> Jackie
>  by BronyWriter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> My Best Friend
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A knock on my door interrupted what had previously been a fairly lazy Saturday morning.

I stood up from my bed, where I reclined when completely engrossed in a trashy romance novel, and walked down the stairs to the main floor.

"It's open," I called out to the pony on the other side. "You can just come on in. It is a public library."

The door swung open just as I reached the bottom step, and Rarity walked in, a hint of a smile on her face. "So sorry, my dear," she said, "I do sometimes forget that this is more than just your home."

I chuckled and waved my hoof at her. "No worries, Rarity. What can I help you with?"

Rarity's ghost of a smile faded, and with it went the last illusion that everything was as it should be with her. For the first time since she entered, I noticed that her eyes were bloodshot, and her mane, usually flawlessly brushed and curled, had a few hairs out of place here and there. Normally I would have attributed this to one of her frequent all-night sewing sessions for some extremely important client or other, but something about her posture was completely off. Her shoulders were slumped ever so slightly, and her ears weren't as perky as I was used to seeing. Her eyes betrayed worry, as they did not have that usual spark that she normally had. The corners of my mouth curved down ever so slightly.

"Rarity? Is something the matter?" I took a few steps towards her and tilted my head. "Did something happen?"

Instead of responding immediately, she took a deep breath, and then clicked her tongue. "Yes, I suppose that something did happen."

My breath caught in my chest, and I rushed over to my friend. "Well now you tell me! Come on and sit down, Rarity." I extended a hoof and nudged Rarity towards a pair of plump pillows I kept handy for such an occasion so that I could comfortably talk to somepony. Rarity inclined her head in a barely noticeable nod, and sat down on the pillow I directed her toward. I sat down on the adjacent one. "Now, what happened? Are you okay?"

Rarity didn't respond right away. In fact, she stared at the floor as if deep in thought. She brought a hoof up to her lips and muttered something that I thought sounded like "silly." I frowned and put a hoof on her foreleg. "Rarity? What's going o--"

"Twilight, this is going to sound silly, but..." Rarity put her hoof down and looked me in the eye for the first time since coming into my home. "Did you ever have an imaginary friend when you were a little filly?"

Well, I do have to say that of all of the things I expected her to say, that one didn't even make the list. My look shifted to one of subtle bewilderment for a few moments before I tried my best to make my face neutral. I didn't want to make Rarity think that I thought that she was crazy after all. I gently cleared my throat.

"Well, I didn't, actually. I had my Smarty Pants doll, and I had Shining Armor to play with, so I never thought that I needed one." I took my hoof off of her foreleg. "Uh... did you?"

That ghost of a smile reappeared on Rarity's face, and I heard a light chuckle come from her. "Yes, I did, as a matter of fact. I was probably about Sweetie Belle's age, now that I think on it. We would have tea parties, pretend trips to the spa, and I would bounce ideas off of her and so forth for my sewing." Rarity shrugged. "Nothing unusual for an imaginary friend, I would imagine."

"I guess not." I shifted on the pillow to find a more comfortable spot. "Did she have a name?"

Rarity's smile flickered out again, to be replaced by a pensive frown. "Er... yes, I'm sure that she did, but I can't quite recall what it was." Rarity shook her head and waved her hoof. "No matter, Twilight. I'm not here about my imaginary friend, I'm here about Sweetie Belle's."

"Sweetie Belle has an imaginary friend?"

Rarity nodded, and a grimace formed on her face. "Indeed she does, Twilight. I wouldn't worry so much about it, because as I said: I had one in my time, but she's..." Rarity took a deep breath and poked at one of the hanging curls on her mane. "She's taking it a little too far, Twilight. Exceptionally far, now that I think on it."

I raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Well, to begin, the name she's given it is 'Jackie.'"

"Jackie." I let the name go through my head for a little bit, trying to find some significance to it. "Uh, do you have some relative by that name? Some old family friend, perhaps?"

Rarity shook her head. "No, Twilight. It was not a name that I had heard with any frequency before Sweetie Belle started using it. Heavens knows where she picked it up, but the name is hardly the most important thing." Rarity flattened her ears and began pawing at a loose thread on the pillow she was sitting on. "It started out simple enough. The first indication that I noticed that Sweetie Belle had created such a friend was when I walked past her room and heard her talking to it. I thought nothing of it, assuming it to be some doll that she was playing with."

"But it's not a doll," I guessed. "It's not some physical thing that she's given a personality to."

"No, Twilight. There is no physical representation of Jackie that I have ever been privy to." I noticed that Rarity's breathing became a little heavier, and she began blinking with more frequency. I smiled at her and put my hoof back on her foreleg, and that calmed her breathing. She gave me a weak smile before continuing.

"So yes, it's thin air she's talking to when she speaks to Jackie, and that just makes everything more concerning, Twilight. Jackie... Jackie never leaves her alone, you see." Rarity ran a hoof through her mane and took another deep breath. "Ever. I'll hear Sweetie Belle taking a bath, and she'll be talking to Jackie. She'll be doing her homework and start asking Jackie for the answers, and then she'll nod and begin writing things down as though Jackie is actually giving them to her."

"Interesting..." I tapped my lower jaw with my hoof. "So, you're worried that Sweetie Belle thinks that Jackie is real?"

Rarity's grimace intensified, and she shook her head, this time with a little more vigor. "No, I'm not worried about that, Twilight. I'm certain of it. There is no doubt that Sweetie Belle thinks that Jackie is as real as you or I. It even goes beyond thinking Jackie is helping her with her multiplication tables. She literally won't play with anypony else."

My jaw dropped and my eyes widened. "Wait, what do you mean? You mean that she won't even go play with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo?"

"I'm afraid not, Twilight," Rarity said grimly. "They have come to our home many times over the past week, and each time Sweetie Belle has turned them away, citing Jackie being shy as the reason for not wishing to go out."

Now, that concerned me. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were inseparable! I would have guessed that if Sweetie Belle had made some imaginary friend, she would want to bring it along, so to speak. I could see why Rarity felt that Sweetie Belle had a problem.

"There's one other thing, Twilight."

I flattened my ears and bit my lip. I steeled myself to hear more of a story that was becoming increasingly difficult to hear.

"It's the event that triggered me coming to see you." Rarity's gaze went down to the loose thread that she had been pawing at. "It happened just last night. Sweetie Belle came down for dinner, and she asked me if I could set an extra place for Jackie. I wasn't quite sure what to do, but I didn't want to upset her, so I decided to humor her and do as she asked. I served her and myself, then sat down and began eating. I looked up, and she was just staring at me, this puzzled look on her face. I asked her what the matter was, and she said that I had forgotten to serve Jackie. I laughed and said that Jackie wouldn't eat it, but she pressed that she would. I told her that Jackie wasn't real, and insisted that she begin eating before her dinner got cold.

"I went back to my food, but still Sweetie Belle wouldn't budge on the issue. She wasn't puzzled anymore; she was glaring at me as if I had just told her that I hoped she would never get her cutie mark. Before I could ask what was wrong, she threw her water glass against the wall and began screaming at me that I was a terrible host, and that I didn't deserve to be called the Element of Generosity. Well, I didn't know what else to do, so I put some of what we were having on the plate, and apologized to the thin air where Sweetie Belle believed Jackie to be."

I grimaced, but shrugged. "Well, I guess you did all that you could. You didn't want to upset her any further."

Rarity shook her head. "Indeed not, Twilight, but it gets stranger from there. You see, once I put the food on the plate and apologized, it was like a switch had been flipped. She smiled, thanked me, and then asked me if any famous ponies had come into the shop recently."

"That's so bizarre," I whispered. "And this was just last night?

Rarity nodded. "Yes. Just last night. I'm worried, Twilight, I'm worried that she's going to get a lot worse! She's already gotten worse since she conceived this 'Jackie,' and I'm afraid where she's going to go from here!" Rarity's lower lip quivered, she sniffled, and wiped her eyes. "I never thought that I would see the day when I would miss those hyperactive Crusader sessions that nearly destroyed my boutique! She's just going to get more shut off from the world, Twilight, I'm sure of it! I'm going to come into her room, and she's going to refuse to go to school because Jackie told her not to! She listens to it as though it's Princess Celestia!" I subtly flinched back as Rarity's voice became steadily more hysterical. "You have to help me, Twilight!"

"Uh..." I blinked once and took a slow, deliberate breath. Truth be told, imaginary friends were a little outside of my area of expertise. Heck, the psychology books in general needed a good dusting off, as I hadn't quite broken into them yet. "I'm not quite sure what you want me to do, Rarity. Have you thought about... uh... having Sweetie Belle talk to a counselor of some sort?"

"No!" Rarity leaped forward and grabbed my shoulders. "I absolutely refuse to subject Sweetie Belle to one of those... those... quacks! I resent the fact that you would even suggest such a thing, Twilight!"

She must have noticed the fear in my eyes, because the wild look faded from hers, and she gave a quiet, nervous laugh. She let go of my shoulders and smoothed out some of the frazzled hairs. "Er... what I mean is: I'd rather keep this between us, if it's all the same to you, that is."

"Uh..." I gently cleared my throat and rubbed my shoulder where Rarity had latched on. "Okay, I guess. That still doesn't answer my question of what you want from me."

"Well, I suppose that I just want you to..." Rarity hesitated for the briefest of moments. "Talk to her. She trusts you, Twilight. She knows that you would not harm her, and you are a..." Rarity spun her hoof around as she thought of the words. "Neutral third party."

"Wouldn't she think that I'm just doing it for you?"

"Yes, and she could get angry again, but I'm at my whit's end, Twilight!" Rarity bit her lip and rubbed her hooves together. "I have to help her, Twilight. That angry filly that threw the water glass against the wall isn't my sister, and we both know that! If this 'Jackie' thing is what is doing that to her, then I must do what I can to figure out what is wrong." Rarity extended her hoof and put it on my own. "Please, Twilight. Do it for me? Just talk to her, that's all I ask. I merely want another perspective on the matter."

I sighed and ran a hoof through my mane. I didn't like the idea. If Sweetie Belle had a history of getting violent when confronted about Jackie, then my presence could only make things worse in the long run. Still, one conversation couldn't hurt, and I could very easily leave the second that she started losing her temper. I slowly began nodding.

"Okay, I can talk to her. Just once to see what's up."

A look of relief instantly spread over Rarity's face, and, before I could do anything, she lunged forward yet again and wrapped me in a crushing hug. "Thank you, Twilight! Thank you! I won't forget this! I cannot tell you how much this means to me!"

I smiled at Rarity and did my best to return the hug, the back of my mind worried about the difficulty of the task before me.


*  *  *  *


Twenty minutes later, Rarity and I stood outside Sweetie Belle's room in Carousel Boutique. I could hear Sweetie Belle talking inside, but couldn't quite make out what she said. I turned my attention to Rarity, who nodded at me. "She's just playing, I think. If she's talking, then I'd imagine that she's talking to Jackie."

"Okay." I took a deep breath. "I'll do my best to try to get a feel for what's going on with her."

"I can ask for nothing more, Twilight." Rarity gave me a small smile and put her hoof on my shoulder. "Good luck."

With that, she walked back down the stairs, leaving me alone to deal with Sweetie Belle. I took a deep breath. I took a deep breath and allowed myself a weak smile. She's just Sweetie Belle. No reason to be nervous about it. Sure, she may be schizophrenic, and Rarity's secretly expecting me to have one conversation with her and be able to cure her on the spot, but no pressure on me. None at all. 

I walked up to Sweetie Belle's door and swiveled my ear to press it against the wood to see if I couldn't hear her. She still spoke to somepony. Either that or I was about to interrupt a tea party with some innocent stuffed animals. Her voice came through faintly, but I still heard it.

"Would you like some more tea, Jackie? It sure was nice of Rarity to make us some while she went to go talk with Twilight, wasn't it?" Silence filled the room for a moment before Sweetie Belle spoke again. "Now Jackie, I don't think she's that bad. She's my big sister, and I love her, and she loves me very much! She just needed to get used to you, I guess." Another pause, but when Sweetie Belle spoke next, I could sense some uncertainty in her voice. "W-well, I don't know why she did that at dinner last night. I guess she thought that there was only enough f-for the two of us, or something." Another pause. "No! Rarity is a very good pony! She's the Element of Generosity, and she makes the most beautiful dresses in all of Equestria! She's the nicest, kindest pony I know! She just didn't understand about you, I guess."

