//------------------------------// // This Was A Mistake // Story: Patients (Part 1) // by DubstepIsAmazing //------------------------------// The three ponies stood in complete silence, trying to comprehend what Luna just suggested. The Crusaders had been in a lot of danger recently, and it didn't look like it would cease anytime soon. It also didn't seem like age would be an issue when it came to putting them into these circumstances. Rainbow Dash had been taken out of her exhausted daze and was taken back to reality; Rarity had stopped thinking about who else could be vying for Spike's attention; Applejack's thoughts of having work to do were replaced with putting her sister in yet another perilous situation. Reality had slapped them in the face with a hint of surrealness. "Okay, I'm done," Rainbow declared, clearly peeved at Luna's wish, "Why are you all trying so hard to get our sisters scarred for life? Seriously!" "That's not what I'm trying to do in the slightest. I'm trying to get information on what's going on in that asylum. I'm trying to do so without Celestia getting suspicious." Luna explained, not batting an eye at Rainbow's words. "What I don't think you're understanding, Princess," Applejack said in a snarky voice, "Is that these are our sisters you're talkin' bout! They've gone through a lot recently; don't they deserve a break?" "Yes, they do. Their role in this entire situation could be vital to learning about what exactly Diamond Tiara is doing there." "I still won't allow this," Rarity chipped in, "Why should Sweetie Belle do this? If I seem to recall correctly, you eliminated her in Discord's little...*ahem*...game. I'm fairly certain she's scared of you." "I agree with Rarity; why on Earth would Scootaloo agree to this?! She almost died a couple of days ago, then got her heart ripped out by Pinkie Pie, and now you want her to spend time in a place that she's terrified of going back to! That's crazy!" Rainbow yelled, "I'm not going to risk losing my sister for a third time! Isn't she scarred enough?" "This is exactly why I tried to get it past you three first, because I had a feeling that you would have a couple of...opinions on the topic." "Opinions? Try flat-out refusal. I'm not going to let her do this." Rainbow said before preparing to leave. "Also, why can't you just go into Diamond Tiara's dreams to find out what's going on?" Rarity asked. "I'm sure that she wouldn't exactly be enthusiastic to see me." "Why not?" "Because I'm Celestia's sister; she might be afraid that I tell her about my experiences. It's already bad enough that she asked me to tell her about what the Crusaders were dreaming the other night." "Why does she need to know all this stuff," asked Rainbow, "It's not like it's any of her business what they think." "I don't know," answered Luna, "But this may be one of the only chances we have to find out." "I'm still not on board with this. This could hurt more than help. Plus, don't forget, Diamond Tiara was a former bully of theirs at school. What makes ya think she's not messing around here?" inquired Applejack. Luna sighed. "Because it's not just her; it's Spike too. Apparently their opinions line up. We need to find out what exactly they think and what they know." After that, none of the ponies said a word. They were still recovering from the initial shock of the Princess' request. The rebuttals that were presented were justified. After a life-threatening experience, Luna is trying to thrust them into more danger which, according to Rarity, could easily be avoided by simply going into her dreams. "At the moment, no. But if Sweetie Belle is okay with it, then I will agree. For now, it's absolutely imperative that we head to the asylum. Spike is expecting us," Rarity said before turning tail and leaving without any additional comment. "Same goes for me," Applejack agreed. Rainbow simply nodded before making the ascension back to her cloudy home to get some much needed rest. Celestia was in the process of raising the sun; its rays filled the entire area with an orange glow. The lush greenness of the grass was now visible, the clouds were a light pink in the early hours of the morning, and Luna felt its warmth envelope her, along with the rest of Ponyville. Now left alone, she began to wonder if her idea was in fact the best idea. According to those three, it certainly wasn't the best way to go around doing things. It was bad enough that the three of them were exposed to a traumatic experience at such an early age, now there's more that she needs from them, and this task is almost twice as dangerous. "Is