>the outside of the building shined in the mid day summer sun 
>made it look just as sterile as it was on the inside
>its architecture clashed with the thatched rooves and uneven hoof-made nature of the surrounding pony made structures
>it was all sharp edges, white plaster, and shining glass
>like they didnt want you to mistake it for anything other than what it was
>the love donation clinic
>trotting through the tinted glass front door i was greeted with the same waiting room and check in desk
>connected to the check-in desk, extending towards the hall to the actual love collection floor was, were several numbered cubicles for pre examination
>the cold white tile beneath my hooves chilled me almost as much as the somewhat frigid demeanor of the black shelled bug wearing a nurse hat behind the check in desk
>"your name, sir?"
"masterclass."
>"and your occupation?"
"cook."
>with horn magic and a placid expression, the androgynous bug of flipped through a pair of double wide rolodexes in front of them
>determining the sex of changelings was a constant struggle for me
>i couldnt tell from a glance and the strange names the bugs around here had written on their name tags were little help in the matter
>up to this point ive been too scared to ask one of them outright if theyre a mare or stallion
>'scutellaris' read the laminated nametag around the slim glossy neck of the seated bug
>"please fill out the form and bring it back as soon as youre done, sir."
>the receptionist bug said as they floated a clipboard across the desk
>taking it in my own magic i went to be seated in the smallish waiting room to the left of the reception desk
>two rows of plastic backed chairs facing each other were set into the floor
>an older mare with a gray mane was sat at the far end of one row with her eyes closed and her head resting on the wall behind her
>closer to me at the other end of the row a stocky brown earthpony stallion was sat filling out the clipboard in his hooves with a pencil in his mouth 
>seating myself across from the stallion we shared a nod of acknowledgement before i got to work with the paper
>the questions were always the same yes or no format
>'are you feeling healthy and well today?'
>'since you last donated have you encountered anything particularly emotionally distressing?'
>'do you understand the risks involved with the love extraction process detailed in the documents provided?'
>the several long lists of possible risks involved didnt matter much to most ponies given the immediate bits payout after each donation
>donation was a strange word to use now that i though on it, with bits involved
>'did you fully understand and answer each question to the best of your ability?'
>i checked the final 'yes' box on the page and got up to return the clipboard
>"thank you, sir."
>the clerk bug took the paper off the clipboard and burned it with a green flame
>"youre number two in the cue, please wait to be called."
>even with the comfortable temp controlled feel of the air i couldnt escape the thought of how cold everything in this place felt
>these chairs especially
>the stallion across from me was still focused on his writing by the time i sat back down
>with a frustrated sound and a sigh he spat the pencil into his hoof and placed it on the empty seat next to him along with the clipboard
>a good half a page was full of small, tight writing
>it was one of the extra pages left blank behind the questionnaire for explaining any current emotional duress asked of in the questions 
>"you never had to use the extra pages?"
"wha- oh, no i havent."
>"staring at the thing like you never seen one before."
>he said with a somewhat bitter tone before taking a deep breath and letting it out
>"i never like having to write out my feelings but i know if i dont, ill be there in the booth for a half hour flapping gums with a bug."
>he offered a broad hoof to me which i shook
>"red brick."
"call me MC."
>"you come here a lot?"
"much as anypony else looking to make extra bits."
>the stallion chuckled before slicking his cut down mane with a hoof
>"guess you and i are two apples in the same barrel."
>his gaze shifted and narrowed to behind me over my shoulder
>had to be looking at the bug behind the counter
>in a quiet tone i said
"hey, you ever wonder about..."
>i gestured with my head to the bug and then pointed to my nethers with a hoof
>"screwin bugs?"
>the stallion asked, at full volume
>one of the mare's eyes opened at the other end of the room to give a disapproving look
"what no! about how to tell if theyre fillies or colts."
>he scratched at the longer hair on his chin for a time before he spoke again
>"i heard it had something to do with their smell, that ya could tell if ya smelt close enough to em."
"youre seri-"
>"next in booth four."
>said the receptionist bug behind me
>"good luck back there, buck."
>he gave a strange over exaggerated wink to me before i left
>in the exam cubical i was met with a new bug that looked almost identical to the one at reception
>"name and profession?"
>their two tone voice was a little different than the other one at the very least
"master class, cook."
>"please be seated."
>the process was the same routine every time 
>after a minute or two of clarifying some answers from the questionnaire we got to the physical exam 
>"left or right?"
>presenting my right hoof to the changeling i looked away as they brought a thin glass tube and a small metal lance from under the desk with their magic
>i looked away as the quick jab of the miniature medical lance punctured the left half of my presented frog
>the bug pressed on the right side of my frog with their cool chitin covered hoof and collected my blood in the small glass straw
>with the straw filled they levitated a cotton ball onto my hoof
>"apply pressure."
