The Personal Files of Dr. Mindwell

by rillegas08

Rating: everyone
Tags: Main 6, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Random, Slice of Life
Length: 20744

I had just received my doctorate in psychology at Manehattan University when I received a letter from Princess Celestia. It was time to begin my own therapeutic practice.

I had just received my doctorate in psychology at Manehattan University when I received a letter from Princess Celestia herself, asking me to come to Canterlot as soon as I could, and to bring everything I needed to begin my own therapeutic practice. I could hardly believe it. Even though therapy is my special talent, I didn't think I was good enough yet to start my own practice in the capital city.

Published 2015-11-08 02:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-11-21 05:22:19 UTC

Prologue

I boarded the train to Canterlot after way too long waiting on a crowded platform. I'm not originally from Manehattan, but here I am: a tan unicorn stallion with ivory-rimmed glasses and a mane and tail the color of ginger sticks. For the past several years I've been going to Manehattan University, a prestigious academic institution second only to Celestia's school for unicorns. So of course I'd be one of the few unicorns attending the school, the students of which were at least 75% earth ponies. 20% or so of the rest are pegasi who have chosen to study something other than flying or weather management, and the remaining minority were unicorns like myself and other non-pony creatures. We tended to receive a few strange looks of confusion; why wouldn't a unicorn be attending Celestia's school that catered to our kind.

I'm not sure why I was thinking of the school's demographics. I put it out of my mind and turned my attention back to the letter I'd received from the Princess. It had arrived the night before. It was a plain envelope, but sealed with the unmistakable seal of the Royal Sisters, the same seal that's surrounded by several stars on the Equestrian flag. I'd had to read it a few times to make sure I wasn't dreaming -- and, if I'm being perfectly honest, to gather as much information as I could about the Princess that I didn't already know.

The hoofwriting was elegant, as to be expected from any of the nobility in Canterlot, but it wasn't a fancy script. Although there were loops, curls, and other embellishments typical of fancy calligraphy, it was simple. The elegance came not from the script itself, but from the centuries required to make such simplicity elegant.

She began each sentence with a slightly larger letter than the rest of the sentence, unnoticeable except for those purposefully looking for it. Other than that, each letter was exactly like the others like it: every lowercase t was crossed the same, the dot of every i the same angle and distance from its stalk.

I put no serious thought into graphology, or how her writing reflects her personality; such a practice is a proof of confirmation bias, especially when you start analyzing the hoofwriting of somepony whose personality you already know. But I'll have my socks darned if I pretend I don't enjoy good-looking hoofwriting.

Dear Psy Mindwell,
Congratulations on receiving your doctorate! It is my joy to see any pony work hard to fulfill their destiny as you have done these past several years. I knew as well as you did when you dropped out of my school for unicorns the first semester that you were destined to have a different kind of magic that my school is admittedly lacking in: that of helping others.
It is with my pleasure, then, that I have been able to expedite the process of acquiring your very own practice. Please come to Canterlot at your earliest convenience so I may give you more details, as I am running out of room on this paper. Please send me a note back with your travel plans so you may be met at the station.
Princess Celestia

I smiled again, as big a smile as I'd had every time reading her message. Several things amazed me. How could she keep track of everypony who went through her school, even those who never even finished one semester? I had learned plenty about a pony's short- and long-term memory systems and the limitations of both, yet surely thousands upon thousands of unicorns had passed through her school's doors.

"Next stop, the Hollow Shades! Next stop, the Hollow Shades!"

The next stop after the Hollow Shades will be Canterlot. Canterlot, where I'll have my own practice... a fresh doctorate and already I get my own practice! Interning with the psychologist's clinic in Manehattan was difficult, for sure, but it certainly feels like it paid off. Wow, starting off at the top.

The train pulled away from the junction that service the main line from Manehattan and Fillydelphia to Canterlot and the side tracks to the Hollow Shades and... someplace I'd never heard of. The tracks in that direction appear unused, but the rails have some shine to them. They must have been used recently.

