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// Act 1: Your Patient Is A Pony 
// Story: A Love For Madness 
// by ShadeJak 
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	In the last couple years, the Eastern State Mental Hospital of Virginia had seen many an interesting patient after another, but before the month of May in 2020, any staff who presently worked there who had prided themselves on having seen everything could officially say that only now they truly have. Dr. Murphy, one of the supervisors who now had twenty years of experience in the field to his credit, had looked over the file on their new patient that he had decided on this particular transfer to handle. Of all the things that could have possibly been reason to recruit someone for the job, he had to admit them remembering a television show for girls several years ago had to be the strangest yet, but as of right now, there was no other option if he hoped to fully understand this patient in a way that he’d otherwise have to rely on his twelve year old daughter for.

A crisp knock came, and Murphy ordered the visitor to enter. A thin-looking young man, late twenties perhaps, with dark brown hair stepped into his office. He looked like he rarely slept but it didn’t seem to bother him or affect his otherwise confident look.

“Dr. Lance, it’s good of you to come. I hope the storm outside hasn’t been too troublesome.” Murphy explained, scratching the back of his head as he tried to think of the easiest way to explain the situation. “As you know, this institution gets a lot of interesting cases, but… well… our newest has them all beat.”

“If you’re going to tell me you found a man in a wolf costume barking at the moon, or some guy who likes purple suits and clown themes, I can say you’re not going to surprise me.” Dr. Lance said with a smirk.

“Oh if only it were that mundane.” The older doctor answered. “And furthermore she wasn’t ‘found’ so much as came here of her own free will. Literally just showed up out of the blue, asking if there was a free cell for her. Had herself committed. I admit my staff was rather put off by the request, not to mention her appearance, but she seemed rather paranoid and wanting to just be kept away from men in black suits… conspiracy theorist as well it seems. But given how she looked, I suppose she has reason to think she’d end up in a lab.”

“So, some woman shows up with paranoid delusions of being watched by the government? Do they even have a classified phobia for that yet?” Dr. Lance asked, clearly unimpressed as this case seemed rather mild, especially if the patient committed themselves here willingly… then again, if someone feared being stalked by the feds they probably would want to be somewhere they figured no one would come looking for them but could still get meals and a place to sleep, but most saner minds would want somewhere more comfortable. “You mentioned her appearance twice now… I trust there are things you’re unsure of how to explain to me.”

“You could say that, yes. One of the reasons you were chosen, I admit... how can I say this… word was you’re familiar with an old show that started around 2010, a revival of a toy-based franchise…” Dr. Murphy said, still honestly not sure how to say this, without saying the title due to sheer ridiculousness of the situation, even though what he’d saw with this particular patient told him completely otherwise.

“What’s that have to do with anything?” Dr. Lance asked.

“Maybe it’s better I show you, actually. It makes sense in context and I think this is the only way you’re going to take that statement seriously.” He said, getting up and leading him to where some of the more isolated cases were now kept since renovations had been made over the past two years. Finally reaching a lonely padded cell, the older doctor stood back. “What you see in there, I assure you is as real as you and I. This is no joke, I’m just as confused as you are about it.”

Dr. Lance raised an eyebrow at his statement and peered through the small window. Nothing in the world could have ever prepared any who looked in for what he saw inside. Unless he’d taken some kind of really potent drugs with hallucinogenic properties earlier, there in the cell, huddled in the corner with a sheet bound around her was a slender pink pony of some kind, with large purple eyes, a horn on her head, a free-flowing mane and tail with purple, pink, and gold-colored stripes, and a symbol on her flanks that looked like a blue heart with gold ribbon around it. Her eyes were wide, darting about and she looked every bit as disheveled as she was when she was found in a cave in her introductory two-parter… Dr. Lance recognized her as Princess Mi Amore Candenza, also known as Cadance, a character introduced in the end of Season 2 of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

“Putting aside my surprise that rumors about my guilty pleasures travel fast…” Dr. Lance explained. “…are you certain this isn’t some kind of trick? A projection or something? That can’t possibly be real, Cadance is a fictional character from an animated tv series that ended years ago!” Of course, if he’d known he was being shown to a patient like this, he’d have expected that barking pony with the screw mark. Seeing the normally mild-mannered, friendly alicorn who embodied love acting like she’d had a psychotic breakdown was an unusual sight.

