What Friends Are For

[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".