that really true," she asked herself, "Is Sweetie Belle really afraid of me for what I did? She didn't seem like that two nights ago." Her defense of Spike made Luna wonder about the impact the dragon's wellbeing had on Sweetie Belle. It was no doubt a vital part of her current state. But maybe it was something deeper than that. Luna approached the castle to discuss with her sister her concerns, having second thoughts about whether or not she can be trusted. Spike was sitting on his side of the visiting room in silence, waiting for the four ponies to enter the room. He couldn't help but think of the previous night's encounter with Sweetie Belle and the theories they exchanged. Is she right? he thought to himself, Even if it was a lie, is it possible that Luna had good intentions behind it? Even if that were the case, she's talked to Spike long enough to know that the subject of his origins was a very touchy topic for him, which is why whenever she brought it up, she quickly changed the theme to something else. It was because she preferred to have him bring it up when he was ready; seeing the dragon so emotionally distraught is something that she hated to see. Tucking his feet in towards him, he began thinking about Applejack and Rarity. As the Elements of Honesty and Generosity, they were going to use their gifts in the best ways they could as they exchanged comments on what was going on. Applejack would always give him the truth, no matter how much he wished it were false while Rarity would likely attempt to soften the blow. "Oh yeah, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom will be here too..." he remembered, putting a claw to his scaled forehead in fatigue. Apple Bloom was a mixture of Applejack and Rarity while still maintaining her status as a member of the Apple Family. She was as honest as she could be but also knew when her honesty would hurt somepony's feelings. As such, she usually stopped explaining anything when she realized that it could come across as an insult. In other words, she tried not to make her explanations too blunt. Sweetie Belle was also like her sister in the sense that she is still in the process of improving her eye for stray details. She tended to focus on what isn't said rather than what is; it is through that way of thinking that she's able to make her next move. On top of that, for the first time in his life, he was actually nervous about seeing Sweetie Belle after the discussion they had the previous night. He knew that she was going to be back today, so there's a chance that she also felt uncomfortable as well. "It can't be too bad. They're all good ponies. At least, I know three of them are; I'm still unsure about--" He was cut off by the sound of the door opening with an ear-piercing CREEEEEAK followed by the rhythmic hoofsteps of Rarity, Applejack, and their sisters. The sounds were all jumbled up because each pony was moving at a different pace than the other. Rarity had a fast pace as she walked to the window to see Spike peering at her with a look of remorse. His expression was a reflection of hers; disappointed, confused, and above all, scared. Applejack walked a little slower than Rarity, but it was evident that she was concerned as well, as her face morphed into a worried frown before she attempted to make a comforting smile. However, at Spike's glance, her optimistic appearance fell to her actual emotions. Apple Bloom refused to leave her sister's side despite going at a slower pace. Sitting down, she appeared to be deep in thought; she was both intrigued and worried. After all, she had information that Spike didn't tell her sister yet, so she had a better understanding of what he would say and what he meant when he says it. Sweetie Belle reluctantly went up to the window and stared at Spike. Although she knew that she did nothing wrong, the only thing that she wanted to know was if her feelings were reciprocated by Spike. The kiss from the previous night had been replaying in her head ever since she left the asylum in the early hours of the morning. She had questions about it and so desperately wanted to ask them, but it wasn't the time yet. Spike flicked out his forked tongue in nonchalance and sighed as he laid back in his chair. "Hey, everypony. Nice of you to stop by," he greeted, "It's been a while." "But of course," Rarity replied with a fake smile, "It's you, Spike!" "I'm glad you're concerned, Rarity," Spike answered with a straight face, "It's good to see you." Sweetie Belle frowned at his words, prompting Apple Bloom to place a hoof on her shoulder. Spike noticed her reaction