Chapter 5 - Change Of Scenery
Doctor Horse had me moved to another room down the hall. Only then did I realize how much that incident had affected me. My legs felt weak, and my heart still pounded. Rainbow Dash was fine as a protector but was not a very calming presence. She made a great fuss when a doctor examined her. Apparently she was no stranger to injury.
It also didn't help that it took almost an hour for Twilight to show up, accompanied by Fluttershy. I recoiled a little when I saw the princess. After a brief hesitation, Fluttershy flew over to me and gave me a brief but warm hug. That was the first time I saw her use her wings.
"It's okay," Fluttershy said as she settled on her hooves next to me. "This is the real Twilight."
A curious sight drew my attention. A diminutive bipedal purple creature followed Twilight into the room. He looked like a small, wingless dragon.
"We just saw the trashed room," said Twilight as she trotted up to me. "I know you're upset, but can you please tell me what happened?"
My voice was a little shaky at first, but having Fluttershy nearby helped calm me. I didn't want to risk leaving out a crucial detail, so I described everything that happened since Rarity and Fluttershy had left that morning and concluded with, "I don't know what happened to Nurse Redheart after I fell asleep."
"We cannot find her anywhere in the hospital," said Doctor Horse.
"That must've been the changeling, too!" Rainbow said.
"Sounds like she used some sort of sleep spell," the little dragon said.
"I think you're right, Spike," said Twilight. "That explains the flash of green light the filly saw. The changeling cast the spell on her, then trashed the room to make it look like she had done it."
My stomach twisted. That felt no better than being drugged without my knowledge.
"I didn't think changeling drones could do that," said Spike.
"We still know so little about them. Some drones may be more intelligent or have specialized functions. It's a common aspect of other hive-minded creatures." Twilight turned back to me. "Do you have any idea at all why the changelings would want your pendant?"
"My pendant is exactly what I told you it is, or at least I thought it was." I sighed. "I-I'm willing to admit you may be right that there's something more to it, but if there is, I had no idea until all this started."
"Would you be willing to let me examine it?"
I wanted to scream, not at Twilight, but at the situation. Even after this thing became a threat to my safety, I still clung to it. Was a dead friendship really worth all this? What was driving me?
"What if I could do it so it didn't leave your sight, and you could have it back if it turns out not to be dangerous?"
I was still torn. I realized I had to trust somepony, and Twilight was doing her best to accommodate me. What I really hated about this situation was that I was forced to admit I could not handle it myself. I had become used to taking care of things on my own back on Earth.
Yeah, and that had turned out great, hadn't it? "All right," I said with a defeated sigh.
Twilight appeared thoughtful before turning back to Doctor Horse. "Doctor, how soon could she be released from your care?"
"Well, we still need to interview her to see if the memory charm had any effect," said Doctor Horse. "And I want to redo those X-rays of her head to rule out any injury."
"Can those be done today?"
"I can expedite them, yes."
"If you can release her today, I would like to take temporary custody of her," said Twilight. "On my authority as a Princess of Equestria."
I gave her a startled look. Did that mean Twilight was going to be the one to--
Rainbow flew up to her. "Wait, you're gonna take her to the castle?"
"I don't want to risk her being hurt, Rainbow," said Twilight, her voice suddenly tense. "She'll be safer there. It's just until we find out more about the pendant. More permanent arrangements are in progress for fostering her to another pony if we can't find her relatives."
Rainbow glanced at me for a moment. "Twilight, look, I'm not trying to upset you again, but do you really think you should go ahead with ... um ... that other thing?"
"I gotta admit, Twilight," said Spike. "I'm not so sure about it myself, either."
Twilight frowned. "Doctor, could you please inform the administration of my wishes? I'll find you when I'm done, and you can proceed with the rest of the tests."
"Of course, Princess," said Doctor Horse before he let himself out.