I stared out at the window the rest of my journey, watching the trees and hills pass by. I couldn't remember what I'd thought about, or even if I thought anything at all. The next thing I knew, the conductor was calling out the next stop, Canterlot. My ears and eyes perked up, and I looked at the clock on the capital city's approaching train station. Right on time. My eyes scanned the platform for Princess Celestia or somepony else of her court.

I saw nothing at my first glance, so I took my saddlebags and got off the train car, looking at each pony now that I was closer.

"Mindwell!" a voice called out, and my head turned toward it. I saw a well-dressed stallion with a sign around his neck with my name on it, and I approached him.

"I'm Mindwell. Are you from the castle?"

"Yes I am. Please follow me."

He didn't say anything else. I followed him as he asked, and walked in silence the rest of the way through the busy streets. Ponies everywhere were talking, laughing, arguing, there were even a few singing. We passed building after building, shop after shop, business after business. I found myself wondering more than once whether my new office would be in one of these buildings.

"Hello, Your Highness," the stallion said, bowing to Princess Celestia, and breaking my train of thought. I quickly bowed as well.

The princess giggled. "Please rise. Thank you for coming, Psy." Her servant (I assume he was her servant, although couldn't all citizens of Equestria be considered the servants of the Princess?) parted, leaving the two of us alone in the hallway. Or at least, as alone as we could be while everypony else passed us, bowing their heads as they passed their princess. I walked beside the alicorn as she made her way through the halls toward another part of the castle, probably a conference room or the office of some bureaucrat who wasn't working for some reason or another. That would be weird. We're most likely going to a conference room.

To my surprise, the princess led me out to a balcony.

"How have you been, Psy?" she asked. "It's been so long since I've seen you."

"It has indeed been a long time, Princess. And busy."

"Congratulations once again on receiving your certification to become a counselor. We have far too few counselors in Equestria."

"What you say is true," I reply, starting to relax. I've never personally had a chat like this with her, barely even met her in passing, but it seemed odd. Odd that somepony as powerful as her, both politically and magically, that she would enjoy small talk. Then again, perhaps it is because of her position that she enjoys small talk as a sort of relaxation method. The more I thought about it, the more the latter seemed more likely. "I was only one among four other individuals who was able to stand being in school that long."

"How were the grades of your graduating class?"

"The lowest of the four of us ended with a B+ average."

She smiled, looking out at the city. I looked as well. The streets didn't look as busy from up here; in fact, several were empty or had very few ponies walking along them. I started to wonder whether my guide had purposely taken me along the busiest streets.

"All wonderful students then." She turned to face me, but I didn't notice right away. I was still looking out over the city, my front hooves resting on the railing, and my head resting on my forelegs. I couldn't help but smile.

"Are you proud of your accomplishments, Psy?" I turned to look at her again, and sighed.

"The past few years were constant education and practicum," I responded. "I think I'm too exhausted from the exertion to feel much pride just yet. That's subjective, however. From a purely objective standpoint, however, I know I am. That's why you bought me here, after all, isn't it?" How quickly the conversation turned from small talk to the reason I was in the capital city.

She smiled again. "Indeed it is. Arrangements have already been made for you to begin your new practice in Ponyville."

"Ponyville?" I was understandably confused. Hadn't the princess mentioned in her letter that I was to begin in Canterlot? I thought back to what I could remember reading in the letter, but couldn't remember where she had said I would conduct my business. "Not in Canterlot?"

"I've lived in Canterlot for a thousand years," she answered, "and the ponies here either have strong minds or refuse to accept help. A few who need help accept it, but the one counselor we have in Canterlot can handle those few."

"Ponyville, however," she continued, "has endured so much in only one year. Nightmare Moon, a dragon, parasprites, all kinds of creatures from the neighboring Everfree Forest and Tartarus, celebrities, Discord, strange potions, and so much more. Some ponies there need your help, even without all that's happened."

