Chapters Rainbow Dash woke up in a hospital. She had never liked being in these places. Usually when she woke up in one, she wouldn't be able to fly for a few days.
Her head spun to look at her wings. They were fine, but then why was she in the hospital bed? "Sis!"
Nightwolf came running up and hugged her. "I was so worried the herb set didn't work."
"Hey," Rainbow got out. "I guess you do keep your promises."
"Well it's good to know that you're all right. I guess I hvae some explaining to do," he said. The doctor entered the room.
"Maybe you could do that tomorrow," he said. "Ms. Dash must get her rest."
"I'll send you something to do," Nightwolf said while being ushered out of the room. "I know how bored oyu get in hospitals."
Once he was gone, the docotr came up to her. "Your physical condition is healing rapidly," he said. "It will still take a few weeks for everything to heal, but normally it would take months. You will be released at the end of the week."
"Does that mean...?" Rainbow asked.
"Yes," he said. "No flying for a few weeks so your muscles can finish healing." And with that, he left the room.
She looked over to the bed-side table. On it was the newest Daring Do novel. "Twilight," Rainbow thought aloud.
"Yes?" came Twilight's voice.
Rainbow looked around frantically. There shouldn't have been anypony around. Maybe she just heard something that wasn't there. Nah, she thought. I definately heard somepony. "Hello?" she called out. No answer came. "Huh."
She reached over and opened the book.
About 3 hours later, tere was a knock on her door. "Knock, knock," said Nightwolf, walking through the doorway.
"I thought the doctor kicked you out," Rainbow said, closing the book.
"He did," explained Nightwolf. "I just snuck back in. It helps when you're used to sneaking around keener senses."
"Sounds like it," Rainbow replied. "So what are you doing here?"
"Just checking up on my little sister," Nightwolf said. "I have a few things to tell you. First-"
He was cut off by a voice screaming down the hallway. "We have an unvalidated visitor!" It was the voice of the doctor that was over looking Rainbow. "Get him out before he causes harm to any ofthe patients!"
"Guess I'm a little rusty on my sneaking skills," Nightwolf said. "I'll talk to you later."
"How?" Rainbow asked. "You probably won't be able to get back in."
"I'll contact you mentally," he answered. "Got to go. Bye."
"Bye," Rainbow said. "This should be interesting."
"Rainbow Dash?" asked the attending doctor. "Have you seen anypony come through here?"
"Yes," said Rainbow casually. "You."
"Nevermind," he said.
She was opening the book again when she felt something. "Hello?"
"Nightwolf?" she asked aloud.
"Yep," he said. "But you might want to think your replies so other ponies don't start thinking you're crazy."
Good idea, she thought. Can you hear me?
"I can hear you," he answered. "I just thought I would check up on you. Sometimes the doctors miss something. So if you get any random shots of pain, sorry."
I can handle pain, she thought back at him. But you might wat to warn me if you do anything weird.
"Don't worry," he said. "I probably won't find any- Holy Celestia!"
What? What did you find?
"Rainbow, listen carefully. I'm going to leave and go see if I can find the proper tools. Once I do, I'm going to test you. Do you understand?"
What are you talking about? she questioned.
"Do you understand?" Nightwolf repeated.
I understand, Rainbow thought, that you are trying to hide something from me. What are you doing?
"Gah!" Nightwolf screamed in her head. It hurt. A lot. "I have to leave right now! I'll talk to you when I can. Bye."
Nightwolf, Rainbow thought. He was gone. She could feel the fact that he hd left. But why was he in such a hurry? Probably just being himself.
She opened the book but couldn't focus on the words. Then they started to float. Then they dissapeared alltogether. "What the hay?"
She flipped the book upside down and spun it around a few times. When she opened it back up, the words were right there. "Well that was weird," she said to nopony.
Just when she tried reading again, the words did the same thing. "This is crazy!"
A nurse walking by heard Rainbow's exclamation and glanced into her room. "Miss?" she asked. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," Rainbow said, closing the book. "I just need some time to think."
"If you say so," the nurse replied, turning and left.
The next few days were very similar to the first. Her friends came, they left, she tried to read, the words dissapeared, and she just sat there thinking. But Nightwolf didn't come. Why isn't my own brother coming to see me? she thought. Oh, right. He isn't stopping by until he can do some sort of test.