My stomach clenched, and I gulped. Sweetie Belle sure sounded like she believed that somepony else occupied the room with her. The nervous way that she spoke... it sounded like Sweetie Belle felt like she needed to defend Rarity, and whoever she spoke with wanted her to think the other way. The conviction in her voice....

"Jackie, don't say those things about Rarity! She's a good pony; I promise!" I heard the floorboards creak as Sweetie Belle stood up. "You can't say that about my big sister, Jackie! She's the best big sister that I could ever ask for, and I know that she just didn't understand last night! She'll understand tonight, a-and it'll be okay! If you don't stop saying those things then I won't be your friend anymore, Jackie!"

Before I could process the information that Sweetie Belle might want to get rid of Jackie on her own, I heard Sweetie Belle squeak, and something get knocked over. Another few seconds of silence passed, and I gasped when I heard Sweetie Belle again. She whimpered. She honest-to-Celestia whimpered.

"No, Jackie," she squeaked, "no, I didn't mean it. Y-you're right. I shouldn't get mad at you like that. I didn't mean it. You're right. Rarity can be a little mean sometimes. I didn't mean to say that I didn't want to be your friend anymore. You're my best friend, Jackie! Please don't be mad at me." I heard Sweetie Belle sniffle. "I'll do whatever you want to, Jackie. Just don't be mad at me!" More silence for a few seconds. "Paint? You wanna paint? Okay!"

Just like Rarity said: a switch being flipped. Sweetie Belle's happy little squeak returned, every trace of the whimpering fear gone, and I heard her open up some drawer or closet. "Painting is fun, Jackie! What should we paint? Ooh, that's a good idea!"

I'd heard enough. I raised my hoof and knocked on the door three times.

"Come in!" Sweetie Belle said, her voice still happy and cheerful. It unnerved me that she went so quickly from sounding like she feared somepony striking her, to her usual self. Still, I illuminated my horn and pushed the door open.

I saw Sweetie Belle laying on the floor, humming some tune to herself while setting some paints, paper, and paintbrushes down next her. She looked up when she heard me come in and smiled. "Hi, Twilight! It's nice to see you!"

I gave Sweetie Belle my best smile and sat down next to her. "It's nice to see you too, Sweetie Belle." I motioned down to the paint supplies. "You, uh, painting a picture?"

"Uh-huh." Sweetie Belle poured some of the water from the teapot into an empty cup to wet the paints. "I'm thinking of painting a bunny!"

"Well that sounds really... nice."

Ugh. I didn't have the next clue of how to approach the subject of Jackie with her. If I could believe what I just heard, Sweetie Belle probably believed that Jackie was in the room with us, which would complicate matters a significant amount. Having said that, Jackie likely never left her alone. Now or never, I supposed.

Sweetie Belle began sketching out the outline of the bunny, and I idly stirred a small jar of brown paint. Sweetie Belle finished the outline, and smiled up at me. "You can do the ears if you want to, Twilight."

"Uh... okay." I took the paintbrush out of the jar and gently brushed brown paint inside the lines of the crudely drawn bunny ears. "Um, Sweetie Belle?"

Sweetie Belle moved the paintbrush she had been holding in her mouth to the crook of her right foreleg. "Yeah?"

"So, your sister came to talk to me today. She wanted to tell me about what happened last night with you, her and... Jackie."

Sweetie Belle froze, her pupils contracting for the briefest of moments. "Uh..." She blinked once and her ear twitched. "What about Jackie?"

"Nothing bad!" I said probably a little too quickly. "Just that you had... made a new friend named Jackie. I... uh, know you two fought about it last night, so she wanted to make sure that you were okay."

Sweetie Belle stayed still for a few more moments, but she finally nodded and began moving her foreleg to continue painting. "Yeah, I guess. She just didn't want to serve Jackie any dinner, for some reason, even though she set a place for Jackie!"

"Mhm." I finished coloring in the ears and put the paintbrush back in the jar. "So, is Jackie in here now?"

Sweetie Belle nodded. "Yeah. She ran into my closet when she heard you knock." Sweetie Belle grimaced and leaned in next to my ear to whisper into it. "She's very shy."

"Yeah, I've heard that." I envisioned a piece of parchment, ink, and quill to make a mental checklist of everything that Sweetie Belle told me. Based on everything that I knew so far, I'd need one to keep it all straight. "So, tell me about Jackie. She's female, I gather."

Sweetie Belle shrugged. "I guess."

I raised an eyebrow and tilted my head. "Wait, you guess? You talk with Jackie all the time. You don't know?"

"Not really." Sweetie Belle put her paintbrush back, and picked up the brown one that I had been using. "When I first met Jackie, I didn't really know if she was a filly or a colt, so I just guessed filly, and she said that she was okay with me calling her that. So I guess she's a filly."

"She's a pony, then. What else can you tell me about her? What color is she? Does she have a cutie mark? Is—"

"I don't want to talk about Jackie anymore!"

The words came out sharp and almost a little threatening, and a blind pony wouldn't have missed the glare she gave me. I flattened my ears and flinched back slightly.

"Uh... sorry, I guess, it's just that Rarity's worried about how much time you spend with her, so--"

Sweetie Belle cut me off with a growl, and shot to her hooves. "I said that I don't want to talk about Jackie anymore! She doesn't want you here, Twilight, so maybe you'd better go!"

I slowly got to my own hooves, and took an uneasy step back from her. "Uh, Sweetie Belle, there's no need to get so upset, okay? I'm just asking a few harmless questions. I mean no offense."

"Well if you really meant no offense, then you'd leave!" Sweetie Belle snarled. "Jackie doesn't want you here, and I don't think that I do anymore either!"

"Sweetie Belle, why do you keep listening to Jackie?" I took a step back as she advanced. "Why does she always get to decide what to do? Why do I have to leave just because Jackie wants me to? Can't Jackie leave so--"

"NO!" Sweetie Belle picked up the jar of brown paint and hurled it at me. Her aim was so poor that I couldn't even catch it with my magic, and it shattered against the wall beside me, splashing the room in brown paint. If Sweetie Belle noticed the paint, she gave no indication. Her glare never wavered.

"Jackie does not leave, Twilight!" Sweetie Belle snarled. "Jackie can always stay! Jackie never has to worry about me telling her to leave, okay?"

"Okay, okay!" I held out my hoof to calm her down. "Sweetie Belle, just calm down, alright? I'm sorry that I asked Jackie to go. I won't do it again."

"Maybe you'd better go, Twilight!" Sweetie Belle turned and went back to her painting, her ears folded against her head. "Jackie doesn't want you here."

"Uh..." I blinked once, but realized that I would get nowhere with her. I slowly nodded and began backing out of the room. "Okay, Sweetie Belle. Okay. I'll see you later, okay? Have a good day."

Sweetie Belle's ears perked back up, and when she turned her head to me, her face bore the usual beaming smile that she tended to have. "Okay, Twilight! You have a good day too!" she chirped.

I took a deep breath and walked out of the room, closing the door behind me. I stayed by the door and pressed my ear against it to listen in. I heard the closet door open and shut, and after a few moments, Sweetie Belle began speaking.

"No, she's not so bad, Jackie. She's Rarity's friend, and if Rarity doesn't understand about you, then Twilight wouldn't know any better." A pause. "Yeah, maybe you're right though. I don't know if I want to talk to her anymore either. You're my best friend, Jackie! You'd never leave me, right? You'd never leave me alone." Another pause, and I shifted where I stood. "No, Jackie, I wouldn't leave you either! I love you. They just don't understand. I don't know why, but they don't understand. They will though, Jackie. I think that they will. I want them to like you. I don't like how scared they are of you. You're good, Jackie. You're good."

I couldn't take anymore. I backed away from the door and walked down the stairs to the main floor. Rarity sat in her workroom, working on some dress or another. She looked up from the sewing when she saw me walk in, and quickly rushed over to me, putting a hoof on my shoulder when she got close.

"So, how is she? Did she talk about Jackie? Was Jackie in the room with her? Did something happen?"

I hesitated for a moment and bit my lip. With Rarity so worried, I didn't like the idea of telling her everything, but at the same time, she needed to know. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before mustering up the courage to respond.

"Rarity... I think we have a problem."
> It'll Be Fun
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So she got violent with you too, hmm?" Rarity sighed and flattened her ears. "Threw the paint against the wall?"

I grimaced and nodded. "Yes, and it matches up with what she did when you got confrontational about Jackie. She doesn't seem to like being asked about her." I frowned and tapped my lower jaw. "If Jackie is a 'her' at all."

Rarity raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I asked Sweetie Belle about it, and she said that she didn't know if Jackie is male or female either. She guessed female, and then said that Jackie was okay with Sweetie Belle saying that."

"Unbelievable." Rarity sighed and shook her head. "Well, then, what do you suggest, Twilight? I can't ignore this if she's shutting herself off from her friends and getting violent when confronted about Jackie. I mean, can you imagine what it would be like if Apple Bloom and Scootaloo came over, and she threw something at them? From what you said, she threw that paint glass with the intent of hitting you."

"Yeah, I think she did." I ran a hoof through my mane and looked in the direction of my library. "Well, since you don't want to get Sweetie Belle professional psychiatric help, I think that the best thing is to keep her out of school for a few days while I do a little research, both on mental disorders and..." I hesitated. "Something supernatural. I can't rule out the fact that some entity has latched on to Sweetie Belle."

Rarity gasped, and put a hoof over her mouth. "Twilight, do you mean to tell me that it's possible that some malevolent spirit of some sort is controlling Sweetie Belle, and that's what's causing all of this?"

I shrugged. "I can't say for sure, Rarity. If I find some legends or something like that, of stories describing this kind of thing, then I'll know that we have something to go on." Rarity whimpered and flattened her ears, and I gave her a warm smile, and put a hoof on her shoulders. "I know this may not sound comforting, but if it is that, then it's better, because we can fix that. We'll just get Princess Celestia or Princess Luna to come and exorcise it, and then Sweetie Belle is free! If it's a mental disorder...." My smile faltered.

"If it's a mental disorder, then I have to put my sister in a nuthouse, is that it?" Rarity's eyes narrowed, and she batted my hoof away. "Well I won't do it, Twilight! I won't subject Sweetie Belle to such tortures! I've heard of what those places are like. I'm never going to step hoof inside of one, and neither will Sweetie Belle!"

"Okay, okay!" I raised a placating hoof. "Don't worry, Rarity, I'm going to help you fix this, alright? We're not going to let Sweetie Belle go to one of those places. I'm going to go back to my library to do some research, and I'll figure this out. Just keep Sweetie Belle home for a few days, and I'll let you know what I find, alright?"

Rarity's glare faded, she took a deep breath, and lowered her head. "Very well, Twilight, I will trust your judgment on the matter." She raised her head, and when she spoke next, her tone was pleading. "Please figure out what's wrong, Twilight. That filly that throws water and paint glasses isn't my sister, and we both know that. This 'Jackie' business isn't good for any of us. Please help us figure out what's wrong."

"I promise. I won't rest until I have some solid clues to go on." My warm smile returned, and I put my hoof back on Rarity's shoulder. "I'll help Sweetie Belle, Rarity. I promise you that I'll help her."

Rarity stared blankly at me for a few moments before sighing again and nodding. "Yes, I shouldn't doubt you, Twilight. You are right, and I trust that you will help my sister. Just... hurry, okay?"

I nodded. "I will." I walked towards the door of Carousel Boutique, and Rarity followed at my side. "Just take care of yourself, and Sweetie Belle, okay?"

"I most certainly will, Twilight."

Rarity opened the door for me, and after one more goodbye, I walked out back to my library home. After Rarity shut the door behind me, I released a breath that I didn't know I was holding in, and quietly groaned. I had my work cut out for me.


