The Maze

Chapter 5: The Hospital

“Scoots said... said what?” Apple Bloom’s mouth dropped open as she stared at Sweetie.

“It must’ve been that water. She was acting really weird. I’m sure that wasn’t what she was really thinking,” Sweetie said, frowning. Even though she was right.

Apple Bloom was able to walk, as she’d said before, but that was it. Anything faster than that was out of the question, and she needed to take breaks every few minutes. No wonder, considering her state. Her knee had turned into one big, swollen bruise, and she winced, hissed, or bit her lip every few seconds, her eyes constantly full of tears. Worse yet, while Apple Bloom didn’t seem to realise it, Sweetie noticed that her breathing had gotten heavier and that she sometimes stumbled from one wall of the labyrinth to the other.

Bathing in ice-cold water. Should’ve figured she’d need something to dry herself!

“Yeah, I’ll...” – Apple Bloom took a breath – “I’ll prove her wrong! About everythin’!”

Sweetie nodded and forced a smile, her eyes darting towards the knee again. “You’ll show her. We’ll both reach the exit, even if she doesn’t believe it.”

“Yeah! Just... just like I was right before!” She started laughing, but the sound died in her throat.

Sweetie pressed her hoof against Apple Bloom’s forehead. It was burning. “Before? What do you mean?” Maybe they should return to the boutique. Scary or not, nothing chased them there, and it had plenty of fabric to keep Apple Bloom warm.

“That argument we had! Don’t... don’t you remember?” Apple Bloom frowned. “You ain’t... ain’t so forgetful normally. You sure you’re okay?”

“Right, the argument you and her had by the fountain. What was that about?” Sweetie asked, furrowing her brow. Perhaps she could try pressing against her, sharing some of the body heat. Not much, but better than nothing, right? No, that was a stupid idea – she could barely stand, let alone press against her.

“It was about you.”

“What?” Sweetie cocked her brow. “You argued about me?”

“Yep!” Apple Bloom said, nodding so vigorously that she nearly toppled forward. “We were talkin’ about whether to... to turn back or continue, even though you stayed behind.”

“Really?” Sweetie smiled. “So you agreed with me after all. I told you it was a bad idea to come here, and you saw it too. How did she win that argument?”

Apple Bloom puffed out her chest and her grin widened. “She didn’t. I won! I said we should continue walkin’, because you... because you would definitely be comin’ after us in a while.”

Sweetie’s smile faded. “So, you mean we’re here because of you.”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “That ain’t the point! The point is I said it ain’t... ain’t like you to leave us alone in an adventure, and you didn’t! I was right! Scoots thought you were... were scared and would go back home.”

Sweetie’s face contorted. “That’s very... nice of you.”

“No problem.” Apple Bloom winked at her. “That’s what... wha... what friends are for, right?”

“Right,” Sweetie said, rolling her eyes. “How are you doing?”

“I’m fi... fi... fi...” Apple Bloom gasped for air, squeezed her eyes shut, and stopped dead in her tracks.

“Apple Bloom?” Sweetie dashed to her, checking the leg and temperature. For all she could tell, it was the same a few minutes ago.

Apple Bloom exhaled and collapsed to the ground. “I’m fine. I just... just need a break.”

Sweetie nodded and sat beside her. “How long?”

“I dunno. How long does a nap take?” Apple Bloom yawned and closed her eyes.

“Are you kidding me?” Sweetie sprung up and shook her. No response. “You can’t sleep in here!” She jabbed her in the chest, but all Apple Bloom did was swat her hoof away and groan.

Sweetie huffed and dug her hoof under Apple Bloom. She lifted her enough to crawl underneath and loaded her across her back. She was no doctor, but she was pretty sure that taking a nap on cold ground while feverish was not a good idea.

“No... put me down.” Apple Bloom yawned again. “I ain’t... ain’t weak. I can walk.”

Sweetie made a shaky step forward. “Just... save up your energy.”

