Raindrop was still tired when she woke up next. Sunlight was streaming through the window, with the quality she associated with morning. There was the shuffle of quiet movement in the hallway outside her door as nurses went back and forth in their daily duties.
Her jaw hurt where Sentinel had hit her, and she lifted a hoof to gently press against it, wincing slightly. Her tongue slipped to the inside of her cheek on that side, nothing the metallic taste of opened flesh there. His blow had split her lip, and probably bruised her cheek as well. The throbbing pain in her cheek was a constant reminder of the blow.
Reflecting back on the previous night, though, Raindrop decided that she had probably deserved it. She would have never said anything if she knew that two of the guards had died. Her mouth run away again.
Raindrop stretched carefully, extending her hooves, testing her reach. Her shoulder twinged as she reached full extension, reminding her of the wound there.
A nurse entered the room as she was stretching, and opened the window to let in the fresh morning air, before turning to the pegasus and gently laying a hoof on her shoulder. “Relax, Raindrop, I’m going to clean your wound and change your bandages.”
Raindrop nodded, and then stretched out carefully on her side, lifting her foreleg to allow the nurse easy access to the bandaged portion of her body.
“How long will I be out of action?” Raindrop asked, tone tinged with worry.
“A few days at least,” the nurse soothed, gentle hooves beginning to unwrap the bandage. Raindrop sighed faintly in delight as the pressure on her body began to be released, and fresh air hit her clammy flesh.
“The wound isn’t very large, but it went deep, and the shape of the blade made it make quite a mess,” the nurse added, tutting faintly as she unwrapped the last of the bandages, gently peeling the sticky wound covering underneath away from the flesh. “It’s coming along nicely though.”
Raindrop twisted her head to peek at the wound, and then wrinkled her nose deeply. “How big of a scar will I have?”
“It’ll be visible if you know it’s there, but a cursory glance won’t notice it,” the nurse responded, as she threw the covering in the bin and began applying a new one. “You’ll need to put new coverings on this at least once a day, and give it a period of around about a half hour each day to let the wound breath. I’ll give you some ointment to apply as well...but other than that, you’re free to leave whenever you want to.”
“Am I free to fly?” Raindrop asked anxiously, her wings giving a little bit of a quiver. She was concerned about the load-bearing muscles in her chest and shoulders.
“Absolutely not for the first two days,” the nurse stated flatly, as she wound the bandage over the pegasi’s shoulder, cinching it down firmly and then placing the little clasp over the end of the bandage to keep it in place.
“Two days?” Raindrop asked, wrinkling her nose and then sighing, giving a shake of her head, grumbling, “...Setbacks.”
“You aren’t the only one searching, you know,” the nurse said sympathetically.
“You know about what I’m doing?” the pegasus asked, blinking once.
“Raindrop...everyone knows,” the nurse said with a shake of her head. “And the royal guard are off searching for them as well. I think Celestia wanted to keep it on the down-low, but you know how gossip is in Ponyville.”
The pegasus sighed faintly and rolled onto her stomach, rubbing her chin between her forelegs in annoyance. “Yeah...you kiss a colt on one side of town and by the time the rumour hits the other side of town, you fucked him.”
The nurse blinked once and snickered at Raindrop’s blunt words. “Something on your mind? You seem a little...tense.”
“...I was stabbed,” Raindrop stated flatly.
“Granted,” the nurse replied, inclining her head. “But I noticed that guard storming out earlier. Are you two close?”
“About as close as the moon is to the sun,” Raindrop replied bitterly, snorting once and resting her head on her forehooves.
The nurse hummed thoughtfully, and then smiled faintly, “I’m willing to bet that Celestia and Luna would have something to say on the subject of how close the sun and moon are.”
“Yeah, and look at them now. Even their guards aren’t allowed to interact any more,” Raindrop pointed out with a shake of her head.
The nurse gave a sigh and a nod, giving a helpless shrug of her shoulder. “You know what I mean, though.”
“You’re trying to imply that I somehow have feelings for Sentinel?” Raindrop asked with a wry grin. “That’s like asking if ice likes a hotplate.”
“But what if you’re trying to be water?”
Raindrop stared at the nurse for a long, long moment, giving her her best blank stare. “...What is this, the Kung Fu Filly? Yes master, the cobra strikes through swaying grass.”
The nurse chuckled faintly and then petted Raindrop gently on the neck. “It’s our job to make sure our patients are in the right place mentally.”
“I don’t need my head read,” Raindrop rebuked instantly, brows furrowing.
“But the body doesn’t heal properly if the mind is in the wrong place,” the nurse pointed out calmly.
“And what possible bearing would my relationship with that idiot guard have on being stabbed in the shoulder?” Raindrop queried flatly.
