It's evening outside, the burning orange of the sun a pleasant contrast to the bright artificial light and frigid air conditioning. I'm seated in a small waiting room, separate from the entrance. It's just a room over with little cubbies to store anything you brought along when it's time for us to be called in. The ponies sitting with me are all here to be guinea pigs, or, as the flyer indicated, "participants in the advancement of pony kind!". It didn't state anything further than the needing volunteers for clinical testing, there was a good payment of bits if you signed up. Needing the extra bits to put some food on the table you decided, whats the harm? Though when a purple unicorn mare, dark indigo mane pulled into a tight professional bun led us into this little room and laid out wavers I started to get some cold hooves.
She has been gone for a good few hours, we had to fast before testing and to make sure we didn't eat or drink we were told to sit tight in the room, magazines and a muted TV our only means of entertainment. The chairs aren't even comfortable, the blue cushions are coated in a spill proof plastic making them crinkle and hiss with each shift, the chilly air thankfully keeping me from sweating against it's touch. The room was plain dark like the rest of the building save a tacky blue rug that lays mostly in the center to give the room a slight touch of color to match the chairs, like a desperate attempt at throwing some sort of theme into the room. It even looks like it was hoof made... Okay, tacky is a strong word for it, it's a really nice looking rug but given it's out of place pattern in the room it's a tad bit jarring. Like trying to glue rhinestones to a boulder. I filled out the papers, being the first done. I just skimmed through the lot of it, it mostly asked about health stuff and had the general "I consents" On the back page. I did give those a closer glance but they really just were saying you aren't liable to sue or whatever if they stab you with a needle or something whatever.
My ear turns to the door as it makes a click, all ponies in the room turning head in unison as a different purple unicorn mare enters. This one with a light purple mane and pinker fur, she smiles sweetly, small and tight with a slight tilt of the head. It's practiced you can tell.
"Hello! I know the wait has been long but we are almost ready, did you all get your forms read and signed?" She tilts her head even more with the question, baring her teeth with the same polite grin. She looks almost pained with the way her cheeks lift up to her eyes, to spare this mare further face strain we all end up nodding and sliding our individually paper clipped stacks towards her from the short table we all ended up setting them on.
"Great! I'll take theeeese..." Her horn glows a wonderful blue before all the stacks highlight as well and lift into a single stack and float to her side. She only glances her eyes as they settle before looking back at the room of ponies, theres a beat of silence before she inhales "Right this way!" She turns and exits the room, theres another pause before everyone collectively stands and follows. No one seems to decide on leaving, guess we've all waited enough to back out now. I turn to lock onto the mare leading us, she wears a professional get up. Blouse and skirt, yet a black lab coat seems to drape over her shoulders. The black is odd, isn't there a reason doctors and scientist wear white? In fact, as we walk deeper into the building and down what seems like a set of stairs we pass by some ponies who seem garbed in totally different gear. It's like some form of liquid proof black clothes, the silver strips here and there is odd enough. It seems like some personalized set of casual hazmat gear, feel like we are walking through some evil scientists lair and the goons are all wearing matching garbs. I can't help a snrk at the thought, the unicorn snaps her head slightly to the side to peer at me. Her smile still present but her eyes seem like shes calculating something before turning back to where shes going.
We end up in a hall with a few doors open, as many as there are ponies volunteering. The mare turns facing her side to us as she skims through our papers and the mini question sheet we answered. She pauses on one, my sheet. It's obviously mine as I had to write my natural fur, hair and eye colors.
"Okay, you each can just pick a room! Doesn't matter which, cept you!" She points a hoof at me "You'll be for something else we had in mind." I look around, hoping someone else would share the same concern I feel but instead everyone seems to ignore us and enter each room. There's a room at the end, furthest from the rest that no pony bothered to head for that the mare waves me towards. We approach, and I peer in to see a room with the dark tiles but bright white tiled walls. Everything is tiled or some sort of easy cleanable material, everything but the glittering tile seems to be stark white and thoroughly cleaned and the scent of cleaner wafts from the room like it's been deeply saturated in such.
"Go on in! She won't bite, promise. She'll take good care of you." The unicorn urges, likely wanting to leave, she makes a note not to touch me however and stands a good arms reach away. With a final glance at her and then the hall in which we arrived I take breath deep and enter the sterile room. The door quickly shuts and locks with a light buzzer like sound, making me flinch my hindquarters close.
