Jay's crystal blue eyes were wide open and staring at the ceiling. It was nearly midnight and he hadn't gotten a single moment of sleep. The pressure from what he would be faced with tomorrow eagerly pecked at his mind, making his reason melt into panic. He desperately tried to stay still and quiet for the sake of the blue mare beside him. The only reason he found himself drift into sleep was the knowledge that if he did not sleep he would not have any energy.

The next morning, the alarm beside the bed rang a familiar tune that woke him up slightly. Jay kept his eyes closed as he reached his hoof behind himself, feeling around the table. He finally felt the hard plastic of the alarm and smacked the snooze button.

Cotton, his wife, also began to stir. She was a sky blue pegasus with an extremely long, extremely curly pink mane and tail. She put her hoof on his shoulder and gently shook him into complete attention. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and stared back at her.

"You're going to work early today," she pointed out sweetly. Her soft, pink eyes blinked innocently as she awaited a response.

"Yeah..." Jay rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. He was unsure whether he should tell her that he really wasn't just 'needed at the station', but he decided it wasn't really important. He needed to look presentable and be ready for anything if he was going anywhere today. "I should get ready..."

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Twist was woken up by a kind 'nurse' who told her she would be going to school. It seemed normal enough, but as she thought about it, it began to feel weird. It had just been found out that her mother was "abusive" and they didn't consider letting her take some time off of school? Not that she didn't like school, but she was just wondering why.

Twist was quick in getting ready for school. She slung the saddle bag over her back and approached the door. She was confronted with the realization that she didn't know what she should do. Did she stay in the room and wait or leave and tell the 'nurse'? She inhaled deeply and decided to go through the door.

Twist was pleased to see that she had chosen correctly. The 'nurse' was sitting a few feet away from the door, waiting patiently for her. He stood up and walked over to her with a warm smile.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked.

"Yep!" Twist beamed brightly.

The 'nurse' walked Twist to school for safety purposes. He was grayish blue with a dark gray mane and tail that looked elegant and fancy. To further add to his lavish appearance, he also had a bowtie and golden bands on his legs. He was on the verge of soft-spoken and just modest and had a hint of Canterlot in his accent.

They approached the school with foals playing and talking in the schoolyard. The 'nurse' bid her farewell (even though she didn't really know what that meant) and returned to the 'hospital'. Twist walked into the schoolyard and saw Button Mash, Rumble, Snips, and Snails talking to each other.

Twist was sure she could see a bit of orange and purple behind Rumble. She approached the group of colts and greeted them. She was caught off guard by the orange and purple behind Rumble turning into Scootaloo.

"Scoots!" Twist cried as she leaped up to hug the filly. "It's been so long-- kinda!"

Scootaloo shoved Twist away, knocking her to the ground. "Why didn't you come see me when I got released from the hospital!? I was expecting you to be there!" As she yelled at the pale filly, Twist could swear she saw tears welling in her eyes.

"I've been through an ordeal of my own..." Twist replied meekly.

"What is it then?!" Scootaloo growled, implying she doubted her friend.

"It's... hard to explain." She got to her hooves and brushed herself off. "What's happened since I've last seen you?" Twist desperately tried to change the subject.

Scootaloo realized that this filly standing before her had aided her in getting revenge on Diamond Tiara. She was her true friend. She wasn't like the CMC, they were babies. Twist was Scootaloo's only friend and partner. With this sudden realization of how much of a jerk she was being, Scootaloo went along with the subject change. "Well... I'll have to tell you somewhere else." She nodded toward the colts.

Snips and Snails, who had been introduced to the true Scootaloo only a week or two ago, still had the idea of Scootaloo's rage fresh in their young minds. They shared a glance that showed their equal fear and they bolted. Rumble and Button Mash were confused at first, but then they saw the look in Scootaloo's eyes. It was the look of a murderer with no empathy. This momentary stare was enough to get them to rush away as well.

"Now that they are out of the way..." Scootaloo proceeded to explain every detail to Twist. She included the plan of why she wanted to meet Jay in the hospital with Asher and why she wanted Twist to come along.

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Diamond Tiara was in the opposite corner of the schoolyard. Once she saw Scootaloo arrive, her mind was overrun with anguish and panic. Silver Spoon had followed along nervously as Diamond backed into the corner.

"What's wrong, Diamond Tia-"

"DON'T call me that anymore." The pink filly interrupted. "And what's wrong is that- that freak!" Diamond pointed a hoof at Scootaloo.

The orange filly noticed Diamond, though, and shot her a malicious grin. The grin was like medusa's stare and Diamond's foreleg dropped and her neck craned to look away.

In a whisper almost inaudible, Silver Spoon replied: "Scootaloo? Did she...?"

The very subtle nod of Diamond's head notified Silver Spoon of all she needed to know. She wanted to scream and call the police, but Diamond had already told her the threat. It was frustrating to see such a terrible crime go unpunished. It was disgusting.

"Hiya, Diamond Tiara!" Twist abruptly appeared in front of the two rich foals. She put extra emphasis on "Tiara" to make sure she rubbed salt in that wound. "How's it hangin'?"

