What Friends Are Forby FuninightmareChaptersPrologueApplejack's InterviewRainbow Dash's InterviewFluttershy's InterviewPrologueDay 1 Date: 9th October 2012 It has been a few weeks since the asylum was built in Ponyville, the thought of this is unthinkable even if Celestia herself ordered this at my request. Since word got out that five of the famous bearers of the Elements of Harmony went insane, disturbances and murders have been increasing almost within a weekly basis. Ponyville hasn't been the same since. If only I knew if something was wrong with them, if I had just went out of my way to help them when they needed it, if-. My apologies I haven't introduced myself. I'm Twilight Sparkle, a graduate of Canterlot's School for Gifted Unicorns, ex student of Princess Celestia and a psychiatrist at Ponyville Asylum. I moved some of my stuff to my room/office from my library since I've decided to stay here, that way I won't worry about being late and my friends will be more at ease knowing that I'm not leaving them alone in this place. I know that sounds a little bit like I'm pushing myself but I think I'm the only one who can help my patients. Staying in this place is only a small part in my methods of helping my patients. As for my library, that is left under the care of my number one assistant Spike the dragon. He's young, but he has experience and according to the dragon race he's old enough to look after himself. Our asylum is small and one of the very few in Equestria. Most of the patients here are drug addicts or suicidal, usually both. Helping them isn't all that hard, or at least not for me. Our serious cases are as you may have guessed: Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkamena Diane Pie, and Fluttershy. They are the only friends I've ever had, even before they went insane. Most ponies think it's dangerous to get too close to mental patients, but they don't know that my patients are what motivates me in this place. These ponies don't just need therapy, they need a friend, even if they have to be reminded of that. Today I begin my first session with Applejack. I doubt she'll be easy to fix but I've got nothing to lose, except maybe my own sanity. I just hope it doesn't come to that. A double click sound traveled in the small surroundings of Twilight's office before the purple aura vanished from the tape recorder, ending the recording. Twilight's session with the farm pony wouldn't be for another 15 minutes, which gave her more than enough time to prepare. A purple aura coated itself on the tape recorder that Twilight had previously used. At the unicorn's command, the tape recorder opened it's hatch, inside it was a tape labelled "Twilight's Journal". Levitating out of the recorder, it was soon replaced with another tape labelled "Applejack Interview 1". The purple mare got out of her chair (Still holding her magical grip on the tape recorder) and began pushing her chair with her head, positioning it to her side of the table, which was placed in the center of the office. On the other side of the table was another chair, which unlike Twilight's hard, stiff traditional chair, this chair was modern, comfortable and had a extra cushion placed on it. Twilight climbed onto the her chair while using her magic to place the tape-recorder beside her on the table. With that the purple unicorn was ready for the interview, leaving only 13 minutes to spare. In the seemingly empty and silent office, the unicorn began tapping her hoof against the table, hoping that time would speed it's passing a wee bit. It made no difference. She began to ponder on possible events of today. It's been a while time since I've seen Applejack. How will she behave? Will she be happy to see me? What if she sees me as some psychiatrist rather than an old friend? And can the same thing be said for the others? More and more thoughts began to pour into Twilight's mind while in her daydreaming state. Occasional glances at the clock briefly broke her daydreams, before she sank back into them again. Sitting uncomfortably in her chair, her mind in broken shards of thoughts....Waiting. A quiet knock came from the door, but it was loud enough to make the mare jump a little and snap her out of her daydream permanently ."Miss Sparkle, your patient is here" came a quiet but gruff voice. "Oh good bring her in please" answered Twilight. The door slowly slid open, revealing to Twilight's eyes a large, light brown stallion, almost as big as Big Mac. On the right side of his flank, he had a shield for a cutie mark. The unicorn observed this, guessing that it symbolized something along the lines of protection. Strange, a stallion of his size and talent would likely be a royal guard at Canterlot or a bodyguard for one of the Princesses. Next to him was an orange, blonde maned earth pony wearing a brown cowpony hat. On her right flank was three red apples for a cutie mark. The orange mare let her nerves get to her as she forget her manners and allowed her head to tilt slightly lower, bringing her eyesight to the floor. "Good morning Applejack did you sleep well?" Twilight politely asked as Applejack slowly began trotting to her seat, which to her slight surprise looked more comfortable than she guessed. Applejack took her seat. "Slept okay Miss Sparkle" the earth pony reluctantly replied. "Applejack you know who I am, call me Twilight". "Oh right sorry Twilight". "Don't worry about it, it's okay. I'm a little nervous myself". The same gruff voice made itself known once again "I'm just outside if you need anything, Miss Sparkle". "That's fine, thank you Gruff". With that, the stallion trotted outside the room and closed the door behind him, before standing beside the door, as if guarding it. Alone with Applejack, Twilight pressed her hoof against the tape recorder's "REC" button, setting it to record. Applejack's Interview[Click] ... You need anything Applejack, like some water? N-no thanks, ah'm okay. Well then I take it you know why you're here. Yes ah do You wanna talk about? W-well ah...ah... ah don't know. It's okay Applejack, take your time. (sigh) Ah'm here cuz ah had a blackout, an' when ah woke up ah was back at Sweet Apple Acres, with the Flim Flam brothers lyin' dead. Ah don't know what happened but before ah could do anythin' two police stallions saw me an' arrested me. So you don't remember anything else? N-no...do you know anythin' else that might have happened? Only that you came back to Ponyville without telling anypony, and then killed the Flim Flam brothers. Oh... a-ah really killed em?. Yes I'm afraid you did. (silence) I'm so sorry. It ain' yer fault sugarcube...it's mah own. No it's not Applejack, you had a blackout, even if you were sober or just a little drunk you would never kill anypony. Even if it was Flim and Flam. Ah don't know Twi. What do you mean?. You remember when them brothers took away our home. Yes you and your family went to Manehattan so you could earn enough bits to buy back Sweet Apple Acres. Well Aunt and Uncle Orange let us stay with them till we got ourselves new jobs. Ah worked as a waiter an' Big Mac worked as a taxi driver, even Applebloom took part-time delivering paper, but we weren't earnin' enough bits an' we were missing everypony back home. It just didn't feel right. Why not? Sweet Apple acres has sheltered mah family for centuries, we worked really hard ta keep it that way even before Flim n Flam came along. But when apple cider season came, our work meant nothin’. Same thin' with working in manehattan. Since then ah felt like ah wasn't myself any more. Ah started drinking almost everyday an' havin' fights with Big Mac. That's awful. That's not all...last night before ah got arrested, ah took a train ta Ponyville so ah could visit you one more time. When ah got off the train everythin' went black. And that's when you killed Flim and Flam. ...Ah'm sorry Twilight, but ah think you should a left me in jail. Don't say that. I know that you would never sink to that level if you had a choice. (silence) You confessed a lot today and that was probably really hard for you. However that proves you're still honest and that you're still the same Applejack I met two years ago. Can ah ask you somethin'? Go ahead. The others, they here too? ...Yes they’re here as well. Its been so long since ah've seen em...since ah've seen you. I know Applejack. How could this all happen?. Ah don't know Twi, it just did. (silence) (sigh)...Twi can we...you know do this some other time?. Yes we've done what we can for today, our next session will be next week is that okay?. Sure thin' sugarcube... thank you. [click] [click] Applejack cooperated really well during our talk, but I'm not sure she's convinced that things will turn out better. Sweet Apple Acres was home to the Apple Family for goddess-knows-how-long. She loved and worked for it as much as she does for her family and friends. Losing it all must have turned her world upside down. Perhaps that's why she's going through depression which has led her to alcoholism. She was the last of my friends to have committed murder and I didn't wanna believe that she went crazy like they did. Now that I've talked to her, she's not really insane, she just had a horrible day. I said before that I would help her and I plan to see it through. Though I still have work on the others before I can really help any of them. [click] Two hours passed after the interview, and lunch break was about to start. Twilight made herself ready when unexpectedly a knock was heard at the door. "Come in" she said after letting out a sigh. The same stallion who brought in Applejack stood outside the unicorn's door. He appeared just as he did before except he looked slightly nervous and somehow sympathetic towards her. "Hey uh Miss Sparkle, it's lunchtime and... w-well I was just wondering if it's okay for you to join me." The purple mare had just managed to hold in her protest as she quickly realized that she had no good excuse to support her refusal. Twilight was never enthusiastic when it came to socializing with new ponies, but Gruff was someone she was familiar with, accounting for the times he brought patients to her door. "I suppose so Gruff, lead the way" Twilight replied. Twilight, Gruff, and a few other doctors and orderlies made there way to the Canteen, which was just downstairs to the far right of the hall. Twilight didn't know most of the ponies with her, familiar faces maybe but no other interactions have occurred between her and them. She decided to respect their privacy and hope that they would the same. Break hours were the only times Twilight ever felt comfortable when getting out of her room, it seemed like the only time everypony was in the same place which made everyone feel safe in this nuthouse. The mare and stallion eventually entered the Canteen to join the short cue of ponies who were waiting for today's lunch. "You okay?" Gruff asked without any indication that something was up. "Um yes everything fine why do ask" the Unicorn replied. Gruff brought his hoof to the back of his head slightly roughing up his mane a bit "Just checking, I know how unsettling it can be in this place.” "Well thank you for asking but I think I know what I signed up for when I came here" Twilight responded with a reassuring smile. "Heh well that's what the other doctors say but they seem less hopeful than their own words" Before Twilight could reply, she found herself standing at the food section. There was plates of sandwiches, vegetables, fruits, and pasta with fish. Twilight asked for her usual pick, "a daffodil n daisy sandwich", however