Happiness Is What You Make Of It

by Nameless Narrator

11

I watch Drizzle's final attempt to nuzzle the warden before she goes completely limp, drooling into his coat. Her happy smile as she passes out assures me the asylum staff don't use drastic measures to subdue the patients. I just run my hooves through my coat to correct the mess Drizzle's exploring hooves made of it.

"You okay?" the bartender asks with concern.

"Shees a veree frendlee laydee."

"Far too friendly. She's a nymphomaniac, can't help herself at all when she sees somepony who catches her eye. Didn't take her too long to slobber all over your face."

"Ai em not too eenteresteeng. Ai tink she wos just hungree."

"Yeah. Not for food, though," he chuckles, "Still thirsty?"

"No, tank yoo."

I jump down from the barstool and look around the common room. The young unicorn patient playing with something catches my gaze and looks back down to his table. As I walk towards the wall-sized window overlooking the gardens, I pass by and feel a poke to my side. The unicorn is looking at me, fumbling with the little box of trick matches.

"Helou, umm, Payr?" I hope I remember the name Watchful told me correctly. It fits with the unicorn's orange coat and red mane perfectly. Even his cutie mark is a flickering flame. A wave of uneasiness comes over me as I remember the last several seconds before I collapsed on fire.

"Oh, you know my name?"

"Washfool told mee the haidra puneeshed him for giveeng yoo d mashes."

He smiles and levitates a match from the packet. His horn conjures a spark which fades nearly instantly, but the match lights up. It flares brightly, much more than a normal fire should, and then hisses out. There is a thin metal ring around his horn, probably a dampener, but it is not stopping Pyre from using pyromancy completely. Either he is extremely powerful despite his age of likely fourteen or so, or his special talent is difficult to suppress completely without physically harming him.

"Yeah, Watchful is really nice to me. The others try to avoid me, but he often sits down with me and we just talk. He's the only one not scared. Well, he and Drizzle, but she's nuts."

"Shee smelld nais," I sniff the air and get the feeling her scent still lingers in my coat. I might just be imagining things.

"Can't say I noticed when she shoved her hooves in my crotch the first time we met. I mean, I am a colt and she looks pretty nice, but she could have at least introduced herself first."

"Ai guess," I shrug, knowledge about ponies dealing with one another being out of my area of expertise. I just clean stuff.

"So, what are you here for?" Pyre asks, "I'm here because I love fire. It's my talent. I love how warm it is, how it flickers, how it shows you images of different places if you look into it for too long. Fire is life."

"Fayr hurts," I shudder, "Aim heer becaus Ai set maiself on fayr."

"THAT IS SO COOL!" Pyre's eyes go wide, "I'd love to do that one day, just become one with my true nature. Ever heard about fire elementals? How was it? Why did you do it?"

"Ai wonted to meik ponees hapee. Ai wos wrong end eet hurt a lot."

"Fire wouldn't hurt me. Fire is pretty. Without fire we wouldn't be here. Nopony would."

"Eets posseeble. Eet hurt mee though."

He stares at me.

"You... you don't think I'm crazy? Everypony else said I was wrong, that fire hurts everypony, that it has no mind, that ponies couldn't become fire elementals, and that efreets are just a myth."

"Ai dont know mush outsayd of kleening stuff. Yoo seem smart end yoo have a kyootee mark of fayr."

"Thanks. I was studying in the School for Gifted Unicorns up in Canterlot before I got sent here. In my defense, I banished the fire elemental before it could burn more than professor's beard," he stops and squints at me, "Have you... have you ever worked there? Now that I think of it, you look... familiar."

"Ai dont tink so."

"Don't THINK so?" he gives me a puzzled look.

"D hed doctor sed Ai have amneesha."

"I see. Well, if you get out and want to discover who you are, you can ask around the school. I can't help feeling like I've seen you there."

"Ai em en erfponee. Ai mite have kleend dere."

Pyre pulls out another match, lights it up and puts it out, over and over, thinking about something. I don't interrupt him. A minute of surprisingly not awkward silence later, he mumbles:

"I can show you fire isn't bad."

Bad idea. Bad idea. Bad idea. Bad idea!

But he is smart, he used to go to the most prestigious unicorn school in Equestria.

No. No! NO!

He is a real pony, intelligent, who just got here for making a mistake. He knows what he's doing. I'm just scared because when I did it it hurt.

"Okey," I nod despite everything inside me screaming.

He breathes out and beams.

"You're really cool, ehm... what's your name?"

"Greyscale."

"You're really cool, Greyscale. I'll show you that there is no need to fear fire. Just put your leg on the table."

I comply. His horn glows...

