It was a warm and sunny afternoon. Leif had spent the last few days prepareing to search for his cousin, as noone in his family, neither pony nor griffon, knew where she went after being banished from the Griffion Kingdoms.The only lead he had was her old friend Rainbow Dash, and she had moved to Ponyville quiet some time ago. Her parents passed about four years ago, his mother Medical Guard was assigned to train the members of the relativly new Crystal Guard in first aid and his father Achaius Whisperwing couldn´t just take a vacation, after all he was the best doctor at Cloudsdale Clinic, so Leif was the only one available. This was mostly because he quit his job as paramedic in Cloudsdale, because he couldn´t stand how he was treated by his coworkers anymore.
Ponyville shouldn´t be far away now. After I arrive should I inquire after Rainbow first or search for an inn to stay at? maybe I will be lucky and-
A dull thud interrupted his thougths. As he looked down, he saw three foals, an orange pegasus, a yellow earthpony and a ligthgrey unicorn. A red stain on the unicorns head implied that the sound came from him/her hiting the tree. Leif immediatly started to decent and about eleven seconds later he landed near the fillys. Minding his threatening look, he decided to introduce himself before coming nearer: "Hello I heard how you hit this tree, my name is Leif Guard, may I see how I can help you?"
As the fillys turned to look at him they didn´t quite know what to make of him, he had the head of an eagle, wings that looked like those of a griffon and claws instead of forhooves, but the rest of his body looked like a normal pony with a red coat, white and blue tail, and a cutie mark consisting of a live belt with a red cross on a white background inside. It took a momen till the yellow filly composed herself before and asking: "What kind of pony are ya, mister Guard, you look so weird, no offence."
"Just call me Leif, and I´m a hippogriff, but can your answers wait till later, I want to take a look at our friends head and neck." He answered, allready takeing a tiny flashlight and a bandage out of his saddlebags, "now can you look me in the eyes miss-"
"Sweetie Belle" the unicorn introduced herself woozy.
"Sweetie Belle, I will shine in your eyes with my flashlight to check how bad you hit your head." After this short explanatin he checked if her pupils both reacted to the ligth and, as he didn´t find a difference between them, he went on to tell her: "now I will wrap this bandage about your head, so the wound will stay clean is that okay with you?" After Sweetie nodded, he carefully bandaged her head. He then took out a bottle of water and took a gulp out of it. He then breathed out a cloud about he size of a foal´s head.
"Now to make shure you won´t damage your neck if it is hurt, i will use this cloud to imobilize it and then we bring you to the next hospital, so they can check your neck and head in detail in case I missed something." He then formed the cloud to fit aroumd her neck, and then increased the arpressure in it using techniques his father taugth him, so it was tnagible for non-pegasi and put it around her neck so it fit snuggly.
"Now that your friend is taken care of, have you some form of transportation to take her to the hospital, and do you know where the next one would be?"
"I pulled us here with my scooter, while the other two rode in our cart and the next Would be Ponyville General." the pegasus filly explained," but how did you make that cloud, and how is it dense enough for Sweetie to touch it?"
"Let´s get your friend in the cart carefully and while we bring her to hospital we introduce each other and I answer al your questionsif you can answer two questions I have." After the two healthy fillys agreed, he helped them to seat Sweetie belle in the cart nd took the hand le and began pulling it, while the pegasus led the way.
"So my full name is Leif Guard Whisperwing as you already told you I`m a hippogriff, which means I´m half griffon and half pony, which is also the reason I could comprese the cloud. You see pegasus magic works on the water vapor in the air, while Griffon magic works with the air itself, so in order to breath a cloud, I increase the pressure of my breath, so the water get´s spread wider than normal, and by 'stopping' the tiny dropplets, I force them to become a cloud. To make it tangible for non-pegasi, I reduce the presure inside it till of some the water gets solid, I create a cloud thats tangible for all ponies, but it won´t stay afloat in the air on its own anymore."
"My name´s Scootloo and I´m Rainbow Dash´s honorary little sister." the pegaus filly introduced herself, "but can you do anything else with this hippogriff-magic of yours?"