"Celebrities?" I asked. If she heard me, she didn't indicate that she had.

"When my sister and I... disappeared... a few days ago, my former student and star pupil Twilight Sparkle was given a heavy burden to bear, but she was able to handle herself and her new position as a princess. You two could probably talk for hours about the subjects you both have learned. I have already sent her a message letting her know you'd be arriving soon and which building you would own. Whenever you're ready to go, I'll send her a message, letting her know to meet you at the Ponyville train station."

I must have looked dejected, because the next words out of her mouth were "you look dejected."

I sighed. "I was looking forward to living in the capital city, seeing my family and some of my old friends again."

The princess rested her hoof on my shoulder, and my eyes went from looking at her golden shoe up to her kind face. "That is why I said whenever you were ready to leave. I knew you would want to stay a while, but try not to stay too long. I'm putting you there because that is where I believe the need for your expertise is the greatest."

I gave a soft smile, but I wasn't completely sure why. This was a bittersweet moment for me. On the one hoof, it had been my dream to own my own practice in Canterlot; on the other hoof, what she had said about the need in Ponyville seemed to be accurate. I for one had never heard of Ponyville before the return of Nightmare Moon last year, and the small town had been on the front page of the national news several times in the year since.

"In that case, Princess, I'll spend the rest of today and tomorrow doing what I need to do here. The next day I'll be on the first train to Ponyville."

She retracted her hoof from my shoulder. "Excellent. I'll let Princess Twilight know right away. I trust you know your way out?"

I nodded, looking back out over the city. I wanted to have dinner with my family. I had wanted to spend all of tomorrow with my friends, but now I'd decided to take some time to talk to Canterlot's counselor when he or she had a spare moment. For now, however, all I wanted to do was stare out at the city some more. After all, it's not often a pony of my socioeconomic status could talk with the ruler of his nation relaxing on one of the castle's many balconies.

I'm sure Ponyville can afford to wait a couple days.

01: Arriving in Ponyville

01: Arriving in Ponyville

"Next stop, Ponyville! Next stop, Ponyville!" called the same voice as a few days before. The ride was much shorter between Canterlot and Ponyville than between Canterlot and Manehattan, which was to be expected: Ponyville is about as far from Canterlot as Fillydelphia is from Manehattan.

The train slowed, and I took my saddle bags out of the storage bins, placing them on my back with my magic. As I stepped off the train car, I looked around at the sparsely populated platform. Having a small number of ponies present was a pleasant change from the crowded Manehattan and Canterlot stations. I couldn't find the pony I was supposed to meet with only a quick glance, so I took a closer look at the others. A cream-colored earth mare with candy for a cutie mark, who was apparently at the station to meet her teal unicorn friend with a lyre cutie mark from Canterlot who'd come to visit. A grey pegasus mare. A purple unicorn standing next to a purple and green baby dragon. No, not a unicorn - as I looked at her cutie mark, I saw her wings, and checked her head to make sure I didn't imagine the horn. Sure enough, she had both; she was an alicorn, and most likely the pony I was supposed to meet.

Princess Celestia may have forgotten to give her my description, as she was still looking at the other passengers. I walked up to her.

"Excuse me, I'm Dr. Mindwell. Are you Princess Twilight Sparkle?"

She turned to face me. "Yes I am, and this is my assistant Spike."

I started to bow, but she put out her hoof to stop me. I looked up, puzzled.

"I appreciate the gesture, and would allow it in a more formal setting out of necessity, but you don't need to bow to me. I'm still not used to this whole princess thing. And you don't need to call me by my title either."

"You can just call her Twilight," quipped the baby dragon, "or maybe Miss Sparkle if you still want to be somewhat professional about it."

"Spike!"