*  *  *  *


I reached the library in record time, and went straight to the bookshelves without even saying hi to Spike. He must have noticed my mood, because he didn't even try to get my attention. He just nodded and went straight into the kitchen, presumably to make me some tea. Good. I would need that for what I presumed would be a long night ahead of me.

I reached the psychology section, and pulled out half a dozen books on mental disorders, then went over to the mythology section and gathered a few books on demons and spirits. In truth, my research in that department was more of a shot in the dark, given that what Jackie could possibly be spanned many things, but I had to try. First, though, science.

I put the books down on the table, levitated a soft pillow over to me, and positioned myself for a bit of reading just as Spike came in with the tea. I gave him a nod of thanks, and he went to go clean something, I guess. I picked up the first psychology book, and opened it up to the chapter on schizophrenia.

What I found, well, I considered myself not encouraged in keeping Sweetie Belle out of the hooves of mental professionals. The book listed several symptoms, and Sweetie Belle fit a fair few of them. Social withdrawal? Sweetie Belle refused to see the other Crusaders. Unpredictable or inappropriate emotional responses? I'd say that losing her temper like she did counted. Hallucinations? Well, yeah, if Jackie truly didn't exist, then she was hallucinating in both the auditory and visual senses. Hostility? Check.

I grimaced and kept reading. Schizophrenia looked pretty likely, particularly if I took Sweetie Belle's moods and social withdrawal into account. I put a bookmark in that chapter, and closed it for now. Time for a little mythology. I grabbed my first book on demons and spirits and flipped it open to the table of contents.

Most of the demons and spirits were ones that I had never heard of before, so there was nothing else for it but to start from chapter one and begin skimming. Taking a sip from my now lukewarm tea, I began reading.

Several hours later, I found myself no closer to discovering something resembling Jackie. I read about aswangs, and succubi, and wereponies, and vamponies, and banshees, but nothing resembling Jackie. Nothing that even looked like an innocent version that would soon turn bad. I sighed, but as I still had one more story to go, I drained my sixth cup of tea and flipped to the page.

The creature represented on the page was called a Chindii. Where the previous entries all had pictures of the creatures, I only found a question mark there. I frowned, the back of my mind recalling how Sweetie Belle refused to tell me what Jackie looked like. Maybe I found something here. I shifted on the pillow, and settled in to read.

The Chindii--the word is singular and plural--are youthful spirits that latch onto foals, and make them their playmates. The Chindii and the foal become best friends, with the foal forsaking all other prior friendships, and refusing to interact with anyone else, save for their Chindii friend. The Chindii wants their playmate to play with them as often as possible, but it is what the Chindii wants to do that is important. The longer the foal is exposed to the Chindii, the more control the Chindii has over the foal, until it influences the foal's mood and behavior. Previously sweet and easygoing foals have known to get violent at the behest of their Chindii friend. They will often become hostile when asked to describe their imaginary friend, which is the first sign that a Chindii is nearby.

My eyes widened, and I stood up. A Chindii. I had never heard of such a spirit, but so far a lot of it matched up with Sweetie Belle's behavior! I rushed over to my desk and collected ink, parchment, and a quill, and was just about to begin taking notes, when I heard a loud pounding on my door. I screeched to a halt and put my supplies down on the table.

"It's open!" I called out.

The door burst open, and Rarity rushed into the room, her eyes wild and mane frazzled. She ran over to me and grabbed my shoulders.

"Twilight! You have to help me! Sweetie Belle is missing!"

I gasped. "Missing? She's not in your house?"

Rarity shook her head and began pulling me towards the door of the library. "No! I searched every inch of the place twice! When you left, I went to check on her, but I just heard her talking to Jackie. If I understood the conversation right, Jackie didn't have fond words for you, and Sweetie Belle was starting to agree by the end. Not wanting a confrontation, I went downstairs to make dinner, and by the time I finished, Sweetie Belle was gone!"

Rarity and I ran out of the library, and I shut the door behind me. Night had already fallen over Ponyville, which would make it a lot harder to find Sweetie Belle. "Do you know where she might have gone, Rarity? Maybe the Crusaders clubhouse?"

Rarity shook her head. "It's worth a try, Twilight, but with how little she's seen the two of them, I find it unlikely."

"Well that doesn't leave us with a lot of obvious options." I took a deep breath and tried thinking like Sweetie Belle. "Where are some of her other hangout spots?"

"Lately? Her room with Jackie! When she played with the other two it was all over town, so she could be anywhere. Do you think that we should check the clubhouse?"

I shrugged. "I guess it wouldn't hurt. It's a start, at least."

With nothing else to lose, the two of us ran towards the Cutie Mark Crusaders Clubhouse, hoping that she went there. If I stumbled upon a lead tonight, and a Chindii had latched onto Sweetie Belle, then that thing could be telling her to do anything with Sweetie Belle going right along with it.

As we got closer to Sweet Apple Acres, we noticed that a fair few ponies were out and about, and heading towards Town Hall. They seemed to be muttering something to each other. I swiveled my ear in the direction of the crowd, and managed to pick up a few words.

"Filly... trying to... Town Hall..."

Filly?

Sweetie Belle!

I screeched to a halt. "Rarity! I think I might know something about Sweetie Belle!"
Rarity stopped and whirled around. "What? Where?"

I pointed to the crowd of ponies. "I heard a few of them mention something about a filly and Town Hall! It might be Sweetie Belle!"

Rarity yelped, and bolted in the direction of the building, me giving chase. The crowd got denser as we came closer to Town Hall, and my heart sank when I noticed that police ponies were pushing through the crowd.

And that's when I heard it.

"Jackie, this isn't funny anymore! Stop laughing!"

My breath caught in my chest, and I heard Rarity yelp again. I ignited my horn and enveloped Rarity and I in my magic, and with a pop, the two of us teleported right next to Town Hall.

What I saw made my heart sink.

Sweetie Belle stood in front of Town Hall, a hammer and shards of broken glass that doubtlessly came from the shattered windows next to her. Her ears lay flat against her head, and she began backing up as the police ponies advanced towards her.

"Jackie, I don't think that I like this game anymore! I w-wanna go home!" Sweetie Belle turned her head to an empty spot next to her, and she glared at it. "Jackie, stop laughing! This isn't funny anymore! Why did you want me to break the windows?"

"Sweetie Belle!" Rarity rushed towards her sister, but one of the police ponies grabbed her and held her back.

"I'm sorry miss, but we're going to have to take her into custody for this."

Rarity began thrashing in the officer's grip, and her next words came out like a snarl. "You will not take my sister anywhere! She's coming home with me! I don't care what she's done; I'll deal with it!"

"Jackie, stop laughing! It isn't funny that the police pony has Rarity!" Sweetie Belle sat down on the ground and put her hooves over her ears. "Don't say that, Jackie! He wouldn't do that to her!"

Two police officers came closer to Sweetie Belle, and one of them held out a placating hoof. "Okay, little miss, just take it easy. We're gonna have to take you to the station to ask a few questions, okay? Just calm down. Everything will be okay."

"No!" Sweetie Belle shot to her hooves and backed up further. "I don't wanna go to the police station! I don't wanna leave Jackie!"

"Jackie can come with if that makes you feel better, little miss." The officers exchanged an uneasy glance, but kept advancing. "Just calm down and come with us."

"Jackie doesn't wanna go to the police station, and I don't either! She says it's bad there!" Sweetie Belle flattened up against the wall of Town Hall. "Please don't make me go!"

I couldn't bear to watch this. Rarity thrashing about like a madpony, Sweetie Belle about to get arrested, and half the town watching it. I gulped and walked up to the officer holding Rarity. "Uh, officer? I'm Twilight Sparkle, and I'm the personal protégé of Princess Celestia herself. I can take care of Sweetie Belle myself, and we can get this settled that way."

The officer shook his head, and ignited his horn, wrapping bands of magic around Rarity to hold her in place. "No can do, Ms. Sparkle. Something like this we gotta deal with ourselves. We won't keep her for long, but we've gotta take her."

"You won't take her anywhere!" Rarity screeched. "You're going to let her come home with me!"

"Jackie, stop laughing!" Sweetie Belle looked from Jackie to the officers. "Stop laughing, and don't take me away!"

"We have to, little miss. It's only for a little while." The officers reached the steps of Town Hall, and one of them reached out a hoof to Sweetie Belle. "It's okay. We aren't going to hurt you or Jackie."

A fiery glare crossed Sweetie Belle's face, and her mouth twisted into a snarl. "I said I don't wanna go!"

Before anypony could do anything, Sweetie Belle illuminated her horn and brought the hammer over to her. She raised it into the air and smashed it down on the officer's outstretched foreleg. Even from here I could hear the crack, and the officer dropped to the ground with a screech of pain.

"I told you to leave me alone!" Sweetie Belle wailed. "I don't wanna go!" Sweetie Belle once again turned her head and glared at the empty space. "And stop laughing, Jackie! This isn't funny!"

Seeing his opportunity, the other officer ignited his horn and wrapped Sweetie Belle's body and horn up in his magic, forcing Sweetie Belle to drop the hammer. Sweetie Belle squealed, but was unable to do anything as the officer brought her closer to him and took hoofcuffs off of his belt. Rarity screamed when she saw the hoofcuffs come out, but restrained as she was, she couldn't stop the officer from putting them on Sweetie Belle's forelegs.

I could only stand there, my eyes wide and my jaw dropped. Even my status as Celestia's protégé wouldn't help Sweetie Belle now. Attacking a police officer... no, Sweetie Belle was in big trouble, and nopony could save her from it. Not after that.

Both Rarity and Sweetie Belle continued screaming as a police wagon pulled up, and the officer holding Sweetie Belle put her inside and slammed the doors. I heard her screaming for Jackie to help her, alternating those pleas with ones for Jackie to stop laughing. Saying this wasn't funny anymore.

No. This wasn't funny anymore. This was never funny.

The wagon pulled away, and the crowd slowly dispersed. The officer released Rarity and dropped her to the ground to help his wounded fellow to the hospital, leaving me standing beside my friend, her screams piercing the night.
> Help Me
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rarity's screams echoed into the night.

I flattened my ears to block out the worst of the sound. I could understand why she screamed like she did, but doing it wasn't going to help us get anywhere with Sweetie Belle. I sat down next to her and wrapped my forelegs around her in a tight hug.

"Rarity! Rarity, please calm down!" I pleaded. "You can't help Sweetie Belle like this!"

"They took her, Twilight!" Rarity wailed, leaning her head against my shoulder. "They took my sister! She broke that police officer's leg, and now they're going to put her in some nuthouse forever! I'm never going to see my sister again!"

"Rarity, that's not true!" I spun Rarity around until she faced me. "We're going to help Sweetie Belle, okay? I'm going to talk to Princess Celestia about this, and we're going to get Sweetie Belle out of there!"

"Princess Celestia?" Rarity's eyes went wide, and, before I could do anything, she grabbed my shoulders and shook me once. "Yes, you're going to send a letter to Princess Celestia, and she's going to get her out of there before she gets hurt!"

"Rarity, Sweetie Belle won't be hurt by those police officers regardless." I took a deep breath a stood up, glancing over at the rest of the dispersing crowd, grateful that they saw that Rarity and I needed space to figure this out. "Sweetie Belle is safe in that police station, and if she's so much as touched, and then Celestia will bring down her full wrath on the ponies who did it to her, okay?"

Rarity sniffled and wiped her eyes before pushing herself up to her hooves. "I... I suppose you are correct, Twilight. I just..." Rarity's jaw quivered. "I don't know how to help her, Twilight. You saw how she was yelling at Jackie. She looked really scared, and she kept telling Jackie that this wasn't funny, like Jackie was laughing at all of this. I don't know what Jackie is, but I have no doubt that she's cruel."

I nodded and looked in the direction of the library. "Yeah, I think you're right." I jerked my head in the direction of the library. "Come on, Rarity. Let's go write a letter to Princess Celestia, then we'll go to the police station to make sure that Sweetie Belle is okay."

