//------------------------------// // Screwing around // Story: The 63 files // by punisher143 //------------------------------// Ponyville hospital has very few stay in patients, but they did have one. The problem is she can get… bitey. “Stay! N-no, stay!” the doctor shouted at the blue mare. This was really the only way to get her to listen since her mind seemed to only work like a dogs. That made feeding her a real hassle, since her frazzled mind could only associate food with a dog’s food dish. The mare growled at him as he shut and locked the door. He sighed and looked at his foreleg. “She’s not making any progress at all. If anything she’s getting worse, she’s never bitten me before.” He sighed and looked through the window at the mare scratching her head with a hind leg. He left the door and went to get things ready to put her to bed. The mare, nicknamed Screwloose by the hospital staff, watched the white coated intruder leave. Once she was certain that her territory was safe again, she relaxed and scratched her ear. She caught sight of her tail and, like any dog, started growling and chasing it. “Well, you look like you’re having fun,” a voice said cheerfully. Screwloose stopped chasing her tail and turned to the new intruder, a light purple earth pony stallion with a mixed dark purple and white mane and tail topped with a propeller hat. She growled at the pony and barked a couple of times at him. “Whoa down girl, I’m just passing through,” he said. Screwloose growled and took a step toward him as the door opened. The stallion’s swirled eyes widened and he jumped to the ceiling. “Dinner time!” the pony said and set down a food dish before closing the door. Screwloose perked up, barked happily, and ran to the dish. She ate from the dish happily, not caring what the food actually was, only that she had something to eat. The stallion dropped back down t the floor and walked over to Screwloose. “So, whatcha eating?” he asked. Screwloose growled at him and nudged the food dish away from him. “Ok, sorry. I’m getting tired of walking.” The propeller in his hat spun up and he started flying around Screwloose. “Anyway, since I have to go soon, I might as well introduce myself. You can call me Screwball, so what’s your name?” Screwloose answered with a growl. “Well alright, see you later,” He said and flew above the door just as it opened. Screwball waved and slipped out the door, the doctor not seeming to notice the purple pony. “Alright, it’s time for bed,” the doctor said and motioned toward the bed. Screwloose growled a little and the doctor had to stare her down. After a moment she sunk down and backed onto the bed. “There you go,” the doctor said maintaining eye contact as his horn lit up and securely strapped Screwloose to the bed, for her own safety of course. Next came the part that she hated the most, when the doctor would force her to sleep. “Alright, sleepy time,” he said and his horn started glowing. She woke up with yelp and gasped for breath as she looked around the room. She was immensely relieved upon seeing that there were bright oranges and reds surrounding her. She tried to remember why she was here when she saw a note on the side table which she picked up and read. On behalf of all our staff, we are pleased that you have chosen us to stay for your honeymoon. We hope that you enjoy your stay with us. -The manager of the grand maretron hotel. ‘Honeymoon? I got married? When?’ she thought and set the note back on the side table. She saw a mirror on one of the walls so she got up and walked over to it. Her white mane was messy from sleep, but other than that it looked as well as it always had, providing a nice contrast to her blue coat. She heard that the shower was running so she straightened her mane out before she walked to the door and knocked. “Hello?” she called. A couple seconds later the water stopped. “You’re awake?” a voice asked from inside. “Uh, y-yes.” A couple seconds later the door opened and a purple coated stallion walked out and smiled at her. It took a second for her to recognize him and she smiled at him when she did. “You’re looking better than you were earlier,” he said and pulled her into a hug, with her shivering a little at the feel of his wet coat. “Yeah, I just had a bad dream is all. It was…” “The hospital room again?” She nodded and nuzzled into his neck. “This has been happening more often lately. Are they getting worse?” “I don’t know. I hate when I have those dreams, they always feel so real.” She hugged her husband tighter and felt him hug her back. “Hey, don’t worry. We’ll figure something out,” he whispered to her and rubbed her back. “Why don’t you tell me about it over breakfast?” She looked up and smiled at him. “I’m so glad I met you. I probably wouldn’t have made it this far without you,” she said and brought him in for a kiss, which he gladly returned. “You don’t know that. You’re a very strong mare you know.” She kissed him lightly and smiled at him. “I love you so much.” “I love you too.” The two of them had only recently been married and were enjoying the standard honeymoon thing: enjoying the sights around them, that ‘feeding each other’ thing that some couples do, and generally being a lovey dovey newlywed couple. She had so much fun that she had mostly forgotten about the nightmare. She rested against her new husband’s side as the two of them looked at the beautiful sunset over the distant buildings. “Are you feeling better?” he asked. “Mhmm,” she said and nodded. The sun disappeared behind the buildings and she looked up at him, “We should probably get back to the hotel.” “Yeah, we should.” he