//------------------------------//
// The Judge Mental Game.. 
// Story: What's real? 
// by Dubstep Tree 
//------------------------------//

	
"This can't be right... where the hell am I!?" the mad stallion shouted, shaking in fear as his hooves took him in endless circles.
He himself was in a dark room full of laughter and voices that he could not understand at all, and when he tried to cover his ears it only grew louder which made his thoughts much harder to hear and cause his head to throb badly.
"Just shut up already!" he yelled, stomping his hooves over and over in his anger.
In his dreams, better described as nightmares, he had, strangely, no straight jacket at all. It seemed like he didn't need to be restricted because there was always nopony but him in his nightmares.
Just as he was about to be tortured even worse than he already was, he jolted awake as he heard a loud knock on his door. Match box whined tiredly and banged his head against the hard wall, thinking to himself. I just wanna sleep more... but that nightmare.. damn fluids that they inject me with... he fell back asleep, ignoring the second series of knocks and the and the door opening, causing a creak.
"Hey... rise and shine, buddy!" Flash said, happier then yesterday as he came in with Ryan and Tom behind.
The half asleep stallion opened his demented eyes and groaned, "I wanna sleep more..." he said annoyed, hearing his brother sigh.
"Fine..." Flash said, closing the door and walking over to grab a bucket with his magic and then going into the bathroom to fill the old bucket with ice cold water.
Ryan tilted his head, "Sir, what is that for?" he asked, as Tom just stood there face hoofing himself.
Flash said nothing and walked back into Match's room, splashing the water onto the dry patient causing Match box to scoot to the corner.
"ARGH!!! WHAT THE HELL!?" he yelled, now soaking wet.
He shivered as the ice cold water seeped through his straight jacket, hair and fur. Tom and Ryan came in, surprised by the yelling.
"What's going on!?" Tom asked, confused as Flash glared at him, making him look down.
"No dumb questions. You should observe before asking next time."
Tom nodded, "Y-yes sir... sorry sir."
Ryan snickered a little and stared over at the soaking wet stallion who sat before them, "You're getting your lucky little flank hauled out of this place today!" He said, sitting in the ice cold puddle of water.
The stallion known as Match Box smiled and twitched his eyes, thinking to himself happily, 'Thank god...' Just as his thoughts trailed him off into his own world, he felt a collar being brought around his dark grey neck and heard the latching of a leash. He was about to question the one who did the action, but couldn't because his muzzle was put back on. Match Box frowned and was dragged out of the dark cold room, flicking his tail angrily.
Ryan smiled and whistled, "Hey, Match Box! Guess who your gonna visit!" He said as Match's made muffled growl noise, which didn't intimidate him much, "You're gonna go visit the boss with us!"
"B-but what if he tries to attack the boss!?" Tom said, worried, "Whine! Whine! Whine! Blah! Blah! Blah! Have you forgotten he can't? He's restrained, idiot." Ryan said, rolling his eyes in the process.
Flash stopped and smacked Tom and Ryan, "Will you two shut up!? You two morons fight like a bucking married couple! I swear..." He yelled, his eyes glowing with anger, "I can't have a silent moment with you two can I?"
The rest of the way was silent; no fighting, yelling or hitting anypony what so ever, even when one deserved it. As they finished their small journey to the boss's office, Flash knocked on the door and waited for the signal to walk inside. Once Flash got the approval, they all went inside. Tom closed the door behind them as he dragged Match Box to the front of them all. The snapping of the leash was heard again as it was removed from the collar he was forcefully dragged with. The dark grey stallion looked pissed as his eyes flashed. His brother walked over next to him and whispered quietly into his ear softly, unheard.
"Bro, you gotta watch yourself... try not to be like this. Act happy or something so you can get out of here." Match Box nodded and smiled under his muzzle, acting like the happy stallion he wasn't.
Flash cleared his throat and spoke up, "Mr Adoms! We have brought Match box just like you requested, sir!" He said, walking in between Ryan and Tom as the boss turned around in his spinning office chair, eating a doughnut which looked like honey glaze.
"Yes, I vanted to ze him." Mr Adoms said in his strange accent that sounded funny to everypony in the room.
He was a Pegasus with a moustache and he wore an appropriate sized top hat that made him have the boss attitude stereotype look. His body was the color green, his mane and tail were orange and it looked like he was having a balding problem due to his old age. That explained why he wore the top hat in the first place. The boss of the whole facility didn't bother to notice he had left over glaze from his doughnut, but yet Flash and Match Box noticed easily and began to giggle their asses off like no tomorrow. Mr. Adoms tilted his head and sighed, "Vat's so funny?" He asked.
Flash stopped giggling and nudged Match to stop immediately. Right when the grey stallion stopped, he turned his head around behind him fixing his eyes on something that seemed interesting, even though he thought that it was just another hallucination from the damn fluids in the syringes.
"Absolutely nothing, sir!" Flash lied as he looked at his boss in the eyes seriously.
Mr. Adoms walked over to Flash and smirked, "Okay zen. It's been well over 2 years since Match box has been here, and I have decided something," He said, turning his back away from the group, "Since zis little trickster keeps getting out... some vorkers here are very concerned he vould try to let out others in the facility."
Match box rolled his eyes as he turned around, 'Such morons in this world...' He thought to himself as he sighed under his breath to the accusation. He'd rather drop dead then help the others in this idiotic psycho house.
"Vell, have a good life now, Match Box! Bye-bye!" The boss said, trotting back over to his seat and humming a tune.
