//------------------------------// // The Face Behind the Mirror // Story: Patients (Part 1) // by DubstepIsAmazing //------------------------------// It was midnight: the time agreed by the Cutie Mark Crusaders to make their way back to the asylum. Unfortunately, it sounded easier than it actually was. On the flip side, they had a couple of things going in their favor. In Scootaloo's case, it didn't take much effort for her to leave Rainbow's house. When she originally took her under her wing, Scootaloo learned that she was an exceptionally deep sleeper. On top of that, she snored loudly, which made it easy for Scootaloo to open and close the front door. Sweetie Belle's case was a little bit more challenging. Yes, Rarity insisted on getting her proper beauty sleep, and as such, slept with only the moonlight shining on her and a mask covering her eyes. However, she preferred perfect peace and quiet. Even the slightest noise would cause her to stir. Sweetie Belle circumvented this issue by leaving her door open and placing pillows between her room and the front door. Just in case Rarity awoke and saw the trail, she left the stack of pillows near the door to avoid suspicion. In addition to this, she silenced the doorbell so when it opened, it wouldn't ring. Of course, she locked the door before leaving. Over at Sweet Apple Acres, Apple Bloom had the hardest time. Although Big Mac snored very loudly, Applejack had grown accustomed to hearing it. The downside is, that's the only thing she expects to hear at night. Anything else would wake her up instantly, and Big Mac along with her. There have been times when animals with extremely small footsteps were detected by Applejack's super-hearing. Of course, she didn't harm them, she just got them out of the house in a half-asleep stupor. At the end of it all, though, they were able to make it out and met each other at the asylum's front gate. Sweetie Belle shivered. "I should've brought a coat," she said, teeth chattering. "It's not that cold," Scootaloo replied with a shrug. "Easy for you to say," Apple Bloom stuttered, "You're a pegasus!" "Yep!" "Let's just get inside. Spike and Diamond are likely waiting for us." As the trio walked into the building, they noticed that the aura around them was much darker than when they originally came, and it wasn't just because the lights were dim. You may be wondering how the asylum was open if every staff pony went home. Well, the building itself was open twenty-four hours. Just in case somepony came in for a visit, there was a large button on the secretary's desk that, when pushed, alerted a staff pony to come down to the asylum right away. It was rather convenient. Besides that, the cheerful feeling that was there before was replaced with one of fear in the hearts of the Crusaders. "Come on," Apple Bloom said, "It's the same room as last time." Trotting up the stairs, their anxiety increased. What would the two of them tell them? How would it impact the relationship they had with their sisters and the other elements of harmony? And on top of it all, how do they know they're telling the truth? Well, they were about to find out. As they stepped on each stair, a slight CREAK could be heard. By the time they got to the second floor, their hearts were pounding. Diamond Tiara stood outside her bedroom door, waiting for them to appear. "There you three are. What took you so long? And why do you look so scared?" The Crusaders couldn't speak. Diamond sighed. "The stairs?" They nodded. "I'll ask someone to fix that tomorrow. But come on. Both of them are waiting," she said, opening her door. "Both of them?" Sweetie asked, finding her voice only to lose it again. Once again, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were at a loss for words. Both in white jumpsuits, Pinkie Pie and Spike looked at them with a depressed look on their faces. Twilight's Castle Although it wasn't even dawn, Twilight was hard at work. As books on dragon history, their relationships with ponies, and their growing patterns floated around her, she scribbled down notes on her 50th scroll that night. She didn't plan on stopping anytime soon, either. It explained why, when she got a knock on the door, she didn't even notice it. "Twilight?" She didn't even notice that Fluttershy had walked in. Trotting past Fluttershy, she went to her chalkboard and added onto the massive collection of notes on it. "Twilight?" Fluttershy said a bit louder. "Huh? Oh, hey Fluttershy! What're you doing here this late?" asked Twilight in a frantic voice. "I could ask you the same thing. But I was told that you have the schedule of visits for next couple of weeks?" "Oh, yeah! Here you go," she said, giving her a copy. As she skimmed through it, she looked at the calendar, then the clock, then at Twilight. "If