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"Friday, August 22. Princess Twilight Sparkle overseeing patient 1212078. Pinkamena Diane Pie, a.k.a Pinkamena, a.k.a Pinkie. Good morning, Pinkie." Those opening lines were a lot easier for Twilight this time. The entire environment in the room was a lot better than last time. Pinkamena wasn't in a straitjacket, merely cuffs on all four of her hooves, and the muzzle was gone. She was wearing a normal t-shirt and orange pants, and it even seemed like her mane was washed, giving it that magenta color Twilight remembered. The big thing was her eyes. The blue orbs sparkled in front of the Alicorn princess, bringing back memories of nights the two would spend with their other friends, laughing and joking. Twilight smiled at that thought. Those were better times.

"It's Pinkie again? What happened to 'Miss Pie'?" The pink mare asked, a brow raising. Twilight smiled, brushing a strand of her mane back with a hoof.

"Well, after what you said, I decided you were right. We've been friends for so long, there's no reason I shouldn't keep calling you Pinkie," Twilight said, taking off her crown and necklace and setting them on the floor. "Even though I need to ask you these questions, I'd rather do it looking how you remember me. Looking like your friend. You do remember that, right?" Pinkamena's eyes widened. Of course she remembered how Twilight looked. She could never forget. Even during their first session, Pinkamena still marveled at her former friend's beauty.

Pinkie knew right from the beginning how she felt about Twilight, the minute she saw her trot into Ponyville overseeing the Summer Sun Celebration. The gasp Pinkie had uttered was played off as Twilight simply being a new face, but in reality, it was Pinkie's shock at how beautiful the lavender unicorn was. Since then, Pinkie had pined from afar. That was a safer option than risking her friendship with Twilight. Then, the ascension happened, and that was when it all started to fall apart. Twilight's ascension brought more unseen problems for the pink pony than she admitted. Her friends didn't need to know, it was her problem. Mostly with her family. They were an old fashioned sort, being rock farmers, but they did get major news, and they'd heard about Twilight's ascension. While her parents had no problem with Celestia and Luna, the Solar and Lunar Monarchs were ruling when her parents were young, they did have a problem with Twilight now being a Princess, and Princess of Friendship no less. Pinkie had gotten many a strong worded, angry letter from her father about that. Those letters began the break in her mind, with her parents constantly pressuring her to return to the rock farm, stating That upstart unicorn friend of yours has taken a position that she gained through an accident. What would she need you and the others for now that she's princess?

Those words always rubbed Pinkie wrong, with her parents insinuating that Twilight was still too green to be Princess or even worse, that she employed 'unsavory means' to make Celestia ascend her. Of course, the events that led her to the asylum made her think differently in a few of those spots. But, the one thing she never thought differently about was how she felt about Twilight. Even locked up in the asylum, Pinkie still cared for the Alicorn, albeit in a rather twisted way. She cared for Twilight's safety and true self. Her time in the asylum had made her realize that Celestia didn't care about anyone but herself, if she would so casually just lock up one of the Elements of Harmony instead of putting her on trial and discovering the root of her crimes. But no, no trial and while White Tail Asylum was being built, Pinkie was kept in an isolated cell in Canterlot, denyed of friends and loved ones.

It was in that cell that one thing went through Pinkie's mind, and that was that Twilight's time was limited. Soon, Celestia would see Twilight as a threat to her rule, there was no doubt. It had already happened once, with Luna. Yes, she was Nightmare Moon at the time, but that wasn't the reason Celestia banished her to the moon, no matter how much Celestia said it was. No, the reason was that Luna was a threat to her rule. The reason was because she knew, as Nightmare Moon, Luna would be a better ruler than her, and Celestia couldn't have that. So, she used the Elements of Harmony selfishly. She banished her sister. That's why she taught Twilight so hard, Celestia could NEVER use the Elements again, after banishing Luna. But, Celestia never intended for Twilight to ascend to Princess, to become an alicorn. She'd always had the notion that Twilight would stay as her student, and as one of the bearers of the Elements. But, then Twilight ascended, Twilight became Princess, and that meant that she was now a CREDIBLE THREAT to Celestia's rule. Which is why Celestia revealed the Friendship Map, in an effort to get Twilight to be focused on Friendship Lessons. What she wasn't prepared for, was how much MORE popularity Twilight would gain from other ponies. So much popularity, that in smaller circles, many ponies were discussing Twilight succeeding Celestia. That is something Celestia WOULD NOT tolerate.

These thoughts running through Pinkie's mind, she nodded in response to Twilight's question. "Yeah. Of course I remember how you looked. I remember how we were friends. I never really forgot," Pinkie said. Twilight smiled, sliding the clipboard in front of her, and levitating the quill with her magic.

"So, how did you sleep?" Twilight asked.

"Pretty well," Pinkie said, placing her front hooves on top of the table. "I've gotten better at sleeping on a VERY hard cot with no blanket." Twilight wrote that down, with a look of disapproval on her face.

"Define 'hard'. Like, there's no softness at all, or not enough?" she asked.

"It's like sleeping on a stone slab."

