Chapters Dr. Joyous Heart was being escorted down the aisles of the Canterlot police station. As he followed the guard through the dark and depressing halls of this place, it reminded him of the time he worked in a similar building: The Canterlot Institute of Mental Health. You see, Joyous comes from a long line of practitioners of medicine, so ever since he was a young colt, he’s heard the stories of the greatness his family have achieve in the medical field. Especially from his grandfather, Tough Love.
When he graduated medical school, his grandfather was the one that suggested working in CIoMH. With the influence and connections of his family he could have easily gotten a job anywhere he wanted, but Tough Love was a strong believer that adversity builds the best doctors, and that no pony will find that just sitting behind a desk. He would never openly admit it, but he always resented his grandfather for that. Working with the mentally sick and violent ponies was the worst experience on his life. Not because of the threat of violence, but because everyday you see their suffering and there's very little you can do to help them. We use all kinds of traditional therapy and magical-related therapy, but there's still so much we don't know of the equine mind
Today he’s a teacher in one of the most prestigious medical schools in Canterlot. He choose the path of teaching not for the prestige, but because mentoring young ponies is more fulfilling than working with violent ponies that had none.
**************************
He was finally led to a prison cell where a pale green unicorn sat on her haunches next to the back wall. That yellow mane and purple flower cutie mark means it was undoubtedly Poppy, the mare he was looking for. The imprisoned pony glanced up to see a blue-eyed tan unicorn with a dark brown mane which he wore short, and was surprise when she recognize her visitor to be her teacher; he was the last pony she expected to see.
For several minutes nopony said anything. Poppy continue to stare at the ground, unable to meet his gaze and see the disappointment that would undoubtedly be in his eyes. While Joyous just stood there, unsure of how he should feel about the situation. He knows that he should be angry with his student for the actions that led her to be behind these bars, something that doesn’t even have a name in Equestrian medicine.
Finally, Joyous broke the silence "I settled things with the school committee and talked with the police. No charges will be filed and you will be let go in a couple of days. Take this time to think on what you did...and on what you have lost”
"Thank you for that. I know I don't deserve your kindness”
“I didn’t do it for you. I did it to avoid the scandal this would bring to the school”, said Joyous with a stern look on his face. “But if you really want to thank me, you can start by telling me what in the name of Celestia possessed to do such a horrible act.”
Poppy remained silent. Pondering whether or not if she should tell her teacher the truth.
Joyous walked closer to the bars “Poppy, please help me understand.”
She finally look his teacher in the eyes and saw only kindness in them. That look that showed neither judgment nor hatred was the reason he was her favorite teacher. Maybe he really might understand, unlike the others...
“Before I say anything, I want you to know that I didn’t kill that pony. He passed away from natural causes before I began any research on him.”
Joyous showed disgust at the use of the word “research”, but said nothing about it. "I know you didn’t harmed any pony. The only reason why I haven’t left you in this cell is because you were caught before you did something that you couldn't take back ”.
“The reason why I tried to steal that body from the morgue was... because he died of the same thing as my mother”
Joyous remained silent at this new information. On his way here he thought of a million reasons of why his student did what she did, but he never expected an answer like that.
“I believe the text books called it Side Sickness”, she said.
Side Sickness. At hearing that name, Joyous remembered that rare and deadly disease. What made it such a terrifying illness was not its high mortality rate, but the fact that the standard medical tests are unable to detect it. By the time they start feeling symptoms they'll die within hours while feeling intense pain in the side of their bodies.
“There is no cure for Side Sickness”. Was the only thing he said.
At hearing this, Poppy’s face was filled with rage. “You sound just like the ponies back home!” She said with an anger that Joyous has never seen in her before. “When my mother got sick I begged them for help, but they did nothing! they said there was nothing that could be done but pray to Celestia to save her”. Tears were forming in Poppy’s eye as she continued speaking. “They didn’t even helped me take her to a hospital”
Joyous said nothing, he just waited a few minutes for her student to regain her composure. “I don’t want to sound insensitive, but I don’t see how all this has to do with what you did”
“Because I refuse to believe that what my mother had has no cure!”