"Well I can move and form clouds like every pegasus, but I besides letting it rain out of a cloud I´m no use for weathermaking. I can however send out a presure wave with my breath, originally it was a figthing technique of the griffons, but i managed to modify it so I works like a echo sounder, to help me find drowning ponies at nigth. My father also taugth me how to fly with out making a sound, but there isn´t much magic involved in that." he explained to the pegasus,"but you mentioned Rainbow Dash? Because I came to Ponyville to ask her about a mutual aquaintance."He then turned to the earthpony, " Also what´s your name?"
"ah´m Apple Bloom, and ah wanted to know how strong you can do this presure shout thingie" the yellow filly said.
"Well the worst I can do is o make everypony before me dizzy for a minute or two, I could do worse damage if I trained for it, but I don´t really want to hurt anypony, that would result in extra work for me and I´m to lazy to do extra work."
They talked like this until they arrived at the hospital.
As they entered the lobby, the fillys and hippogriff were greated by a mare behind a desk: "Hello, I´m nurse Redheart how can I help you?"
"Sweetie Belle her hit her head, she has an open wound about a centimeter long, she was dazed when I came to help them, so she migth have a concussion. I also imobilized her neck to be on the safe side." Leif informed her professionaly.
"Ok Sweetie Belle your Rarity´s sister rigth?"
"Yes" Sweetie confirmed.
"Ok then take a seat and I will get nurse Tenderheart, she will bring you to your room and call yor sister so she can pick you up tomorrow."
"Why can´t she take me home now?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Because we need to make sure you don´t suffer delayed symptoms of you concussion, they can come in effect up to 24h after the initial injury." The nurse explained to the fillys, "On the brigth side, you hit your head in the afternoon, so you won´t need to go to school tomorrow."
At that moment, Tenderheart came into the lobby and, after a short introduction, took Sweetie Belle deeper in to the hospital.
"Mister-how was your name again?- you handled that situation quite professionaly, do you have some medical experience?" Redheart asked, because unknown to Leif and the girls, Ponyville General was in dire need of a paramedic since the last one moved away because she couldn´t stand the near weekly disasters in Ponyville anymore.
"Leif, Leif Guard Whisperwing and yes I worked as paramedic in Cloudsdale until last week, I´m also trained as lifeguard, why do you ask?"
"You see our last paramedic moved away because of ehm 'personal issues' so we are searching for somepony to fill this spot"
Well a change of scenery would do me some good, and they seem to be more open minded than those bigots at Cloudsdal clinic, the hippogriff mused,"Well I think I could give this a try, do you perchance have a dutyroom I could spent the nigth in? Then we can do the paperwork tomorrow when I´m rested."
"Ok if you start tomorrow it should be okay if you use the dutyroom tonigth it´s through the rigth door then the third door on the left." Redheart explained.
"Okay I will go there shortly", Leif told the nurse before turning to Scootaloo, "can you ask Rainbow Dash to meet me tomorrow, tell her I´m Gilda´s cousin and that we need to talk about her."
"Sure can do," she then turned to Applebloom," come on I bring you home, bye nurse Redheart, by Leif."
After the fillys left, Leif went to the dutyroom noteing that it was quite furnished quite simple a three story bed, and lockers, one of which wasn´t labled. he put his saddlebags in to the unlabled locker and then laid down on the top bed and drifted of to sleep.
Author's Note
the names of my (part-)griffon OC´s are celtic in origin, with Achaius meaning 'horsefriend' and Leif meaning 'son'.
The next morning, Leif woke to the rays of Celestia´s sun, not as he expected by some alarm in the middle of the nigth.
That was nice, in Cloudsdale I would have been wokwn by the siren atleast two times during the nigth, the Hippogriff mused,but still it sounded like they are understaffed here, so maybe they turned it off. He then took a short shower in the small bathroom reserved for the staff.
Afterwards Leif searched for nurse Redheart, to talk about that job offer a bit more. He found her in the headnurseoffice sitting behind her desk.
