My name is Rainbow Dash and I'm an alcoholic.
No I'm not. Could I be?
The walls are really white. Sterile. Blank.
Color of eggs. Eggs. Life, thriving inside a protective shell. The miracle of childbirth.
A fetus?
No, not a fetus. Too smart to be a fetus.
Am I smart?
I'm intelligent. But am I smart?
No. No no no I am not smart. If I were smart I would not be in here.
The egg.
Is it in egg?
Sure. Why not?
Door is opening. Visitor?
Nurse. Has pill.
Nutrients, from the mother to the fetus.
Egg. I am in an egg.
My name is Rainbow Dash and I am a fetus in an egg.
Embryo?
Embryo.
My name is Rainbow Dash and I am an embryo in an egg.
Nurse is in room. Hands me pill and glass of water.
Not glass. Could break. Make me bleed.
Make Nurse bleed?
No. Bad embryo. Don't think like that.
Swallow pill. Lights become brighter.
Hand not-glass back. Not glass. Glass could break.
Make me bleed, make nurse bleed.
My name is Rainbow Dash and I bleed.
No. I do not bleed. There is nothing to make me bleed.
The nurse takes the not-glass from the embryo.
Leaves room. Closes door behind her. Locks door on way out.
Nurse won't bleed. Nurse can't bleed.
Nurse is not a bleeder.
I am a bleeder.
When the polarity of the water molecule interacts with other polar molecules like sodium chloride, water acts as a solvent.
My name is Rainbow Dash and I am a solvent.
Am I?
No. I am the solute.
The negative oxygen ion meets the positive sodium ion. The opposing charges cause the sodium to be ripped from the chlorine. Water surrounds the sodium in a shell. Hydration shell.
I drink the water from the not-glass.
Hydration's hell.
Similarly, the positive hydrogen ions meet with the negative chlorine ion. The opposing charges rips the chlorine from the sodium. Water surrounds. Hydration shell.
Rations. Ration everything.
Nurse rations thoughts. Books come in a cart down the hall.
Recognize librarian. Twilight Sparkle?
No. Twilight Sparkle is a princess. She does not know me.
My name is Rainbow Dash and I am not a friend of Twilight Sparkle.
Embryos ask librarian for a book. She gives it to them. Comes one week later for book.
If not ready to give book back, librarian comes back next week. Book forcibly returned now.
I don't want Nurse or the librarian to take away my book. My book is special to me.
Librarian comes up to my door. Do you have your book?
No.
That's nonsense. Where could your book have gone?
My book is not here.
She raises her eyebrow. Give me back your book.
No!
She sighs and shouts for Nurse.
I fumble and hand her the book. No no no! No Nurse. Please don't call Nurse.
She looks down at me. Never mind, Nurse. I have the book.
I crawl back into my cell and start caressing my feathers. Like a blanket.
The warmth is suffocating.
My name is Rainbow Dash and I am suffocating.
Nurse comes to my cell. She opens the door and has the not-glass in her hand that is filled with water.
She gives me the not-glass. I do not drink.
She grunts and shoves the not-glass closer to my face. Drink.
No! I swat the not-glass down onto the floor. The water spills all over.
Why, you little...! She reaches for me.
I hold up my hoof. She runs into it.
She falls onto the ground, wheezing.
My eyes are blurry. I don't know what is...
My hooves wrap around something. Warm, sweaty, slick. I can barely hold on.
I squeeze tighter. I hear gurgling.
My eyes are still blurry. I can't breathe.
Someone is kicking against the floor. I press harder.
Kicking stops. Moving stops.
Eyes un-blurry now. Nurse is on the floor. Her chest isn't moving.
Nurse?
I prod her.
Nurse, wake up. What happened, Nurse?
Nurse!
I stumble back into the wall. Nurse! Nurse, wake up!
Nurse won't wake up what have I done where am I going to go why did I do this who did this I can't have done this I'm Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Dash would never hurt ANYONE especially not a NURSE I
I
Am I Rainbow Dash? I am Rainbow Dash.
No I'm not yes I am no I'm not yes I am
Eyes getting blurry again. I feel light-headed and woozy and I feel like I'm just going to fall to the floor and
"How's the patient?"
"She's not doing well. She keeps mumbling about how she thinks she's Rainbow Dash."
"Rainbow Dash? You mean, Bearer of the Element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash?"
"The one and only. She seems to have fixated on Rainbow Dash so much that her mind formed a separate, distinct personality that thinks it's her."
"And it overtook the regular one?"
"That's what it looks like to me. I've only heard the stories. I've never seen it happen with my own eyes, but..."
"Only here in Ponyville, right?"
"I guess. The town's still in something of a shock. I think Redheart's death hit us all a little close to home, especially because she was down in Pediatrics. Who dies in Pediatrics?"
"Apparently the ones who get the crazy ones. A code silver can happen anywhere. Has the psychologist come in yet?"
"He left about half an hour before you came in. According to him, she has a severe lack of self-esteem, most likely due to her malformed wings. He thinks that her fixation on Rainbow Dash came from that. The patient wanted to be like Rainbow Dash, and it morphed into an unhealthy obsession that became its own personality. I don't know if the regular little filly is in there anymore."
"Has he suggested a course of treatment?"
"He says there's nothing we can do for now, except monitor her vitals and make sure she doesn't try to do anything dangerous. She's on suicide watch for sure, and for a few days after, anyone going in won't do it alone. At least two at a time."
"What about the family?"
"We haven't been able to track one down. Town Hall was able to give us a name — Scootaloo — but there's no one on record who's a parent or legal guardian."
"What'll she do once she gets out?"
"That's more likely an if she ever gets out. I can't imagine allowing her back into society without... oh, years of therapy
"Yeah... alright. Anyways, I have some other patients I need to get to. Got a guy in 3B complaining of subcutaneous pressure near his wing joints. But keep me updated, alright?"
"Will do."
This morning, at 7:32 AM, a Ponyville resident named Nurse Redheart was murdered by a patient at Ponyville General's pediatrics ward.
The patient, whose name has not yet been released, strangled Ms. Redheart to death when Ms. Redheart entered the patient's hospital room. The patient was taken into the psychiatric ward for evaluation and detainment until further judgments about the patient can be made.
"Our hearts and minds go out to the family of the victim, and they will constantly be in our thoughts and prayers while they make it through this tough time," said Steady Hooves, a practicing neurosurgeon and current director of Ponyville General. He declined further comment. We will have more on this story as it develops.