“Who knows?” the nurse said with a smile, and another shrug, as she began to move around the bed and towards the door. “But it might affect it, if it weighs heavily on your mind or your conscience.”
Raindrop scowled as the nurse moved towards the door. The pegasus snorted once, and then turned towards the window, before admitting, “I kind of disrespected the Royal Guard.”
The nurse paused at the doorway, looking over her shoulder. “And Sentinel didn’t take that so well, huh?”
“You could say that,” Raindrop stated, looking out the window still.
“Did you apologize?”
“He kind of hit me and stormed out.”
“He hit you?!” the nurse asked, her eyes widening and the narrowing darkly.
“I started it,” Raindrop said with a wave of her hoof. “And I deserved it.”
“That still doesn’t give him license to hit you!” she retorted angrily.
“Hey, I believe in gender equality.”
“I do too, but you do not hit mares!” the nurse responded angrily.
“I hit him. Repeatedly,” Raindrop said with a shrug. “We’re equals. So he gets a few hits in. That’s fair, right?”
“Well, when you put it like that, but-”
“Then good. What was your point, again?” Raindrop cut across the nurse, halting her rebuttal.
“I forget what I was going to say. Something nice about you finding him and apologizing for your behavior, but I really don’t care seeing as he’s a marebeater,” the nurse stated, growling.
“Oh calm down,” Raindrop said with a dismissive flick of her hoof. “I beat him over the head with the intent to cause bodily harm on several occasions.”
“And you have any problem with what he thinks of you?” the nurse asked with a snort.
Raindrop paused a moment, thinking for a moment, and then sighing. “...I kinda wish I didn’t.”
The nurse rolled her eyes, “Well find him, apologize, and then give him a black eye for me and tell him not to hit mares.”
And with that, the nurse turned around and stalked off before Raindrop could say anything else.
Raindrop just shook her head, and then sighed, resting her chin on her forelegs again.
Apologizing. That was definitely not her strong suit. Maybe she could just buy him a cake or something and call it even?
Wrinkling her nose, Raindrop stepped down off the bed gingerly, beginning to walk towards the front desk to get her things and the medicine for her shoulder. She had a Royal Guard to find.
But in all honesty, she would have prefered to be headed back into the Diamond Dog tunnels.
This was great. Can't wait to see where this 'relationship' leads to. Also I completely and totally stole the asanine soldier idea from you lol. It only lasted for about half a chapter though.
I loved that nurse. Please tell me she coems back sometime
866662 Sentinel is gonna be asinine for ages. And so is Raindrop
"Cake?"
"It's a bribe."
"Want to hug?"
"Want a concussion?"
Best nurse ever.
866670
866675
What is it in particular that you both liked about the nurse so much? I'm curious. I might make her a more common face if she's interesting enough.
Also, the next time we see her will be Sentinel with a black eye telling her with a straight face 'I got your message'. /spoiler.
866674 Yeah mine more rolled along the lines of-
"Thanks for saving me!"
"Leave me alone."
"Sorry...you okay?"
"Shut up,all my friends are dead."
"Well so are mine ass!"
"You're right....I'm an ass. Sorry."
Insert a good old sword to sidearm standoff in as well. Cause nothing says budding romance like threatning to stab some one in the throat.
And I agree with the awesome nurse.
866695 But...why is she so awesome? I literally just used her as a device to carry the story along from that point...I must get to the bottom of her unexpected popularity.
866688 To me at least, she came off as the old, super-experienced RN who knows more than everyone else in the hospital including god and the doctors. Reminds me of the stories my mother tells about my grandmother.
866708 It's because both Sentinel and Raindrop are running in circle trying to figure things out and she walks up and shoves the answer in their faces, which was bucking hilarious after watching the two flounder for so long.
866713
866719
That makes sense then.
I might make her a proper character, then.
Any of you guys can think up a good name, I'll use that.
“Hey, I believe in gender equality.”
“I do too, but you do not hit mares!” the nurse responded angrily.
But if you believe in gender equality...but...oh nevermind.
Nice chapter, I've always thought that keeping things interesting through the slower scenes was a the sign of a good author.
866749 If you make her a proper character, make it a side character like Celestia. Also you could make her the official Sentinel/Raindrop nurse for when they get hurt.
Ofcourse the funny banter and insight would ensue anytime they got hurt, and by Seachd and Rising we all know what hilarity would occur if they were both in there at the same time.
Edit: Right afer posting that, I realized I put "By Seachd and Rising" form my latest story instead of putting "By Celestia"
866708 Einstein, the reason the nurse is so popular by the readers is that the thing she say about the relationship between Raindrop and Sentinel. That and the sentence here: The nurse rolled her eyes, “Well find him, apologize, and then give him a black eye for me and tell him not to hit mares.”
Incredibly-awesome-nurse's golden moments!
Number Four:
“Something on your mind? You seem a little...tense.”