“Yes, that is why I had decided to bring you here; my daughter was a fan of the show too so I was familiar enough to be prompted to look into the matter. Unfortunately most in this field tend not to be so open about an interest in a show that they are not exactly part of the intended demographic for and given it ended some time ago no one here seems to have been a part of its fanbase... which I hear was quite legendary in its time... You were apparently a little more open of it, so perhaps you can help me shed some light on this?” Dr. Murphy asked.

“She’s not told you anything, like why she’s here or how she can even exist here?” True he’d heard of some strange fanfictions of fans living their odd fantasies of being ponies, but even today’s science was not remotely equipped for so drastic a physical change, let alone one that’d provide wings or magic-channeling horns, which he assumed those occasional blue sparks that came from the frightened alicorn’s horn were.

“Nothing that made a lot of sense... She insists she’s not a pony, and has reacted rather aggressively whenever addressed as female. The ID and such she’d brought belongs to someone named Cale Amos, according to what we could pull up his wife divorced him not too long ago, and no one’s seen him since a few days after the start of the this May. Stopped showing up for work and everything, like he literally just disappeared off the map.”

“So there’s a connection?” Dr. Lance asked, glancing into the window again, the pony inside seemed to notice them now, and was watching.

“She certainly thinks so.” Dr. Murphy said. “She insists she’s really him! That she just turned into what you see in there over the course of about three days; woke up looking that way on the fourth, just after her 25th birthday. She occasionally just stares off into space and mumbles something about ‘Five score divided by four’ and a being named Discord.”

“I see…” Dr. Lance answered. He remembered enough about the show to know of the God of Chaos, though it still didn’t really explain what this pony was doing here and why she’d think she was a missing person.

“The reason why this has raised my curiosity and made me decide to take her in is there have been several other strange disappearances occurring in other parts of the country. All of them turned 25 this May. I’m hoping with her, maybe we can get some insight about what happened or why a fictional character from a cartoon is here in the first place.”

“Now that you mention it, a lot of this does ring a bell. I’ve heard about disappearances of newly-turned 25-year-olds suddenly not showing up for work, or class, or whatnot. Why has this establishment never thought to tell the FBI about this?” Dr. Lance asked.

“We nearly did. She practically fell into an emotional breakdown when we suggested it to her… she begged us not to. She thinks if they know she’ll end up in a lab or get dissected. I think if we’re going to get answers, it may be in our best interest not to contact them, at least not until she’s opened up enough to give us something to tell them. That and... I guess I can’t help but pity her a little… poor thing’s terrified out of her mind. Perhaps there's method to her madness, that she knows something but with the level of her mental stability she'd be more comfortable telling us then government operatives. I figured someone who is as openly understanding of the show she apparently originates from as you are might be easier for her to talk to.”

“I understand.” Dr. Lance said, unsure how to take that statement with anything but a nod of acceptance.

“Well, seeing as how she’s awake, why don’t you go introduce yourself?” Dr. Murphy asked. “I’m turning her case over to you, effective immediately.” With that, he handed the younger doctor her file, and departed without another word.

With a sigh, Dr. Lance put on a smile and slid his badge on the lock, opening the door to the padded cell.

“Hello, miss… I’m—“

“I’m not a miss!” The pink alicorn said sharply, glaring a little.

“My apologies. What would you like me to call you?” Dr. Lance asked, closing the door. “I’ll be happy to address you as whatever you feel comfortable with.”

“…” The alicorn looked downward, eyeing her slightly mussed tail with apparent disdain as it flicked about, her striped mane tumbling down her neck and shoulders, hiding her face. “I… I don’t actually know anymore...”

“Would you prefer Cadance?” The doctor offered.

The alicorn let out a bitter laugh. “Never thought I’d meet a brony psychologist.” She smirked a little at the thought of that phrase, of course she meant it in a sense of a psychologist who was a fan of the show, as opposed to a profession that could do some of the show’s fanbase a lot of good.