"Hey," came a voice on the fifth day of that week.
"Nightwolf!" she said, almost getting out of the bed.
"Calm down," he said. "I need to check something." He pulled out a small contraption that looked like it was going to start playing music. He held it over Rainbow's head and hit a few buttons.
"What are you doing?" Rainbow asked.
"Confirming a suspicion," Nightwolf said. "I'll see you in a couple of days. It could take a while to analyze the data."
"What are you talking about?"
"There might be more than just physical damage here," he explained. "There could be a lot more."
"What do you mean?" Rainbow asked.
"Just don't try to do anything too demanding," Nightwolf said as he left the room. "It could do irrepairable damage."
"What kind of damge?" she called out after him, but he was already gone. A nurse glanced over in Rainbow's direction, then away. "All you have to do is make them think you're crazy," Rainbow said to herself. "Maybe you are."
"You're not crazy," said somepony.
"Who said that?!" Rainbow asked frantically. "Where are you? Who are you?"
There was no reply.
"Maybe I should just get some sleep," she said aloud. And with that, she fell asleep.
What felt like two seconds later, Rainbow heard the voices of her friends outside her door. Then her doctor said, "She will be released today."
Rainbow almost jumped out of the bed. She was being released today! No more waiting! No more being bored! It was only when they opened the door that she noticed something else. Nightwolf wasn't there.
"Where's Nightwolf?" Rainbow asked.
"He's waiting outside," Twilight said. "He didn't want to be a part of the 'welcome back to town' party Pinkie is currently trying to set up in the lobby."
"At least I know what to expect," Rainbow said. "Lets get out of here."
Within a minute, Rainbow was out of the gown and on her hooves. It felt so good to walk again. As they were leaving the room, her doctor said, "Don't try sustained flight yet. You can hover, but anything else will stress the muscle!"
"Yeah, yeah," Rainbow said back. "I won't do anything too stressful."
Her friends looked behind them at her doctor and turned back around. Something's not right, she thought.
But once they all got to the lobby, they saw Pinkie arguing with a nurse that wouldn't fall for her 'word switcheroo' trick. It was hilarious.
They were able to convince their pink friend to leave and throw the party somewhere else and left the hospital. Just outside was Nightwolf, waiting for hissister to leave. "Good to know they let you out of there without an escort," he said.
"Escort?" Rainbow asked.
"An escort is somepony who followsanother pony to show them where to go," Twilight and Nightwolf said at the same time.
"I know what an escort is," Rainbow clarified. "I was asking why I would need one."
"Remember that mental visit I gave you?" Nightwolf said, bringing back that strange conversation.
"Yeah," Rainbow said.
"Well I saw something that I wasn't quite sure about," he explained. "I saw a large stone that seemed about the size of you. It was crystalline and shone very faintly."
"Why are you telling me this?" Rainbow asked.
"Because the stone had multiple fractures and one large crack," Nightwolf said. "I did some readingon what other ponies had seen in their trips into the minds of others. I learned that what I saw was your psyche."
"My what?"
"Your psyche. It's basically your sanity. It's supposed to look clear and shine brightly and have a few scratches on it. Yours was barely shining at all and was murky. Not to mention the extreme damge to it."
"What are you getting at?" Rainbow asked.
"I think you should start to see a psychologist. They might be able to repair damage done to your psyche. They could stop the progression of insanity."
"So you're saying that I'm crazy?" Rainow said. "That I need to see some pony so I can talk to them? About what?"
"I'm saying we need to think about the possibility that your physical form wasn't the only thing damaged. Your mental health is at stake here!"
"I don't need to worry about that!" Rainbow screamed at him. "I'm not crazy!"
"Well considering the fact that you just screamed at a wall, I would say that you're getting pretty close," Nightwolf said.
"What?"
"Rainbow?" Flutteshy asked. "Are you alright?"
"Ya just screamed at bricks, sugarcube," Applejack said.
They can't see him?! Rainbow thought.
"Of course they can't see me," Nightwolf said. "I'm talking toyou through mental connections. I have been for the past few minutes. Your mind is showing you a reflection of myself because it's about to shatter. You need to see somepony about this."