>it was obvious that the cold tone in their voice wasnt out of boredom or distain for the job
>they were efficient in their work but the way all the bugs here spoke was detached, indifferent maybe?
>as i considered it and examined the neat straight frill along the back of their neck they placed the glass straw in a small centrifuge before lighting its power with their smooth curved black horn
>"i am now going to evaluate your deeper emotional state, please close your eyes and try to relax."
>"think happy thoughts."
>trying to think of cider going past my tongue and to my belly, i complied 
>i felt the warmth of their magic spread across my chest and the base of my horn as they worked the spell
>always the same, the spell left a strange copper taste on the back of your tongue 
>"your emotional balance is within reasonable levels for your donation today."
>the centrifuge on the desk to their right slowed its spin and went dark
>removing the thin glass straw the nurse bug scrutinized the separated blood as they held it aloft in their magic
>after placing it on the front of the machine and sliding something presumably for measurement they threw it away in a pink heart covered disposal bin connected to the wall of the cubical
>"your current love distribution is adequate as well."
>the bug said as they scribbled something on a paper
>"i have answered the medical and emotional history questions to the best of my ability and i consent to the removal of love from my body and return of my blood there after?"
"i do."
>"please sign."
>i scribbled my cutie mark by the X at the bottom of the paper
>"they should be ready for you in the donation room now, have a nice day."
"same to you."
>i said with a smile
>the bug behind the desk hadnt reciprocated the smile as i looked them in the eye though
>only the same placid expression and even monotone was given as they thanked me
>hard not to wonder if they were all like this outside of the clinic as well
>i never saw any of them in town 
>must be they dont have much reason to go further into ponyville for anything now that they didnt need to sneak around and steal love
>past the exam booths was the hall to the main donation room
>it was a broad room, stretching from one end of the building to the other
>the room itself no doubt occupied a third to a quarter of the entire buildings floor plan
>several neat rows of chaise lounge chairs furnished in grey blue leather spanned from the door of the room to the back wall 
>there was always a few ponies donating around the time of day i usually came in 
>as i trotted in a dozen or so ponies populated the chairs with the nurse bugs tending to them intermittently
>like bees in a hive moving from comb to comb
>"next!"
>my head snapped to attention as a bug several rows down called out with their hoof high in the air
>rounding the isle i was met with another changeling like the rest: black chitin, turquoise eyes, nurse hat with a red cross on the front
>"name and profession?"
>i answered the usual suite of questions they asked before getting to it
>adjacent to every lounge was a set of lab equipment on a rolling table that wouldnt be out of place in dr. hooves lab
>specially engineered for this procedure it was supposedly a groundbreaking marvel of alchemical and medical technology with a hint of magic sprinkled for good measure
>a needle connected to a tube that ran to the apparatus was levitated over as i tensed my foreleg and looked away
>looking away always made the needle going in hurt less for me
>the bug lit a bunsen burner with their magic and started a spinning set of globes at the top of the setup as the dim purple crystal at the center of the table hummed with arcane energy
>it was a constant sound in this room, the humming and whirring of the alchemy setups working their magic
>"the application of this next spell is to make the love extraction process easier on your body, try to relax and think happy thoughts."
>a green magical aura covered the bugs horn as they focused their magic before bringing it over my heart
>and a familiar warmth radiated through the coat on my chest
>"call out to one of the staff if you feel any discomfort." 
>the changeling hoofed the top of an alarm clock built into the table before trotting down the isle out of view
>i tried to think of home back in appaloosa as they walked away
>thoughts of loved ones made the whole thing go by faster
>watching my blood travel down one of the tube draped across my belly i thought of the filly with glasses i never saw again
>we were both moved from canterlot as foals in similar situations
>with parents that hatched the bright idea to move out west to escape things out east for different reasons
>i remember she was my first and only for everything really
>the only pony i could say i loved for sure
>we both loved the same books, eventually both developed strange cutiemarks for unicorns to have
>cutiemarks that would eventually lead to our last goodbye
>she had to move back to canterlot, while i stayed out west with the dust and dirt
>not that i wouldnt give her the warmest hug if i saw her again some day
>i dont blame her for going, only really myself for not following after her
>no i wanted to be selfish, to have something close to the safety and familiarity of home
>it was a better bet i thought to live in ponyville instead of going back to canterlot after living the majority of my life around earth ponies
>so i came here and stayed, working at an inn near the town center
>wondering every other day if she would pass through the door and order something
>if she would still be the same filly i knew when i was a colt
>or if she would even want to know me again
>a high pitched bell i had never heard before rang
>not the imbedded alarm clock but something else hidden in the alchemy set to call a bug over
>how nice of it to pull me out of that day dream
>though this time a different bug came around the end of the row
>something in the way she bounced and swayed her way to me 
>the top of the frill on the back of her head pointed to the ceiling at an extreme angle
>looking almost like somepony grabbed her by the frill in their teeth to pick her up and it stuck that way
>"hello sir, feeling alright today?"