At hearing this, a lot of things started making sense to him. Ever since she met Poppy in class, she always had an endless thirst for knowledge. She questioned everything, and spent most of her free time in the library or trying to get answers from her teachers on various topics. It was rare to see this kind of interest in medicine in a pony that didn't have a cutie mark related to the field.
“My dear Poppy, I can understand choosing the medical profession in order to help others. But the way you did things...looking for answers on the deceased, that is not the right way. A doctor should strive to find answers on the living, not on the dying or on the ones that have left this world.”
The anger slowly began leaving Poppy, but now she only reflected a deep sadness in her face. It was that kind of close minded thinking that let to her mother dying a horrible death. "You're wrong, teacher. I’m grateful for everything you have taught me, but after studying with you for 3 years, the only thing I’m sure of is that there magic isn't the answer for everything”
Joyous seemed disappointed with her answer, but he refused to give up on his student. “Take some time to think about this. If your mother was still here I’m sure she wouldn’t want you using such horrible acts to get what you want.”
“My mother taught me a lot of things. In life, she taught me the beauty of nature and the way I can use it to help others” she took a deep breath before continuing. “And in death, she helped me begin to understand the illness that took her life”.
Joyous’s jaw dropped and slowly took a few steps back. “You...you have done this kind of thing before? And to your mother of all ponies”.
“I'm sure she would have given me permission if I had asked her.” She said while giving a small grin, trying to lighten the mood.
"You think this is funny!?" said Joyous while slamming his hooves on the bars. "What you just told me you did is called Necromancy, and its one of the most dangerous and evil acts you can do in Equestria."
“Evil? I think you're exaggerating, teacher. There were no magic rituals or sacrifices involved in what I did. "And frankly"- She got off her haunches and slowly walked toward her teacher- "What I do with the things my mother left behind is no ones business but my own.”
He remained silent at this, just staring at her student. That comprehensive look in his eyes was gone now, and was replaced with an emotionless stare. “That might be so, but our Sun princess has taught us that the equine body is a sacred thing. By defiling it you're taking away everything that made them who they were, and denied them the right to be buried the way Celestia intended to. Now they might never find rest in the afterlife because of what you did. At least, that is what every Celestian in the world will probably believe if you ever get caught.”
The imprisoned mare was caught by surprise by his teacher’s sudden religious talk. Personally, she has never been a believer in that notion that the Alicorns created the universe. They wield great power to move the sun and moon and have been blessed with long lifespans, but when it comes to things like mortality and illnesses of others, they seem to be just as helpless as the rest of us. “Aren’t you the slightest bit curious, teacher? What’s it like inside? A lot of the things written in textbooks is wrong!”
"Information like that is not for us to know. You know very well that we can detect the ailments in the equine body by sensing the inbalance in their magic."
"But why is wrong to know such things? I'm sure you could tell me in great detail how much magical energy every part of the body emanates, but can you tell me how the heart actually looks like?"
He said nothing.
"How about how many bones are in the equine body?"
Information like that is irrelevant.
"Is it, teacher? Ive been thinking, if diseases like what my mother had are unaffected by magic, wouldn't it be best to just remove that part from the body?
"Butchering live ponies!? Thats madness! I was willing to listen with an open mind to your ideas, but experimenting on live ponies is something that nopony in Equestria will ever let you try.
"But what if..."
But before Poppy could continue, Joyous covered his ears and closed his eyes. “Enough! I don’t want to hear it!” he took a few seconds to regain his composure. “I see now that I'm wasting my time here. You leave me no choice but to expel you. You’re no longer welcomed in our school, and you’re no longer my student”. Nothing good will come of this. If you continuing with these barbaric acts of yours you'll end up back here again, or worse. Is that what you want? To spend the rest of your days in a windowless building, surrounded by clinically insane ponies?
“I'm sorry teacher, but if there's anything my mother taught me, is how little I actually know about about the body. How are we suppose to treat anything inside the body when we don't even know how it looks like?"