The restricted stallion waited for a few moments as Ryan and Tom removed the muzzle, straight jack and collar carefully off of him. Match box's eyes widened as his hooves felt more comfortable out of the contraption he wore that had restricted him for so long.
Tom then touched the grey, blue haired stallion's shoulder and spoke, "Okay, follow me I'll escort you to the door to get out." He ordered with an uneasy smile.
Match box shook his head just as he was about to walk out of the office, "Psh... I know where the exit is... I'm not stupid.."
"Actually, you have to escorted out. The workers at the front desk will think you're trying to escape." Tom said, opening the door for Match Box, following closely behind.
As they both passed the front desk with nods of approval, the doors opened and Match Box, not realizing the burning sun at first, flinched as he covered his eyes quickly, "Damn sun..." He remarked with a huff of anger.
Tom ran back inside and passed Flash. Without a word, he walked outside and stood next to his brother with a small sack of bits. Placing them down in front of Match, he smiled and patted his younger brother's head, "Here's some money if you get hungry or something..." He said with a smooth, friendly tone in his voice, "Also, I want you to meet me near the cafe at 4:30 PM. My shift ends around there." The unicorn stallion said as he was just about to turn around to head back inside.
Match nodded and waited till his brother was gone. After Flash went back inside the asylum, he picked up the pouch and gloomily walked all the way into Ponyville. As he walked along the active streets of the town, he receiving looks of fright and hatred. He himself looked down to the ground gloomily. Match Box made his way slowly over to AppleJack's apple stand with the pouch dangling from his mouth,  and he placed the pouch of bits on the ground for a little bit.
Blaze eyeballed Match Box and rolled his eyes, "Momo, take a look at this. Match Box has returned..." He said, whispering as the lime green pegasus gasped.
"Really, Blaze?" She said as she noticed his presence over at the apple stand.
Lyra and Bonbon were sitting together on a bench in town and looked away from Match box as they whispered about him.
AppleJack seemed very uncomfortable and uneasy as he approached, and she finally breathed in deepily and said, "Um... h-hello! What bri-... BRINGS! You to o-our fine apple stand today?" She said as her sister Applebloom's eyes were as big as a deer caught in headlights.
Match box backed up three hoof steps and sighed.
"I just wanted to buy an apple..." He said, not surprised from Applejack's reaction when he approached.
The orange farm pony nodded and shakily dropped the apple in front of the stallion, "O-one bit please, sir... I mean..." She said, face hoofing and gulping nervously, "Just give me one bit..." Match nodded and forked over the bit with a sad expression on his face as he made his way out of town, holding the apple he bought along with the pouch of bits into the Everfree forest.
He sat down under a tree and carelessly ate his apple, unaware of the timber wolves that lurked deep in the woods and apparently wanted to sneak up on Match and maybe viciously murder him. As he spat out the seeds from the apple, his head turned around and noticed the eyes of one of the timber wolves. Match box showed no fear and stared directly at the pair of glowing eyes dementedly as he smiled.
Rainbow dash was flying above the Everfree forest as usual since she was clearing the sky today for AppleJack's apple tree orchard. Due to the amount of rain that happened for two or three days, Sweet Apple Acres was soaked with rain water and it needed the sun to soak it up. The cyan pony was flying into clouds and laughing, having the time of her life, just when she noticed a grey stallion down below being trapped by timber wolves, "That pony needs help!" Dash exclaimed.
Match box threw his apple core onto the ground and frowned, "Screw this..." He said, just as a timber wolf thought they trapped the stallion he flew upwards, leaving them all dumbfounded and his pouch of bits behind.
He passed by Rainbow dash, not caring to see who he passed by as he landed on a cloud and sighed.
"Stupid forest creatures..." Was all Match could say.
Rainbow Dash tilted her head, looking down from where Match box had launched himself away from and she turned her attention to the male pegasus that was lazily laying on a cloud, shaking her head, confused, "Was that...? Nah, it couldn't be."
The rainbow maned pegasus flew off, confused and out of view of anything living and breathing in that area.
Flash stood in front of the cafe impatiently as he sighed, "He's late..."
Right when he said that, he saw his brother trotting forwards with an apologetic look on his face.
"Oh, god Flash! I am sorry. I got into... let's just say, trouble earlier." Match Box, explained looking to the ground, embarrassed.
Flash blinked and smiled, "Mmm... it's okay! I understand. Now, here's what's gonna happen.. I'm gonna help you get a job somewhere! I don't know where yet but you and I both know you're staying with me, my wife and two children-..."  his explanation was broken off by a gentle and friendly sounding voice.
"Oh, um... hey, Flash. I was wondering if you cou-..." Fluttershy was broken off by her quick glance of Match box which spooked her and she quickly ran behind Flash, shaking.
The male unicorn sighed and looked behind him, "It's okay, Fluttershy. He won't harm you."
Match box looked away from them both and frowned even more, "Everypony has been like this all day..."
"Fluttershy! I am sorry to say that I can't help you with whatever it is today... now! If you'll excuse me, I need to talk to my brother... sorry." Flash said, feeling guilty.
When the yellow, pink haired pegasus mare nodded she walked away slowly and cautiously from the two.
"Hey Match... maybe I could reason with the others that you won't hurt anyone."
"Heh, heh... yeah, right like these worthless ponies need to be reassured that I've grown soft in only a few hours of being here! This place sucks... and always will..." Match box snapped as a tear streaked down his face and dropped to the ground.
Flash shook his head and nudged Match upwards, "Let's just go to my house... okay?" the brown unicorn said as his brother nodded.
They both walked side by side away from Ponyville and towards Flash's house...