Chapters The Canterlot Home for the Mentally Deranged
Sunset Shimmer had really gone and screwed up this time. After the mayhem that erupted from her transforming into a She-Demon and enslaving the entire student body in an insane attempt to conquer Equestria, she knew that she would have a massive target painted on her back for the teachers at Canterlot High. She had been responsible for countless amounts of property damage, not to mention the immense amounts of lawsuits that would be fired their way due to the abuse dealt to the students. As a repercussion, Sunset was given all of the blame and was not only stripped of her title as Princess of the Fall Formal, but was also pretty much expelled from school altogether. Even with her begging and pleading to keep her place at campus, the decision had already been made by that point. She was to pack her bags and leave the campus for good.
She was not taking it well. After two months of life away from school, she was a wreck, physically and emotionally. She had lost a considerable amount of weight and appeared disheveled and sickly. She did eat but in meager amounts due to her need to save food for when she really needed to eat. This didn't help the fragile state of mind she had amassed, which resulted in her constantly muttering to herself about how much of a loser she had become. These rambling were a mixture of anger and regret towards the students that had stopped her during her supposed master plan. As time went on, she was frequently heard by her neighbors crying hysterically in her apartment, rambling about Twilight Sparkle and frequent outbursts of rage at herself, which resulted in room being trashed to the point of it being unrecognizable. Furniture torn apart, stains peppering her room, and claw marks all over the place.
Inevitably, a fractured mental state of this magnitude would result in negative side-effects. With this violent hysteria came mental instability. The first signs were from nightmares about specters stalking her around every corner, not seeming to wish her harm, but just to talk. Unfortunately, when they did get the chance to talk, all that they stated were poisonous remarks that pierced her like icy wounds to her heart. Due to this abuse, she would always wake up shrieking at the top of her lungs in a cold sweat. As the days crept slowly by, she would eventually just forfeit sleeping entirely, just spending the nights rocking back and forth in her bed hugging her pillow while muttering to herself about how everything was going to be okay even though everything was the polar opposite of okay.
As the days slowly crept on to weeks, then months and then years, this strain did not make itself any looser around Sunset's proverbial neck. Her mood swings became a lot more erratic with more intense reactions to certain things. For example, when she would be conversing with a random stranger, she could feel sudden bouts of happiness followed by intense fits of sadness or anger. In time these would become overwhelming for her to have to deal with, which severely weakened her grasp on reality. Then, it happened, she experienced an extreme psychotic break. This resulted in her dialing random numbers on her cell phone, babbling incoherently, and then hanging up and repeating the process over and over and over again. She imagined seeing her classmates all around her ridiculing her for even the minutest of things and would respond with crying and more rambling. This then escalated to her calling Principal Celestia, and shrieking about how the "earthen denizens from beyond the nebulon quadrant" were going to swallow them all whole. When the kind-hearted Principal tried to get a word in order to lighten the mood, it actually made things so much worse, with Sunset crying about how her imaginary friends wouldn't stop judging her for what she did. She then told her to never call this number angain and then promptly hung up. Pretty soon, she had the entire apartment complex in a panic due to her abnormal behavior. One of the residents just happened to be Nurse Redheart, who was used to dealing with this sort of behavior. She told the others to stay in the lobby while she dealt with the situation.
As she quickly and calmly approached Sunset Shimmer's apartment building, she could hear a low-pitched thud along the wall of the room. She then inspected the area, which was eroded with a rather foul odor, similar to blood. Immediately fearing that the worst had occurred, Redheart put herself into high gear and made her way toward the door. She knocked on the door, asking the occupant to please open it so she could come inside. When she failed to garner a response from the other side of the door, she knocked again, only to see that it was not only unlocked, but had just fallen from its hinges. With all of the force being exerted on it, it didn't take much for it to collapse. Once it did, she made her way into the room, and was baffled by what she saw.
Inside the apartment, where the low-pitched noise had been heard, was a single splatter of blood. The spot in the wall had a hole in it, with the floor leaving a trail towards the bedroom. As Redheart gulped nervously, she slowly and methodically opened the door, only to see Sunset sitting on the bed staring right at her. Her head was soaked in blood, along with her sporting vacant wide-eyes, and a maniacal grin on her face. She began rocking back and forth while continuing to maintain eye contact with Redheart laughing quietly and insanely to herself. Red heart, fortunately knew how to handle this, as she carefully made her way towards the bed, trying not to provoke the unhinged teenager before her. She then pulled out a vial of tranquilizer, applied it to a needle and quickly injected Sunset in the neck with it. As Sunset fell into unconsciousness, Redheart assured her that where they were going, everything would be all right.
Author's Note
This is a little side-story to what I am working on next. This isn't a prologue. Just a little side-story. I hope that everyone enjoyed this. I will be working on this story every other week for the entire summer.
Hope you guys and gals are ready for quite the experience.
