By that point Nurse Redheart could hardly contain her mirth at how worked up the little Dragon was getting.  He probably had no idea just how unbearably adorable he was either, which somehow made him even cuter~!  She reached out to set a hoof on his fidgeting claws to still him before he shredded his tie.

"Widget is fine, Quill.  There's absolutely nothing wrong with him." she assured the worried assistant with a gentle smile.  The nurse drew herself up in a dramatic pose, lifted her hoof lightly, and quoted: "'In the Spring a young stallion's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love'; Lord Teneighson."

Since she was certain Quill wouldn't understand what that meant, she continued on while still holding in a giggle over how adorable the whole scenario was.  She'd seen Widget and Twilight around town together and knew exactly what was going on.  "You see, Quill, those aren't symptoms Widget is displaying.  That's just how beings get when they're around someone they care about romantically.  It's the same for Ponies, Donkeys, Diamond Dogs... and, I imagine, even Dragons.  It's a warm, fluttery feeling in the pit of your belly that fills you with nervous energy, and thoughts of the person you care for can be very distracting.  Do you understand?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:11, Tue 04 Sept 2012.

The young dragon stayed silent and, remarkably enough, very still for a while after Nurse Redheart asked if he understood, as he mulled over the implications of what she said. After half a minute or so, he gave a little nod, though he still looked rather pensive.

"The, the warm fluttery feeling, is... I mean, um, maybe I should get him some charcoal tablets? W-would that help? I'm not, um, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do to help, and, um, well, I'm happy that there's nothing wrong with him. And he'll be happy to know too! He was probably even more worried than I was."

"You don't need to do anything, Quill, aside from be happy for him."  Nurse Redheart assured the little dragon with a pat on the shoulder.  "Haven't you ever had a crush on somepony before?" she was curious about Quill's lack of understanding on such a matter.  He looked about as old as Spike (though she could hardly tell for certain) and everypony knew how he was head-over-tail for Rarity.

"Well, n-no, not really, I mean, I spent most of my time in the archives, b-before coming to town," Quill allowed himself a moment to fondly think back about all the parchments and numbers back at the Royal Archives before carrying on, "so there was never t-time for that sort of thing! Just numbers, lots of numbers, and,  um, well, it probably wouldn't be so bad if I did have a crush on somepony. The tummy thing does sound a bit uncomfortable though."

It seemd that Quill had made up his mind, as he stood himself up from his spot on the floor in front of Nurse Redheart and nodded firmly, with a look of something approximating determination on his face.

"Right! I'm going to find a pony to crush!"

"Ah, it's somepony to 'crush on'" Nurse Redheart clarified Quill's choice of words.  Even if he was small, someone might take the statement of a Dragon wanting to crush somepony the wrong way.  "And a crush is something that happens on its own, so it's not like you can really go out seeking one.  You just sort of stumble into it one day when you find someone you admire and care for."

The candyfloss-maned mare took Quill's wrecked tie from him and went about smoothing it into straightness, then looped it around his neck to carefully begin retying it for him.  "I remember my first big crush... I was just a teen, and there was this hotshot celebrity singer -- Songbird -- who I thought was the dreamiest thing on four hooves~.  I feel silly looking back on it now."  she laughed gently as she finished doing Quill's bow tie up properly, which was quite a feat considering she didn't have fingers.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:15, Thu 06 Sept 2012.

"So it just, um, happens? But, b-but what if you don't find the crush-pony, that'd be terri- well, it's fine! Mister Widget and Miss Twilight have the tummy-fluttering crush thing and it's not some horribly contagious disease!"

Quill smiled brightly up at Nurse Redheart as she finished fixing up his tie and recounting the story of her first crush. The dragon couldn't help but notice the simliarities in the tone of voice that Redheart used when she spoke of her first crush and the way Widget spoke when describing how his date with Widget went.

"Did, um, did he know you had a crush on him? Did you ever get to date? I mean, um, does.. maybe, maybe you could find him, a-and tell him now! I mean, y-you work at a hospital, t-they're bound to be impressed! It's far better than being a singer!"

Quill's stammering over finding Songbird and confessing an old crush had Redheart smiling idly.  "He never even knew I existed.  It was just a passing whimsy anyway.  Sometimes crushes turn into genuine romance and other times they just fade away.  Besides, after what I've heard about Songbird these days, he's not exactly a prime candidate..." the nurse didn't want to be one to gossip and let that point hang unfinished.  "Most folk have lots of crushes during their lives, so it's perfectly normal.  Plenty of fillies have, and had, crushes on Songbird and other celebrities.  Mister Big Macintosh here in town has tons of mares fond of him.  Miss Rarity had plenty of admirers, as does Miss Fluttershy, and Junebug, and Cheerilee..."

...okay, so maybe she didn't mind gossiping that much.

"Maybe I could ask Mister Big Macintosh for advice, if, um, he's got admirers," Quill quietly mused as Nurse Redheart rattled off her list of names, "and, well, I... um, I should probably get back to Widget, and let him know he's not contagious! Thank you very mu- oh! I'm sorry, I got so wrapped up, I forgot to ask your name."

