Chapter 1

She had the dream again. It scared her, but she didn't know why. She would never tell her friends, they would think it was weird, she could't even remember all of it anyway. There was an operation table, bright lights, and a door with something terrifying inside. She sighed and got out of bed. It was just another dream. It was just another day.

"Sweetie bell, are you coming?" Apple Bloom asked when sweetie paused outside the door of the old mansion on the outskirts of ponyville.

"Just a minute!" Sweetie yelled, staring into the broken windows and rotting wood.

"What is it?" Scootaloo asked as her two friends returned.

"I don't know." Sweetie bell said. her ears perked down.

"I heard this place was haunted!" Scootaloo with excitement.

"H-Haunted?" Applebloom exclaimed.

"Yea, I bet you're too chicken to look inside!" Scootaloo teased.

"N-No, you first!" Applebloom retorted.

"Me?" Scootaloo did not seem to brave now. "Er, no, Sweetie belle you g..." but as she tuned she saw the filly was far ahead of her, already halfway to the door.

"Whats the problem?" Sweetie asked nonchalantly.

"Wait! you don't have to!" Sctootaloo prompted, quickly running after her friend.

"We can get our ghost hunting cutie marks!" Sweetie suggested, nearly to the door already. but before she could lay a hoof on the entrance Applebloom pulled her away.

"But what if it isn't a ghost inside!?" She retorted.

"Yea, what if it's a monster!" Scootaloo said.

"Like the Cocka thingy we saw before." Applebloom supported Scoots.

"Well..." Sweetie didn't want to bring it up, but she felt like she had been here before. There were no Cockatraces in this place.

"Or maybe there's a mad scientist pony!" Scootaloo suggested.

"Or the whole thing could just collapse!" Applebloom said, looking at the foundations.

"I guess you're right." Sweetie said, giving up the fight.

"Alright, hurry up then, we'e going to be late for School!" AB said. The two left Sweetie Belle there for a moment before she followed. but before she did she starred deeply though the windows of the broken down building. Past her own reflection, and a decrepit looking set of stairs, she could see a small light shining though the cracks of a familiar, terrifying door.

"Are you coming?" AB asked as the sun began to dip below the tree line of the everfree.

"You two go ahead. I uh, just remembered i left something at school." she lied.

"Okay, meet you at he clubhouse!" Scoots replied as the two galloped off. Sweetie took this time to return to the mansion, on her own this time. She had to find out what was in that room.

The sky was blood red when she approached the door. When she passed beyond the threshold into the building of her dreams she could swear that she had been inside before. She was beginning to feel tired now, like the dream it's self wanted to return because of this place.

She walked slowly and calmly to the door at the end of the room, past the staircase, and over the creaking, hundred year old floorboards. The lights were still shining around the door, outlining her goal in the darkness. She hesitated before touching the brass nob. This all seemed so familiar, and she felt a sense foreboding from this place.

She turned the knob. She was compelled to.

Behind the door was a blinding light, and when her eyes became accustomed she saw a bright lamp on the ceiling shining down upon an operating table. to the sides of the slab were two other tables with implements both sharp and dull. Clean, shining scalpels as well as a hammer and even a wrench occupied the workbench. The residual light crept along the floors and eventually hit the walls, illuminating many years worth of newspaper-clippings and drawings, all pinned to the sides of the room.

She krept across the outside of the room, for some reason fearing the light, and bits and pieces of the parchments began to catch her eye,

"Filly dies in waterfall, parents mourn."

"Filly Found on creek bed, Scientists say it's a miracle!"

"Family thanks Celestia for good fortunes."

Sweetie belle felt more tired then ever now. She could hardly stand, though her heart was beating franticly.

"So, you're here again." She turned to the voice with a jolt and her heart skipped a beat. the Pony's face was hidden in shadow.

"W-Whats going on?" Sweetie belle asked. "I've never been here before..."

"If your really believed that then you wouldn't be here." he said, closing the door and walking into the light. Sweetie Belle remembered seeing him around town, but she did not know him very well.

"Pointdexter?" She asked in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, How will I explain it this time," he said in an annoyed tone. This did nothing to suppress Sweeties fear and feeling of exhaustion. "I suppose you had dreams of this place didn't you?"

"How did you know that?" She asked, terrified. "What's going on!" She screamed. "Tell me!" her voice cracked.

"Why don't you see for yourself." he nodded to a knob sticking out of the wall, indicating a door covered in the clippings and drawings.

She inched towards the door, keeping her weary, wary eyes on him. She opened the door and scanned the closet. It took a moment for the light to show the scene, but when it did she screamed, fell back and ran to the back of the room.

She saw five small bodies in the room, all of them identical to her own. They were lying, as if asleep, in a heap in the center of the closet. Sweetie was speechless and crouched in anxiety in the corner of the room furthest from Pointdexter and the door to the closet.

"You have been finding this place faster then I can reset you memories." he laughed. "I think i fixed the dream bug in my latest patch, so it should be a while before you find yourself in this room again."

Sweetie could barley keep her eyes open now, but she forced herself to stay awake. "Whats going on here?" Sweetie asked again.

"You still don't know? Well, you were programmed to never think of it." he thought aloud. He shrugged "Rarity was too young, her parents told me. Too young to take the news of her little sisters passing. They knew what I could do so they asked a favor. They said, 'Make something lifelike, enough to fool a child, that way we could tell her when she is older, and stronger.' So I did, it is my special talent, But I did it so well that everyone believed it... I even think they fooled themselves after a while. They hardly ever speak to me about it. They avoid eye contact on the streets and let me do what I do best in silence, make better Robots. But there is still someone else left to fool." He looked to Sweetie belle. "After all these years you keep coming back because something tells you that something isn't right. Something about your life is not real... But I think I can fix that now. I an take your dreams away."

"No." Sweetie shook her tired head. "No, I'm Sweetie Belle," she could not move her legs.
He took her up by the scruff of her neck and placed her inside of the room with the bodies. "Rarity is my sister, Applebloom and Scootaloo are my friends." she continued, unable to resist physically anymore.

"Yes, They are all your friends and family." Pointdexter said, "And the next model will have no reason to question any of that." Her eyes closed and she rested on top the the pile of identical bodies. Her last sight was of Pointdexter closing the door on her, and leaving her in darkness.

Sweetie belle woke up bright and early, feeling refreshed and good as new. Thankfully she had no dreams during the night, she did not even remember what they had been about before, but she didn't want to know. She was just glad that she had a good nights sleep for once. A dreamless sleep was welcome.

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