Chapter 20
Asylum
Chapter 20
The worn copy of Inkwell’s Magical Spells and Enchantments fluttered through the air before it hit the wall just beneath one of Fluttershy’s pictures and collapsed atop the growing heap of books that covered Twilight’s bed.
“Useless!” Twilight declared as she grabbed another book from her desk and cracked it open. Silence quickly returned, the only sound the steady flip-flip-flip of her rapid reading. The scowl on Twilight’s face grew deeper with every page. Her narrowed eyes darted from side to side as she hunted through every line.
Eventually her grimace could go no deeper, and with another shout of “Useless!” she tossed the book behind her to join the others. Like an automaton, she was already reaching for another tome before the previous one had finished its violent flight.
Twilight’s hoof passed over the sloppy scissor-work marking where a section of pages had been sliced out of the textbook’s spine. How could they have made sure there wasn’t a single reference to breaking through magical enchantments in any of these books? There are at least thirty or forty books on magical theory in here! Did the staff censor every one before they let me have them?
Twilight glanced up at the wall to wall bookshelves that covered her room and groaned. The awe-inspiring thoroughness of her captors only tightened the vice squeezing at her temples, her heartbeat throbbing in her ears. Twilight ground her teeth together as she forced herself to turn to the next page. If there was something in these antique textbooks, she was going to find it. She wasn’t going to be shown up by some bored orderly with a pair of scissors and zealous hooves – she’d demonstrate what a truly meticulous pony could do!
“Useless!” shouted Twilight a few minutes later before she threw the book across the room to join its peers. Reaching out for another, her hoof only found air. She groped around mechanically before her mind processed what the empty square of space on her desk meant.
Twilight gave her desk an accusing stare before she let out an exaggerated sigh. “Horse apples,” she muttered, massaging her temples. For a moment she entertained the idea of going through them all once again but dismissed the notion just as quickly. It’s pointless. None of them are going to help me get this horrid thing off my horn.
Opening her eyes, Twilight glanced upwards until she could make out the tip of her horn. The arcane dampener was still there, strapped to it like a tumorous growth. Lifting her arm she brushed her hoof over the canvas covered lump of metal. As she touched the lock at its base, she could feel the faint tingle of passive magic, as if she were about to receive a static shock that just wouldn’t come. Without the ability to cast spells of her own, she couldn’t be sure exactly what enchantments there were on the device, but it was no leap of faith to assume they were there to reinforce the locks and act as an alert system if she ever did manage to physically remove the dampener.
The last time Twilight had seen such a device had been in one of Canterlot’s museums, in an exhibit about crime and punishment. She let out another sigh as she looked around her desk. “It’s fitting, considering how they treat me like a prisoner,” she said, eyeing the large pile of books that had been sitting there since her first day. “But at least they gave me something to pass the time.”
Plucking one of the books out at random, Twilight rifled through the pages. She snorted when she saw the illustrations. And another outdated textbook, she thought as she examined a heavily stylized painting of armored ponies arrayed for battle, the warped perspective making each one as large as the castle they were assaulting. Of course it wouldn’t be anything modern – that might turn out to be useful, after all. No, I’m stuck with censored books so beat up they’re barely fit for donations. Twilight flipped to the next page to find the stallion in the bird mask staring back up at her.
“Gah!” Twilight cried out as she toppled out of her seat. Picking herself up off the floor, Twilight peeked over the edge of the desk. The book was still sitting there, open and undisturbed. Hesitantly she reached out to prod it.
In the silence of her room, the revelation that she was behaving like a frightened little filly hit Twilight like a deafening thunderclap, leaving her face flushed a deep shade of red. She coughed as she stood back up, clearing her throat to break the mocking stillness. Okay, in this one instance, I’m glad I didn’t have any of my friends around, she thought as she reclaimed her seat, doing her best to ignore the way her cheeks still burned. Edging forward and ignoring the cold sweat on her brow, Twilight forced herself to re-examine the photograph.
