//------------------------------// // Chapter 8: Loose Screws // Story: Sweetie Bot - A Heart's Warming Tale // by Grimweird //------------------------------// When Sweetie awoke. She did not know if hours or minutes had passed. She felt as tired as ever. And would have liked to go back to sleep in the empty shell she felt like. If it had only been an quiet shell as well, not filled with voices running through her mind telling her that her skin was suffering from lying outside, on the cold open ground, in the middle of the rain. If not for the uncomfortable of not being uncomfortable. Of not feeling whether or not a soft pillow was under her head. Whether or not a blanket was pulled over her. She knew that there wasn't, and that made it worse. She felt naked without being able to feel anything touch her skin. And the knowledge that she was exposed made the feeling establish itself on the inside. And then of course there was the roar in her belly. As she awoke, so did the hunger. Sweetie had never woken up hungry before. She could not imagine anypony ever feeling like this. She was so hungry she could puke. A concept that made no sense whatsoever to her. It was further proof that she was going insane. She had to get out of this forest before she became some kind of crazy wood ravager or something. Before she became the very thing Mr Beaver said lurked in these woods. Maybe that's what the tribe of metal ponies would really be like? Dolls like her that had discovered their secret and run away. Toys that had been cast out from their families when their owners grew tired of them. A colony consisting of discarded teddy bears and plushies and train sets and balls. Maybe there would even be colts and fillies like herself? Maybe it was the discarded toys that raided pony settlements in revenge against the ponies who threw them away. Or maybe it was all just in her head. It sounded way too much like a wishful imagination. Regardless, she knew she wasn't going to find Toyland by just lying here. She rose and looked around herself. Everywhere looked the same. Bare trees against a gray curtain of fog and rain that prevented her from seeing more than a hundred meters in either direction. She had no idea where she had come from, since the rain had washed away all hoof prints. Every direction looked as good as any. With nowhere left to turn, she picked a direction and walked. She felt nothing for having on the ground, exposed to the never ending rain. She could not feel the raindrops falling on her, nor the cold wind blowing nor the grass in her hair. She doubted she could get sick. at least not sick for real. Snot may be running from her nose, and she might sneeze and cough. But it was all just a program running. Toys did not get sick. Unless they ate hazardous grass apparently. She was glad her belly rejected it. Since it was probably poisonous or something. Stupid grass. Taunting her with its poisonous green color. She would step harder on it if she had the energy to do so. But she did not have the energy to be mad at it. She did not have the energy to care that her mane and tail was so wet they hung like a rug and dragged on the ground. Her only thought was to put one tired, heavy hoof in front of the other in hope of finding somewhere to eat. *** Eventually she found a road. It should be a good sign as roads usually led somewhere. But with no indication of where it led she simply had too pick a direction and walk. The road was long and flanked only by the high walls of trees. The heavy rain created a curtain that forbade her to see beyond a hundred yards. At fist She did her best to avoid the many puddles in the holes in the road, trying to spare her socks and herself. But eventually she just ignored them and walked straight through. It had become to difficult to steer round them, and she doubted she or her socks could get any wetter anyway. Eventually the curtain of trees opened up into a side road. She decided to take it, thinking that it. thinking that a smaller road must be closer to something. Down that road she could eventually just make out the silhouette of a house. Getting closer, it looked more like a big mansion. An old looking, three story complex with brown brick walls and a black tiled roof. The front was surrounded by a high wall of the the same brickwork. In which A big black gridded gate stood half open. At the side of the gate hung a sign: Headstone's house for the mentally unhealthy. Underneath somepony had clarified with spraypaint: Nut house. Great. Just what she needed. Walking through the gate and up to the black front double door, Sweetie could see that black grills covered every window. Almost like a prison. Rainwater poured like waterfalls from the overflowing gutters, and spashed on the windowstills, like the house was crying for her. The place looked old, and half abandoned. But only half. Sweetie was happy just to see that there was light coming from some of the windows. Some light guiding her through the darkness. Despite the fact it looked like something out of an old horror movie, she pushed herself through the gate and walked up to the big black double door. The wall did not surround the house, but extended from the edges of its walls and reached around a square patio like a mother pulling her into its embrace. Shielding her from the forest outside. For some reason Sweetie felt like she had come home. That she had finally found a place that would accept her. She dared to once again believe that this was a place she could stay, despite the voice in her head telling her of her previous failed attempt in finding refuge. She corrected the sock on her right foreleg, not wanting to scare any caretakers away with her hideous leg. Or risk them to trowing her out because she was broken. She knocked on the door, and waited. The door had no porch, so she was forced to stand in the rain in hope that somepony would answer the door. But there was no response. She knocked again, and waited even longer. But no one opened. No! This couldn't be happening to her! This place couldn’t lock her out before she even got a chance! She started banging with increasing frequency. Butt still the black gates denied her entrance. Why was nopony answering?. There was light in the windows. Somepony had to be home! Somepony had to let her in! She desperately Reared up and banged on the door with both front hooves. Please open up. She pleaded. She would do anything to be out of this rain! She would snuggle with a hundred creepy strangers if somepony would just give her a blanket. She would sing every time they poked her tummy if she just got a scrub to sleep in! She'd be a good little doll if anypony just gave her something to eat! Finally somepony answered. A muffed "Stop screaming." came from inside. A second later one of the doors opened inwards with a low, heavy creak, and a mare appeared before her. “What are you doing here?” she asked in a tired, indifferent voice. "And why are you making such a ruckus?" Sweetie was left speechless. For a second she thought she had ran into nurse Brittlebone again. The unicorn in front of her shared the same colors. Except she looked far more unhealthy. Her colors were washed out. Like an artist had used to little watercolor and to much water. Her coat was almost pale and the white doctor coat she was wearing almost shone by comparison. Her stiff red mane was tied into a tight knot behind her head, and she had big black rings under her eyes. She was also constantly chewing on a needle, which rolled slowly over her teeth as she awaited an answer. "I .. Well ... Sorry. You didn't answer." "Its not visiting hours yet." She continued mechanically. "So if you are here about your senile grandpony or whatever I suggest you come back later." "No! ... I was hoping I could come in." The nurse gave her a long, tired look. She let out a long, wheezing sigh. One of her hooves never leaving the doorknob. “You shouldn't be here little filly. Run away home. This is no place for you.” Sweetie panicked. “I don't have a home!" She almost shouted "I'm lost in the woods and I don't have anything to go back to!" "What?" The nurse yawned in disbelief. "Where are your parents?" She asked, looking outside. "I don't have any!" She shouted in desperation “Just please, Please let me in. I will do anything! I can dance and sing and … “ -:: Be a toy ::- “… play. I can let everypony play with me! I can let you comb my hair.” She held out a wet tuft. "It really needs combing!" she let out a dry laugh. She began to count all possible thing she could do. Fix the roof, clean the windows, wash the dishes, do the laundry. She would work to earn her stay