Apple Bloom wasn’t heavy, but she wasn’t light either. How long could she carry her? Ten minutes? Twenty? For the first time, Sweetie wished for a clearing. Any clearing. No matter what, there would be a chance of finding something to help her friend.

Sweetie choked back a sob. They should’ve gone back to the boutique right after Scootaloo had left them. Of course Apple Bloom needed to dry herself! It wasn’t even that far from the entrance... assuming the maze didn’t change again. Maybe it wasn’t too late to turn back?

One glance at her friend dissolved the idea. She needed more than just a bit of cloth to cover herself; she needed a doctor.

“Hold on, Apple Bloom,” Sweetie said, maintaining a cheery tone despite the tears pressing into her eyes. “We’ll make it out of the maze soon. I-I mean we’ve got to. We have the compass and everything, nothing’s chasing us...”

“We got out so... so fast?” Apple Bloom giggled. “You’re the best.”

“Not quite there yet.” Sweetie looked at her and wrinkled her brow. Apple Bloom kept staring somewhere ahead.

“I mean that was quick! Did I... did I sleep the whole way?” She squinted. “I ain’t sure if the hospital is open at this hour, though. Or are they always open?”

Hallucinations. Sweetie knew it was bad but not this bad. She frowned and looked back ahead. She was staring at a hospital.

It was a villa-like building, just like the one in Ponyville – it had the same path to it, and the same sign stood next to its door. Most of its windows glowed with light and illuminated the pristine plaster around them. No wonder Apple Bloom thought they were back home.

Sweetie blinked. “What?”

“We gotta go in.” Apple Bloom slid off Sweetie’s back and stumbled forward in a zigzag line.

Sweetie gaped a little longer before shaking her head and trotting after her. There was no way this wasn’t a trap of some sort. Then again, what other choice did they have?

Apple Bloom barged in through the door, falling flat. Sweetie was but a step behind.

The interior matched the exterior – an exact replica of the Ponyville one. It even had the same kind of ancient, worn out magazines in the nearby stands!

Right behind the front door was a large waiting room with halls to its left and right, and two staircases ahead. In between them stood a small booth – the reception – with a white mare in her twenties smiling at them.

Sweetie furrowed her brow. “Miss Redheart?”

“Hello, Sweetie Belle. What’s the problem today? You seem like you’re in dire need of some plasters,” she said, chuckling. “And of a bath too.”

“What are you doing here?”

Nurse Redheart cocked her brow. “Working. Like every day.”

“But... But...!” Sweetie pointed outside. “We aren’t in Ponyville! We’re in a big, evil maze, and there’s no way you don’t see it!”

“What?”

“Just go outside and look!”

“I don’t think I’d see much in this dark,” Redheartsaid, smiling and shaking her head. “You fillies and your adventures...”

Sweetie scowled. “This isn’t a joke! We’re in the middle of a—”

“A little help here.” Apple Bloom still lay on the floor, her breathing raspy and laboured.

“Oh dear.” Nurse Redheart leaned over the counter and squinted at her.

“Something’s wrong with her knee. It’s all swollen and purple. And she has a fever!” Sweetie said and pulled her friend off the ground, supporting her weight and walking her towards the counter.

“Let me see her leg.” Nurse Redheart walked from inside the booth and crouched next to Apple Bloom, putting a hoof on her forehead.

“Can you heal her?” Sweetie asked and bit her lip, looking her in the eyes. Strange or not, this hospital might’ve been Apple Bloom’s only chance.

“I think so. We’ll just give her some medicine to get rid of the fever, and then our doctors will take care of the leg.” She patted Apple Bloom on the head, walked back inside the booth, and picked up the phone.

Sweetie breathed out with a grin. “See, Apple Bloom? I told you it’ll be alright.”

The hospital’s intercom crackled to life. “Operation ward, prepare for a new patient. I repeat, all personnel in the operation ward.”

“The operation ward?” Sweetie asked, frowning. “Is it that serious?”