He gave a disapproving nod and began walking away without giving her a chance to say anything else, but before he was completely out of her sight Poppy manage to say one last thing:
"210"
Joyous stopped and gave one last glance behind him.
"Thats how many bones are in the equine body...I think. I might need to double check that number."
“You should go home, Poppy. Go back and tend to your flowers”, was the last thing he ever said to her.
Author's Note
So there you have it, the first fan fiction I've ever written. I'm open to suggestions and criticism.
The next day I was let go. Just like professor Joyous said, there was no further questioning from the Canterlot police. I’m grateful for what he did, thinks may not have ended well between us but I’ll make sure to make it up to him someday.
Now that I was free, I was left to wonder what to do next. Returning to school was no longer an option, but that didn’t mater because I wouldn't find what I was looking for there.
I saw no other choice but to return to a place I haven’t been in years. Home. I went to the train station and took the next train to Baltimare.
Once I arrived I was immediately greeted by the crowded streets and the roads fill with carriages. I didn’t think it was possible, but Baltimare looks like it grew even larger in the time I was absent. The tall skyscrapers now seemed to reach even higher, almost as if its architects wanted to reach the cities in the skies. I could have tried taken a taxi, but preferred to walk instead. It would give me a chance to see how much I can remember of the city.
Eventually, I reached the edge of the city. There wasn’t anything here besides a few modest houses surrounded by the wildlife. The furthest house was the one I grew up in. It was in need of maintenance, but hopefully the inside will be in the same condition I left it. I was about to go in when I notice the bright red flowers from one of the neighbor’s garden. Curiosity caught the better of me and decided to take a closer look, and immediately notice they weren’t red roses; these had creamy white petals edged with a rich red color. There was no mistaking them, they were Double Delights! I kneel closer to catch a whiff of its lovely spicy fragrance.
“They’re lovely, aren’t they?” I quickly stood up as I heard a voice behind me. When I turned around I was greeted by a light blue pony with a lavender colored mane. She smiled at me and then also shifted her gaze to her roses.
“I was just admiring your Double Delights.”
“Oh, are you also a gardener?”
“I’m more of a flower enthusiast. I love them, but don’t have the time to tend to them”
“It’s nice to know there are other flower lovers around here. I’m Mrs. Mist, but you can call me Misty.” She said as she extended her hoof.
“Poppy.” I shook her hoof back. “I’m actually moving back to this neighborhood”
The blue pony seemed especially happy about that, and It wasn’t hard to see why. Just by looking at the other houses you could tell that the neighbors didn’t care about their lawns.
“Would you care for some tea, neighbor? I was about to have some in the porch.”
“That would be nice”
The conversation began with small talk. I told her a little about my school life in Canterlot, and she shared a little about her family. She especially couldn’t stop talking about her son and his fancy office job in the city. After a while, our talk slowly died down and we just enjoyed the view her garden provided. There was no awkward silence, it was the kind of moment you could only share with another that appreciates the beauty in nature.
“I could stay here all day” said Mrs. Mist as she poured herself more tea “I don’t know what is it about them, but there’s something about flowers that radiates peace.”
By now I have had enough of tea, but was still helping myself to Mrs. Mist’s cookies “My mother always said that flowers are the sweetest thing Celestia ever made, and forgot to put a soul into.”
“I couldn’t agree more! Celestia is an artist, and flowers are one of her best creations”
Our quiet moment was interrupted when Mrs. Mist’s front door opened with such force that it almost made her spill her tea. From inside emerge a very serious looking grey pony. He made no effort to introduce himself; he just stood there in front of us without saying a word. “Are you out here with some pony?”
For the first time since I met her, Mrs. Mist wasn’t smiling “I’m just having a cup of tea with one of our neighbors” she looks at my direction before continuing “Poppy, this is Morning Mist. My husband”
This pony didn’t seem very friendly, so I just waved my hoof to greet him from where I was sitting “good afternoon, Mr. Mist”.
Mrs. Mist breathed a sigh of relief. “You’ll have to forgive my husband; he can be very distrustful of strangers.”