Rarity gave a single, glum nod, and the two of us walked silently back to the library. When we arrived, I was grateful to see Spike reclining in his basket with a comic book in his claws, meaning that I didn't have to wake him up to send the letter to Princess Celestia. He looked up from his comic book and grinned when he saw Rarity come in, but he immediately noticed her red eyes and stood up, running down the stairs to us.

"Twilight, Rarity, are you okay? What's the matter?"

I grimaced and waved a hoof. "Later, Spike. I can't talk to you about it right now. I need you to send a very important letter to Princess Celestia, okay?"

Spike stared at Rarity for a moment before slowly nodding and pointing to the desk, where he's organized my quills, parchment and ink. "Yeah, okay. Just let me know when you want me to send it, okay? I won't ask unless you want to tell me anything."

Rarity sniffled and gave Spike a small, watery smile. She leaned down and gave him a quick hug. "Thank you, Spike. You're a true friend."

I managed a small smile of my own, and levitated the necessary writing supplies over to me. I dipped the quill in the ink pot and began my writing.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I am writing to you regarding the most urgent of events. Recently, my friend Rarity's little sister Sweetie Belle has experienced a dramatic mood shift, going from a sweet, kind, sociable filly to a reclusive, aggressive, and downright violent pony. She claims to have an imaginary friend named "Jackie" but there is no doubt that she completely believes Jackie to be real. She will not interact with anyone else. She becomes aggressive when asked to describe Jackie, and refuses to see her friends. She obeys Jackie's every word, becoming terrified at the thought of being separated from her.

Tonight, Sweetie Belle was arrested when she both smashed several windows in Town Hall with a hammer, and snapped the leg of a police officer in half with the same hammer. She kept screaming at Jackie to stop laughing the entire time she was surrounded and being taken away.

Now, I did some research at the behest of Rarity prior to the events of tonight, and I have two theories on the matter: one is that Sweetie Belle has developed some form of schizophrenia. I researched several symptoms, and Sweetie Belle has exhibited several of them. The second is more supernatural in nature. I discovered stories of a creature called a Chindii, and several aspects of that seem to match up with what is going on with Sweetie Belle as well.

Rarity and I are very scared about what is happening to Sweetie Belle. We would appreciate any help you can give in getting Sweetie Belle back home to Rarity, so that she does not have to endure what she is going through in a jail cell.

Sincerely,
Twilight Sparkle


I put the quill down and rolled up the letter. Spike took it from me, and with one flame breath, it was on its way to Princess Celestia. Rarity watched the letter fly out of the window, and once it disappeared, she walked up to me, allowing me to put a hoof around her shoulder.

"Do you think that Celestia will respond soon, Twilight?" Rarity wiped her eyes. "I can't... I can't stand the thought of my sister in a place like that. I can't stand the idea that she's suffering."

I gave Rarity a comforting smile, and materialized a hoofkerchief for her. "Yes, Rarity, I do. I think she'll respond very quickly, and do her best to help Sweetie Belle. It's not so late that she'd be asleep, so she'll be certain to get the letter, and, given what I've said, I know she'll want to take immediate action."

Before Rarity could respond, Spikes cheeks bulged, and, with a loud belch, he expelled a jet of flame encasing a rolled up piece of parchment. I caught it in my magic before it hit the floor and levitated it over to the two of us. Before I unrolled it, I shot Spike a look, and he nodded before walking up the stairs to his basket. Content that the two of us had some measure of privacy, I unrolled the scroll and held it out far enough so that the two of us could read it together.

My dearest Twilight,

It saddens me to hear of Sweetie Belle's condition, but I am afraid that there is little I can do about it. I am not above the law, nor can I twist it for my own ends, and if Sweetie Belle attacked and harmed a police officer, on top of the vandalism she committed, then she must face whatever consequences come of that. Do know that her age will be a big factor in the ruling, so I do not believe that she will be severely punished.

There is one thing that I can do for you. On the back is a royal order from me, allowing you to see Sweetie Belle as frequently as you like. Show it at the police station, and if they do not let you see Sweetie Belle after that, then contact me, and I will ensure that you are allowed as much time with her as you desire.

On a final note regarding your mention of the mythical creature Chindii, they are simply that: myths. Almost all recorded cases of Chindii possession have been retroactively diagnosed as schizophrenia, or other some such disorder. I am not saying that whatever afflicts Sweetie Belle is schizophrenia, or even not supernatural in some way, but believe the idea that a Chindii has latched on to her is unlikely.

Please keep me updated on Sweetie Belle's condition and circumstances. Should you require my help in any way, do not hesitate to ask, and I will do my very best to do so.

Your loving mentor,
Celestia

I sighed and flipped the scroll over to remove the royal order attached to the back. If nothing else, Celestia did that for us. We could get in to see Sweetie Belle and figure out what was going on as early as tonight with this. I turned my head to Rarity, and grimaced when I saw that she sat on her haunches, tears pouring down her face again. I sat down next to her and gave her a comforting nuzzle.

"It's going to be okay, Rarity. Sweetie Belle will be just fine."

"Just f--" Rarity's voice cracked, and she took a moment to clear her throat. "Just fine? How can you say that, Twilight? Princess Celestia just said that Sweetie Belle is probably completely insane! Combine that with what she just did and..." Rarity's jaw wobbled, and she let out a single sob. "She's never going to come out of some mental institution again, is she?"

I frowned and spun Rarity around until she faced me. "Stop that, Rarity. Just stop thinking like that! I told you that Sweetie Belle is going to be fine. We're going to go see her right now, and we're going to let her know that you and I are going to be with her throughout this entire process. We'll do everything that we can to make sure that she's okay. You also saw Princess Celestia's letter, right? She said if we needed anything to talk to her. If we find out that bad things are happening to Sweetie Belle, then I'll personally make sure that Princess Celestia helps her, okay?"

"Okay..." Rarity dabbed at her eyes with the hoofkerchief. "You are right, Twilight. Sweetie Belle needs us. She needs us very much."

I stood up and extended my hoof to Rarity. "Then let's go see her. This is a royal order from Princess Celestia. They'll let us in."

Rarity slowly nodded and took my hoof, allowing me to help her up. I walked over to a nearby stool where a small saddlebag rested, and I put both the letter and the royal order inside, before slinging it over my shoulder. With that settled, I led Rarity out the door towards the Ponyville Police station.

I found myself grateful that the crowd of ponies had dispersed in the time that Rarity and spent in the library. I'd rather not deal with the stares of ponies who could likely guess where the two of us were headed and, more importantly, why. Rarity was going through enough right now without having the entire town looking at her every moment. Right now I just wanted to get to Sweetie Belle and see if she was okay, and what we could do next.

The two of us reached the police station, and I used my magic to open the door for Rarity. She walked in ahead of me, and I followed after her. Given the late hour, I only saw a skeleton crew of cops on duty at their desks, filling out paperwork and the like. Rarity and I walked up to the front desk, where a bored looking cop sat, sipping coffee with a half-eaten doughnut sitting next to a small stack of paperwork. He looked up when he heard us approaching, and sighed.

"How can I help you two?"

"Hi." I took the royal order out of my saddlebag. "We're here to see Sweetie Belle."

"Sweetie Belle?" The cop shrugged and took another sip of his coffee. "Sorry, miss, but I'm afraid that she's still being evaluated by our on staff psychologist. Even if she wasn't, we aren't exactly in the habit of just letting ponies come in to see our prisoners. I'm sorry, miss, but I'm afraid that you'll have to go home."

I smirked and slid the royal order over to him. "Well, what if we had an order from Princess Celestia herself to let us see her?"

"A what?" The cop frowned. "Let me see that." The officer ignited his horn and took the paper from me. His frown deepened as he scanned it, bit after a few moments, he stood up from his seat. "I'm going to go get the captain about this. Give me a minute."

I nodded. "Just don't take too long, okay? I'm sure Sweetie Belle is very scared right now."

The officer grunted in reply and walked off towards one of the interior offices of the police station. I turned back to Rarity, who was looking in the direction of the prison cells and put a hoof on her shoulder.

"It's going to be okay, Rarity. Sweetie Belle's fine, I'm sure of it."

Rarity looked back over to me, her eyes brimming with tears again. "He said psychologist, Twilight. What if that means that they're thinking of taking her to some nuthouse to rot away for years? W-what if the police captain decides that the order isn't good enough, and I don't get to see my sister again before they take her away from me?"

I shook my head. "No, Rarity, there is no way that these officers would ignore a royal order. We're going to see Sweetie Belle any minute now, and we're going to make sure that she's okay. They won't hurt her, or Princess Celestia will make sure that anypony that does will pay to the full extent of the law."

"Perhaps..." Rarity looked back over to the cells. "Perhaps."

I heard the door to the office open and saw the officer come back out with the royal order and a key ring floating behind him. He made eye contact with me and nodded as he came closer to us. He opened a small divide between the main entrance and where the officers were, and beckoned us to follow him. I nudged Rarity forward, and the two of us moved to walk behind him.

"You have friends in high places, miss," the cop muttered as we approached the barred door that led to the cells. He unlocked it and motioned for us to go through. "The captain said that the only thing that could have gotten you to see her is exactly what you had, so I'd count yourselves lucky, if I were you."

Rarity glared at him as we walked through the door. "She's just a filly, you know! She doesn't deserve this kind of barbaric treatment!"

The cop shrugged and closed the door behind us. "Filly or not, she attacked a cop. Cannot, and will not, ignore that." The cop motioned with his head to the very end of the hallway of cells we had just entered. "She's at the very last one. I guess Princess Celestia said that you get as much time as you want, but we're going to be talking with the staff psychologist about what he wants done with her."

That wasn't good. If it was in the hooves of a staff psychologist, then I'd wager that he'd take one look at Sweetie Belle and demand that she be locked up. Screaming at thin air, vandalism and violence? Sweetie Belle might be going away for a little while, and I wasn't quite sure what exactly to do about it. I guess I could make sure that she went to a facility close to Ponyville so that Rarity and I could frequently check up on her.

As the three of us walked down the hall, I saw a middle-aged gray unicorn stallion in a cheap suit with a manila folder floating beside him coming the opposite way. He stopped when he reached us and extended a hoof to me, which I shook.

"Hello, my name is Dr. Thoughts, and I'm the staff psychologist. You're here to support Sweetie Belle's sister Rarity, yes?"

Rarity cleared her throat and looked past the doctor to the cell at the end of the row. "Yes, Doctor, she's here with me. I am Sweetie Belle's older sister, and her guardian while my parents do their jobs as traveling salesponies. I'm here to take Sweetie Belle home."

Dr. Thoughts grimaced and uneasily rubbed the back of his neck. "Well... ah, we'll talk about that in a few minutes, okay? Right now I think it would be best for the both of you if you go see her. She's rather... agitated right now, and I think that two friendly faces would help her calm down."

"She's agitated because you arrested her and are treating her like a criminal." Rarity pushed past Dr. Thoughts and stuck her nose in the air. "We have nothing more to discuss. I'm taking her home tonight."

I gave Dr. Thoughts an uneasy smile and moved past him to follow Rarity down the hallway to Sweetie Belle's cell. Once I was past him, I trotted a little quicker to catch up to Rarity. "Rarity, I know you're upset, but can't you try being a little calm, if nothing else than for Sweetie Belle's sake?"

"Absolutely not, darling!" Rarity snapped. "I don't care what Sweetie Belle did; she's no criminal! She needs some form of help that doesn't involve her being put away in a jail cell or a loony bin, and the only way to do that is to take her home!" Rarity's eyes narrowed, and she gave a noise of disgust. "I've always hated these places."

I raised an eyebrow and tilted my head. "Why? Have you ever been arrested for anything?"

"Because..." Rarity stopped in her tracks, and her furious expression melted away to be replaced by one that was completely blank. "Because..." She blinked once, and I noted a slight amount of confusion behind the gesture. "I... don't quite..." She vigorously shook her head and rubbed her temple. "It doesn't matter." Rarity's scowl returned, and she began trotting to Sweetie Belle's cell again. "This is no place for Sweetie Belle, or any decent pony for that matter!"