"I'm really sorry about before," Rainbow said. "And I'm not trying to tell you what to do or go over your head again, I just--"
"No, it's fine," Twilight said in a softer voice. "I spent some time with Fluttershy after I left. She made me realize that I had overreacted a bit. You really were right to want more security for the summit. We can talk about it more later. What's important now is ensuring the filly's safety."
I really wished I had a name. I know they didn't mean it that way, but calling me "the filly" made me feel like they thought I wasn't even in the room. I might have betrayed my feelings on my face -- or my damn ears -- as Fluttershy gave me a reassuring smile.
"But do you really wanna have the pendant and the bug-queen in the same place if she wants it that much?" Rainbow asked.
Bug queen? No matter how they spun it, I was sure I was not going to like this.
"Queen Chrysalis is not supposed to arrive for the summit for another day," said Twilight. "I'm hoping to learn more about the pendant before then."
"But you gotta admit she's up to something."
"Unfortunately, yes, but if we simply cancel the summit, we won't know what."
"I-I'm sorry to interrupt," said Fluttershy. "But what if you can't find anything out about the pendant before Queen Chrysalis arrives?"
Twilight smiled. "I'll be one of three alicorns present during the summit. I think between all of us we can ensure the safety of one young unicorn and one pendant."
Alicorn? Was that another title? Or was it more what Twilight was physically? Given how similar it was to "unicorn," I was guessing the latter. Then who were the two other alicorns?
Twilight turned to Spike, "Would you please take that letter for me now?"
The little dragon produced a parchment and quill -- from where I had no idea -- but suddenly looked thoughtful. "First I have one question about this arrangement."
"Oh? What's that?"
Spike stepped up to me. "Do you snore?"
The question was so incongruous that my brain simply sputtered.
"Spike!" Twilight cried, though Rainbow snickered, and Fluttershy giggled.
Spike turned to Twilight. "What?"
Twilight smirked. The dragon was enveloped in her magical glow, picked up, and plopped back down in front of her. "Just take the letter."
Spike sighed. "Fine. But she better not snore to wake the dead like Rainbow Dash does."
"Heh, yeah, that would be real -- hey!" Rainbow said.
Okay, that was funny, and I managed a small giggle.
"Dear Princess Celestia," said Twilight.
I stopped giggling. Did she say Celestia?
"There has been a disturbing new development concerning the filly and her pendant," Twilight dictated, Spike's quill scratching across parchment. "A changeling attempted to trick her into giving up the pendant. Said attempt was foiled thanks to Rainbow Dash. I am taking the filly this evening to the Castle of Friendship--"
Did I hear that name right?
"--for her protection. She has agreed to let me study the pendant and ascertain--"
Spike stopped writing. "Um ..."
"Determine?" Twilight suggested.
Spike nodded and continued writing.
"--determine what the changelings find so interesting about it. I have decided for now that the summit will continue as planned. Yours in friendship, Princess Twilight Sparkle."
"Got it," said Spike.
"Send it at once, please."
Spike did something I would not have believed had I not seen it for myself. After rolling up the parchment into a scroll, he breathed fire on it. Rather than simply being rendered into so many ashes, the scroll vanished in a flicker of light. A faint, sparkling cloud flew across the room and out the window.
Every time I thought I had seen every sort of strangeness this world had to offer, something else made my perceptions go off the deep end.
And this Celestia was a princess? But her name was being used like a deity in the book. Perhaps they did something similar to ancient Egypt, where the Pharaohs were considered divine. The alternative -- that this princess had godlike powers -- was too ludicrous and scary to be believed.
Despite how openly they spoke in front of me, I still had so many questions. I had no idea what kind of danger I had just faced, or that I was still going to face. I could not tell whether the dearth of details was from lack of trust in me or simply because I was still a child in their eyes.
"Are you okay?" Fluttershy asked, breaking me out of my reverie.
"Oh, um, yes, sorry," I said. "This is just a little overwhelming."
"It's okay, I understand." Fluttershy smiled. "I think you'll like staying in Twilight's castle, even if it is for just a short time."
