All three of our jaws dropped at Sweetie Belle's words, and we each exchanged uneasy, almost terrified, looks. Sweetie Belle alternated her looks between Rarity and I, pointedly ignoring Dr. Karras, her face full of confusion.
"Rarity, who's Jackie? Is she why I'm in the hospital?" She looked over to me. "Did she do something bad to me?"
"Sweetie Belle, I need you to listen to me very carefully..." Dr. Karras rushed over towards the bed, causing Sweetie Belle to flinch back from him. "What is the last thing that you remember?"
Sweetie Belle stared at Dr. Karras for a moment before closing her eyes and nuzzling into Rarity's chest. "Rarity, are we still gonna go see Hinny of the Hills next month? Am I gonna be all better for that?"
Rarity's face broke out into a wide grin of relief, and she nuzzled the top of Sweetie Belle's head. "Yes, Sweetie Belle! Yes, we are certainly going to do that. I've reserved the tickets already. We'll be all ready on opening night in two weeks."
Sweetie Belle opened one eye, and a slight frown creased her lips. She glanced up at Rarity. "Two weeks? But... isn't it the fifth? Hinny of the Hills opens on the twenty eighth."
Rarity bit her lip and glanced up at me for a moment before looking back down at Sweetie Belle. "Er... no, Sweetie Belle, it's... it's the fifteenth."
Sweetie Belle's other eye shot open, and she snapped her head up to look at Rarity. "S-so I was in the hospital for over a week?" Sweetie Belle whimpered and flattened her ears. "Did Apple Bloom and Scootaloo come to see me? What was wrong with me?"
I couldn't help but crack the tiniest of smiles at that. If she was asking about Apple Bloom and Scootaloo then Jackie seemed to be well and truly gone.
Well, good bucking riddance, as far as I'm concerned.
"Sweetie Belle, I must ask you again: what is the last thing that you remember? Do you remember Town Hall? Do you remember the police?"
Sweetie Belle glanced up at Dr. Karras for a moment once more before burying her face in Rarity's chest. "Rarity, can we go home now? I... I don't wanna be here anymore." Her voice dropped down to a barely audible whisper. "I don't like this pony and his bad questions."
"The fastest way to go home is for you to answer my questions, I'm afraid." Dr. Karras sat down in a nearby chair and took a notepad and pen out of his coat pocket. "If you do that, I'll see what I can do. We want you to go home too. So, and I know you don't want to, and I completely understand, but could you tell me the last think you remember? I wouldn't dream of asking if I didn't think it would help me get you home."
"Okay," Sweetie whimpered. She took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes as she thought about the question. "Uh... I r-remember that me, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom were crusading after school. W-we tried swimming again, a-and bungee jumping, and we helped Pinkie Pie set up a party. Pinkie Pie gave us a few invitations to pass out, and we did that. We gave them to Bon Bon, Lyra, Berry Punch, Time Turner, and Mayor Mare. Then I went to Rarity's house and..." Her ear flicked and an eye twitched. "I don't remember after that."
"Okay," Dr. Karras said with a nod, jotting something down. "Do you remember what day that was?"
"Yeah, that was the fourth."
"The fourth. Good. So..." Dr. Karras flipped to a new sheet. "How are you feeling now? Any headaches? Nausea? Aching? Anything like that? Any pain at all?"
"My foreleg kinda hurts a little." She looked down and poked at the IV in her leg.
Dr. Karras gave a weak chuckle. "Yes, I can get that. I never liked needles and such myself. Other than that, though, are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah. A little cold, though."
Rarity's eyes widened, and she instantly fired up her horn to wrap a blanket around her sister. "I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle. I should have thought of that."
"S okay."
"Alright, I think I have everything I need for right now." Dr. Karras closed his notepad and put it and the pen back in his pocket. "Ms. Rarity, if I could speak to you for a moment."
"I can actually do that," I said. "I think that Rarity and Sweetie Belle need as much time together as they can get."
"That may be so, but given that Ms. Rarity is Sweetie Belle's current legal guardian--"
"I give you full permission to tell Twilight Sparkle whatever you need to," Rarity said blankly, nuzzling her sister again. "I have complete faith that she will act in the best interests of both Sweetie Belle and myself."