Before I could ask about my friend's odd behavior, we reached the end of the cell block and looked inside. What I saw made my heart sink. Sweetie Belle laid curled up in a ball in the corner, shivering like it was freezing. A magic blocker had been secured to her horn, and a metal cuff was secured onto her right hind leg, which was attached to the wall.

Rarity... took it about as well as I expected her to.

"Absolutely not!" she screeched, wheeling around to the police officer, who trotted down the hall to meet us after a few words with the psychologist. "I will not see my sister subjected to such... demeaning abuses as that chain and horn blocker!"

"Miss, the horn blocker is standard procedure for all unicorn prisoners," the officer said calmly. "As for the chain, it's because the bars are a little too far apart for a filly of her size. We didn't exactly like it, but she kept slipping through the bars and trying to escape."

Rarity huffed and turned her back on the officer. "Just. Go. Leave me alone with my sister." Rarity's expression softened, and she sat on her haunches, reaching a hoof through the bars. "S-Sweetie Belle? Can you hear me? It's big sister, Sweetie Belle! Big sister is here!"

Sweetie Belle slowly raised her head, revealing red, puffy eyes. "Rarity?" she said in a small voice. She scooted forward a few inches and extended her small hoof. "Rarity, what's going on?"

"Don't worry, Sweetie Belle, big sister is going to protect you!" Rarity said in her best attempt at a soothing voice. "Big sister is going to get you out of here, a-and we're going to go home, okay?"

"Rarity..." Sweetie Belle scooted forward a few more inches and touched Rarity's outstretched hoof. "'M scared."

"I know, Sweetie Belle, I know." Tears began dripping down Rarity's face, and she began stroking Sweetie Belle's hoof. "You're going to be okay, Sweetie Belle. Big sister has you now. You're going to come home with me very soon, okay?"

I glanced over when I heard another set of hooves trotting down the hall, and I quietly sighed when I saw that it was Dr. Thoughts. He stopped beside the police officer and cleared his throat. Rarity glanced over at him, but didn't turn her head to acknowledge him otherwise.

"Ms. Rarity, I'd like to talk to you about your sister and what we're going to be doing with her, okay? I know you're not supportive of what is going on right now, and I can appreciate that, but this conversation needs to happen."

Rarity scoffed and continued stroking Sweetie Belle's hoof. "I thought I was clear: I'm taking Sweetie Belle home."

"Ms. Rarity, please." Dr. Thoughts took another step forward. "Please do not make this any more difficult for any of us than it has to be, okay? I know you don't believe me, but I truly do want what's best for Sweetie Belle."

"You're right. I don't believe you."

Dr. Thoughts sighed and ran a hoof through his mane. "Look, Ms. Rarity, I know that the last time we interacted wasn't any more positive than this time, but--"

"Last time?" Rarity scoffed and looked up at him for the first time. "I've never seen you before in my life!"

Dr. Thoughts hesitated for a moment, looking between Rarity, me, and Sweetie Belle, before slowly nodding. "Er... right. Yes, I think I confused you with somepony else. My mistake." He shook his head. "At any rate, I need to talk to you about Sweetie Belle. Nothing is going to get done one way or the other if you just sit there arguing with us all night."

"Humph. I suppose not." Rarity squeezed Sweetie Belle's hoof again, and her expression softened slightly. "Don't worry, Sweetie Belle. Big sister will be right back. Just hold on, and Twilight will watch you, okay? We're going to get you out of here."

"Okay," Sweetie Belle whimpered.

With one more squeeze of Sweetie Belle's hoof, Rarity pushed herself up to her hooves, and followed the cop and Dr. Thoughts out of the room, leaving me alone with Sweetie Belle. She looked up at me, and I gave her a warm smile before sitting on my haunches and reaching through the bars to take her hoof.

"You're going to be okay, Sweetie Belle. I've written to Princess Celestia about this. We're going to make sure that you're alright."

"Okay," Sweetie Belle said again. Her eyes scanned the hallway behind me. "Did... did you bring Jackie?"

My smile fell and my ears flattened. Jackie again. I hated to admit it, but I was getting a little tired of that name. I ran a hoof through my mane before shaking my head. "No, Sweetie Belle, she's not here. She..." I hesitated for a brief moment. "She didn't come with you?"

Sweetie Belle's jaw quivered, and she sniffled and shook her head. "No," she whined. "They threw me in that police wagon, and I thought she might have come with me, but I didn't see her. I looked through the bars of the wagon when it started moving, and saw Jackie standing next to you and Rarity, smiling and waving goodbye to me. I thought... I thought that since she was standing next to you that she might have come with you to see me."

I grimaced and shook my head again. "No, Sweetie Belle, she didn't. I haven't seen her at all. I don't know where she is."

"You didn't see where she went when I got taken away?"

"No. I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle."

Sweetie Belle let out a little squeak, and she curled up into a ball again, covering her head with her forelegs. My heart sank when she began loudly sobbing, but I was at a complete loss for what to do. Tell her that Jackie would be around soon and feed the delusion? Be glad that Jackie seemed to be gone? If Jackie was gone, that might be a good sign that Sweetie Belle could start recovering from all of this.

Before I could think any more, I heard a loud shriek coming from down the hall. I shot to my hooves and, after one more glance at Sweetie Belle, I ran down to where I heard it. As I drew nearer, I heard Rarity screaming something and Dr. Thoughts calmly replying. I reached the source of the noise and saw the police officer holding onto a struggling Rarity, while Dr. Thoughts calmly stood in front of her.

"You will not take my sister away from me!" Rarity screeched. "You will not take my sister to some nuthouse!"

"Ms. Rarity, please. It's not a nuthouse. Your sister will be very well cared for. We just need to monitor her mental health, and I think that even you can agree that this is not the best place to do that. She repeatedly asked me if I could find Jackie for her and you know as well as I that I cannot ignore something like that, particularly if it makes her violent."

"My sister won't last in one of those horrid places!" Rarity wailed, her struggles losing energy as the seconds passed. "Please don't subject her to that, I'm begging you!"

"Ms. Rarity, I have no choice, and you know it. She violently attacked a police officer and broke several windows in town hall. You are not trained to deal with that kind of behavior." Dr. Thoughts sighed and gave Rarity a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry. Truly I am, but this must be done. She will be well cared for, I swear to you."

"Please don't take her to one of those hellholes!" Rarity whimpered. She let out a single sob and stopped struggling completely, causing the police officer to gently put her down. "She won't last, I know it!"

"Ms. Rarity, the facility we're taking her to is close, and one of the best in all of Equestria. Besides, I've dealt with a few cases like Sweetie Belle's before, and I can tell you that these things resolve themselves fairly quickly, without any real lasting psychological harm to the foal. I legally cannot ignore her behavior, though. If I let her go and she became violent once more, then she could really harm somepony again." 

Dr. Thoughts slipped a small card out of his folder and levitated it over to me. I took it and put it in my saddlebag. "That's the address for the facility. You can see her as soon as tomorrow. We have to transport her tonight, though." Dr. Thoughts looked over to the cop and motioned down to Rarity. "If you could escort them to an office to fill out the necessary paperwork, I would appreciate that."

Rarity wailed again, and I sat down on my haunches and wrapped her in a tight hug. "Shh. Don't worry, Rarity. Sweetie Belle's going to be fine. I'm going to be in constant contact with Princess Celestia throughout this whole thing, and the moment Sweetie Belle is treated poorly, we'll get her out of there, okay?"

"I want her out now!" Rarity leaned her head on my shoulder, and I felt it become wet from the tears dripping onto it. "I just want her to come home and be the happy little filly that I knew. I want my sister back, Twilight! I just want her back!"

"I know, Rarity." I took a deep breath and began stroking her mane. "I know."
> Get Her Out
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Sweetie Belle's current legal guardian, Rarity was the one who needed to sign the papers to give her over to Celestial Peaks Mental Institution. I held her hoof the entire time as the doctors pushed paperwork in front of her, and she scrawled her signature where they told her to. Once the paperwork was finished, the doctors put it all in a folder and left, mumbling apologies and sympathy. The moment they exited the room, Rarity broke down completely, and I wrapped my forelegs around her in a tight hug. I held her as she cried for an hour. The doctors didn't even allow her to see Sweetie Belle one last time before they took her away.

Once Rarity calmed down a bit more, I helped her up and led her to my home. I didn't think Carousel Boutique was the best place for her to be right now. The empty house would just drive Sweetie Belle's absence in even more. Spike had fallen asleep by the time we reached my house, something I appreciated, as it meant that I could avoid having to explain all of this to him. So, given the lateness of the hour, I led Rarity down to my basement and pulled out two of the spare mattresses I kept in a storage closet. I outfitted them with some basic blankets and pillows, and the two of us laid down on them.

I expected Rarity to completely break down again. She just had to sign Sweetie Belle over to the state for evaluation for Celestia knows how long. She didn’t break down, though. She merely stared at the floor with her head resting on the pillow. I grimaced and gently put a hoof on her back; she didn’t even acknowledge the gesture.

"Rarity, it's going to be okay. We're going to give Sweetie Belle all the help that we can, alright? She's going to be--"

"Stop it, Twilight," Rarity growled.

I flinched and took my hoof off of her back. "Rarity, I don't get what you mean."

"I'm telling you to stop it!" Rarity glanced up at me from the corner of her eye. "Ever since this nonsense has started, all I've heard is placating nonsense about how Sweetie Belle will be okay, and how we're going to help her. Well guess what, Twilight? Sweetie Belle isn't okay! She's rotting away in some hellhole loony bin, screaming about that bitch Jackie while doctors who have no real interest in her well being poke and prod her while taking judgmental notes!" Rarity scoffed lightly and rolled over in bed, turning her back to me. "We're going to that place tomorrow and we're going to help Sweetie Belle. We're going every day until she's out. Princess Celestia said that we can."

I sighed, but realized that I wasn't going to calm Rarity down much tonight. She needed to sleep; we both did. Things would look... well, I wouldn't say better, but I think we'd be able to think clearer in the morning.


*  *  *  *


The next morning, I awoke to see that Rarity was sitting on the edge of her mattress, staring at the floor. I stood up and walked beside her.

"Did you sleep?"

"A little," she mumbled.

I nodded. "Good." I looked up at the clock and saw that we slept in till twelve thirty. Not surprising after the long night we'd had. "We can go see Sweetie Belle after we have some lunch, okay? Does that sound good?"

Rarity slowly got to her hooves and began walking towards the stairs. "I'm not really all that hungry, Twilight."

I grimaced and began walking next to her. "Rarity, you have to have some food. You need to be thinking straight today, okay?"

"... Fine."

In the end I got her to eat a few apples as well as a slice of buttered toast with some orange juice. As we ate, Spike came down to the kitchen, but a look from me let him know that it would be best not to bother us. I know it disappointed him, given how much he liked Rarity, but he didn't complain.

Once she finished, Rarity put her plate and glass into the sink and began trotting towards the door. I shoved the last of my toast into my mouth and quickly followed her, after putting the royal order from Princess Celestia in my saddlebag. I put on a little speed to catch up with Rarity. I didn't bother talking to her as we walked to the side of town where the mental institution was.

I kept glancing over at Rarity as we walked. She only stared ahead, not saying anything. She rarely even blinked. Even so, I could see her legs shaking as she walked. I sighed and looked forward. The bright, sunny day seemed to be mocking us. A happy day like this when Sweetie Belle was locked up? It seemed wrong.

Within ten minutes, we reached a large white building on the outside of town. Celestial Peaks Mental Institution. I grimaced and took a deep breath. "Okay, Rarity. Are you going to be okay? I know you don't think highly of these places, but--"

I turned my head to look over at Rarity, only to discover that she wasn't walking beside me anymore. I frowned and stopped walking.

"Rarity?" I turned around. "What are..."

I flattened my ears as my gaze landed on Rarity. She had stopped walking, and now sat on her haunches, staring wide-eyed at the building. I started walking closer to her and saw that she was shivering, and tears dripped from her face. I sat down next to her.

"Rarity? Rarity, can you hear me?"

Rarity blinked once, and her mouth flopped up and down for a moment before she spoke. "I... I can't do this, Twilight. I can't go inside one of those places. They're evil."