I seriously considered telling them the complete truth then, but decided it would be better to find out more about the pendant first. If it did turn out to be benign, or just a colossal red herring, then at least they would not worry I was some vanguard of an alien invasion.
And to be honest, despite the spell-induced nap, I was exhausted.
"Thanks," I said, smiling weakly. "I'm sure I will."
I was a little wary about being left alone, until I was told that one of the sheriff’s deputies would be stationed outside my room. I was soon whisked off to Doctor Lovely Memory again, anyway.
She interviewed me, and of course, I had "recalled" nothing of my alleged lost memories. Maybe if I had not still felt a bit frazzled, I could have made up something. She was concerned enough to want to cast another charm on me.
"This spell will give me a more detailed view of the structure of your brain," she said, never losing that gentle smile.
"For what purpose?"
"It can reveal if other potential mental conditions could be the indirect cause of your amnesia. It also detects if there is a spell or other magical effect blocking your memories."
So it will just make me more of an enigma to them. Like I had much choice. "Okay."
She was kind enough to do the holding spell for me again to protect my pendant. I needed to watch that damn thing even more like a hawk (or whatever the equivalent Equestrian avian species was appropriate).
The existence of shape-shifters was doing nothing to enamor me to this world. That a changeling could look so utterly indistinguishable from a real person sent a chill down my spine. My only clue had been Nurse Redheart's more curt behavior that day. Even Rainbow Dash had taken time to figure out Twilight wasn't real. Did I need to start scrutinizing every pony I met? I already felt like I was getting a little too paranoid, and this was not helping.
Lovely Memory was again making notes on a parchment as that maddening itch crawled under my scalp like a colony of ants. The effect was worse than with the earlier spell. Random images flickered across my mind, and I saw snippets of my dream. When I recalled entering the apartment, my vision suddenly blurred, and I felt strangely disoriented.
"Are you all right?" asked Lovely Memory.
I blinked rapidly. The image was gone and my vision was normal again. "Um, yeah, just felt kind of weird there for a moment."
"Hmm. A rare side-effect, but it does happen sometimes. So long as you are not in pain."
"No, not pain. More like I got dizzy for just a second."
That was the best explanation I had. It seemed to satisfy her. About when I was ready to start rubbing my hoof against my head to stop the itching, the glow from her horn faded and so did the sensation. "All done," said Lovely Memory. "I'll need to examine this in more detail, but a preliminary look shows nothing out of the ordinary."
Hooray for good mental health, I supposed.
I was taken to X-ray next. Before I was allowed to put my pendant back on afterward, Doctor Horse did another horn exam. This time when he waved the crystal rod around my horn, he seemed pleased with the results.
So I had a healthy horn, too. Good to know. Too bad I had no clue how to use it.
By the time Doctor Horse told me the results of the X-rays (all normal, of course), the rain had stopped, and the clouds were clearing rather rapidly. I was surprised to see it was so close to sunset. The afternoon had gone by fast.
"Well, my dear, I believe we will be parting ways for now," said Doctor Horse. "I am terribly sorry we could do nothing to help you reclaim your memories."
"You did your best," I said, which was certainly true. Hell, I could only wish hospitals on Earth moved that fast. "Does that mean Princess Twilight is here?"
"She is indeed. Allow me take you to her."
I felt some trepidation. While I realized this princess didn't put on airs, was that going to change once I was in her castle? Did I have to watch where I stepped? Or maybe she had a huge staff of servants, and I wouldn't have to lift a hoof. That would be nice.
Fluttershy and Applejack accompanied Twilight. Before I could say a word, a multicolored blur swooped in, and Rainbow Dash was hovering near them. "Hey, sorry I'm late. It took a little longer to clear out the clouds over by the farm."
"Hope ya didn't go too crazy makin' them all rain out at once," Applejack said with a smirk. "Don't need no waterlogged trees."
"Hey, would I do that to you? I dumped the extra rain in the stream. It was looking kinda low anyway."
"I was gonna note that, but yer way ahead of me. Good work there, Rainbow."