Twilight gasped, her quill almost stopping hearing that. She knew that the Asylum had some problems, but that was unexpected. "Every night, when I lay down to sleep, I think that maybe the cot will give and I'll get a good night's sleep, but every night it's the same. Pure stiffness. But, again, I've gotten better at sleeping on it," Pinkie said. Twilight couldn't believe what she was hearing. Pinkie had spent all this time here, and she wasn't even sleeping on a proper bed? No wonder she was all trussed up the first session.

"Pinkie, I am so sorry. I-If you want, I could get you a better bed," Twilight said. Pinkie shook her head. The last thing she needed was Twilight expressing concern for her in front of Celestia.

"Don't worry about it, Twilight. I'm fine," she said. Twilight sighed, but wrote it down.

"Did you have any dreams last night?" she asked. Pinkie nodded.

"I did. It was..different this time. I found myself in a bright, white void. I wasn't shackled or anything, but for some reason, I couldn't move. I was stuck in place, stuck in that bright void, and it started to become even brighter, so bright it began to burn my eyes. Just when it seemed like it'd burn my eyes out, this...magenta light seemed to chase the brightness away and protected me. Soon, the bright white disappeared and I was bathed in the magenta light. Then I woke up," she said. Twilight stopped writing halfway. This dream was even more baffling than her first one, and even seemed to reawaken butterflies that Twilight had thought were banished long ago.

Twilight would never admit it to anypony, but she always felt something special for Pinkie Pie. She wasn't sure when it started. It may have been when she'd learned about Pinkie's 'Pinkie Sense'. When Twilight had discovered this strange aspect to her friend, it had made her see Pinkie in a new light. Where she first saw her friend as simply a silly party planner, after the 'Pinkie Sense' situation, Twilight could see layers to her friend. Soon, those layers grew to reveal the intricate, beautiful painting that was Pinkie Pie, and Twilight began to fall for her. But, there was no way she could admit that, especially not when she became Princess of Friendship. So, she was resigned to pining from afar. It's why she seemed so interested in Flash Sentry at Canterlot High, she needed something to get her mind off of Pinkie. But, then Pinkie's crime happened, and everything became about the pink pony. Under orders by Princess Celestia, Twilight had to look into the details of her friend's crime, becoming once again consumed by the feelings for her friend.

Needless to say, hearing about Pinkie's new dream brought those feelings back with a vengeance. "W-What do you think the dream could mean," Twilight asked, trying to keep her shaking voice level.

"Not sure. I'm not Princess Luna. Speaking of which, what were the questions she wanted to ask?" Pinkie asked.

"How'd you know that Luna had questions?"

"She came to my cell last week and told me."
Twilight didn't know this. Granted, Princess Luna had no reason to disclose everything she did to Twilight, but she would have at least liked SOME notice.

"Well, one of her questions was..do you feel remorse?"

"Do I feel remorse for my actions? That's her question? Well, to answer it, no. I don't. The results have worked too well for me to feel ANY sort of remorse. I'd do it again if it would result in Celestia questioning things and the other ponies beginning to expand their minds. Which leads me to you, Twilight. After our last session, did you..experience anything? Any thoughts that you can't quite comprehend? Any questions that you can't find the answers to?" the pink mare asked, intrigued by the look of incredulity on Twilight's face.

"Well, a few, yes. For one, I've been more...curious about this 'real world' you talked about. I want to learn more, I really do, but there's just no place I can get information on it," Twilight said. Pinkie glowered.

"There is a place, Twilight. The Restricted Section of the Canterlot Library," she said.

"Pinkie, there is no Restricted Section. Princess Celestia would have told me," the lavender Alicorn said.

"There are some things that not even CELESTIA would disclose to you, Twi. Trust me, there IS a Restricted Section. Look for the eclipse and you'll find it, and in the Restricted Section, you'll find EVERYTHING! Celestia knows more about the real world than she lets on," she said. The door to the interview room opened, and the orderlies entered.

"Princess, we need to take her back to her cell," they said. Twilight was about to nod, when she noticed Pinkie's face. Clearly, her friend had something else she wanted to get out.

"Could I just have one more minute?" she asked. The orderlies sighed, but nodded, closing the door. Pinkie sighed.

"Thanks, Twi," she said, before launching herself at the Princess. Twilight let out a yelp, before feeling Pinkie's lips crash against hers. The kiss was frantic and ravenous, with slight moans from Twilight and growling from Pinkie. Ending with a bite to Twilight's bottom lip, Pinkie pulled back.

"Sorry. I've been holding that in since we started today," she said. Twilight said nothing, as the orderlies came back in and pulled Pinkie off of Twilight. Strapping the pink mare back onto a gurney, Pinkie turned her eyes back to Twilight once more. "Remember what I said, Twi. Look for the eclipse in the Library, and you'll find the Restricted Section." Then, the orderlies wheeled her out. Twilight sat in silence in the interview room, lifting a hoof up to her lips. Pinkie's taste still lingered there. A mix of bubble gum and cotton candy, just as Twilight always thought. Gathering up her clipboard and quill, and putting her crown and necklace back on, Twilight exited the interview room and headed for the door of the asylum, with a smile on her face and a dreamy look in her eyes.

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Author's Note

Ah! The beginnings of Mad Love. Next chapter will be seeing some cameo's from the other girls, and then Twilight heading to Canterlot Library. Yes, 'Forgotten Friendship' did influence that 'Restricted Section' plot point, but it'll be a bit different here than it was there. Stay tuned!