and pleaded for them not to drive her away before she even got a chance to prove herself. The nurse finally looked like she was waking up from her walking sleep. Her eye twitched from growing nervosity, and she was actually beginning to back away from the rambling filly. “Whats going on out there!?” came a stallions voice from inside. “Its some filly boss!" The nurse shouted, a bit distraught, over her shoulder "She says she is lost.” “Then by Celestia's sake let her in Sully! Don't just leave a pony hanging out in this rain.” “If the boss says so.” Said the nurse named Sully, and removed her hoof from the door. *** Food. Sweet Food. Sweetie swallowed the sandwiches she had been given in a few big bites. They were a bit stale, having spent an unknown time in the fridge in the Staff-room to where Sweetie had been escorted. It was a small room behind the front door counter, that was currently unmanned since the secretary had gone home for the day. Sweetie had got her soaked body wrapped in a blanket. Nurse Sully had given her a good scrubbing and told her just how lucky she was that she had come walking through this hallway, while the stallion, who introduced himself as Dr Cardiac had gotten her got something to eat. He had even been nice enough to get her a candy bar from the vending machine that was placed beside the fridge. Then the two of them had taken their leave back out into the corridor in order to discuss her future. Sweetie had greedily swallowed the candy bar whole and washed it down with a big glass of old milk. For the first time in too long she gave a satisfied sigh as the hunger ebbed away. If she truly ran on food or sugar she would at least not have to worry about that any more. She picked up another sandwich and turned her worry's to the verbal tennis match outside. Though it was the tennis mach equivalent of hitting a ball against a brick wall. The nurse asked many questions. Of whom she was, where she came from, and what she was doing out in the rain all by herself. Dr Cardiac simply hushed them all, individually, and assured her that all things would be taken care of in time. They simply could not leave a starving child out in the cold. “We cant have a filly running around her sir. This is no place for them.” Said Sully. “That's all right." Said Dr Cardiac. "I will sign her in. In my name." "Is she to become an inmate boss?" "Clearly she wants to." He said. Then he listed of a whole bunch of diagnoses for Sweetie that went right over her head. The nurse was quiet for a long time, then let out a long wheezing sigh. "You know best boss, but her conditions don't change the fact that we have nowhere to put her." "Put her in group "F" "You mean the foals?" Sully sounded a bit distraught "I know she is young but do you really think she will fit in there? With them?" Sweeties ears peaked. Were there foals here? A warning bell rung in her mind. Saying that foals were the worst. they where always the first to find out about her secret. Unless her secret where already out? The warning bell rung again saying that they somehow already knew. That she had let it slip during her mad rambling at the door. She mentally cursed herself. Were she already going to be thrown into the kindergarten like a chicken to the wolves? "It is the safest group he have." Dr Cardiac continued. The nurse let out a heavy sigh. "If the boss says so." She muttered. "Good. I'm glad we could come to an agreement. Now lets go tell our guest the happy news." He said, sounding quite exited. “And Sully ... Spit that needle out.” As they re-entered the staffroom, Sully turned and spat the needle she been chewing on out in a trashcan by the door. Dr Cardiac looked her over. He was a slim, orange earth pony dressed in a similar white suit as Sully, which he wore unbuttoned, along with a black tie that hung a bit haphazardly. Similarly his brown mane hung a bit uncut down to his glasses. But despite the sloppy dressing he, unlike his nurse, seemed like a beacon of energy. Positive energy. There was a smile on his face and care in his deep blue eyes. Despite his glasses Sweetie felt like she could drown in those eyes. It was like he could see all the way through her, which sweetie hoped by Celestia he couldn't. But if he could he did not judge her. Rather it was like those eyes just wanted to say "everything is going to be alright." The only thing he said was: "Good news. We have decided that you can stay here." Sully rolled her eyes, and muttered. "Decided. Whatever the boss says." Dr Cardiac only answered her sarcasm with a smile. "Now, I have other matters to attend to, But we will talk later little one. Now If you, Nurse Sully, would kindly show her to the main gathering hall. I'll come get her when I'm done.” Sully just rolled her eyes and muttered something about "If the boss says so." She looked over Sweetie with those tired heavy eyes of hers. Clearly Sweetie was just a burden to her. "Before we go. You should really get rid of those socks". she said. Instinctively Sweetie hugged herself tight. Hiding the socks in her armpits. Nurse Sully was about to object. But Dr Cardiac put a hoof on her shoulder and shook his head. "Oh. Its one of those." She muttered, and rolled her eyes again. Some kind of silent agreement must have been made between them, for she did not suggest Sweetie switch clothes again. *** The sound of their hooves echoed over the checkerboard tile floor as Sully escorted Sweetie down the corridor. The place seemed desolated. During their walk towards the big double doors at the end Sweetie didn't see a single pony. Nurse Sully wasn't very talkative. In fact, she looked like she wanted to fall asleep on the floor. As they walked, she magically pulled out a syringe from her pocket. Sweetie was afraid she was about to attack her with some drug and drag her of to the lab, like she had seen in old horror movies about mad hospitals. But Sully brought the tip to her own tongue, licked it , then broke of the needle and replaced it with a new, sterilized needle from her other pocket. Then put the syringe back in her fist pocket. She rolled the newly acquired needle over her lips and looked down at Sweetie. Realizing how scared the little filly seemed of her she began to talk. ”I weren't being mean when I said this place ain't for little filly's.” She said with a sigh. "I don't know what condition you have. But you seem smart enough to me. So I'm gonna give you a warning. We are not equipped to deal with real foals. We are understaffed now that half our crew has gone home for the Hearth's Warming Eve. Leaving only a bitter few of us to tend to the inmates over the holiday. Lucky us" She muttered under her breath. "And it seems like the holidays is the time when ponies snap the most. Must be the stress getting to them." She let out a long sigh "I can sure feel it getting to me." Finally they reached their destination. The main gathering hall. Marked by two broad, brown double doors with stained glass windows in them. Sully swung them open and Sweetie got to see the playroom inside. There where ponies playing with crayons, passing a ball to each other, sucking on bottles of milk, or rolling in some pillows. All in all the things foals are generally expected to do. Except they where all full grown ponies. "Yep. This is our foals. Grown foals." Sully sighed “They are your new playmates filly.” Yes. Playmates. Sweetie understood. Though she should be happy that there were no foals here, there simply was no joy to be found either. Even though Sweetie (and other foals) often ask their parents and elder siblings to play with them there was something wrong with seeing grown ponies behaving this way on their own. Like how a child would never expect to walk into a room to find their dad playing with their toys. Not that there where that many toys, or much of anything here. There was a distinct lack of color apart from the ponies themselves, and the crayons they painted their faces with. The whole hall was like a stale cafeteria filled with plastic round tables and chairs. A real foals room would have had sliders and climbing frames and toys in the plenty. There would have been laughter in the air and running around. This place was silent, and everypony was kept to them self. Distanced by bored looking caretakers in wight coats walked between them and made sure they did not injure themselves by swallowing the scissors they where suppose to make paper figures of. Those paper figures were about the only holiday related things around. Crudely misshapen pieces of paper, that only the wildest imagination could make out to be snowflakes, were collected on pieces of string and