Cream Puff walks around the settlement, looking for Case Study. The stallion had missed another meal, and she is not going to have a pony going hungry on her watch! She carries a vegetable medley sammich on her wing as she searches for the stallion.
The pale blue pony in question was lying under a tree in the middle of their territory. His red eyes scanned a book about equine anatomy. There were plenty of crimson marks throughout its pages, accompanied with notes he had written in the past. Study had gotten caught up in medical literature again, focused to the point where he had practically lost all sense of time.
“Aha!” spouts Cream Puff as she spots her target, then she heads over to him to favor him with a glare. “Case Study.”
For the first few moments, her words sounded like background noise. It was only when Puff’s shadow overcast the papers before him did the earth pony become aware of her presence. An ear twitched as he raised his angular muzzle in her direction, “Yes? Can I help you, ma’am?”
“Don’t you ‘ma’am’ me, buster! You keep feeding that!” she points at his head. “Instead of feeding that!!” she gestures to the rest of him. “A doctor should know better!”
The stallion was a bit taken aback by the pegasus’ attitude, but he understood what she was trying to say. He raised an eyebrow, taking mental note of the sandwich she was carrying, “Time for a meal already? I do suppose it is later than I predicted.” Study placed the bookmark in its proper place and closed the cover, “My apologies, Ms. Puff, but I have a tendency to get ‘lost in the clouds’ when I read. Based on the nature of your opening statement, and the presence of food in your hoof, I predict that the reason you are here is self-evident?”
Sweet merciful Nirmek, can this pony talk. She gives him a flat look and holds her wing for him to take the food. “Yes.”
He stood up and stretched his back, feeling a bit surprised. The pony wasn’t used to others approaching him so directly, nor was it typical for them to bring him food unrequested. He accepted the edible offering, “Well, this is unexpected. I don’t recall sending for anything. This was your idea?”
She nods, softening her stance slightly as it seems the stallion might actually start eating soon. “It was. I don’t let ponies go hungry on my watch, even if they forget to eat. I brought you a mixed vegetable sammich, nice and healthy and filling.” She softens further as she talks a little about her job, her passion.
It was a nice thought, especially the healthy part. At least it wasn’t one of those questionable tomato juice and peanut butter sandwiches. He took a bite. It was rather pleasant, especially since he was hungrier than he originally believed he was. Case swallowed the piece, “That’s quite kind of you. I do appreciate your consideration. What might I owe you for your trouble?”
She smiles as he finally starts to eat. “Nothing, Case. It’s just what I do, you know? If you really want to try to pay me back, just make sure Morning Dew will be alright.” she says with a dismissive wave of her wing.
“Huh, well that’s very nice. If you won’t accept money, then I suppose I’ll just owe you a favor in the future.” He consumes a second piece of the vegetable-and-bread concoction, “As far as Ms. Dew is concerned, she has a bit of an infection. I don’t expect it will get worse, but it will prolong her recovery time. I really need something more here than simple herbs to stave off illness.”
“Well, soap is just fat and lye, right? If we can get the sunflowers grown soon enough, we’ll just need somepony to make some lye.”
“Indeed. Having that substance on hoof could really aid in my practice. A magical artifact that does the same thing would be welcomed as well...not that I’m likely to come across one.” Half the food had now disappeared down the hatch. “I suppose I’ll have to wait and see what the future holds for us in terms of medicinal resources, as we are still young on this land.”
She nods and sits next to him, enjoying the shade. “So, what were you reading? Must have been good to keep you from a meal.”
Peaking at the book out of the corners of his rhomboidal eyes, he explained, “I was near the end of chapter three of an anatomy book I had received as a gift some years ago. To be more specific, I was trying to get a better handle on the placement of blood vessels within pony legs. If any part of Ms. Dew’s flesh were to become gangrenous, it’s of the utmost importance that my cuts be precise and avoid puncturing any large veins.” The last mouthful was popped in, defying the unpleasant nature of the conversation.
She smirks at him. “Yeah, that sounds like it would be bad.”
“Assuming one did not wish to bleed to death, yes. I’m not particularly concerned at the moment. The worst that will happen to her is probably nothing more than scarring, as well as the necessity for using crutches for a short while. I wouldn’t be surprised if some hairline fractures were initially present as well.”