“I wouldn’t say I’m that major a fan, but I did watch the show back when it aired. Blame my younger sister.” The doctor said with a laugh, hopeful he’d gotten somewhere. “Look, since you don’t appear to be in an aggressive state right now, would you like me to undo that for you?” He asked. “Though I’m curious what prompted them to put it on you.”

“I got nervous, still getting used to having wings and I crashed into the ceiling and walls. They had to shoot me with a dart gun to put me in this so I’d stop flying around.” She looked over at him. “If you can...  can you please take it off? I promise I’ll behave.” With a smile, Dr. Lance took out a key and undid the lock, in seconds the bindings fell loose and the sheet fell to the ground. The alicorn stretched out her forelegs and spread her wings for a moment before closing them back up. As she stretched, the way she looked at herself was rather unusual, like she wasn’t used to her body somehow.

“Now, onto business.” Dr. Lance said, sitting on the cot in the room and opening the file. “It says you came with a wallet and personal effects belonging to a young man named Cale Amos, turned 25 early this month.”

“Of course I did, I’m him.” The alicorn said. After a few seconds, she raised an eyebrow at him. “You don’t believe me either, do you?” She asked, started to get annoyed as she paced about, a little wobbly from having been bound from the waist up earlier.

“I’m not here to say I do or don’t yet, I won’t be able to decide that if you won’t let me help you. I’ve had my share of cases that had perfectly legitimate reasons for their state of being, but resisted treatment. I’m hoping you’ll be more cooperative.” The doctor explained calmly. “See, they brought me here because… well, this is pretty weird but my familiarity with the show you’re… well… from is what got me assigned to your case. There have been several disappearances of other people… born in the earliest days of May, every one of them disappeared just a few days after they turned 25. There doesn’t seem to be a pattern other then that particular birthday.”

This made her pause. “So it’s not just me and nopon-nobody knows why…?” She asked, seemingly catching herself on some instinctive use of incorporating the word ‘pony’ into her vocabulary. “Why did I end up like… this?” She said, looking down at herself again as she collapsed to her haunches. “I just got through a crappy divorce, was trying to work on getting my life back together, but then clearly God or whatever power that be’s got some sick sense of humor turning me into a character whose theme is love and was introduced in a marriage episode.” She muttered, squeezing her large eyes shut for a moment.

The radio overhead suddenly changed songs in its soothing selections, though “We’ve Only Just Begun” by the Carpenters only managed to snap her out of her delirium and stare in horror at the speaker above in the ceiling, causing her to cringe feeling like the song’s first lyrics were mocking her situation like they mocked John Cusack’s in that creepy movie she saw about the possessed hotel room, or Sam Neil's in that lovecraftian movie. She took a few breaths and decided she'd have to tolerate it till they changed song.

“I-I can tell you all I know is after my birthday, over the course of the three days that followed, I turned into Princess Cadance, from out of nowhere, and then the dreams…” She said, still eyeing the speaker on the ceiling as the song’s refrain came, not looking at the doctor.

“Dreams, yes, Dr. Murphy mentioned that to me. You were also repeating something about five score divided by four.” Dr. Lance answered.

“Oh Celes—“ The alicorn began, catching herself again; a look of confusion at what she’d nearly said passing over her face before finally turning. “The dreams… I sometimes have them, and from the looks of things they’re from Cadance’s perspective. I’m sure you know who Discord is… well he suddenly started wrecking havoc on the lands again. Discord showed up in the Crystal Kingdom" She rambled. "...The castle we—no, they... they were in had been turned into rock candy... tried to fight him but Discord just snaps his fingers… then he turns to me—I-I-I mean her… Cadance, I mean. Cadance… she’s backing away, s-she’s scared. Discord’s laughing!” She began to hyperventilate as memories of the horrible nightmares came back to her, her eyes widening as she seemed less composed then she was earlier.

Laughing... laughing... that horrible, cruel laugh... echoing all around in her mind, she looked around, frightened, her legs wobbling slightly.