“Yes, I can see that”.
Once again, we remained in silence. But it wasn’t the same type of silence we had when we were enjoying the flowers. Now it felt…different somehow, like a heavy atmosphere engulf us.
“He wasn’t always like that, you know? Mr. Mist. He was always so friendly, so independent.” she was staring intently at her teacup. It sounded like she was talking to herself rather than me. “Then all of a sudden, he got this illness…he changed a lot after that”
“Waterfall eyes” I said while looking over the porch.
Mrs. Mist look surprise. She never heard of this disease until her husband caught it. And yet, this pony sitting next to her seemed to know more about it than her.
“What else do you know of this condition?”
“Only what I’ve read in textbooks. That those afflicted have trouble appreciating colors, recognizing faces and copying with bright lights. It is most commonly due to aging, but it can also be caused by other things, like trauma. There’s an experimental treatment being developed in Canterlot, but it has only showed positive results when treated early.“
“Yes, that’s what a lot of the doctors told me”
“Can I ask you a personal question?
“Go ahead”.
“Why is a pony with a flower cutie mark, such as yourself, studying medicine?”
I wasn’t surprised at all by her question. During my years in school I was asked that hundreds of times. Many couldn’t understand why a pony wanted to do something that was so foreign to its cutie mark, and there were others that greatly disliked me for it. Some even acted like I was taking something that belongs to them.
“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to…”
I pointed a hoof at my flank “This cutie mark is of a Bellflower, and it’s not just a simple flower. For me it’s the symbol of healing”
“Plants can be use for healing?”
“Not all of them. This flower in particular can be use for colds, coughs, sore throats, and lots of other things. If you know how to use it”
As I was telling this to Mrs. Mist, I could tell that she looked genuinely interested by my explanation. It’s nice to be able to talk to some pony about this without them thinking its some kind of dark art.
“It sounds wonderful. But, if you don’t mind me asking, why do you want to study medicine if you already have this skill?”
I smile at her before answering “Why can’t I do both?”
She said nothing.
“Why can’t I love plants and also love medicine?”
For the longest time Mrs. Mist didn’t know what to say
“I got mine when I was a filly helping in my mother’s flower shop. It was there I discovered my love for tending flowers." she look at me before continuing. "I just cant see how a pony can be happy doing something that would take them away from their cutie mark”
“There’s nothing wrong with your garden if that’s what makes you happy. But I want to learn much more. I want to learn all there is to know about what makes ponies sick, so that I can help as many of them as I can. That is my dream”
“That is a beautiful dream”
After that I decided to take my leave, but not before Mrs. Mist made me promise to have tea with her again sometime. After saying our goodbyes I finally headed home. On my way there I realize how much I missed having some pony that also shared my interests for nature. The ponies from Canterlot didn’t really care for growing plants, they only buy the so they can eat them.
A grey earth pony was trying to find his way through the western neighborhoods of Baltimare. His fancy looking glasses and elegant red tie were a sign that he’s from central Baltimare, where the more wealthier ponies reside.
No taxi was willing to drive him trough this part of the city, not even with the promise of a generous tip. At first he took this as a sign that the area has gotten more dangerous since the last time he was here, but now that he was actually here again he could see why: The roads here have gotten so bad that no carriage would dare travel trough them. There were a few roads that look safe enough for vehicles, but only somepony that lives around here would know how to safely travel through them . To make matters worse, it rained a few days ago, so now the streets are proving to be a challenge to travel even on hoof.
As he was trying to find his way trough the muddy streets, he kept asking himself the same question: Why would anyone want to live here? Even if you ignore the harsh terrain, there’s nothing else around these parts but some simple shops. He just couldn’t see what the locals could do for fun.
He finally found the house he was looking for. He’s only been here once before, so it took more time than expected getting here. He looked at the mailbox, it said “Mist Residence” on it, so now he was sure this was the right place. After knocking on the door, a blue mare greeted him. She smiled as soon as she saw who it was.
“Foghorn, you made it!” she said as she gave him with a hug.
“Hello, mother” he hugged her back.