“...I was stabbed,”
“Granted,"
Number Three:
"Are you two close?"
“About as close as the moon is to the sun,” Raindrop replied bitterly, snorting once and resting her head on her forehooves.
The nurse hummed thoughtfully, and then smiled faintly, “I’m willing to bet that Celestia and Luna would have something to say on the subject of how close the sun and moon are.”
Number Two:
“And you have any problem with what he thinks of you?” the nurse asked with a snort.
Raindrop paused a moment, thinking for a moment, and then sighing. “...I kinda wish I didn’t.”
The nurse rolled her eyes, “Well find him, apologize, and then give him a black eye for me and tell him not to hit mares.”
And the gold goes to...
“You’re trying to imply that I somehow have feelings for Sentinel? That’s like asking if ice likes a hotplate.”
“But what if you’re trying to be water?”
Nurse is awesome because she plays the part of the wise old man in the hero's journey. She barely knows Raindrop, yet knows her flaws and feeling like the back of her hoof (do hooves have backs?). And most importantly, she's not afraid to speak her mind, because she knows she's right.
So there, Raindrop, now go find Sentinel and humiliate yourself. And I won't take a simple apology for an answer, young filly! You have to at least say you were wrong and thank him for his help. A kiss to cheek grants you bonus points.
866708 its because she was being kind and understanding at first of Raindrop's situation but when the fact of Sentinel hitting her came up, the nurse was all: OH YOU DID NOT JUST DO THAT! COME HERE YOU BASTARD SO I CAN KILL YOU!
Sentinel gonna die now
The nurse is a great character because she kind of adds a more lighthearted feel to an otherwise more serious story. Not that i don't love it, but too much dry humor can lead to dehydration.
I think that everypony agrees: Nurse is best gb pony in the story so far! XD Not sure why, but she just... She's like that grandmother that everypony either has or wants, that's really kind, smart, loving, but smacks you when you do something wrong. XD
i believe in total gender equality since all i see is the prejudice against males who must give everything to the women. so i'm not really a fan of the nurse who believes women have this magical barrier that prevents males from ever hitting them
Pro nurse is pro.
...
*blinks, reads that paragraph again*
...you believe in gender equality, yet you immediately flip your lid over a stallion hitting a mare, and you don't give a shit about that same mare savagely beating that same stallion?
Huzzah, a time frame for this story! This story is taking place in the Equestrian equivalent of today, and that nurse is a feminist extremist. Like a Muslim/Christian extremist, but with femininism instead of religion.
Edit: I predict I'm going to get some hate for this comment, so I'll say this now:
>>>>EMPHASIS ON EXTREMIST<<<<
That is all.
869055
Sure, when you put it like that it sounds bad...but personally, I'm not fond of dudes who beat up chicks regardless of gender equality. Males are just...generally bigger and more adept at beating the shit out of things.
Nurse plays the wiseman role for Raindrop now I just want her to meet Sentinel. Oh now that would be funny.
Their romance of sorts is probably making Evergreen and Cee grab popcorn and watch from upstairs....
Cee: "She grew up so fast.... *tears*"
Evergreen: "Getting soft Ah see....."
Cee: "Even dead your a stupid oaf!"
Meanwhile somewhere else upstairs....
" Twi, why can't our meetin place be somewhere else?"
" I wouldn't be able to watch this story from overthere."
"I like the fighting, just like a Daring Do book."
"That Nurse without a name sure is wise.. *squeak*"
"Why am I not just aiding the main character and fixing all the problems. That would be so much easier."
"What?"
"Nothing...."
869115
Sentinel and Raindrop ? ?
So juicy !!
869115
...so if Sentinel was female, female!Sentinel would haave viciously beaten Raindrop to death, and the only reason Raindrops is alive right now is because your real-world opinion influenced your writing?
870812 It's kinda hard for me to write Sentinel even hitting Raindrop without me wanting to do evil things to him in the story. That's just how I'm wired. Maybe it's different over there, but here in Australia, men who hit women are scum. I will not apologize about my feelings on this matter.
But as for the storyline...Raindrop had a good hoofbeat to the cheek coming to her, and she got it.
870820
Austrailia? Huh.
Small world, isn't it? Me, from the US, and you, from Austrailia, having a short conversation over comments - and, get this, actually replying within minutes of each other. (Well, I start making my comment a couple minutes after I see yours. WHen I actually type something sutiable to post, it's usually been 40 minutes.
But still. Thats a 9-10 hour difference.
Don't you just love
time traveltime zones?For the record, I am now going to SLEEP. 5 AM here, been up for 18 hours.
Considering I'm fourteen? I think I should sleep now.
Nice chapter!
I personally believe myself to be a gentleman in that I always let the girl get a free hit. If she get's in a second one than all's fair.