Manuscript, she corrected herself as she looked it over. The full-page illustration was a reproduction from an older piece, that much was obvious. Twilight dredged up what she could remember from her art history courses. The crude lines and limited palette marked it out as something from the medieval period, but the style was certainly not what she had expected. The anonymous artist had painted the stallion looking directly at the viewer in a very modern manner.
Despite its age, it was clear the stallion in the painting was the same one from her experience two days prior. The black and brown garments, the porcelain beak, and the bulging saddlebags were almost perfect renditions of the pony she’d seen in the darkness. She stared down at him. Even though the holes in the mask were just daubs of black paint and revealed nothing of the pony beneath, she could picture those bottomless voids trying to swallow her up. Twilight shivered and averted her gaze, turning to look at the text on the opposite page. Most of it was general history, talking about a series of disasters and plagues from antiquity. She skimmed over the content before halting on the last paragraph.
“With the Great Pestilence running rampant and the threat of infection a daily concern, traveling physicians were forced to don heavy robes to operate safely. These plague doctors were easily identified by their masks, which were shaped into long beaks and stuffed with potpourri and flowers to ward off the ‘evil vapors’ that were feared to be a source of infection. Often enchantments were cast upon their outfits to help seal them from an errant flea or the dreaded ‘miasma’ that surrounded both the infected and the corpses of the recently deceased. Once protected, these plague doctors would travel into the most heavily afflicted areas to tend to the sick at extreme risk to their own health. Many ended up infected themselves, victim to the pestilence they sought to fight.”
Twilight ran her hoof down the yellowed pages before her. It was one of a dozen old textbooks that rested atop her desk, all of them bearing the scars of a life spent in public schools and uncaring hooves. They were all the sort of things her parents might have used when they were just kids, packed full of antiquated data and vaguely racist remarks about zebras.
Still, there was nothing else of note – nothing she didn’t already know, nothing to explain why the image of the plague doctor was such an exacting representation of the stallion she had seen. Despite checking it twice, the rest of the illustrations were without note, the text itself lacking in anything she could use. Closing the book, Twilight leaned back in her chair and eyed the textbook. “This cannot be coincidence,” she pronounced with a firm nod, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. “But where is the connection?”
The knock at Twilight’s door sent her flying out of her chair once again. Peeking over the wooden seat, Twilight stared at the far door. The small window into the hallway was empty, showing nothing but the late-afternoon light. There was another knock. Why would a nurse be visiting me at this hour? Instinctively, Twilight looked around for a clock to check the time, wondering just how much time she had spent lost in her research.
There was another knock, a little more insistent than before, as the handle to the door jiggled slightly. Wait, why would a nurse knock? Don’t they have the keys? Twilight’s face paled when she heard a scratching noise at the lock, as if a bronze mouse were trying to dig through from the other side. The image of the plague doctor flashed through her mind as she noticed how dark it was in the hallway.
The hairs on the back of Twilight’s neck stood on end. Okay. So, whoever it is doesn’t have the keys, she told herself as she watched the door handle shake slightly. That means they can’t get in. Logically, that means I’m perfectly safe inside–
With a soft click that froze Twilight’s blood, the bolt retracted and the door popped open a fraction of an inch.
“Twilight?” asked Pinkie Pie as she poked her head into the room just in time to catch Twilight collapse against the chair.
“Sweet Celestia, Pinkie! You scared me half to death!” Twilight gasped as she tried to support herself with unsteady hooves.
Pinkie Pie grimaced. “I’m super sorry, Twi. I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said, her voice low as she slipped into Twilight’s room. Shutting the door behind her with a casual kick from her leg, she carefully placed a small bundle down beside her. “I was hoping you could open the door for me, but I forgot they locked the doors in this wing, and I couldn’t make much noise anyway.”
Twilight rubbed her chin. “Exactly how did you open that door?”
“Oh, that,” Pinkie said with a blush. “Well, um…” She withdrew a pair of hairpins from one of her pockets and gave Twilight a sheepish grin.