“I just hope she pulls through alright. I’m glad it sounds like she will. A funeral would be pretty depressing this early in our time here. Not to mention how Maize would probably react.”
Case Study knew of Maize bringing the injured mare in, but hadn’t known much of her. He tended to mind his own business until somepony else’s business became his, “The farmer...the tall one, correct? I hear she’s become something of a minor celebrity in Duskfields. Not that I know many of the details.”
Puff nods and puts on a smile. Maize might be too modest to be proud of what she did, but Puff is perfectly happy to be proud for her. “That’s her! She brought Morning Dew in to see you before the dust could even settle on that fight.”
“Interesting,” he swished his gray-white tail, “So this Ms. Maize...what do you know of her? I suppose I should take the opportunity to be as well informed as the other ponies are about this farmer.”
Puff thinks for a few moments, deciding what Maize might not want a total stranger to know. “Well, she’s timid and soft-spoken, and nice to a fault. And she’s an amazing farmer.”
“That matches my first impressions of her. I’ve seen her alone in the fields often. Not that it’s any of my business what she likes to do in her spare time.”
Puff looks at him sideways, wondering what his bedside manner is like and if poor Morning Dew is bored out of her mind. “Don’t you want to get to know the ponies who you might have to save?”
He paused for a moment, “Familiarity can be a double-edged sword, Ms. Puff. One may enjoy the cheerful company of another in pleasant times, but what of the times when that same pony is lying before you with a gaping wound that needs to be addressed with urgency? Emotions can cloud judgment. That, in turn, can lead to life-changing, nay, deadly mistakes. Knowing that one may be responsible for the termination of their friends life isn’t something I want to experience.”
Puff shrugs. “I’d expect saving a friend’s life would be quite the motivation. And losing one... well, I don’t stop using an oven just because I get burned. I’d say the positives outweigh the negatives, myself.”
“An optimistic outlook. If you can manage that worldview, then by all means enjoy it. I’m simply a realist. I know there is good and bad in this world and that either one can come at the most unexpected of times. I prefer to distance myself emotionally so that the negatives affect me less. That makes it easier to pick up the pieces and move on with life.”
Cream Puff quirks an eyebrow at him. “Having friends makes it easier. But, if you want to throw out the foal with the bath-water, that’s your business.”
“I have no problem with friends in concept, Ms. Puff. I mean to say that I am not a social butterfly, looking for new acquaintances at every turn. I feel that those who will be important in my life will reveal themselves to me when the time is right. However, I do feel that one should not rely on others too much when the only one you can count on at the end of the day is yourself.” Case looks up at the clouds in the sky, “Such seems to have done me well so far, at least.”
She chuckles at him. “Yeah? Well, ‘yourself’ almost left you hungry today.”
He rubs his temple, “If my stomach were to fail in reminding me of that, my migraines certainly would not have. Low blood sugar is one of several things that can trigger them. Not to bore you with my personal problems, though.”
She gets up and gives him a cheeky smile. “See? I got you food
and kept you from having a migraine! Aren’t friends great?”
The doctor placed a hoof under his bony chin, “Yes, I suppose that’s true. For that, I thank you once more.” He looks at the position of the Sun, “I hope I haven’t kept you from any important business with my ramblings, Ms. Puff. If so, I apologize yet again.”
She shakes her head. “It’s no problem, Case. It’s what friends are for. I’ll be giving you another earful if you forget lunch again, though. Fair warning.” she says with a smile.
“I see. I’ll attempt to be more prompt next time, assuming I don’t have my hooves full with some emergency.”
She chuckles. “I suppose an emergency will get you off the hook, Doc. Don’t be a stranger, alright?”
The lankey stallion nods, “Yes, I’ll be seeing you later. I wish you good luck with your cooking.” Although he never formed a true smile throughout the encounter, Case Study did feel a tinge of happiness in that somepony had actually paid him attention.
“Thanks! Enjoy your book!” She gives him a friendly wave, then heads back towards her improvised kitchen. After all, she’d have to start preparing for dinner soon.
Author
Topic: Duskfields (My Little Fortress) (Read 47838 times)