she noticed that the mare in front of her looked a little startled by her presence. She didn't recognize her nor did she know why she looked so uneasy, especially towards her. Before she could answer herself, Gruff spoke, "It's okay, just give her the sandwich". The mare quickly grabbed the plate with the sandwich and gave it to Twilight, however her attitude didn't change "Don't mind her, she's shy around most ponies". gruff explained "Oh I see" Twilight replied, as memories of Fluttershy flooded into her mind, or at least the old Fluttershy. Moving on, the two ponies came to the drinks and cakes. There were water bottles and juice cartons. The cakes looked delicious, there were fruit cakes, donuts, chocolate eclairs and some cupcakes. Despite the temptation, she decided to skip the cakes and took a carton of apple juice. Moving up to the end she presented her lunch to the other mare standing behind the cashier. The mare simply proceeded to her routine without giving her customer so much as a glance. "That'll be four bits" she said. "Let me get that for you" Gruff cut in before placing four gold Equestrian coins on the top counter and another four to pay for his own lunch since he got the same thing as Twilight. "Gruff, really you don't have-". "It's okay Miss Sparkle, I insist". The purple unicorn didn't want to waste time arguing, so she accepted the offer and thanked him. The two ponies made their way to an empty table with two chairs. They settled themselves in, sitting face to face with each other. Twilight and Gruff wasted no time in digging into their meals, and neither of them spoke any words aside from Twilight who made a remark on how satisfying her sandwich was. All the stallion responded with was a nod and a small smile. With their lunches finished, they brought their empty plates to the top counter where a green coated stallion took them out of their hooves. They thanked the unicorn and went on their way back to Twilight's office. "Well thank you for buying me lunch today, I'll repay you some time". "You don't owe me anything, its hard enough when your...well trying to help your friends". "Well it was nice of you anyway". "...Hey um... you don't mind doing this more often do you?. I mean sitting with me during lunch". "No I don't mind". "So I can come by your room every lunch hour for now on?." "Um I guess that's okay". Twilight stood outside her office where she and Gruff parted ways, and they both said their goodbyes and attended to their duties. The rest of the day was pretty much uneventful, Twilight sorted out some files, had sessions with other unknown patients and had some fast food for dinner. Luna's night had already covered the sky in shining dark blue ,glittering in little white stars. Few ponies remained awake for a short while to bask in the beauty of the night, most of them were couples. For Twilight Sparkle however, she had already decided that home was with her friends so she reluctantly retired to her new bedroom which was connected to her office on the right. It was a small white room with no window, containing only a white sheet bed, a sink and an old fashion alarm clock. For what seemed like hours, Twilight found herself unable to sleep peacefully. She couldn't keep her eyes closed for more than a minute and every time she managed to, it irritated her further into opening her eyes again. It had nothing to do with her bed or the white atmosphere which seemed blinding even in the dark. Twilight didn't liked sleeping in here, in this room, in this asylum. She felt alone and just as much of a prisoner as the inmates, no wonder they hate this place. However she wasn't held in by security guards, she was held in by the hallway. At night, the hallway was an entirely different place possessed by darkness and deafening silence, with the most quietest of steps would be like having bells tied everything on your body. Twilight felt very vulnerable whenever she entered that area, often picturing scenarios of herself wandering down there one night only to be stalked, attacked or killed by one of the inmates. The next day she would reassure herself that such thoughts were far too superstitious in order to calm herself down. Nonetheless she avoided those risks whenever she could. However her own safety being threatened wasn't her only fear. The unicorn finally succumbed to her sleep after endless hours of staring at the ceiling counting imaginary sheep, but it didn't last. A scream muffled in the surroundings of Twilight's room, though it was clear that the scream announced the feeling of pain and fear. Twilight wrapped herself tightly with her covers, clinging to them as if they would protect her. She knew that scream and who made it. It belongs to a pegasus, one that is endlessly haunted by her own nightmares. The waking world holds no refuge for this poor pegasus. In her now tormented mind her dreams and her reality are all the same. She was defenseless, confused and all alone, no matter where she was. Tears began to swell up in Twilight's eyelids, before slowly sliding sideways from her eyes, soaking into her pillow. Twilight wanted to comfort her, let her believe that everything's okay. She didn't have the key to her cell nor did she have the courage take a single step into the dark hallway that separated the two in their cages. She felt like a little filly again. A weak, helpless, scared little filly. "Please be okay Rainbow". Rainbow Dash's Interview[click] Rainbow it's uh been a while. ... How do you find this place?. I prefer the prison. You don't like it here? Of course I don't Like it here nopony does! Tell me why you don't like it. Jail is where I belong, I don't like it there either but in there everypony knows I've done something bad and should be locked for it. Here I'm locked up for doing something bad sure only I have to listen to doctors telling me that they'll make things better for me, things will never be better not unless I can go back in time and change what I did. Rainbow this isn't about you or Pinkie, You were transferred here because you've been screaming every middle of the night. So I've been having a few bad dreams what about it? Having bad dreams everyday isn't a good thing, what happens in them? Why're so interested?! I hear you scream every night Rainbow... it scares me. (silence) Rainbow Dash all of our friends are here too. Really... and Pinkie? Yes she's here too but not as you remember What do you mean? (sighs) It's true that you didn't really kill pinkie but she’s not same anymore. She doesn't trust me or anypony else, I haven't seen her smile once since that day. Re-really?... you mean? Yes she been really upset since you tried to kill her, she doesn't want to make ponies laugh anymore she just wants to stay away from them forever. (silence) Rainbow? I...I didn't [click] What happened next made the purple unicorn cease her recording session, she could note down anything that might occur later. Rainbow Dash was still present in the room sitting in front of Twilight, hooves pressed against her eyelids she let loose a throaty wail of suppressed emotions. Twilight came over to the cyan pegasus softly wrapping her arms around her to provide some comfort. Rainbow didn't refuse it's been long since she felt any friendly contact, especially from somepony who she thought would've neglected her for her actions. "It's okay Rainbow, it's okay" Even though that wasn't true somehow it felt good to know that Twilight still cared about her, she felt the need let out all of her sins to the one friend who listens to her now. "I...I almost killed Pinkie...and I...just ran away... I should have helped her, say I was sorry anything to let her know that I didn't mean for this to happen". Rainbow held her unicorn friend close hoping she would understand her. "You ran away because you thought you were a danger to her and maybe the rest of us, you didn’t know that you hurt even more when you left her ". The cyan pony continued her sobbing damping Twilight’s shoulder. "Your dreams have something to do with this don't they?" The sobs of the cyan mare were fading but were still there her throat dried up from all her cries "They just won't leave me alone, they keep coming back every night I see Pinkie offering me a cupcake and then she takes me to her basement and she cuts me open she rips out my organs and... every dream is like this. Every time I sleep she cuts me and when I’m awake she just waits for me to come back". Twilight guessed that Rainbow’s dreams would involve Pinkie but she never imagined them to be so horrible, it makes murder a trivial thing. "Rainbow all of our friends are here and they aren’t themselves either. Rainbow's tears dried up but still the sadness lingered though it became a calm sadness, "really?”. “Yeah I think they deserve to know the reason for what happened" "I...I don’t know" “Listen break starts in an hour you and I can go outside we might find Applejack there maybe you two could maybe play basketball”. For the first in ages Rainbow Dash smiled. Twilight and Rainbow made their way to the asylum grounds, there was a sitting area where ponies would chill or chat with some the friends they made here, a basketball field to which many stallions played in and also a garden area where patients could water some plants. Rainbow Dash would often be on her own whenever she came out here, avoiding any interaction with anypony, but Twilight standing by her made her feel more confident her friends might have saved some harsh unforgiving remarks for her since she disappeared from Ponyville. In the sitting area there was Applejack sitting uncomfortable on a bench, her legs shaking and her head hanging low keeping her vision on the ground. Twilight noticed Rainbow looking as uneasy as Applejack though for a different reason, "Do you want to talk to her or do want me to first then you" Twilight asked her unenthusiastic friend, "You go first that'll give me time" Rainbow dejected as she placed herself on a nearby bench. Twilight left her cyan friend for the moment and began to approach the farm pony, Applejack lifted her "Howdy Twi", she greeted as best as could. "Hey Applejack, how are you holding up" she said in response as she sat herself next to the farm pony. "Aw ya know just trying ma best ta cope without any drinks so not so good really" said the unhappy mare, returning her head to the low hanging state. "You'll will get through this you're a strong pony" Twilight said giving her a small pat to her back, "Thanks sugarcube" Applejack with no change in her tone. A natural silence fell upon the two, twilight made glances between her two friends standing far apart noticing their nervous retractions from each other’s sight. "How's Rainbow?" Applejack finally broke out. "I had an interview with her and she had a breakdown, she's really upset about what she did before". "Oh ah bet she is awright" Applejack muttered sarcastically, this didn't escape the unicorn but she decided to ignore her statement and started to tell her farmer friend everything that Rainbow confessed to her. It took a while for Applejack to feel any remorse for her judgement against the pony who she assaulted when she found out the cause of Pinkie's near death wound. She always assumed her cyan friend had turned evil for no reason and didn't think to question why. Considering the problems she had right now, there was no room for the blame game. "Ah don't know what ta say" Applejack finally said. "You'll have to talk to Rainbow, she's right there", Applejack looked in the direction where Twilight hoof was pointing and sure enough