"So, are you ready to help me today?" Her father's voice chimed.
Was she ready? What a silly question. Of course she was! Amber knew how excited she was to finally get to go with her father to work. Ever since she visited last spring, it had been all she wanted to do.
Everyday she would ask, though her father would just shoot her down with the typical response of 'school' or 'too busy'. But none of that mattered now, she was on her way there, and nothing would deter the smile from her face. Her excitement blocked her thought, this special day did have a name, "bring...something... work", she couldn't remember.
"Of course I am! I'm gonna be the best doctor ever! Watch me!" She said through her wide smile, eyes gleaming. She was prepared. With a arsenal of bandages and toys in her book-bag, no cough or sniffle was going to get past her.
"I'm sure you will, I may be a bit busy at times though. You sure you can handle being by yourself?" Her father asked, knowing full well how impatient his little filly could be.
"I'm the best doctor ever, of course I can it, ask Mr. Nibbles!" Mr. Nibbles hung out of a unzipped pouch on her book-bag. He was her favorite plushy, a small brown and white puppy who was wrapped in more bandages than a mummy.
Her father rolled his eyes, a smile crossing his face. Boy, was he glad he had gotten her that plush in the first place. The relentless check-ups and examinations from his daughter were a tad bothersome. Better Mr. Nibbles than him.
After a while, the two closed in on the hospital entrance, ambulance carts lining the outside of the facility. Amber gazed at them, having never seen them up close before. Most of the time she'd seen one, it was barreling down the road, nothing but a whiz of white and red. The burly stallions standing near them were chatting, dressed in their uniforms, a big red cross on the side of them.
Her father reached a hoof for the door, holding it open her, "Come on, Amber."
She swiftly trotted inside.
The smell. That lovely hospital smell. Oh how she had missed it for so long, but remembered it like yesterday.
"Where to now, Daddy?" Amber walked forward a bit, smiling back to him.
"Just down this hall, the third right." He said, pointing down the long, wide hall.
Amber's hooves echoed as they clipped and clopped on the floor. She couldn't help but run to her father's office, the fire of her curiosity burning. Her book-bag jangled softly with her gallop, Mr. Nibbles almost flying out a couple times. She gave a sudden stop, sliding across the slick, freshly cleaned floors. If she wasn't already happy, she was now. She laughed and giggled as she came to a rest, just in front of her father's office.
"Nice one!" He father announced, soon coming to the door. His horn glowed, looking to his jacket pocket. A small gold key hovered out, moving to meet the door lock. Click.
Before he could even remove the key, Amber busted through the door, her father jumped in surprise, wide eyed.
"Oh cool!" She says, eyes darting in every direction as she looked around.
"Welcome to my office, or as I sometimes want to call it, L'enfer" He chuckles softly, watching as she moves to his swivel chair, climbing up into it.
Amber smiled as she picked up his desk plate, it read, "DR. HORSE".
"Wow... you even get your own name thingy?" She says astonished, looking up to him.
Her father nodded.
"Of course, I'm a pretty good doctor..." He leaned inward, smiling, "...but not as good as you."
Amber felt so proud. Her father was right, she was a pretty darn good doctor.
"Maybe you'll be as awesome as me one day, Daddy!" She giggled softly.
"Maybe so," He chuckled, turning to the door. "I have to go check in, I'll be right back."
He started to walk out, stopping suddenly, "And no roaming around here. This is a real hospital, and there are things here that aren't mean for young fillies. Promise you'll be good?"
Amber nodded, "I will be, you may have to watch out for Mr. Nibbles though!"
Her father smiled and gave a final nod, headed out to the left. Amber smiled as she tossed her book-bag onto the desk in front of her, unzipping it. She pulled out Mr. Nibbles and a few other play toys, such as her favorite stethoscope and a reflex hammer.
She sat Mr. Nibbles down on a book and put the stethoscope earpieces in, smiling contently as she did so. She moved the diaphragm to his chest, making soft heartbeat noises as she did.