The little dragon straightened himself up and, adjusting his tie a little, tried to make himself look as smart and presentable as possible. Offering a claw and a smile up towards Nurse Redheart, he spoke in a formal manner, free from the usual umms, ahhs and stuttering that makes up his usual, nervous conversational tone. Presumably, he'd been practicing reciting these words.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss! I'm Quill. What's your name?"

Between everything that had just gone on, Quill trying to look prim and formal after all his unwitting adorableness before, and the fact that he'd done the introductions completely backward even though she already knew his name, Nurse Redheart was having an extremely hard time.  It took every ounce of professionalism she had not to scoop him up into a giggling, squealing hug.

"Nurse Redheart.  Pleased to make your acquaintance." she instead kept a sense of propriety about herself as she set her hoof in his offered claw.

Quill gave the offered hoof a couple of gentle shakes and, just as he was about to let it go, thought better and gave it one last shake for good measure. Even after letting the hoof go, he stared at it nervously, wondering whether not that was the correct number of shakes. Fortunately, a little voice lurking somewhere in the back of his head gently nudged him to stop worrying about it.

"A pleasure to meet you, Nurse Redheart! I, um, well, I'm going to go and tell Widget that he's not going to, um, well, he'll probably b-b-be happy to hear the good news," with a smile, and a noticeable spring in his step, he wandered back through the front doors of the hospital, his mind at ease.

Seconds later, the door re-opened.

"And thank you for the help with the tie!"

[Exit to... Widget's Workshop]

From Summer Song Cafe

Scoots led the way to the hospital, her own ego swelling up just a bit as Greenwood treated her like an adult that knew important stuff and not like a foal like so many adults did. "Well, here it is. Best hospital around. I know that on the very rare occasion that Rainbow gets hurt this is where she goes and before you know it she's perfectly fine again!" She said, pushing open the door and walking in. "NURSE REDHEART! WE NEED YOU!" She yelled out, not thinking about how yelling for a medical pony might not be the best course of action she could have chosen.

<-- Greenwood enters from Summer Song Cafe

"Keep it down, kiddo.  There are Ponies recuperating here."  Greenwood had the sensibilities to try and hush Scootaloo.  Something clicked though.  Ponyville... Rainbow... why did those terms nag at the back of her brain?  There was something she was trying to remember, but couldn't put her hoof on it.  "Oi, who's Rainbow?"

Before she could get an answer, the Unicorn and Pegasi were approached by none other than the good nurse herself, summoned by name.  Of course, Redheart didn't seem to appreciate Scootaloo's bellows and scowled at the little filly in a chiding manner.  "Young filly, please keep your voice down!  Recovering Ponies need peace and quiet." she started to scold, but her attention was taken by Greenwood as she gave the other mare an appraising look up and down.  "You're malnourished..."

"Told'ja." the Unicorn nudged Scootaloo in the side with her hoof before looking back to the Nurse.  "I've had a rough time during an impromptu nature hike.  How about we get me a check up and one of those lovely IV drips, hmm?"

It was obvious that Nurse Redheart had questions, but those could wait until later.  For the time being she nodded and gestured for the two to follow her -- it was alright for Scootaloo to join them since a normal physical wasn't going to be anything invasive.  Soon enough they'd all be set in a tidy little exam room while the nurse went about checking Greenwood and asking a long string of questions about her health and history.

Scootaloo gave a very sheepish laugh as she scuffed a hoof on the floor. "Ah heh, sorry about that." She said, making sure to keep her voice down. "Rainbow Dash is only the most awesomest bestest flier in all of Equestria! She's won the Best Young Flier Competition! She can do a Sonic Rainboom! A SONIC RAINBOOM! I'm the head of her Fan Club." She said, wings spreading out in a display of pride. "She's the best! She's so awesome and brave and amazing and she can do all kinds of really cool tricks and stunts and she's going to be a Wonderbolt and be really famous. She's also friends with Sweetie Belle and Applebloom's sisters. Rarity and Applejack, they're ok I guess. And then she's friends with Twilight Sparkle, she's the town librarian and an....um... I think what Rainbow calls her is an egghead? I don't know why though. Her head doesn't look anything like an egg! Then there's Fluttershy. She's super nice but she's got this Stare that'll stop you in your tracks! She beat a cockatrice with it!" She declared, though she stopped talking once they had gotten to the room and Nurse Redheart began asking Greenwood questions.

During that explanation, Greenwood had remained quite silent in reply.  But there was a faint twitch under her left eye that Nurse Redheart noticed and took note of on her clip board in case muscle spasms ended up being something worth looking into.  She also noted that the Unicorn's heart rate and blood pressure were both up very high all a sudden...

"Ah, miss, please try and relax... you're tensing up quite a lot." the nurse was a bit confused over why Greenwood seemed stressed all a sudden.  She certainly didn't seem the sort to have anxiety over hospitals like some Ponies did.

