Rarity sat at her sewing machine, humming as she worked on her newest design. She was in great spirits today, because Sweetie Belle would be spending the week at their parents' house, giving her the peace and quiet she needed to work. She was interrupted when a bell rang, alerting her that a customer had arrived. Sh was greeted by a light brown earth pony colt with long sandy hair. A pen adorned his flank. Men were a rare sight at Carousel Boutique, and usually only came when they needed a dress for a fillyfriend or wife. Shame too. He was quite handsome.
"Hello! Welcome to Carousel Boutique. How may I help you this beautiful day?" Rarity asked. "Hi, my name is Penn, and was hoping you might have something for my mother's birthday." the colt replied. Rarity couldn't help but feel as if she had heard that name before. Did he perhaps write one of the books she had borrowed from Twilight? "Well, sir, you came to the right place! We have many fine dresses for sale, so please don't hesitate to let me know if you find something." she replied, smiling. She was trying to remember where she had heard that name before. For some reason high school came to mind. 'Did he write for the school paper? I'm pretty sure he did.' Rarity thought. Then she remembered something. 'Oh no! It can't be!'
"So, Mr. Penn, where exactly are you from?" Penn looked up from the dress he was examining. "Well, I'm originally from here in Ponyville, but moved away in my Junior year of high school. Me and my family lived in Manehattan for a bit, and moved back here last week." he replied. 'That's what I was afraid of', Rarity thought, her face going from the smile she had previously worn, to one of terror and sadness.
"Is everything alright, miss?" Penn asked in a concerned voice. 'Should I tell him? Does he even remember? I'm sure he made friends in Manehattan, and forgot all abou it. But, I should probably tell him.' "Penn, I'm not sure if you remember me, but I'm Rarity, we went to school together." Rarity's usually calm attitude had faded to one of worry. "Rarity!? Oh my gosh! I had quite a crush on you in high school!" Penn replied smiling. 'That's going to make this all the harder to say' Rarity thought. "Well, I'm not sure if you remember all those nasty rumors that went around the school, but I started those. I am so sorry!" Rarity said, tears beginning to form in her eyes.
"What!?" Penn screamed. He was no longer smiling. His face was now contorted with rage. "You started the rumor about me clopping in the bathroom!?" he shouted. Rarity could only meekly nod. "You started the rumor about my mother being a prostitute!?" "Yes." Rarity said in voice that would have made Fluttershy sound loud. "You started the rumor about my dad being a drug dealer!?" "YES!" Rarity cried! "Yes, I started all of them! Every. Single. One! I am so sorry! If there is anything I can do to apologize, please tell me. I want to make this right!" Penn's expression had not changed. He was still glaring at her. "You, the filly I had a crush on, are the reason pervs and drug addicts showed up at my door every night! You are the reason my family had to leave Ponyville for several years! You are the reason that I have was in a mental hospital for the past eight years! I only just got out a week ago, and moved back here! Do you know how many times I tried to kill myself!? FIVE! I had to be placed under intensive care to make sure I did not hurt myself! You ruined my life! How do you expect me to ever forgive you! You want to make it up to me?! You can do so by leaving me alone FOREVER!"
With that, Penn turned and headed for the door, slamming it on his way out. Rarity fell on the floor and cried. How could she have done this to somepony who didn't deserve it? What she had thought was harmless fun had placed him into an institution. It was all her fault. She should have thought about his feelings, instead of her desire to be in the popular group at school. "Oh, Celestia, what have I done!" she shouted, before returning to her crying. She could never forgive herself for this. And so she laid there on the floor, crying.
Penn galloped home, tears running down his face. He ignored everypony, not wanting to talk to anypony. When he arrived home he slammed the door behind him, ignoring his mother's worries. He locked himself in his room, refusing to come out. "Penn", his mother's sweet voice called from behind the door. "Is everything alright?" "Just leave me the buck alone right now! I'm not in the mood!" His mother flinched at his "colorful" choice of words. "Oh dear, something must be wrong."
*FLASHBACK*
An adolescent Penn sat alone in his room. A few bottles of pills lay before him. Painkillers, allergy meds, cold medicine, pretty much all the pills he could find in the house. He dumped them all into his hoof. "Sorry, mom. Sorry, dad", he said in a sad voice, tears forming in his eyes. "I'm just not as strong as you would like me to be. I just can't deal with the stress anymore." Taking a deep breath, he stuffed the pills into his mouth, and swallowed.