and chuckled. "Sweetie Belle." "Huh?!" She glanced at him with wide green eyes. "Yeah?" "How are you doing? Is everything alright?" For the first time in the last couple of days, the group saw Spike give her the warmest smile that they've seen since before Discord's game. His eyes sparkled as he awaited her answer. Apple Bloom nudged her to remind her to respond. "Yeah!" she said with newfound happiness, "I'm just fine. How're you Spike?" "I feel alright. Thank you, by the way." He winked at her, signaling the end of that question so as to not to attract suspicion. However, Rarity was already on the case. Applejack chuckled heartily as she took her hat off. "Well, ah'm glad that you're okay, Spike. It ain't the same 'round Ponyville withoutcha." "Thanks, Applejack. I'm glad you're here. I'm glad all of you are here." "So, with the introductions out of the way," Rarity began, eyeing a starstruck Sweetie Belle with narrow eyes, "There is something that we need to discuss promptly." "And what might that be," Spike asked, crossing his legs. "Rarity," Applejack scolded, "We'll get to that later. Spike, have you been--" "No, no, Applejack, I just wanted to get some understanding on what Spike meant when he said that the Elements of Harmony were corrupt," Rarity said, now looking at Spike. The two Crusaders' heart rate multiplied. Applejack facehoofed herself while Rarity's sister suddenly felt the remnants of her sister's fierce gaze on her head. Spike seemed totally calm. "Oh. That's an understandable concern; I'm actually kind of glad that you brought it up, Rarity. I take it that you've been speaking with Princess Luna?" "That's correct, Spike," she replied, "What is the meaning of your comments? We've been nothing but genuine to everypony! I didn't expect her to tell me that you said something like that! It's just not...well...li--" "Like me?" Spike finished, raising an eyebrow. "Precisely, darling." "I see. Well, let me ask you something, Rarity." "Oh, Celestia help us," Apple Bloom muttered as her sister shook her head, knowing what's about to come. "If my memory serves me right, there have been a couple of times where YOU've been acting out of your element, right?" Rarity was silenced at his rebuttal as the memories came flooding back to her of her disrespect towards some creatures; Spike was on the receiving end of some of her actions. Surely enough, he was right. "I'll take that as a yes. So, then, why don't you relax and remember that you're not exactly the perfect pony either, alright?" "Anyway," Applejack interrupted, "Spike, we're concerned about you. Twilight misses you and loves you very much. Ya don't know how far she's fallen since she came to see you." Spike sat up straight with a look of worry in his eyes. "What do you mean?" Applejack looked at her sister and Sweetie Belle. "Let's just say that it's really bad; can't say it 'round these two." The two of them frowned and rolled her eyes as Rarity stepped in. "The point is, we care about you. Is there anything we can do to help you?" Spike was too worried about Twilight to even articulate what Rarity asked. "What's wrong with Twilight?" "Spike, I said we can't say in front of these two." "Well, tell her to come by as soon as she can! I need to make sure she's alright." "She's working with the princesses in getting you out of here, Spike," Apple Bloom explained, "It could be a while before she comes back in here." He frowned and pounded his fist on his leg in frustration. "Spike, I'm glad that you care, but first we need to get you out of here." He said no more; looking down at his feet, trying to figure out how to rebuild this world that he was just thrust in. The group headed back towards the door and frowned. “Excuse us, Spike. We need to step out for a minute,” Rarity said before opening the door. They each left the room, with heads hung low. Sweetie Belle looked back at the dragon who was silently sobbing once more before following the other three back. Once the door was closed and they were outside, Applejack looked at the two fillies. "Look, we really need ta find out more about what Spike is thinking during his time here." "And?" asked Apple Bloom. "Well, we know about what you three told Princess Luna," Rarity revealed with surprised eyes, "And we simply must know more." "Okay. So what?" Sweetie Belle asked, worried at the upcoming request. "Well," the farmpony said looking at Rarity with nervous eyes, "We think that you three should stay in this asylum until Spike's release." The instant she finished that sentence, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle fainted.