“We expected you hours ago. I was starting to think you weren’t going to come at all today”
“Sorry about that. I got a little lost on my way here”
“What’s important is that you’re here now. Come in. We were just about to sit down for dinner”
Once they arrived at the dinner table, Foghorn saw that Morning Mist was already seated and had started eating.
“Father” said Foghorn
“You’re late” was all his father said, as he continue to eat the salad he was having for dinner.
Foghorn said nothing else, but he was disappointed to see that the only thing that has change in his father since the last time he saw him was the beard he was growing.
This was going to be a long dinner…
**************************
“I see, so Yellow Star is going to be a father soon. Isn’t that nice, honey?”
“Mmm-hm” said Morning Mist.
The rest of the evening went by like that: Foghorn talked about how all their friends from the old neighborhood were doing. The conversation was mostly between himself and his mother, but she kept trying to include Morning in the conversation, despite his obvious disinterest in the topic.
“I’m so glad for Sunlight. His mother and I always worried that he would never settle down.”
“Speaking of families…” she said trying to sound as casual as possible “Is there any special somepony in your life?” she gave a very expecting smile.
Foghorn sighted. He knew where this conversation was heading.
“No, mother. I’m currently not dating anypony”
“I see…” she said with a very disappointed tone. “Have I ever told you about this lovely mare that lives at the end of the street? She’s about your age and…”
“Mother, please! I don’t need any help with those sorts of things”
“What? I’m just trying to help. When your father and I were Sunlight’s age you were already out of diapers.”
“Times have change, mother. These days not everyone marries and has kids by the time they’re 20.”
“Leave the boy alone, Misty. If he’s not interested in mares then you’re just gonna have to accept it.”
Foghorn shot his dad an angry look, knowing very well that he wouldn’t be able to see it. “That’s not what I said, father. I’m just too busy with other things to be dating anypony right now”
Ever since he began living on his own, they always end up having this conversation whenever they get together: Mother always worrying about finding him a nice mare companion, and his father jumping to crazy conclusions.
“I have good news for you, father” He was planning on finding the right moment to tell them, but anything is better than continuing with this conversation.
“I found the healer”
Silence filled the room
“Yes”
“I don’t want anything to do with him, or his kind” Morning stood and was ready to storm out of the room.
“father, please listen…” he put his hoof on his father’s shoulder.
“Forget it. You’ve heard what those savages do? They cut off the limbs of the wounded, and even kill the ones that they considered to be too sick!”
“Yes, I heard it all the stories. But I’m not inviting him over to chat about his lifestyle. He’s coming because he has cured cases like yours. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”
Morning said nothing, silently stroking his beard and thinking about his son’s words. “He’ll probably gouge my eyes out”
“So what? It’s not like he can leave you any blinder”
He then felt his mother smack him on the back of the head “That’s not funny!”
“By the way, father. I have to say that that beard does not suit you”
Morning stopped. The truth is he also hated the beard. But by now his eyesight has gotten so bad that he can’t even see himself in the mirror. He would love to shave it off, but what he hates even more than a beard is having to depend on others for something as simple as shaving.
“Very well. Bring over your healer”
**************************
Poppy heard a knock on the door
“Misty, how are you?”I was about to ask her to come in when I noticed her nervousness. “Is everything alright?”
“I need your help”
“What is it?”
“Please come with me” without waiting for an answer, she grab me by the hoof and almost dragged me out. I barely had time to close the door behind me as I tried to keep up with Misty.
“Misty, please slow down. What is this all about?”
She let go of my hoof, but she was still trying to lead me somewhere. “Our son brought over a doctor to see Morning about his condition”
“That’s great. Just because there’s no cure doesn’t mean that he should stop trying.” It all sounded like good news to me, but seeing Misty’s worried expression made me think otherwise.
“That’s what I thought too. I thought that this doctor would just examine Morning and would tell us what our options were. But after a brief checkup, he insisted on starting treatment right away.”
“Treat him! What is he going to do?”
