(MLP Laboratories the Outbreak Level -?-)
Twilight couldn't move. Her pose was unnatural, her front legs were tied away by some sort of jacket.
She needed to get up. She needed to get away from this place. She couldn't quite remember why that was, but oh, she was scared, so scared. She felt so overwhelmingly helpless that she started screaming.
Somewhere she heard Pinkie Pie giggle.
"Uuuuh, Tweelee is making the loud noises with her head again!"
Someone was running around in circles, chanting "Head noises, head noises!". Was it Rainbow Dash? And the pale one in the corner, chewing on one ear of a plush bunny... was that Fluttershy?
A door was opened, and two big ones in white clothes appeared, holding Twilight down with their big, strong arms.
"Shhh, quiet, girl... Dude, give me the syringe."
No needle! The needle was bad! Twilight doubled her efforts, but in vain.
"There we go... This one is getting more difficult to deal with by the day."
"She's creeping me out, I can tell you that. Did you hear these screams? Jesus, she sounded like a freakin' horse..."
The voices faded away.
-
When Twilight opened her eyes again, she was sitting on a chair. All her friends were there too. And opposite to her, on the other side of the circle, there was a man, one of the finger-people. He had a long, white beard and glasses.
"There you are, Tara. The tenders told me you have been a naughty girl. Let's talk about that."
"I'm not Tara, I'm Twilight... Twilight Sparkle... Who are you?"
"Why, I'm your doctor, Doctor Fohlman. You have been seeing me for years."
Twilight was shaking her head. She was feeling so very dizzy. She could hardly keep her eyes open.
"Tara... "Twilight", please tell me what is wrong with you. I am your friend. I am here to help."
"Ponyville... It's all a lie... All of this is WRONG! There is tunnels, and pipes, and dark places, and needles, and robots... We need to get out... Out... Out..."
"Yes, Tara. Ponyland is just a dream. That much is true. It is a nice dream, a dream where you could have fun, and play... It was a very good dream. But something happened to that dream. Somehow, it got bad. You're not a happy girl anymore, and you're causing a lot of trouble, you know that?"
"It was a LIE! We needed to break through! Spike told me..."
"Spike? Oh, do you mean this?"
The doctor pulled a little purple plush dragon out of his pocket. He put it on Twilight's lap.
"Did that doll tell you nasty things?"
Twilight was staring down on the plushie.
"Spike is real..."
"No, Tara. Spike is imaginary. Can you see now? It is all in your imagination! But now you're imagining bad things. And that's bad."
Twilight started crying.
"It's not true... It's not true... Spike is real... And you're all just a bunch of trolls... But we'll show you..."
"Tara, I need you to listen to me. You are making everyone miserable. Yourself, your little friends, and us, of course, the people who care about you.
It's your dream, Tara. You control it. You can dream nice things again. We need you to dream nice things. Look around you! Reality is cold and boring and sad.
Just look at yourself..."
Twilight was looking down at her torso, wrapped in a straight-jacket, at her pale legs. Instead of hooves, there were... finger... toe... things. She flexed a few muscles, and they started wriggling around, like a bunch of little maggots. It was freaking her out.
"You and your friends, you were playing ponies, what a pretty idea! The little jackets keep your hands safely tucked away, but you still had your legs to run around, and magic, of course... I understand some of you can even fly! Now that's really cool!
So my request is very simple. Go back into your dream. But dream it nice this time. Don't let this stupid old Spike tell you bad things! Maybe we should send him somewhere else..."
The doctor reached forward to take the plushie away.
"NO!"
The doctor smiled.
"There there, Tara. You can keep him. But teach him some manners, okay?"
He sighted.
"Tara, you and your friends, you have to stay with us. You're a threat to yourself and to people around you.
They see you as their leader, Tara. They will follow you. If you're having scary thoughts, they will get scared as well. Leaders need to be responsible, Tara. You know that, don't you?"
Twilight nodded under tears.
"That's right. You're reasonable. You're responsible. You know your little friends need you. So what will you have to do?"
Twilight snorted. She was still feeling dizzy. Thinking was hard. But the doctor said...
"I... I need to bring them back to the dream. Not make scary noises or say scary things... So we can be happy again..."
"That's right."
The doctor brought his big, friendly face closer.
"I need you to eat your candy, and go back to Ponyland. Where you can heal, and play... And you'll be my little ponies again..."
In a fluid movement, Twilight rose from her chair and kicked the doctor in the face, sending him to the other side of the room.
"WE ARE NOT YOUR LITTLE PONIES!"
"Yeah! You show 'em, Twilight!"
"You rock! Woo-hoo!"
The other girls jumped of their chairs as well, chanting and stomping in approval.
-
"ENOUGH!"
The sterile decor was falling apart. Black robot arms rose from the shadows, grabbing one pony after the other and pulling them away.
The doctor's face was changing. It was made of shiny white metal, with glowing eyes.
Because the doctor wasn't a doctor at all. It was Princess Celestia, with her android voice.
"TWILIGHT SPARKLE! You're going to pay for this! My patience is running low! I will break you, Twilight Sparkle, and if it's the last thing I'll do!"
Twilight's mind was drifting away again, but this time, she was smiling.
She couldn't tell what was real and what was not, but there was one thing she knew for sure: That kick... It had felt so good.