Okay, just keep calm. Nothing bad has happened so far.
“So Twist, six times two.”
“Twelve.”
I came up with a fun little game with my students. I first asked each and every one of them what their favorite candy was, and since we’re reviewing multiplication, I thought it would be fun for them that I made a game out of it.
The rules were simple. Everyone starts out with a single piece of candy. I would go around asking them a multiplication question using the amount of candy they have. If I asked them what eight times five was that if guessed right, they get that amount of candy, if wrong, I don’t give them any.
With a snap of my figures, twelve pieces of spearmint truffles drop onto Twit’s desk.
“Thanks, Mr. D.”
By now, math was almost over, just another five minutes. Looking around, these kids are now more spoiled on candy then they might have had on Halloween. In a way, it makes me kinda jealous.
“Snails, four times si-”
“Julius.”
I turned around to the voice in alarm. Huh, funny, for a moment there, I thought-
“Mr. Disc?” I turned back to Snails. “What was the question?”
“Four times six, what is it?”
“Uh… Is it twenty-”
“Julius Disc.” The voice was a little louder this time. I quickly turned, once again, seeing nobody except the students.
“Mr. Disc, are you okay?”
I turned back, “What?”
“Are you okay Mr. Disc, I said the answer is twenty-three.”
“No, it’s twenty-four. But that was a close guess.”
I moved onto the next student. Just be calm Disc. You’re not really hearing anything, especially his voice. He’s not here. It’s not real. Just continue with the game.
“So Scootaloo, what’s three-”
“Julius, who are you talking to?”
I looked up and gasped in shock. “D-Doctor Mindweave!”
“Yes Julius, it’s me.” No, that white-coated white witch-doctor can’t be here! He’s not even a pony like everyone else here! He’s just like how I remembered.
“No. No, no no you’re not here.”
“Who’s Doctor Mindweave?” Scootaloo asked.
“Mr. D? You alright?” Rumble chimed in.
Mindweave walked right through Scootaloo’s desk. And none of them seemed to notice.
No, there’s no way he’s here.
“Mr. Disc,” he said stepping forward towards me. “I believe you’re having a delusion right now. You’re still in the hospital. You’ve been here this whole time.”
“No. Celestia got me out. I saw her sign the papers and everything, she already let me go.”
“Disc, there’s nopony there,” Applebloom said.
“Please stay calm,” Dr. Mindweave took another step forward. “I can assure that there is no place as Equestria. There are no talking ponies. And I can assure you that you’re still in the hospital. Now please calm yourself.”
“No, you’re not real. I’m having a hallucination alright, and you are the one who isn’t real here.”
“Now Mr. Disc, how about we escort you to get your treatment?”
I felt my arms getting pulled around me, I looked down.
“No! No! No! NO!” The straightjacket! How did it get there?
“Mr. Disc, what’s going on?” Dinky asked in fear. “And why are you wearing a straightjacket?”
“Mr. D, you’re starting to scare us.” Sweetie Belle squeaked.
No, this can’t be happening! I can’t be back at the hospital!
Wait. I’m in a world where I have superpowers. I can get out of this. I try focusing on that the straightjacket is made out of taffy and pulled it apart.
“Julius, I don’t want to do this, but if you keep doing this, I will have to call security.” The white witch-doctor warned. I heard banging coming from behind, I turned to find the back wall of the schoolhouse was gone, and there was the green recreation room with barred windows and wandering patients. The banging was coming from the other side of the room where a few of those security guys in white were charging in.
“NO!” I screamed. I charged for the door to get out of the classroom. I think I might have broken it, but I’m not sure. On the other side of the busted door, I saw that sickly green hallway of the hospital. I’m not supposed to be here! I need to get out! The first thing I did was run. I ran past the nurses and ran from the increased security following behind me.
But even in my fear, I did not forget that I can make things happen. Along the way, I turned the floor into soap. Create a barricade with all the spare wheelchairs. And even made a brick wall appear. But it seemed nothing I did could make them slow down! They just either didn’t notice the things I set up or went right through them!
Then the hallways became more maze-like with all the rooms that I keep running into. To make things even more confusing, some of the rooms had those ponies in there. Each one I ran into seemed not to notice all the horrors that were being done to them. I saw two ponies were cutting open another pony from her back while the pony getting cut had nothing but bliss on her face. As if she was getting a massage or something. Without thinking, I spotted some potted plants and had them grow tentacles to grab them so that they would hurt the pony any further.
In another room, I saw a nurse with dark blue and pink hair force feeding one of those ponies into eating several pills at a time so I made a concrete wall appear between the two of them.
And in one room, I saw a pony that has cross eyes being blissfully unaware that she was being given by a doctor a muffin with nails in them, so I had that muffin fly into the doctor’s face.
While being chased, these rooms got worse and worse and worse. I tried in my path to help them from any further pain I would like gluing a doctor’s hands together or trapping a group of nurses behind bars of peppermint or saving a patient by turning them into a living diamond.
But at the end of the hospital, I ran into the last person I thought I would see.
Principal Celestia. “Julius! Stop!” She yelled.
At this point, I didn’t care if this was a hallucination or not. I just wanted this nightmare to stop.
“Celestia? Celestia, is that you?” I went over to her. She seemed to be confused for some reason.
“Julius, stop right there!” Dr. Mindweave came running up to us.
“Celestia, please, take me away from here.” I pleaded to here. “Please, I’ll take my pills just please get me out of this nightmare.”
“Disc, everything is gonna be alright.” She says.
“Cel, I don’t belong here. Please just take me away.” By now, I had tears in my eyes. “Every day in this hospital has been a nightmare I can’t wake up from. I don’t wanna be here anymore! Please take me home, I didn’t mean for things to get out of hand.” By now, I was crying. “I just ran out of my meds that day. I thought you threaten me that if I and my students didn’t paint the whole school, I would get fired. Please, Celestia. I’m sorry. I just can’t control my hallucinations. I tried, really I did, but I can’t. I just can’t. Please take me away from here.”
Celestia hugged me. “There there, everythin’ will be fine. Ah promise. Ah ain’t mad at ya. Just please, calm down Disc. Calm down.”
I knelt to the ground and wept.