"Ah good morning Leif, I was just about to look for you, I have a employment contract for you here, you may read it and ask about things unclear to you prior to signing." With these words, she hoofed him a stack of paper. As he read it, the only thing that puzzled him, was the quite substantial hazardpay he would get each month, after all it was more than double his normal wage, he wasn´t going to bring it up before it was reduced or something. As Everything else was the same as in his last contract he only asked: "S when will I egin working here?"
"Well as you would need to find some lodging, and to settle in here in Ponyville, I would say next monday."
That are 6 days to get my house here from cloudsdale and find somewhere I can put it,htat should be possible. After this deliberation, Leif signed the contract. "So then till next monday I guess."
He then made his way out of the hospital. As he exited the building, A pink mare came the other direction. But before he could ask her if she new where he cold find somepony he cold buy some land to float his house over, she raced away to town, as if she had forgotten a cake in the oven. Or like she was scared out of her wits, which was probably more accurate. Before Leif could ponder anymore about this, he saw a multicolored blur hit the road before him, he emediatly galloped to the point of impact, after all it could have been a pegasus. As he arrived he was greated by the aft end of a familiar cyan mare.
"Hey Rainbow long time no see, still acting true to your old nickname."
"Quit it Leif, I wouldn´t have crashed if Pinkie hadn´t surprised me. Don´t know what she was thinking inviting me to a 'Welcome to Ponyville'-party of hers in midair.",Dash replied after turning around to face the hippogriff, "Porbably yours, since its the first time you came to visit in -what was it 5, 6 years?- but that can wait. Scootaloo said you wanted to talk about Gilda?"
"yes, but how about we have that discusion tomorrow or this evening, I can crash at your place till I have my own place here in Ponyville? For Now I would likesome Breakfast"
"How about some cake? I know where a party for you is about to start. And of course you can crash with me for a bit" Rainbow suggested.
"Why not, lead the way."
They started their short treck to Sugar Cube Corner.
Strange, Leif mused,why is there nopony on the streets?
They arrived at a house that seemed to be made of gingerbread.
" This is Sugar Cube Corner,"Rainbow explained," prepare your self for the best party ever, at least untill you go to Pinkie´s next party."
As Rainbow opened the doors, they were greeted by what seemed to be half the town scraming "Surprise!", and one familiar pink mare screaming it about a second later then everypony else. Before Leif could say anything, the mare begann talking: "Were you surpried, were you? Hi My name is Pinkie Pie, I heard your new in town, so I wanted to invite you to a 'welcome to Ponyville' party, but as I reached you, I remebered that I forgot the cake in the oven and tht a surprise party would be much more fun, so I got Rainbow here to bring you to Sugarcube Corner. Now your here and can meet lots of new friends."
"Wow thanks Pinkie" Leif replied a bit overwhelmed.
After a while of just trotting around, eating cake and so on, Rainbow approached Leif, followed by Pinkie, a yellow pegasus mare that seemed familiar, but seemed terrified at the sight of him, and three other mares the Hippogriff didn´t recognize.
"Hey Leif, as you are moveing here, I wanted to introduce you to my friends. You already met Pinkie, and you may remember Fluttershy, you know the filly I raced for when I got my Cutie Mark "- So that´s why she seemed so familiar, Leif thougth, even though he never got to knew her personally, he had seen her hanging around with Rainbow and Gilda, although she never came with Rainbow when she came to visit Gilda a his parents home. -"Now this here is Applejack, her familly owns Sweet Apple Acres, and shes the second best athlete here in Ponyville, this here is Rarity, the Sister of the injured filly you helped yesterday, and last but not least Twilight Sparkle, local librarian and Equestria´s newest princess."
"Hi I´m Leif Guard Whisperwing, Ponyville´s newest and as far as I know only paramedic. I´ve know Rainbow for quiet some time, as her old friend Gilda lived with me and my parents in Cloudsdale, so she could go to school in Equestria." After he had introduced himself, soon the party was in full swing.