you're taking the first visit, shouldn't you be getting some rest?" "I can't sleep," she said, "If I close my eyes, all I'll think about is Spike and how I've failed him!" "I'm sure that's not true," Fluttershy replied in a matter-of-fact tone, "You've been there for him almost as much as he's been there for you!" "Even if that's true," Twilight said, skimming through another book, "It's not as much as he's been there for me. And all of those insults to him behind his back! I can't go to sleep at all without having the old Spike back!" "So...your solution is..." "I'm researching to see if this is a phase or not. Is there anything that scientifically and historically explains his sudden change in behavior?" "Yes, but it's not scientific or historic." Twilight looked at her with hope in her eyes. "You know the answer?!" "I sure do!" "What is it?" "It's a matter of friendship, Twilight." Silenced, Twilight's enthusiasm fell. "And that's my point. You said you wanted the old Spike back. Well, who's to say you won't act the same as before?" Twilight raised an eyebrow. "He mentioned you too, Fluttershy. Don't think that you're innocent in all of this." "I'm not," she protested, "I'm just not refusing to confront the solution by hiding it behind other possible scenarios. It's a friendship problem." "We don't know that!" "Yes, you do. We all do. As much as none of us want to admit it, it's a serious problem." "..." "If you don't believe me, go ask Spike later today. Let's see what he says," Fluttershy said, exiting the castle. Twilight dropped her quill and books before becoming scared of what Spike would say when he saw her again. The Asylum "SPIKE," Sweetie cried, as she ran into his arms. Chuckling nervously, Spike stroked her mane. "N--nice to see you too, Sweetie Belle," he said as he looked into her tear-filled eyes, "What's up with you two? Why're you just standing there?" As Diamond sat next to Pinkie, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom stared at the party pony, afraid to talk to her. She put her hooves up defensively. "I'm not gonna hurt you," she said nervously, "Pinkamena's on our side here." "What side?" the pegasus asked, purposefully sitting away from Pinkie. "That's what we're here to talk about. I'll start by explaining to you why I'm here," Diamond Tiara said, avoiding eye contact. The room grew still. After taking a deep breath, she spoke. "I've been here for a month now. That's the reason I've been missing so many school days out of the blue. I got here because, according to Celestia, the wealth's gotten to my head." "What's that supposed to mean?" Scootaloo said. She shrugged. "Apparently, money is my life now. You guys taught me that friendship, TRUE friendship has it's benefits, and I'd been going off of that philosophy for the last year or two. It's gotten me really far." A sad smile crossed her face. "But, of course, all good things must come to an end." She paused to catch her breath. "My mother had been making much more progress than I expected, in terms of making true relationships with other ponies. She's becoming known as the Celestia's Double with her generosity and selflessness."* "Yeah, I noticed that recently too," Apple Bloom said, "She's using a lot of her money to give to poor, build shelters, provide food, and all kinds of nice stuff." Diamond nodded. "Yeah. You would think that with all of the good she's doing, Celestia would be proud of her, right?" They all nodded. "Well, you're wrong," she yelled, clearly hurt, "Celestia's no princess of friendship!" "Well, why not?" asked Sweetie Belle. "The day before I disappeared, Celestia personally came to escort me home from school," she said, "We took the long route back and when I asked why, she said she just wanted to 'enjoy the scenery', especially when there was nothing to enjoy. I walked with her, not saying a word. Then we got...here." She shuddered. "She told me to sit in the waiting room and, after speaking to the receptionist pony, said that she would be back soon. I asked why we couldn't go straight home like she said. She said she just needed to pick up something and would be right back." Diamond Tiara looked down with tears in her eyes. "She never came back. When the asylum closed and I was the last person in the building, I was given a room to sleep in and this jumpsuit. I was told I couldn't go back myself because it was too dangerous when there was barely nopony out of their houses and no creature from the forest for miles. I picked a room and slept, eager to go home in the morning. But when morning came...I wished I was still asleep." "What happened?" "Celestia came back with my mother at her side. It turns out she stopped by on her weekly charity visit to donate thousands of bits to the efforts of the staff and for the good of