”You know how they say love conquers all? Well I say they’ve never been faced with real chaos!”

“Where's Shining Armor you monster?!”

She didn’t know why she was angry, when she had experienced that dream it felt like watching a movie.

“Oh he’s fine!” The chimeric monster said with a handwave, chuckling. “For now anyway. Maybe I'll just put him up to his neck inside a giant cupcake and leave him on a roof for your subjects to see! But don’t worry, I’ll get to him later… after I remodel the decor of this place a little. Honestly, does everything in here come in blues? SO dull, you’re a royal couple live a little! Even King Sombra with his red and black and cliché all over had better style!” Discord said with a disapproving eyeroll that involved his pupils literally rolling to the back of his head and popping back out the front.

Magic glowed around her, but Discord snapped his fingers again and she felt it all abandon her.

“Now now, my little princess of love! I’ve got special plans for you and everypony else…” Discord said, literally drinking a martini glass he summoned and letting whatever had filled it splash to the floor as he hovered in the air in a reclining position. “Honestly, the others put up a better fight. Guess you’re just out of your element when it doesn’t involve the power of twoo wove!” He said in a babying voice with a wide grin as he flew right up in her face, and she felt him pinch her cheek in mock affection. “But oh I may have been too easy on a lot of the others… If I’m going to keep you down, I’ll simply have to see to it a happy ending never crosses your mind again!”

The alicorn shuddered where she stood. Those nightmares, and experiencing them as though she were really Cadance made them all the worse, and somehow they were far more vivid in her mind then they were the other times she’d had them. The doctor had listened as she recited everything, but his expression was mostly unreadable as he took notes.

“Five score divided by four…” She muttered. “Five score… divided by four…” She repeated, trying to remember what she remembered the God of Chaos had said next in the dream. Discord’s last words before he chanted the ones that made it all end felt like some sort of twisted irony now that she thought about it. “Five score divided by four! Your memories removed, your body confused...” She threw up her hooves and let out a cry of anger, the former a mistake as it cost the alicorn her balance, sending her falling to the padded floor. “Maybe I really am crazy!” She protested. "The dreams, that chant I can't even fully remember right now... this body, everything's gone completely insane!"

“Cale… Cadance… whatever you want me to call you…” Dr. Lance interjected. “Maybe things will make more sense and you’ll be able to think more clearly if you tell me your story, in full detail. Start from when this all began to when you got here.” He said, taking out a recorder.

The alicorn turned, brushing a hoof through her mane to get it out of her face as she tried to get back up. “I... I still can’t believe it myself. I mean, how would you take turning into a pony suddenly?” She asked.

“I can’t say I’d know…” The doctor said. “So, do you feel like telling me? I’ll stay the whole night if you’re willing.” He offered with a friendly smile.

“I guess I might as well. You’re the only doctor who hasn’t acted like I’m some kind of freak of nature or some kind of alien.” She said, attempting a smile but not quite succeeding as she came over and got onto the cot, sitting down and staring down at her hooves like they were foreign to her. Then again, she didn’t act much at all like the character from the show, other then effectively pulling off that look of despair she had when she thought the changelings had won. “Every time I close my eyes, I’m... just hoping this was all a bad dream. I’ll wake up and be me, but nope, pink princess pony every time…” She muttered. “Like I said earlier, it’s kinda ironic how somepo—somebody who went through a messy divorce recently and isn’t really looking for or believing in love anymore ends up as her. I don't have hands anymore, my thoughts are so confused now because of these dreams I can't always think straight... I had to leave everything I had behind right as I was rebuilding it...” She protested, trying to hold back tears and holding up one of her hooves and looking it over, then sighing. A moment of silence later, she looked back at the doctor. “Well, I guess I’m ready.”

Dr. Lance switched on the recorder. “This is Doctor Dean Lance, I am interviewing patient claiming to be Cale Amos, regarding the phenomena that has befallen the patient, requested for patient to explain full details of the events leading to commitment here.” He narrated, and looked to the pink alicorn.

“It all started at the beginning of May, on my twenty-fifth birthday…” She began…

To Be Continued…