"Rarity, please." I began gently rubbing her back. "You need to calm down, okay? Take some deep breaths. Even if that place is evil, and it isn't, Sweetie Belle is in there. She needs her big sister to come see her and let her know that everything is okay; that you're going to do everything you can to protect her."

"But I can't protect her, Twilight." Rarity sniffled and leaned her head on my shoulder. "I haven't been able to protect her from anything since this began! I haven't protected her from the police, I haven't protected her from the crazy pony doctors, and..." A sob coursed through Rarity's body. "And I especially couldn't protect her from that awful Jackie!" Rarity wiped her eyes and looked up at me with a helpless expression that made me feel a little helpless myself. "What good am I in there, Twilight? How can I help Sweetie Belle by just putting on a false smile and saying that everything's going to be okay, when everypony in the room knows that it won't be?"

"Rarity, that's not true!" I said with a little more force. "Sweetie Belle is going to be okay, I promise! These ponies will not hurt her!"

"Physically no, but psychologically..." Rarity shook her head. "I can't trust that they truly know what's best for Sweetie Belle. They don't, Twilight. They're locking her up like a criminal. That doesn't help her in any way."

"That's why she needs to see you as often as possible, Rarity!" I stood up and held out my hoof to help her off of the ground. "Come on, be brave for Sweetie Belle, okay? If you truly can't do it, then I'll go in there to help her just so she has somepony, but she needs you. Even if she thinks that she wants Jackie, she needs you."

Rarity stared at my outstretched hoof for a moment before she nodded and shakily took it. I helped her up and began walking towards the institution. I illuminated my horn and opened the door for Rarity, allowing her to walk by me before entering myself.

The sight that greeted us reminded me of a normal doctor's office: not something that I expected from a mental institution, really. The room's blank, grayish-white walls were sparsely decorated by a couple faded inspirational posters that looked to me like they hadn't been taken off in potentially decades. A few "looks comfy but really isn't" type chairs were lined up against the back walls, and a potted plant or two gave the room a desperately needed splash of color. A receptionist's desk sat across from the doorway, where a light teal earth pony sat filling out some paperwork. I nodded to Rarity, and the two of us walked up to the receptionist. She noticed us approaching, and a warm smile crossed her face.

"Good afternoon, ma'ams, welcome to Celestial Peaks." The mare pushed her papers aside and connected her forehooves on the desk. "How can I help you?"

"We're here to see a patient," I said, igniting my horn and opening up my saddlebag.

The receptionist gave us a vaguely condescending look of sorrow, and shook her head. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but visiting hours are from five to six PM every night. If you come back in a few hours, we'd be happy to let you see your loved one."

A barely perceptible smirk crossed my face, and I pulled the royal order out of my bag. "Well, what about if we have a royal order from Princess Celestia herself saying that we can see Sweetie Belle as often, and for as long, as we want?"

The receptionist's eyes narrowed, and she took the order from me. She scanned it for a moment before nodding and standing up. "Give me just one moment while I talk to Dr. Karras about this." The receptionist took the order in her mouth and trotted through a door behind her desk.

I gave a satisfied nod and walked over to one of the chairs to sit down. I motioned for Rarity to join me, and she took a seat next to mine.

"Being Princess Celestia's protege has its perks every once in a while, wouldn't you say?"

Rarity gave me a weak smile, but it faded just as quickly, causing my own to do the same. I suspected that nothing would improve her mood short of Sweetie Belle getting out of this place. I think she'd even take Jackie back if she could just carry Sweetie Belle up to bed and tuck her in again.

After a few minutes of staring at the floor in silence, the door beside the front desk opened and the receptionist came into the main room, followed by a tan unicorn doctor with a mess of black hair and a lab coat. The doctor had the royal order levitating in his magical aura, and when he saw us he walked over with a nod.

"Good evening, Ms. Sparkle and Ms. Rarity. I am Dr. Karras. I am the doctor in charge of Sweetie Belle's case."

Rarity and I stood up. "How is she, doctor?" I asked.

The doctor grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. "I have been briefed on every aspect of the case by my colleague Dr. Thoughts, and in my opinion it's too early to tell quite yet." The doctor rolled the order back up and slid it into my saddlebag before beckoning us to follow him through the door. "I had considered asking you to come anyway, Ms. Rarity, as Sweetie Belle has been... less than receptive to us."

"And why wouldn't she be?" Rarity growled. "The last thing that happened to her before she came here was being chained up in a jail cell!" Rarity snorted and shook her head. "I suppose she still has that wretched horn blocker on?"

"Ms. Rarity, horn blockers are protocol for all unicorn patients. Even fillies can be exceptionally dangerous if they magically surge under duress. It's not hurting her in any way, I promise."

I looked over at Rarity and saw that she was trying to glare at the doctor, but she didn't seem able to pull off the normally unsettling look. If I thought that she was shivering outside the institution, it had nothing on how she acted now. Her eyes constantly darted around as if she expected something to come out of the wall to grab her and drag her away, never to be seen again. Her steps came unevenly, and she flinched every time we came to a door that the doctor needed to unlock or whenever an orderly walked down the hallway past us.

Long story short, this wasn't distaste for mental wards, this was flat out terror. Something happened to Rarity in a place like this. It's the only reason I can think of for why she'd act this way.

"Now, then," Dr. Karras began again, snapping me out of my thoughts, "I think its best that I update you on Sweetie Belle. She keeps asking for Jackie. No matter what we ask her or what we're doing, she'll inevitably ask if we can find Jackie for her. It's like she's forgotten the previous time she asked us. Sort of a switch being reset in her brain, if you will. I hope that your faces will improve her state. Either way, I'll have more information to work with."

"And... when can she come out, Doctor?" Rarity whispered. "When can I take her out of here? How will you know if she's healthy enough? How long will that take?"

Dr. Karras hesitated a moment before responding. "Er... well, she hasn't even been here a day, Ms. Rarity. I know that you want her home, and I will do everything in my power to make sure that you can take her there, but I need more information on her. We don't even have a diagnosis for her yet. I'm sure you understand."

We reached a doorway and Dr. Karras opened it up, holding it open so that we could go inside. We walked in and saw that the room was plain white, with a single table and a set of chairs in the middle. On one of the smaller chairs sat...

"Sweetie Belle!"

Rarity rushed over to her sister and wrapped her up in a crushing hug. A guard in the room opened his mouth, presumably to tell Rarity that she couldn't touch her, but Dr. Karras frowned and shook his head. I agreed with the doctor. They both needed this very badly.

Sweetie Belle whimpered and leaned her head against Rarity's chest. "Rarity," she said, her voice so quiet that I barely heard it. "I wanna go home."

"I know. We're going to get you out of here as soon as possible, okay?"

"Okay." Sweetie Belle paused for a brief moment before speaking again. "Do you know where Jackie is? Can you tell her to come visit too, or bring her along next time you come? I haven't seen her since those bad ponies took me away, Rarity. I want Jackie back!"

"Sweetie Belle, I..." Rarity looked up at the doctor, who shook his head. Rarity nodded and looked back at her sister. "Well, we haven't seen Jackie. I don't know where she's gone."

"I want her back, Rarity!" Sweetie Belle said, tears now dripping down her face. "I don't wanna be here all alone! W-when Jackie was with me, she said that she'd be my friend forever and never leave me! W-why didn't she keep her promise, Rarity?"

"I don't know." Rarity gently nuzzled her sister. "Maybe Jackie just... wasn't such a good friend after all? I mean, wouldn't you rather see Apple Bloom and Scootaloo again? I know they're worried about you."

“No!" Sweetie Belle pushed away from Rarity and ran to the other side of the room, curling up in a ball in the corner. "I don't want Apple Bloom and Scootaloo! They aren't good friends! I want Jackie, Rarity! Sh-she's the best friend that I've ever had!"

I exchanged an uneasy glance with the doctor. Rarity needed to calm down, or Sweetie Belle might do something foolish again to her, and then Celestia knows what would happen to the filly.

"Then where is she?" Rarity said, standing up and walking to her sister. "I've talked to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, and they're both desperate to see you! They miss their friend. They'd come see you the moment you asked. Jackie isn't here. She ran off."

"Stop it, stop saying bad things about Jackie, Rarity!" Sweetie Belle snarled, shooting to her hooves. "You always hated her! You always hated Jackie for no reason! She never did anything to you!"

"Yes she did, Sweetie Belle, she hurt you!" Rarity said, holding out a hoof to her sister. "That's the worst thing anypony could do to me!"

"Jackie never hurt me!"

"She told you to break those windows, and now look where you are!" Rarity sat down in front of Sweetie Belle, her hoof still outstretched. "We want you back, Sweetie Belle. The real you. Not the one who can only do what Jackie wants. Why don't you want that too?"

Sweetie Belle's face twisted into a glare, and she turned her back on Rarity. "Because Jackie may not be here, but I still love her more than you."

Rarity flinched back, and I saw her lower jaw begin to wobble. I walked up to her and put a hoof on her shoulder, feeling that she'd need a shoulder to cry on very soon. I heard Dr. Karras clear his throat and take a few steps forward.

"Er, Sweetie Belle needs to get to her next session right now, so..."

I nodded and nudged Rarity to her hooves. "Of course, Dr. Karras. I understand. Thank you for allowing us to see Sweetie Belle. We'll be back tomorrow."

Dr. Karras nodded and motioned for an orderly to get Sweetie Belle up off of the floor before leading the two of us out. Before we exited, Rarity turned back, tears in her eyes, and said, "goodbye, Sweetie Belle. Big sister loves you, and I'll do everything that I can to get you out of here. I'll not rest until you're safe at home, okay?"

Sweetie Belle's glare remained as she allowed herself to be escorted out of the room by the orderly. "Come back with Jackie or don't bother coming back at all, Rarity."


*  *  *  *


The next day found us right back at the institution, despite Sweetie Belle's warning. We were met by Dr. Karras at the front entrance, who beckoned us back when he saw us come in.

"How is she today, Doctor?" Rarity asked as we walked down the hall.

"Worse, I'm afraid," he said with a grimace. "She never says anything unrelated in some way to Jackie. I tried asking her about her friends Apple Bloom and Scootaloo yesterday after you left, and she always moved the conversation back to Jackie. I have, of course, had conversations exclusively about Jackie before, but now if we aren't talking about Jackie she'll bring the conversation right back to her."

I nodded as we reached the visiting room. "How are you thinking about helping her?"

"We're looking into medications. Maybe some..." The doctor glanced over at Rarity. "Shock therapy." Dr. Karras must have seen the angry reply rising up inside Rarity, because he put his hoof up to forestall any retorts. "It's perfectly safe, Ms. Rarity. I assure you that ECT is painless, it's been proven to work, and its only done with informed consent. We genuinely believe that it will help your sister."

Rarity snorted and turned away to continue walking down the hall. I didn't think she'd take the news that they wanted to shock Sweetie Belle very well, despite all of my research agreeing with what Dr. Karras said. A look between the two of us gave an unspoken agreement that we weren't to bring it up to Rarity again until she calmed down a little.

We reached the visiting room and went inside. Sweetie Belle was already waiting for us, but this time her mane and light green patient’s gown were a little more disheveled. She only stared at the table, not so much as blinking. Rarity sat down next to her chair, gave her a weak smile, and put a hoof on her back.

"Hello, Sweetie Belle. How are you today?"

Sweetie Belle gave a little grunt in reply, not making any indication that she was a living pony otherwise.

"Are they treating you well here? If they're not, then I can get Princess Celestia to let you out of here."

Sweetie Belle blinked once and took a deep breath before mumbling something that I couldn't quite hear. I leaned in and swiveled my ear in her direction.

"What's that, darling?" Rarity asked as she began to rub her back. "Can you say that again?"

Sweetie Belle lowered her head and rested it on the table facing away from Rarity. "Where's Jackie?"

My heart sank as I saw the look of horror in Rarity's eyes. I can't imagine what it would be like to hear that in her position, made worse by Sweetie Belle's low monotone voice.

