//------------------------------//
// From Dream To Dread 
// Story: Red Heart Checkout: Autobiography Of A Disturbed Patient 
// by ShadowSteed 
//------------------------------//

Over the course of the next few days, my time in the hospital was grand and easy going. One day in particular stands out among them though. On that morning, I had a dream. A pleasant dream. A dream that still fills me with illusions of grandeur to this day. A dream..... of her. I had thought long and hard about how she knew me, yet I could swear i had only just met her. Was she an old friend from elementary school? Was she someone I associated with in the past? Could she possibly even be a client from my job? I had no clue. While I slept that night, the possibilities running through my head were endless. I had a slight migraine from all the confusion. Yet it only phases me so little as the images of her within my dreams were very distracting. She was very beautiful,  so alluring. She would speak words so pleasant that my heart would seem to leap from my chest and into my mouth in the form of words to speak to her. She would gaze upon me with those enchanting light blue eyes, and I would drift into a sea of wonders. Her mane just standing out in the darkly lit room. Than she would leave. She would slowly turn herself opposite me and walk away from me. The thoughts of her leaving my presence would cause my heart to sink. I still question though, why would that happen? Why would she have such an effect on me, if I had never seen her before? Could this be the feelings of love at first sight, or do I still lust for her after our unfinished encounter? I still, to this day, have no clue.

As she was away and out of sight, I suddenly heard her voice again. She said "Honeeeey!" I was startled! I looked all around me, but she was nowhere to be found. I called back "Nurse Redheart?" She repeated her response. I desperately searched for her, but there was no sight of her. Suddenly, I felt a strange sensation on my hoof. It was suddenly..... warmer than before. I looked at it, but there was nothing there. What could possibly be making it feel this way.

I suddenly had my answer.

I heard the soft voice calling out to me once more. This time, it said, "Wake up!" Wake up? I had no way of knowing I was dreaming at the time. It all felt so real. The world around me slowly started to fade as my mind was strolling back to reality. When I began to see nothing but darkness, I slowly opened my eyes again.

There she was.

The mare who has been there for me since day one of my stay here. Her alluring blue eyes fixed upon mine as she is holding my hoof in hers. It was so warm, so reassuring, It just made me feel so safe, so secure in my environment.

Everything was full of bliss.

A whole two minutes had passed before another word was said. She just came to check up on me.

"Honey?" She said to me.

"Yes?"

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm better now that you're here." My sincerity in that statement was mutual at best since she is a nurse, but my truth spread farther than I knew. "How are you?"

"I'm just..."

Before another word could be said, the door clicked and opened. In came another nurse.

"Hello there! It's time for your daily check-up."

Before I could speak, Nurse Redheart, jumped in front of me.

"Don't worry! I'll do it!"

"No thank you Nurse Redheart. You're needed elsewhere. I suggest you get to it!"

Her tone was very serious and unnecessary. I didn't like it at all. Nurse Redheart didn't seem to like it either. She had a very intense expression on her face and it started to turn as red as the cross on her flank. She stared at her for a good while before slowly walking out the room. The other nurse's expression was blank. It seemed to say "I'm just doing my job." She slowly walked to me and began her examinations. Nothing seemed out of place. My pulse seemed fine, my wound was healing nicely, my brain was functionally, the only thing wrong were the current migraines I kept having. After she finished her examinations, she simply left the room without a word. I was very angry with her demeanor towards Nurse Redheart, but there was only so little I could do. I simply turned my body away from the door and drifted back to sleep.

Hours passed and nighttime had now shrouded over Ponyville. It was very hot in my room and I required liquid refreshment. With no nurse nearby, I would have to depend on myself to get it, so for the first time in days, I got out of my bed and stood up. As soon as my hooves hit the floor, I was hit with monumental dizziness. I was near the point of puking, but I held it down as best I could and made my way to the bathroom down the hallway. I quickly made my way to the toilet, and let loose the excretions of the lunch I had earlier. It obviously didn't feel too good, but it was nothing a quick drink of water couldn't fix. I made my way to the sink and let the water flow. As I brought my head forward to take a drink, I heard a loud thud behind me. I pondered on what it could have been, but was too thirsty to look behind me at the moment. I quickly took a few gulps of the refreshing liquid. The taste was plain, but the relief it gave me was so satisfying. 

I looked up in the mirror to check for liquid residue, but suddenly got a quick jolt at what I saw next. My heart seemed to skip a few beats as I look in the mirror and saw what lay behind me. It was a corpse. It was the corpse of the pony who gave my examinations earlier. She had been mutilated, stabbed, hung, and filled with syringes. Her lifeless body hung by a rope from it's neck. It's tongue hanging straight out of it's mouth. I was in utter shock. I dared not look behind me and hoped this was all an illusion. I quickly headed for the door without looking at it and sprinted for my room. I dove into my bed and hid under my sheets. I was so horrified by the image that appeared in that mirror. I hoped to NEVER see anything like it again.

Little did I know, that was only the beginning.