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Organised by
RogerDodger
Word limit
400–750
Carrot
Darkness. I see only darkness. It’s my whole world. I can’t open my eyes. I can’t move at all. But I can feel and I can hear. Not that that matters.
“How are we doing today, sir?” a rich mare’s voice asks. It’s the nurse.
I don’t answer, of course.
“Well, I hope you’re feeling better today,” she chirps. “Now let’s get you nice and clean, huh?”
“Why do you bother talking to him, Redheart?” asks another mare. Her voice is a high, cold soprano. The other nurse.
Redheart tsks at her as the pair roll me over and begin to give me a sponge bath. I wish I could die from the indignity, but I don’t have any dignity left.
“I talk to all of my patients, Tenderheart. It’s what we do,” Redheart answers.
They continue washing me, Redheart chatting away at me and Tenderheart sighing at her. I try to imagine what they look like, but I barely remember what colors looked like. I think Tenderheart is probably thin and grey and scowling all the time.
“He can’t hear you, you know,” Tenderheart scoffs.
Redheart hesitates. “If he can or can’t, everypony deserves a little tenderness. I’d think you of all ponies should know that, Tenderheart.”
Tenderheart snorts. “He has no friends and no family, and no one who loves him,” she scorns. Redheart gasps. “And now he’s a vegetable!”
“NURSE TENDERHEART! That is quite enough!” booms a deep stallion’s voice from the direction of the door.
“Doctor Horse! I-”
“Nurse, I don’t want to hear it. Go wait in my office,” he commands. There’s only the clip clopping of Tenderheart leaving the room.
When she’s gone, Redheart bursts. “Doctor, I’m sorry for-”
Doctor Horse cuts her off. “It’s alright, Redheart. I know you don’t share your partner’s… outlook,” he sounds strained.
Redheart’s voice brightens up. “So did you come to run some more tests? I’m just about done with his bath.” True to her word, she finishes drying me off, pulls the bedsheet over me and tucks it under my sides. I don’t know why she bothers.
“No, actually,” she says, a bit of humor in his voice. “I came to tell you that that… specialist we talked about will be coming to see your our patient here this afternoon.”
“Really?” Redheart sounds genuinely surprised. She clops around the side of the bed to the doctor and together they leave the room. “But what could she do? She isn’t…”
I lose track of what they’re saying as they get further away. I only catch snippets. “Tried everything.” “Purely psychological.”
And then I’m left alone again in my world of darkness with nothing but my own thoughts. Another “specialist”? What good could they do? They already brought in the best doctors in Equestria, then that zebra witch doctor. Even Princess Twilight. None of them could do anything for me. I’m beyond help.
I don’t know how long it is later when Nurse Redheart comes back. “Good afternoon! You’ve got a special visitor today. She’s-”
Suddenly it sounds like the room explodes. “HI! HI! HI! HIIII!” a high, chirpy voice shrieks. “How’s my favorite vegetable today!?”
“Miss P-” Redheart protests.
“What? It’s his name!”
“Oh. Right.”
“When Doctor Horse came and told me you weren’t feeling good, I HAD to come see you, best buddy!” the insane mare shouts. Best buddy? We’ve never even spoken before.
“Everyone is my best friend! Didn’t you know? Duh!” I heard you could use a friend, and I said to myself, ‘Self, he already has a friend! And it’s you! Go tell your friend how much you miss seeing him smile!’”
She’s… my friend?
“Oh yeah, and I agreed with myself, so I right down here to tell you! Yep! So here it is! ‘You’re my friend, and I love all of my friends, and I care about you!’ See? Now how about a smile, huh?”
She cares about me? Smile? I can’t anymore.
“Come oooooon.” she wheedles and pokes me in the ribs. “Let’s see it! I know! How about a joke? Two cakes are baking in the oven. One cake says to the other cake, ‘What kind of cake is orange and sounds like a parrot?’ The other cake says, ‘Ahhh! A talking cake!
