Twilight had built the garden to be a replica of the Canterlot gardens, albeit a smidge larger and a tad more twisty and maze-like. I had always wondered why she did this; she claimed it would be soothing to the patients to have something to explore. She seemed to think of them more than the staff of the asylum…
Journal of Spike, assistant to the warden, August 24 pt.1
I stayed back, breathing slight and soft. I knew if the rabbit spotted me I would be a snack for this crazy pony.
“ANGEL!”, the pony screamed as she walked in from the bushes. I tilted my head slightly to get a better look at the pony.
She’s a Pegasus. She has a yellow coat with a light pink and purple mane. The pony’s attitude suddenly shifted.
“Oh, Angel. You can’t pick it up, huh?”
The rabbit nodded. He understood her? She can speak to animals?
“Here you go.” The yellow pony grabbed the head’s mane in her mouth and started dragging it off with the rabbit following her.
I wait. And wait.
It felt like an eternity. But I stay perfectly still. If that girl pony catches me somehow, I doubt I’ll be sticking around for dessert.
I tilt my head out the door frame flicking my eyes from one side to the other. I see no signs of the pony or her rabbit friend. I step out, slowly, carefully, attempting not to upset even the smallest patch of earth in the process.
Eventually I manage to slowly slink past the area where I had heard the yellow Pegasus talking.
I feel something land on the nape of my neck and run for it.
I move as fast as my hooves will allow trying to outrun what just found its way onto me. My breath is hard and fast. However long I had been on the ground, it hasn’t done my chest any favours.
I finally slow down; my hooves refuse to move another step as I collapse trying to catch my breath. A small butterfly flies away from me and off deeper into the gardens. Sweet relief passes from my lips.
A butterfly. I was scared of a damn butterfly.
At any other time, I would laugh at how crazy that seemed, but I think I’m justified, given the situation.
I look up and try to see where I’ve gotten to. The gardens twist and turn all over the place, and I wasn’t really looking where I was going just now. The hedges are so tall, and I can’t see how far in I went. I turn around to my left and notice the statues, the Celestia and Luna statues.
That’s it! I’ll use that to see how far in I’ve gone, it seems like I’ve passed them by so I must have gone more than halfway in and moved a bit to the right since the statues are on my left. Moving forward I find a dead end, a large pile of garbage was stacked against what looked like a doorframe. Well that’s what magic is for, I used my magic to start lifting the garbage and setting it aside, “squawk” a bird started to screech behind me. I keep moving the garbage…
“What is it my little friends?”
I ran as fast as I could, I realized that if that pony catches me, I would be in a heap of trouble. The Pegasus screamed after me “Come back here! I just want to introduce you to my friends!”.
As I run a small bird runs in front of me, panicking I grabbed a rock with my hoof and attacked the bird. My hoof moves without thought moving up and down, cracking noises followed again and again. By the time I stopped moving the bird had stopped moving as well, its blood stained the green ground red its feathers spread across the dirt. I dropped the rock and ran; I finally found a small hiding spot amidst the bushes and hedges.
The yellow Pegasus trotted over to the dead bird on the ground. A screech passed her lips and filled the room causing the birds to scatter and the other animals, like the rabbits, to hide in the bushes. The small rabbit from earlier, Angel, hopped over to the yellow pony and placed a paw on her hoof, trying to calm her down it seemed.
“YOU BITCH!” she screamed, “YOU’LL BE FOOD FOR MY FRIENDS! I’LL CUT YOU UP AND YOU’LL BE FOOD! YOU HEAR ME?!”
She continued like that for a while, simply screaming out at me. I needed to find a way out of here fast. This crazy pony was going to be the death of me. So I waited, breath soft and mechanical. Inhale, one, two. Exhale, one, two.
The pony eventually left the spot outside where I was hiding and trotted away. That didn’t mean her animal friends weren’t still hanging around though, and they were the real worry here. If she could understand the animals and they her, then those birds back at the garbage pile and told her where I was. A movable defense matrix. If the pony wasn’t clearly a few ingredients short of a muffin I’d almost say it’s brilliant.
Half an hour must have gone by before I even thought of leaving my hiding place. It was clear that the door behind the piled up garbage wasn’t the smartest exit route. Then again, if this is supposed to be an asylum then there should be other doors out of this room. The garbage door was around the top-right so I should head away from there.
Eventually I get the nerve back to leave my hiding place. I stick my neck out of the bushes, no sign of the pony or her animal friends. I start walking out and head down the left path, occasionally looking up at the twin princess statues in the middle to make sure I’m not backtracking. I manage to make it back to the entrance and decide to go to the far left this time.