An interesting statement, a princess not comfortable with being a princess and asking not to be called such. I knew many ponies would jump at the prospect. I doubt I would, though. Perhaps if I were to be suddenly elevated to royalty as Pri... as Miss Sparkle was, I'd have the same sentiment. Princess Celestia did say she and I were similar: we're both very studious, and perhaps she was also like me in the sense that I preferred interacting with only a few ponies at once over being in a large group a lot.

"As you wish, Miss Sparkle," I said, and a tired smile graced her muzzle. She turned to leave the platform, and used her magic to levitate her assistant onto her back. I followed beside her.

"Well, we should get started," she said.

We passed through the door of the station, and I had my first look at the town. To the left, I could see the hospital standing taller than any of the surrounding buildings. Any other existing landmarks were blocked by houses and trees. To the right, I saw a schoolhouse and many acres of farmland. Two other structures stuck out higher than the houses and trees; a clock tower and what appeared to be the fancy cupola of a public building.

"He's here!"

I looked ahead of me, taking in the details right in front of me for the first time. Sitting - no, not sitting, bouncing quickly - by a fountain was a bright pink mare with a very puffy mane and tail. She was grinning from ear to ear.

I was slightly uncomfortable at her over-the-top enthusiasm.

"Thanks for waiting, Pinkie. Dr. Mindwell, this is my friend Pinkie Pie. When she heard somepony new was coming to town - "

"It took a lot to not go to Canterlot and bring you here myself in a big parade with floats and balloons and music and a great big party!"

I knew opposites attract, but this seemed ridiculous. I was curious to know how such an introverted pony had become friends with such an extroverted one. I had encountered a lot of ponies over the years, but none were like this Pinkie Pie. She was certainly the most extremely extroverted point on an introversion-extroversion scale.

"Normally she welcomes somepony new as soon as she meets them, but she agreed to make an exception this time and wait."

"Is she going to throw me a party?" I joked, smirking.

"It's what she did when I first came from Canterlot."

I looked at Miss Sparkle with a surprised look, although I wasn't sure how surprised I actually needed to be. I knew Miss Sparkle had once lived in Canterlot, and had been sent to Ponyville the year before. So that was how they met, but it remained to be discovered how they had become friends.

Suddenly the pink mare produced a party wagon out of nowhere (it still confuses me how she was able to do that). It was pink (of course) and filled with fireworks, horns, flags, and all sorts of sweets. She started singing a welcome song and dancing to it. It was short and simple. She slid on her hind knees in front of the cart, facing me. When she stopped singing I smiled, sat on my hindquarters, and clapped my hooves.

"Wait for it..."

A cake popped out of what was apparently a portable oven. As if on cue, confetti burst out of some of the large pipes that were standing straight up. I'd wondered what those were for, if not pure decoration.

"Thank you for that welcome," I said, standing back up and brushing some confetti out of my mane. Miss Sparkle did the same. "Do you welcome everypony like this?"

"Only if they're planning to live here a long time."

I chuckled, turning to Miss Sparkle. "You got the welcome cart too?"

"Actually, when I first came here it was going to be a temporary visit, so I got a surprise party instead."

"Yeah, and considering how she was trying to avoid everypony as much as she could, it prooobably wouldn't have been a good idea to use the welcome cart since I later found out that I'd put the confetti in the oven and the cake in the party cannons that day. She wouldn't have liked that," she added.

"I see." I imagined it would be very difficult for me to figure out the psyche of this one.

"Anyway, gotta run. I've got a busy day today. Nice meeting you!" She waved and bounced down the road.

"She doesn't treat you like royalty, I notice."

"I've been her friend much longer than I've been a princess. In fact, that's true of most of the ponies in Ponyville."

"Speaking of which, I know how you two met, but how did you become friends?"

"Not long before Nightmare Moon returned, I was reading Predictions and Prophecies..."