hung (by the caretakers) up by the ceiling. There they hung, like a sad multicolored testament to the imperfection of their creators. And there really seemed to be something sad hanging over the group. Like they weren't doing what they did out of joy, but were forced to by some invisible force that - as far as Sweetie could understand psychology - existed only in their heads. It wasn't just their behavior either. Everypony looked sick in some way or another: There was a Pegasus with barely any feathers left on his boney wings. He constantly chewed on them, complaining about itches. An elderly mare (who looked older than granny smith) dressed in diapers and sucking on a soother while wielding a colorful maracas. And one completely clean shaven pony who Sweetie, for some reason, could not tell was a mare or a stallion, was just sitting completely still, staring at nothing. The small playthings and papers they had been given this session only served as a meager distraction from the troubles that went on inside their heads. Sweetie knew she wanted something to distract her from the voices inside her own. And she knew she was about to receive it in plenty. Sully escorted her into the crowd and started introduced her to her new playmates. Sweetie could already feel their eyes on her. She was about to become their plaything. But she did not complain. If this was the price she had to pay she would happily oblige just to get out of the rain. Beside, that colt Branch had called her a toy. Maybe that's what she was. Just a big toy for grownups and her sister. As they moved between the groups Sweetie noticed another mare moving in the crowd. A mare that shared the same washed out body colors as Sully, except her tail was green. She wore a mouthpiece and a plastic cap on her head and she walked around the tables tugging at the other inmates, almost like the bully of the playground. Making them put down crayons or taking their scissors. Forcing the nourishing to stop sucking on their bottles and in general forcing others back down in their seats. A mare that was ignored by Sully and the other caretakers. Sweetie couldn't help but ask about the straying patient. “Oh. That." Sully sighed "That is Soylent Green. Watch out for her. She is really scary." "She is?" "Oh yeah. Diagnosed with kleptomania that one. She would steal your very tail if it wasn't attached to you.” Soylent spotted them and started making her way towards them. Sweetie found herself wondering if her tail could be screwed loose, and pulled it in between her legs. As the mare reached them Sweetie could see that she had green eyes, and a bit of green mane sticking out under the cap. Unlike the rest of her washed out colors those eyes were sharp and frieze. They pierced sweetie with a cold glare, then shot frozen daggers at Nurse sully. “What is it sis?” she said in a tired yet aggressive voice. She had clearly just woken up on the wrong side of the bed, and she was gonna blame them for it. "I thought this wing was below you." Wait? Sister? "We have a new guest. Boss's orders that she is to stay here for the time being." Soylent bent down. Sweetie bent her tail even further in between her legs. "OOOoooh. Have you brought me a new plaything?" An alarm went of in Sweeties mind. Thing? How did she know? Did those green eyes have x ray vision? Where she planing on stealing Sweetie and tug her of to some secret stash? Sully put a hoof on Sweeties head. "Treat her gently." Soylent sneered. ”If shes gonna be with the rest then she is gonna be treated like the rest. Hey Brick! Put her with the others.” One of the caretakers, a light blue Stallion, walked over. He had a round chin as broad as his short neck, which gave him a big meaty face that for some reason reminded Sweetie of the chubby little Snips back at school. His whole built was in fact so broad that he appeared shorter and chubbier despite being the same height as the average pony. The wight coat he was wearing struggled at the seams to contain this wrecking ball of a pony. Which made Sweetie surprised that, when he spoke, it was in a very soft - almost colt like voice. "Ooooh. Is it bring your foal to work day? I didn't know you two had adopted." "Don't be a prick, Brick." Sully muttered. "And why would I adopt a foal with her?" "Because your arguing like an old married, sterile couple." Both sisters looked at each other. "Prick." They said in unison. "Anyway. This is Sweetie. She is gonna stay here for the time being. The boss has already diagnosed her. Somehow." "Ooooh. Aren't you the sweeties little thing?" Said Brick. He looked around him to see if anypony would laugh at his wordplay. Nopony did. Least of all Sweetie. She was busy having scenes of a horror movie flashing in her mind. Movies that had portrayed a mental hospitals as some form of prison where psychos where locked away like criminals. She was beginning to see more and more of that in this place. Why else was it that an inmate could order around such a beast of a pony? Were they that scared of her? As if to answer that question Soylent silenced Brick's weak jokes with a single green stare. "Now. Do you have any more witty things to say? Or are you going to do what I said and put her with the others?" "Careful sister." Said Sully, who on the other hoof seemed unaffected by Soylent's threatening gaze. "These 'others' are our patients. Not prisoners. And you could very well end up the one who gets the same treatment as these 'others' one day." Soylent gave up a dry laugh. "Look around you sister. We are already inmates. Looked in here with these poor sods. The only difference is we are the ones that has to keep them all fed. Besides. What are you accusing me of? I haven't touched anything in a long time." Wait. Was this mare actually a nurse? Why was she not wearing a coat like the others? "I sure hope not. " Said Sully "For your own sake. After all, that's why boss made you in charge of group F. So you would stop stealing everything." "Innocent 'till proven guilty!" Soylent proclaimed in a very haughty tone. "You can't accuse me of such crimes without proof." "Then you better hope we never find any more of your stashes anywhere." "Oh, you care about your sister do you." Soylent said with thick sarcasm. She bent down to Sweetie. "Ignore my sister. She is just jealous cause I got all the looks." "And she is jealous cause I got all the brains." Sully countered "And all the self control." "Hey. I have been improving. I haven't touched anything in a long time." "Not since we took your coat." Sully commented. "That's right. You cant steal anything without pockets. Now Brick. If you would kindly put her with the others. I think it's time for my lunch break." Soylent was about to stride past them, looking like she had won the argument, when Sully - in one swift motion - pulled her hoof through her sister green tail. When Soylet turned her head around, her sister was holding up a set of crayons in her hoof. That was the first time Sweetie saw Sully smile. Though it was more of a sardonic smirk than an expression of accusal joy. She mouthed the silent word "Guilty" at her green tailed sister. Soylent responded with an angry snarl. The "smile" disappeared from Sully's face and she said, very seriously: "One more time and I'm gonna shave off your tail. You wont look so pretty with nothing but a tailbone to cover your rear." Soylent sneered at her sister, and left. "She is gonna be so pissed when she notices her sandwiches are gone." Sully muttered. And handed Sweetie the crayons. *** And so, playtime began, and Sweetie let let herself be borrowed out to the slimy patients, To be played and cuddled with. She had been asked by Brick to sit down with the other patients. He looked at her with worried eyes and said, in his soft voice: ”If there is any trouble. If they hurt you or do something you don't like. Just call out to me. I will be right over there.” It did not take long before the others were over her with their activities. Sweetie tried her best to enjoy herself. But found that she couldn't. Despite her effort to play along, she found no joy. There was no joy to be found in pushing a ball back and forth with a drooling maniac. Nor was there in playing hide and seek with a degenerate who told her to hide on the same table every time. (Not under – On the table). And he still could not find her, since he only looked under the table. Even when she was left alone, she found no solitude. She tried to draw with crayons. But nothing came to mind. There was not even any point in making a joke about how the blank paper was supposed to be a family of polar ice bears eating sugar in a snowstorm (some other inmate had already made that joke). And the paper figures she tried to make just ended up becoming mashed together into balls of failure that she hid under the table rather than allowing to be put on any string up for display. Why? Why could she not enjoy herself? Had she ever enjoyed these things she were doing now? Had she ever liked pushing a ball around? Had she ever liked playing hide and seek? No she had not. Not like this. She had never been played with before. She had played many times. But never been the plaything. But if it was what she was made to be, then why was she not made to enjoy it? But what toy could ever enjoy this treatment? Her mind went to all little plushies that wear down with their foals uncaring tear. Never again would she look upon another doll the same way. The only solitude she found was in the fact she could not feel them tearing at her. She could not feel them pulling her cheeks or mane or tail or drawing on her face with crayons in some crude attempt at makeup. Then she was paired with another stallion, to sit and comb each others hair. Could this be the activity Sweetie was made to like? It seemed likely. Rarity always loved brushing manes. Except it wasn't Rarity. He was a big brown stallion who had torn every last straw of his mane out of his own thick skull with his never ending brushing. One eye had a constantly shrunken pupil, and the only thing he said was a low constant mumbling: ”Pretty pony... Make pony pretty... Brushie brushie” Fittingly, his mark was a brush with a lot of hair tangled up in its straws. Sweetie sat in his lap as he pulled his comb and hooves through her mane and drooled over her. Sweetie did not care. She did her best not to be there. An easy thing to do with her sense of touch turned off. The only thing she noticed from his misbehaving was the twitches in her neck from her head being jerked backwards whenever he brushed to hard. She wondered why she could not like this treatment. Once she would have said it was because the reject barber was a clumsy creep. Now she was not as sure. She cast and empty look over at the caretaker, Brick. He had his hooves full with making sure the other inmates did not cut their own ears off. But, from time to time his eyes swept watchful over the crowd. Always landing on Sweetie. His eyes met hers just as her hairdresser tried to pull out another imaginary tangle out of her mane. His neckmuscles tensed, as if he waited for Sweetie to call out in pain. Sweetie did not call out. She sat there. Lost in her thoughts. Distanced from the own body. Was this how it was? To just be a doll? Was this how dolls felt? To be squeaked and squashed and drooled on. To be banged in the head by a big foal's maracas. (That the foal was older than Granny Smith seemed irrelevant.) It was what Scootaloo had called her. What Branch had called her. A stuffed doll. A plaything. A possession. Was this her true purpose? If it was, then why could she not enjoy herself? Had she ever enjoyed these things she were doing now? Had she ever liked pushing a ball around? Had she ever liked playing hide and seek? Had she ever liked to have her hair done? If she was meant to be a toy, then should she not at least like cuddling and hugging? Why could she not like this treatment? Was it because she could not feel any of it? Could she not draw because she could not feel the crayon in her hoof. Not play ball because she could not feel the ball bouncing off her hooves? Not enjoy the cuddling cause she felt like an empty shell? Maybe she should turn her sensors back on. But she really, really did not feel like it. Turning them back on would be to turn the pain back on. And pain was something to be avoided. Besides, she did not want to feel them tugging and pulling at her. Because despite not feeling anything, everything felt wrong. A feeling that came from the inside. From her heart, telling her it was humiliating, disgusting. That her playmates where so slimy and grabby, pushy and pully. That all their hugs felt wrong. That nopony could play or cuddle her the same way her family would. But had her family not just been hugging a doll as well? How was that any different? What was to say she could only like being hugged by one owner? Sweetie didn't like that thought. That why she had left Branch. And where had that brought her? Right back into the claws of another big hoop of total strangers. So why not leave these degenerates as well? Why not say no to their touching and games? Because, she had promised herself that she was gonna try and be the best little doll she could be. That she would not run from it any more. That she would stay, regardless of how they treated her or looked at her. That if it was the price she had to pay for food and shelter, she would gladly do it. Besides. With her sensors turned off she could not feel anything they did to her anyway. So Sweetie sat, with the same stubbornness as one of the CMC would undertake in their endless search for their true purpose, until Dr Cardiac came to get her. Until he made the stallion put the brush down and pulled her from his lap. By that time several chunks of pink mane were dotting the floor like fallen leafs around their chair. Sweetie could tell that her mane was probably an even more of a mess now than it had been from the rain. The only thing that had saved her mane had been that the stallion wasn't allowed to use scissors. She did not even look at her flank. Even if toys could get marks, she knew she had not gotten one. She felt dirty. Like she would have to wash for weeks to get the imaginary filth off her. But Cardiac made no comment about her appearance. And neither did Brick. If she really had any dirt on her, it did not catch their notice. As they escorted Sweetie out of the main hall, they had a brief conversation about how Cardiac had used a pair of disappearing sandwiches as an example to teach Soylent Green about the fun of having your possessions go mysteriously missing. Cardiac had dressed up since Sweetie last saw him. His shirt was now properly buttoned and his tie tucked into the collar. His mane had been combed up so that it no longer hung over his glasses and he all-in-all no longer looked like he had not just woken up in his own office... Which may or may not have been the case. It hit Sweetie just how badly she had lost track of time again. Nor did she have time to piece together the information she had of what time it might be, before the party came to a stop in front of a door not too far from the main hall. Brick pulled a key-chain from his coat-pocket and inserted it into the door in front of them. "Welcome to the luxury suite." He said as he opened the door. "You even get your own toilet." The room was noting special. But not bad either. She had imagined a gray cell and a hard bed with restraining buckles. Or perhaps just a dusty locker to be stored in. Truth was, the small room did not have much beyond a bed and a drawer. Still, the walls weren't gray but dressed in a soft yellow panel that seemed to shimmer quite warm in the relaxing light from the fluorescent lamp in the sky blue ceiling. And the floor was covered in a soft green carpet. Almost giving the room an illusion of an outdoor sunset. There was no potty on the floor. Instead there was a small door in the back of the room with a potty mark on it. "Soylent Green is gonna be so mad when she finds out the room is taken" Said Brick. "She liked to use it as a resting place." "Then that's two lessons she gets to learn today." Cardiac said with a smile "You can tell her she gets use the cafeteria like everypony else." Sweetie looked to the bed, that had been made in a clinical, hospitalized way - with the sheets stretched so hard you could bounce a bit of them. At once she realized how exhausted she was. She did not care what time of day it might be. She just wanted to tuck in and rest underneath those blankets. But before she could make it over to the bed, there came howling echoing through the corridor. Reminiscent of a dog, or a wolf, under the full moons light. A bad memory surfaced in Sweetie's mind. -:: Panic attack initiated ::- Only the fact that she froze from the sound of wolves so close by stopped her from diving in under the bed. Cardiac and Brick however, seemed unaffected by the sound of a wolf in their building. "Oh no. Sounds like she is out again" Said Brick. "Yes." Said Cardiac "Though its nothing to worry about." "Easy for you to say. You didn't have to clean up from last time she tried to mark her territory." The calmness of the two rubbed off on Sweetie. Her fears settled as quickly as they had arrived, and the tension in