"Rainbow?" Twilight asked.
"I'm fine," she said. "I just need some time to think. I'll see you guys tomorrow."
She spread her wings and prepared to fly. "Don't fly!" Nightwolf screamed in her head. It hurt even more this time. "You need time to heal. You can stay at my place until we can fix this little problem."
"Fine," Rainbow said. She glanced behind her to see her friend's worried faces. Then she turned and started walking toward her brother's house.
If he weren't waiting ouside the house, she probably would have missed it. "Hey!" he yelled out. This time it didn't hurt, so she knew it was real.
"Hey," she said back to him. "I guess I need to stay here until I can fly again."
"Yeah," Nightwolf said. "But you're doing pretty good. Well, good for somepony with your current state of mind."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rainbow asked.
"It's supposed to mean that your mind is fragile. If you stay as hard-headed as you are now, it could cause you to go insane."
"So you're saying I need to change?" Rainbow continued.
"No," Nightwolf said. "I'm saying that you need to tell somepony about your feelings. You need to get that pressure off your chest."
"I don't need to tell anypony!" Rainbow said. "I'm too cool for that mushy stuff anyways."
"Well that makes me feel bad," said the voice she had heard earlier at the hospital. "I'm here for you to talk to me. If you aren't going to talk to me, what should I do?"
"Rainbow?" Nightwolf said.
"Who are you?" Rainbow asked this new pony.
"I'm the pony your mind had to make for you to release these pent up emotions to," he said. "I'm your imaginary psychologist."
"Rainbow," Nightwolf said, uncertainty touching his voice. "Don't talk to them. It's just going to make them worse."
"What's your name?" she asked, ignoring her brother.
"Well, you have to make one up," said the pony. "I'm only in your head."
"Rainbow!" Nightwolf screamed as he tackled his sister to the ground. "Snap out of it!"
"What are you doing?" she screamed at him. "I was actually starting to get somewhere with this thing!"
"Talking to the hallucinations will only make them worse," Nightwolf explained. "You'll get more and more of them until you finally snap."
"What?"
"If you talk to them, you'll go crazy!" Nightwolf practically yelled at her. "You need to get into the house. I've put up some things that should slow down these things until I can come up with an explination."
"Explination for what?"
"An explination for what these things mean," Nightwolf said. "Every hallucination has a meaning. I need to do some research to find out what the meanings are. Until then, stay here."
"Fine," Rainbow said. As she headed for the door to his house, he spoke up.
"And if you start seeing things again, don't interact with them. It'll only make things worse."
She didn't answer, but instead went into the house. It was kinda small and not really meant to house more than one pony. But it would work.
"You shouldn't listen to him," said a hallucination. "Interaction is actually very healthy. Now why don't you tell me about yourself."
"I just need you guys to tell me a little more about my sister," Nightwolf said. "It could help stop her from going insane."
"Mostly, she's loyal to her friends," Twilight said.
"I got that when she wouldn't talk to me when I..." Nightwolf didn't finish the sentance. They all knew what he did.
"Well there really isn't much else. She's been flying around so fast, I barely catch her long enough to chat. And she is pretty buisy with her training."
"Training?" Nightwolf asked.
"Yeah," Twilight replied. "She told me all about it when I first got here. She's training herself to join the Wonderbolts for ages."
Nightwolf looked up. "That could be a trigger," he said. "I need to go talk to her right now. Let me know if you think of anything useful." And with that, he ran off toward his house.
"I just don't know how they haven't let me join!" Rainbow yelled at her hallucination. "I've broken the freaking sound barrier! What more do they want?"
"I think part of what's causing this to happen is your rage toward the Wonderbolts," he replied. "Maybe you should let that out. It could help.
"Rainbow!" Nightwolf screamed into the house, causing the imagined pony to dissapear. "I need to talk to you!"
"What do you want?" Rainbow screamed back.
"I need to talk to you about your training."
"What about it?" Rainbow asked. "Is it a bad thing to do that?"
"No," Nightwolf said. "I just think that you shouldn't be focussing on getting into that team. It's not the best thing to keep as a life-long goal."
"And you have something better?" Rainbow retorted.
"At least I have a backup plan."
"I have a backup!" Rainbow said, defensively.