stood up and pulled her up as well. “Hey um, if you’re feeling up to it, maybe we can have a romantic dinner later? Maybe with a bottle of wine?” she giggled a little and kissed him on the cheek. “I’d love it,” she answered and nuzzled against him. “That’s great, but what about your-?” she placed a hoof over his lips. “Let’s not worry about that right now ok? I just want to spend some time with you right now.” “R-right, well we better get back then.” She laughed lightly at her husband’s actions, secretly feeling happy that she could do that to him. The dinner was as romantic as promised and soon the two newlyweds were back in bed relaxing. Well, one of them was relaxing. A couple weeks ago, the mare started having very bad nightmares. The kind where, no matter how hard she tried, she always found herself trapped in a body that will never respond to her will. Now even the thought of sleeping scared her out of her mind. So she lay there, shaking like there was no tomorrow, when a pair of hooves wrapped around from behind her. “It’s getting bad, huh?” her husband asked. She turned around to face him and lightly nodded. “Is there anything I can do to help?” “Just…” she started and hugged her husband closer to her, “just don’t let go of me until I wake up. Please…” “Don’t worry, I’ll be right here when you wake up,” he said. She nuzzled against him as he started stroking her back and hummed a soft tune into her ear. It was like this that she finally relaxed enough to fall asleep. Screwloose felt the spell lift from her mind and sprung into consciousness. She saw the white coated pony and, while she would normally have growled at him for entering her territory, but she had learned over time that such actions would prolong the time spent strapped down. “Well good morning, you seem to be in a good mood,” he said and magically undid the straps. Screwloose stretched her legs and scratched her neck. “Well then, I suppose you’re waiting for breakfast?” the white coated pony levitated a dish into view, which caused Screwloose to jerk to attention and stare at the dish as it was lowered next to her. “I’ll be back in an hour for your first check-up,” he said as he left the room. Screwloose waited until the door shut before digging into the food. Some small part of her mind recognized some familiar tastes: daisies, lettuce, and the like. She swallowed a mouthful of food and prepared to take another only to be met with a purple face. “Hi Loosey,” he said excitedly. Screwloose reacted as well as expected biting repeatedly, although Screwball managed to dodge every one and jumped up to a ceiling corner. Screwloose barked and growled at him as he tried to quiet her down. “Hey hey, calm down, I don’t want to think about what will happen if the doctors find me here.” Screwloose backed toward her dish and lay down next to it, glaring at Screwball all the while. “Oh, I get it. Well don’t worry Loosey, I already ate today.” Screwball walked along the ceiling until he was in the middle of it and looked down at Screwloose as she ate. “I wonder what brought you here. Everypony has a story for why they’re here. Well except me, but that’s only because I can’t remember why I was here.” He smiled down at Screwloose, but it fell when she growled at him and finished eating. “Oh, you… don’t know, do you?” he jumped off the ceiling and floated down in front of Screwloose, “How much do you remember?” Screwloose bit at him again and backed against the wall baring her teeth. Screwball sat down on the floor and scratched his head. “Maybe I’m doing this the wrong way,” he whispered. He spun the propeller on his hat in thought, “Listen Loosey, I’ll come back after your check up. I need to think for a minute.” Screwball hopped onto the wall, lifted the vent cover, and escaped into the hospital’s ventilation systems. Screwloose paid the stallion no mind and started chewing at an itch. Screwloose’s checkup went about as well as it could have. Thankfully she didn’t bite anypony this time, but other than that there was no change to demeanor or mindset. The white coated pony wrote something down and sighed. “Well, you’re doing better than yesterday. Hopefully you can improve to the point where we can try some more treatments later,” he said before turning to open the door. “We’ll have your lunch ready in a little while.” Screwloose watched the doctor leave before yawning widely and curling up into a ball for a quick nap. That was brought to a halt when the vent opened and Screwball poked his head out. “Good, he’s finally gone. These doctors always take forever,” he said and dropped onto the floor. Screwloose started baring her teeth at him and Screwball very slowly walked to her. “Hey, I won’t hurt you, don’t worry.” Screwloose, oddly enough, let him get close and growled lightly as he reached a hoof out to her. He placed the hoof on top of her head and started to lightly scratch her. Screwloose stopped growling and found that she liked the feeling. Her tail started wagging and she lifted her chin up. Screwball understood the gesture and started scratching underneath her chin as well. She started panting and felt her hind leg kicking. ‘Well, good to know this is working. The mind of a dog is such a cheerful and simple thing,’ Screwball thought. He continued scratching behind Screwloose’s ears for a few more seconds, but then she stiffened up and pulled away from him with a curious look. She sniffed the air a couple of times before moving closer to Screwball, sniffed a couple of times and walked around him sniffing some more. He smelled… familiar to her, although that didn’t make sense since she had never