Did ... did I hear that right? Ponies controlled the weather?
"Um, ya okay there, sugarcube?"
It took me a moment to realize Applejack was talking to me. She was looking at me with a bemused expression that was eerily reminiscent of the day before when they had first found me. "I'm fine, thank you."
Fluttershy stood close to me. "Are you all ready to go? It's not a long trot to the castle from here."
"Yes, if we leave now, we can get there just before nightfall," said Twilight. She looked over to Rainbow. "I didn't know you wanted to tag along."
"Of course!" said Rainbow. "Somepony has to watch out from threats from the air."
"I really think just a short trot to the castle will be safe enough, but I'm happy to have you along. Let's go."
We had taken maybe two or three steps before there was a cry and galloping hooves from the hallway. "Oh, Miss! Wait! You forgot something!"
I turned to see a unicorn nurse emerge from the hallway. She had a book in her magical grip. I had accidentally left the Daring Do book behind.
"Jeez, how can you forget that?!" Rainbow cried. "Is your amnesia getting worse?"
"Now, be nice, Rainbow," Twilight said with a smile as she took the book from the nurse. "Thank you."
"Yeah, thanks," I said sheepishly.
"I agree, you don't want to leave this behind, especially since they don't have ninja suits your size in town."
"Oh, well ... um ... what??"
Applejack laughed, and Fluttershy giggled. Rainbow Dash face-hoofed so hard I heard the clop of her hoof against her forehead. "Are you girls ever gonna let me live that one down?!"
"Nope," said Applejack.
Twilight chuckled. "Sorry about that," she said to me. "I'll explain it later."
"Do you have to?" Rainbow whined.
"But your exploits were worthy of Daring Do herself!"
"Please, don't encourage that sort of behavior, Princess," said Doctor Horse, but he was struggling not to laugh himself. "We'd rather not have that ruckus again."
"Fracas!" Applejack, Twilight, and Fluttershy said simultaneously before breaking up into mutual laughter.
Usually I hated it when people told inside jokes I didn't get, but it was worth it to see Rainbow Dash blush.
I could forget my troubles for a few moments when we stepped outside. The sky was painted in hues of gorgeous sunset fire. A few stray clouds glowed brilliant orange. The fresh smell of rain still hung in the air, and the wet grass sparkled in the dusky sunlight. Strangely, the sun itself seemed ... frozen in place. With it appearing so large so close to the horizon, I imagined I should see it set a little more each time I looked at it. Instead, it remained still, as if purposely framing this picturesque setting.
"That is a mighty fine sunset, ain't it?" said Applejack.
"I suspect Princess Celestia is letting it hang in the sky a little longer this evening," said Twilight.
"Hey, why do you think I left a few clouds here and there?" Rainbow Dash said with a touch of smugness. "I knew she'd want to admire them."
"Always about you, ain't it?" said Applejack.
"Well, duh!"
"I think it's perfectly lovely, in either case," said Fluttershy, who trotted along beside me. "Don't you think?"
"Um, yes, it's very lovely," I said. My brain was still trying to parse what I had just heard. I really hoped that was a euphemism or tradition or something, otherwise they were implying that this Princess Celestia moved the sun. There was only so much physics-defying knowledge I could take in one day.
This was the longest I had walked on hooves at any one time. It already seemed more natural. I was not sure how I felt about that. We followed the edge of town, and I was able to see Ponyville itself better than I could from the road. It indeed had a nineteenth-century look to it, with a little Hobbiton thrown in. A number of colorful ponies milled about, likely fewer than were present during full light. I saw mostly earth ponies and unicorns; pegasi tended to fly rather than trot.
We turned down a road leading away from town, and the sight of the castle looming ahead gave me pause. In some ways it was what I might have expected given what I had seen of the town. Its shape was very reminiscent of a huge tree, with a broad, sloping base, a rising trunk, and "branches" that spread out to support the bulk of the structure. It truly looked more grown than constructed. Yet the sunset light glowed from its sides as if it were made from crystal. At the top was a spire decorated with a large starburst that looked similar to Twilight's cutie mark.