"Don't mind the door, it's only closed for privacy sake." The familiar voice from earlier makes me turn, I see the purple mare with the indigo hair levitating a couple vials with a magenta aura. "I'm Doctor Sparkle, have a seat on the examination table, I won't be long." With that the magic grasps a paper roll at the top and pulls it expertly out across the plastic top and secures at the bottom. Chewing my lip I approach and carefully lift myself up onto the surface of the medical bed, table, thing. I plant myself firmly, awkwardly really, at the end of the table and wait. Her outfit changed, wearing something similar to the other unicorn she now wears the suit like everyone else. She also works quick, swishing around liquids and setting up her station. Putting different containers and vials onto a roll cart with some swabs and needles. The amount of needles is unnerving as I get a better look when she turns and scoots the cart closer, her lavender eyes meet mine then follow the gaze before lightly laughing.
"Don't worry, those are just back ups in case something happens to the ones I use. I really should only need one, better safe than sorry though." She reaches under and pulls out some gloves. "These are vinyl, I know you stated that you don't have a latex allergy but it's what I use regardless." I furrow my brow, I don't know how she'd of known that till I turn slightly and see a small screen to the side of the bed. It's thin and looks like it would be pretty fragile but on it I see a display of the info I'd written. The unicorn must of put me in a system.
A pressure on my shoulder snaps me back into focus, the mare placed a hoof on my shoulder and is urging me back. It was a light shock that she actually reached out and touched me, didn't even try asking me to adjust. I follow her motions without complaint and lay back onto the bed, a little more comfortable albeit exposed. She obviously has no care though as she lifts a mask over her muzzle and starts preparing a syringe. I swallow and run my tongue over my teeth, trying to form the question I have into words. My nerves making it hard to think.
"What is it you're going to be putting in me?" Oh dear Celestia I could of worded that better, she only flicks her eyes up to me, pulling the syringe from the vial. She squirts a bit of liquid out on a rag as she responds.
"A new sedative, more along the lines of an Antianxiety. It's been tested a few times don't worry, you are the first pony though." I try not to dwell on that last part, can't really as she taps my elbow and makes me stick my foreleg out. She moves some fur out of the way with an alcohol cloth before sticking me with the syringe. It's a lot of liquid and she slowly injects, massaging around the area before pulling it free and pressing a square strip of gauze to the spot. I cant help the grunt as I feel first a cool spread from my arm across my body before I start to feel warm, really, really warm. I huff from my nose and drop my head back suddenly, I'm glad she encouraged me to lay down else I probably would of hit down a lot harder. The ceiling is really high and dark, the only light is the hanging one blaring into my eyes. Said eyes feel sticky, heavy, I want to close them and keep them closed. I turn to look at the mare, my vision slow to lock on to her and the the peripheral seems dark. I attempt to speak but it doesn't really form into any real words, I don't even think I could think up a sentence in time for me to remember to say it. The mare seems to notice me taking to the drug quickly and lifts up a notepad and pen with break neck speed. I hum and lean my head back again to look at the ceiling, I wonder how long this will last.
"Can you hear me?" I fail to jump as the mare leans over me, brows furrowed. She must of been asking questions, damn I really am out of it. I try to tell her it's might be too strong or she gave me to much. I have to try a few times as I end up slurring and forgetting half the sentence. She seems to get it and nods.
"Disappointing." She mutters, my brow furrows, I can't help but focus on that word. Disappointing, a disappointment. I disappointed her. Shes disappointed in me, others are too. I mean I can barely feed myself that's why I took this offer in the first place. Let some strangers inject me with something that could potentially kill me. Just for a few bits? What's wrong with me? I'm an absolute disappointment. I feel something on my cheek and I look to see the mare giving me an odd look, furrowed brows. Is she agitated? Am I doing that bad? What's touching me? A tissue, I see a tissue, shes wiping my face with a tissue. I sloppily rub a hoof to my face, it's damp. My nose and eyes are practically steaming, I'm sobbing uncontrollably in front of this mare. Shaking and quivering like a foal as she dabs and cleans under my eyes and wipes my nose. She is speaking, I can't really grasp it as shes speaking so soft. Cooing like trying to comfort a child, I nod and flop to my side. I'm not really sure what I'm doing at this point, I feel my tears lighten up as I notice I'm no longer heaving oddly. I still quiver though.