...and my leg bursts into flames.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Wait, wait! What's going on?!" I hear Pyre over my screaming, "That's not supposed to be happening! It's my talent! IT'S WHO I AM! LISTEN TO ME!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

I flail my legs and roll over the carpet to put myself out. It hurts so much more than when I did it, it's thousand times worse. Before, it smelled wrong and choked me, but now I'm not passing out. I can feel every little piece of my hair and skin burn.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I hear Pyre break into tears.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" I don't have much to add to that.

Water splashing at my leg puts it out instantly and I stop screaming. It still burns, but it's not the fire anymore.

"Shhh," something cold wraps around the charred leg. The bartender's voice turns from calming to surprised, "Hmmm? That's not so bad. Perhaps the colt's control is getting better."

The pain lets up to a manageable degree. I stop gasping for breath and look at my leg, expecting to see a black, charred lump.

It's just my leg. Hurting like blazes, but only with coat burned to a thin carpet and a stream of blood coming from a deep cut at the fetlock. I must have hit something in my mad flailing.

"Owwww..." I grumble.

"It doesn't look bad," the bartender says, and a medic rushes in. Both examine me, and the bartender explains what happened.

"Wow, Pyre's treatment must be working or this guy would've been a piece of charcoal."

"Yeah."

I watch crying Pyre being led away by a warden.

"Ai maid him cry," I frown and whisper to myself, "Ai just meik ponees sad."

"Aaaand... done!" the medic mare stops working on my leg, "Aside from the cut, you are fine. It's going to itch for a day or two, but it should heal completely. I doubt it's going to hinder your movement even now."

I carefully stand up. She's right. My leg feels a little numb, but I can move just fine.

"Tank yoo, mem," I bow to the medic, "Tank yoo too, meester bartender."

"Soothed Thirst," he chuckles, "I know, even the name says it all."

"Soofd Tearft," my tongue knots up, "Soree, too deeffeecult for mee."

"Bartender is fine," Thirst pats my back and returns behind the counter. The medic touches my legs on several more places and goes for the door.

"I'm going to report this. Be nice and don't get hurt anymore."

"Yes, mem," I nod.

"You, hey, you!" a very loud whisper comes from the final unintroduced occupant of the common room.

I trot over and greet him.

"Helou!"

"Not so loud!" he whispers aggressively, "Geez, you're the new guy, right?"

I nod.

"Good, at least a little normal," he mumbles to himself, "Now, if you want to get out of here you better listen to me very carefully!"

"Okey."

"They'll give you medication," he leans so close to me his horn touches me forehead, "Don't eat the yellow pill under absolutely any circumstances. It'll make you docile and then they'll shave your coat, harvest your horn and hooves."

I look at my short carpet coat burned by the fire and its shorter version on my leg burned by even more fire. A quick squint of my eyes up reveals I'm still not a unicorn.

"Ummm... yoo steel have yours."

"Hahah ahahaha! They can't pull one over old Quick Trick," he taps his hoof on his chest, "I used to be a guard, I still have connections. If anything happened to me they'd have the entire Royal Guard on their backs. That's why they can't touch me. And they tried, Celestia knows they tried!"

I don't look away from his erratic gaze, but notice his long grey mane which definitely needs some grooming. Same can be said about his skin-pink coat. The hooves on his front legs are cracked and visibly lacking any maintenance.

"Maybee dey just wonted too maik yoo look end feel better."

"That's EXACTLY what they want you to think! You got it in one," he grins so wide he shows more teeth than a hungry lion, "The REAL reason, however, is that they use those for voodoo or sell the things as potion reagents. You think this place looks so rich only on government money?"

To be honest, I didn't really think about that and without him mentioning it would never think about it in such way.

"Yes?"

"Alright, you're not the best material I could have gotten, but you'll have to do. Just remember this - the yellow pill makes you obedient like cattle. Chiseled Chin and Clear Insight have this place running exactly as they want it. They seem nice, but when you eat their special pill they'll keep you here much longer for 'treatments' than you would need. They're addictive and dangerous. Even if the ones close to the patients complain and want to take them to another asylum they can't. By the time they notice, the ones locked here are so physically addicted to the pills that their state breaks down in few days without those. Clear Insight uses that as a proof his treatments are the best and the other places just suck."

"Ummm..."

I can't help feeling uncomfortable, both from the presented -and likely completely nonsensical- rumours and from the unicorn spitting so close to my face.

"Look, I'm not asking you to believe me. Do whatever they want you to do, but if you really want to get out of here before they suck all they can out of you then don't eat the yellow pills."

"Ai-"

"Now shove off! I almost have all the pieces," he waves to the two pinboards with letters, pictures, and various pages of something looking like grocery shopping lists, "Then I'll show them."

"Okey."

Checking if Stitches is still sitting on my back, I go back to the bar and order the yellow fizzy drink. It tastes faintly of apples and lemons, but its scent is overwhelming and reminds me of some cleaning supplies I used to use.

"Greyscale, your room is ready."

