Tale of the Everfree Curse

Desert Rose laid in the hospital bed. Staring up at the ceiling, like she had been for the past week and a half. She was starting to get stir crazy, her hoof mindlessly tapping against one of the bed rails as she rolled thoughts in and out of her head. She laid there and mulled over the events that happened to land her here. Then she found herself thinking about Rarity. She was curious to what had actually happened to her. Yes she couldn’t stand the bitch, but she didn’t wish any physical harm to come to her. She looked over to the door. “Fuck it.” She slowly rolled out of bed and made her way out the room. She poked her head out of the door and looked around before deciding on which way.

To her right the hallway just kept going with more rooms on each side. To her right was pretty much the same except for a couple differences. There was a Nurse’s desk down that way and there was more T-offs in the hallway then the other direction. She started to head in the direction of the Nurses desk, hoping they could tell her what she wanted to know. As she approached the desk apart of her felt a little disappointed that Nurse Redheart wasn’t sitting behind it. This nurse had lime yellow fur, with light blue mane. Her name tag read Snowheart.

“Um excuse me Nurse Snowheart, I was wondering if you could help me out.”

Nurse Snowheart glanced up her paperwork to see who was talking to her. “Ah, Miss Rose. It’s nice to see you finally up and about. Now what is it you wanted to ask me?”

Desert Rose stood there for a moment, wondering if this was even the right thing to do. Her favorite words popped into her head again. Fuck it. “I was wondering if you could tell me which room Rarity was be kept at the moment.”

“Hmmm, I don’t know off the top of my head. But I can check for you.” Nurse Snowheart turned in her chair and pulled out a binder and started to flip through it. After a few moments of searching she finally came upon what she was looking for. “Ah here we go. Looks like she is on the floor above us in ICU. Wait hold on.” She paused for a moment and kept reading the page. “Ok says here that she is being moved out to a different wing. Hmm that's good to hear, the new wing she’s being moved to is, Orthopedics. You're going to go up to the fifth floor and take a right. She is in room 493. Anything else I can help you with?”

Desert Rose smiled and shook her head. “Nope that's all I needed. Thank you.” Desert Rose stepped away from the desk and made her way farther down the hall until she came across the stairs. “Bollocks. This is going to suck.” She started to make her way up the stairs, slowly. Cussing out every step along the way. After what felt like forever and now a very sore thigh she came to a landing. She stopped a moment to give her leg a rest before she started to walk again, only to be stopped when she looked up the directory next to the door.

“You gotta be FUCKING kidding me! This is only the fourth floor. Fuck me.”

“Well hopefully I can if we ever get that far.” Nurse Redheart came up behind Desert Rose, which to caused her to jump with an audible eep. “Good to see you walking around, but why are you on the stairs?”

Desert Rose gave Nurse Redheart a dirty look before answering her question. “Well I thought it might be a good idea to go see how Rarity's doing. So here my limpy ass is.”

Nurse Redheart started to chuckle. “And why did you decide to brave the stairs in your newly found freedom?”

“Decide? Well I have to get upstairs somehow.” Desert Rose didn’t like where this was going.

“And you didn’t take the Arcane lift because?”

“There's an Arcane lift in this place?! I walked up stairs for nothing!”

“Well of course there's an Arcane lift here silly. How do you think we get patients from floor to floor? Drag them up the stairs? Nopony uses these unless of emergencies, or they just want to be alone. Do you want to be alone?”

“NO. I want to not have to climb stairs damn it!” Desert Rose flopped her flank down on the ground and stared angrily at the wall while she contemplated what to do next. Nurse Redheart stood there patiently. “So are you going to show me where this lift is?”

“All you had to do was ask honey.” Nurse Redheart started to walk towards the doors the lead to the ICU wing. “Well are you coming or not?”

Desert Rose passively waved a hoof at the mare and got off of her haunches and followed her out into the ICU. They walked down a long hallway. Some ponies trotting about with worry, some with happiness, and others with blank expressions as they tended to their duties or wandered about the floor. They passed a lobby that had a family in it. Some sat on the chairs, others standing. Most had gaunt looks upon their faces, while others seemed lost within their minds as they stared off into nothing. Numb from all the pain they have gone through up to this point of their time at the hospital.

“Pretty busy today eh?” Desert Rose hobbled along with Nurse Redheart close to her side keeping an eye on her patient.

“It’s busy everyday. Such is the ICU.” Nurse Redheart kept her focus on where they were going, and her speed. As to not force Desert Rose to go too fast.

“Hey I forgot to ask, what were you doing in the stairway?” Desert Rose was trying not to stare to much at the ponies that were strewn about the hallway.