her legs released. Instead, her curiosity peaked, wondering who "she" was. Unlikely that she was a real wolf. So it must be some kind of dog? Perhaps the hospital mascot. Or the doctors private puppy? Still, what kind of hospital allowed stray dogs to run around? At that moment the sound of running hooves came down the corridor. And a second later, nurse Sully appeared in the doorframe. "You have to come quickly boss." She said. "Why? Is it something you can't handle on your own?" Said Cardiac, unaffected by the urgency in her tone. Sully gave Cardiac a cold stare. "I would love to handle it on my own" She said as she levitated a big syringe from her pocket. "But we both know this is your mess. Since you're the one who let her out again." Cardiac let out a sigh. Still, the smile never left his face. "You are right. And I take full responsibility for anything she might have done. Now, where is she? Out pillaging the kitchen while the chefs are on holiday?" "Ironically she has not left her room." Said Sully. And with that she turned tail and walked back the way she came from. Cardiac and Brick followed her. The later muttering something about "as usual" before taking note of Sweetie again. "Hey. What about the little one? Is she one of those its safe to leave?" Cardiac looked back. "Oh, she can come ... " his deep blue eyes locked with Sweeties for a second. "... If you want to. I promise its not dangerous." Sweetie weighing their options for a second. They had not locked her in the room, and he had given her the choice rather then telling her what to do. She looked back to the bed. Suddenly she didn't feel tired any more. With that she followed the others out into the corridor. *** The howling came a few more times as they walked down the corridors. Judging from the strength of the sound it must be a big dog. Even if it was not a wolf. As they walked the needle of Sully's syringe found its way into her teeth. Cardiac told her to spit it out. Which she did into the next trashcan they passed, and then called Brick a prick over some snide comment he made over her being obsessive compulsive. Finally they turned a corner and ended up in a long corridor. At the end of the corridor was a door. And the door stood slightly open. From inside came a ruckus. A crash as something big was tipped over, then the sound of fabric being torn to shreds. A puff of stuffing and feathers came blowing out the gap in the door. The thing inside howled again. Whatever kind of dog it was it must be big as a pony to create such a commotion. Sweetie started to regret her decision. She did not fancy ending up a chewing toy for some wild beast (again). Next to the door stood was another, anxious looking caretaker. He eased when he saw Cardiac. "Glad you could get here boss. " "You did the right thing in sending for me." Cardiac pushed the door open. It slowly swung inwards. The howling turned into growls as the occupier, who sat in the corner, noticed them. It was as big as a pony. Because it was a pony. A mare in pale turquoise fur, dressed in what appeared to be some form of unbuttoned restraining jacket. (Sweetie had a good idea of who had unbuttoned it). She sat next to a tippled over bedframe. Her mane and tail, which was the color of aches, Looked like they got an everyday special service trim by the local drooling hairstylist, and they were currently full of white stuffing from the torn up mattress. The fabric of which she clenched between her jaws. Her eyes glowed red as she glared at the ponies gathering in the doorway like they would suffer the same fate as the mattress if they approached. She gave a low warning growl from deep inside her throat. Her lips curled back further than Sweetie thought was possible, showing of every tooth in her yaw. (Teeth that were also full of stuffing) Teeth that surprisingly were not sharpened to those of a carnivore, as Sweetie had almost expected. The others visibly recoiled as she growled at them. They did not dare to enter the room. But Cardiac did. Unamused her detached himself from the group and walked straight up to that werepony of a mare. "No girl, What have you done now?" Cardiac said with a big sigh. His tone more disappointed than anything. "I trust you to behave yourself and this is how you repay me?" The bad meaner left the mare as through a spell when Cardiac entered. The growling and deadly stares disappeared and she started waging her tail (causing more stuffing to get dispersed into the air). "Bad girl! BAD!" The mare hung her head and whimpered. "Let go of the mattress now girl!" The angry growls returned. The mare got up and started rising her shaggy back in an aggressive pose. She began circling the Doctor - still dragging the remains of the mattress along with her. Still - her tail wagged happily behind her, even as she got a challenging look in her eyes. "NO! I'm not playing with you!" Sweetie detached herself from the others, daring to push her head out from between the legs of the grown ups. Taken by the spectacle. Never had she seen a mare act a dog so convincingly it made her wonder if it was a dog dressed as a pony. "Who is that?" She asked. "That's Screwloose." Said the unnamed caretaker "Maddest pony I've ever seen." “Yea. She sure went barking mad after she lost a few screws” Said Brick, looking around to see if anypony would laugh. The only response he got was the other guard mumbling “Prick.” Sully just rolled her eyes. "What do you mean?" Sweetie asked. "Did she go like this after she lost a bag of screws?" Sully facehooved. "No." The caretaker answered, As far as I've known she has always been like this. She was like this when she got here, was sent from Ponyville hospital she was. Not that it seem to have made her any better." "Whats wrong with her?" "She's angry with ponies for one thing” Sully answered. "No that's just you." Said Brick. "Truth is she is usually quite nice, if you treat her right. Scratch her behind the ear she will love you for the rest of your days. Does tricks for you even. Like sit nicely, roll around and shake your hoof for sugar cubes. She even fetch sticks." He said with a cozy smile." The other caretaker shook his head. "You are not suppose to do that Brick." "Sure she might reply nicely when we treat her like a dog. But that's not how we care for our patients. We are supposed to be helping them. Make them better ponies. Not encourage their delusions." "Not that anything has helped." Sighed Sully. "We tried everything. And she just does not respond to our treatments. "She continues to behave like a dog. She reacts to everything like a dog would do. Even a few vets we invited cant differentiate her psyche from that of a mare or a dogs. We try to teach her to behave like a mare, and she just got confused and aggressive." "It was like trying to teach a dog to sit at the table and eat with a spoon." sighed the caretaker . "Actually I think a dog could be trained easier then her." Sighed Sully. "I'm starting to believe that there really is a dog trapped in a pony's body." Said Brick. Sweetie looked back at the the mare named Screwloose. As they talked she had started a tug of war with Cardiac over the fabric of the mattress. Stuffing flew like snowflakes as they danced around the room. She pulled with her mouth, shaking her head violently as she braced herself with all four legs, while he used his forehooves to yank in the fabric. Eventually he ha gotten close enough to give her a smack on the nose. She eased up in defeat and let go of the mattress He hurled it to Brick and told Screwloose to follow him. Everypony turned their backs and walked back out into the corridor except Sweetie. Who was still spellbound by the mare. As she walked to the door with her head hung in defeat she locked eyes with Sweetie for the fist Time. Instantly her interested peaked. For a while they just stood there, as the others turned back around wondering why they weren't following. If she had thought about it Sweetie would have wondered why no fear overcame her. But she did not think. She just kept looking into those eyes. Screwloose slowly approached Sweetie. Her head hung so their eyes where leveled. Brick walked to stop her. But Dr Cardiac raised his hoof and stopped him. The two of them just stood there. Staring at each other. Then she sniffed at Sweetie a few times, then She licked her on the cheek, and then started rubbing her own cheek towards hers. She laid down in front of Sweetie and tilted her head. The eyes that looked up on her was the genuine saddest Sweetie had seen in a while. Without a word she lifted her sock dressed hoof and started scratching the mare behind the ear. Screwloose hummed