“That’s what has me so worry, he didn’t tell us. I tried to stop it, to give us some time to think it over, but Foghorn said not to worry, that this is the way the doctor normally does things
“And Mr. Mist just agreed to this? The time I ask if he let me take a closer look at him, he threw one of your potted plants at me.”
“Foghorn talked him into it. He was always good at getting his way with his dad… and Morning already apologized for that thing with the plant!”
As we continue talking, I noticed that we were heading to Misty’s house. Witch was odd; since I thought we were suppose to go see this doctor she was telling me about. For the time being I limited myself to follow my friend.
“Who’s your friend, mother?”
“This here is Poppy, its one of our neighbors”
I raised my hoof to greet him when, but I was swiftly cut off by Foghorn when he closed his book.
“Poppy, I'm sorry that my mother dragged you here for nothing. But right now we are in the middle of a family matter, so I would greatly appreciate it if you would come back another time”.
“But…Poppy is a doctor, so I thought she might be able to help somehow…”
“No local doctors can help Gill with what he’s doing now, mother”
“But still, she might…”
“Wait!” I said, I wasn't sure what was going on here, and honestly I didn't cared. I was here only because I'm interested in meting this other doctor Misty was talking about. “Where is Mist now? I thought we were going to see him?”
Misty and Foghorn shared a look, and then both shifted their gaze to the tent that was also in the backyard. I followed their line of sight and saw the tent; It was a big tent made for camping, Ive been there a couple of times with Misty during the sunny days…I gasped when I realized what they were implying.
“Are you telling me that Mr. Mist is there right now, in your backyard?”
"Now you see why im so worried. Whatever it is this doctor doing to my husband hes doing it there.
I took another look at the tent. It reminded me of the ones I saw in school text books that doctors used during the war, but today I don't see how anyone would willingly treat a patient in a place like that. There has to be a good reason for it, maybe whatever technique this doctor is using benefits from being outside, I doubt he did it just because its a nice day and he wanted some sun.
Foghorn sighted. “Fine, I wasn’t planning on telling you this, but what’s happening here right now isn’t exactly approved by Equestrian medicine.”
Misty began to panic. “It’s illegal!? How could you let someone like that experiment on you father?”
This is why he wanted to keep her mother out of the loop. She always tends to image the worse during bad situations. “Calm down mother, he’s not doing anything illegal. It’s just that if the police find out, that’s what they might think”
I interrupted the family squabble (again) to ask a question. “Why would the police think that, does he use some sort of black magic?”
He gave a quick glance to her mother. "You can ask him the details yourself later, but rest assure that hes not using any type of magic.”
No magic!? Now I really wanted to meet this Gill character. Foghorn doesn't strike me as a pony that would leave his father’s well-being in the hooves of a stranger without knowing exactly what they would do, so that vague answer he gave me must have been for the sake of his mother.
Moments later, I heard a stranger’s voice coming from behind her “You ponies are so noisy”
I turned around and saw a beast Ive never seen before. A creature that had the upper body of an eagle and the lower body of some other mammal.
The Mists quieted down when they saw him as well
“Gill, how is he?” Asked Foghorn.
Gill? So his is Gill?
“I’m all done”
All the ponies present remained silent, waiting for Gill to continue talking. But after it became evident that he wasn’t going to say anything else, Foghorn asked what we all wanted to know: “Well?”
“Well what?” Asked Gill, like he wasn’t sure what they were waiting for.
“How is my father?”
“Oh! That…we won’t know until he waked up”
“Can we see him?” asked a very concerned Misty
Gill just shrug his shoulders like it wasn’t his concern. Without wasting a second, Misty ran into the tent. She was relieve to see that her husband seem perfectly fine, aside from the bandages covering his eyes.
Since all the talking ended, Gill walked away to some other part of the backyard while I just stood there. A few moments ago I had a ton of questions in my head, but now all I could do was stare in fascination at the unknown creature.
“You’ve never seen a Griffon before, have you?” asked Foghorn
“A Griffon?” I shook my head.
"They're half eagle, half lion. I'm not surprise you haven't seen one before, they really ever come here to Equestria.