"And what would that be?" Nightwolf pushed.
"Um," Rainbow said. She really didn't have one, but she couldn't tellher brother that. "It's a secret."
"A secret because you don't have one," Nightwolf said. "You're not that good at lying, you know."
"Well I haven't been able to think of one because I've been too buisy with my first goal," she said.
"You just should try your best to not think about them for a while, ok? It could end badly."
"What are you, my psychologist?"
"That's my job," said the imaginary pony. "He can't have it. Tell him that."
"I'm not going to tell him that!" she screamed at him.
"Tell me what?" Nightwolf asked. "Have you been talking to them? What all did you do?"
"Just talk," she admitted. "He doesn't push any questions and doesn't try to make me somepony else."
"So what," Nightwolf began. "You just made yourself a psychologist? That's not the best plan of action. You need to talk to a real pony. You need real help. This could get out of control too easily."
"And how would this get out of control?" Rainbow spit back.
"Maybe by them telling you lies and convincing you of false truths!" Nightwolf yelled at her. "They could convince you to do things that you would never do otherwise. They could get you to do something you regret. They could change you." He said that last sentance with a little quiver in his tone. He turned away from his sister. "I can't let something like that happen to you."
"What aren't you telling me?" Rainbow asked.
"Something I haven't told anypony. And it's going to stay that way."
"You've beenthrough this, haven't you?"
"I'm not going to talk about it."
"If you talk to me about it, I'll talk to you about it," Rainbow said.
"If that's what it takes to get you to talk to a real pony about your problems. Deal," Nightwolf said.
"Now you're just going to give my job away?" said the imaginary pony. "That makes me feel bad."
"Oh shut up," Rainbow told him. "You're not helping."
"What's it telling you?" Nightwolf asked.
"That he feels bad because now I'm talking to you about my problems instead of him."
"Hey!" screamed the imaginary pony. "Why don't you just go into one of those places with the padded rooms and wait for me to dissapear," he sarcastically.
"Ignore it," Nightwolf said. "It'll disappear if you ignore it."
"It was disappearing when I asked it complex questions before," Rainbow mentioned. "He just suggested that I go to the town institution. But he wasn't being serious."
"The institution isn't a bad place to go," Nightwolf said. "But I wouldn't count on it working. It didn't work for me the first time."
"What did happen to you?" Rainbow asked.
"It was when I saw our parents die," Nightwolf said. "Traumatic events are what trigger psyche-cracks. When I saw tham die, I just snapped. I was talking to imaginary ponies. I was interacting with them. My foster parents put me in the tribe institution. It was the only building out there. When I got in there, they got worse. I started seeing false environments. I began to completely lose it. That's when tey stated giving me the medication. I've been taking it ever since."
"I didn't know," Rainbow said. "Is there any othe way to stop these things?"
"There are a few," imagnary pony 1 said.
"But the medications are recommended," said a second.
"The only other ways to get rid of them is through different kinds of death," Nightwolf said. "So really, no. The medications aren't that bad once you get used to them."
"Where is the institution?" Rainbow asked. "I'm going in."
"I'll take you there," Nightwolf said. "It's always easier if somepony you know is there."
So they left Nightwolf's house on their way to the only institution within city limits. It wasn't too far from Nightwolf's house, but it was still pretty far away from town. If her friends came to visit her, it would be a long walk.
When the two siblings arrived, Rainbow first noticed the size of the building. The place was huge. The second thing she noticed was that it was a former prison. The bricks had been painted over but thee were still signs of damage on the outer walls. The windows on the lower floors were barred. "Have they ever dealt with a pegasi before?" she asked. "It doesn't look very secure on the higher floors."
"It's plenty secure for mental patients," Nightwolf said. "I checked out the place as soon as I could when I found out about your condition. All you have to do now is walk in there and say that you need to be admitted in and they will let you in. Then you can legally leave whenever you want because you checked yourself in. It's kinda like a hotel."
"It's that easy?" Rainbow asked. "How do they know you're telling the truth?"
"They don't," Nightwolf said. "They just issue you a room and you get a bed and a few games. It's a nice place."
"Sounds it," Rainbow said. As she started walking toward the door, she noticed Nightwolf hesitate. "Are you coming with me or not?"