"Y-yeah... sorry..." she muttered in reply as she tried to take a few deep breaths.  How could she have not realized it?!  Ponyville... and those six Ponies?  The kid she'd stumbled upon was friends with the heroes of the buckin' nation?!  That was a lot to try and swallow...

Scoots curled up on one of the chairs in the room, tucking her wings back in against her sides as she watched the ongoing examination. She didn't have anything to add and didn't want to distract the two grown ups while they were busy doing important medical stuff. So she contented herself with watching and waiting until Greenwood was able to leave and they could go play. Or possibly have Greenwood teach her some more stuff. Or something, this was her day off and she was going to enjoy it!

It didn't take very long for the physical exam to be completed, though Nurse Redheart didn't give Greenwood a clean bill of health at the end of it.  It turned out the mare had been wise to come seek medical attention -- she knew she'd been malnourished thanks to nearly starving all week, but she'd also been exposed to a native spore that had taken up residence in her lungs.  Thankfully there was a simple medication she could take that would resolve that particular issue, but it would have led to breathing problems if it had gone untreated.

After a short while the two were free to head on out of the hospital and about their business once more.  True to Scootaloo's prediction, lollipops were given for being such good Ponies during the examination, though Greenwood carelessly passed hers off to Scootaloo rather than have it herself.  She didn't like that sort of candy.  Instead she contented herself to shaking the breather device that Redheart had given her, setting it to her lips and taking a deep pull as she used her magic to squeeze down and send a puff of medicated mist into her lungs.

"Gah... dreadful."  she grimaced, resisting the urge to spit.  Still, it was better than growing mushrooms in her chest.  Greenwood tucked the breather away into her bag and gave a quiet sigh.  "Alright... what next?  I don't have enough Bits to rent a room..."

Scoots had shoved her treat into her mouth the moment she had gotten it, happily sucking away on it. "Mmmm, strawberry!" She declared as she followed along. When Greenwood had given her her lollipop as well she nearly burst with joy. Greenwood was the best! Well, second best of course. At the question of what to do next came up she knew that as much as she wanted to play Greenwood was sick and it was better for her if she didn't play. "Hmmm, well there are plenty of places that you can stay. Ponies round here are real friendly and I'm sure would have no problem putting you up for however long you needed. There's Sweet Apple Acres, that's where Applebloom and Applejack live. I know that Twilight has a second bed and Fluttershy I'm sure would never turn away a pony in need." She said, rubbing a hoof against her chin in thought.

"There's always Bon Bon and Lyra, they're fun to be around and probably wouldn't mind. Or Vinyl Scratch and Octavia. Or maybe even Rarity, though we should probably leave that one as a last resort. She doesn't like dirty things and the sight of you right now would probably make her faint." She said, listing off ponies who would probably be willing to help.

As Scootaloo rattled off more names, Greenwood felt her blood pressure begin to rise again.  Lyra?  The concert harpist who played Canterlot stages?  Vinyl Scratch?  The famous radio DJ?  Octavia?  The equally famous cellist with the royal orchestra?  Was there anypony in this town who wasn't a huge celebrity?!

"You stay with all those different Ponies?" she had to ask incredulously.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:36, Mon 08 Oct 2012.

Scootaloo laughed, shaking her head a bit. Greenwood sure could be silly sometimes. "Of course not! Well, I mean I have had sleep overs at Sweet Apple Acres and Carousel Boutique and Lyra and Bon Bon's place one time but I'm sure they wouldn't mind you staying with them. I live on my own, don't need any help from no pony." She said, finishing off her lollipop and moving on to the one Greenwood had given her.

Greenwood's puzzled expression remained in full force as she was given that sort of explanation.  What, was this kid the charity case for the whole town?  Little places tended to be a lot more friendly toward local vagabonds than the big cities did, so it was possible.

"Mn... that sounds familiar." she muttered at Scootaloo's last comment.  "Alright then, show me where you live instead."

Scoots sat down and looked at Greenwood long and hard, going so far as to give a few Hmmms and Uh huh's. However, the effect of serious pony was kind of ruined by the fact that she had a sucker in her mouth. "Okay, but you gotta promise not to tell anypony about where I live. No pony knows that I'm an orphan except for you and I'd like to keep it that way. Now promise."

The battered Unicorn lifted an incredulous brow over Scootaloo's condition and had to seriously fight the urge to roll her eyes as well.  "Who am I going to tell?" she grumbled.  It was obvious that wouldn't cut it though, so she just sighed and shook her head.  "Alright, alright.  I promise.  Mum's th'word."

Scoots kept up her face until Greenwood promised not to tell and then she perked right back up. "Okay then! Let's get going. It's out on Sweet Apple Acres so you can ask to stay with them if you want." She said, though she was secretly hoping that she wouldn't cause it would be fun to have a sleep over in the Club House.

To Cutie Mark Crusader Club House--->

With Scootaloo's back turned, Greenwood indulged herself in a firm eye rolling.  Didn't the kid get that she wasn't going to ask a major celebrity and national hero for charity?  Just what sort of town was this, anyway?  Despite her hesitations, the Unicorn trotted after her young guide all the same.

--> exit to Cutie Mark Crusader Club House