How long has it been?

Two, three days perhaps..

It's hard to tell time in a padded room, my only way to tell is to count the duties of the staff, though my mind gets all foggy and the days kind of blur together. I know I talked to a nurse from Ponyville, I'm sure of it, because I'm being punished, so I've had to.

They sedated me, I don't know how long I was out, and now they only take me out for food, and restroom visits. My time outside in the open air has been taken away from me, I've lost that privilege. My doctor, he came to talk to me, told me why I had lost the privilege. He told me I could not be trusted to behave, so for now I would stay in my cell. He didn't even remove my muzzle so I could tell him my side of things, not that I would have done so, but it just showed how little he cared for me.

Lately I've been feeling, good, as good as one can be in a place like this. If I was lucky, and I knew the chances of me being lucky were slim, then Rainbow Dash should have received the message, and even luckier if she came to see me. The thought however gave me hope, something I have not felt for a very long time.

Ever since I saw her picture, I have tried to remember more about her. The more I think about her, the more clearer she becomes. I still don't know as much as I would like, a lot of details are fuzzy, but the one thing I'm sure of now, is that she's my friend. I know she's my only hope, where this loyalty and confidence comes from I have no idea.

At night I've been dreaming about her, small snapshots of time, some of which I'm convinced are memories, but they're still out of reach. I don't know why I can't remember, why my mind is so clouded, it must be the drugs I'm on. Every single day I am forced to take pills with my meals. I've tried not to take them, but I have nowhere to hide them, and with the muzzle I can't spit them out later.

I can't even tell if they do it to be cruel to me, or if they really want to help. I know some care more than others, but mostly I'm treated like an animal, and a dangerous one at that. Most nurses are gentle with me, mares mostly, while the orderlies, mostly stallions, are rougher, and some even seem to enjoy pushing me around, laughing at me. They try to hide it, but not from me, from the rest of the staff.

I've lost count how many times I've sat and waited, strapped in the wheelchair, muzzled, and waiting to go out. At those times the orderlies will almost without exception talk for a long time, slap the back of my head, some harder than others. They talk about how drugged out I must be, question how much of my mind is still conscious.

That is not to say all orderlies are cruel, or all nurses are nice. The head nurse, I don't know her name, she's cold as ice, seems to take pleasure in controlling everything about me. Even though I'm drugged, I can tell her smile is fake, just like her kindness. Some nurses follow her example, mistaking the coldness for professionalism, others are less strict.

I like when it's one of them, and not the orderlies that takes me out. Sometimes there are two of them, and they fall into some long talks, which means we are out there longer than intended. I don't mind, the longer the better, and I get to listen in on their conversation. It's nothing much, some things from their life at home, a little gossip here and there. When that happens, I like to pretend I'm part of the conversation, even though I never make a sound, afraid they remember they have to get me back in.

Now having lost that privilege, I sit in the normally lit padded room, all by myself, waiting. The lights would normally be turned on, but I sit in darkness. I suspect the orderly that was supposed to strap me to my wheelchair had gotten a firm scolding from the head nurse, or doctor, and this is his way of getting back at me.

So now I just sit in total darkness, nothing but my drugged mind to keep me company. I'm used to punishment, this is not the first time this has been done to me. Still, I always feel more lost when I'm in the dark. I'm not scared, but it is like being alone with my own demons, imaginary or not.

Suddenly however, the lights turned on, blinding me for a few moments. Squinting my eyes, trying to get them used to the sudden light that had washed over the room. At first I thought it was just the end of my punishment, but then the door opened and two orderlies stepped inside.

"Alright then," one said. "Let's get Mr. Crazy out." He looked very pleased with himself, like if he was standing on a podium, waiting to be given a gold medal for the coolest nickname ever.

The other one pushed a wheelchair in, and then they both put me in it. "Who the buck would want to visit him?" My eyes went wide, did I hear right? Somepony was here to visit me?

"I don't know, and I don't care. Anypony who would want to see him must have a few issues themselves." The orderly said, pulling the strap hard, making sure it was tight this time. I winced, but did not say anything, I didn't want to give him the satisfaction. He could see it hurt however, and used his hoof to give me a small slap across the face, not a hard one, but enough to make me focus on him. "Helloooo? If you're still there, somepony is here to see you." He then pulled another strap, this time harder. "And this is so you don't pull that same stunt twice. If you do, I'll make your life even more miserable."

It was hard for me to understand how a pony could be this cruel, he could hardly do much to make my life even harder, but I was not about to test him, so I just nodded. He gave me a sinister smile. "Glad we understand one another, let's go."

One started to push the wheelchair from behind, smoothly guiding it, and me, out into the hallway. The other, the one that had just warned me, trotted to the right of me, but a few steps ahead, like if leading us. I just sat there, like I always did, no control of where I was going, but this time I did not mind, because today it seemed somepony had finally come. Could it be Rainbow Dash?

If it was, then what should I tell her? I still didn't remember much about our relationship, so our conversation would be limited to me asking a lot of questions. I needed to tell her I was innocent, maybe she could do something? It was a childish naïve hope, I knew that, but she was the only one I could remember, so she was my only lifeline. If nothing else, I could at least learn a little about my former life, try to remember more.

I was taking to parts of the asylum I had never been in before, or at any case could not remember. This part seemed more cozy, warmer and more comfortable. At least it was when compared to the area where I came from, where everything seemed too clean and cold, like a surgeon's tools, sterilized.

We were not there long, because soon enough we stopped, and the orderly escorting us opened up a metal door, nodding to the other orderly to take me inside. He did so, and I entered a small room with a long table separating the room in two, not much else was in here, except for one glaring important thing.

Well, not a thing, a pony. My eyes went wide, and despite being muzzled I could not help but speak. "Rnnnhnmm Nnphh?!"

"Hello, Swift Bolt..."

Author's Notes:

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