"I'm coming," he said. "I just had a bit of a flashback."
"About what?"
"Nothing of importance," he said. "Let's just get this done."
"Shouldn't I be the nervous one?" Rainbow pointed out. "I'm the one that's going into the rooms."
"Just forget about it," Nightwolf said.
"If you say so," Rainbow replied.
"He's hiding something from you," said Rainbow's imaginary therapist. "You need to find out what."
"Shut up," she told the hallucination. "You need to dissapear before we get into the hospital. They don't need a demonstration."
"You need to get away from this place!" he screamed, causing Rainbow to jump a little. "This place will end up killing you! It's methods are old fashioned and dangerous!"
"Go away," Rainbow told him.
"Is it that one that you were talking to when I walked in?" Nightwolf asked. "What's he saying?"
"He's saying to leave," Rainbow said. "That the methods are going to kill me."
Nightwolf answered her with silence. As they approached the doors, the imagined pony stood in front of her. "Don't go in," he said, fear in his expression. "It's a bad place."
Rainbow ignored him and walked into the large building. The air inside was cold and metallic. The cheery outside was extremely misleading to the depressing inside. All of the rooms were shut with steel doors that apperared to lock from the outside.
"Hello," said the receptionist. "How may I help you?"
"My name is Rainbow Dash," Rainbow said, looking at her brother.
"She's going to ask for your condition as well," he whispered int his sister's ear. "Tell them that you're a 'paranoid schizophrenic'. It'll get you a better room."
"What is your purpose for being here?" asked the receptionist.
"I need to be admitted into this place," Rainbow said.
"What is your condition?"
"I'm a paranoid schizophrenic," Rainow said, repeating the phrase her brother had told her.
"Well," the receptionist said, a little too cheery to be genuine. "Welcome to the institution, Miss Dash. My name is Donnie. Let's get you a nice, comfy room, shall we?"
"I'll come check on you tomorrow, sis," Nightwolf said, leaving the institution.
Once he had left, the nurse slapped a ring onto Rainbow's right foreleg. "What's that for?" she asked.
"Our security has outmatched the royal guard," Donnie said. Her demeanor had changed completely. "Now let's get you to your room so we can begin treatment."
Author's Note
If anyone spots the very subtle reference and can tell me the show and episode, I will feature your OC in a later story.
"What kind of treatment?" Rainbow asked.
"That is not important right now," Donnie said. "What's important is that you accept it. You must be willing or it won't work."
"As long as it gets rid of these hallucination thingies," Rainbow said.
"Oh it will," Donnie said. "But before we begin, there are a few rules."
"Rules?" Rainbow asked. "I don't exactly agree with rules most of the time."
"First," Donnie said, ignoring Dash's comment. "There will be no contact outside of the institution."
"My brother is coming back tomorrow to see me," Rainbow said. "And he's kinda stubborn when it comes to keeping promises."
"Second," Donnie continued, "No flying. It gets too much blood pumping and can induce an episode."
"I already have doctor's orders on that one," Rainbow said. "Though it was only for a few days. After that, I'm leaving the ground alone for a while."
"Third," Donnie said, again ignoring Dash. "You will stay in your room unless instructed otherwise. Do you understand these rules?"
Rainbow looked at her guide in shock. "I can't leave my room? That takes out any fun I might have had."
Donnie looked at Rainbow. "Do you understand these rules?"
"I understand them," Rainbow said. "But I'm not going to follow them. You're taking away my freedoms!"
"Rainbow!" screamed a panicked voice. "Get out of here!"
Nightwolf? Rainbow thought. What's he doing back so soon?
"Guards!" screamed Donnie. "Take care of the security breach! I'll take care of the patient."
Nightwolf was walking away from the institution when he felt a slight tingle at the base of his spine. Something was happening, something bad.
A hoof hit him over he head before Nightwolf could even try to figure it out. He hit the ground hard enough to knock a normal pony unconscious. But he was no normal pony.
Rolling out of the hit, Nightwolf spun to face his opponent. "So you like to play, huh?"
Moving to the side, he extended a hoof and said "Munja! " throwing lightning at the unsuspeting guard. The bolt hit hard and threw him across the front of the building, the recoil strong enough to shove Nightwolf back a few feet.