“I’m afraid it is. But don’t worry,” Redheart said and smiled at Apple Bloom. “Today’s prostheses are so advanced that you’ll hardly notice a difference.”

“Proste-what?” Apple Bloom furrowed her brow.

“What?” Sweetie sprung up. “No! Don’t get rid of the leg; are you crazy?”

Nurse Redheart frowned. “Don’t you want your friend treated?”

“Like this? No! Just give her the medicine. Don’t cut off her leg! You aren’t even a doctor; you can’t diagnose her like that!”

Redheart scowled. “Sweetie, calm down. It’s for the best.”

“No, it isn’t! Stop it this instant, or—”

The nurse pressed a big red button on her desk, and two burly stallions appeared from nearby halls, each of them headed for one of the fillies.

Sweetie’s pupils dilated. “No. I’ll be calm, I promise! Call them off! You don’t—”

One of the stallions grabbed Sweetie around her waist and dragged her into the hall to the left. The other pulled Apple Bloom to the right.

“Doctor Shrink needed in the psychiatry ward. I repeat, Doctor Shrink has a new patient.”

———

Sweetie was shoved into a dimly-lit room, and the door behind her slammed shut. Then it clicked.

She tried the handle – no success – and turned around with a huff.

The room looked different from the rest of the hospital. For starters, the walls were painted light yellow – as opposed to hospital white – thick carpet covered the floor, wooden furniture lined the walls, and the windows were hidden behind wine red curtains. Sweetie only saw drapes this fancy at the boutique. This room was something special, especially considering the couch. It looked kind of like Rarity’s divan, save for the brown colour, and faced a different door to Sweetie’s left. Next to the sofa stood a chair and a small coffee table with a jar of something that looked an awful lot like a mix of random pills.

The door rattled and opened. “Oh, hello. You are Sweetie Belle, correct?” a small, blue-gray unicorn stallion said, closing the door behind himself.

“You’re going to cripple Apple Bloom; you’ve got to stop it!”

“I am Doctor Shrink. Please, take a seat.” He motioned towards the divan while walking towards the chair.

Sweetie bolted to the door.

“Now, now.” The doctor clicked his tongue and caught Sweetie with his magic then levitated her onto the sofa. “Your friend will be treated in but a few minutes; you’ll be able to see her then.” His eyes narrowed as he sat down. “Provided you can convince me you don’t need to stay a bit longer here. For your own safety, of course.”

He reached into the jar. “Would you like a bonbon?”

“No.”

He shrugged and put a hoofful in his mouth.

“What do you mean, ‘my own safety’?” Sweetie asked, a scowl plastering itself across her face. “I’m fine. Apple Bloom is the one in danger!”

Doctor Shrink levitated a notepad to himself and put on a pair of glasses. “Miss Redheart has informed me that you kept insisting on being in maze of some sort. Please elaborate.”

This was a waste of time. Apple Bloom was about to be mutilated! “We’re in a maze, and you’re probably just some weird magic monster.”

“Interesting.” He wrote something down. “Are you plagued by monsters often?”

There had to be a way to get rid of him somehow. She knew he didn’t lock the door; she just needed to stop him from using his magic on her. “Only since I stepped into the maze.” Her eyes jumped from object to object.

“What kind of monsters?”

Maybe she could hit him over the head with something? No... Monster or not, Sweetie knew she didn’t have it in her. “Pretty much just the one that looks a bit like my sister. And you and nurse Redheart, I guess.”

“What’s your relationship with your sister?”

There! Sweetie saw a bunch of medicine boxes in one of the glass cupboards. “I love my sister. I mean, we argue from time to time, and I guess I get angry at her here and there, but she’s still the greatest pony I know.”

“And the monster? What does it do?”

The doctor kept staring into his notepad, occasionally giving her a glance from above the glasses’ rims. Getting the cabinet open shouldn’t be that hard if she kept her cool and used as little magic as possible. Her horn started glowing with a very dim, green light. “Mostly chases me around and tries to kill me.”

