On the Job

A Sour Sweet story

A Modest Sequel to Calendar Girls

By: Nico-Stone Rupan

An official notice had been sent out urging parents not to make appointments with Sweet Family Medicine unless it was an explicit emergency. Still, whether they were panicky first-timers or those who didn't trust the mainstream hospitals (whatever that was supposed to mean), some still brought their children in. Doctor Sour Sweet took pleasure in assuring that the little ones only had minor ailments, at least compared to the virus. They were sent off with a prescription and a pamphlet containing proper hygiene instructions. Afterwhich, Sour would disinfect the examining room as thoroughly as possible.

She returned to her office to have a short rest. She checked the reputable medical websites for updates about statistics, government plans, and the development of potential vaccines. Thankfully, Canterlot City hadn't seen a confirmed case yet. Still, that didn't stop the standard precautions from being implimented. Schools were empty. Resturants were closed. Some businesses had shut down, paid leave or no.

Sour sighed. She wished these things only happened in the movies. Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? she sung in her head. This was the profession she had chosen, however. It was her duty to remain calm and help everyone she could.

A chime came from her computer. Her husband was calling her on Skype. Sour smiled and answered.

"How's the city's number one pediatrician doing?" Second Person asked.

"Oh, like you've actually ranked us without bias," Sour said, smirking. "All's well on the private practice front. Would be better if your mother wouldn't keep calling me, demanding to know what the NWO is using the virus to distract us from."

"Yeah, sorry about her..." Second said sheepishly. "I've been doing my best to calm her down."

"Perhaps I should remind her that this kind of chaos never happened when Zecora was president, hm?"

Second cringed. "Come on, let's keep things from getting too political right now..."

Sour chuckled. "I'm kidding. No politics during business hours for me, I swear. Anyway, where's Bitter?"

Speak of the angel, Bitter Honey suddenly jumped up into frame, waving for the camera with an energetic, "Ohisashiburi desu ne!" Sour thought it was so adorable Second had decided to teach her some Japanese.

"And how's my little girl handling social distancing?"

Another window abruptly opened containing a close up of Gretchen's wide open mouth with food in it, accompanied by an irritating "Ahhh!" Whether she was simply playing the seafood game or mocking Sour's examinations was unclear. Gilda then came into view and snatched up her bratty daughter. With a quick "Sorry, Sour!", she logged off.

"Gretchen can only be on the computer when she's behaving," Bitter explained. "Which means she can't be on for very long..."

Sour laughed, but on the inside she worried. Life was changing so fast, becoming more unpredictable by the day. She hoped the world that her daughter would grow up in would be good to her. Especially since she could have inherited...

Sour instantly cut off that one terrifying thought as she had done a million times before. As tough as she was, that kind of contemplation was banned by order of her own sanity.

"Well, gotta go now," Sour finally said. "My two o'clock is approaching."

"Sayounara, mama!"

"See you soon, my love."

Sour logged off. She got up and made her way out of the office. On the examining room's door was the clipboard containing the patient's information that the nurse had left for her. Sour put on a soft smile and entered.

"Oh, hi, doc."

"Hello, Miss Hooves. What seems to be the trouble with little Bumble here?"

Derpy looked embarrassed. "Well, he woke up with a cough this morning. I know it's probably not... I mean, I just wanted..."

Sour laid a sympathetic hand on Derpy's shoulder. She had heard the news about her husband. It all must have seemed like a whirlwind for the blonde mother of three, suddenly single and now with some virus sweeping the globe. Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality, she sung in her head again. The only other kind of person who could possibly understand was one who was a mother themselves.

"It's okay, Miss Hooves. We wouldn't be mamas if we didn't worry sick about our babies, now would we?"

Derpy smiled and nodded sincerely.

"Now, let's see what we can do for your little muffin..."

Author's Note

(AN: A huge thank you to Nico Stone Rupan for pinning the Sour Sweet chapter.)