"Sounding good for once, Mr. Nibbles." She grabbed a sticky-note, scribbling down nonsense, soon popping her head up, "Now it's time for your reflexes!"
Amber grabbed the small plastic hammer, just about to bring it down before she stopped. "Huh?" She said softly. She had heard something... sounded like laughter.
She sat in silence, looking out into the hallway, maybe it was just her imagination...
...HahaHA..HaHAhahAHa.....!...
There it was again! Amber set the hammer on the desk, "Who's that laughing?" She asked loudly, hoping somepony would answer. Nopony did.
She packed up her book-bag and hopped out of the chair, slowly trotting to the open doorway, poking her head out. The halls were empty, no pony around except for herself.. and the one she had heard laughing. Where did that come from?
Amber moved out into hall, the closest room to her was just down the hall on the left, with a big red sign above it.
Ha!....HahAhaHAhahA...
It was something from that room. Amber walked up to the large wooden doors, the words on the sign above her to big for her.
"Psy...chi...atric....ward" She stuttered out, raising a brow, "What in Celestia does that mean?"
She thought for a moment, a soft smiling coming to her face, "Well, maybe it's the play area for colts and fillies." It made sense, why else would there be laughter, the sound of fun, had in such a serious place as a hospital? Besides, her daddy would be busy today, he wouldn't mind if she played with some other ponies, as long as she didn't cause any trouble.
Amber moved to the doors, bowing her front, her rump in the air. With a heave, she jumped, managing to swat the door lever down.
"Geez, for a play-place, they sure make it hard to get in." She scoffed, walking inside.
The hall was empty, bright lights lined the ceiling. The hallway was short, large steel doors on one side. There was three of them. Amber walked over to them, all of them dark. except for one. One on the far left.
"Must be the only one open," She shrugged, "now how do I get in there?"
She pondered, movement catching her eye. Just above her was a small panel, with a red and green button. The green one flashed.
"Aha!" She whinnied.
But how to reach it. The panel was up higher than the average doorknob. She looked around, spotting a small folding chair. She walked over to it, getting behind it as she began to push it towards the door. She pushed swiftly, curiosity taking over her mind. What kinda play room was it? Would there be games? Slides? Maybe even a hoofball to kick around?
"There, looks like my Doctor skills are the best!" She said with glee, the chair directly underneath the panel. She hopped onto the chair.
She reached up and pushed the red button, the light going from green to red. Bingo!
The door jolted and slowly opened a bit, the warm light from inside an invitation she couldn't resist.
Amber jumped down and grinned, "Well Mr. Nibbles, ready to make new friends?" She said, sliding through the small crack into the room.
Amber froze.
The room wasn't a playroom. It wasn't even much of a room. More of a white void than anything.
The floor was soft under her hooves, pillow like almost.
"What in the hay?" She said softly, the bright room lights blinded her, her eyes soon adjusting. That's when she spotted something in the corner. What was it? It looked like a pony, she could make out a mane, and a light blue coat, and a small jacket like piece of clothing.
BANG
Amber jumped, having gasped in shock from the sudden noise. The door behind her had shut automatically.
Her heart pumped fast, breathing short and rapid. She heard something. She remembered the pony in the corner. She glanced back and took a step back. The pony had moved. She (from what Amber could tell) was sitting up, looking dead at her.
The pony stared. Amber could feel her eyes roaming over her, measuring her up as if she was a meal.
"H-Hey there..." Amber stuttered, swallowing hard, her throat dry. She felt herself shaking, even more so when the pony stood up, twitching like mad. What was this strange pony going to do her? Amber didn't want to find out.
The kooky looking pony widened her already creepy smile. The look in her eyes pierced Amber to the core.
"H-..Ha...Haha!.." The pony laughed softly, taking small, shaky steps closer.
That laugh. Amber knew it in a heartbeat. It was the one she had heard earlier.
"H-Hi...T-There..Little one.." She said, her voice strained and gritty, "H-..H-I am...SSSsss..Sc-crew L-Loose."