“You picked the lock?”
“Yes…”
Twilight rushed up to Pinkie and gripped her shoulders. “Pinkie. Don’t joke around right now. I need you to be absolutely honest with me: can you pick locks?”
Pinkie shrugged. “Well, yeah. But I don’t do it much! I’m a good pony.” Her blush deepened and she glanced away. “I mean, the staff trusts me, and I make sure that if I absolutively need to go somewhere, it’s because I’m doing something good. Liiiiike bringing my bestest buddy her party!” With a flourish, Pinkie uncovered the small cardboard box that had been in her bundle. Pulling back the lid, she revealed three colorful cupcakes, the spot for a fourth marked with a ring of frosting.
Twilight shook her head. “Look, the party isn’t important right now. I need to know if you can unlock the contraption on my horn!” she said, gesturing to the silencer.
“I couldn’t do that, Twilight!” Pinkie said, aghast. “Those things are there for unicorns so they don’t hurt themselves. You get, like, really sick and stuff without them!”
“Pinkie, just tell me if you can or not!” growled Twilight.
“But Twi…”
“Now!”
Pinkie flinched. She set the cupcakes down before reaching up to examine Twilight’s horn, her hoof playing over the base of the arcane dampener and the small lock located there. She frowned. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I could. I only really know how to do the door locks. This is something different.”
“Oh,” said Twilight as her shoulders slumped.
“Aww, don’t be like that, Twilight. After all, I told you I was going to bring you a party today, and parties are for being happy,” Pinkie said before pointing at Twilight. “And you promised me you wouldn’t be a party pooper!”
Twilight imitated a smile, causing Pinkie to huff and plant her hooves on her hips. “No no no, I meant you really need to be happy. We can’t have a party if the pony of the hour is all mopey and sad-faced.” Picking up the box she shoved it beneath Twilight’s muzzle. “Look! Cupcakes! Now eat one!”
“I’m not that hungry–”
“I said eat one!”
Rolling her eyes, Twilight picked a cupcake out at random and popped it into her mouth. She chewed slowly, a dribble of crumbs escaping down the front of her vest. She blinked. “Thif if good!” she mumbled. “Like, weally good!”
“Thanks!” said Pinkie, beaming back at her as she pulled out a cupcake for herself. “I knew you’d like them!”
Twilight swallowed and licked her lips clean. “Did you make these yourself?” she asked as she gazed down at the remaining cupcakes.
“No. I know some of the lunch-mares, and normally they make a few for me. But since we're having pudding this Sunday, I asked another one of my friends to go into town to the local bakery.”
“You know somepony who can leave the hospital?”
“Of course! I’m like, super good friends with most of the orderlies and nurses. I’m a patient assistant, after all, so they trust me to do things for them,” she said as she cleaned the frosting off in one sweep of her tongue. “Oh yeah, that’s the stuff!” she declared hoarsely. When she noticed Twilight’s expression, Pinkie’s cheeks turned red. “Heh. It’s been so long since I had a really good cupcake. The bakery in town has been closed for what feels like forever! I heard the owners had twins a while ago, but they’re finally back in business. Not a minute too soon, if you ask me!”
One of Twilight’s eyebrows arched into the air. “The staff just buy you cupcakes?”
“No, I pay for them with some of my allowance. My family sends me a few bits a month to spend on things like snacks and games and stuff. Plus, I always give Miss Ditzy a little extra so she can buy one for herself.” She took another bite. “Mmm… I don’t know if I like cupcakes or normal cakes better. They’re both so deliciously yummy!”
Removing the last cupcake from the box, Twilight took a measured bite, letting the smooth flavors slide over her tongue as she stared at Pinkie Pie. Twilight rolled her friend’s words over in her mind as she fought down the urge to jump for joy at the sheer possibilities she had been given. “Have you ever snuck into one of the doctor’s offices?” she asked in a low tone.
“What? No! Never!” Pinkie scoffed. “That would be something a bad pony would do! I only do it when I’m visiting a friend or, um, ‘borrowing’ something from the kitchen.”