“I see.” He popped another bonbon in his mouth and noted something. “So we have a maze and a monster in the form of your sister that chases you through it.”

“Uh-huh, sure.” Sweetie stared at the small glass door behind him that she’d just managed to open up a crack. Now, which bottle should she take?

“Do you see this maze often?”

Sweetie cocked her brow and looked at him. “I see it ever since I entered it. We’re inside of it even now.” The bottle with the bed sticker on it. That could do the job. Sweetie waited for him to look back at his notes and started levitating it.

“Interesting.” He reached for a treat. “Are there other things in the maze?”

The bottle took to the air and flew out of the cabinet.

“I asked you a question.” He looked up at her.

Sweetie cut the spell and winced as the bottle fell with unavoidable rattle.

He started turning around. “What was—”

Sweetie screamed and grabbed her head, falling from the sofa onto the floor. The doctor was with her in seconds.

“My head! It hurts!” It did; she accidentally banged it against the floor as she fell.

“Oh, dear.” Shrink frowned, and his horn started glowing as he brought it to hers. The pain faded immediately. “What happened?”

“Uh... a very... sudden headache.” Sweetie put on a crooked smile and climbed back to her seat.

“Oh? Very interesting.” He pegged down another line. “Do you have those often?”

“No.” Sweetie levitated the bottle of pills again and slowly dragged them across the floor and under the table.

“I see. Now, back to my original question – are there other things in this ‘maze?’”

“Mostly weird and scary things I’ve known from somewhere else. My home, the spa...” She undid the lid.

He smiled and nodded. “Yes, it’s beginning to make sense. Have you been under a lot of pressure lately?”

“Only in the maze.” Sweetie waited for him to stare into his notepad again and slammed the cabinet shut.

“Oh, what now?” he said, scowling and turning around.

Sweetie levitated the bottle from under the table, poured several pills into the bonbon jar, and tucked the rest under his chair.

He turned back. “I have to have that cabinet fixed.” He cleared his throat. “So, no stress buildup? That could be serious.” He wrote something down and put several ‘bonbons’ in his mouth. He winced. “Why, those taste terrible.” He gulped them down with a wince and pushed the bonbon jar away. “I think I might know what ails you.”

“Really?” Sweetie stared at his face. How long would it take for the medicine to start working? Hopefully before Apple Bloom got massacred.

“Yes. Although it’ll need a few more sessions to confirm it, I think the maze is a projection of your mind, with the ‘scary’ places representing some of your mental issues.”

“You mean I’m crazy?” Sweetie asked, cocking her brow.

He chuckled. “That’s a very negative way to phrase it.”

“But you do, right?” She scowled at him. “You think I’m wrong in the head and have hallucinations!”

“Please, calm yourself.” He frowned, pushing the glasses to the root of his muzzle.

“Well, if this is a hallucination, how are you going to explain the maze? Just look outside! I know it’s dark, but I’m sure you can send a little flare there.” Sweetie crossed her front legs and smirked. Obviously, some disguised monster wouldn’t let itself get contradicted by actually looking. She was just curious as to what kind of excuse he’d make.

He smiled. “I don’t see why not. And I don’t think I’ll need a flare either.” He walked to the window and opened the curtains. The room was filled by warm light of the setting sun.

“What?” Sweetie ran next to the doctor and gaped. She was looking at Ponyville. Not some scary, weird parody of it; the real one. She could even see the ponies milling about. “That’s... that’s impossible!”

“Is it?” the doctor asked, sitting back down in his chair. “Why do you think so?”

“It makes no sense, it’s... I...” Sweetie gasped. “My coat! It’s all dirty and tangly! How would that happen if I wasn’t there?”

The doctor looked at her from above his glasses. “I can see your coat is a bit ruffled, but I think you’re overdramatizing it.”

“What?” Sweetie looked down at herself. She was perfectly clean and combed. “But... But I...” She could swear she was caked with filth a second ago.

“Please, go on. I want to prove to you that a treatment is necessary. One can only heal when she wants to heal.”