Amber took off her book bag, holding it in front of herself like a shield, wanting anything that could put distance between her and... Screw Loose. That was her name, but she was too prettified to care. She just wanted out. She wanted her daddy. But he didn't know she had snuck in here. Nopony did.
Screw Loose tilted her head slightly, staring at her book bag with a look of sickly curiosity.
Amber saw the gaze Screw Loose was giving her book-bag, "W-What is it?" She asked, barley an audible squeak.
Screw Loose suddenly moved forward and snatched what she had been eyeing. Mr. Nibbles.
"M-Mr. Nibbles...!" She whispered to herself, watching the blue pony hold the bandage covered plush. She wanted to run up and take him back, but she feared what would happen if she did.
Screw loose closed both eyes, smiling from ear to ear.
"Haha! M..Mr. NibblesssSSSsss!" The crazy-maned pony squealed, hugging the soft puppy tightly. Her eyes snapped open, fixing on Amber. The withered and rusted gears in her mind began to tick. The little filly in front of her did look startled. She had to fix that.
Amber watched as Screw Loose leaned down, holding Mr. Nibbles by his floppy little ears.
The blue pony began to move the puppy around, making him walk side to side, the walk more of a staggered shuffle of flailing legs.
Amber had concluded that this mare was nuts, that was easy. But she noticed something about this pony. While she was off of her rocker, she wasn't mean or threatening. She was like a filly, seemingly playful and at ease. Heck, she was nicer than some other colts and fillies she knew at school.
Amber cracked a soft smile as she watched Mr. Nibbles prance around at the hooves of Screwy. 'Yes, that nickname suits just fine' she thought.
Screwy cackled gingerly, looking up to the little filly. The soft smile giving her intent to continue on with her senseless mirth.
"F-Fun!" Screwy hooted, her eyes rolling up, some bandages on the plushy falling off from the onslaught of shakes and jerks. Buckles on her unbound jacket clanking in a chorus of sound. She soon stopped playing, dropping the pushy to the spongy floor.
Amber tilted her head, watching with a smile still. Her fear had fleeted from this mare before her.
Screwy leaned inward towards Amber, so close in fact, she could feel the pony's tepid breath on her face.
"C-Come t-..ta mo-..mommy." She murmured through her gritted, clenched teeth.
Amber raised a brow, taken aback by what she had just heard. She had heard her correctly...right?
"But, you're not m-," Is all Amber could get out before she was scooped up and pulled into a hug, which could've served as a death vise from how hard she was clutched. Amber knew it was a bit much, but maybe her new friend was just excited.
Screw Loose rocked back and forth with her, her grip loosened a bit, eyes shut.
"SHhHh... m-my...little..filly." She uttered in a soft, shaky voice. Soon, she released Amber, moving to the filly's book-bag. It laid on the floor not a hoof's reach away. She scooted swiftly to it. Hm, what could she entertain her with? She reached into the front pocket, hastily finding a small bouncy ball. Perfect.
Amber watched as her friend set the ball on the floor, giving it a jagged tap with her hoof. The ball rolled right to her.
"Oh, you wanna kick it around, Miss Loose?" Amber said with tender smile. It sounded like fun, better than having the life squeezed out of her.
Screwy nodded, her eyes twitching with focus as she sat impatiently, waiting for it to be returned to her.
Amber stepped back, giving the ball a firm kick. It flew at a low level, landing gracefully at the twitching pony's hooves.
Doctor Horse sighed, having taken a seat at his desk.
"Blasted paperwork, if some ponies knew how to do their jobs, maybe I wouldn't have to clean up after them..." He grumbled.
A glow enveloped his glasses, being lifted as he rubbed his forehead, a headache having took hold.
"I barley had time to even breathe, let alone watch Amber...wait...Amber!"
He stared up to the clock. 11:45 PM.
"A-And we got here at...Oh no, 45 minutes!" He shouts, throwing his lab coat to the corner. He galloped to the door, looking around frantically.