“But you could, right?” pressed Twilight.
Pinkie frowned, rubbing her chin as she thoughtfully chewed on the rest of her cupcake. “It’s possible… I don’t think the offices have different locks than the rooms do,” she said before catching Twilight’s eye. “But that doesn’t mean I would!”
“You know what is at stake, Pinkie. I told you about this shadow monster and what it is doing to Equestria. If I’m going to defeat it, I need to get this thing off my horn. Even if you could undo the locks on it, I still need to figure out whatever magical spell is warding them so I don’t get caught. And if there is any place that has that information, it’s Rose’s office.”
Pinkie Pie gasped and recoiled. “You… you want me to sneak into Doctor Rose’s office!” She glanced around the room as if expecting Nurse Ratchet to jump out from behind one of the book shelves. “No! I can’t do that!” she hissed. “That… that…”
“That would let me save my friends,” Twilight whispered. She placed a hoof on Pinkie’s arm, fighting down her own sense of guilt. “You would hardly be doing something wrong by helping your bestest friend defeat the greatest threat Equestria has ever faced.”
“I… I guess…” Pinkie whimpered, rubbing her hooves together like a nervous little filly. “But… I don’t want to be a bad pony…”
“How could you be a bad pony if you’re a hero?” asked Twilight, but Pinkie just pulled back further. Inwardly, Twilight winced. Plastering a smile on her face, she patted Pinkie on the leg. “You know what, why don’t we just forget about that for now, okay?”
“Yes, please,” Pinkie said with a relieved grin.
Twilight winked. “After all, I think you promised a certain grumpy unicorn a party.”
A giggle escaped Pinkie’s lips. “Hehehe… Yeah, I did say I’d bring you something to cheer you up.”
“It’s going to be hard to trump those cupcakes.”
“Oh, but I brought a secret weapon…” said Pinkie as she picked up her bag and began rooting around at the bottom. “This is from my personal collection!” she announced as she held aloft a colorful cardboard box with the words Candyland II: The Next Generation emblazoned above a scene of cartoonish ponies wandering a path between sweeping hills of candy and chocolate.
Twilight whimpered. “Please… not another board game.”
“But board games are fun!” Pinkie declared as she popped off the lid and unfolded the game out between the two mares with practiced ease.
“But all we do is play games!”
Lifting her head, Pinkie stared up at Twilight. “No, we don’t. You just put up with my games because you don’t want to make me feel bad, and you’re stuck doing them because the nurses make you.”
“What?” Twilight asked as she jerked upright. “No, I don’t! I–”
“I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, Twi. I’m just saying that in between your missing memories and the shadow monster and having to save the world, you’re not letting yourself enjoy what you have. You’re always unhappy or stressed out.” She pointed at Twilight. “When was the last time you did something fun, just because you wanted to?”
“When we played chess,” Twilight said as she lifted her chin slightly.
Pinkie shook her head. “You were only doing that ‘cause you had to do something during free-time. I meant, when was the last time you did something fun just for its own sake?”
“I don’t have time for fun!”
“You always have time for fun,” Pinkie replied with a sage nod. “After all, how are you supposed to beat the scary shadow thing if you’re upset and grumpy all the time?”
Opening her mouth to correct Pinkie, Twilight paused, her hoof held up in the air like a judge about to deliver a verdict. Slowly, she lowered her hoof. “Okay, you might have a point,” she conceded. “But I just can’t sit around playing games and singing songs when there is something threatening everyone I know and care about. It’s not some scary face on a tree; you can’t just laugh it away.”
“I’m not asking you to give up and play games all day, silly. I just want you to feel better – to know that even in the worst moments there is something better to look forward to, and you’ll always have friends that will want to be with you,” Pinkie said with a broad smile.