"What's up with you?" Silver Spoon's tone went from concerned and horrified to snobby in an instant. "Go away!"

"I'm just being courteous!" Twist replied in a whiny voice. She threw her nerdy, self-conscious demeanor out the window and was now trying her hardest to be annoying. "I thought we were friends!"

Diamond was too alert around the color orange to not notice Scootaloo behind Twist. They were friends. This meant Diamond couldn't trust Twist either.

"Please, leave me alone!" Diamond whimpered as she curled up in a ball. "I'm sorry!"

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Asher wasn't completely able to talk, but he could at least communicate. He had been filled in over the phone by Jay what horrible crime he had been accused of. Though he was disturbed beyond belief and angry that Scootaloo was not dead, he refused to blame Jay. Still, frustration prickled under his blue coat.

Asher was in a secured hospital for inmates and when he was recovered he would be put in jail. The only problem with that-- other than the obvious point of being in jail at all-- was that cops were not treated too nice in jail. He was not ready to spend a minimum of 5 years in a jail cell with Bubba because of a deranged foal. He could count on the court case, but there wasn't good enough evidence. Nopony would believe him if he said Scootaloo was a murderer!

Asher was also informed by Jay that he would be getting a very late visit. When he asked about who would be coming on the visit, Jay said it would be him and Scootaloo and... Then he hung up. He was used to Jay doing that, though.

At the other hospital, Asher had met a nurse who was named Upbeat. She was very beautiful and when he tried to explain that he was being framed she said she believed him. It was a nice feeling to see at least one pony in Equestria believed him. He was pleasantly surprised to see that she volunteered at the secured prison.

Asher was mentally preparing himself for the "visit" and it proved to be hard. Telling himself over and over You can do this, Asher! You're way stronger and smarter than a stupid filly! didn't properly make him confident.

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Jay brushed out his already soft fur for the fifth time this afternoon. He didn't think it needed to be brushed, but he needed something to keep himself busy. He was lost in thought about the previous events with that foal.

Jay wondered if she had noticed his brief freak-out or just dismissed it as "whatever". He would have to keep his emotions to a minimum if he was going to stop Scootaloo. Still, the way she acted was like a demon in a foal's body. This was disgusting but true. Every time she stepped in his general direct made him want to take three steps back.

Jay recalled how she had asked about his cutie mark before asking him to "visit". Then he was shot with a memory of the case file Asher had shown him when explaining the crimes Scootaloo had committed. The filly that had her cutie marks cut off. This thought sent a surge of fear down his spine.

Cotton walked past the bathroom and caught a glimpse of Jay rubbing his cutie mark. She backed up and sat next to Jay with a loving smile. He sat up straight and smiled slightly embarrassed. Her pink eyes were innocent, but he knew she was silently screaming "WHAT THE HELL?!" She often made that same face when he did something paranoid or insane.

"If you see me on the ne-"

Jay was caught off guard by Cotton putting her hoof to his mouth. "Since you've told me this speech a million times, how about I tell it to you?" Her voice was sweet but blatantly sarcastic.

Jay forced a weak chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I do say it a lot." He stood up. "Anyways, you know the drill. See ya later."

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"Mind your manners, Twist." Scootaloo reminded as she walked down the street with Twist by her side. "We have to be innocent little fillies until the very moment we get what I need."

"Not that I need anything to be happy to help, but is there anything I could get out of this?" Twist inquired.

"You can have a pure white feather that you can say came from an angel," Scootaloo shrugged.

"Wouldn't it be stained red?" Twist pointed out.

"I supposed it would." They turned a corner and could see the secured hospital in the distance. "We're almost there!" Scootaloo sang.

Once inside the secured hospital, the fillies saw Jay seated in the waiting area. Twist couldn't help was stare at how he seemed to glow. Shining Armor was white, but he wasn't radiant. Scootaloo nudged Twist to attention and they approached Jay.

"You're here. I expected you to pussy out." Scootaloo smirked.

"Let's just get this over with," he stood up and walked up to the desk. He signed them in and they began walking down a hallway. "So that filly I saved is your plus one?" Jay didn't bother to look back at the fillies as he walked ahead of them.

"Yeah, we're actually very close friends." Twist shared a brief malicious grin with Scootaloo. "Oh, and thanks for 'saving' me."

Jay rolled his eyes and opened a door. He made extra sure that he was at least three or four feet away from Scootaloo at all times. He wasn't even doing it purposely, it was an unconscious movement. The three ponies gathered into the room, Twist and Scootaloo on one side and Jay on the other.

Jay's eyes never left Scootaloo, monitoring every movement she made. He was going to prevent whatever attack she planned on doing. Asher sat up in the extremely comfortable hospital bed and gave Scootaloo a smug look. She abruptly stood up and walked over to the open door and closed it.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jay fluttered to his hooves and stepped toward Scootaloo.

"Being courteous." Scootaloo locked the door and grinned.

Author's Note

Don't worry, this won't be some 46 chapter long story that takes a year to finish. Even though it seems like it's that way already...