Chapter 13 – Required Help
"Oh, so you know Piks." Kalin asked as he folded his arms together, "So, how is the old Fox doing?"
"He and his family seem to be doing fine." Blade said with a straight face.
"You know, Healer Kalin…I mean my father, actually gave Piks and his family the checkup they needed to become temporary residence here in this city." Hulon announced, causing her father to pinch the bridge of his nose, but smile widely at his daughter's energy, "He's the best Healer in the entire Terranuil System."
"Sound like you're following closely in his footsteps." Fluttershy said out loud, "You were able to name so many alien animals that I've never even heard of before!"
Instantly, Hulon shrank into herself, tapping the tips of her claws together as her father bellowed with pride, "More than that, she's branching out into the field of Quadrupedal health. I had no idea the differences animals had to our own bodies and yet kept so many similar practices. She was able to teach me a thing or two."
"Thanks, Dad, but I'm sure you could have learned all of this from others as well." his daughter said sadly, and walked out of the room, sliding the door closed behind her.
Kalin sighed and sat down, "And this is what happens every time." he said with a groan, "She loses one patient and suddenly she can't do anything right."
"She lost a patient?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yes, and not even one she was particularly closed to as well." he responded, "She was so young, probably two Cycles, and tasked with using conversation to ease the minds of those sick or injured. Something simple for someone so young. Yet, she walked into the wrong room once and began talking to the patient. She didn't even know her, and we knew the patient wasn't going to recover, a comatose patient with an actual bleeding heart." He rested from his story, pinching the bridge of his nose again as he sighed, "She's been doubting herself ever since. One of the best minds in the healing field and she has zero confidence in her abilities. Yet, I can see them. The good she's done to not just the patience in this field, but also the animals that she finds hurt or sick on the streets or beyond the city walls. You should have seen her a few decades ago during the rebalancing event."
"Rebalancing event?" Blade asked as Fluttershy turned her head softly and sadly to the door.
"Yeah, a strange phenomenon that just stabilized the particles in the sky. Lightning struck the ground, the water…everywhere for several days, and then silence. She was the first to exit the city after the lightning stopped, and she brought home several injured Criobos and Sifters in her giant red wagon. She begged me to help them. Luckily, I was able to help her save all of them. They were all young and fast healers." he smiled at the thought, "She won't believe in herself, but if she's in a pinch and she has someone willing to believe in her, she can work miracles."
"She did all of that?" Blade asked.
"More than you know, I'm almost certain that we wouldn't have any Criobos or Sifters left if she hadn't found them. They'd have perished outside the city walls." Kalin said and leaned back, "So, how can I help the friends of Piks?"
"We need medical supplies." Fluttershy said, "We can't wrap an oily bandage around somepony who's injured. And I'm all out of wing braces and wraps."
"That bad huh?" Kalin asked without surprise in his voice, "I can have a shipment sent to Tusks' garage by the end of the day, but I'm afraid the 'wing braces' will have to be custom made, not many of our patients actually have wings like yours."
"Maybe you can measure my wings!" Fluttershy said, "Rainbow Dash and I have very similar wing sizes."
"It'll also be expensive, far more expensive than you believe they will be. The custom fitting will take the most to pay for." the Healer said, "And the healing light…"
"You have a healing light?" Fluttershy asked.
"Your planet has healing lights?" he asked in surprise.
"She did until her NanoPack saved us all." Blade said in her place.
"Oh." the healer said, and looked to her, "Well, I suppose I can give you a discount, though the process for our healing lights is going to be a bit different."
'And probably slower.' Blade thought to himself.
"Do you need any training for it?" Kalin asked.
"Maybe a little." the yellow pegasus admitted.
"Then why not help Hulon with the new Sifters that came in this morning?" the Hylop asked, "I'm almost certain she'll be using our best healing lamp for their injuries."
The two ponies turned to each other, then back at the Healer. "What about the measurements?" Blade asked.
"I wouldn't worry about that." he said and smiled, "I would actually appreciate it if you helped my daughter while you're here. She may have a job that you can help her with."
"Oh, I'd love to help with those adorable little critters." Fluttershy said as the smile quickly grew on her face. Her wings flared a bit as she turned and slid the door open only to fly out of the room.
"You're not a real pony, are you?" the healer said as Blade turned around, surprise spearing on his face the moment those words reached his ears, "Not one hundred percent at least." the pegasus heard the Hylop say.
"Uh, what do you mean?" he asked with a nervous look in his eyes.
"I can't put my claw on it, but I believe you're not all that you seem to be or say you are. As if you've got a presence about you that I've felt before." Kalin said, his words getting darker as he spoke, "Does she know of this presence?"
"Leave Fluttershy out of this! The less she knows about what I am the better it'll be for her!" Blade said almost threateningly.
Kalin simply chuckled, "As you wish." he said and leaned back in his chair. Blade kept his eyes on the cat man as he exited the room and slid the door closed, the smile never left the Hylop's face.
He made his way down the hall and once again to the glass wall where he saw the critters before. He sighed as he watched her fly around the room, a few of the smaller fish creatures playing chase with her and one of the sealion creatures just sitting there fluttering its fins. As it did, he watched the lights glisten off of them, turning the fins into an aroura of colors as it did. Fluttershy looked up to see him standing there, and she smiled before excitedly going to the door and sliding it open, "These little ones are adorable!" she said and rushed out to grab him by the hoof and lead him in. The moment he entered in, a small band of dragonfly looking birds flocked around him, licking him with tongues that shot out of bills that didn't seem to open at all. Even though he didn't smile, he still laughed and this got Fluttershy to laugh as well. "This is Hixim, he's a Ceeatrik." she said as she pointed a hoof to a bright green bird creature, "And Rulon, she's a Sifter." this time she lifted up a very happy looking fish, "And Bawx over there is a Criobo." For this, she pointed at a large and obviously overweight Sealion creature, "He's on a diet." with this Bawx lifted his head without showing any care of what was just said.
"Looks like you've already made some friends." Blade said to her.
Fluttershy smiled brightly as he said this, "Oh yes. And I'm starting to understand them as well."
"I've never seen anyone learn an animal's language before, and so quickly." they heard Hulon say from the back of the room. In har claws, she held onto a very small Sifter, one that looked as if it were sleeping in her hands.
"It's part of her special talent." Blade said, "The magic that runs through her is attuned to nature, and somehow helps her understand animals. I'm actually glad it still works on other planets."
"Magic? Special talent?" the small Hylop asked.
"It's a little hard to explain, and honestly it'd probably be better if you talked to Twilight about it." Blade said.
"Who's Twilight?" Hulon asked.
"A dear friend of ours." Fluttershy interjected.
"I'd love to meet all of your friends, but I've got so much work to do here, and this one isn't doing well." she told them and turned to the Sifter in her hands, it snored and then shivered.
"What's wrong with her?" Fluttershy asked as she used her wing to gently pet the creature.
"She won't eat, all she's done is sleep. I can't get her to absorb the powdered nutrients like the others her age." Hulon said sadly.
"Oh, you poor thing." Fluttershy said as she petted the creature, and then an idea struck her, "What about the clouds?"
"There's no way I can get up there, not without a machine at least, and the wind produced by the machine I'd use would scare the other animals away." Hulon replied, "She still doesn't even know how to fly. I've been trying to teach her but she just doesn't want to try."
"We can take her up there." Blade said, catching Fluttershy's attention, "We have wings so we don't need to have a machine to get up to the clouds."
"Can…" Hulon began to ask nervously, "Can I go with you?"