“Alright, alright, I get it,” Twilight said with a chuckle. “You know, you’re not the first friend to try and convince me that sometimes I need to take a break from my duties.” Reaching out, Twilight removed the cards from the box and set the neat little stack out on the board between them. She considered them then readjusted the stack, making sure it was perfectly aligned with the board edges. It took a few readjustments before she was satisfied and she could look back up at Pinkie. “I guess I still need a reminder from time to time that life is more than just hard work.”
“And that’s what this party is about!” Pinkie said, clapping Twilight on the shoulder. “Having fun and remembering that life doesn’t have to be frowny-face serious all the time. Even the sad clown has to laugh!”
“Okay, but if I’m going to spend the night taking a break and playing games, you’re gonna promise me something back,” said Twilight, the gears still ticking behind her eyes.
“What is it?”
“Oh no,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “You have to Pinkie Promise first.”
Pinkie Pie nibbled on her lower lip. “You’re not gonna make me do something… bad, right?”
“You won’t have to do anything bad,” Twilight declared, lifting her right hoof. “I swear.”
A few moments passed before Pinkie finally nodded. “Okay, I trust you. What is it?”
“You have to help get me into Doctor Rose’s office.”
“You promised you wouldn’t make me do anything bad!” shouted Pinkie as the color drained from her face.
“You’re not gonna do anything wrong. I just need a few minutes to look at a few books Rose keeps in his office. That’s all.”
Pinkie glanced around the literature-lined walls of Twilight’s room before she met her gaze. “You want to sneak into his room just to read some books?”
“Yes,” Twilight said with a straight face. “I’m not going to take anything or do anything bad. I just want to have a few minutes of privacy to look at something there that could help me defeat the shadow. You don’t even have to go inside.”
Pinkie turned to look at the door behind her. “B-but what if we get caught?” Pinkie whispered.
“We’re not going to get caught. I’m the smartest pony you know, remember? I’m too well prepared to get caught."
Pinkie nodded slowly but refused to meet Twilight’s eyes.
“Nothing bad will happen,” continued Twilight. “It will be like… like when you go to the kitchen and ‘borrow’ something. I’ll just sneak inside, read a few books, and slip back out again. Nobody gets hurt, you’re still a good pony, and you’ll have helped your good friend get one step closer to saving Equestria.” Twilight paused, swallowing the lump in her throat. Steeling herself, she met met Pinkie’s gaze. “You’ll be a hero, Pinkie – just like your dad was.”
“I… I…” Pinkie’s voice trailed away as she pulled her tail up against her chest like it were a protective blanket. Trembling hooves brushed up and down the strands of pink hair. “O-okay, I’ll do it.”
Pinkie’s sullen expression evaporated when Twilight leaned over the board to pull her into a tight hug. An unsteady and reluctant grin spread over her face as she returned the hug. When Twilight pulled away, both mares were smiling. “I appreciate it, Pinkie. I really do,” Twilight said. “Just remember that we’re doing the right thing, even if it doesn't seem so at the time. We’re the good guys.”
In the silent aftermath of her declaration, Twilight busied herself setting up the game, the simple mechanical movements helping to distract herself from the recriminations and guilt she was determined to ignore.
After a few moments, Pinkie released her grip on her tail and joined Twilight. “W-when do you need me t-to…” Pinkie began before her words failed her.
“Next Saturday, I think. I’m not sure on all the details, but that looks like our best chance. I’ll let you know the details later. We might not even have to go to his office, depending on how my meeting goes.”
“That would be awesome! I mean, I want to help you out and all, but I don’t wanna… Wait, what meeting?”
Twilight smirked as she picked up the dice and rolled them around in her hoof. “My brother said he’s coming to visit, and with any luck, he’ll be able to help me get out of this broken place. I have a long, long list of questions for him to answer, and if there is any pony I can truly count on to support me in any reality, it’s Shining.”
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Amazing!
I was lucky I stayed up this late!
So awesome.
This is an amazing story, do you know that? I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens next!
Tick tock goes the clock;
the hour of truth grows nearer
Tick tock goes the clock;
A dark fate will leer
Tick tock goes the clock;
For lives may lost will see—
Tick tock goes the clock;
Which dream will end, as the bell tolls for thee?