In some ways, it was more impressive than Canterlot.
As friendly as Twilight was, this made her seem a little more intimidating. She was a princess, someone far above anything I might have ever achieved on Earth or might ever achieve here. For all I knew, my foreign origins barred me from ever earning one of these "cutie mark" things. Not that I ever really had time or inclination on Earth to nurture any particular talent or develop a useful skill.
Twilight opened the front doors with her magic, and we stepped into a large entrance hall. The inside looked like a combination of crystalline and traditional architecture. Spike was there to greet us. "Heya, Twilight!"
"Hi, Spike," said Twilight. "Did any more letters from Princess Celestia arrive while I was gone?"
"Not a word," said Spike. "I got the filly's room ready while you were gone."
"Thank you."
"I had to put her way at the end of the hall, since the other guest rooms were already set up for tomorrow. Was that okay?"
"I don't see why not."
"Um, would that be for this summit you have going on?" I asked.
Twilight turned to me. "Yes, and I should tell you about that, since you'll be here for part of it. The purpose of the summit is to negotiate a peace treaty between Equestria and the changelings."
"Uh, the same changelings that tried to take my pendant?"
"Ah, well, I'm hoping Queen Chrysalis has an explanation for that. She was the one who requested the summit in the first place."
"I don't mean to question you, Twilight, but are you sure it will be safe for me here given that, uh, Queen Chrysalis will be here, too?"
"That's kinda what I said!" said Rainbow.
"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will be here as well," said Twilight.
The same Celestia who may or may not be a deity? I ... guessed that made me feel better.
"Not to mention Princess Celestia is sending the Royal Guard."
"Don't forget the Wonderbolts!" Rainbow Dash said with a grin.
"Well, I was talking about the security measure inside the castle."
"Oh, um, right. I knew that."
Wonderbolts?
"Twilight won't let anything harm you," said Fluttershy. "You can trust her and the other princesses."
Hearing that from Fluttershy made me more inclined to believe it. She had to be one of the kindest people I ever met after Michelle. I had met people in my life that could act the part just to get something out of me, but Fluttershy seemed a lot more genuine than that.
Applejack, though, still bothered me a little. Not that she was disingenuous. Far from it. She appeared to be as sincere as Fluttershy. Where Fluttershy seemed to be able to read my emotions, Applejack gave me the uneasy feeling she could read my intentions, like she somehow knew I was hiding something. It was not quite like how Rainbow had been suspicious of me, and now even she seemed to be warming up to me. The jury was still out on whether the reverse was true.
"Spike, could you show the filly to her room?" Twilight said. She levitated the Daring Do book over to him. "And if you could carry this for her, please."
Spike grabbed the book in his claws. "Got it! Right this way."
"Will you be okay, or would you like me to come along?" asked Fluttershy.
That was a hard question to answer. As much as I liked her, being with her felt a little like hanging around the ghost of Michelle. Moreover, I didn't want to be dependent on her. "I'll be okay for now. Thank you, Fluttershy, I really appreciate your kindness."
She smiled. That made me feel good.
"I'll come by your room in a little while, and we can get a quick look at that pendant," said Twilight.
I was a bit tired and would rather have waited until the morning, but I didn't feel it was my place to argue. I simply nodded and trotted after Spike.
It did not take long for me to realize I had no means to reconcile the interior structure of the castle with its outside appearance. It reminded me a bit of the TARDIS from the sci-fi show Doctor Who, where it was bigger inside than was evident from outside.
"So you still can't remember stuff yet?" Spike asked.
"Huh? Oh, um, no, not really," I said. "They did a few things with me at the hospital, but they didn't seem to work."
"Aw, that's too bad. Don't even remember your name?"
"Unfortunately, no."
"Wow, that must really be rough. I'd hate not knowing my own name."