Rainbow remained on the same bench though she pretended to not notice the two ponies talking about her. "Ah don't know sugarcube maybe now's not the time" Applejack said nervously, Twilight expected this but she knew that Rainbow making amends with Applejack would be a good start and she also knew her denial now might mean she'll never attempt to talk the athletic pony. "Don't forget you've actually killed two ponies from alcohol influence since then you been living her life with regret and misery, believing that everypony you ever loved or cared about would never forgive you, Rainbow Dash is no different". Silence, Applejack lowered her eyes but otherwise wore an almost convincing poker face. "Listen I'm gonna look for Fluttershy she'd maybe like to know of rainbow as well". "Ya'll find her in the labyrinth that's where she always goes" Applejack said with a wave of her hoof, directing it to the garden. "Thanks just please talk to her", Applejack didn't respond, Twilight went over to Rainbow and informed her of what she said and allowed her to do the rest. Then she left her companions to their talk or silence whichever would come to pass. The gardens was set up to look similar to the royal Canterlot gardens only less open spaced and no presence of any critters, the only animals there were wild birds that came and flew away from time to time, some would often return to visit they're recently befriended mare. The caretaker preferred to be on her own when it came to strangers so she spent most of her time in the labyrinth, which is where the unicorn would find her as Applejack advised. The labyrinth was a small, circular maze that would tower even Celestia, it was made as a sanctuary for the shy pony. The young unicorn gingerly took her first steps into unfamiliar territory, sneaking wasn't an option even if intended one of Fluttershys bird friends would've already spotted the intruder and warned her. The Pegasus wouldn't consider Twilight under such a name but if the unicorn were to approached her the wrong way she could trigger a violent outburst. She took turns and twists into same areas she found herself in, two, three times?, either way not one small glimpse of yellow or any colour other than green or brown was shown. She felt engulfed in this accursed labyrinth, "how hard is it to find a pegasus in the same place she always goes to" Twilight said to herself in an irritated tone. Sooner than expected a sound was heard, not a whimper or a squeak or any sound expected of the caretaker, this was a muffled sound, finding it's source wasn't difficult for Twilight to locate but the source brought her into an instant freeze. She saw a bloody stallion crawling on the ground like a lost baby, his eyes red and swollen with blood, a strip of cloth lounged into his mouth, suffocating him. Panicking, the unicorn rushed over to the stallion bringing a hoof to his shoulder letting him know he's with someone "Somepony help!" she shouted while using her magic to remove the cloth from his mouth, he puffed out a breath followed by a few coughs."What happened?" Twilight asked moving her hoof away from him. "M-my-my eyes" he brought both his hooves within his eyeline though they barely made contact. He desperately grabbed Twilight's coat in a pleading manner "P-please he-help me". More horrified than ever the young mare was given a full up close view of the stallion's eyes drenched in still wet blood running down his face. Cold sweat began to moisture on twilight's face, she tried to fight the oncoming dizziness but she couldn't look away from the blood, eventually she leaned sideways and began to faint. A blurred vision slowly cleared itself granting the purple mare with a familiar sight, although it was dark her eyes began to adjust itself in the blackness. She began observing the environment of her location strangely she was in Fluttershy's cottage, yes everything about this place had the kind welcome feeling that always fell upon any living thing that entered it much like it's owner. She lifted herself from the couch that she lay on, she trotted over to the staircase door, she turned the door knob to reveal a set of stairs drenched in darkness that lead to a dim light which only showed a wooden floor. She descended downstairs with a feeling of excitment as if she were a filly waking up on hearth warmers day. She found herself in a dirt filled dimly lit room, in the centre of the room was a gray coated silver maned pegasus, her hoofs tied up, limbs spread firmly wide, her wings held by some grapple hooks she hang there lifelessly. Still dazed she lazily lifted her head trying to look for any sight known to her, the darkness was alien to her, the need to know what's going on combined with her inability to move or voice any questions put her in a slight confused panic. Twilight enjoyed the sight of her helpless victim and was ready for much more, she trotted over to a wheeled tray of unorganised surgical tools and some vegetable oil, she immediately took out a syringe to inject her victim with. She approached the pegasus who regained full conscious noticing the things that held her she hopelessly tried free herself. "Been a while hasn't it Cloudchaser?" Twilight said innocently. The pegasus shot her head up in fright at the sudden voice, face to face with Twilight she stared at her captor in horror and disbelief. "No, no, no, no, why me? What am I doing here?”, she asked in a hoarse yell, "Nothing personal dear...well maybe a little but for the most part I feel like this has to be done for my sake". Cloudchaser was still trying to escape her bounds and same result as before no success only the straining feeling around her wrists. "Look if it's because of how I treated you before I'm sorry okay I'm really, really sorry just don't kill me please!" Twilight giggled childishly to her own enjoyment of seeing her pitiful victim begging, 'actually pathetic seems to fit more than pitiful, Twilight thought to herself. She placed her right hoof on the back of back of Cloudchaser's neck, softly stroking her mane. "Shh shh shh shh it's okay, you did nothing wrong" she said in a soothing tone which seemed to have slowed the pegasus's heavy breathing, with the syringe in her other hoof she forced the needle into the left side of her neck. Cloudchaser let out a short cry of shock and pain followed by a panic filled panting. "Just so you know that's adrenaline I put into you so you don't pass out from the things I'll be doing to you", Cloudchaser still fought against her bounds though it proved no effort all she could do was feel for oncoming torture. "Hmm those wings remarkable strong yet sensitive like all pegasi, I wonder if you are the same", Twilight said as she began to massage her left wing with care, Cloudchaser didn't like was about to come, Twilight pulled out one feather and another, and another. As she went on Cloudchaser started to make slight twitches and a few sharp breath intakes, she was teasing her sooner or later she would be in for some real pain. Twilight stopped her actions and went over get the vegetable oil, Cloudchaser didn't bother to notice she only hoped that this was just some bad dream hoping she would wake up soon, though the pain was trivial it was enough to prove that is was real. Twilight returned to her victim this time she faced her right wing, "I heard you like to rub your wings in oil for your coltfriend, let's how sexy you look with some on you" Twilight said in sultry tone as she unscrewed the lid from the vegetable oil. Cloudchaser felt confused as well as sceptic to what her captor had just said, "okay seriously what the bu-" she failed to finish her sentence as she felt a pair of oil covered hooves begin to massage her wing. She didn't know what was going on was but she felt more and more turned on as her captor very delicately continued to cover every bit of her wing in oil, not too much and not too little. Cloudchaser took a strong intake of breath through her nose then a long release through the mouth, her wings stiffened despite the pain from the grapple hooks holding them, she quietly moaned. Twilight felt pleased with her skills and Cloudchaser's approval "You want me to do the other wing?", Twilight asked still keeping her sultry tone, "yes" Cloudchaser said, accepting this treatment that seemed to have come out of nowhere. Twilight began rubbing the other wing like she did the other one trying to cover every feather, all thoughts Cloudchaser had from before diminished with every moan she let out. Finished Twilight went over to get something else from the tray "I have another surprise for you, wait a sec" Cloudchaser protested in a small whine though she was eager for some real action. Her eyes widened in horror as saw what Twilight brought before her, finally realizing what the oil was really for, in Twilight hooves was an open matchbox, she smiled evilly at the look on Cloudchaser's face. She scratched the end of match igniting the flames, she came over to Cloudchaser's left wing, she placed the tip of the flame just above the lowest point feather "No wait pl-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The flames spread at a fast pace, burning every feather and then the wing bone, Twilight quickly ignited the other wing which spread as fast as the previous one. Cloudchaser shrieked from the pain she suffered, Twilight cast away her match and observed her work with a small grin. "Fluttershy please stop!" Cloudchaser begged with all she could muster Twilight shook her head with a quiet chuckle in response to her victim's plea. Twilight awoke with a start, breathing heavily, sweat pouring down her face she looked around to see she was back at the asylum in one of the medical wards laying in a bed. One pony noticed her just waking up, Nurse Redheart a white coat, light pink maned mare she went over to the startled unicorn. "Twilight you're awake, how do you feel?" she said, placing her hoof across Twilight's forehead. "I'm fine I just... well I" Twilight couldn't finish her sentence, she felt like she had just returned from a long journey. "It's okay Twilight, take your time then tell what you remember" Redheart asked, removing her hoof from Twilight's head. "I was in the labyrinth trying to find one of my patients then I saw somepony lying on the ground and-" Twilight stopped herself she completely forgot about the stallion she found in the labyrinth up until now. "What about the stallion I found is he okay?" she asked in worried panic, the nurse placed a hoof on the unicorn's shoulder "He's going to be fine dear, it's not your fault, but he is in real shock and has been blinded from the incident so he won't be working here anymore" The nurse said as she got out a plastic cup and refilled with water from the sink. "You only fainted after seeing the stallion it's likely because of the blood you saw on him so you should be fine" she gave the cup to Twilight which she gladly accepted taking a big gulp of it. "What about Fluttershy? Did you find her?" Twilight asked "Fluttershy was already inside when you called for help, do you think she might have something to do with this?" "No... when I saw the stallion his eyes were still gushing blood which means it happened recently, Fluttershy wouldn't have had enough time to do something like that then go back inside within a few minutes, so either the stallion did it to himself or somepony else did". "Rest assured we'll find the pony who did it don't worry, now get some rest you've had quite a day" Nurse Redheart said as she left the room, both ponies waving goodbye to each other. Alone