Awaiting further releases.
Good chapter, it's great to know the plot ship is still sailing. But I can't help feel that twilight's actions will not end well for pinkie, poor mare's being played like a violin in twilights hoofs.
"How could you be a bad pony if you’re a hero?"
Yes, of course! "We are the good guys, therefore it must be the right thing to do if we're doing it, therefore we only do good, therefore we are the good guys" is a wonderful line of argument that is not at all circular and has never before led to anything bad! :D
And what a good friend you're being by violating Pinkie Pie's trust and manipulating her like that!
"Just remember that we’re doing the right thing, even if it doesn’t seem so at the time. We’re the good guys."
See above. :D
…NOOOOOOOO! The chapter ended!
Also, what was Twilight's exact diagnosis? I can't seem to find it. The manipulation and lack of concern for others (Sure, she mentions fighting off guilt... after she's clearly fought off anything that would have stopped her from doing it in the first place. She displayed absolutely no thought for Pinkie Pie's mental health here or for Pinkie Pie getting caught and punished. Oh, right, of course, this isn't the "real" Pinkie Pie, and any harm to her will be fixed along with the rest, and believing that the people around you aren't really real and that you're therefore justified in doing anything you deem necessary in pursuit of your vital voice-in-your-head-given mission is perfectly normal, right? Perhaps you should sit back and look at yourself, Twilight...) set off some alarm bells, and I want to compare symptoms.
oh dear...... I just know that this plan is going to end up badly for Twi and it's gonna set her back with Pinkie and probable AJ.
And now the mysterious masked pony has been named as the plague doctor and later on we will see the connection of the book with what has been following Twilight in the dark.
BTW fun fact: the only people that didn't got sick during the plague were farmer and vets because they work with horses and fleas apparently can't stand their smell.
3753877 bit being the good guy is all about the perspective. Bad guys in movies can Belive that their doing the right thing but not be. Sometimes when corrected, they will even join the good guys to stop what they started. Like wise, some bad guys Belive that they are doing the right thing but aren't. They strongly Belive that what they do is the right thing and that the good guys are really the bad guys.
Perspective see?
When I saw this story updated, I got really excited, and I wasn't disappointed.
3753916
Not a disregard for others necessarily, just enthralled by her usual OCD.
Twilight isn't usually terribly thoughtful about anything but her plans in the show even, so I don't really think that's anything new.
I'm worried about her visit with Shining. Something is going to be/go terribly wrong. Either he'll not act anything like normal Shining, or he's going to treat her with no genuine concern assuming she's the delusional pony she supposedly is.
Wow, Twilight. Manipulating your friend. How lovely.
It really is about time I posted a comment on this story, so here goes.
For one thing, I find the interpretations of the background ponies in a mental institution interesting, and I'm really hoping to see more of them!
Also, I think Twilight really is scitzophrenic, and I think the whole thing with the plague doctor is an interesting concept, and I want to see where you take it.
Overall, I like it. It's a fascinating plot and I'm curious to see where it goes.
Also, yay for late night updates, am I right? :)
3753936
I don't see the break-in going well, either. Foreboding all around.
Famous last words twilight
Really disliking twilight.
Achievement Unlocked!
Lock-picking Master (sort of) - Since when can Pinkie pick locks?!
Paranoia to the Second Degree - Notice a reference to the Plague and instantly think of the shadow pony.
3753989
If anything, that might make it worse. I still think that the degree is significant: yes, she may have demonstrated some lack of care for others before, but here she uses Pinkie's trust to get Pinkie to make a blank check Pinkie Promise (when Twilight knows, or at least thinks she knows, full well how seriously Pinkie takes those) and then immediately cashes it to get Pinkie to do something which Pinkie had just a few moments ago expressed a moral objection to (and which Twilight had dropped, lulling Pinkie into a false sense of security for the promise). There's "Oh, I'm sorry, I got so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I didn't stop to consider your feelings", and then there's "I know how you feel and will manipulate you anyway, but I'll have to try not to feel guilty about it later."