in enjoyment. But she did not roll over so Sweetie could scratch her belly. Instead she sat back up, a sorrowful whimper entering her tone, and slowly stretched out her forehooves. Wrapping them around Sweetie and pulled her into a hug. Unlike all the other inmates. This hug did not feel wrong. -:: Initiating cry sequence ::- Sweetie hugged the mare back as tears started to escape from her eyes and fall onto the mares white jacket. Screwloose whimpered in tune with Sweeties sobs, and rested her cheek on Sweeties head. Sweetie could not feel the hooves around her. Could not feel the mares fur tangle with her own. Could not feel her mane squeeze under the mares chin, nor her head resting on top of hers. She could only register the pressure as her neck shifted from the weight. And it was not heavy. Screwloose did not use her a a pillow. She was hugging her with all of her body. Even her ash gray tail made its way around Sweeties back. Their sobbing was joined with a trumpet fanfare. Both mares looked up to see Brick with a handkerchief to his nose and tears in his eyes. "What are you crying about?" The other caretaker asked. "I don't know, I really don't know!" He bellowed. Cardiac exchanged looks with Sweetie and Screwloose. His face flat and judging. Screwloose's ears were flat to her head, and the look she gave was pleading. Without a word being spoken he gave a nod. "Let them be for the time being. Watch over them. Provide for them. And when she is done, you can show her to my office," He said. With that, The staff finally provided them with solitude. Cardiac closed the door, ensuring that the caretakers would remain outside in case she needed something. "Outside the door, Boss?" "Yes. Give the two some privacy." Sweetie was so glad she was allowed to remain in Screwloose's forehooves. She did not know why. But she really really wanted to feel this mares embrace. That want was strong enough to send a signal to her body functions processor, telling them to released the grip of the failsafe on her sensors. Slowly one of Sweeties five senses came back to her. And she became aware of the shaggy blue fur that pressed against hers. Aware of the pressure of Screwlooses forelegs around her. Aware of the rising and failing of her chest as she drew breaths. The slow steady beating of her heart against Sweeties cheek. Aware of the moist from her tears. It was like waking up and becoming aware of the bed you slept in. Sweetie could not believe how much she missed this sensation. It almost made her forget why she ever had turned it of in the first place. Screwloose's embrace was the best bed she could have woken up in. Despite that the buttons of her wrinkled, hard jacket dug into Sweetie's flesh. Despite that the stuffing and feathers made her eyes itch. Despite that her smelly, unwashed fur was so shaggy and tangled. (Sweetie could not imagine she smelled too good either.) Well. At least there was something that could be done about that. Sweetie knocked on the door and asked if they could have some water and soap - preferably in a big tub of some kind. They did eventually get a big metal dishing bowl delivered from the kitchen, just big enough for one small pony. (The caretakers must have been quite sturdy to carry it without dropping to much of the water.) With it came some soap that smelled that it was meant for the dishes as well. And with that the door between the couples were closed again. Sweetie helped Screwloose out of her restraint jacket. Her fur was so sweaty and shaggy underneath that it almost stuck to her like a Velcro. In turn she helped Sweetie out of her socks. It took all of her will not to shy away as Screwloose slowly pulled the sock of her right foreleg. She forced herself to remember the promise she told herself. To stay no matter what happened. Glad was she that there was nopony in the room but mare could not speak. But she could bark. And the ponies outside probably had their ears to the door. She steadied herself for the reaction as her injured foreleg and the metal structure underneath slowly was exposed. But Screwloose did not bark nor bellow. Unlike all others she did not look at all surprised. Unaffected she gently peeled the sock all the way of the hoof and put it away. Sweetie deflated even though she did not let out any breath's. She exposed looked back and forth between the mare in front of her and the exposed gears of her damaged foreleg. The two wires she had torn out of herself dangled uselessly from the side. "Yes... That's me." She said with the heaviest of non existent sighs, and gave the loose wires a punch with her other hoof. "Is this why you liked me? Because I'm a doll? Or is it because I'm not one of those stupid adults? Or do you like me because I'm not a pony?" Screwloose's ears flattened. She sniffed cautiously on Sweeite's leg, specifically at the red edge between skin and metal, And licked it as if to clean it. She looked back at Sweetie and whimpered. Her eyes seemed to hold the deepest concern. As if to say "you poor little thing" before She bent forward and tenderly licked Sweeties cheeks clean of tears. Then she took Sweeties foreleg in her hoof. And before Sweetie could figure out what had happened she had taken the loose cables and reattached them. "How did you ... ?" Screwloose simply smiled, and pulled her into another hug. Despite how bad she felt about exposing her secret, Sweetie allowed herself to relax. Because Screwloose did not judge her for the metal under her skin. *** The hours slowly flowed past as they sat there and enjoyed each others presence. The bath had been much welcomed, despite the simplicity. Sweetie went first as she was small enough to fit in the bowl. She had nothing to pour with but used the socks, which she drenched and squeezed over her head. Screwloose did not fit in their tub. But got to hold her head over the edge as Sweetie squeezed her socks over her mane. Then they scrubbed each other with a brush (that at least seemed to come from a real bath). Screwloose was very accommodating, even if she did shake herself like a dog afterwards - sprinkling water over the whose room. At least the moisture helped the dust and stuffing to settle. They had brushed the stuffing to one side of the room and then sat combing each others manes. Sweetie believed she got most of the tangles out of the gray mane and tail, even though she wasn't allowed any scissors to get rid off the worst bundles. When she was done, the blue mares hair hung in long gray streaks that almost reached the floor. It was quite surprising how long her hair was, once sweetie had untangled the bird's nest of her mane. Screwloose did Sweetie's hair as she laid in her lap. Sweetie even dared leave her senses on. For this time it felt good and relaxing. Screwloose was so tender in her movements. Never pulling nor tugging as she pulled the comb through Sweeties main and tail. Despite not being a hairdresser, she did a far better job at restoring Sweeties shaggy pink mane and tail than her previous barber. Screwloose even managed to give them back some of their former curls. *** Rarity could not care less about curls. Nor did she care about her shop, or her clients, or the status of their orders. She - who normally cared so much for her business and appearance - did not even notice the damage nor cared about the state of her products. The only thing that mattered was Sweetie Belle. It had been a mad dash from Ponyville. After waking up from her seizure, she had flown into a frenzy. Screaming at Twilight that they had to leave now. That they had to go after "them." She was absolutely convinced that "they" had been here. That "they" had taken Sweetie and that "they" would do not-even-Celestia-knows-what to her. Never did she specify who "they" were to Twilight beyond that it was they who had done this to her boutique. Telling her to act rationally was all that Twilight could do to make Rarity take a few steps back, take at least a few hysterical breaths, and think. That Sweetie was missing did not at all mean that somepony had taken her. She had said herself that she had run away. And might be hiding somewhere. It was all Twilight could do to hold her friend back and at least get some rain suits. Rarity had ran through the boutique in a speed that would make Rainbow dash impressed, Quickly collecting everything she thought necessary for a rescue mission. completely oblivious to the state her shop was in. She, who always packed so much, had taken less than a minute to cram all the bare essentials into a pair of saddlebags and get a pair of hooded rain suits, a purple one for twilight and a blue for herself - complete