Then things went horribly wrong. Instead of quickly killing him, his body started spasming uncontrollably. His parents were definitely going to hear the racket his quivering body was making. Hoofsteps could be heard sprinting up the stairs. They then started banging on the door. "Penn!? What's going on in there?! Penn! Open the door!" his father's strong voice shouted through the door. Something was slamming against the door now. Then his father burst through the door, knocking it off it's hinges. Both of his parents stared in horror at his quivering body, then to the bottles on the floor. Penn was begining to foam at the mouth now. It was obvious as to what he done. Scooping up the bottles, then him, his parents galloped out the door, towards the Ponyville Emergency Hospital.
*FLASHFORWARD*
Rarity slowly rose from the floor of her workshop, her face stained with tears, and her eyes were red and puffy. She had no idea just how long she had laid there. For all she knew, she could have been there for several hours. Luna's moon was now high in the sky, illuminating the night sky. She needed to talk to somepony. She needed to talk to somepony trustworthy, not overly-sensitive, and could offer her advice. Then it hit her. Twilight! She would know exactly what to do.
Stepping outside into the cool night air, she headed in the direction of the library. Approaching the large tree, she knocked on the door. Hooves could be heard shuffling around inside. Finally, the door swung open, revealing the lavender colored unicorn. "Rarity? Do you know what time it is?" the mare asked, concern painting her face. "Actually, Twilight, I don't. I just really need to talk right now." Her friend stood aside, allowing her entrance. Rarity looked over at the clock. 11:42 pm. There were open books scattered all around the floor. Twilight was obviously having a studying binge. "Rarity, you don't look so good. Is something troubling you?" the purple mare asked, her voice dripping with concern.
"Oh, Twilight! I am just the worst pony! Today I ran into an old classmate of mine, whom I didn't exactly treat very fairly. I also learned that because of my actions, I made him suicidal, and caused him to spend the last several years of his life in an institute! I don't know how to make this right. Please, you gotta helpe!" Rarity was sobbing uncontrollably now. Twilight walked over to her friend, stroking her mane in a motherly way. "Rarity, what you really need to to do is show him you would like to apologize. Tell him you will do anything to make this right. But, please, do it tomorrow. I don't think he would appreciate it if you visited him at this hour. You are welcome to stay here for the night if you need anything." Rarity thanked Twilight, and headed in the direction of her friend's couch. This was going to be a long night.
*FLASHBACK*
Penn's parents sat in the waiting room, praying that their son would he alright. They had known about what was going on at school. How could they not? Drug addicts and horny teens had been showing up at their doorstep over the past couple weeks, after hearing that this was a good place to get their fix, or have an itch scratched. They just thought Penn would ignore it. They thought he was, he hadn't shown any signs of being depressed. After what felt like weeks, the doctor finally entered. "Your son is going to be alright. He's awake now if you would like to see him. But please, keep it short, he needs to rest." His parents rushed into his room, to find him sitting upright, tears flowing down his face. His mother rushed over and hugged him tight. "I'm sorry, mom." he sniffed. It was all he could say. His father joined in on the hug. All of them were crying.
This would be the first time Penn tried to kill himself. It would not be the last.
*FLASHFORWARD*
A slightly older Penn was leaving the hospital. This is was the fifth time in over a year he was doing so. His parents did not say a word to him on the trip back home. They just stared on ahead in absolute silence.
Upon walking inside the house, Penn noticed something was different. Instead of furniture, the house was littered with cardboard boxes. "W-w-what's going on?" Penn asked. "Son," his dad spoke up. "We are extremely worried about you. This is the fifth time in over a year that we have taken you to the hospital because of some failed suicide attempt. How exactly do you keep slipping past your mother and I?!" His dad was angry. But Penn knew, that he was angry because he cared. "We are leaving Ponyville for a while. We will be living in Manehattan for a while. You will be going to one of the best mental hospitals in the country. We leave tomorrow. There, they will be able to keep a close eye on you. Your mother and I will visit as often as he can. It's for your own good." His dad had tears leaking down his face. As did his mother. It was his fault. It was his fault that they had to leave their jobs. It was his fault that he had to leave school. It was his fault that they had to move. It was his fault that he was costing his parents a fortune in hospital bills. And it was his fault that he had to go to a special hospital. He was so ashamed that he had caused this. "I'm sorry. I need help. I havent realized until now. This will be good for me."
...
The autumn leaves were falling from their trees, as the train rolled into Manehattan Station. The three of them slowly descended onto the platform, dragging their luggage along with them. A smiling unicorn in a white lab coat approached them. "You must be Penn." she said, giving him a warm smile. "I'm Dr. Hiccup. I'm from the Manehattan Rehabilitation and Psychiatric Clinic. That is where you'll be staying while you get better. Come along, let's get you settled in and introduce you to your new roomates." So Penn walked down the unfamiliar streets, in the unfamiliar city, with the unfamiliar pony, to the unfamiliar "home". His parents waved him off, smiling. They also had to get settled into their new home. This is just the begining.