Spike was a real curiosity. He appeared to be Twilight's assistant, but in some ways he seemed a bit childlike. He was nice enough, though. "It will all work out, eventually, I hope."
"That's the spirit!" said Spike with a smile. "Or you could, you know, have Pinkie Pie come up with a name for you."
That was the last thing I wanted. I hoped after a few more days I could get to know this world enough to come up with one myself. The names I saw so far seemed to be an odd mixture of either describing what a pony did (which seemed a bit redundant considering the cutie mark), what they looked like, or what their personalities were like.
We entered a long hall that I think was along the south side of the castle. At the head was a set of crystal doors which led to a large balcony. Spike took me to the very last door and gestured to it with a claw. "Here you go!"
At first I was wondering how I was expected to get inside without magic until I realized the handles were much more suited for hooves. I opened the door easily. The room was positively palatial compared to the hospital room. The bed was far larger than I would ever need, with a fancy canopy and drapes which could be closed around it. Another door led to a private bath.
A large window was cracked open, and I could hear water. It looked out on the back of the castle, where a waterfall cascaded into a small lake. That was perfect. Sometimes if I had trouble sleeping, some white noise helped.
I felt almost like I didn't deserve this good a room. Despite the curious lack of servants, this seemed far more lavish than I was worth, considering I was still keeping them in the dark about me.
"If you need anything," said Spike as he placed the book on a dresser. "Just head back down the hall, and you're sure to find either me or Twilight."
"Thank you," I said, smiling. "Right now, I think I just want to rest a bit."
"Sure thing." Spike headed towards the door and gave me one last wave before he let himself out.
I remembered what I had thought when I was first found by those ponies on the apple farm: what did I get myself into? Now I had a different question: what game was being played?
Because I sure as hell felt like a pawn.
Stats
Page generated in 0.028 seconds
Total duration
747 users online
1,096,660 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Hm... what might be interesting would be if the spells they cast made her start to forget the person she was and gain memories of the pony she's become.
oh, they're kind of like the Blue Angels. Except they're ponies.
True story
6838778 They are the Blue Angels... well living pony Blue Angels
6838776
Though in this case she really didn't become an existing pony, she's pretty much a brand new pony in Equestria.
6838898
Certainly for Rachel.
6828866
True enough.
6838937
Thanks again
6844334 well... i'll quote some bits from "I am God...... Apparently?" by CrossRedStone.
She was completely new to this, but begins recalling things that she never even experienced. It would be an interesting twinst and, well, look how many times magic (even just by Twilight doing so) has.... unforseen side effects.
I'm just sayin', it's a thought.
6844506 Its an interesting concept, but I like the story to be its own. however he wants to make its fine by me its his story but I kinda hope he sticks with the direction it's going currently...
This story's premise reminds me somewhat of Diaries of a Madman but I sincerely hope that you don't turn it into that horrible story. I understand that Rachel has her share of traumatic life experiences, but I won't hesitate to drop this if it turns into a rape/grimdark fest. That's not to say that I don't like the story so far, I honestly do. I'm just a bit cautious when it comes to "Discord is the puppet master" stories.
6844506
Ah, I thought the premise you detailed in your comment was familiar! Yes, I am very familiar with that story and have it on my tracking list. I thought that was indeed a clever concept. It definitely is not the case in this story, though.
6844748
Yes, it will be sticking with the premise that has been the case so far. I conceived of this story from the start as a former human being plopped into both a body and a world she's not familiar with, and that won't be changing
6845069
No, I am definitely not taking it down a dark/horror path. The tags that are on the story now -- as well as the overall "teen" rating -- are all that there will be (I debated with tagging it "Adventure" as well, but I think "Drama" covers it better). There's a note on the longer story description noting the teen rating is for "language and non-gory violence". So there is some violence in the offing, but not the blood-and-guts kind, and definitely nothing remotely related to rape (that alone would have forced a bump to "mature").
On a side note, this is rapidly becoming my most commented-on story I ever posted. Thank you for all the feedback!