with some matching rubber boots for their hooves. Not that they ended up matching. She, who normally cared so much about fashion and could take hours dressing herself, was in such a rush that she mixed up the colors as she put the boots on. Rarity did not even close the door as she bolted out of the Boutique. It would have remained open to all the weather if Twilight had not magically slammed it shut behind her. Twilight had been about to tell Rarity that they had no idea where they would go. But just as they ran out into the rain, they ran into Rarity's parents. The pair had been heading back to the Boutique with some happy news. They had found somepony who had seen Sweetie. While looking around the outskirts of town, asking if anypony had seen any run away foals, they had found a helpful soul. The happy news was quickly drowned out by the terrible news of the raid on the Boutique. Rarity quickly filled in her parents on her suspicions. And her horror was flooded over to them. It took Twilight to act cool and rational to get the others to calm down. Rarity had handed her parents a pair of normal yellow rain suits and Sylvester's hats. One of the things she had stuffed down her bags in some form of precognition. Mr Belle had in all comedy put his rainhat on top of his strawhat. And they had all hurried back to speak with this witness of Sweetie's whereabouts. Towards the western outskirts of town, before Sweet Apple Acres took hold, there was the Wagon Warehouse. (Or "The double-double-ew as Pinkie called it. Or tripple-ew since it was the "western wagon warehouse". Or quadruple-ew as it was run by an elderly Mr Mcwheely, or simply "Wheely" as some called him - In which case it was the "Wheelys-Western-Wagon-Warehouse". Pinkie had stopped using the nickname quadruple-ew after she realized that saying it made it sound like the place disgusted you times four. At which point it was back to being called the Double-W) It was a large barn-like building, that functioned like a rent and repair shop for wagons and chariots of all their kinds. Its service was loosely connected to the local postal office and cab service due to them seeing the most need for wagons and repairs. But anypony could rent a wagon here. Due to the small size of the town, there were usually no reason for most to have their own personal wagons, save for the Apple family, and fewer had any place to store them. Thus, this barn had been built. Mr Mcwheely rarely saw any business at a time like this. It did not mean business was bad. On the contrary, every market vendor pony had needed to store their wagons due to the weather. And he got payed a good bit for keeping them trimmed up. By the end of it, he was gonna make a tidy sum out of it before the snow started falling. Money that would be spent on new oil and stuff to fix up the snowplows that were stored in the back. Yet he refused to close simply due to bad weather. What if somepony needed a cab or something? And as it was to happen, some ponies did. He had explained to Twilight and her gang that he had seen a few little foals running past his warehouse today, including a white little filly, who ran like the speed demon was behind her, had been heading out of town on the western road. Unlike the others she had not returned. Who had returned, on the other hoof, was the Pegasus. The Pegasus he was talking about had come walking into town from that western road, panting and wings hanging limp from his sides like he had been flying a mareathon. A while later he had come back with his unicorn friend and asked to rent a wagon. Twilight had asked what they looked like. And Mcwheely gave the description of two strangers, stallions, clearly not from around town. A yellow Pegasus and a dark blue unicorn. Upon hearing this description, Rarity had flipped. Without giving any further explanation she had simply stated "IT'S THEM!" And immediately wanted to bolt down the western road. She had been utterly convinced that's where Sweetie was heading. Why else would "they" Journey off into the same direction? If nothing else, they had to go after them. Rarity was sure they knew something about Sweetie. Needless to say, it was not long until they were of in a wagon of their own. Rarity had at first refused to allow them to take any cab or chariot as it would be pulled by somepony else. She had utterly refused to involve anypony else. Twilight had manage to convince her to at least take a private wagon. Apart from having something to shield them from the rain, it would also be a lot faster and save their hooves from running all the way in the mud. (And it would give her friend somewhere to rest) There would be no need for a pony to pull it. Twilight would make it move on her own using her magic. "Don't you go around doing that to much." Mcwheely had said "if ponies figured out how to make wagons run all on their own some of us would be out of a job." Twilight had promised him she would keep it a secret. (It would not be the first she promised to keep that day). Besides, she doubted many unicorns had the strength to make a wagon move for as long as she did. As they drove out the west end of town, they nearly had ran into Cheerilee, who was on her way back from Sweet Apple Acres She told them she had spent a good amount of time searching through the Acres for Sweetie. Sadly without results. The only thing she had seen was a pair of stallions pulling a wagon running past her as she was scouting the outskirts of the Acres near the road. She wondered who was crazy enough to be driving in this weather. Again the description of the stallions was of a yellow Pegasus and a blue unicorn. Rarity had been on the verge of panic. But Twilight used this information to calm her. It meant that "they" did not have that much of a head start. And since they had left town so shortly after vandalizing her Boutique, they could not have caught Sweetie. Since Sweetie had left town far earlier. And if they had caught her, then there would have been no reason for them to break into the Boutique. And it was looking more and more unlikely that Sweetie had returned to the Boutique herself. It seemed to ignite at least some spark of hope in Rarity. It also ignited another thought in Twilight's mind. If "they" had been watching the boutique. Maybe they had seen Sweetie leave and failed to catch her? The panting Pegasus came to her forehead. What kind of filly could outrun a grown pony? A Pegasus for that matter? They had said goodbye to Cheerilee. She had been asked to join them, but declined since somepony needed to take care of the children here in town. She also confirmed that Sweetie was not hiding in Sweet Apple Acres, she had checked that place herself. She then wished them luck and made them promise they would bring that little filly back home. With that, Twilight had steered the wagon out west. Down the road that led to White Tail Woods. As they rode, Twilight took the opportunity to scratch that itch in her mind and ask Rarity's parents some more about Sweetie. The information had been sketchy at best, (and still as unbelievable as it had first sounded). What they basically had told her was that Sweetie was made to be just like a real filly. The setting in her systems were hoof-tuned to be true to life. Even so, Twilight had to ask if there was any possibility that she could break those limits? Could a malfunction like the one Rarity described short circuit her settings somehow? The Belles had to admit that they did not know. Neither did they know what capabilities Sweetie's mechanical body could hold. As such, they had no way of calculating how far Sweetie might have ran. "Were you not informed about the progress on your daughter?” Twilight had asked. Mrs. Belle had seemed disturbed at the question. “Its true that we did almost not understand most of anything about what they put in her. we were just in the way most of the time. But even so it seemed like they got progressively determined to keep us out of the experiment.” So they had no idea what kind of stuff they might have put in their daughter, Twilight had thought. once again the thought of laser eyes had filled her mind. “I don't know why." Her husband had said "But the ponies we went into that place with were not the same ponies we fled from later.” Twilight could only wonder if such a project would literally drive you insane? She wondered if that's why Frankenpony had seemed so mad in the novel. Was it madness to tamper with the essence of life? Even if one neglected the thought that the essence was something holy, one were still playing with the essence of life. A small life that nature had neglected, it seemed. She