seen him before yesterday. Or was it earlier than that? She neither remembered nor cared. She stuck her nose into Screwball’s mane and breathed in deeply. “Hahaha hey, that tickles!” he said and backed away laughing. Screwloose would not be deterred though and pressed forward sniffing Screwball hoping to place the smell. Before it could go much farther than a couple sniffs, the door unlocked and started to creaked open. Screwball jerked up at this and quickly jumped into a corner. “L-lunchtime,” a young intern nurse stuttered and gently pushed a food dish into the room before closing the door. Screwloose walked to the dish and nudged it with her snout to the center of the room. “Why do they feed you in a dog dish?” Screwloose looked over at Screwball and tilted her head. “I mean don’t get me wrong, I know what it’s like to eat strange things. I mean, I’ve eaten macaroni and cheese.” His eyes then widened and he placed a hoof to his chin. “I have a hankering to eat some Cloudsdale now. We’ll talk later Loosey.” Screwball crouched down and hopped up to the vent system, this time opting to phase right through it. Screwloose looked at the vent for a moment and then at the dish before bending down to eat. The day passed in a blur. Her next checkup and dinner didn’t even register for her. She didn’t even put up a fight when it was time for bed. She looked up as the doctor’s horn lit up and she slipped into unconsciousness. She woke up with a gasp and looked around breathing heavily. Memories flowed back to her as a pair of arms tightened around her. It was a week since she and her husband got back from their honeymoon. Despite their hopes, her nightmares hadn’t stopped, though they were getting a little better. But when they were at their worst it put both of them on edge. Sometimes they started fights over it. “Another nightmare?” her husband asked. She rolled over to face him and nodded. “Do you remember anything?” “No,” she said shaking her head, “just that white room and barking. It’s just so frustrating, I don’t know why I keep having them.” She hugged her husband closer to her and nuzzled against his neck. “Listen, maybe you should see a doctor. These nightmares haven’t affected you in any serious capacity, but if they get any worse…” “I know I should but… I’m scared. What if I go there and they lock me up? I don’t want my nightmares to come true.” “That won’t happen and I didn’t say you should do it right away. Just promise me that you’ll go if they get really bad.” She looked up at her husband, sniffed a little, and nodded. “Of course I will. If it does get that bad, then I’ll go.” She then leaned up and brought her husband into a kiss. Despite the nightmares, she can always look forward to this every morning. It was a few hours later and they had gotten ready for the day and gotten to their respective jobs. She was a jeweler by trade, so she spent the time inspecting and giving any final polishing to the gems that came through. Sometimes she got lucky enough to get her hooves on an uncut gem. She loved it when that happened. The idea of taking something ugly and bringing out its inner beauty, it was… strangely symbolic to her. So she was ecstatic that today was one of those days. She very carefully cut and shaped the gem, holding it up every now and then to see how it was turning out. She heard the door behind her chime open. “I’ll be with you in a second,” she said and set the gem down on the table. “Oh don’t worry, I’m just stopping by.” She recognized that voice and looked to find Rarity. “Hello Rarity, what do you mean you’re just stopping by?” “Oh, I’m just wondering how married life is treating you.” Rarity’s statement caused her to blush and look sideways. “I’m doing alright, even though it gets a little tough.” “Well of course, any serious relationship is bound to be hard darling.” “Yeah, but… never mind. How have you been?” “Oh, I’m doing alright. Even better, I think I’m making progress in my own romance.” That surprised her. “You have a…?” “Oh it’s nothing official and honestly I’m not sure how he would react. He’s just too cute when he’s flustered by something.” She giggled a little at Rarity’s gushing. “Well good luck with that Rarity. I hope it works.” “I do too,” Rarity said with a nod, “Oh, one more thing. Has he ever called you his ‘Shining Gem’?” Rarity’s question caused her to blush deeply and look at her hooves. “Well… yes he does,” she said and looked up at Rarity’s smile. “Oh don’t worry, I think it’s cute. I have to go now, so we’ll talk later.” Rarity walked out of the store with a nod. She waved back and, once Rarity was gone, she held a hoof to her chest. Shining Gem. Somehow her name sounded better when he said it. Screwloose once again drifted into consciousness. The…doctor stood over her with a look of professional flatness on his face. “Good morning, I hope you’re feeling well today,” he said. He undid the straps and Screwloose sat up and shook out her mane. “We’re running a little late today, so let’s eat breakfast quickly.” He set a food dish in front of Screwloose. She sniffed it a couple of times before eating. She was finished in a couple of minutes and the dish was lifted away from her and the doctor motioned to her. “Come on, you don’t want to miss your time outside do you?” At the mention of ‘outside’ Screwloose barked happily and ran to the door, the doctor managing to open it just when she got there. The doctor rushed after her, glad that she had slowed down, and escorted her outside where she started running around and looking at everything she could, all under close supervision of course. At the moment, Screwloose