This could go _very wrong_. Pinkie Pie is already extremely emotionally vulnerable, particularly where friends are concerned, and sensitive to being a Bad Pony. She's already spotted that some of Twilight's actions aren't genuine and that Twilight tried to hide this from her. She wants to believe, really wants to believe, that Twilight is her friend and trying to gather other friends… and Twilight just forced her into either breaking a Pinkie Promise to a friend or doing something that Pinkie is trying to be convinced is not a Bad Pony thing.
3753955
That was rather the point I was making, yes. :)
3753936
I think it's significant, though, that Twilight chose to go with "We're the heroes and can do no wrong" argument over the "Sometimes good ponies have to do bad things for good causes" argument. Unless she had some reason to give Pinkie the former when Twilight's perspective is the latter, I think that this would indicate that her perspective _isn't_ the latter.
3753990
Yes! Another one for the Realist side. :)
so...that [stallion] might be on a mission to [save] or [cure] Twilight?
Yeah, Twilight was kind of a dick there with the extracted Pinkie Promise, which she swore would not be a bad thing, making Pinkie Pie do what she had just said was a bad thing.
MORE!
Derpy!!!!
Darnit, Twilight
Let me remind of something you said a little while back in chapter 15:
Twilight might still be right that this world is fake and a monster is trying to break her. But she still really is behaving like a sociopath sometimes.
3754072
Hell yeah! :)
I think all the evidence is there, if Twilight actually stopped to think for a second, she would notice how real that possibility actually is instead of living in a fantasy.
3750826 what the fuck?
Nope. Nope. Nope. Bad idea, Twilight.
But are they really the good guys?
3754321 When Twilight said this to Pinkie, she wanted Pinkie to not do bad things or get them in trouble on her own terms, because she felt like when wanted to do something useful. She's scared that if Pinkie gets caught, she might tell the nurses everything and make her lose her horn or something drastic like that.
This time around, Twilight wants Pinkie to do this diversionary tactic because Twilight herself needs this to happen to get more information. While this doesn't exemplify being a sociopath, it does hint at Twilight being a control freak, which she already was in Canon.
WHY WOULD UPDATE WHEN I HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL?
I CAN'T READ UNTIL I GET HOME!
Shining Armor is an exemplary guardspony. Would he really be so supportive of getting ... whatever she did, out of the institution ahead of schedule? I could see him being a bit conflicted, but I can also see Twilight trying to force him to choose between what he sees as justice and her feelings, and the latter isn't going to win out, I fear.
Twi also really isn't thinking ahead about this particular thing. If she gets out of the hospital, how is she supposed to save her friends and then Equestria? They will still be in the hospital, and they don't just give free access to the patients, or give patients free access to visitors.
Monday isn't going to go well.
Saturday, though, has the potential to go even worse.
Mission Impossible. I'm going to
it. 
But not. Ye ye ye ye ye ye yaye ye trollolololol
3754711 actually the answer would be Yes but, cruelly, he is not gonna side with twilight if he is certain twilight will hurt herself.
It says 1 views... Despite the easy-to-fix grammar error (shame on you, knighty), does that mean I'm the first? Hmm...
3754727
Precisely.
3754533 actually considering the improvements she has had, i dbout they would cut off her horn; especially sicne she has been there for a decade without anyone having done it. even if she is having disturbing dreams and stragne visions, we are talkingabout the difference of someone trapped in a delusional fantasy land and someone so completely confused of what reality is yet seeing it with her eyes, and hearing it with her ears.
thigns are getting nifty. twilight is getting frustrated and wants answers. and she is unintentionally manipulating poor pinkie pie to do it......... oooh lord she is giong to get in trouble if, or maybe when, the doc finds her doing that. and get poor pinkie in really bad trouble while she is at it.