Sweetie reached into her mane. The compass was gone. “But... Apple Bloom.”

Shrink nodded. “Yes. Your friend. I’m afraid not everything that has happened was a hallucination. Apple Bloom took it upon herself to bring you here when you started talking nonsense during a game of tag and, while chasing you after you ran off into the Everfree forest, broke her leg. Luckily, you turned back and, despite the rather... disturbing things you’ve said, managed to bring her here. She’ll get a cast; don’t worry. She won’t get ‘crippled.’”

Tears pressed into Sweetie’s eyes. “You’re lying.”

“Am I? Are you absolutely sure?” he asked with a smile.

“O-of course I am!” She frowned and shook her head. “What does this all mean? The monster—”

“The ‘monster’ is your subconscious sensing something is wrong and trying to protect you. Your sister, firmly etched as a figure of adoration and protection in your mind, is the natural image it takes.”

“It didn’t look like it was trying to protect me.”

“Of course. Your subconscious seems to be rather... radical. It tries to stop the stress caused by your delusions by shutting down everything. I advise avoiding it, else it could cause blackouts.”

“But... But...” Sweetie’s breathing quickened. She knew she was in the maze. And yet just looking out of the window clearly proved the contrary. “Why would I even have hallucinations?”

Doctor Shrink frowned. “That, I’m afraid, is yet to be determined. But I’m certain that whatever it is, we’ll be able to help you. You just have to remain calm for the moment and keep your head clear – if something seems very unlikely, such as being in a maze, it is probably not real.” He yawned. “We will need to keep you here for some time. If the hallucinations don’t return, you’ll be free to go in a week or two. If they do...” He let the sentence hang in the air for a few seconds and motioned towards the door facing the sofa. “Come now. I need to get the physical examination out of the way. Maybe you just hit your horn badly and didn’t realise it.”

Sweetie nodded and trudged after him. If she took everything she knew and put it together, the version of her being insane was a lot more likely than the one with magical, underground maze filled with mysterious trees and things that seemed tailored for her. If anything, it supported the doctor – it was full of things she knew; it was her mind. She should probably tell him about the pills.

He yawned again and rubbed his eyes. “This way.” He opened the door. Past them was a fifteen metres drop.

Sweetie recoiled. “W-where’s the floor?”

“Right there.”

“No, it isn’t,” Sweetie said, staring down the shaft. She could see grass deep down. On the other hoof, she could also see a perfectly normal room right behind the hole. Just far enough for her to not be able to make the jump.

“I assure you that it is.” He stretched his limbs and squeezed his eyes together a few times. “Remember what I told you earlier. Is it more likely that it’s a hallucination or that somepony built a room without a floor?”

Sweetie put one of her legs where the floor should have been. It went through. “There isn’t any floor! You saw it!”

“I saw you hover your leg inches above the tiles,” he said, sighing. “How about I prove it to you?” He walked onto the empty space, blocks of stones flying out of nowhere and supporting his hooves. “See?”

Sweetie prodded the emptiness with her hoof again. No stone came. “Can’t you just lift me over it with your magic?”

He shook his head. “I need you to truly realise that none of this is real. You have to confront your hallucination and disprove it to yourself.”

Sweetie switched glances between him and the drop. He was right – this was definitely a hallucination. Then again, knowing that and actually stepping into empty air were two completely different matters.

“It’s the first step of your treatment. Do this, and you’ll be that much closer to healthiness. You’ll no longer be plagued by your sister’s shade.”

“I know, it’s just... It’s hard.” Sweetie bit her lip and slowly raised her front leg.

“Don’t be afraid. We’ll go visit Apple Bloom right after we get through the examination; I promise.” He smiled. “Soon, you and your sister will be together again and enjoy lying at the spa without any nightmares bothering you.”

Sweetie gulped and moved her leg forward. Then she jerked it back. “Hang on. I never told you me and her like to go there.”