“Do you forget that I work here?” Nurse Redheart stopped in front a door the required a buzz to be let in or out of.

“I know that, but what were you doing going up, when you work on the third floor?” Desert Rose kept pushing to find her answer.

“Well I had to make sure that you didn’t hurt yourself on your walk about. And I thought it would be best to watch you at a distance without you knowing I was there.” Nurse Redheart pushed the button on the wall and waited for the door to open.

“Bullshit. What were you really doing.” Desert Rose lifted a brow.

“What do you mean bullshit?” Nurse Redheart nodded to the pony on the other side of the door as they walked through it and continued down the hallway.

“You have this cute little tell when you lie. Your voice goes into a slightly higher pitch, which is adorable by the way. And also how did you know I was on a walk when I had just got up and left. Tell me which nurse did I talk to at the Nurse’s station?”

“Nurse Tenderheart. And what do you mean my voice goes into a higher pitch?” Nurse Redheart sheepishly smiled as she waited for Deserts Rose response.

“Nah your voice doesn’t go a higher pitch. I’m just fuckin with you, but you just told on yourself. I talked to Nurse Snowheart. Now what were you doing in the stairway?”

Nurse Redheart took a deep breath then exhaled, “Sad to say, but this part of the Hospital is always suffocating with strong emotions. I can only stay so long before I have to take a breather. I try to avoid this wing as much as I can, but unfortunately my talents bring me here more often than I’d like. It breaks my heart. I was already on the landing by the time you hobbled that cute flank of yours up the stairs.” Nurse Red heart stopped in front of a double door before glancing up.

“Why are we stopping?” Desert Rose looked around.

“Because we are at the Arcane lifts silly.” Nurse Redheart slightly chuckled as a half hearted smile came across her face.

Desert Rose looked at the door, surprised. She wouldn’t have thought to look for a lift past these doors. She glanced over to Nurse Redheart and noticed the expression on her face. The double doors opened and the two mares walked inside. “Hey, are you ok Redheart?”

Nurse Redheart sighed. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just, just a rough day.” Desert Rose looked at the mare that stood in front of her. The stuff she must go through on a daily basis must be hard enough. Desert Rose leaned in a placed a soft kiss on her cheek and rested her head against her neck as they rode the lift in silence. Nurse Redheart’s heart jumped at the simple gesture Desert Rose had just shown. She looked at Desert Rose out of the corner of her before softly whispering, “Thank you.”

The two stayed silent the rest of the short ride up. The doors opened and they walked out. Nurse Redheart was the first one to break the silence.

“So you’re going to be discharged in a few days, what do you say about getting a cup of coffee?” Nurse Redheart was trying to keep her voice down. There weren’t many ponies up and about on this floor. But she still didn’t need for this to get out that she was fraternizing with a patient.

Desert Rose gasped mockingly and pretended to be butt hurt. “What happened to the dinner date, and the cervical exam?”

“Or we can do that instead, and I never agreed to that.” Although Nurse Redheart thought that would be a very fun procedure.

“We better, don’t be any more of a fucking tease then you already are Miss Redheart.”

The two mares made their way down the hallway. Desert Rose's mind started to drift off, and oddly enough began to think about her mother. She glanced down and tried to hide her sigh. Nurse Redheart noticed it, and the fact that something was bouncing around in Desert Rose's mind, but decided it was best not to comment on it. The two may be fancying each other, but even she knew it was not her place to pry. If things were to get serious, and it still was bothering her she would mention it. But until then. Readheart looked up and saw the door they where looking for.

Nurse Redheart let out a soft chuckle, “Well, here is Rarity’s room.”

Desert Rose tilted her head,”How did you know I was going to see her?”

“I was hoping you would visit, so I looked up her room number on my break this morning just on the off chance you would ask for it. I believe it would do you some good to sit down and have a chat with her.”

Desert Rose snorted. “I doubt that, I just want to make sure she not broken beyond repair. All I need are the fashion squads hunting me down for ruining the ‘next hip designer’.”

“You and I both know that's not what you really think.” Nurse Redheart gave Desert Rose a sly look.

“How would you know what I really think?”

“I know because you talk in your sleep. You’re a lot more honest that way.” Nurse Redheart glanced up to the clock up on the wall.

Desert Rose felt flush. She could hardly think of a response.

“Well I have to get back down to the third floor. Duty calls.” Nurse Redheart winked at Desert Rose before leaving her alone in front of Rarity’s door. She stood there for awhile, debating if it was really a good idea to go inside. She had come all this way. And then, her favorite words came to mind. Fuck it.