I finish the glass just as Chiseled Chin arrives again. She leads the way through the Border Glades Home until we come to a heavy door behind which lies a simple and functional room. Too wide and airy considering how little is inside.

"The basic equipment is just the bed and the table, and there are some clothes in that chest," she explains the only three pieces of furniture in the empty room with lightly padded walls and a barred but large window, "The door leads to a bathroom. Now, it doesn't look like much right at the moment, but once you get to know about everything we offer here over the next few days we'll have more things delivered according to your tastes."

"Laik wot, mem?"

"If you like our library, you can check out some books and we'll install a bookshelf there," she points to an indentation in the wall, "or if you grow to like our painting therapy there is a spot for canvas and other supplies," another indentation, this time on the floor next to a small drain, makes sense now. The room is completely modular, and things can easily be brought to suit each patient's tastes or needs.

My stomnach rumbles.

"Owww..."

"Oh right, you've arrived at an unfortunate time," Chiseled Chin comments, "I think I can persuade our cooks to whip up something for you."

She leads the way to an open room filled with tables on the ground floor and after a quick talk with a mare coming out of a door leading presumably to the kitchen, she brings me a tray of assorted fresh vegetables and various leftovers from lunch. I don't remember ever having a choice in the matter of food, so I scarf down as much as I can, and only stop when my head starts spinning.

"Well, since you have no treatment scheduled yet, you can either have a stroll in the gardens or rest in your room. I'm sure a day like this must be overwhelming."

I stifle a burp and yawn instead.

"Aim taird."

"Your room it is then."

When we're back, Chiseled Chin leaves for a moment and returns with a plastic cup with three small, colourful pills and a bottle of water.

"Take these," she puts the cup on the table.

I stare at the yellow pill.

"Amphetamines on the first day?" whispers Stitches.

"Did you say anything?" Chin asks.

"Nou, mem."

A yell from outside makes Chiseled Chin shoot out of the door.

"Alright," Stitches mumbles to my ear, "The conspiracy nutter might have been onto something. I'm not much of a doctor, but I doubt this combination is supposed to do anything positive other than putting you to sleep."

"But dey wont mee to feel better."

"Eclipse sent me to protect you. Eclipse is a nice pony, right? Guard, smart? She must know what she's doing. Am I right?"

"Yes," I nod. Stitches is correct. Eclipse wouldn't hurt me. She even visited me in the infirmary and she had no reason to.

"Then don't eat the damn-"

Chiseled Chin comes back and Stitches goes silent instantly.

"A patient had an episode," she gives me a bitter frown as I look at the open door, "It's sad, but we can't cure everypony instantly. They'll get better eventually, they always do. Doctor Insight is an expert in his profession. Now, take the pills, please, Greyscale."

"Ou, rite," I empty the cup onto my hoof and arrange the pills into a neat triangle with the yellow one on the bottom. Holding the yellow one with my tongue pressed against my hoof, I pop the other two into my mouth. With a quick movement of my hoof, the unwanted pill sticks to my underhoof long enough for my leg to touch the floor again. With my free hoof and a presented water bottle, I wash off the 'medical' taste off my tongue, "Dere yoo go, mem."

"Open your mouth, please," I comply, and Chiseled Chin carefully but completely examines my mouth, "Some patients refuse to take their medication. Their mental state doesn't allow them to see what we're doing is for their benefit."

"Yes, mem."

"Alright, thank you for your cooperation, Greyscale. Feel free to walk around the asylum as much as you want, just respect other patients' privacy."

"Yes, mem."

"And don't worry. We'll make you feel better and you'll be back with your friends at the Royal Guard soon."

"Tank yoo, mem."

She smiles, which must physically hurt her rocky face, and leaves.

I pick up the yellow pill half-melted from my saliva and sweat.

"Steeches?" I sniff it. To me, it doesn't smell like anything in particular, "Shud Ai put eet in d toilet?"

"Hmmm," the plushie hums, "Just leave it on the table and let me handle it."

"Okey. Weit! Ken yoo moov?"

"I'll... find a way. I'm good at improvising."

"Okey."

Putting Stitches on the table to keep watch next to the pill, I turn the lights off, and go to bed. One thing has to be said - it is about as comfortable as the leather armchairs.

With my magical talking plushie is protecting me and a full stomach, I drift off almost instantly.

Comments

[Celestial Pony]

This is certainly interesting.

[Nameless Narrator]

7059515 Thank you, hope your interest remains.

[Quantum Turnip]

Amphetamines help produce dopamine in people with ADHD. Exposure to excess dopamine can effect motor skills and lower inhibition. It's basically chemical mind control and can be addictive if used over long term treatment. You get an a+ for fictional prescription and psychiatric treatment practices.

EDIT: SCIENCE BITCH

[Nameless Narrator]

7061368 Funny, I mostly just winged it.

[StarzGecko]

Lesson one when being in there... Don't listen to the patients