...
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Whew, sorry this update took so long to come out. Almost a month! I had a horrible case of writer's block. I knew where I wanted the story to go, I just didn't know how to get there. And getting there is half the adventure, as they say. I know how to get where I want this to go now, so the next chapter should be out soon. Next chapter will most likely not talk about what's happening in "modern" times, but most likely be about Penn getting used to his new "home". That should be pretty exciting with what I have planned. See ya soon!
The Manehattan Rehabilitation and Psychiatric Center
Penn and Doctor Hiccup trotted through the city at a steady pace. Penn was taking in all the sites as they went. Penn was enjoying the architecture, and thought the beautiful colors of autumn really complimented it. 'They sure don't make buildings this big in Ponyville.' he thought. He was going to miss Ponyville. He had spent his entire life there, now look at him: a small-town colt in a city that was much too big for comfort.
They arrived at a building that wasn't quite as big as the surrounding skyscrapers, but it certainly wasn't small. It was about the size of the school he had been attending until his...incidents. A large sign in front of it read "The Manehattan Rehabilitation and Psychiatric Center". This was going to be "home". Doctor Hiccup opened the door, gesturing him to enter. She was wearing an encouraging smile. She wanted him to feel safe, he guessed. Slowly placing one hoof in front of another, he stepped inside.
The atrium looked pretty much like the hospital back home. Same torn couches, same out dated magazines, same smiling receptionist. "Hello, Doctor!" the receptionist called. "Is that the new patient?" Penn stared down at the tiles. He didn't want to face her. He wouldn't be lying if he said he was scared. "Belle, this is Penn. I believe he is signed up for room 24B." Doctor Hiccup patted him on the back, reassuringly.
Belle the receptionist opened a filing cabinet behind her, and after a few seconds of searching reappeared with a file. "Let's see, Penn, 24B. Looks like you were right. Now, Mr. Penn, I will need you to sign here." Belle said, giving him a pen, and gesturing towards one of the documents. Quickly scribbling his name, he handed it back to her.
"Come along now, we don't want to keep your roomates waiting." Belle said, gesturing for him to follow. Roomates? He thought that he was going to have his own room to "collect his thoughts" in. But, having some other ponies might make the adjustment a little bit easier. Walking down the hallway, then making a left, a right, another right, going up some stairs, then turning left again, they arrived at a door labelled 24B.
Knocking before entering, Belle opened the door to a large room decorated with paintings. Beethoofven's Twelfth Symphony played through a small stereo. "Bow! Blotch! Your new roomate has arrived. At those words, a gray Earth Pony stallion with a goatee and a violin cutie mark got off one of the three beds in the room, while a white Pegasus mare with a paintbrush cutie mark put down her paintbrush. They approached Penn, smiling warmly. "This is Penn. He's the colt I was telling you two about last week. Make him feel at home. I have to go back downstairs." Belle left, closing the door behind her.
"H-hi." Penn stammered. He wasn't sure just how crazy these ponies were. "So," the stallion started. "Why exactly are you here?" he asked, bluntly. "Bow!" the mare who was most likely to be Blotch shouted. "Don't just be so upfront about it! He hasn't even told us where he's from yet!" Penn looked down at his hooves, tears starting to form in his eyes. "Look what you did!" Blotch shouted. "You made him cry!" She wrapped Penn in a tight hug. "There, there, honey. No need to cry. It will be okay." She stroked his mane as she said this. Penn returned her hug. He felt as if he could trust her.
Pulling away from the hug, Penn wiped his eyes. "I-I'm from Ponyville. I'm here because I was bullied horribly at school, and tried to kill myself on five different occasions." Blotch pulled him into another hug. "I'm from Hoofington." she said. "I'm here for the second time because of my addiction to alcohol. I lasted 3 months, 2 weeks, 6 days, and 6 hours from the time I first left, to the time I had another drink. All I remember from that night is having a Harvey Wallbanger, then waking up the next morning next to a sweet-talking hobo, with mustard in my mane".
Now it was Bow's turn to speak. "I'm from Canterlot. I used to play violin for the Royal Opera, but after a critic gave me a bad review, something snapped. I broke into they poor guy's house, smashed a great deal of his possessions, then beat him with a violin. Needless to say, there was obviously something wrong with me, so I came here." Bow finished his story, a look of shame plastered onto his face. Penn looked at them, his mouth hanging open in surprise. They weren't nearly as crazy as he had feared. They actually seemed quite normal. "You two seem fine to me, why are you still here? Neither if you look dangerous."