She continued her story as we walked through the town, pausing from time to time to point out important buildings: Sugarcube Corner, the spa, the schoolhouse for foals, Sweet Apple Acres, the town hall (which did in fact have the cupola I'd seen earlier, proving my hypothesis), the park, the Carousel Boutique, the pet sanctuary operated by her friend Fluttershy, the windmill, the clock tower, and finally the Golden Oak Library. Several of these locations played a part in how she found her first group of friends. She told me about the letter that Princess Celestia had sent her, telling her to go to Ponyville to make preparations for last year's Summer Sun Festival; she told me about the ones in charge of each part of the celebration, who all eventually became her core group of friends, about whom she had told me as we passed each location; she told me about the missing Princess; she told me about the Elements of Harmony, and the long and arduous journey into the Everfree Forest to find them; she told me about her final standoff with Nightmare Moon, Nightmare Moon's eventually defeat, and the return of the royal sisters.

By the time she had finished retelling the tale, we had been standing near the library for several minutes. "And to think, Equestria would have been doomed if I hadn't come here and made some friends."

I had already learned a lot about Miss Sparkle, her friends, and some other ponies in town, and I'd barely been in Ponyville an hour. Party pony, hardworking farm girl, adrenaline junkie, fashionista, introverted animal lover, and of course my guide the scientist who enjoyed learning. Princess Celestia had been right; Miss Sparkle and I do have a lot in common.

I had noticed something else about the new alicorn princess beside me. Although she had started talking with enthusiasm, I could recognize a sign of too much stress: decreased energy, possibly caused by the on-going high-stress situations she'd had to deal with the last year.

"Forgive me for asking, Miss Sparkle, but are you all right? Princess Celestia told me a little bit about what you and Ponyville have gone through this past year, and you seem tense."

"Tense doesn't even begin to cover it!" she said, probably a bit more loudly than she'd intended. Overreaction: another indication of too much stress. "In one year, my friends and I have had the responsibility for saving Equestria no fewer than four times, five if you include Sunset Shimmer's attempt to cross over from a different dimension, I've suddenly been given appendages and barely know how to use them, and ponies are starting to expect me to be different than I was just because I'm now a princess!"

I could barely resist suggesting she come into my office sometimes to talk, but I did. She'd pretty much walked into it. Also, this Sunset Shimmer she mentioned intrigued me. I reminded myself to ask Miss Sparkle about her another time.

"Where's my office? Princess Celestia said arrangements had been made, but I think we forgot to stop there."

"Oh my gosh, you're right! Let's go!" She started on her way, but I put my hoof in front of her and pointed to her dragon, who was laid flat on her back, eyes closed.

"Your dragon fell asleep some time ago. Should we put him to bed first?"

"You're right," she said, her voice calmer now than it had been just moments before. "Wait for me here. I'll only take a minute." I nodded and waited outside the library for her. Not long after, we started making our way to one of the buildings nearby, and she opened the door to let ourselves in. It was two stories tall, built with plaster and exposed beams (or thin fake beams that had been added on after the fact) like most of the other buildings in Ponyville. The first floor was pretty much empty, although there was a kitchen area in the back. I wasn't much of a cook, but maybe now that I'm living by myself I should start cooking more. The second floor was empty as well, and actually had nothing else.

I followed her back downstairs, and she used her magic to levitate the key toward me, which I took with my own magic.

"This house belongs to you now. Decorate it however you wish." I planned to, although I hadn't yet decided whether I wanted my patients to be on the first floor where somepony could peer in as they passed, or if I wanted my bed there. The lesser of two evils, as it were, although that phrase may hold a different meaning in Equestria than in another country. She turned to leave.

"Miss Sparkle..." She turned to face me.

"Did you need something else?" she asked.

"No," I answered, "but I think you do. The last few days have been stressful for everypony involved, and I think you bore the largest weight of anypony. Too much long-term stress can be very harmful, contributing to painful ulcers and a weakened immune system. It can also be a contributing factor to disturbed sleep, muscle tension and aches, headaches, and fatigue, and also increases the prevalence of many preexisting conditions.