He chuckled. “A simple assumption on my part. You said it’s a familiar place, and considering who your sister is...”

Sweetie scowled. “I never told you who my sister is, either! And I know I don’t know you from around Ponyville. So how would you know?”

His smile faded as he yawned again. “Word gets around. Especially in a small town. Confront your hallucination already.”

Sweetie backed away from the hole. “Word gets around about her, maybe, but about me? How would you know I’m Rarity’s sister?”

He pressed his lips together. “I asked your friend. Please don’t make me restrain you.”

“And when would you do that? She was taken to the operation room right after she came in! And... and how would she tell you about what happened? The game of tag, which I don’t remember, or the Everfree? She could hardly talk!”

His lids seemed to close on their own, but he always jerked them open. “She could talk without a problem. You’re delusional.”

Sweetie’s eyes widened. “Where’s... where’s Scootaloo? She’d definitely come here with us if anything bad has happened. She wouldn’t just leave us on our own!”

Shrink scowled and walked back over the empty expanse. “It seems like we need another...” This yawn took a good five seconds. “...another session. Please sit back on the sofa.” He sat back on his chair with a thud.

Sweetie stayed where she was and stared at him.

“Please, sit back.” He exhaled. “Please, sit brrrrrpft.” His notes fell out of his hooves and onto the ground.

She tip toed to the door to the hall, slowly opened it, and slipped out of the room. Then she started shuddering.

It was like somepony kept splashing buckets of lukewarm water on her back that froze the moment it hit her. Her entire spine tingled as shivers shook her body, and she had to gasp for air to keep the enormous, bitter lump in her throat from suffocating her with sobs. He’d nearly talked her into suicide! How could she be so gullible?

She wiped her eyes, picked herself up, and sniffed. The hospital looked... different. As if it aged by decades while she’d been talking with the ‘doctor’. The plaster was flaking off all around, forming little piles on the floor; the doors had their wooden parts battered, and the metal ones were rusted; and finally, there was the matter of flickering lights. If there was still any doubt, it was gone now. Apple Bloom definitely wasn’t going to get a cast.

Sweetie started walking, then trotting, and then went into a full gallop.

All was quiet. The only things she could hear were her hoofsteps and the creaking of various half-open doors. What if Apple Bloom wasn’t there? What if she vanished and left Sweetie alone in here?

She shook her head, and a bit of dirt fell to the ground.

What?

She skidded to a halt and lifted her hoof to her eyes. Once again, she was covered by filth and grime, her mane ruined in such a manner that had Rarity seen it, Sweetie would probably get grounded for an entire week.

She reached to the top of her head and smiled. The compass was there. She resumed the gallop and navigated back to the reception area.

Nurse Redheart was still there – or rather, what remained of her: a pile of bones lying on the chair with a nurse cap on top.

Sweetie gulped. She knew it was all just a part of the maze’s game, but... what if it wasn’t? What if nurse Redheart had just been another pony trapped in here, her mind twisted like Scootaloo’s was?

No time for such thoughts. The operation room was straight ahead, to the right of the entrance. And if the shadows moving in the door’s small windows were any indication, something was happening there.

“I’m coming, Apple Bloom!” Sweetie sprinted past the many doors by her sides without giving them a glance.

“Heeeeeelp!” Apple Bloom’s voice sounded crystal clear, free of any previous dizziness.

Sweetie smashed into the large, double wing door and sprawled down on the floor. Something stopped her, and it wasn’t the wood. She reached forward with her hoof and met an invisible barrier that sparkled under her touch.

“Hold on, Apple Bloom!” She jumped back on her hooves and, standing on her hindlegs and leaning against the invisible barrier, peeked inside the operation room. Just in time to see a pony in chirurgic attire lower a bonesaw onto Apple Bloom’s leg..

“Stop!” Sweetie banged her hooves on the force field. “You don’t have to cut it off! Just sto—”

A high-pitched scream cut the air and dug into Sweetie’s skull. She stared for a few seconds longer and then slowly slumped onto the floor.