I lay there, shaking and occasionally letting tears fall as the mare writes in her notepad. She did ask a question here and there, asking if I'm okay or if I need a drink. Usually when she does a massive wave of quilt washes over me and I start crying again, and she caught on rather quick. I close my eyes and realize as I focus on feeling that shes slowly brushing the back of my neck. Soothingly I thought but when all my hair was pulled back she starts to feel along my neck, doing a sort of hooves on vitals check. It's a bit relaxing and if I'm no longer a bother I allow her to do her thing. Not even protesting as she prods and l looks around other places across my body, even private places. She doesn't touch me in any unprofessional way I just don't really feel embarrassed or nervous. Almost desperate for each touch, some sort of physical contact. I'd give up absolutely everything for a hug. When she stops touching and lets me fall limp I end up letting out a choked whimper. She shooshes me and sets her notebook down before sitting me up and pulling a paper cup up and filling it in the sink. She helps me drink, fills it up another time for another drink before opening a cupboard and pulling out a few suckers. She unwraps and pops one in my mouth, I almost want to spit it out as it's very large and strangely flavored.
"Keep it in, a little nutrients will help flush it out of your system." I already felt the heavy torpor like feelings lifting before taking the candy but I nod and keep it in my mouth as she lifts up her notes and sits on a stool to read them. She glances up here and there, I notice her mane hasn't changed in the slightest, perfectly pulled up with straight cut bangs. I hiccup a bit and wipe my nose, I must look like a mess. I start to feel some heat to my cheeks, there it is, there's embarrassment. Barely any but it's starting to show back up. It's not long before she stands up and walks to the door, it pops open and I look at her confused. The unicorn waves me to follow, waiting for me to stand up and clamber down with a patient smile. I take my time as to not fall and bash my face before following obediently. I notice some lights are off, and the total silence. It must of been hours since I entered that room, the other volunteers have already left it seems. She leads me on, not to the stairs though but to an elevator. She barely needs to coax me on, I find myself just following along. I don't really know what to do anyways. I feel like a foal, sucking a lollipop and following aimlessly. I sway quite a lot, the drug still taking time to trickle from my system as I stand in the elevator. She presses a button and the doors shut, I try to read what she pressed but the box lurches up making me loose balance and stumble down to the floor. I end up curling my legs close, not wanting to force myself to stand and feeling dizzy from the movement. I glance up to the unicorn, she isn't even looking down to me. She's blank faced looking forward, did she even notice?
When the elevator stops moving and the door slide open with a ding she taps a hoof quickly to my shoulder without a glance and starts walking, she certainly was aware I had collapsed. I take a moment to try and stand, my shaky legs make it hard until I see magenta overtake my vision and am lifted to my hooves. I look up to see her peering over her shoulder again, with the same polite smile.
"This way" She then turns and trots off, I try to follow, she ends up needing to pause here and there. It seems like, even though the heavy feeling is gone, that just that much movement was enough to exhaust me completely. I can't wait to get home. She leads me into another room, using a card to open it and waving me in. I enter to see a room covered in blue hues, light blue tiles, slightly darker blue walls with a smooth plastic blue dresser with white drawers and a bed with a
fat, round, safe bed post and still all blue sheets. I stare at the site a moment, blinking slowly, trying to pull the pieces together. I turn to the mare with a questioning look, she just keeps smiling.
"You should sleep, you'll need it for tomorrow." She then backs up and swipes her card again. The door shutting. It's silent, the only sound is the air conditioning barely making a soft hum. I end up flopping onto my haunches as I realize what she meant, I'm not going home tonight.
"Doctor Twilight?..." I say softly, as if she could maybe still hear me. Before standing up and slowly thumping a hoof against the door. "D-Doctor Twilight?" I call out a bit louder, It's a struggle to stand, I feel helpless. The door has no means to open, this isn't privacy, this is containment. I feel my eyes flutter, one is harder to open than the other. I'm so tired. I slowly trudge to the bed, I need to sleep this off. Maybe that's all this is, I need to sleep of the effects to make sure nothing is wrong and I can leave safely. I hum, deciding to believe that idea before slowly pulling myself up into the bed, my legs having started to fail me as I approached. I roll onto the cushy surface, it crinkles under me as I feel the liquid proof mattress underneath. Unfortunately as I doze in and out of consciousness I end up being thankful for the water proof mattress as I wake up having pissed myself. My muscles too lax to hold it in, I don't remember seeing a toilet with the initial glance of the room either. I end up attempting to deal with it by mopping the mess up with a sheet and kicking it off the bed before slumping and passing out once more.
Hours later I find myself being slowly coaxed up by a hoof, I turn to see a light orange pegasus with pink tinted goggles. My ears feel like they're stuffed with cotton and my head swims as if with a fever. The stallion rubs my back and carefully guides me from the bed.