"I realize that as a princess your schedule may not allow for regular visits, but I do urge you to come by whenever you can. We can work on relaxation techniques, as well as find other ways to reduce the effect of stress before it becomes harmful."

She sighed, her ears drooping a little. "Was it that obvious?"

"Maybe not for somepony else, but I've spent years training to recognize subtle clues that may indicate bigger problems, and I recognized a few today."

"I'll check my schedule, and send Spike over soon to schedule an appointment then." She smiled. "I'm really glad Celestia sent you here. You're going to be helping a lot of ponies."

It was my turn to smile. "Thank you, Miss Sparkle. I look forward to seeing you again." I parted for Quills and Sofas, one of the stores that Miss Sparkle had specifically pointed out, where I could buy some furniture. A bed and nightstand for me, and some chairs for me and my patients. I paid to have them delivered to my new home, and made my way back.

Yes, I do look forward to seeing many ponies come through my door. It's not just about helping; it's about getting to know them so I can help them in the best way for each of them.

Author's Note

Like before with The Princess that Equestria Never Had, I am using this image as my map for Ponyville.

02: Spike, Session 1, Feelings of Inadequacy

I had just finished placing my furniture where I wanted it, an hour or two after the movers had brought it all in, and I was starting to get hungry. During the tour, I'd noticed a restaurant. I'll eat there tonight, and fill up my pantry tomorrow. I ended up putting the bed and one of the comfortable chairs on the second floor, and the other comfy chair and the sofa on the first floor. I made a mental note to buy the rest of the furniture in the next few days: a few floor lamps, end tables to put next to my bed and the chairs on the first floor, a desk (a must for anypony who must keep files on his clients), and a dining room table. Perhaps a partition between the kitchen and where I'll be talking to my clientele, since the kitchen and dining room are more private.

I heard a knock on the door, breaking my thoughts. I opened the door, and found Spike standing there, a spiral-bound notebook in his claws.

"Message from Princess Twilight!"

"Is that her agenda?"

"You bet! It's got all of this week and next week. Twilight figured she'd give plenty of notice."

"All right, let's see what we've got here." He gave me the scroll and I adjusted my glasses. It seemed odd that the schedule of a princess would be so empty; then again, both she and Equestria were still in the process of getting used to the presence of a fourth princess, so her full royal duties may not have been fully realized. At least two times each week, Miss Sparkle had made sure to attend one of Pinkie Pie's parties. She had allocated some blocks of time for reorganizing the books in the library or something else. Tuesday and Thursday were both almost completely available, and at the bottom of each column was a note: "Spend time with friends or doing errands."

"Let's have her come in 9:00 Tuesday morning."

"She doesn't have anything planned?" I showed him the note. "That's weird. She usually plans out every detail, even on days when she has no plans."

"Perhaps she's starting to keep some days open in case of emergencies like what happened at this year's Summer Sun Celebration."

"Uh, you can't schedule sudden emergencies, doc."

"True, but you can move the schedule around to accommodate them."

"Huh. Never thought of it like that. All right, see you later!" He waved and turned away, and I was about to close the door behind him when I noticed him pause and turn to face me. "Uh, actually, do you think we can talk?"

"Of course. Come have a seat." He passed through my door again and headed toward my comfy chair. He jumped up and patted the cushion.

"Hm. Nice."

I closed the door and smiled at him. "That's actually my chair. You get to sit on the couch."

"Oh. Sorry." He grinned sheepishly and hopped over to the sofa. I sat on the chair facing him, taking a notepad and pencil to take notes. "Huh. It's just as comfortable."

"And it's bigger, so you can sit or lay down however you want. Now," I said, "what's on your mind?"