Nightwolf ran toward the building. He had to get an explination for this. There was no reason there should be guards attacking leaving guests.
Unless there were no guests.
"Horsefeathers," Nightwolf said under his breath. He charged through the doors, screaming for his sister to run. He knew she wouldn't hide. Her pride was too big to do that.
Guards ran toward him, trying to stop him. Nightwolf just ran through them. There was something nagging at the back of his mind though. Something important. Something about Donnie.
Rainbow was being dragged into a dark room. She could hear hooves on metal and some things opening.
She realised what was happening when metal closed around her rear hooves. "Just relax," Donnie's voice said. "It'll all be over soon."
"What are you doing?" Rainbow asked, resisting as much as she could. "Why did you send guards after my brother?"
"None of that is important," Donnie said. "Now relax."
Something about that last word hung in the air. It started making Rainbow move a little bit closer to the steel contraption behind her. Relaxation sounded like such a good idea.
"Let her go," Nightwolf said, standing in the doorway. "If you do anything to her, you'll regret it."
"Ah, you," Donnie said, a sinister tone in her voice. "Why don't you do some explaining, Balancer."
"What do I need to explain?"
"What you can do," Donnie said. "They might be the last words she hears from you."
Nightwolf stood steady, waiting for something. "I'm waiting," he said.
"For what?"
"For you to do a little explination of your own," Nightwolf clarified. "What is it I can do that you're so afraid of?"
"Speak the truth, young mage," Donnie said. "What can you do? Why are you so important?"
"I might have tried to figure out something if you hadn't put your power into your voice," Nightwolf said. "I have no idea what you're talking about. So let her go and I won't mention this...encounter to the princess."
Donnie looked around and lights blazed to life, temporarily blinding Rainbow. When the light faded, she saw what Donnie was trying to do.
There were different syringes covering the walls. Various blades lined the tables. This was a testing and disection room. Someplace to find out how some new chemical reacts with a pony. A room that few exit living.
Rainbow looked around, hoping to find a way to escape. There had to be some way to get out of this situation.
"You really don't know, do you?" Donnie said. "You don't know anything."
Nightwolf looked at her, confusion evident on his face. "Whatever you're talking about, I'll put an appointment in my schedule."
Donnie looked at him menacingly. "You will leave now or you won't have to worry about that."
"I'm not worried about me," Nightwolf said, dashing forward. He pulled a small object from the wall and held it to her throat. "I'm worried about you."
The scalpel gleamed, it's edge pressed up against Donnie's throat. Fear filled her expression. "You do not know what you are capable of," she said.
"You're right," Nightwolf said. "I don't." He raised his other hoof and knocked Donnie out cold.
Nightwolf walked over to Rainbow Dash. "Lets get you some medical care for those pressure marks on your rear hooves."
Rainbow looked at him, wondering what had just happened. "That sounds good."
Author's Note
Sorry for the wait. I will try to update these more often but no promises.
"Do I have to stay here?" Rainbow Dash complained. "It's so boring."
Nightwolf gave his sister a look of exasperation. "For the millionth time, yes," he said. "You need a little more time to recover before you can go back out there."
"It's been a month," Rainbow Dash said. "Shouldn't that be enough time?" She was getting extremely impatient. A month after what had happened and she still couldn't leave.
"Your psyche is almost done healing," Nightwolf said. "Give it one more day. Tomorrow you can check yourself out."
Rainbow Dash groaned, tired of being in bed. "Couldn't I just leave in a few hours?"
Nightwolf gave her a stern look. "You still have some physical wounds that need to heal, too, you know."
"Fine," Rainbow Dash said, seeing her brother wasn't going to give up. "Hey, before you go, I wanted to say something."
Nightwolf looked at his sister expectantly. "Yes?"
"Thanks," she said slightly reluctant. "This is the second time you saved my life. I have a reputation to maintain, you know."
"You should stop putting yourself in life-threatening situations," Nightwolf said. "See you tomorrow, sis," he said, leaving the room.
"Tomorrow," Rainbow said, hopefully.
Author's Note
Short, yes. Don't comment on how short it is. It's a lead-in to the following story. It's called Repeat. It won't be coming out for a while, though. There will be a preview for it when I get close to the release date.