"Let's get you cleaned up." He smiles, it doesn't seem forced or practiced. It's wide and sort of comforting as I allow him to guide me. As we leave I step over the sucker I must of accidentally dropped in my mouth from shock, I'm glad I didn't fall asleep with it. He takes me to a room at the end of the hall, it's a bathroom, lined with two sorts of stalls. About six toilet stalls and three shower stalls. I get taken to the shower one almost immediately as we entered, I sit near the drain. I barely move as he helps wash me down. My cheeks burn with embarrassment but strangely enough I don't try to fight any of it. He doesn't soap me down heavily, just gets the urine and sweat from my fur and turns it off. I get handed a towel and he ends up helping with that too as I end up just staring at the fabric dumbly. When it's tossed in a chute he loops a wing over me and drags me along. Softly humming to himself with a chipper smile, I feel like we're too close but no one seems to pay any mind. There's only what seems to be worker meandering here and there, we enter an elevator again and he presses a set of buttons. something like floor one, floor one then floor two. When down the doors open the same hall I came from last night, we head down, I expected to be taken to that same examination room but instead I'm led even deeper.
He swipes his card through the lock of a lone door at the end of a far off hall and ushers me in. Inside is another examination room but with way more equipment, Doctor Twilight turns from her tools and smiles just as the door shuts behind me.
"Oh you are definitely looking better" I finally, shaking my head I gather my thoughts.
"Why am I still here? When do I get paid?" She blinks in surprise before levitating a tablet in front of me. On it shows my signature and the answers I checked off.
"You agreed to a long term and residential care, you'll be housed her and regularly dosed to see the effects of a prescription type medication" I stiffen at the realization, I look down and start really reading over the paper, while I do the mare seems to go back to organizing, seeming uncaring to my reaction. It take a few times of me looking over the wall of text before spotting it, one of my answers that I accepted instead of refusing. For continued payment I accepted to taking regularly dosed drug and facility residence until the trial period is over. I thought I feel like I should be panicking, though I do feel stressed I'm more calm than I think I'd normally be. The tablet is lifted from my hooves as I'm led over to the examination table and sat atop it without much reaction.
"I'm sorry, I didn't really think that would be an option. I don't think I could stay here for a long time, I have work." The mare nods as she prepares a syringe.
"It's quite alright, I'll give you some time to mull it over. At least you can try one more, smaller, dose before breakfast and you can decide then." I don't further complain as she sticks my arm and rubs around the spot. It doesn't seem that smaller of a dose but it does seem to hit me slower. I manage to keep myself upright and she seems to genuinely smile at this before writing in a notepad. After a little while she gives me a glass of water that I hesitantly drink, not wanting to have another accident, she doesn't offer more though. Helps me up off the table and leads me out, I notice a degree on the wall, displaying her name. This room must be her usual work space, we head out into the elevator once more and up a floor or two. The drug altering my perception again, it's still a little too strong. She guide me out down a short hallway into a room. Inside is what looks like a small break room with tables, a TV and a soft looking couch. She leads me to said couch and I happily flop down. She gives a giggle before entering the little kitchen nook. I start to space out, the TV flicks on to some random channel. Not long after I am gently being lifted into an upright position and there's a TV table sat in front of me with a plate of waffles and whip-cream. I drool at the sight of it and start digging in without much grace. I hear some snickers and I turn slightly to see a bright pink mare with a fluffy mane turning the waffle iron. She smiles wide when she sees me staring before waving a hoof.
I smile and wave before a shift in the cushions next to me make me turn and see Doctor Sparkle sitting next to me, levitating her own plate. She nods to my plate and winks with an amused hum, I about finished my plate in one go after all.
"You like them huh? Pinkie makes the best waffles!" The pony behind us snickers with a snort and I feel rather pleasant, I nod rapidly. So far, they honestly taste like the best waffles I've ever had. I start to shovel more in my mouth and slightly lean in to watch the TV. It's nice, so much different from last night.
"So, have you decided?" I turn slowly, giving a questioning hum. I feel a pain in my chest at the concerned look on Doctor Sparkled face. I feel myself shiver a bit and swallow the lump that had formed in my mouth. Her brow creases more and I jump to nodding.
"Yes. I can help, it's okay." The smile that encompassed her face was like euphoria for my soul. I almost sobbed at the relief I felt as she nods.
"We'll get you a proper room. Here, you can stay here and watch TV. I'll go get things ready." She stands and heads off with a trot, taking her food with her. I smile feeling like I did well, I made her happy and that makes me happy. I finish eating as I watch the colors on the TV move.