"Ugh! Where could she have gone?" His eyes scanned for any signs of Amber, no sign of the little filly. He looked at the Psychiatric ward. It was the closest place to the office, easy to check off. He ran to the double doors, opening them with haste.
The hallway was as he had always seen it, not a bit out of place. The doors were locked, and it was silent as could be.
He began to turn when his eyes caught something. The chair. Worry dried his throat as he made his way to the door, knowing full well who was housed in there. His heart beat in his chest, being quiet as could be. He peeked into the glass.
There, fast asleep, was Amber, sleeping as nothing was astray. But cuddled close was one of his patients. Screw Loose.
She had been at the hospital for as long as he could remember, the most troublesome as well. She was known to bite, kick, and lash out at hospital personnel. She was in a padded room for good reason.
Her daily episodes consisted of uttering nonsense and staying in the corner. She hated social interaction, and never made any task easy. With this prior knowledge, to see his daughter curled up next to her was nothing short of shocking.
"Amber..." He whispered. How was he going to get her out of there? When Screw Loose had received shots in the past, it took at least 2 guards to hold her down. Facing her alone was out of the question.
His hooves tapped the floor, anxiety building within him. He had to act.
He thought, his mind raced through possibilities, when one stood out. A speaker system was installed a few months ago, to limit physical interaction with Screw Loose, her aggressive nature made that option become a necessity.
Dr. Horse sneaked to the command desk, bending the Microphone towards himself. Having made sure he wasn't too loud, he pushed a small green button, a soft crackle coming from the speaker in the cell.
"Amber........Amber....."
Amber twitched her ears softly, her eyes fluttering open slowly.
"Amber........Amber....."
She rubbed her eyes, a soft yawn escaping her. "Daddy...?" Amber mumbled, looking around. She was still in the soft white room, and Miss Screw Loose was there next to her. She looked to her book-bag. It laid close by, all the zippers and pockets undone, her toys scattered around the room. Mr. Nibbles was sprawled out in the back, almost all of his bandages off.
Tap Tap Tap
Amber looked to the large window up front, seeing her father. He looked mad or upset, she couldn't tell.
"Daddy, I'm so-" Amber began.
Her father motioned a hoof over his lips, telling her to stay silent.
Why? Was she in danger? There wasn't anypony else in the room, just her and Screw Loose. She jumped softly, hearing the door make a clicking noise. It slowly cracked open, her father on the other side. He frantically motioned towards himself, clearly in some sort of panic.
Amber began her way to the door, soon out of the room. Her father slamming the heavy steel door shut.
Screw Loose jolted, her head snapping up. She scanned the room, noticing her filly was gone. No. Not again. She stood up with a loud bark, breathing heavily as she bucks the wall, stamping the ground as she let out a blood curdling shrill.
Amber's father let out a heavy sigh, looking to his daughter.
"Are you okay, sweetie?" He asked, leaning in to her, looking her over with vigor.
Amber scoffed, "Of course I am, but I don't think Miss Screwy is..." She said, her hoof pointed to the window, the sounds of shuffling and anger muffling out.
Her father nodded, staring to settle, "She isn't, Amber. She is very, very sick."
He tried to shuffle her away. Amber didn't move.
"What? No she's not, she's just... different." She says, a smile coming to her face.
Her father was clearly caught off guard, "She is... but." He started, though he remained silent. How could he explain such a complicated thing to a young pony such as her?
"She wasn't mean or anything, in fact, I had lots of fun!" Amber said with childish glee, "We played catch, had fun with Mr. Nibbles, and got to play house!"
Dr. Horse raised a brow.
"Tell me more..." He asked, something coming to mind.
"Well," She began, "First we played catch, just kicked it back and forth, Mr. Nibbles got to dance and keep-away, for house we played mommy and filly!"
"Mother and filly?" He said, not looking at her anymore, his focus fixed on Screw Loose, who was back in her corner, curled up tightly.