the unicorn was, not really tired or sleepy, the dream she had early put off any thoughts but she didn't feel getting out of her bed either, "Yes might as well rest for a bit" Twilight said to herself. Fluttershy's InterviewTime passed as Twilight remained silent in her bed, deprived of any need for sleep. The other ponies that resided in the same room as her felt otherwise as they slept soundly in their beds. This left the young doctor with nothing but unwanted quietness and uninteresting sights of medical machinery, which ultimately failed to occupy her mind. Silence never bothered the unicorn, mostly because during moments like this, she would usually have a book to read which mostly occurred whenever she was in her own office during break hours. Ever since she made this place her temporary home, she lived by the rules similar to the ones she enforced in her library. Always use indoor voices, organize to an extent, and of course she would treat her room like it was her own library. In reality, it may seem strange and unnecessary; but in Twilight's own world, it was as if she hadn't left her home, and was still a librarian. With the amount of time she spent awake, she began to think slightly more clearly about the events that occurred a few hours ago. Re-thinking about her witness to the stallion's injuries, Twilight convinced herself that it was no self act (which she foolishly said otherwise to Nurse Redheart); still she was no closer to deducing any possible identities of the attacker, or any motives. The attacker wasn't her problem, by now the staff would have called the police to investigate. Twilight was allowed a small but unpromising relief from her worry, before another thought crawled into her mind. The dream. Twilight, though fascinated by how dreams work, still saw them as nothing more than a slideshow of vivid images that were played by the brain’s subconscious . Rainbow Dash doesn't see it that way though a voice said out loud in her head. The young doctor thought back to her rainbow friend, she couldn't but compare her dream to Rainbow's haunting nightmares. Not only were the nightmares horrifying but they described as realistic. Somehow, Twilight's dream also felt real; the venomous words she said to her victim, the feel of her oil covered hooves stroking Cloudchaser's wings, the burning heat radiating on her coat... it all felt so real. I sounded like Fluttershy, but thought and acted as if I was somepony else... why? Her file says she did kill Cloudchaser and a few other pegasi, but did it really happen like that? Why would I dream about something Fluttershy did? Why did it feel so real, would she hav- Twilight stopped herself from hopelessly trying to answer her onslaught of self questions, realizing that she was making a big deal out of something that could just be a minor coincidence. "It was only a dream Twilight...a weird dream sure, but it's not like you've never had those before." Twilight whispered to herself in a calm tone, encouraging herself to ease into bed and put her thoughts to rest for now. A voice interrupted her short-lived comfort. It belonged to a skinny, ginger coated, rose maned mare, and like all doctors she had the professional look and the necessary experience. She was the only earth pony doctor in the asylum and always spoke in a Scottish accent which helped separate her from the others. “Dr Sparkle, you’ve been checked out, so you're free to go. However the police arrived a few minutes ago, and since you're a witness, you’re wanted for questioning I wouldn't keep them waiting.". Twilight jumped out of her bed and went out of the room before the earth pony doctor could say anything else. "It's alright Dr Shockwall all I have to do is answer some questions and that's it". Dr Shockwall and Twilight were merely familiar faces to each other, and rarely made conversation that would be considered friendly. "Well, I should probably take you there. After all, I've also to been called to answer them as well." "Why's that?" "The stallion that got attacked was one of my orderlies, and they'll need to know what I know about him and anything he did before the incident" "Oh...I'm sorry that he won't working here anymore" "Well as long as he's alive. Besides, he didn't like his job anyway, he always thought that this asylum would only further disgrace this town more than it already has been". "So why did he decide to work here?". "He told me he once grew up here, back when it was was more peaceful. I could only imagine how he felt when he came back to find it like this. I think he wanted to make sure that this asylum idea works, though I've never asked much of his personal life". "He is going to be okay though, right?" "Yeah, like I said he's still alive, but then again I don't how he'll cope without his eyes" The whole walk brought the two doctors to the grounds just outside the labyrinth. There were a number of police ponies surrounding the outer walls, and a few entering the maze while carrying certain police equipment. By the looks of it, they were already setting up a crime scene. Two stallion police ponies took notice of the now present doctors, and approached them with strict professionalism. "Which one of you is the witness?" One of the police asked. Twilight raised her hoof to her eye level in response. "And you are?" asked the same the police stallion, directing his attention to Dr Shockwall. "I'm associated with the victim; he was my orderly". "Alright we'll come to you second, if you’ll just wait here for a bit" Dr Shockwall didn't need to answer as the police stallions escorted Twilight back indoors, where she was gestured to take a seat before the one of the stallions whipped out his notepad and writing pen. "Alright, Dr Sparkle is it? Can you start from the beginning please". Twilight told the police stallions everything that she could remember from before she lost consciousness; knowing the dream to be of little importance, she made sure to leave out that detail. "So you're sure you didn't see anypony else enter or come out the labyrinth before you went in?" "Yes." Twilight confirmed. The stallion scribbled down a few last words, before putting his note pad away. "Alright, thank you for that. Now then, I should inform you that the labyrinth will be restricted to patients and staff until we resolve this incident. We also need a favour from you". "Of course, what kind of favour?" Twilight wasn't convinced that she would be much further use to them after confirming that she has no idea of who the attacker is, but she knew she couldn't just say no. "Actually make that two favours" The police stallion gestured to his partner to go get the other doctor waiting outside. "You said that your patient Fluttershy was the only pony you know that goes in the labyrinth regularly." Twilight didn't respond immediately, she became stricken by a much quick assuming feeling of dread. No no no, please, I already told you that Fluttershy couldn't have been involved in this. "Yes", Twilight finally answered with a worried tone that didn't escape the stallion's notice. "Listen, your story doesn't prove that your patient's a suspect, but we still need to talk to her.She might know something". The stallion's words put the purple unicorn at ease, but she still had to know exactly why they needed Fluttershy. "Pardon me for asking, but what could Fluttershy know that'll help?". "Well, she may have known or seen somepony in the labyrinth before the attack happened. I know that's not much of a lead, but if we are to solve this, we need to know as much as possible. So we're asking if it's okay to bring your patient here, so we can question her."Twilight turned her head to face the hand clock on the wall. "I'm afraid you'll have wait for a while I've got an appointment with her in 10 minutes". "Alright, just let us know when she's ready", "What about the other favour you wanted from me?" Before the stallion could answer the purple unicorn his partner trotted in with Dr Shockwall, The stallion lifted his hoof to his partner to halt him. "The second favour we need from you is to be more careful for now on. You were the only witness to the crime, and the attacker might come after you next." This information brought Twilight to a level of fear close to panic: Her own life may or may not be in danger. "B-but I never saw this pony do anything!" "Regardless, you came too close to knowing too much. I'm not saying this is true, but should that be the case, you shouldn't go around this place on your own." There was a silence that lasted until twilight acknowledged the police stallion’s warning. "I understand officer”. The purple unicorn looked at the police stallion as if to ask if she was done here, to which the officer nodded in response. "Thank you for your time Dr Sparkle, you should get back to work". She made a small bow to the officer and a wave of farewell to Dr Shockwall, which she returned. The young doctor made her way to meet the young cream coloured pegasus. [click] Hey Fluttershy, how are you today? Um...I’m okay I guess Are you sure? Oh yes, I am really... it’s just that I heard about what happened earlier and...I was so worried about you. It's okay Fluttershy, I'm not hurt... I was more worried about you. I mean you're usually the one that's in the labyrinth, what if it was you that got hurt instead of that stallion? Well okay, but um Twilight.... Because of what happened, does that mean that I'm not allowed in the labyrinth anymore? Sadly, yes. The police told me that you and nopony else but them is to go in there. Oh, okay I guess. I'll find another place to hang around. If you don't mind me asking, why do you like the labyrinth so much? Well it's the only thing in this place that reminds me of Celestia's gardens and apart from my room, it's the only place where I'm on my own...which is most of the time. Isn't there anypony else in there that you talk to? ...(sighs) no. Fluttershy, you have to remember that our friends are here too, and you can talk to them. I'd bet they be happy to see you. I I don't think they will. Why not? If it's because of the bad stuff you did, the others have done bad stuff too. I've done too many terrible things, I-I don't think I'll ever be forgiven Fluttershy believe me, I think Applejack and Rainbow Dash would have talked to each other and maybe have forgiven each other. Really? what did they do?, if you don't mind me asking. Well Applejack killed the Flim Flam brothers and Rainbow Dash tried to kill Pinkie Pie. ...W-what made them do these things? Applejack didn't intentionally kill the brothers but she had a blackout that made her do it and Rainbow Dash was having nightmares about Pinkie Pie mutilating her almost every night. ...(weeps) I-I-I thought that Rainbow abandoned us because we weren't good enough and Applejack left because everypony else was abandoning each other. You had nothing to do with why they left, or the things that happened to them. They thought that running away and hiding would make their problems disappear. They were scared...just like me. Yes Fluttershy, we all were. Applejack was scared of losing everything she worked for and Rainbow Dash...well she always thought that flying would solve her problems, and she was so scared, she lost the will to fly again. ... [silence] Fluttershy? (pant) (pant) (pant) Fluttershy, what's wrong? N-no no no no please not again. Fluttershy, please tell me what's happening! S-stop it (pant) please make them stop laughing at me. What laughing? No one’s laughing, please calm down. NO! STOP IT! Gruff, get in here quick! Fluttershy, it's okay, I'm here. STOP IT! STOP MAKING FUN OF ME STO- [click]