was very interested in a flower so she didn’t notice the doctor say something to a nurse and walk away. “Psst.” Screwloose’s ears perked up and she looked around to find the source of the voice. “Up here,” the voice continued and Screwloose looked up at Screwball’s smiling face in a tree, which immediately dropped when Screwloose growled lowly at him. “Nonono, don’t do that. Ponies are watching.” Screwloose stopped growling and deemed the stallion not important before scratching at an itch. “Listen, I can’t play with you right now, so I’ll stop by your room this afternoon. Until then, have a treat.” Screwball then reached into the tree and dropped a biscuit onto the ground. Screwloose jerked at the sight of the treat and happily ate it. When she was done she looked up into the tree and was saddened a little when she didn’t see Screwball. “Lunchtime, come on time to go back to your room,” one of the nurses yelled. The prospect of food caused Screwloose to run over to her, the thought of Screwball gone from her mind completely. Screwloose, despite what most of the medical reports said, could understand some very simple things, such as words and basic actions. That’s not to say she was anywhere close to proper communication, but she did realize when something stuck out to her. She was also got incredibly frustrated when she couldn’t figure something out. This, more often than not, translated to her becoming violent. Today, the parts of her mind that could think rationally had been mulling over Screwball. She was certain that they had met before. The way he smelled, his coat color, his voice, all were familiar to her. It was the why and the how of the matter that eluded her. When she couldn’t figure it out, she took to biting and tearing apart her pillow, an act she hadn’t done since her hospital stay had started. When she was done she tossed the remains of the pillow into a corner just as the vent opened so Screwball could enter. “Is… this a bad time?” he asked. Screwloose didn’t respond in any way, instead curling up into an angry ball on the bed and stared into Screwball’s swirling blue eyes as he swam through the air. “You look like something is bothering you? Care to share?” Screwloose let out a low growl and looked away from Screwball. “Alright, suit yourself. I don’t understand why you don’t open up to me, not being able to talk notwithstanding.” Screwball landed on the bed and started to lightly rub Screwloose’s back, her tail starting to wag a little. “I’m a little surprised that I keep coming to you. I guess the world makes just a little more sense when I’m around you. Have you seen the outside world? It’s just so insane out there! The grass is green out there. Green, can you believe it?” Screwloose stopped paying attention. She could recognize when somepony was going to go on and on about nothing, so she shut him out and enjoyed the feeling of Screwball stroking her back. That struck her rational mind as odd since she would never let the hospital staff touch her. Screwball became more excited about whatever he was talking about which caused him to stroke Screwloose’s back faster. Soon enough, the quick strokes put Screwloose right to sleep. It was the first non-magically induced sleep she had for a long time. “I just can’t wait for the world to make as much sense as that time, don’t you agree Loosey?” Screwball asked. After a couple seconds of silence he stopped stroking Screwloose and looked down at her. “She’s asleep? Oh yeah, I haven’t slept at all for the past three months! I better get on that.” Screwball quietly revved up his hat and flew over to the vent. He had gotten into it just as Screwloose’s doctor walked in. “Is she asleep?” he asked and quietly walked over to Screwloose. She was snoring softly and he could faintly see her eyes moving under her eyelids. “She is. Now that’s odd.” He backed back to the door and left the room, careful not to wake up the mare. He watched her sleep through the window of the door for a moment before rubbing his chin in thought. “Oh come on, where is it?” Diamond Tiara asked as she dug through her saddlebag. “What’s wrong?” he best friend Silver Spoon asked. “I can’t find my lunch! I think I left it at home. What do I- oh no, what’s she doing here?” Silver Spoon gave Diamond Tiara a confused look and followed her friend’s gaze to a blue mare walking toward them. “Hi Diamond Tiara,” she said with a smile, “how are you doing today?” “I’m fine. What are you doing here?” Diamond Tiara asked, Silver Spoon noting the bitterness in her voice. “Well, I came to bring you your lunch.” “What?” “Well, I ran into your father earlier and he said that you forgot your lunch earlier. Since I was coming over here anyway, so I offered to bring it to you.” She then opened her saddlebag, took out a lunch bag, and handed it to Diamond Tiara. “…Thanks.” “You’re welcome. I have to go now, have a nice day.” She waved at Diamond Tiara and trotted away. “Who was that?” Silver Spoon asked. “My brother’s wife,” Diamond Tiara answered and set her lunch aside, suddenly not feeling very hungry. “Your brother got married?! When?” “Almost a month ago. It was family only though.” “You don’t sound like you like her very much.” Diamond Tiara took out a sandwich and took a bite. “No, I don’t. How did a jeweler like her marry into my family? I don’t get it.” “I… don’t see the problem.” “Huh?” Diamond Tiara looked at Silver Spoon in surprise. “N-never mind. It’s just you won’t know if you don’t like her if you haven’t given her a chance.” “I don’t care.” Diamond Tiara took another bite of her sandwich and refused to continue the conversation. Shining