........wait, why doesn't she jsut ask aj for a book on modern equistria? then she would get answers to why she has nothing modern and could, even, get direct answers of current events too.
this creates a paradox as strange as the pegasus paradox. pinkie pie is good at reading ponies. REALLY good. however despite being able to understand twilight dislike of the board games, she seems to truly think that twilight does believe what she is doing and what she thinks is real.............. is she just so convinced that even pinkie pie cannot tell the difference?
this story gets more awesome and awesome. twilight wanting access to her magic makes sense; and it does reveal that they did let her have something of magical books it seems, though likely with everything from enchantment breaking and actual spells taught cut right out of the pages.............couldn't they have enchanted the book to be blank in all those remarks?
makes me wonder how this all ends...................... please don't end it with twilight forced to get horn labatomy or thrust into some deeper delusion. friendship IS magic. even if all around her is real, she is not alone.
3754798
Being able to read ponies doesn't help if they genuinely believe what they're saying. Pinkie believes Twilight because Twilight is "the smartest pony she knows," and Twilight is also completely certain that this shadow thing is real.
Damn it Twi.
On that note, we can assume it will be a giant clusterfuck of a trainwreck. Shining is now destined to be indifferent, and uncomfortable, because hey, they've totally never been close in this continuity, I'm sure. Or Twi tried to stab him with scissors while she watched him sleep at night (not creepily). And he'll surely think that Twi is totally out of her little pony mind.
On other topics... soooooo... anyone else get a mental image of Twi as a creepy molester or drug pusher this chapter? Forcing Pinkie into morally questionable things just feel so epically wrong. Doubly so for Asylum!Pinkie, because she seems even more innocent and vulnerable than the FiM version.
3754897 equally innoccent, but more vulenrable doubtlesly. scary part is that twilight far from means to be that way. put simply, she is completely terrified and confused if it turns out this is all real. and who can blame her? she hasn't even a single memory of broadhoof.
or it could turn out that he IS totally supportive and loving as ever, but the fact remains she is in the asylum for a reason. if you remember back to the first chapter, his face alone was the only one that did not seem altered. Cadance was concerned. night light and velvet were worn and weary. but shinging armor beamed with joy for the picture, for his sister.
his threat will not come from him being indifferent. it will come from him convinced that twilight would cause herself great harm and he needs to protect her both from herself AND others.
3754863 actually she is obviously far more aware than that. she is well aware that twilight does not enjoy the games themselves, and perhaps is more aware than she lets on with how bad tiwlight's delusions
Theory regarding the plague doctor: The hint that the enchantments placed on their personal clothing is to keep out fleas and 'miasma' Makes me think that this may be a separate third party, the garb keeping them from being under the delusion of the entity, but still able to operate within it.
3754921
'Tis a fine point. Expectations have been officially adjusted toward obstructionist overprotectiveness.
3753852
I'm glad we appeal to Whovians.
If only we could match the original- which-rhymes in excellence...
So, we got Herr Plague Doktor, and Shining as a, I think, police officer. Question, was Tw ever Celestia's student in this universe?
Achievements Unlocked!
[Paperweight]: Throw all your books (5 Asylum points)
[No Fun Allowed]: Don't play any minigames. (15 Asylum points)
[You Liar!]: Use the bait-n-switch. (5 Asylum points)
What's that, Luna plush? Get more points? Good idea!
3754969 I'm thinking the same thing. Additionally, that it was Luna's idea to send Darkness (that's what I'll call him until DoD provides a name for him) into the shadow to help Twilight defeat it, as only she would think first to use such ancient medical practices.
Even though the chapter overall was nice, I kinda get the feeling that Twi is getting a little too desperate here. Can't wait to see what happens next.
Oh Twilight... Twisting her friends to do that...
How cruel.
~Skeeter The Lurker
Well, this cannot possible end badly
3755009 If I recall the backstory right, it was implied the changing point was Twilight's exam where she had to hatch a dragon egg (as depicted in Cutie Mark Chronicles), where Twilight's burst of magic burned out her mind. So, most likely no.