Amber nodded, "Yep! We played and rocked together, even got to get a piggy-back ride."
"I see..." He says, leaning back down to her, ruffling her mane with his hoof, "Well, I'm just glad you're okay, you had me worried sick!"
Amber frowned, looking down, "I know daddy..."
A hoof comes down to her chin, lifting it, her father frowning as well, "I should've kept a better eye on you, me being so busy could've gotten you hurt."
Her father kissed her forehead, "Come, we mustn't stay here for long." He mustered a smile, leading Amber to the double doors. He paused, taking a look over his shoulder to the one lighted cell, muffled cries coming from inside.
"Oops!" Amber giggled, a bit of melted ice cream dripping onto the dirt path beneath her. The sun was setting by now, their day at the hospital over, a quite eventful one none the less. She looked to her father, knowing he must've been thinking. He always wore a blank stare when he was.
"Whatcha thinking about?" She asked
Her father blinked a bit, lost in thought for a bit, "Hm?" He looked to her, "Oh, just... things."
"Liiiiiiike?" She prodded on.
"Well. Just about Miss Screw Loose." He said, looking away.
Amber knew it was something troubling, she could feel it.
"You can tell me about it, I promise not to tell!" She announces, puffing her chest out with pride.
"It's not that I don't trust you, I just don't know if you'll understand." He says, a sigh followed.
"Pfft! I can!" Amber said, taking a bite out of her cone, "I know her well, so I'll understand."
Her father laughed softly, Amber almost taking offense to it.
"You don't know her, sweetie." He said with a smile on his face, knowing full well what kinda pony Screw Loose was.
"Try me."
Amber stops walking, staring up to her father.
He sighs, turning to face her, "Do you know why she acted like you were her filly?"
"Because we were playing house!" Amber blurted out.
Her father shook his head, "You were. She wasn't." He looks his daughter in the eyes, bring her close to him as he sits, "Miss Screw Loose lost her little filly. Her daughter passed in a freak accident. She never forgave herself and she lost her way. That's why she is... funny."
Amber looked down in silence, not knowing what to say.
Her father continued, "After thinking about it for sometime, I do believe she took kindly to you because... she thought you were her lost filly."
Amber looked to her father, then to the ground, her mind tilling through her thoughts.
"That isn't a bad thing is it?.."
He didn't know how to answer, sighing as he contemplated an answer.
Amber brought a hoof to her eye, rubbing it softly, "I mean, she was really nice and seemed happy. That's a good thing."
"It is, but... you can't help her. She isn't mentally healthy. She's insane." Her father rubbed her back comfortingly.
Amber wouldn't hear it. She recoiled away hastily.
"Maybe to her we are the crazy ones," She said, taking an offended stance as she steadied herself, "Being isolated and handled like a a criminal, all because you lost some pony you loved." Amber put a hoof on her father's leg, looking up at him with beaming eyes. "Daddy. I know bandages and medicine can heal a lot... but she's hurt on the inside. And me playing her filly... maybe that's what she needs."
Her father stood still, looking to her with pity in his eyes, his head starting to to nod slowly. He couldn't deny how complacent Screw Loose was with his daughter's company, the fact she had even lasted five minutes alone was impressive.
Amber moved and quickly took her father into a hug, nuzzling her face into his leg.
Dr. Horse closed his eyes as he took a reflective look on the whole situation. Had he really been numbed to such a level? He saw his patient, the one who puts all their trust into him, as nothing more than a case number, a animal. No more.
"A-Alright, Amber. Next time you come to work with me... I'll let you see Miss Screw Loose. Okay?"
Amber gasped softly, fire in her eyes, "You really mean it?"
Her father nodded, a smile forming, "I promise, cross my heart."
Amber hugged him once again, the two sitting the silence of the moment for some time. Eventually, she let go, both of them setting off for home once more.
"I can't wait to tell mom about today!" Amber announced, starting to skip.
"Please don't." Her father interrupted, "I have enough crazy mares to begin with."