those who were in here legitimately. I ran to her and Celestia, and asked why the left me here, why they couldn't go home...my mother said..." Diamond couldn't find the courage to say what happened next, prompting Pinkie to wrap a blanket around her. "What'd she say?" she asked softly. "She said...'I'm sorry, your highness...but who is this little filly...and why is she calling me "Mother"?'" Diamond finished as tears trickled down her face. Everyone gasped in shock. "Celestia said, 'I don't know. Back to your room, little one.' I protested; I told her that I was her daughter, her ONLY daughter! But she looked at me with a confused look and a sad smile. Mother asked, 'How long has she been in here?' Celestia said, 'Not enough.' She then signaled the staff to take me back to my room. I kicked, I screamed for her, asking her what I did wrong, why she was giving me up, but she didn't hear me. She had completed her donation and left with Celestia to the sounds of cheers and applause. As for me, I was stuck in this room. Three meals a day, no access to a telephone to call for help; it seemed like no one noticed I was missing." Wiping her tears away, she looked at the crusaders. "And that's how I ended up here. I don't know how long I'm going to be here, but ever since that day, every time I tried to leave, there would always be some excuse for why I couldn't get out. And then I found the truth." Her eyes narrowed. "Behind the receptionist's desk was a scroll from Celestia. I encountered it on one of my escape plans. It said to keep me there until further notice. I was not allowed to leave. She was afraid that my mother's actions would rub off on me and overshadow her efforts for keeping Equestria friendly. As far as the rest of Ponyville was concerned, I was a mentally-ill orphan with no living relatives and I was there because Celestia wanted to keep the other fillies safe." She scoffed. "The ruler of Equestria is afraid that I'll get more credit than her in regards to friendship. And she silenced me by taking everything I loved. My friends, my family, my home, my money...all of this just to make sure she reigns supreme." "And that's how this relates to why I'm here," Spike said, "I've seen her hypocrisy firsthand on the many errands and adventures that I've run with Twilight and her friends. They support everything she does, believing that she's the smartest and that it's all in the name of friendship when in reality, it's all to protect her throne." The Crusaders were shaken. "They're right," Pinkie said, "We've seen firsthand the decisions they make when nopony else is around. Applejack is catching on, but she's still dedicated to helping the princess in any way she could." "So...we can't trust our sisters anymore?" Apple Bloom asked. "That's not it at all," Spike said, "I genuinely believe that they're actually good ponies. It's just that they don't tell you everything. You don't see what happens in the background." "So, what're we going to do?" "Twilight is coming tomorrow for a visit. As far as I know, your sisters will come up on some days as well. As long as I can relay information to one of you, you three can tell the others. We cannot let the elements or princesses know what we're doing," Spike explained. The three looked nervous. "Look, think it over," Diamond said, opening the door for them to leave, "And we'll discuss it in a day or two." As the three walked down the hallway, Spike leaned out the doorway. "Also, catch!" "What's this?" asked Scootaloo, turning around and catching three berries. "Luna looks into everyone's dreams. Those berries make you dream of nothing. Be careful though; if you fall into too deep of a sleep, she'll have access again." When Spike finished that sentence, the fillies went pale. It was almost 2 in the morning, and they were all feeling tired. They wanted to have a deep sleep, but were at risk of telling the Princess what they just heard. On top of that, they had to keep their sisters off the trail. Upon her return to Sweet Apple Acres, Apple Bloom nimbly went back to her room, avoiding making any noise whatsoever. She peeked into Applejack's room; she was still asleep. She got into bed, ate her berry, and closed her eyes. Sweetie Belle used her pillows to return back to her room without waking Rarity. She was surprised it worked; she popped the berry into her mouth and got under the covers before falling asleep. Scootaloo was glad Rainbow was a deep sleeper. It made getting anything in the middle of the night a piece of cake, whether it be a quick flight to tire herself, a glass of water, or a cookie or two. As she approached the house, she smiled, happy to be back without getting caught. It explained why she almost screamed when she reached to open the door and Rainbow Dash opened it from the inside.