The Canterlot Home for the Mentally Deranged
Prologue: A Once-In-A-Lifetime Opportunity
This was not one of her better days. Adagio Dazzle, freshman, hopefully, soon-to-be sophomore at Canterlot University, was looking at a package that she was shakily holding in her hands. Even though she had not opened it yet, she knew what was inside. This package, held what could seal her fate at this academy. It was her final report card, which not only showed the results of her time at the school, but also stated if she could continue staying here. Her face swelled with anxiety, as she timidly opened the envelope. Inside, was a yellow slip of paper and an envelope with a sticky note on the middle.
"Look at the yellow sheet first" was inscribed on the note , with an almost condescending tone about it. With trepidation in her eyes and butterflies in her stomach, Adagio unfolded the yellow piece of paper. Upon seeing it, her stomach did a nose-dive, most of her grades were lousy, with F's in everything other than in her Psychology class which she had made an A in. She had obviously made an A in this class, because this was the one course she had shown effort in. After reading the entire thing she then went for the envelope. It said:
Dear Adagio Dazzle,
Due to rather atrocious grades from your classes for both semesters, you will be relinquished of your scholarships here. When we accept students to this academy, we expect at least decent grades, not the dumpster-fire that you have left. Even with exceptional marks in both of your psychology courses, this is not enough to continue funding for you. You have thoroughly disappointed me today, and I hope that you finally understand what is in store for you in the future if you keep this up. I am tired of giving you second chances, no more. This is the only way for you to see what it means to utterly fail. I hope you are ready to face the consequences. Your atrocious behavior, not just academically, but socially as well, will not be tolerated. You cannot just start shouting matches with everyone you see. This is a recipe for disaster for you. I hope you are pleased with yourself. Sincerely, Headmaster Cinch
Adagio was beyond petrified, breathing heavily, her face contorted in panic.
"This cannot be happening. THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs. She needed that money, if she did not have it, she would be kicked out. Then she would become homeless, just like her sister Aria. Aria, who thought that she was better than everyone else, abandoned her and Sonata to fend for themselves, thinking that she was about to become rich due to becoming the wife of BlueBlood, the wealthiest man in Canterlot. however, after 4 years of marriage, BlueBlood suddenly grew bored of her and got rid of her. Now, whenever Adagio would pass Jezebel Terrace, she would often see the very frail, weeping form of Aria, hunched over near the shopping mall, begging for money.
"No, that cannot be how this ends for me." Adagio said, refusing to live out her life like Aria. Sonata, after seven long and painful years, had a mental breakdown and had to be shipped off somewhere Adagio did not know of. This had shaken Adagio to her core, as Sonata had always been so bubbly and happy, and was now, well, she did not know where Sonata had gone. She missed Sonata greatly, always praying that, wherever she was, she was all right.
Later, Adagio was getting ready to head too Manehattan to hopefully be able to stay with a friend for the summer, due to losing not just her dorm, but her apartment as well. As she got her things in order, she heard a knock at her door.
"Who is it?" Adagio said with an air of annoyance in her voice. No response came, other than the non-coherent chatter of students as they passed by, probably talking about what their futures would be like at this campus.
"Aren't they lucky?" Adagio hissed, with vitriol in her voice. This began to bubble up into anger, until she finally exploded.
"They have no problems in school. They get all the benefits, all the respect. They sure as hell aren't getting stupid fucking letters from that stupid old headmaster. WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS? I SHOULD HAVE GOOD GRADES! I SHOULD HAVE ALL THE FRIENDS AND MONEY AND IMPORTANCE THAT I COULD EVER ASK FOR! I SHOULD BE THE LUCKY ONE! THIS IS ALL MY MOTHER-FUCKING FAULT!" Adagio shouted.
As her anger subsided, it morphed to sadness. Adagio wept bitterly, not being able to contain herself.
"Now I'm either going to be homeless, like Aria, or shipped off to some shelter. I'm a total waste of a human being."
She was interrupted again by a series of knocks on her door. Very annoyed, she ran to the door, and furiously swung it open. There was no one there. However, there was a letter for her, but unlike the unsavory shade of yellow Headmaster Cinch used, this envelope was business-oriented, with a plain white coloration. With apparent curiosity, she bent down to open it.
Dear Adagio Dazzle,
It has come to our attention that you are in desperate need for not just money, but a place you can call home. Well, have we got the opportunity for you. We have received good reception from a Mrs. Crystal Buttermilk. She talked nonstop about your talents with the mind. You, in our eyes, are a prodigy. We have never seen observations so accurate. Field reports so chock full of information. It left all of us speechless. Therefore, we just could not bear to let talent like this go to waste. You see, you are being awarded with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help us advance in the understanding of the mind and what it takes to put a broken mind back together. We invite you to work and live at the Canterlot Home for the Mentally Deranged as thanks for attaining talents such as yours. Enclosed is $80 and my phone number in case you wish to contact me if you have accepted my offer. I cannot wait to see the leaps in the field of psychology that we can accomplish together.
Sincerely,
Nurse Redheart
Adagio did not answer at first, being overcome by tears, but unlike the tears shed during the earlier tirade, these were tears of joy, appreciation, and gratitude towards Redheart for the miracle that had been delivered to her doorstep. She ran out of the dorm with the letter in hand, happiness pouring from her entire body.
