?”

With a cheeky grin, Twilight simply said, “Fine, just fine. Nothing to report, really. I’ve been filing everything out efficiently according to Dr. Stables, and I don’t mean to sound boastful, but I think I’ve got some tips you could use. I’ve been working really hard on developing different alternatives to keeping things neat and orderly.”

Nurse Redheart grinned with appreciation. “Sounds like a plan!” For almost all of the conversation, the doctor hadn’t hardly said two words, but that was about to change. “Say, Doctor?” Nurse Redheart asked, getting his attention quickly.

“Yeah?”

“I need to speak to you privately, preferably in my office.”

“Well, I uh… I have some work that still needs-” She jerked his neck with her tail, just like she used to. “Umm… Okay.”

While they walked off, Twilight and Rainbow predictably started asking each other what that was all about, forming rumors, and gossiping between themselves. What was actually going on involved Dr. Stable’s two newest nurses more so than they thought.

Once the door closed shut, and Dr. Stables was sat down on a free seat, Nurse Redheart explained, “I took some counseling lessons on my free time from other prestigious medical physicians with the same sort of problems we have; the ones that involve these uniforms from the empire.”

Dr. Stables nodded hesitantly. “That’s… good? I mean, what use would that have over here? Am I missing something?”

Smiling at his obliviousness, Nurse Redheart asked, “How long ago did Twilight and Rainbow Dash start their little love affair?”

“Ooooh...” The doctor huffed, and confessed, “Ever since Rainbow’s second injury. Now, I’m afraid Twilight’s developing affectionate emotions towards Rainbow, too. For Twilight, it has nothing to do with the outfit. And, frankly, I didn’t think you’d pick up on my messages within those letters.”

Coming closer, and then settling down in front of him, Nurse Redheart ventured onward. “Tell me everything.”