That’s so stupid it can’t help but be funny. But my... friend is counting on me. I can’t help but laugh. And my eyes open.
I see only pink.
“How are we doing today, sir?” a rich mare’s voice asks. It’s the nurse.
I don’t answer, of course.
“Well, I hope you’re feeling better today,” she chirps. “Now let’s get you nice and clean, huh?”
“Why do you bother talking to him, Redheart?” asks another mare. Her voice is a high, cold soprano. The other nurse.
Redheart tsks at her as the pair roll me over and begin to give me a sponge bath. I wish I could die from the indignity, but I don’t have any dignity left.
“I talk to all of my patients, Tenderheart. It’s what we do,” Redheart answers.
They continue washing me, Redheart chatting away at me and Tenderheart sighing at her. I try to imagine what they look like, but I barely remember what colors looked like. I think Tenderheart is probably thin and grey and scowling all the time.
“He can’t hear you, you know,” Tenderheart scoffs.
Redheart hesitates. “If he can or can’t, everypony deserves a little tenderness. I’d think you of all ponies should know that, Tenderheart.”
Tenderheart snorts. “He has no friends and no family, and no one who loves him,” she scorns. Redheart gasps. “And now he’s a vegetable!”
“NURSE TENDERHEART! That is quite enough!” booms a deep stallion’s voice from the direction of the door.
“Doctor Horse! I-”
“Nurse, I don’t want to hear it. Go wait in my office,” he commands. There’s only the clip clopping of Tenderheart leaving the room.
When she’s gone, Redheart bursts. “Doctor, I’m sorry for-”
Doctor Horse cuts her off. “It’s alright, Redheart. I know you don’t share your partner’s… outlook,” he sounds strained.
Redheart’s voice brightens up. “So did you come to run some more tests? I’m just about done with his bath.” True to her word, she finishes drying me off, pulls the bedsheet over me and tucks it under my sides. I don’t know why she bothers.
“No, actually,” she says, a bit of humor in his voice. “I came to tell you that that… specialist we talked about will be coming to see your our patient here this afternoon.”
“Really?” Redheart sounds genuinely surprised. She clops around the side of the bed to the doctor and together they leave the room. “But what could she do? She isn’t…”
I lose track of what they’re saying as they get further away. I only catch snippets. “Tried everything.” “Purely psychological.”
And then I’m left alone again in my world of darkness with nothing but my own thoughts. Another “specialist”? What good could they do? They already brought in the best doctors in Equestria, then that zebra witch doctor. Even Princess Twilight. None of them could do anything for me. I’m beyond help.
I don’t know how long it is later when Nurse Redheart comes back. “Good afternoon! You’ve got a special visitor today. She’s-”
Suddenly it sounds like the room explodes. “HI! HI! HI! HIIII!” a high, chirpy voice shrieks. “How’s my favorite vegetable today!?”
“Miss P-” Redheart protests.
“What? It’s his name!”
“Oh. Right.”
“When Doctor Horse came and told me you weren’t feeling good, I HAD to come see you, best buddy!” the insane mare shouts. Best buddy? We’ve never even spoken before.
“Everyone is my best friend! Didn’t you know? Duh!” I heard you could use a friend, and I said to myself, ‘Self, he already has a friend! And it’s you! Go tell your friend how much you miss seeing him smile!’”
She’s… my friend?
“Oh yeah, and I agreed with myself, so I right down here to tell you! Yep! So here it is! ‘You’re my friend, and I love all of my friends, and I care about you!’ See? Now how about a smile, huh?”
She cares about me? Smile? I can’t anymore.
“Come oooooon.” she wheedles and pokes me in the ribs. “Let’s see it! I know! How about a joke? Two cakes are baking in the oven. One cake says to the other cake, ‘What kind of cake is orange and sounds like a parrot?’ The other cake says, ‘Ahhh! A talking cake!
That’s so stupid it can’t help but be funny. But my... friend is counting on me. I can’t help but laugh. And my eyes open.
I see only pink.