PrologueDay 1 Date: 9th October 2012 It has been a few weeks since the asylum was built in Ponyville, the thought of this is unthinkable even if Celestia herself ordered this at my request. Since word got out that five of the famous bearers of the Elements of Harmony went insane, disturbances and murders have been increasing almost within a weekly basis. Ponyville hasn't been the same since. If only I knew if something was wrong with them, if I had just went out of my way to help them when they needed it, if-. My apologies I haven't introduced myself. I'm Twilight Sparkle, a graduate of Canterlot's School for Gifted Unicorns, ex student of Princess Celestia and a psychiatrist at Ponyville Asylum. I moved some of my stuff to my room/office from my library since I've decided to stay here, that way I won't worry about being late and my friends will be more at ease knowing that I'm not leaving them alone in this place. I know that sounds a little bit like I'm pushing myself but I think I'm the only one who can help my patients. Staying in this place is only a small part in my methods of helping my patients. As for my library, that is left under the care of my number one assistant Spike the dragon. He's young, but he has experience and according to the dragon race he's old enough to look after himself. Our asylum is small and one of the very few in Equestria. Most of the patients here are drug addicts or suicidal, usually both. Helping them isn't all that hard, or at least not for me. Our serious cases are as you may have guessed: Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkamena Diane Pie, and Fluttershy. They are the only friends I've ever had, even before they went insane. Most ponies think it's dangerous to get too close to mental patients, but they don't know that my patients are what motivates me in this place. These ponies don't just need therapy, they need a friend, even if they have to be reminded of that. Today I begin my first session with Applejack. I doubt she'll be easy to fix but I've got nothing to lose, except maybe my own sanity. I just hope it doesn't come to that. A double click sound traveled in the small surroundings of Twilight's office before the purple aura vanished from the tape recorder, ending the recording. Twilight's session with the farm pony wouldn't be for another 15 minutes, which gave her more than enough time to prepare. A purple aura coated itself on the tape recorder that Twilight had previously used. At the unicorn's command, the tape recorder opened it's hatch, inside it was a tape labelled "Twilight's Journal". Levitating out of the recorder, it was soon replaced with another tape labelled "Applejack Interview 1". The purple mare got out of her chair (Still holding her magical grip on the tape recorder) and began pushing her chair with her head, positioning it to her side of the table, which was placed in the center of the office. On the other side of the table was another chair, which unlike Twilight's hard, stiff traditional chair, this chair was modern, comfortable and had a extra cushion placed on it. Twilight climbed onto the her chair while using her magic to place the tape-recorder beside her on the table. With that the purple unicorn was ready for the interview, leaving only 13 minutes to spare. In the seemingly empty and silent office, the unicorn began tapping her hoof against the table, hoping that time would speed it's passing a wee bit. It made no difference. She began to ponder on possible events of today. It's been a while time since I've seen Applejack. How will she behave? Will she be happy to see me? What if she sees me as some psychiatrist rather than an old friend? And can the same thing be said for the others? More and more thoughts began to pour into Twilight's mind while in her daydreaming state. Occasional glances at the clock briefly broke her daydreams, before she sank back into them again. Sitting uncomfortably in her chair, her mind in broken shards of thoughts....Waiting. A quiet knock came from the door, but it was loud enough to make the mare jump a little and snap her out of her daydream permanently ."Miss Sparkle, your patient is here" came a quiet but gruff voice. "Oh good bring her in please" answered Twilight. The door slowly slid open, revealing to Twilight's eyes a large, light brown stallion, almost as big as Big Mac. On the right side of his flank, he had a shield for a cutie mark. The unicorn observed this, guessing that it symbolized something along the lines of protection. Strange, a stallion of his size and talent would likely be a royal guard at Canterlot or a bodyguard for one of the Princesses. Next to him was an orange, blonde maned earth pony wearing a brown cowpony hat. On her right flank was three red apples for a cutie mark. The orange mare let her nerves get to her as she forget her manners and allowed her head to tilt slightly lower, bringing her eyesight to the floor. "Good morning Applejack did you sleep well?" Twilight politely asked as Applejack slowly began trotting to her seat, which to her slight surprise looked more comfortable than she guessed. Applejack took her seat. "Slept okay Miss Sparkle" the earth pony reluctantly replied. "Applejack you know who I am, call me Twilight". "Oh right sorry Twilight". "Don't worry about it, it's okay. I'm a little nervous myself". The same gruff voice made itself known once again "I'm just outside if you need anything, Miss Sparkle". "That's fine, thank you Gruff". With that, the stallion trotted outside the room and closed the door behind him, before standing beside the door, as if guarding it. Alone with Applejack, Twilight pressed her hoof against the tape recorder's "REC" button, setting it to record.
Applejack's Interview[Click] ... You need anything Applejack, like some water? N-no thanks, ah'm okay. Well then I take it you know why you're here. Yes ah do You wanna talk about? W-well ah...ah... ah don't know. It's okay Applejack, take your time. (sigh) Ah'm here cuz ah had a blackout, an' when ah woke up ah was back at Sweet Apple Acres, with the Flim Flam brothers lyin' dead. Ah don't know what happened but before ah could do anythin' two police stallions saw me an' arrested me. So you don't remember anything else? N-no...do you know anythin' else that might have happened? Only that you came back to Ponyville without telling anypony, and then killed the Flim Flam brothers. Oh... a-ah really killed em?. Yes I'm afraid you did. (silence) I'm so sorry. It ain' yer fault sugarcube...it's mah own. No it's not Applejack, you had a blackout, even if you were sober or just a little drunk you would never kill anypony. Even if it was Flim and Flam. Ah don't know Twi. What do you mean?. You remember when them brothers took away our home. Yes you and your family went to Manehattan so you could earn enough bits to buy back Sweet Apple Acres. Well Aunt and Uncle Orange let us stay with them till we got ourselves new jobs. Ah worked as a waiter an' Big Mac worked as a taxi driver, even Applebloom took part-time delivering paper, but we weren't earnin' enough bits an' we were missing everypony back home. It just didn't feel right. Why not? Sweet Apple acres has sheltered mah family for centuries, we worked really hard ta keep it that way even before Flim n Flam came along. But when apple cider season came, our work meant nothin’. Same thin' with working in manehattan. Since then ah felt like ah wasn't myself any more. Ah started drinking almost everyday an' havin' fights with Big Mac. That's awful. That's not all...last night before ah got arrested, ah took a train ta Ponyville so ah could visit you one more time. When ah got off the train everythin' went black. And that's when you killed Flim and Flam. ...Ah'm sorry Twilight, but ah think you should a left me in jail. Don't say that. I know that you would never sink to that level if you had a choice. (silence) You confessed a lot today and that was probably really hard for you. However that proves you're still honest and that you're still the same Applejack I met two years ago. Can ah ask you somethin'? Go ahead. The others, they here too? ...Yes they’re here as well. Its been so long since ah've seen em...since ah've seen you. I know Applejack. How could this all happen?. Ah don't know Twi, it just did. (silence) (sigh)...Twi can we...you know do this some other time?. Yes we've done what we can for today, our next session will be next week is that okay?. Sure thin' sugarcube... thank you. [click] [click] Applejack cooperated really well during our talk, but I'm not sure she's convinced that things will turn out better. Sweet Apple Acres was home to the Apple Family for goddess-knows-how-long. She loved and worked for it as much as she does for her family and friends. Losing it all must have turned her world upside down. Perhaps that's why she's going through depression which has led her to alcoholism. She was the last of my friends to have committed murder and I didn't wanna believe that she went crazy like they did. Now that I've talked to her, she's not really insane, she just had a horrible day. I said before that I would help her and I plan to see it through. Though I still have work on the others before I can really help any of them. [click] Two hours passed after the interview, and lunch break was about to start. Twilight made herself ready when unexpectedly a knock was heard at the door. "Come in" she said after letting out a sigh. The same stallion who brought in Applejack stood outside the unicorn's door. He appeared just as he did before except he looked slightly nervous and somehow sympathetic towards her. "Hey uh Miss Sparkle, it's lunchtime and... w-well I was just wondering if it's okay for you to join me." The purple mare had just managed to hold in her protest as she quickly realized that she had no good excuse to support her refusal. Twilight was never enthusiastic when it came to socializing with new ponies, but Gruff was someone she was familiar with, accounting for the times he brought patients to her door. "I suppose so Gruff, lead the way" Twilight replied. Twilight, Gruff, and a few other doctors and orderlies made there way to the Canteen, which was just downstairs to the far right of the hall. Twilight didn't know most of the ponies with her, familiar faces maybe but no other interactions have occurred between her and them. She decided to respect their privacy and hope that they would the same. Break hours were the only times Twilight ever felt comfortable when getting out of her room, it seemed like the only time everypony was in the same place which made everyone feel safe in this nuthouse. The mare and stallion eventually entered the Canteen to join the short cue of ponies who were waiting for today's lunch. "You okay?" Gruff asked without any indication that something was up. "Um yes everything fine why do ask" the Unicorn replied. Gruff brought his hoof to the back of his head slightly roughing up his mane a bit "Just checking, I know how unsettling it can be in this place.” "Well thank you for asking but I think I know what I signed up for when I came here" Twilight responded with a reassuring smile. "Heh well that's what the other doctors say but they seem less hopeful than their own words" Before Twilight could reply, she found herself standing at the food section. There was plates of sandwiches, vegetables, fruits, and pasta with fish. Twilight asked for her usual pick, "a daffodil n daisy sandwich", however she noticed that the mare in front of her looked a little