Gem didn’t even have to be there to know what was being talked about between the fillies. When she got back home, Shining Gem was glad to find her husband had beaten her home. Even better, he didn’t notice her walk in. She quietly slipped off her saddlebags, creeped over to him, and grabbed him in a hug. “Hi hon,” she whispered into his ear. “Hi, did you get home just now?” he asked. “Yeah, I just had to make a side trip to give Diamond Tiara her lunch.” He blinked a couple of times at the mention of his sister. “Really, how did that go?” She let go of him and he turned to face her. “About as well as can be expected. She still doesn’t like me, but I think there’s some progress. We’ll have to see how it goes.” “Don’t worry, she’ll come around. Diamond Tiara is still young.” “I know, and I can wait for that.” She felt her husband’s head rest on hers and she nuzzled against it. “It’s nice to see you so happy, especially after yesterday.” “Yeah, I haven’t been having as many nightmares lately. I think I might be getting out of it,” she said and looked up into his eyes. “I love you so much, Silver Scepter.” “As do I,” he said back and kissed the top of her head, “my little Shining Gem.” Screwloose opened her eyes and sat up, not noticing the lag of restraints today. Something seemed… different about her today. She looked down at her hooves and the sterile white walls as if for the first time. She rubbed her head and growled. Something had changed, tiny little buzzing sounds rebounded in her head. What were they? She couldn’t think for long before the door opened and the doctor walked in. “Well, you’re up early. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just surprising,” he said and levitated a pair of saddlebags onto the floor. Screwloose thought she saw a strand of purple hair in the vent for a second. “Now your breakfast won’t be ready for a little while, so until then why don’t we start with your checkup?” Screwloose barely had time to react before a light shone in her eyes. She bit in the direction of the light and growled at the doctor. “Well, that still works properly. That’s good to know,” he said and wrote something down on a clipboard. Screwloose gave him an angry look, but stopped herself from attacking him. It wouldn’t have accomplished anything anyway. The rest of the checkup went smoothly, which surprised the doctor since Screwloose actually seemed annoyed by this. It must have been his imagination. “Alright, you might not know or remember, but since today is Saturday we’re going to try and have you draw something again,” he said and took out a couple sheets of paper as well as some crayons. Screwloose stared confusedly at the items as they were set down in front of her. “Try not to eat the crayons this time. They may be non-toxic, but they’re still bad if you eat them.” Screwloose looked over at the doctor and jumped a little when she saw Screwball trying to climb out of the vent. She of course freaked out, jumped off the bed, and started barking at him. “Calm down, what spooked you?” the doctor asked. Screwloose pointed up at the vent only to find Screwball had vanished. She gave a confused whimper and the doctor sighed. “Are there rats in the vents again? I’ll have to see if Butterscotch can coax them out.” He looked into the vent one more time before walking to the door. “Please at least try and draw something. Although you probably won’t.” The doctor then left the room leaving Screwloose alone until Screwball came back out. “Whew, he’s gone. You gotta be more careful, you almost blew my cover,” he said and hopped onto the ceiling. Screwloose ignored him and looked at the sheets of paper. She hated when they brought these things in here, they gave her a headache and she always ended up tearing them apart, though she had no excuse for the crayons since she really did think they were treats. “Why would they have you draw something anyway? No offense but I don’t think you would even understand how to draw something. It’s like that one pink pony who expected me to not eat his pet alligator at a party! Can you believe that?” Screwloose growled at him, already annoyed by him, and he wasn’t helping that buzzing in her head either. She stared at the papers and actually had an idea of something. With a look back at Screwball, who playing with his lips, she picked up a crayon and started drawing. Such a simple but complex task. Screwball, curious about Screwloose’s activity, jumped over and looked down at the drawing. “Is that supposed to be me? I would be impressed but you got my eyes wrong.” He reached a hoof toward her and Screwloose growled angrily at him. “Alright sorry,” he said pulling away from her. The minutes passed slowly as Screwloose very slowly drew on the paper, rubbing her head in frustration. Screwball at first watched her draw, then grew bored of that and tried to eat the bed, then grew bored of that and started banging his head against the wall. “Ugh, I’m so bored!” he said and rolled over to Screwloose, “Can you try and say something?” Screwloose growled at him and continued drawing. Screwball huffed and stood up. “Fine, I’ll be back later,” he said and walked out of the door. Screwloose watched Screwball leave and rubbed her head angrily. One of those little buzzes grew louder in her skull until it cleared enough for her to recognize it. She did remember some words, although she could never be able to actually say any of them, and she knew some were more important than others. She couldn’t remember where she heard this one, but it definitely had some kind of importance. She decided to try and say it, so she closed her eyes and