I've noticed the same thing about Transformers
Awesome, I'm sure it's suspicious how she was attacked a day before the summit to get the pendant. Looking forward for more!
Hi, it's me again. Hopefully, you like getting comments as much as I do, otherwise, I might be a bit annoying. One of the other things I've noticed is that your passages can be very telly. Obviously, you have to have some telling, but it's almost omnipresent in this story, and it puts the breaks on the pacing
For instance, there's this line selected at random:
(Sorry, paraphrasing, as I'm pecking this out on my phone.)
Can you see how you're just telling us how Rachel feels? My five second rewrite would look like this:
I'm not saying it's perfect, and you could probably omit the second sentence, but I like pairing actions with thoughts immediately following them, flipping from the narrator's external to internal world. You'll also notice the rewrite gets rid of the passive voice in the quoted line.
i.ytimg.com/vi/7Dvcpb7WBRY/maxresdefault.jpg
The mystery deepens...
6904266
My thoughts exactly
She should be careful. Sounds to me like Twilight might keep it if she deems it dangerous.
NAME VOTE!
Stoic Beauty.
And suddenly Rainbow's hostility makes perfect sense. I was building up steam for a rant on how badly she was being characterized. Glad I decided to wait and find out if there was more going on.
And this is why "perfect" is an evil word because now the making of sense is even more perfecter.
I would have thought he looked like Barney's mini-me.
I like this. This is a really astute observation of the difference between the 2's perceptions.
6972385 Is it even possible for something to be more perfect than perfect?
7085045 How dare you question my illogic! I demand recompense in the form of silly noises and a fuzzy thing!
But, to answer your question, probably not, no.
7085408
derpicdn.net/img/view/2013/2/6/235460__safe_twilight+sparkle_fluffy.png
7085568 This chain is glorious
I like where the story is going. I actually picked up the whole changling deal the moment Nurse Redheart started acting off. Not saying I outright knew, but I totally called it
Unfortunately, I'm having a bit of trouble empathizing with Rachel due to having a very trusting and open nature myself.
But hey, I think I can dig the whole paranoia angle, if not at the very least understand it
This story is triggering my antisocial paranoia on so many levels. A large part of me wants her to run away and live alone in the city where she's safe from conspiracy.
(...and now I sound like a crazy conspiracy theorist, so for the record I don't believe in any conspiracies, I'm just not very trusting)
7161024 "antisocial paranoia" doesn't exist so please stop self diagnosing. It literally hurts.
7222643 I see nothing wrong with self diagnosing as long as one clarifies that that is what it is. Unless it is something like depression or a phobia. I think those can be accepted for self diagnosing most of the time since it's pretty easy to tell if you have it. Of course, this is all an opinion. Just what I think of it.
Yeah, good point.
7347637
Sh*t! Tumbler's here!
Just joking, but seriously, don't self diagnose. My friends in the medical industry will thank you.
7558763 Well, I really think you should know what you're doing first.
Too often, my mother and grandmother would know the diagnosis, as they have a heavy medical background (my grandmother was a R.N. for over 40 years), but any doctor or nurse would completely ignore any suggestions, since "the patient is always wrong."
Of course, this could just be shoddy military medical care, but it has happened far too often. I know that for the most part, self-diagnosis is normally just a patient panicking over WebMD, but it seriously got annoying trying to prove to every single doctor I met what was actually wrong with me. And it wasn't "dehydration."
Seriously, I drink over 2 liters of water a day, and I told them that, then they dismissed my problems as "dehydration."
8202033
some doctors seem to take the easy route, like a filter, going through patients by the hundreds, not caring about each and every case, as that would be impossible, still, it's is a bother when doctors treat you like a number
9096835
A single death is a tragedy, a million death is a statistic.
Being a doctor that deal with death sometimes desensitize you from death and all the heartbreak that comes with it. My friend's dad is like that.
Love Futtershy's role as a comfort pony.
And we are finally in Twilight's castle! This is exciting