startled by her presence. She didn't recognize her nor did she know why she looked so uneasy, especially towards her. Before she could answer herself, Gruff spoke, "It's okay, just give her the sandwich". The mare quickly grabbed the plate with the sandwich and gave it to Twilight, however her attitude didn't change "Don't mind her, she's shy around most ponies". gruff explained "Oh I see" Twilight replied, as memories of Fluttershy flooded into her mind, or at least the old Fluttershy. Moving on, the two ponies came to the drinks and cakes. There were water bottles and juice cartons. The cakes looked delicious, there were fruit cakes, donuts, chocolate eclairs and some cupcakes. Despite the temptation, she decided to skip the cakes and took a carton of apple juice. Moving up to the end she presented her lunch to the other mare standing behind the cashier. The mare simply proceeded to her routine without giving her customer so much as a glance. "That'll be four bits" she said. "Let me get that for you" Gruff cut in before placing four gold Equestrian coins on the top counter and another four to pay for his own lunch since he got the same thing as Twilight. "Gruff, really you don't have-". "It's okay Miss Sparkle, I insist". The purple unicorn didn't want to waste time arguing, so she accepted the offer and thanked him. The two ponies made their way to an empty table with two chairs. They settled themselves in, sitting face to face with each other. Twilight and Gruff wasted no time in digging into their meals, and neither of them spoke any words aside from Twilight who made a remark on how satisfying her sandwich was. All the stallion responded with was a nod and a small smile. With their lunches finished, they brought their empty plates to the top counter where a green coated stallion took them out of their hooves. They thanked the unicorn and went on their way back to Twilight's office. "Well thank you for buying me lunch today, I'll repay you some time". "You don't owe me anything, its hard enough when your...well trying to help your friends". "Well it was nice of you anyway". "...Hey um... you don't mind doing this more often do you?. I mean sitting with me during lunch". "No I don't mind". "So I can come by your room every lunch hour for now on?." "Um I guess that's okay". Twilight stood outside her office where she and Gruff parted ways, and they both said their goodbyes and attended to their duties. The rest of the day was pretty much uneventful, Twilight sorted out some files, had sessions with other unknown patients and had some fast food for dinner. Luna's night had already covered the sky in shining dark blue ,glittering in little white stars. Few ponies remained awake for a short while to bask in the beauty of the night, most of them were couples. For Twilight Sparkle however, she had already decided that home was with her friends so she reluctantly retired to her new bedroom which was connected to her office on the right. It was a small white room with no window, containing only a white sheet bed, a sink and an old fashion alarm clock. For what seemed like hours, Twilight found herself unable to sleep peacefully. She couldn't keep her eyes closed for more than a minute and every time she managed to, it irritated her further into opening her eyes again. It had nothing to do with her bed or the white atmosphere which seemed blinding even in the dark. Twilight didn't liked sleeping in here, in this room, in this asylum. She felt alone and just as much of a prisoner as the inmates, no wonder they hate this place. However she wasn't held in by security guards, she was held in by the hallway. At night, the hallway was an entirely different place possessed by darkness and deafening silence, with the most quietest of steps would be like having bells tied everything on your body. Twilight felt very vulnerable whenever she entered that area, often picturing scenarios of herself wandering down there one night only to be stalked, attacked or killed by one of the inmates. The next day she would reassure herself that such thoughts were far too superstitious in order to calm herself down. Nonetheless she avoided those risks whenever she could. However her own safety being threatened wasn't her only fear. The unicorn finally succumbed to her sleep after endless hours of staring at the ceiling counting imaginary sheep, but it didn't last. A scream muffled in the surroundings of Twilight's room, though it was clear that the scream announced the feeling of pain and fear. Twilight wrapped herself tightly with her covers, clinging to them as if they would protect her. She knew that scream and who made it. It belongs to a pegasus, one that is endlessly haunted by her own nightmares. The waking world holds no refuge for this poor pegasus. In her now tormented mind her dreams and her reality are all the same. She was defenseless, confused and all alone, no matter where she was. Tears began to swell up in Twilight's eyelids, before slowly sliding sideways from her eyes, soaking into her pillow. Twilight wanted to comfort her, let her believe that everything's okay. She didn't have the key to her cell nor did she have the courage take a single step into the dark hallway that separated the two in their cages. She felt like a little filly again. A weak, helpless, scared little filly. "Please be okay Rainbow".
Rainbow Dash's Interview[click] Rainbow it's uh been a while. ... How do you find this place?. I prefer the prison. You don't like it here? Of course I don't Like it here nopony does! Tell me why you don't like it. Jail is where I belong, I don't like it there either but in there everypony knows I've done something bad and should be locked for it. Here I'm locked up for doing something bad sure only I have to listen to doctors telling me that they'll make things better for me, things will never be better not unless I can go back in time and change what I did. Rainbow this isn't about you or Pinkie, You were transferred here because you've been screaming every middle of the night. So I've been having a few bad dreams what about it? Having bad dreams everyday isn't a good thing, what happens in them? Why're so interested?! I hear you scream every night Rainbow... it scares me. (silence) Rainbow Dash all of our friends are here too. Really... and Pinkie? Yes she's here too but not as you remember What do you mean? (sighs) It's true that you didn't really kill pinkie but she’s not same anymore. She doesn't trust me or anypony else, I haven't seen her smile once since that day. Re-really?... you mean? Yes she been really upset since you tried to kill her, she doesn't want to make ponies laugh anymore she just wants to stay away from them forever. (silence) Rainbow? I...I didn't [click] What happened next made the purple unicorn cease her recording session, she could note down anything that might occur later. Rainbow Dash was still present in the room sitting in front of Twilight, hooves pressed against her eyelids she let loose a throaty wail of suppressed emotions. Twilight came over to the cyan pegasus softly wrapping her arms around her to provide some comfort. Rainbow didn't refuse it's been long since she felt any friendly contact, especially from somepony who she thought would've neglected her for her actions. "It's okay Rainbow, it's okay" Even though that wasn't true somehow it felt good to know that Twilight still cared about her, she felt the need let out all of her sins to the one friend who listens to her now. "I...I almost killed Pinkie...and I...just ran away... I should have helped her, say I was sorry anything to let her know that I didn't mean for this to happen". Rainbow held her unicorn friend close hoping she would understand her. "You ran away because you thought you were a danger to her and maybe the rest of us, you didn’t know that you hurt even more when you left her ". The cyan pony continued her sobbing damping Twilight’s shoulder. "Your dreams have something to do with this don't they?" The sobs of the cyan mare were fading but were still there her throat dried up from all her cries "They just won't leave me alone, they keep coming back every night I see Pinkie offering me a cupcake and then she takes me to her basement and she cuts me open she rips out my organs and... every dream is like this. Every time I sleep she cuts me and when I’m awake she just waits for me to come back". Twilight guessed that Rainbow’s dreams would involve Pinkie but she never imagined them to be so horrible, it makes murder a trivial thing. "Rainbow all of our friends are here and they aren’t themselves either. Rainbow's tears dried up but still the sadness lingered though it became a calm sadness, "really?”. “Yeah I think they deserve to know the reason for what happened" "I...I don’t know" “Listen break starts in an hour you and I can go outside we might find Applejack there maybe you two could maybe play basketball”. For the first in ages Rainbow Dash smiled. Twilight and Rainbow made their way to the asylum grounds, there was a sitting area where ponies would chill or chat with some the friends they made here, a basketball field to which many stallions played in and also a garden area where patients could water some plants. Rainbow Dash would often be on her own whenever she came out here, avoiding any interaction with anypony, but Twilight standing by her made her feel more confident her friends might have saved some harsh unforgiving remarks for her since she disappeared from Ponyville. In the sitting area there was Applejack sitting uncomfortable on a bench, her legs shaking and her head hanging low keeping her vision on the ground. Twilight noticed Rainbow looking as uneasy as Applejack though for a different reason, "Do you want to talk to her or do want me to first then you" Twilight asked her unenthusiastic friend, "You go first that'll give me time" Rainbow dejected as she placed herself on a nearby bench. Twilight left her cyan friend for the moment and began to approach the farm pony, Applejack lifted her "Howdy Twi", she greeted as best as could. "Hey Applejack, how are you holding up" she said in response as she sat herself next to the farm pony. "Aw ya know just trying ma best ta cope without any drinks so not so good really" said the unhappy mare, returning her head to the low hanging state. "You'll will get through this you're a strong pony" Twilight said giving her a small pat to her back, "Thanks sugarcube" Applejack with no change in her tone. A natural silence fell upon the two, twilight made glances between her two friends standing far apart noticing their nervous retractions from each other’s sight. "How's Rainbow?" Applejack finally broke out. "I had an interview with her and she had a breakdown, she's really upset about what she did before". "Oh ah bet she is awright" Applejack muttered sarcastically, this didn't escape the unicorn but she decided to ignore her statement and started to tell her farmer friend everything that Rainbow confessed to her. It took a while for Applejack to feel any remorse for her judgement against the pony who she assaulted when she found out the cause of Pinkie's near death wound. She always assumed her cyan friend had turned evil for no reason and didn't think to question why. Considering the problems she had right now, there was no room for the blame game. "Ah don't know what ta say" Applejack finally said. "You'll have to talk to Rainbow, she's right there", Applejack looked in the direction where Twilight hoof was pointing and sure enough Rainbow remained on the same bench though she pretended to