Rarity began blinking back tears, and wiped her eyes with the hoof not rubbing Sweetie Belle's back. "J-Jackie isn't here, Sweetie Belle. I don't know where she is."

"I want Jackie, Rarity," Sweetie Belle whimpered. "Where is she?"

"I don't know, Sweetie Belle." I saw a pair of tears streak down Rarity's face. "Dearest, try focusing on yourself right now, okay? Not Jackie, but making yourself feel better."

Sweetie Belle let out a low groan and slid off of her chair, pushing Rarity's hoof away. "Where's Jackie?" She walked over to the nearest wall and put her head in her hooves. "Where's Jackie, Rarity? Where is she? I don't know why she isn't here. Where is she?"

"I just said that I don't know!" Rarity shrieked, getting to her hooves. "Sweetie Belle, forget this Jackie nonsense, please!"

"I just want her back, Rarity. Where's Jackie?"

"Sweetie Belle--"

I walked up to Rarity and put my hoof on her shoulder, shaking my head when she looked at me. "Rarity, yelling at her isn't going to help anything, okay? She needs support, not anger."

Some of the desperation in Rarity's eyes faded away, to be replaced by a look of utter defeat. Rarity groaned and lowered her head before nodding. "Yes, of course. I'm sorry, Twilight."

Dr. Karras cleared his throat, and the two of us looked over to him. "It might be best if you left for today. Sweetie Belle needs to go to her next session soon, and there are some important things we need to discuss."

"Of course, Doctor," Rarity muttered, leaning her head on my shoulder. I gave her a comforting nuzzle before she straightened up and walked over to Sweetie Belle to give her a hug. "Big sister will be back tomorrow, okay?"

Sweetie Belle looked up at Rarity, her eyes holding the first spark of life that I had seen since we walked in. "With Jackie?"

Whatever small smile Rarity had before completely faded away for a moment, but she managed to keep it up. "We'll see. I'll try to find her, okay?"

"Okay," Sweetie Belle whispered.


*  *  *  *


Just like the previous days, day three saw us back at the institution. Dr. Karras wasn't in the waiting room this time to meet us, but the receptionist went to get him as soon as we came in. We waited for about ten minutes before he came back, a grim look on his face that I didn't really care for.

"Hello, Ms. Rarity, Ms. Twilight." He took a deep breath and ran a hoof through his uncharacteristically disheveled mane. "I'm afraid that I can't allow you to see Sweetie Belle today."

"WHAT?!" Rarity shrieked. "We have a royal order from Princess Celestia herself!"

"Hey..." I put a hoof on Rarity's back. "Calm down, Rares." I turned to Dr. Karras. "Why can't we see her?"

"Because she's in no fit state to have visitors, I'm afraid." Dr. Karras gave Rarity a sympathetic look. "It's not that she's blank and only talking about Jackie, it's the opposite. She's constantly screaming and banging her head against doorways, trying to break through them to get out of here and find Jackie. We had to restrain her and put her in a padded room so that she wouldn't hurt herself. One time she hit her head on the door, and if she had done it half an inch to the right, her horn would have snapped from the impact." Dr. Karras walked over to one of the chairs and sat down, where he stared at the floor. "Not that she would have noticed, of course. On the first hit she hit something on the wall and cut her head open. She made no sign that she noticed at all. She just kept screaming at the top of her lungs, begging Jackie to come back to her."

I draped a hoof over Rarity's shoulders, grimacing when I felt her shivering. "They'll help her, Rarity," I whispered softly to her. "They're going to make her all better."

"How, Twilight?" Rarity whimpered.

I looked down at Dr. Karras, not feeling reassured to see that he looked as lost and hopeless as we did.


*  *  *  *


It was three more days before we were allowed to see her again, but when we showed up on the sixth day, Dr. Karras informed us that the new change was even more drastic. We walked into the visitor's room and saw Sweetie Belle sitting in her usual spot, but she was hardly recognizable. Her face was gaunt and sunken, and it looked like she hadn't slept in a week. A small streak of white ran through the purple part of her disheveled mane, and I noticed that she looked leaner too. I'd bet she lost an unhealthy amount of weight since she'd come in. Rarity noticed too, to which she glared at Dr. Karras.

"What have you been doing to her? Have you not been feeding her?"

"Of course we have!" Dr. Karras said, putting a hoof up. "She just... doesn't really touch it. She might have a few nibbles, but not much more than that. She, uh..." Dr. Karras ran a hoof through his mane. "She doesn't sleep either. She spends all day staring at the wall, even when in sessions. I haven't heard her speak since yesterday evening."

I walked up to Sweetie Belle and sat down next to her chair, putting a hoof on her shoulder. Part of me wanted to run a magical scan on her brain just to see what the heck was going on in there, but the doctors wouldn't allow that, and I knew that they had probably tried that already.

"Sweetie Belle, it's me: Twilight. I'm here to help you and your sister." I glanced over at Rarity and Dr. Karras, both of whom were staring at me intently. I knew they were hoping that I could reach her. I doubted it, really. I sighed and looked back over to Sweetie Belle. "Do you remember me?" No answer. "Do you remember Rarity or Scootaloo or Apple Bloom?" Still no answer. I bit my lip, not wanting to resort to it, but feeling I had no choice. "Do... do you remember Jackie?"

A flinch.

A barely perceptible flinch was all I got out of her by saying "Jackie." Not good. I looked back over to my companions and shook my head. Dr. Karras nodded sadly, while Rarity just stared at her sister, both of them unmoving.


*  *  *  *


I wanted to be supportive for Rarity, and I'd go to the ends of Equestria and back for her, but I started to lose hope for Sweetie Belle. Not only that, but I didn't know how much more Rarity could stand to hear of her sister’s continually deteriorating condition. She looked more broken and helpless every time we made the trek to the institution. I didn't know how much longer I could keep this from Spike or the other Crusaders. I guess I just kept thinking she'd get better and I could tell them all then.

Kind of stupid of me, really.

When we walked inside, we saw Dr. Karras already waiting for us. He wasn't standing by the receptionist desk, but rather sitting on one of the chairs, staring at the floor. He looked up when he saw us come in, then looked back down again.

"Dr. Karras?" I said as we went up to him. "How is she doing today? Any changes?"

Dr. Karras sighed and ran a hoof through his mane. "Yes, there is another change, and it might be the last one. I don't know."

"What do you mean?" Rarity whispered, fear in her voice.

"What I mean is that this morning we went into Sweetie Belle's room and found her in a vegetative state. She didn't respond to anything. She has no control of her body functions. Her vital signs are close to those of a pony in a coma. We've started feeding her through an I.V. which will help the slight malnutrition." Dr. Karras looked back up at Rarity, and I could see tears brimming in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Rarity. I don't know when she'll come out of it, or if she will. I can't sugarcoat it for you. She could come out of it in two minutes, she could come out of it in twenty years."

I stared at Rarity, waiting to see how she'd take the news. Heck, I wasn't sure how to take it myself. Sweetie Belle in a coma? I... well, what were we supposed to do about that? Keep her alive is all the doctor seemed to have to say. It didn't seem like much, considering the circumstances.

After a few minutes of staring blankly at Dr. Karras, Rarity took a deep breath and blinked once. "You will take me to her."

Dr. Karras nodded and slowly got to his hooves. "Of course. Right this way."

Dr. Karras led us into the back like normal, but instead of turning down the left hallway, we went down to the right. A sign a few hooves down the hallway said that the wing we were in was the medical wing. I could only imagine what Sweetie Belle looked like if she was in a hospital bed, hooked up to a bunch of beeping machines and monitors while lying there looking dead...

I didn't know how Rarity was going to handle it. For that matter, I couldn't answer that about myself either.

After a few minutes of walking, we reached a set of double doors, and Dr. Karras used his passkey to open them for us. Inside was a set of hospital rooms, many with the privacy curtains shut. Dr. Karras led us to one such room. Room 1408. He stopped at the entrance to the room and cleared his throat.

"Er... I'll give you some alone time, okay? I think you deserve it after everything. I'll just be right out here, okay?"

I nodded and ignited my horn to pull the curtain aside. "Okay, Doctor. Thank you."

Dr. Karras returned my nod and went over to a nurse’s station, allowing us to enter Sweetie Belle's room.

I flinched back when I saw her. I hadn't prepared enough. However gaunt and sunken she looked last time, she was worse now. Her shallow breathing gave only a slight indication that we weren't looking at a corpse. She had an oxygen mask over her muzzle, and an IV in her right foreleg. Several monitors went off around her, measuring her heart rate and whatnot.

I couldn't believe it was Sweetie Belle. She had always been so full of life.

I looked over at Rarity and put a hoof on her back. "Rarity, I'm so sorry," I whispered.

Rarity shrugged my hoof off and walked over to the bed. She sat down on it and gently wrapped her forelegs around Sweetie Belle's limp form, picking her up and holding her close. I exhaled and sat down in a nearby chair, watching tears pour from Rarity's eyes as she gently nuzzled her sister.

"I... I'm so sorry, Sweetie Belle," she whispered. "I didn't try hard enough. Big sister failed you. I'm sorry you had to become like this. I should have tried harder to help you."

The curtain behind us opened, and Dr. Karras trotted into the room. "So sorry to interrupt, but one of her monitors got unpl--" He stopped when he saw Rarity holding Sweetie Belle, and pointed at the two of them. "Ms. Rarity, I know this is difficult, but I can't let you do that."

Rarity sighed and nuzzled her sister again. "Dr. Karras: I appreciate everything that you've done for me and Sweetie Belle, I suppose, but I want you to leave this room, leave the hospital, and go straight to Tartarus. You will not stop me from doing this. I'm going to hold my sister, and if by some miracle she can hear me, then she'll know that I'm sorry."

Dr. Karras opened his mouth to respond, but I happened to be looking at Sweetie Belle at the moment, and thus noticed something no one else picked up on.

"Hey..." I pointed at Sweetie Belle, my eyes wide. "Her hoof just moved!"

Dr. Karras and Rarity both instantly looked down at Sweetie Belle, and sure enough, her right forehoof started subtly twitching. After a moment, it slowly began raising, and rested on Rarity's chest.

"R-Raree."

"She spoke!" Rarity looked up at Dr. Karras, then me, then back down to Sweetie Belle. "I'm here, darling! I'm here! Big sister has you now!"

Sweetie Belle's whole body twitched, and her foreleg moved up and rubbed her eyes. "Raree." Sweetie Belle nuzzled into Rarity's chest. "We home?"

Rarity let out a single sob, and I saw tears welling up. "No, Sweetie Belle, I'm afraid not. We can't go home just yet."

Sweetie Belle groaned and cracked one eye open. It landed on me first, and I saw the corners of her mouth twitch up in a friendly smile. Her gaze then trailed over to Dr. Karras, and her smile dissolved into a frown, and I saw confusion in her eye.

"Rarity..." Sweetie Belle turned her head and opened her other eye. "Where are we? What's going on?"

"You don't remember, Sweetie Belle?" Dr. Karras said. "You went into some sort of coma. You're in the hospital wing right now."

Sweetie Belle's jaw wobbled, and I heard a sob come from her. "H-hospital?" She buried her head in Rarity's chest. "I don't like hospitals."

Dr. Karras chuckled a bit. "Yes, I can see why that might be."

"Rarity, I wanna go home. I don't wanna be at this hospital anymore."

"We can go home soon, darling." Rarity wiped her eyes, then began gently stroking Sweetie Belle's mane. "We just have to make sure you're not going to be bothered by Jackie anymore, that's all."

Silence filled the room as Sweetie Belle lifted her head off of her sister's chest. She looked over at Dr. Karras, then over to me. I couldn't miss the confusion in her eyes. Finally, she looked up at Rarity and spoke, her voice full of uncertainty and fear.

"Who's Jackie?"
> Come Home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

All three of our jaws dropped at Sweetie Belle's words, and we each exchanged uneasy, almost terrified, looks. Sweetie Belle alternated her looks between Rarity and I, pointedly ignoring Dr. Karras, her face full of confusion. 

"Rarity, who's Jackie? Is she why I'm in the hospital?" She looked over to me. "Did she do something bad to me?"