As she waited at the taxi stop, she was excitedly dialing the phone number listed on the invitation. If what she was seeing was true, she could kiss her worries about money and having a place to live goodbye. She then dialed the numbers, and put the phone up to her ear.
"This is the Canterlot Home for the Mentally Deranged, Nurse Redheart speaking." Nurse Redheart said with a motherly tone in her voice.
"Hello, this is Adagio Dazzle, I wanted to ask if I could take you up on your offer."
Author's Note
Hope you enjoyed this chapter of the story. I know it's slow, but the juicy stuff is coming next time. Chapter 1 will be published tomorrow. See you guys then.
BTW, in case anyone asks, Adagio is living in the Home because another wing of the Home is a homeless shelter.
The Canterlot Home for the Mentally Deranged
"I am very excited that you decided to accept our offer." Nurse Redheart said very eagerly as she drove to the street corner where Adagio had requested them to meet. It was a rather gloomy day, with rain pouring over the landscape, giving it a rather murky air to it. Redheart, herself being quite the exceptional psychiatrist, was eagerly waiting for who she hoped could advance to become her protégé. Adagio, talking a mile a minute,
"You have no idea how much this means to me. I was almost getting prepared to just accept that I was going to be homeless and miserable for the rest of my life. This is a dream come true for me. I had no idea that the place also doubled as a homeless shelter." Adagio said as Redheart was approaching the place. A couple of left turns later, Redheart had made it, where Adagio was waiting patiently.
"Oh, there you are, I will hang up now. Do you see the white Cadillac to your left?" Redheart proclaimed. Adagio, after putting the cell phone back in her bag, heard the horn emanating from said Cadillac. Adagio, with a beaming grin on her face, approached the vehicle with great anticipation. She then got to the vehicle, opened the now-unlocked door and jumped inside.
"Oh my god! I cannot believe that I am getting to do this. I have always been such an avid researcher of psychology." Adagio said with tons of anticipation on her face. Psychology had been her favorite course, which resulted in the exceptional grades she got in those classes. She was very gifted with the knowledge of the mind which she had yearned to learn after her sister, Sonata's mental breakdown after the Dazzlings disbanded. Once she had learned the courses, she had wanted to see her sister again, in hopes of figuring out what had triggered her degradation into insanity. For all of the years, she had used to search for her, she had made little progress. Now, finally, after all this time, she would not only be able to use this opportunity in order to make her life a hell of a lot easier, with the constant supply of money, food, and had having quite the place as a shelter for her, she would also be able to secure the research and knowledge to uncover what had happened to Sonata all that time ago.
"Now I am just going to warn you right here right now, the patients housed in this place e can get a little jumpy when it comes to new members of our little family." Redheart said, with a tinge of worry on her face.
"They do not seem to like it when things change all of a sudden, it breaks their focus. It is also liable to make them agitated." Redheart concluded.
"Oh, you will not need to worry about my safety. There will probably be nothing to worry about. I have used almost 4 years of study in order to do something like this. I am sure as hell not going to waste it just sitting around and crying over my misfortunes like a certain sister of mine did." Adagio interjected with a look of displeasure on her face at the mentioning of her sister. She did not like to mention her good-for-nothing older sister, Aria Blaze, who had squandered their efforts in order to achieve fame only for herself. This rash decision had resulted in her life rapidly spiraling out of control until she had become homeless and destitute, struggling to eat even the simplest of meals. Her arrogance had ruined her life, and the same type of arrogance had almost ruined Adagio's life too, had it not been for this golden window of opportunity that had come to knock on her door. This was her way of showing up her snobbish sister who thought that she was superior to everyone else, even her other sisters. With this opportunity, maybe she would earn huge profits from this and be able to prove to Aria that she really did not know anything about them at all
"As a breath of relief for you, not all of the patients living at the facility are dangerous. Actually, most of them are quite harmless around the staff and others. We keep the dangerous ones away from the others. You, fortunately, will probably not have to deal with them during your time here. You can see them if you request it, but we will not force you to do so." Redheart exclaimed, with an air of sheer passion and appreciation for the safety of her fellow employees.
"Do not worry, I will be fine. With everything that I have learned through class and from what I intend to gain from this experience, I promise that I will be more than ready to accomplish this task, you have my word." Adagio proclaimed with a look of sincerity and triumph on her face. She knew that with this miracle, she would be able to carve out her future with no setbacks to get in the way. This would enable her to be able to finally find her long-lost sister and be able to reclaim the years they had lost.
"Alright, new girl, here we are. Welcome to the Canterlot Home for the Mentally Deranged". Redheart said with a beaming smile on her face. The shining metal gates of the gigantic complex opened up, and Adagio proceeded to take her eager first steps toward what she hoped was a more lucrative career and a better life ahead of her.
Author's Note
Sorry for the slow chapter, I'm trying to take this story one step at a time. Chapter 2 will be published either tomorrow or Saturday.
Hope you guys enjoy what I've come up with so far. This chapter is mainly about giving character development towards Adagio and Redheart's budding friendship.
Can't wait to impress you guys tomorrow. I promise that Chapter 2 will give you guys a taste of what's to come.