not notice the two ponies talking about her. "Ah don't know sugarcube maybe now's not the time" Applejack said nervously, Twilight expected this but she knew that Rainbow making amends with Applejack would be a good start and she also knew her denial now might mean she'll never attempt to talk the athletic pony. "Don't forget you've actually killed two ponies from alcohol influence since then you been living her life with regret and misery, believing that everypony you ever loved or cared about would never forgive you, Rainbow Dash is no different". Silence, Applejack lowered her eyes but otherwise wore an almost convincing poker face. "Listen I'm gonna look for Fluttershy she'd maybe like to know of rainbow as well". "Ya'll find her in the labyrinth that's where she always goes" Applejack said with a wave of her hoof, directing it to the garden. "Thanks just please talk to her", Applejack didn't respond, Twilight went over to Rainbow and informed her of what she said and allowed her to do the rest. Then she left her companions to their talk or silence whichever would come to pass. The gardens was set up to look similar to the royal Canterlot gardens only less open spaced and no presence of any critters, the only animals there were wild birds that came and flew away from time to time, some would often return to visit they're recently befriended mare. The caretaker preferred to be on her own when it came to strangers so she spent most of her time in the labyrinth, which is where the unicorn would find her as Applejack advised. The labyrinth was a small, circular maze that would tower even Celestia, it was made as a sanctuary for the shy pony. The young unicorn gingerly took her first steps into unfamiliar territory, sneaking wasn't an option even if intended one of Fluttershys bird friends would've already spotted the intruder and warned her. The Pegasus wouldn't consider Twilight under such a name but if the unicorn were to approached her the wrong way she could trigger a violent outburst. She took turns and twists into same areas she found herself in, two, three times?, either way not one small glimpse of yellow or any colour other than green or brown was shown. She felt engulfed in this accursed labyrinth, "how hard is it to find a pegasus in the same place she always goes to" Twilight said to herself in an irritated tone. Sooner than expected a sound was heard, not a whimper or a squeak or any sound expected of the caretaker, this was a muffled sound, finding it's source wasn't difficult for Twilight to locate but the source brought her into an instant freeze. She saw a bloody stallion crawling on the ground like a lost baby, his eyes red and swollen with blood, a strip of cloth lounged into his mouth, suffocating him. Panicking, the unicorn rushed over to the stallion bringing a hoof to his shoulder letting him know he's with someone "Somepony help!" she shouted while using her magic to remove the cloth from his mouth, he puffed out a breath followed by a few coughs."What happened?" Twilight asked moving her hoof away from him. "M-my-my eyes" he brought both his hooves within his eyeline though they barely made contact. He desperately grabbed Twilight's coat in a pleading manner "P-please he-help me". More horrified than ever the young mare was given a full up close view of the stallion's eyes drenched in still wet blood running down his face. Cold sweat began to moisture on twilight's face, she tried to fight the oncoming dizziness but she couldn't look away from the blood, eventually she leaned sideways and began to faint. A blurred vision slowly cleared itself granting the purple mare with a familiar sight, although it was dark her eyes began to adjust itself in the blackness. She began observing the environment of her location strangely she was in Fluttershy's cottage, yes everything about this place had the kind welcome feeling that always fell upon any living thing that entered it much like it's owner. She lifted herself from the couch that she lay on, she trotted over to the staircase door, she turned the door knob to reveal a set of stairs drenched in darkness that lead to a dim light which only showed a wooden floor. She descended downstairs with a feeling of excitment as if she were a filly waking up on hearth warmers day. She found herself in a dirt filled dimly lit room, in the centre of the room was a gray coated silver maned pegasus, her hoofs tied up, limbs spread firmly wide, her wings held by some grapple hooks she hang there lifelessly. Still dazed she lazily lifted her head trying to look for any sight known to her, the darkness was alien to her, the need to know what's going on combined with her inability to move or voice any questions put her in a slight confused panic. Twilight enjoyed the sight of her helpless victim and was ready for much more, she trotted over to a wheeled tray of unorganised surgical tools and some vegetable oil, she immediately took out a syringe to inject her victim with. She approached the pegasus who regained full conscious noticing the things that held her she hopelessly tried free herself. "Been a while hasn't it Cloudchaser?" Twilight said innocently. The pegasus shot her head up in fright at the sudden voice, face to face with Twilight she stared at her captor in horror and disbelief. "No, no, no, no, why me? What am I doing here?”, she asked in a hoarse yell, "Nothing personal dear...well maybe a little but for the most part I feel like this has to be done for my sake". Cloudchaser was still trying to escape her bounds and same result as before no success only the straining feeling around her wrists. "Look if it's because of how I treated you before I'm sorry okay I'm really, really sorry just don't kill me please!" Twilight giggled childishly to her own enjoyment of seeing her pitiful victim begging, 'actually pathetic seems to fit more than pitiful, Twilight thought to herself. She placed her right hoof on the back of back of Cloudchaser's neck, softly stroking her mane. "Shh shh shh shh it's okay, you did nothing wrong" she said in a soothing tone which seemed to have slowed the pegasus's heavy breathing, with the syringe in her other hoof she forced the needle into the left side of her neck. Cloudchaser let out a short cry of shock and pain followed by a panic filled panting. "Just so you know that's adrenaline I put into you so you don't pass out from the things I'll be doing to you", Cloudchaser still fought against her bounds though it proved no effort all she could do was feel for oncoming torture. "Hmm those wings remarkable strong yet sensitive like all pegasi, I wonder if you are the same", Twilight said as she began to massage her left wing with care, Cloudchaser didn't like was about to come, Twilight pulled out one feather and another, and another. As she went on Cloudchaser started to make slight twitches and a few sharp breath intakes, she was teasing her sooner or later she would be in for some real pain. Twilight stopped her actions and went over get the vegetable oil, Cloudchaser didn't bother to notice she only hoped that this was just some bad dream hoping she would wake up soon, though the pain was trivial it was enough to prove that is was real. Twilight returned to her victim this time she faced her right wing, "I heard you like to rub your wings in oil for your coltfriend, let's how sexy you look with some on you" Twilight said in sultry tone as she unscrewed the lid from the vegetable oil. Cloudchaser felt confused as well as sceptic to what her captor had just said, "okay seriously what the bu-" she failed to finish her sentence as she felt a pair of oil covered hooves begin to massage her wing. She didn't know what was going on was but she felt more and more turned on as her captor very delicately continued to cover every bit of her wing in oil, not too much and not too little. Cloudchaser took a strong intake of breath through her nose then a long release through the mouth, her wings stiffened despite the pain from the grapple hooks holding them, she quietly moaned. Twilight felt pleased with her skills and Cloudchaser's approval "You want me to do the other wing?", Twilight asked still keeping her sultry tone, "yes" Cloudchaser said, accepting this treatment that seemed to have come out of nowhere. Twilight began rubbing the other wing like she did the other one trying to cover every feather, all thoughts Cloudchaser had from before diminished with every moan she let out. Finished Twilight went over to get something else from the tray "I have another surprise for you, wait a sec" Cloudchaser protested in a small whine though she was eager for some real action. Her eyes widened in horror as saw what Twilight brought before her, finally realizing what the oil was really for, in Twilight hooves was an open matchbox, she smiled evilly at the look on Cloudchaser's face. She scratched the end of match igniting the flames, she came over to Cloudchaser's left wing, she placed the tip of the flame just above the lowest point feather "No wait pl-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The flames spread at a fast pace, burning every feather and then the wing bone, Twilight quickly ignited the other wing which spread as fast as the previous one. Cloudchaser shrieked from the pain she suffered, Twilight cast away her match and observed her work with a small grin. "Fluttershy please stop!" Cloudchaser begged with all she could muster Twilight shook her head with a quiet chuckle in response to her victim's plea. Twilight awoke with a start, breathing heavily, sweat pouring down her face she looked around to see she was back at the asylum in one of the medical wards laying in a bed. One pony noticed her just waking up, Nurse Redheart a white coat, light pink maned mare she went over to the startled unicorn. "Twilight you're awake, how do you feel?" she said, placing her hoof across Twilight's forehead. "I'm fine I just... well I" Twilight couldn't finish her sentence, she felt like she had just returned from a long journey. "It's okay Twilight, take your time then tell what you remember" Redheart asked, removing her hoof from Twilight's head. "I was in the labyrinth trying to find one of my patients then I saw somepony lying on the ground and-" Twilight stopped herself she completely forgot about the stallion she found in the labyrinth up until now. "What about the stallion I found is he okay?" she asked in worried panic, the nurse placed a hoof on the unicorn's shoulder "He's going to be fine dear, it's not your fault, but he is in real shock and has been blinded from the incident so he won't be working here anymore" The nurse said as she got out a plastic cup and refilled with water from the sink. "You only fainted after seeing the stallion it's likely because of the blood you saw on him so you should be fine" she gave the cup to Twilight which she gladly accepted taking a big gulp of it. "What about Fluttershy? Did you find her?" Twilight asked "Fluttershy was already inside when you called for help, do you think she might have something to do with this?" "No... when I saw the stallion his eyes were still gushing blood which means it happened recently, Fluttershy wouldn't have had enough time to do something like that then go back inside within a few minutes, so either the stallion did it to himself or somepony else did". "Rest assured we'll find the pony who did it don't worry, now get some rest you've had quite a day" Nurse Redheart said as she left the room, both ponies waving goodbye to each other. Alone the unicorn was, not really tired or sleepy, the dream she had early put off any thoughts but she didn't feel getting out of her bed either, "Yes might as well rest for a bit" Twilight said to herself.