suddenly understood why the Belle's had used so called “secluded” sources. Because no doctor nor hospital would ever agree to do what they had done. It went against every code of practice. It had been hours before they reached the outskirts of White Tail Woods. The road had been simple to follow, a single path leading into the bare trees. Sadly they were alone on the lonely road. They had not caught up with anything. Twilight could only wonder how long Cheerilee had searched through Sweet Apple Acres for the time difference to be this great. The only thing they had eventually run into a crossroad. The road split up like a "Y" in front of them. Whatever signposts that might have indicated what laid down the roads must have blown away. Or simply never existed in the first place. There was no tracks to indicate which way another wagon might have taken. The roads were too hard and too well kept for wagon wheels to sink into. Never had Twilight thought she would curse the well maintained Equestrian roads. They had to split up. Twilight and Rarity in one group - Mr and Mrs Belle in the other. They decided to let Rarity's parents have the wagon. Twilight would be able to shield Rarity and herself from the weather with her magic. Besides, the two youngsters were far more fit than the elderly couple. In turn, Miss Belle had something to give them. The rough crystal that was to be Sweetie's heart. Rarity did not want to take it, but Miss Belle insisted. Not just in case they found Sweetie first, but so that Rarity could work on it, in case something came back to her. "Keep it close deary, and maybe things will surface for you if you do. Besides, I trust you to take far better care of it than me." Twilight did not understand why they had to bring it in the first place. Just how pressing was the matter of the ticking time limit on Sweetie's heart? “Don't worry. There should still be plenty of time left on her Heart-Drive.” Miss Belle said ”We would not wait to the very last moment to replace our daughters heart just in the nick of time. Although …" "Although what?" “The doctor said that extreme emotions would put more strain on the heart.” Rarity had almost panicked. “She is out there somewhere alone! What could possibly be more of an emotional strain than this!!??” *** That had been at least a day ago. Twilight did her best not to think about the time. Doing so only made her think of how long Sweetie had been out here, in the rain, cold and alone. The cold was beginning to get to Twilight as well. She and Rarity had been running for hours, before being forced to slow to a trot, and eventually stop altogether. Rarity had wanted to continue but Twilight insisted that they make camp and get some rest, or else they would both drop dead. And none of them would be able to help Sweetie then. Now they sat around a small campfire. A small roof made of branches and sticks hung suspended in the treetops over their small camping site. Twilight had made it after she had felt the strain of her rain shield becoming too great on her horn. Her head throbbed as much as her legs, and she knew she had to conserve her energy less she would risk burning herself out, both magically and physically. Twilight tried to calm the headache by going through the transpired events in her head. It had all happened so fast, she could not believe it. (Partially because she did not want to believe any of it). Now time seemed to drag endlessly. And the sulky weather and the even sulkier mood did not help her recover. Not even thinking about what Pinkie had said about the "W" helped. It only made the absence of the rest of her friends that much more obvious. She wished they could have helped. Wished she had time to contact them. It would have made searching the forest that much easier. But she had made a promise of secrecy to Rarity. And Twilight knew she had to follow her as she ran out of town. She could not leave this mare on her own. Least of all when she was like this. If she had not been here to hold her friend back, Rarity might as well have run herself into ruin. Twilight wondered if the others would have liked camping in the rain? She had read the scout's handbook on camping. That's how she knew how to build a shelter and a fireplace. Lighting it with magic had been easier than the various earth pony tricks the book instructed on, and she had also thought enough to magically dry the ground around them before putting their blankets down. If only something could be done about the cold. The fire provided little warmth, and if not for her raincoat she would have been freezing. Her thoughts turned to the fabric as she pulled it a little tighter around herself. It was carefully fitted with warm stuffing on the inside with such a hoof made quality that it perfectly fit her form. Hugging her like a woolly sweater that protected against cold as well as rain and wind. Twilight suspected that her friend had made this just for her, perhaps as some sort of gift. Now that gift was being thrust into her face. She tried not to think about how Sweetie had no raincoat. No food. No fire. By Celestia's mercy, a filly could freeze dead in this cold! That was... if a robot could die. She looked up at Rarity. This was not the time to ask such questions. This was not the time to ask any kind of questions at all. Twilight could not help but feel like she had drawn the short straw on the informational part. Every time Rarity was asked to remember something of her past it seemed to physically hurt her. Twilight even had the horrible thought that these strange ponies in her past might have done something to her to make her forget. Perhaps they had done it to all of the Belle's? Perhaps that was why they could remember so little about that past. Or maybe they had done it to themselves? How? Had they taken amnesia potions or something? Twilight shook that thought out of her head. "Please Rarity. Eat something." She magically levitated over a can of beans that she had held cooking over the fire. (Another thing that Rarity had stuffed down her bags in her split second packing was food) Twilight had assumed it was for Sweetie Belle. As well as the thick blankets they now sat on. She wanted these things to be for wrapping the little freezing filly into. Wanted the food to be for the hungry little mare. Wanted it all to be to comfort the runaway filly on the spot. Because she wanted them to find her immediately. They should not have been needing to look this long. Nor should they have to compete with a pair of mysterious ponies from Rarity's past. Nor should Sweetie have gotten this far without turning home. No filly should have been able to run this far. Twilight had to assume she might have gotten lost in these woods. Lost in a body that was no longer operating the way it should. She shivered at the thought. Rarity did not touch the food. She sat with the rough crystal in her magical grip. The crystal that was suppose to be Sweetie's new heart. She spun it around, just staring at it, as if doing so would somehow make it reveal its secrets. Alas, nothing happened. Twilight had never seen Rarity like this. Her eyes seemed so hollow, so distant. Black circles had started to form under those eyes, and Twilight knew it was not leftover mascara. "If you are not going to eat then at least get some rest. We continue the search tomorrow." "How can i possibly sleep knowing that my poor little Sweetie is somewhere out there? Cold and alone. No, you get some sleep Twilight. I will take the first watch." "Watch for what?" "For Sweetie of course! What if she sees the fire and comes to investigate." Then I'm sure she will wake us up, Twilight thought. But she did not say it. She did not want to risk shattering the small glimmer of hope in Rarity's eyes. Truth was sleep would not be easy for Twilight either. The nightmare she now found herself in while awake would surely have an effect on her dreams. And the worry she felt for Sweetie and for herself made her heart weigh so heavy it almost touched the ground as she laid down. And the questions, so many questions spun in her uneasy mind. Twilight did the only thing she could, and started go through the events again, to sort out the thoughts, catalog them and count them again and again, until the thoughts themselves carried her off to the mental bookshelves in the dreamscape's library. Rarity remained sitting upright. She stored the heart-stone away in her saddlebag, and then stared out into the darkness of the forest. Stared with the darkest eyes. She whispered. Softly enough as to not wake her friend, yet loudly enough as to be heard by the forest. "Oh Sweetie, where art thou?"