As I walk I come across a bird in a tree. I lift myself up to two legs and attempt to skirt around the tree’s backside where the bird can’t see. I slowly sidestep around holding my breath the whole way to try and prevent the slightest noise, as I move a sharp pain goes through my back. Wincing, I look back and find that a thorny branch is digging its way into my back. I grit my teeth as I continue to sidestep. The thorn branch resists, trying to hold me in place, but I keep pulling until eventually the branch tears my skin and lets me go. The pain goes from a sharp sting to a dull throb as I move forward on trying to reach the exit. I look up to see that the princess statues are now close on my right. I move toward them hoping for some map or directions to find my way out.
When I reach the statues I see a small piece of paper at the statues base, I pick it up and begin to read it.
Patient #30: Fluttershy, friendly with animals, violent tendencies, paranoia.
Fluttershy was brought in after an attack was committed against her house by a large bear. The bear killed several of the animals living at Fluttershy’s home and she began to show signs of paranoid fear and protectiveness. She began to viciously assault anyone who seemed to that like they were threatening the animals. Eventually this led to her attacking a local pony who was berating their pet, the pony in question was put in the hospital and Fluttershy Ponyville Asylum.
Once arriving at the Asylum Fluttershy became immediate friends with the animals who were living in the Garden section, to the point she spent almost all of her time in this section of the Asylum and eventually even started to sleep there. Warden Twilight noticed this change in behavior and believing it to be a good sign allowed her to sleep in the Garden areas, although most of the staff believed it was Twilight giving preferable treatment to one of her friends.
As time went on Fluttershy became more hostile towards the staff of the Asylum who continued to attempt to get Fluttershy to engage in social activities with the other ponies as per the regimen prescribed by Twilight. However, as time went on Fluttershy began to slip back into paranoia, attacking orderlies for quote “Giving the animals bad food.” Twilight personally attempted to assuage her fears but found that Fluttershy had metaphorically shrunk in on herself, only communicating to the animals of the gardens.
June: Two orderlies have gone missing. Most of the staff believes it to be Fluttershy as the last place they were seen was the gardens. However with no proof to go on I have no choice but to investigate myself. Twilight refuses to accept Fluttershy as a killer, believing that she can still be salvaged. Further investigation has been made on my behalf and the hollowed out carcass of one of the female orderlies was found half dug into the ground in the gardens.
Most of the major arteries were missing, including heart, lungs, kidneys, and liver, all seemingly ripped from the body. The body was cut open down the middle but the cut seems to rough and misshapen to be from a knife of any kind and the coroner assumes it was either ripped or eaten open.
Based on the evidence at hand I attempted to contact the Princess for permission to have Fluttershy executed. However my attempts were futile as Twilight had convinced the Princess to only take messages from her effectively cutting off my one chance to keep the staff safe. I’ve attempted to send a representative of mine to Canterlot with as much evidence as I could gather, I hope for a speedy reply. Until then I’m ordering all staff to avoid the gardens as much as possible and to study Fluttershy’s psyche evaluations as much as possible.
If you must travel through here, take a map, move quickly and quietly and always in groups. Most important of all know what you’re up against. You are all dealing with a murderer, and you should treat the patient as such. If she attacks you, fight back, Twilight’s orders be damned.
Sincerely Spike, Assistant to the Warden Twilight Sparkle
Clearly I was even more screwed than I realized.
Fluttershy, the yellow Pegasus I presume, wasn’t just a killer; she’s a paranoid mother figure!
I search the area for any signs of a map; something that could help me evade Fluttershy and make it out of this crazy place. I notice out of the corner of my eye; another dead body, a male Pegasus in a white overcoat. One of the orderlies I presume.
I walk over and the smell of the dead body overwhelms my senses. The smell of blood, decay, and excrement hounded my nostrils. I grabbed at the saddlebag on his side and found inside a small map. Well he won’t need this, at least I think not.
I grab the saddlebag and put it on myself. It still smells of the carcass from which I scavenged it. I take out the map and look it over. Finding the gardens on the map I notice three doorways excluding the one I entered in, one in the top right that is the one with all the garbage in front of it, one to the far east of the room, and one to the northwest. I decide it’s probably best to head for the top-left one which is closer.
“Oh dear. so we meet again.”
I turn around slowly to find Fluttershy staring back at me. Lying next to her is a large nightstick. She must have stolen that off of the orderlies.
“Now why don’t you come with me, nice and quiet? My friends are waiting for their dinner, and I’m not going to serve you raw.”