"Sweetie Belle, I need you to listen to me very carefully..." Dr. Karras rushed over towards the bed, causing Sweetie Belle to flinch back from him. "What is the last thing that you remember?"

Sweetie Belle stared at Dr. Karras for a moment before closing her eyes and nuzzling into Rarity's chest. "Rarity, are we still gonna go see Hinny of the Hills next month? Am I gonna be all better for that?"

Rarity's face broke out into a wide grin of relief, and she nuzzled the top of Sweetie Belle's head. "Yes, Sweetie Belle! Yes, we are certainly going to do that. I've reserved the tickets already. We'll be all ready on opening night in two weeks."

Sweetie Belle opened one eye, and a slight frown creased her lips. She glanced up at Rarity. "Two weeks? But... isn't it the fifth? Hinny of the Hills opens on the twenty eighth."

Rarity bit her lip and glanced up at me for a moment before looking back down at Sweetie Belle. "Er... no, Sweetie Belle, it's... it's the fifteenth."

Sweetie Belle's other eye shot open, and she snapped her head up to look at Rarity. "S-so I was in the hospital for over a week?" Sweetie Belle whimpered and flattened her ears. "Did Apple Bloom and Scootaloo come to see me? What was wrong with me?"

I couldn't help but crack the tiniest of smiles at that. If she was asking about Apple Bloom and Scootaloo then Jackie seemed to be well and truly gone. 

Well, good bucking riddance, as far as I'm concerned. 

"Sweetie Belle, I must ask you again: what is the last thing that you remember? Do you remember Town Hall? Do you remember the police?"

Sweetie Belle glanced up at Dr. Karras for a moment once more before burying her face in Rarity's chest. "Rarity, can we go home now? I... I don't wanna be here anymore." Her voice dropped down to a barely audible whisper. "I don't like this pony and his bad questions." 

"The fastest way to go home is for you to answer my questions, I'm afraid." Dr. Karras sat down in a nearby chair and took a notepad and pen out of his coat pocket. "If you do that, I'll see what I can do. We want you to go home too. So, and I know you don't want to, and I completely understand, but could you tell me the last think you remember? I wouldn't dream of asking if I didn't think it would help me get you home."

"Okay," Sweetie whimpered. She took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes as she thought about the question. "Uh... I r-remember that me, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom were crusading after school. W-we tried swimming again, a-and bungee jumping, and we helped Pinkie Pie set up a party. Pinkie Pie gave us a few invitations to pass out, and we did that. We gave them to Bon Bon, Lyra, Berry Punch, Time Turner, and Mayor Mare. Then I went to Rarity's house and..." Her ear flicked and an eye twitched. "I don't remember after that."

"Okay," Dr. Karras said with a nod, jotting something down. "Do you remember what day that was?"

"Yeah, that was the fourth."

"The fourth. Good. So..." Dr. Karras flipped to a new sheet. "How are you feeling now? Any headaches? Nausea? Aching? Anything like that? Any pain at all?"

"My foreleg kinda hurts a little." She looked down and poked at the IV in her leg. 

Dr. Karras gave a weak chuckle. "Yes, I can get that. I never liked needles and such myself. Other than that, though, are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah. A little cold, though."

Rarity's eyes widened, and she instantly fired up her horn to wrap a blanket around her sister. "I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle. I should have thought of that."

"S okay." 

"Alright, I think I have everything I need for right now." Dr. Karras closed his notepad and put it and the pen back in his pocket. "Ms. Rarity, if I could speak to you for a moment."

"I can actually do that," I said. "I think that Rarity and Sweetie Belle need as much time together as they can get."

"That may be so, but given that Ms. Rarity is Sweetie Belle's current legal guardian--"

"I give you full permission to tell Twilight Sparkle whatever you need to," Rarity said blankly, nuzzling her sister again. "I have complete faith that she will act in the best interests of both Sweetie Belle and myself."

Dr. Karras grimaced slightly, but nodded and beckoned me out of the room. I followed him, shutting the curtain behind me. Once we were outside, Dr. Karras sighed and ran a hoof through his mane. 

"I hope everything turns out okay for them, I really do. They've been through too much in the past few weeks."

"Can't argue with that one, doc." I closed my eyes and rubbed one of my temples. "So what do you need to talk to me about?"

"Well, Sweetie Belle has obviously improved. She's asking about her friends, she's not hostile to Rarity anymore, and she doesn't recall Jackie in the slightest. That, to me, is both a positive and a cause for concern. I mean, we all wanted Jackie gone, of course, but to have her completely gone is a little strange. I'll have to talk to a few colleagues about this, but, if everything turns out well enough, Sweetie Belle can go home."

"Okay," I said with a nod. "So what's the catch then, doc? I mean, you said that you don't want to release Sweetie Belle now, so is she staying here for another week, then?"

"I don't think that's the wisest move for her mental health." He motioned back to the room. "You saw how reluctant she was to interact with me. I wouldn't blame her if she's subconsciously developed a nice hatred for mental institutions." Dr. Karras shook his head. "No, I think that Sweetie Belle is likely healthy enough to be transferred to Ponyville General where she'll be evaluated for a few days by their on-staff psychiatrists. It will also allow me time to speak with Dr. Thoughts some more about the case. Sweetie Belle would be much more comfortable there, and given that she is a minor, Rarity could stay with her while they do her evaluations." Dr. Karras gave a slight smirk. "And I'm sure that Apple Bloom and Scootaloo would be most welcome to visit her."

I returned his smirk. "Yes, I think so too. They would love that."

Dr. Karras nodded. "Very well, then, I'll go get the paperwork started. I'll leave it to you to let them know.


*  *  *  *


"And here we are, Sweetie Belle! Home sweet home!" 

Sweetie Belle nuzzled against Rarity's neck, a wide grin on her face. "Home. It's really nice."

Rarity chuckled. "Yes it is, isn't it? So much better than that hospital you've been at these past few days, but those ponies were nice, weren't they?"

Sweetie Belle shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. They still asked me bad questions, though."

"Well, you won't have to bother with that anymore after next Sunday," I said, trying to keep my voice chipper. "By then your three follow-up sessions will be done and we can put this whole thing behind us. Until then..." I exchanged a mischievous grin with Rarity as we approached Sweetie Belle's room. "We have a little surprise for you."

Sweetie Belle's ears perked up, and she raised her head. "Really? What?"

I looked over at Rarity, who nodded at me. I ignited my horn, grasping the door handle of Sweetie Belle's room, before throwing it open revealing...

"Scootaloo! Apple Bloom!" 

Sweetie Belle hopped over Rarity's head, leaping a clear foot over Rarity's horn, and wrapped her friends in a tackle-hug. The three instantly went into rapid fire, barely discernible chatter about how much they missed each other and so on. I chuckled to myself and quietly closed the door, leaving the three friends to their fun. 

The moment the door was closed, Rarity let out a sigh of relief and draped her foreleg over her muzzle. "It's over, Twilight. I think it's over for Sweetie Belle. No more Jackie."

"No more Jackie." Rarity and I trotted down the stairs and went into her kitchen. "Hopefully for good."

A slight frown crossed Rarity's face, and she tilted her head slightly. "Do you think that Jackie might come back for Sweetie Belle or something?"

I gave Rarity a reassuring smile and put a hoof on her shoulder. "No, I don't. I think that Jackie, whatever she was, will leave Sweetie Belle alone for good." My smile fell, and I put my hoof back on the ground. "But, if Jackie was supernatural, if she wasn't some figment of your sister's imagination that went too far, something that I think is likely given how suddenly she left, then... Jackie's gonna move on to somepony else. Maybe here in Ponyville even. I'm not sure who, I'm not sure when, I'm not sure if I'm even right about it being a Ponyville foal. I could hear about a case in Vanhoover, for all I know, but if Jackie is real, then she's going to strike again."

Rarity gave a little shudder and looked up to the ceiling. "Well, as long as she doesn't bother Sweetie Belle anymore. I was foolish to let it go so far in the first place."

"But Sweetie Belle is fine now. Yeah, I don't think she'll be walking by the Ponyville police station or Celestial Peaks anytime soon, but you, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are going to be right by her side." I put my hoof back on her shoulder. "And I'll be at your side too, Rarity. Whenever you need anything."

"Thank you, Twilight." Rarity pulled me in for a hug. "I couldn't have gotten through this without you. I wouldn't have even had the strength to go inside that horrid institution without you helping me along."

"I was glad to do it, Rarity, and I'd do it again." I gave a weak chuckle. "Let's just hope that we don't have to though, alright?"

"I most certainly agree."

I took a deep breath and broke off from the hug. "Well, it's getting late, Rarity, and I really do have to get back to the library. I need to let Princess Celestia know that everything is going well with Sweetie Belle now. 

"Of course, Twilight. I will see you later."

Rarity walked me to the door of her home and, with one more hug, I went back to my home. When I reached it, I opened the door to find Spike dusting off the tops of the bookshelves. He hopped off of the ladder he was on when he saw me come in, and put the feather duster on the table, allowing me to get a hug in. 

"Hey, Twilight, how did everything go with Rarity? Is Sweetie Belle doing better?"

I smiled down at him and nodded. "Oh yes, everything is going much better for her. She's going to be fine."


*  *  *  *


Three months later, and Sweetie Belle was completely back to her old self. There had been no incidents from her, and not a single mention of Jackie. She didn't remember a thing about her, something that Rarity and I both agreed was for the best. The less she had to think about what she went through, the better. She was back in school, the Crusaders were tearing up town like usual... The Sweetie Belle we all knew had returned to us.

So there I was, a calm Saturday morning three months from the nasty incident, lying on my bed and reading some pulp novel that , while not intellectually stimulating, was a lot of fun. I had just about started the fifth chapter when I heard a knock on the door. 

"I'll get it," Spike said.

I shook my head and got out of bed, putting a bookmark in the proper spot. "No, no, I'll get it Spike. I'm going to merge into my bed if I stay in there any longer. You keep relaxing." Spike shrugged and went back to his little corner and his comic books, allowing me to open the door. I smiled when I saw who was on the other side. 

"Oh, hey, Derpy, what can I do for you?"

"Hey, Twilight." Derpy reached into her mail bag and produced a small, book-shaped package. "I 'ot a 'ackage hor uh."

"Excellent!" I took the package out of Derpy's mouth and set it on a nearby table. I signed the proffered clipboard and tossed a few bits into her tip bag. "Thank you very much, Derpy! I've been waiting on this one for a month!"

"You're welcome, Twilight. Glad to be of service," Derpy said with a salute.

"Have a good day."

"Oh wait a second," Derpy said, causing me to fully open the door again. "I just remembered that I wanted to ask you something."

I gave her a nod. "Okay, sure."

"So you're smart and all, right? You know how to solve problems?"

I smirked. "Well, I like to think that I'm okay at it."

"Yeah, that's good, because..." Derpy grimaced and scratched the back of her neck. "Dinky's been having some friendship problems lately, and I was wondering if you could give me some advice."

"Of course!" I said, a beaming smile on my face. "The princess sent me here to learn about friendship, after all."

"That's why I came to you!"

"So what's Dinky's problem?"

Derpy sighed and leaned her head against the door frame. "Well, it's just that she's met this new filly at school, I think. I don't know; she says they talk on the playground, but I've never met her. She doesn't seem like a nice filly. She said that she left her last friend because she wasn't any fun anymore."

My smile flickered ever so slightly. But no, she said it was a filly at school, right? Yeah, a new school filly.

"It gets worse." Derpy's ears flattened. "She doesn't talk with her friends anymore. She only hangs out with the new filly. She just tells other foals who come up to her to go away. Ms. Cheerilee came and talked to me about it. She said she was getting worried."

My smile had completely fallen, and a look of horror was now creeping on my face. No. Not now. Not again. 

"So yeah, I'm worried, Twilight." Derpy looked up at me. "Any advice you can give me?"

"Uh... W--" My voice cracked, and I cleared my throat. "What's the new filly's name? Did she say?"

Derpy nodded. "Yeah, she said that her name was Jackie."