>she said with a smile as she tapped at the pink crystal in the center of the table
"sure."
>"are you *sure* that youre sure?"
>a playful eyebrow raised along side her question
>she was wearing what looked like false eyelashes, nothing any other bug ever had
>or were they an illusion?
>i couldnt remember ever seeing a bug like her here in the clinic now that i thought on it
>"sir?"
>her concern brought me back
"o-oh, of course! right as rain."
>another eyebrow raise 
>"hmmmmm i think i would like to be sure."
>she said while scribbling something on a clipboard in her magic
>"try to relax and lay back for me."
>the glow of her horn touched my own causing a lump to form in my throat
>her warm breath on my muzzle smelt like fresh strawberry short cake in the spring time 
>"dont get any ideas, loverboy."
>her smile showed off her ivory fangs
>a strange predatory fear came with seeing those as i felt my cheeks flush
>"youre sure youre feeling alright?"
>she said as she pulled away and extinguished her magic
>"not thinking of anypony nasty recently?"
"not that i can recall, no."
>the strange bug flipped through the papers in her hooves before stopping on a page
>"ahhhhh i think i see what it is."
>removing the crystal from the apparatus she went about ending the process early
>as the machines hum died down she removed the needle and began wrapping my foreleg
>"you will be paid in the full amount for your donation today, but i have something to show you."
"alright..."
>something about this all felt off 
>down the hall to the reception area we cut to the right down an adjoining hall
>our destination was a room at the end
>made the building feel bigger than it was
>i could still feel the brainfog of their spells lingering as i crossed the threshold
>the inside of the room was bright with the entire outward facing wall being a window with a view of the rolling hills outside ponyville
>the floor inside was carpeted and strangely wood paneled to the ceiling on every wall
>it was devoid of furnishing past a few mats on the ground and a table and chairs in the corner, and a book shelf
>a meditation room?
>there was something else in the room though, on the opposite end to the entrance
>it looked like....
>"before you ask, no, she is not taxidermy."
>the bug said with a smirk as i looked to her
>"im xylocopa by the way, xylo for short."
"and whos she?"
>i said gesturing to the statue
>'she' was what looked to be the most life like recreation of a pony i had ever seen
>standing tall and proud on her wood pedestal the pink earth pony had her eyes closed
>like she was sleeping
>"her name is spring rain."
>xylo said in a somber tone
>"would you mind pulling the curtains?"
>i gave a short nod and obliged, giving the heavy curtains on either side of the large window a tug until they met in the middle 
>leaving the room in near pitch black darkness
>as i was about to light my own horn the silent bugs horn flared with green flame enough for me to see my way to her
>"are you familiar with the history of this clinics formation?"
"no."
>"i was hoping you would be..."
>she said with a sigh
>"prior to our invasion of the pony capitol a number of our kind was scattered."
>"both spiritually and physically."
>"without a home or any guidance we banded together in the wilderness and drafted a treaty with the princesses upon our return."
>"a part of our treaty involved her."
>the pony statue's coat looked so real it almost twinkled in the half light, like it had just been brushed
>green magic enveloped the mane and lifted it off her head
>the entire back of the ponies head was a glass dome with a suspended brain glowing a faint pink
>i couldnt help but gape at it
>she then tugged at the coat on the pink ponies chest revealing a beating heart glowing behind a glass pane set in the wood core of the statue
>"spring rain was the key to your kind helping us solve our hunger problem."
>as xylo's hoof touched the chest of the statue both organs glowed brighter pink than before
>"one thing our hive scholars knew for sure was that the only two elements essential to pony love production were the brain and heart, the two things our manipulation magics cling to."
>"so with myself as the team lead in the hive at the time, we experimented and found trees near the hive to be the best things to bind ponies to."
>"and without an actual body it removed the need for cocooning ponies all together."
>"the process itself was too time and labor intensive for the queen to justify having it done to all hosts in the hive though."
>my blood ran cold
"she was from kept in your homeland?"
>"yes, and when the heart of the tree containing spring rain disappeared from the hive it seemed no ling came looking for her either."
>the emerald torchlight she emitted made her fangs glisten as she smiled
>"she is still happy though."
"you mean...."
>"yes, she is still there."
>"maybe not alive in the same way she was before but she still dreams and lives her days out within her mind."
>"and she seems to be happy there, that is if the love she still gives off is any indication."
>beneath its glass dome skull the brain pulsed the same steady hypnotic pink glow
"but why show me this?..."
>that smile on her chitinous muzzle wilted as she put the former pony back together
>xylo stood up to the statue of spring rain and placed a kiss on her forehead once her mane was in place
>the bug spoke after a moment of silence
>"i showed her to you so you could understand that good or bad, the action or inaction of your past happens for a reason."
>"that even if you dont realize it yet, every decision you made in the past has some silver lining in your future."