Dr. Karras grimaced slightly, but nodded and beckoned me out of the room. I followed him, shutting the curtain behind me. Once we were outside, Dr. Karras sighed and ran a hoof through his mane.
"I hope everything turns out okay for them, I really do. They've been through too much in the past few weeks."
"Can't argue with that one, doc." I closed my eyes and rubbed one of my temples. "So what do you need to talk to me about?"
"Well, Sweetie Belle has obviously improved. She's asking about her friends, she's not hostile to Rarity anymore, and she doesn't recall Jackie in the slightest. That, to me, is both a positive and a cause for concern. I mean, we all wanted Jackie gone, of course, but to have her completely gone is a little strange. I'll have to talk to a few colleagues about this, but, if everything turns out well enough, Sweetie Belle can go home."
"Okay," I said with a nod. "So what's the catch then, doc? I mean, you said that you don't want to release Sweetie Belle now, so is she staying here for another week, then?"
"I don't think that's the wisest move for her mental health." He motioned back to the room. "You saw how reluctant she was to interact with me. I wouldn't blame her if she's subconsciously developed a nice hatred for mental institutions." Dr. Karras shook his head. "No, I think that Sweetie Belle is likely healthy enough to be transferred to Ponyville General where she'll be evaluated for a few days by their on-staff psychiatrists. It will also allow me time to speak with Dr. Thoughts some more about the case. Sweetie Belle would be much more comfortable there, and given that she is a minor, Rarity could stay with her while they do her evaluations." Dr. Karras gave a slight smirk. "And I'm sure that Apple Bloom and Scootaloo would be most welcome to visit her."
I returned his smirk. "Yes, I think so too. They would love that."
Dr. Karras nodded. "Very well, then, I'll go get the paperwork started. I'll leave it to you to let them know.
* * * *
"And here we are, Sweetie Belle! Home sweet home!"
Sweetie Belle nuzzled against Rarity's neck, a wide grin on her face. "Home. It's really nice."
Rarity chuckled. "Yes it is, isn't it? So much better than that hospital you've been at these past few days, but those ponies were nice, weren't they?"
Sweetie Belle shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. They still asked me bad questions, though."
"Well, you won't have to bother with that anymore after next Sunday," I said, trying to keep my voice chipper. "By then your three follow-up sessions will be done and we can put this whole thing behind us. Until then..." I exchanged a mischievous grin with Rarity as we approached Sweetie Belle's room. "We have a little surprise for you."
Sweetie Belle's ears perked up, and she raised her head. "Really? What?"
I looked over at Rarity, who nodded at me. I ignited my horn, grasping the door handle of Sweetie Belle's room, before throwing it open revealing...
"Scootaloo! Apple Bloom!"
Sweetie Belle hopped over Rarity's head, leaping a clear foot over Rarity's horn, and wrapped her friends in a tackle-hug. The three instantly went into rapid fire, barely discernible chatter about how much they missed each other and so on. I chuckled to myself and quietly closed the door, leaving the three friends to their fun.
The moment the door was closed, Rarity let out a sigh of relief and draped her foreleg over her muzzle. "It's over, Twilight. I think it's over for Sweetie Belle. No more Jackie."
"No more Jackie." Rarity and I trotted down the stairs and went into her kitchen. "Hopefully for good."
A slight frown crossed Rarity's face, and she tilted her head slightly. "Do you think that Jackie might come back for Sweetie Belle or something?"
I gave Rarity a reassuring smile and put a hoof on her shoulder. "No, I don't. I think that Jackie, whatever she was, will leave Sweetie Belle alone for good." My smile fell, and I put my hoof back on the ground. "But, if Jackie was supernatural, if she wasn't some figment of your sister's imagination that went too far, something that I think is likely given how suddenly she left, then... Jackie's gonna move on to somepony else. Maybe here in Ponyville even. I'm not sure who, I'm not sure when, I'm not sure if I'm even right about it being a Ponyville foal. I could hear about a case in Vanhoover, for all I know, but if Jackie is real, then she's going to strike again."
Rarity gave a little shudder and looked up to the ceiling. "Well, as long as she doesn't bother Sweetie Belle anymore. I was foolish to let it go so far in the first place."