Fluttershy's InterviewTime passed as Twilight remained silent in her bed, deprived of any need for sleep. The other ponies that resided in the same room as her felt otherwise as they slept soundly in their beds. This left the young doctor with nothing but unwanted quietness and uninteresting sights of medical machinery, which ultimately failed to occupy her mind. Silence never bothered the unicorn, mostly because during moments like this, she would usually have a book to read which mostly occurred whenever she was in her own office during break hours. Ever since she made this place her temporary home, she lived by the rules similar to the ones she enforced in her library. Always use indoor voices, organize to an extent, and of course she would treat her room like it was her own library. In reality, it may seem strange and unnecessary; but in Twilight's own world, it was as if she hadn't left her home, and was still a librarian. With the amount of time she spent awake, she began to think slightly more clearly about the events that occurred a few hours ago. Re-thinking about her witness to the stallion's injuries, Twilight convinced herself that it was no self act (which she foolishly said otherwise to Nurse Redheart); still she was no closer to deducing any possible identities of the attacker, or any motives. The attacker wasn't her problem, by now the staff would have called the police to investigate. Twilight was allowed a small but unpromising relief from her worry, before another thought crawled into her mind. The dream. Twilight, though fascinated by how dreams work, still saw them as nothing more than a slideshow of vivid images that were played by the brain’s subconscious . Rainbow Dash doesn't see it that way though a voice said out loud in her head. The young doctor thought back to her rainbow friend, she couldn't but compare her dream to Rainbow's haunting nightmares. Not only were the nightmares horrifying but they described as realistic. Somehow, Twilight's dream also felt real; the venomous words she said to her victim, the feel of her oil covered hooves stroking Cloudchaser's wings, the burning heat radiating on her coat... it all felt so real. I sounded like Fluttershy, but thought and acted as if I was somepony else... why? Her file says she did kill Cloudchaser and a few other pegasi, but did it really happen like that? Why would I dream about something Fluttershy did? Why did it feel so real, would she hav- Twilight stopped herself from hopelessly trying to answer her onslaught of self questions, realizing that she was making a big deal out of something that could just be a minor coincidence. "It was only a dream Twilight...a weird dream sure, but it's not like you've never had those before." Twilight whispered to herself in a calm tone, encouraging herself to ease into bed and put her thoughts to rest for now. A voice interrupted her short-lived comfort. It belonged to a skinny, ginger coated, rose maned mare, and like all doctors she had the professional look and the necessary experience. She was the only earth pony doctor in the asylum and always spoke in a Scottish accent which helped separate her from the others. “Dr Sparkle, you’ve been checked out, so you're free to go. However the police arrived a few minutes ago, and since you're a witness, you’re wanted for questioning I wouldn't keep them waiting.". Twilight jumped out of her bed and went out of the room before the earth pony doctor could say anything else. "It's alright Dr Shockwall all I have to do is answer some questions and that's it". Dr Shockwall and Twilight were merely familiar faces to each other, and rarely made conversation that would be considered friendly. "Well, I should probably take you there. After all, I've also to been called to answer them as well." "Why's that?" "The stallion that got attacked was one of my orderlies, and they'll need to know what I know about him and anything he did before the incident" "Oh...I'm sorry that he won't working here anymore" "Well as long as he's alive. Besides, he didn't like his job anyway, he always thought that this asylum would only further disgrace this town more than it already has been". "So why did he decide to work here?". "He told me he once grew up here, back when it was was more peaceful. I could only imagine how he felt when he came back to find it like this. I think he wanted to make sure that this asylum idea works, though I've never asked much of his personal life". "He is going to be okay though, right?" "Yeah, like I said he's still alive, but then again I don't how he'll cope without his eyes" The whole walk brought the two doctors to the grounds just outside the labyrinth. There were a number of police ponies surrounding the outer walls, and a few entering the maze while carrying certain police equipment. By the looks of it, they were already setting up a crime scene. Two stallion police ponies took notice of the now present doctors, and approached them with strict professionalism. "Which one of you is the witness?" One of the police asked. Twilight raised her hoof to her eye level in response. "And you are?" asked the same the police stallion, directing his attention to Dr Shockwall. "I'm associated with the victim; he was my orderly". "Alright we'll come to you second, if you’ll just wait here for a bit" Dr Shockwall didn't need to answer as the police stallions escorted Twilight back indoors, where she was gestured to take a seat before the one of the stallions whipped out his notepad and writing pen. "Alright, Dr Sparkle is it? Can you start from the beginning please". Twilight told the police stallions everything that she could remember from before she lost consciousness; knowing the dream to be of little importance, she made sure to leave out that detail. "So you're sure you didn't see anypony else enter or come out the labyrinth before you went in?" "Yes." Twilight confirmed. The stallion scribbled down a few last words, before putting his note pad away. "Alright, thank you for that. Now then, I should inform you that the labyrinth will be restricted to patients and staff until we resolve this incident. We also need a favour from you". "Of course, what kind of favour?" Twilight wasn't convinced that she would be much further use to them after confirming that she has no idea of who the attacker is, but she knew she couldn't just say no. "Actually make that two favours" The police stallion gestured to his partner to go get the other doctor waiting outside. "You said that your patient Fluttershy was the only pony you know that goes in the labyrinth regularly." Twilight didn't respond immediately, she became stricken by a much quick assuming feeling of dread. No no no, please, I already told you that Fluttershy couldn't have been involved in this. "Yes", Twilight finally answered with a worried tone that didn't escape the stallion's notice. "Listen, your story doesn't prove that your patient's a suspect, but we still need to talk to her.She might know something". The stallion's words put the purple unicorn at ease, but she still had to know exactly why they needed Fluttershy. "Pardon me for asking, but what could Fluttershy know that'll help?". "Well, she may have known or seen somepony in the labyrinth before the attack happened. I know that's not much of a lead, but if we are to solve this, we need to know as much as possible. So we're asking if it's okay to bring your patient here, so we can question her."Twilight turned her head to face the hand clock on the wall. "I'm afraid you'll have wait for a while I've got an appointment with her in 10 minutes". "Alright, just let us know when she's ready", "What about the other favour you wanted from me?" Before the stallion could answer the purple unicorn his partner trotted in with Dr Shockwall, The stallion lifted his hoof to his partner to halt him. "The second favour we need from you is to be more careful for now on. You were the only witness to the crime, and the attacker might come after you next." This information brought Twilight to a level of fear close to panic: Her own life may or may not be in danger. "B-but I never saw this pony do anything!" "Regardless, you came too close to knowing too much. I'm not saying this is true, but should that be the case, you shouldn't go around this place on your own." There was a silence that lasted until twilight acknowledged the police stallion’s warning. "I understand officer”. The purple unicorn looked at the police stallion as if to ask if she was done here, to which the officer nodded in response. "Thank you for your time Dr Sparkle, you should get back to work". She made a small bow to the officer and a wave of farewell to Dr Shockwall, which she returned. The young doctor made her way to meet the young cream coloured pegasus. [click] Hey Fluttershy, how are you today? Um...I’m okay I guess Are you sure? Oh yes, I am really... it’s just that I heard about what happened earlier and...I was so worried about you. It's okay Fluttershy, I'm not hurt... I was more worried about you. I mean you're usually the one that's in the labyrinth, what if it was you that got hurt instead of that stallion? Well okay, but um Twilight.... Because of what happened, does that mean that I'm not allowed in the labyrinth anymore? Sadly, yes. The police told me that you and nopony else but them is to go in there. Oh, okay I guess. I'll find another place to hang around. If you don't mind me asking, why do you like the labyrinth so much? Well it's the only thing in this place that reminds me of Celestia's gardens and apart from my room, it's the only place where I'm on my own...which is most of the time. Isn't there anypony else in there that you talk to? ...(sighs) no. Fluttershy, you have to remember that our friends are here too, and you can talk to them. I'd bet they be happy to see you. I I don't think they will. Why not? If it's because of the bad stuff you did, the others have done bad stuff too. I've done too many terrible things, I-I don't think I'll ever be forgiven Fluttershy believe me, I think Applejack and Rainbow Dash would have talked to each other and maybe have forgiven each other. Really? what did they do?, if you don't mind me asking. Well Applejack killed the Flim Flam brothers and Rainbow Dash tried to kill Pinkie Pie. ...W-what made them do these things? Applejack didn't intentionally kill the brothers but she had a blackout that made her do it and Rainbow Dash was having nightmares about Pinkie Pie mutilating her almost every night. ...(weeps) I-I-I thought that Rainbow abandoned us because we weren't good enough and Applejack left because everypony else was abandoning each other. You had nothing to do with why they left, or the things that happened to them. They thought that running away and hiding would make their problems disappear. They were scared...just like me. Yes Fluttershy, we all were. Applejack was scared of losing everything she worked for and Rainbow Dash...well she always thought that flying would solve her problems, and she was so scared, she lost the will to fly again. ... [silence] Fluttershy? (pant) (pant) (pant) Fluttershy, what's wrong? N-no no no no please not again. Fluttershy, please tell me what's happening! S-stop it (pant) please make them stop laughing at me. What laughing? No one’s laughing, please calm down. NO! STOP IT! Gruff, get in here quick! Fluttershy, it's okay, I'm here. STOP IT! STOP MAKING FUN OF ME STO- [click]
