I awoke inside of my chambers. Apparently Nurse Red Heart had moved me over night. I pulled myself from my bed and trotted around the room repeatedly. This was part of my morning routine that I had put together a while ago. I did this until my cannon bones and my pasterns got tired. Then I planted myself on my haunches and dove into in a philosophical orgy. I sat and thought and scribbled in my journal occasionally, a doodle and a squiggle here and there. I poured over them. What it read to me was:

"Jocundity is the same thing as pain, only on the other end of the scale,"

I had no idea what I had just written. What did it mean? Did it have a meaning?

There was a clicking sound and then a creaking sound.

“Miss Loose? It’s time for breakfast” Monsieur Savvy barked. I didn’t want him to though.

“Wait, Madame,” I ran up to the nurse with the journal in my mouth and then placed it at her feet. “What does this mean to you?” I watched as a quizzical expression came over her face.

“I don’t understand, c-can you explain a little further?” We both knew that if I tried, I would fail.

“I just wrote this, it say *bark* s ‘Joy is the same thing as pain, only on the other side of the scale.’ What does it mean?” Her face was twisted into an expression of obtusity.

“Uhh, s’lovely dear… Lets get you to breakfast, how ‘bout that, darling?” What a load of nonsense. Did she even hear what I said? What did I say? Did I say what I meant to or just rubbish? Sometimes Savvy would do that: utter utter BS when I had something to say. It was extremely aggravating, but I had to manage. I exited my room and she led me down the hall to the Mess Hall, which was adjacent to the door out of here. We arrived and I found my food already prepared at my seat. With shaky hooves, I grasped a fork between them and ladled the mush into my muzzle. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the door opening; new cuckoo bird (as I like to say instead of new fish). Wait a minute: the door opening. Monsieur ran towards the still opening door and I was forced to follow. I realized why, the thoughts of the previous night had now influenced Savvy.

Before I knew it I was galloping to…well, I don’t know where. I had been out before. The first few years of my life, and a few weeks ago; when I had gotten to run with the doctors around town. I picked up my gait. I was now in the center of Ponyville; the doctors behind me yelling and shouting, ponies ahead of me, gaping at the tiny fracas in their midst, and Savvy barking madly. I was now circling the Town Hall for no particular reason. Breathing heavily, I tried to avoid slowing down. I wanted them to get tired so I can go further than them. I ran to an apple orchard. I could hear a cacophony of upset rustic accents and the shouts of clinicians and therapists. I kept running. I came across a cottage of some sort; when I drew nigh unto it, the windows closed. I circled it a few times, enjoying myself. Beneath the din of the doctors, I could hear whimpering from inside. Why was the resident whimpering? Was she afraid of me? Am I to be feared? I slowed down to a canter at the thought, only to realize that I had and then picking it back up to a gallop. I continued on to the forest and once I reached a clearing surrounded by brambles. Then and only then did I stop.
I breathed heavily and sat on my haunches. So… I had no idea where I was, at six o’clock in the morning, in the middle of a forest. Well, Celestia damn this situation…

Author's Note

This chapter was very fun to write, for it gets deeper into the conflict between Savvy and Screw. It also foreshadows the next chapter, for which I'm working on right now. I hope you enjoy it!