The Foal

Screaming echoed throughout Ponyville Hospital, as a bed strolled through the halls of the nursery. The young female seated in the bed was unknown, but identities were not always important to the doctors and nurses, only the patient themselves. She was pregnant, but also was in critical condition with severe injures around her stomach area, close to where her young foal was slowly making its way into her birth canal. She was bleeding terribly from the injuries she had caused herself, seeing she had attempted to kill the foal. The reason why she attempted such a horrid act was unknown.

Nurse Redheart stood on the side of the hospital bed, trying to keep the mare sedated and strapping her limbs down, preventing her from trying to kill the foal. She was screaming over and over, "KILL IT! YOU MUST KILL IT! DON'T LET IT LIVE!" It was completely against the hospital staff to kill an unborn foal, due to abortion being illegal in Ponyville and the fact that the foal had already moved to the birth canal. The foal would be born soon, and there was no stopping it.

The young mare tried to fight out of the straps holding her limbs, but with one shot of anesthesia through her IV, she was put to sleep within seconds. The nurses were relieved, and proceeded to getting the foal out carefully, rolling the bed into a room. Depending on the position of the young foal, the nurses could carefully pull the foal out, or perform a C section if the foal was still too far in the birth canal. Nurse Redheart took a look inside the birth canal to determine their next motive.

It was hard to see within the birth canal, so Nurse Redheart resorted to her flashlight, grabbing it from her pocket.  She clicked the flashlight on, gripping it between her rows of teeth and shined it within the birth canal, immediately noticing the foal's head about six inches within the birth canal. Nurse Redheart clicked off the flashlight, and stuck it back in her pocket.

"How's it looking?" asked the other nurse.

"It's within reach," replied Nurse Redheart. "About six inches from the opening."

"So, are we going to try and pull it out?" asked the nurse.

Nurse Redheart wasn't sure what to do. She could try to pull the foal out, but she didn't comfortable with it at the same time.

"Get Dr. Redcross in here, because I'm not sure whether or not to go ahead with the procedure, and I definitely do not want to try and persuade the mother to push," she said.

The assistant nurse agreed, and trotted out of the room. Nurse Redheart remained in the room, watching the foal within the birth canal carefully. The foal remained in the same position, not even budging, and usually a foal would be crying. Nurse Redheart had begun to wonder if the foal has sustained one of the injuries the mother had done to herself.  Panic settled in, as she pulled out her flashlight again and looked at the foal closer, not hoping to see any wounds.

The only visible part of the foal was the head, so Nurse Redheart was unable to see any sort of injury. The only way to tell if the foal had been injured, was to get it out, however she had no idea what to do. She didn't have to wait long, as the assistant nurse returned with Dr. Redcross, just as she had asked.

"What's the issue?" asked the doctor.

"We've got an unborn foal in the birth canal," replied Nurse Redheart. "We had to sedate the mother, and I'm not sure to proceed to pulling the foal out or a C section."

"What's the foal's position, Redheart?" he asked.

"About six inches from the opening," she replied. "What do you propose we do?"

The doctor thought for a moment, then proceeded to his decision.

"Let's give the mother some muscle relaxers, then the foal will be able to move to a safer position," he concluded.

The assistant nurse didn't need to be asked, and rushed out of the room to find some muscle relaxers.

The assistant nurse returned within three minutes with the muscle relaxers, and gave them to Nurse Redheart. She didn't waste anytime, and gave the unknown mare the vaccine of the muscle relaxer. The medicine didn't take long to take effect, as the foal slid forward in the birth canal, due to the muscles retracting. Once the foal was visible at the opening, Nurse Redheart carefully extracted the foal. She checked the small foal for any injury, and fortunately didn't spot any.

Nurse Redheart was hoping to hear a cry, but the young foal was silent. She checked to make sure it was breathing, and was relieved when she heard the foal's lungs functioning normally. She handed the foal to the doctor, and smiled as the foal was carried out of the room to the nursery.

"It's strange," said the assistant nurse.

"What's strange?" replied Nurse Redheart.

"Most foals cry at birth, but that foal was silent."

"I'm aware, but it's heart rate and breathing was normal. Maybe it's a unique foal?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't know. Something about it gives me the chills."

"It's just late, you're probably exhausted. Now, come on. We need to get the mother's wounds disinfected and stitched up."

The assistant nurse faked a smile, as she felt an unexpected fear come over her. Was the mother correct about the foal? Even though she didn't show it, Nurse Redheart felt the same way, as she grabbed her medical kit to cleanse the wounds on the young mare.