forced it out, her voice breaking halfway through from disuse. “H…hus…band…” Silver Scepter wasn’t sure what to do, much like the last few nights. It just broke his heart whenever Shining Gem had one of these nightmares where she would cry loudly and all he could do was hold her until she woke up. He had to lay like this for a few more minutes before she woke with a startled gasp. “It’s ok, you’re safe,” he whispered to her and she started crying. “They’re getting worse. I thought I was done with this but now… oh what am I going to do?” Silver didn’t answer right away, instead stroking his wife’s coat to calm her down, which worked as she scooted back into him. “Maybe you should see a doctor,” he suggested and felt her stiffen up, “these dreams could be part of something bigger.” Shining Gem relaxed a little and turned to face Silver. “I know, but…” “They’re not going to lock you up just because you had a few nightmares, and even if they do they’d have me to deal with.” He tilted her head up and looked into her eyes, “Just go get yourself checked up and see if there’s a reason for these dreams. That’s all I really ask.” After a moment of thought Shining Gem nuzzled against Silver’s neck and nodded. “Alright, I’ll go later today,” she said and gasped a little when Silver kissed the top of her head. She looked up at Silver and nuzzled against him. “I don’t want to get up yet.” “I don’t either.” Shining Gem smiled and rolled on top of Silver Scepter, his eyes widening in surprise. “You know, I have trouble remembering. When was the last time I kissed you?” she asked. “Kissed me? It was last night before we went to bed. Why do you-?” his eyes widened again as he was pulled into a deep kiss. Of course, he started enjoying it after a second and wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. Screwloose rubbed her head furiously again. These memories of somepony she never heard of before forced themselves into her mind, all of it started when Screwball first showed up. She actually remembered his name that time. She shook her head and focused on the nearly finished drawing. She hadn’t really been paying attention to what she had been drawing, but now she saw that she had drawn Screwball floating lazily through the air playing with his lips. She tilted her head and blinked a couple of times at the drawing. “Well it’s alright I guess, save for my eyes.” It was only then that Screwloose noticed that Screwball was laying against her back looking at the drawing. She immediately shook him off and growled angrily at him. “Oh calm down, it was a compliment,” Screwball said waving a hoof in the air, “What made you want to draw me though?” Screwloose looked at the ground and ran a hoof in a circle. “Oh well, it doesn’t really matter I guess. Your doctor’s gonna come check on you in a little, so I better go.” Screwball started to make his way to the vent and- “Ma…” He stopped at the voice and turned back to Screwloose, who seemed desperate to say something. She growled angrily and rubbed her head. “What was that?” he asked. Screwloose put her hooves down and took a deep breath, only to be interrupted when the door opened and Screwball bailed for the vent. “What’s got you down?” the doctor asked the crestfallen Screwloose. That was changed when he saw the drawing at Screwloose’s hooves and picked it up magically. “What’s this?” Screwloose looked at the doctor, who had turned the drawing over for her to see. After a second of looking it over she stood up, walked over to the bed, and lay down on it. She didn’t need to explain it. “I’m a little surprised that you actually drew something. You’ve made a lot of progress in the last few days. I’m going to keep this, ok?” Screwloose didn’t react, so the doctor took that to mean it was ok with her. He folded up the paper and put it in a coat pocket. “I’ll be back later for your afternoon checkup and dinner,” he said and turned to the door. As he walked out he thought heard Screwloose say something quietly. “M…mar…ried.” Shining Gem stood in front of Ponyville hospital, her insides jumping wildly at the building. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and walked through the front doors. The waiting room was of a simple design, white walls with wood paneling and some chairs and sofas for ponies to sit on. Shining Gem took another breath and walked to the front desk. “Um, excuse me,” she hesitantly said to the mare at the front. “Yes?” the mare, Nurse Redheart she thought her name was, asked. “I was hoping to get a checkup done today.” “Ok, go have a seat over there and I’ll see if a doctor is available.” Nurse Redheart pointed to the sitting area. Shining Gem nodded and sat down on one of the couches. A few tense minutes passed as she either looked around the foyer or flipped through a magazine. After finishing an article, Nurse Redheart called her over. “Doctor Stable is available, so I can take you to him. Would that be alright?” “Yes, that’s alright,” Shining Gem said. She stood up and followed Redheart through the hospital. She felt incredibly uncomfortable being in a hospital, with memories of her dreams coming back to her. She took a few deep breaths as they stopped in front of a room. “If you can wait in here, Doctor Stable will be with you soon,” Nurse Redheart said. Shining nodded and walked into the room, flinching just a little at the white walls. She sat down and settled in for another wait. She managed to distract herself with an anatomy chart until the doctor came in. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw him. “Good afternoon, I’m Doctor Stable,” he said with a hint of joyful professionalism and held out a hoof. “Um, I’m Shining Gem,” She said and shook his hoof. “Nice to meet you. So what brings you here today?” “Well… I’ve been having some bad nightmares lately, and they’re starting to affect me really bad.” “Really, and what are these dreams usually about?” he asked and started writing on a clipboard. “It’s… hard to describe. I’m always in a hospital room, surrounded by white walls, trapped in a body that barely responds to my thoughts. I try to talk or do anything, but I only bark or growl.” “Like a dog? Any idea why these dreams play out like this?” Shining Gem sighed and looked at Doctor Stable. “No I don’t. I’m getting really scared because they’re starting to seem more real, like that’s real and I’m only dreaming of being here right now. And… we haven’t met before now, right?” “Not that I’m aware of. Why?” “Well, in the dreams… you’re the doctor in charge of me.” That caused Doctor Stable to blink in surprise. “Huh, that’s interesting,” he whispered and wrote down some more on the clipboard. “Has anyone else you know shown up in these dreams?” he asked once he was finished. Shining Gem closed her eyes in thought. “…Yes, my husband, but he’s not himself there either.” “Hmm, why don’t you explain a bit more? What’s the last dream you remember?” “Well…” Doctor Stable stared at the drawing on his desk. “How did she go from no progress at all to being able to speak simple words and drawing in a few short days?” he asked himself. It was mind boggling and it was clear something had changed. But the drawing in particular intrigued him the most. This… unorthodox looking colt looked exactly like… He made up his mind and folded the drawing up and put it into a pocket of his jacket. He made his way through the hospital halls, taking a second to make some last minute checks on his patients, before he arrived at the front desk. “I’m leaving for tonight Nurse Tenderheart. Let me know if anything comes up,” he said to the mare at the desk. “Alright, have a nice night doctor,” she replied with a wave. He nodded back and walked out the doors. He took a second to breathe in the night air and enjoy Luna’s night sky. When he was done he set off toward Ponyville in a light trot. The streets were mostly empty, save for the occasional lone pony and couple. He soon reached a house that was completely dark, save for one light. He knocked on the door three times and waited a moment for the door to slowly open. “Doctor Stable?” the stallion asked surprised. “Hi, do you mind if I come in for a minute?” The stallion blinked a couple times before opening the door and stepping aside. Doctor Stable walked inside and sat in a chair. “Ok, what is it?” “…It’s about her.” “And the dream ends with you leaving with the drawing,” Shining Gem finished. She had recounted most of the dreams she could remember as Doctor Stable finished the checkup. “There’s nothing after that?” he asked and looked at his clipboard. “No, that was the last one I had. What do you think?” “Well, there’s nothing physically wrong with you, so the dreams are probably just emotional stress. I would recommend seeing a psychiatrist and keeping an eye on your dreams. If anything else happens let me know.” “I will. Thank you for your time,” she said, shook Doctor Stable’s hoof, and walked out of the room. On the way out she made a quick stop by the restroom to splash some water on her face. She knew she hadn’t been sleeping well, but looking at her face in the mirror shocked her a little. She vowed to take a long bath when she got and, with a sigh, opened the door. Which led into a hospital room. Shining Gem stared in horror at the room, more specifically the mare on the bed. She stirred in her sleep and Shining Gem got a good look at her screw cutie mark. She also saw the mare’s face and let out a small gasp. She couldn’t think more on it as the vent behind her opened and a purple pony crawled out. “Seriously, one of the few times I come to play with you and you’re asleep?” he said and walked to her. Shining Gem held out a hoof only for it to pass right through him. “What in the…?” she asked staring at her hoof. The colt jumped onto the bed and poked at the mare, Shining Gem feeling it. “Come on Loosey, wake up.” When he said that Shining Gem came to a horrifying realization. “Oh no, please don’t tell me I’m-“ Screwloose woke up with a start and looked around the room, her eyes finally falling on Screwball. She stared at him and his smile for a moment before she got angry at him. “Hi, how you feeling?” he asked. Screwloose answered by growling loudly and snapping at him, which he barely got away from. He flew in the air as Screwloose followed him on the ground. “Hey calm down, I just wanted to play a little. You do realize its morning right?” Screwloose didn’t care, she was angry for reasons she couldn’t comprehend and she needed to take it out on something. She had cornered Screwball into a corner and some small part of her mind was a little pleased at the worried look on his face. Just as she was about to bite at him again, there was a knock on the door and Doctor Stable walked in. “Oh good, you’re awake. That saves us some time,” he said. Screwloose paid him no mind and continued staring at Screwball, who didn’t dare to move between Screwloose’s stare and the doctor’s presence. “You have a visitor.” That got her attention. Screwloose and Screwball looked at Doctor Stable in confusion. “I wasn’t sure if you were ready for visitors yet, but he insisted when I told him about you.” As Doctor Stable explained this, another stallion slowly walked into the door frame and stood there looking at Screwloose. When