Blotch spoke up. "The thing about the center is, as long as you come in with a problem, and have the money to pay for it, you're welcome to stay as long as you like. Neither of us are quite sure if we're ready for the outside world yet." Penn looked at them and smiled. As long as they were here with him, he didn't think his experience here would be that bad. "So, Penn," Bow said. "We have about half an hour until they serve lunch, so why don't we get you unpacked, and get your bed ready." Penn nodded in agreement. It would be best to get that stuff out of the way now. As they got him unpacked, they talked about themselves. Penn learned that the center encouraged the patients to have a creative outlet, which explained all the paintings and sheet music that littered the floor. He was happy that he would still be able to write. Things were looking just a little bit brighter.
*AUTHOR'S NOTES* Hey, guys! I just felt so bad about making you guys wait a months for the prievious chapter, so I figured "Hey, why not make it up to them by busting out another chapter before bed?" So here you go. You deserve it. PEACE!
Lunch time had approached at the center, and ponies began filing out of their rooms to get some food. Despite feeling calm around his new roomates, Penn was still incredibly nervous about this place. Some of them looked incredibly sick, while others looked like they might explode from whatever battles were raging inside their heads. Penn wondered how many of these ponies were potentially dangerous.
The food line moved at a snail's pace. Today, lunch was salad and hay fries. The cafeteria seemed to be divided in half. On one side sat patients who were scratching themselves, shaking violently, swatting at invisible bugs crawling up their bodies, and sweating. On the other, sat the ponies who just didn't look right. They were talking to themselves, wearing bowls as hats, and just acting strange. One unicorn was enjoying his meal upside down on the ceiling.
Penn sat down next to Blotch and Bow, who were deep in conversation about something. "Hey, Penn!" Blotch said. "Enjoying yourself so far?" Shaking his head, Penn merely stared down at his food. "Eating in a cafeteria reminds me of lunchtime at school. Except, nopony's acting normal. It's creepy. I didn't realize how similar and different my old life and my new life would be." Penn really wasn't hungry, and only nibbled at his food. "Don't feel bad, kid." Bow said. "There is no "old life" or "new life". You only get one. Think of it as going to a different school. Classes are the same, yet different. The ponies are the same, but different. And the cliques are the same, but different."
"Why exactly is the room divided like this?" Penn asked, curious as to why the addicts and crazies sat away from eachother. "Because," Blotch said. "The crazies don't understand what it's like for the addicts, and the addicts don't understand what's going on inside the warzones known as the crazies' heads. They divided that way so they would have somepony that would understand them. The crazies don't know what it's like to have the shakes and cold sweats, just as the addicts dint understand what it's like to not being taken seriously when you say that purple is a trombone."
Penn was starting to understand. It was like how at school how the jocks didn't understand hit rating and having to quest into dark dungeons, while the nerds didn't understand touchdowns or how to get laid. Except the crazies weren't shoving addicts into lockers. At that moment, a twitchy unicorn with a moth on his flank sat down next to Penn. "Hey, kid, Dusty hasn't seen you around here before. You must be new here. Dusty can tell." Dusty said with a large twitch in his neck. "Ya think ya could do Dusty a favor? Dusty can tell that you're very young, oh yes. He can tell that your parents sent you here. Do you think that maybe when your parents come around for a visit that they could bring something for Dusty? Dusty needs some crack!" Dusty shouted, his face practically touching Penn's.
At that moment, two nurses grabbed Dusty. "Looks like Dusty needs more time in the "Happy Room"!" One of them said to Dusty. "NO! DUSTY DOES NOT NEED THE HAPPY ROOM! DUSTY NEEDS HIS HAPPY DUST!" he shouted, kicking and screaming as he was dragged out the cafeteria doors. "Happy Room?" Penn asked. "It's the one place in this building you never want to go." Bow said. "My first day here I attacked one of the nurses because they said it would be unwise for me to go outside unsupervised. They sent me there for a few hours. Those few hours felt like years to me. You have only yourself for company, and only yourself for entertainment. Not that you can do anything, considering they put you in a straight jacket. Trust me, you will do well to stay out of there."
Penn stared down at the remainder of his food. He pushed it away, not feeling hungry in the slightest. A bell rang, signaling that lunch had ended. Everyone got up from their tables, and walked back to their rooms. The whole place felt even creepier after his encounter with Dusty. All Penn wanted to do, was go to his room, lay down, and stay there until his parents came to take him home. He felt that he was going to go even crazier in this place.