"But Sweetie Belle is fine now. Yeah, I don't think she'll be walking by the Ponyville police station or Celestial Peaks anytime soon, but you, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are going to be right by her side." I put my hoof back on her shoulder. "And I'll be at your side too, Rarity. Whenever you need anything."
"Thank you, Twilight." Rarity pulled me in for a hug. "I couldn't have gotten through this without you. I wouldn't have even had the strength to go inside that horrid institution without you helping me along."
"I was glad to do it, Rarity, and I'd do it again." I gave a weak chuckle. "Let's just hope that we don't have to though, alright?"
"I most certainly agree."
I took a deep breath and broke off from the hug. "Well, it's getting late, Rarity, and I really do have to get back to the library. I need to let Princess Celestia know that everything is going well with Sweetie Belle now.
"Of course, Twilight. I will see you later."
Rarity walked me to the door of her home and, with one more hug, I went back to my home. When I reached it, I opened the door to find Spike dusting off the tops of the bookshelves. He hopped off of the ladder he was on when he saw me come in, and put the feather duster on the table, allowing me to get a hug in.
"Hey, Twilight, how did everything go with Rarity? Is Sweetie Belle doing better?"
I smiled down at him and nodded. "Oh yes, everything is going much better for her. She's going to be fine."
* * * *
Three months later, and Sweetie Belle was completely back to her old self. There had been no incidents from her, and not a single mention of Jackie. She didn't remember a thing about her, something that Rarity and I both agreed was for the best. The less she had to think about what she went through, the better. She was back in school, the Crusaders were tearing up town like usual... The Sweetie Belle we all knew had returned to us.
So there I was, a calm Saturday morning three months from the nasty incident, lying on my bed and reading some pulp novel that , while not intellectually stimulating, was a lot of fun. I had just about started the fifth chapter when I heard a knock on the door.
"I'll get it," Spike said.
I shook my head and got out of bed, putting a bookmark in the proper spot. "No, no, I'll get it Spike. I'm going to merge into my bed if I stay in there any longer. You keep relaxing." Spike shrugged and went back to his little corner and his comic books, allowing me to open the door. I smiled when I saw who was on the other side.
"Oh, hey, Derpy, what can I do for you?"
"Hey, Twilight." Derpy reached into her mail bag and produced a small, book-shaped package. "I 'ot a 'ackage hor uh."
"Excellent!" I took the package out of Derpy's mouth and set it on a nearby table. I signed the proffered clipboard and tossed a few bits into her tip bag. "Thank you very much, Derpy! I've been waiting on this one for a month!"
"You're welcome, Twilight. Glad to be of service," Derpy said with a salute.
"Have a good day."
"Oh wait a second," Derpy said, causing me to fully open the door again. "I just remembered that I wanted to ask you something."
I gave her a nod. "Okay, sure."
"So you're smart and all, right? You know how to solve problems?"
I smirked. "Well, I like to think that I'm okay at it."
"Yeah, that's good, because..." Derpy grimaced and scratched the back of her neck. "Dinky's been having some friendship problems lately, and I was wondering if you could give me some advice."
"Of course!" I said, a beaming smile on my face. "The princess sent me here to learn about friendship, after all."
"That's why I came to you!"
"So what's Dinky's problem?"
Derpy sighed and leaned her head against the door frame. "Well, it's just that she's met this new filly at school, I think. I don't know; she says they talk on the playground, but I've never met her. She doesn't seem like a nice filly. She said that she left her last friend because she wasn't any fun anymore."
My smile flickered ever so slightly. But no, she said it was a filly at school, right? Yeah, a new school filly.
"It gets worse." Derpy's ears flattened. "She doesn't talk with her friends anymore. She only hangs out with the new filly. She just tells other foals who come up to her to go away. Ms. Cheerilee came and talked to me about it. She said she was getting worried."
My smile had completely fallen, and a look of horror was now creeping on my face. No. Not now. Not again.
"So yeah, I'm worried, Twilight." Derpy looked up at me. "Any advice you can give me?"
"Uh... W--" My voice cracked, and I cleared my throat. "What's the new filly's name? Did she say?"
Derpy nodded. "Yeah, she said that her name was Jackie."