she noticed him she immediately recognized him, mostly because the exact same stallion was hanging from the ceiling. “What?” Screwball said and fell to the floor staring at the new stallion. “Well here she is,” Doctor Stable said to the stallion, “Did you want me to stay here?” “No, I want to talk to her alone,” he answered. “I can’t leave you totally alone with her, so I’ll be waiting outside just in case. Will that be alright?” The stallion nodded and walked into the room as Doctor Stable walked out and closed the door behind him. Screwloose looked back and forth between Screwball and the new stallion. He took a step toward Screwloose, who backed away in fright. “I was afraid this would happen,” he whispered and sat down with a sigh, “do you at least remember who I am?” Screwloose blinked a couple of times and tilted her head at him, her eyes glancing over to Screwball now and then. “Hus…band?” she finally forced out. “Husband?” Screwball asked and walked over to the stallion, “This is your husband?” “Yeah, that’s right,” the stallion said and held up his left hoof, which had a gold bracelet with a ruby in the shape of a sparkling gem embedded in it. “He looks just like me, and… he’s your husband?” Screwball sat on the ground and held his head. “But… what does that mean?” “I guess I should reintroduce myself. My name is Silver Scepter.” Silver looked at his bracelet for a moment before setting the hoof on the floor and looking up at Screwloose, “I’m not really sure what to say. I heard that you were getting better and I wanted to see for myself.” “He look same as me, but he no hat, he scientist!” “Hon…eym…oon?” Screwloose got out. “Haha, you actually remember that?” Silver asked and wiped away a couple of tears, “Gosh, how long ago was that? About a year or so?” “What direction on this hat is south?!” Screwball shouted at his hat which caused Screwloose to stare at him angrily. “That feels like it happened so long ago,” Silver said and wiped away a couple more tears. “I know I should be strong for you, but it gets hard sometimes. Waking up to an empty bed in an empty house, knowing that you’re here and there’s nothing I can do, it hurts so badly. But… I can’t even imagine what it’s like for you.” Screwloose blinked and for a moment she was sitting at a table as Silver was staring at her lovingly, only to be back in the hospital room with another blink. “But he can’t be scientist, he look like me. If he look like me… oh.” Screwball’s eyes widened and the swirls in his eyes spun faster than ever. “You know, no matter how long it will take, I’ll be waiting for you when you get out. I don’t think I’ve even taken this off since that day,” Silver said and gestured to his bracelet. “Day?” Screwloose asked. “Yeah, April thirteenth. That’s when Discord got loose and tore the world apart and… I lost you.” The tears were falling freely from Silver’s eyes and Screwloose’s vision also started getting blurry. “If I’m him, then…” “I hope you’ll get better soon, I don’t know what I would do if I lost you for good.” Silver sniffed a couple of times and Screwball rolled onto his stomach to look up at his doppelganger. “It hurts too much as it is.” A couple more sobs wracked him at the thought. He stopped only when a blue hoof lifted his face up to Screwloose’s. She didn’t say anything and only licked his cheek a couple of times. The look in her eyes said it all. He rubbed his forehead against hers and stood up. “I…I have to go. I’ll be back as soon as I can, just… please don’t leave me again.” It broke his heart to see Screwloose-Shining Gem-whimper sadly at him. He left the room, sparing Screwloose one last glance before shutting the door. Screwloose pawed at the door, whimpering the whole time, stopping when Screwball placed a hoof on her shoulder. “It’s ok,” he said and pulled Screwloose into a hug. She whimpered and cried into him as they moved to a corner, where he just stroked her tussled mane. Offering comfort wasn’t something he was used to, but he still tried. Anything for his wife. “How did it go?” Doctor Stable asked Silver Scepter when he came out of the room. Silver wiped his eyes as he heard Shining Gem scratching and whimpering beyond the door. “About as well as it could,” Silver answered, “She remembered me at least.” “She still has a long road, but I’m sure she’ll make it with some help.” “Yes. I want to see her again soon, so…” “You know when our visiting hours are. We’ll keep you notified on her condition.” “Thanks.” With a nod from Doctor Stable, Silver Scepter walked down the hallway. Doctor Stable slowly opened the door to check on Shining Gem and found her in a corner of the room hugging herself tightly. He couldn’t remember seeing her cry before, so he decided to let her be. Shining Gem woke up once again in Silver Scepter’s arms. She had had another nightmare, but something else was tugging at her mind. She rolled to face the calendar on the night stand. She stared at it for a while, maybe half an hour, before Silver woke up. “Honey, what’s the matter?” he asked. Shining Gem rolled and hugged Silver tightly. “Wha-?” “Just… hold me please,” she said, nearly on the verge of tears. Silver complied without hesitation. “What’s wrong?” “If… something were to happen to me, you’d stay with me wouldn’t you?” “Of course I would, you’re my Shining Gem. Why do you ask that?” The tears broke free and Shining Gem scooted closer to Silver. “I’m scared Silver. I’m so scared.” Silver couldn’t think of anything else to say, so he settled for stroking his wife’s back. He happened to glance at the calendar. It was dated April twelfth. As always, share your opinion.