"Well, I don't wanna start negative. My life is pretty good, actually! Twilight's always taken care of me like a little brother. She hatched me the day she got her cutie mark, and her display of raw magical power is what got her into Celestia's school." His smile faded a little. "Well, most of the time she treats me like a brother. Sometimes she does things that kinda hurt, but I don't think she ever realizes that it hurts. I'm a dragon, so I've got a tough hide, plus natural armor with these scales," at this he tapped his scales with a claw, "so the pain doesn't last too long.

"Oh yeah, I was gonna be positive. Um, Twilight depends on me a lot and is very grateful for my assistance, even though she can sometimes forget to voice it. Some of that gratefulness shows through her actions, like when she realized she could do nothing to save the Crystal Heart herself, and had me do it."

I interrupted. "What happened with the Crystal Heart? I'd heard something had happened up north, but I don't know any details."

"Oh, I was with Twilight the whole time. Want me to tell you what happened?"

"Sure."

He started his tale by talking about Miss Sparkle's test in Canterlot, which later turned out to be another mission to save the world. This was before she had become an alicorn princess. They traveled to the newly reappeared Crystal Empire, where they met Twilight's brother Shining Armor. King Sombra appeared behind them as a large shadow, and they high-tailed it into the Empire, which was protected by Shining Armor's wife, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.

"I know those names," I said. "King Sombra and Princess Mi Amore were mentioned in one of my history classes."

"Cadance was in your history book?"

"Cadance meaning Princess Cadenza?" He nodded. "No, not her. The original Princess Mi Amore, who King Sombra defeated. Continue."

He continued as requested, talking about how Miss Sparkle and her friends talked to an exhausted Princess Cadance. They all decided to help by recreating the Crystal Faire, an event that was the ultimate representation of everything the Crystal Empire represented. The Faire turned out to be more or less successful: most of the crystal ponies had regained most of their crystalline translucence, until Princess Cadance was too exhausted from maintaining her spell that the barrier went down completely for a moment. Miss Sparkle had asked her five friends to make sure the crystal ponies remained entertained while she and Spike went to find the Crystal Heart. He insisted on joining her on the dangerous mission, but she only let him if he didn't raise a claw to help her. "So I folded my arms tight, refusing to use my claws. She can have trouble accepting help from time to time." I made a note to talk with Miss Sparkle about that on Tuesday. She guessed that King Sombra kept the Crystal Heart in the castle because nopony would be brave enough to go in there. They had passed through several layers of security, each one harder to get through than the last. One was a door that hypnotized somepony, forcing them to face their worst fear.

"Finally, we made it to the top of the tower, and the Crystal Heart was in the middle of the floor. Twilight touched it, but then some sort of alarm sounded, She barely had enough time to push the Heart out of the way before she became trapped inside a cell of dark crystals. She tried teleporting out, but there was a fail safe spell that pulled her right back in. She realized that she could do nothing else to help the Crystal Empire, and told me to take the Crystal Heart to the fastival. I was hesitant at first because I promised I wouldn't, but it was the only way. I took the Crystal Heart and started making my way back down. But I tripped."

His face fell as he said this. "Cadance was able to get a hold of it before Sombra could, and the Crystal Heart was activated. Sometimes I still wonder what would have happened if I hadn't tripped."

"You mentioned the door that forces somepony to face their worst fear. What did you see?"

He wrung at his claws. Fortunately for me, fear is an emotion that somepony remembers most vividly. This memory would take many years, decades or maybe centuries for him, to forget. He wasn't trying to remember it; no, I think he was trying to stop being afraid of the memory of his fear.

"We were walking back home to the library. Twilight took me off her back, and wouldn't let me in. She said she didn't need me anymore, and was sending me away. I asked why, but she didn't say anything. She levitated my stuff out to me, and shut the door."

"Did you say anything in that fear?"

"No, I don 't wanna go! Please, Twilight, don't make me!"

"Does Miss Sparkle know this is your greatest fear?"

"Yeah, she asked what I saw and I told her."

"And what did she say?"

"She said she'd never said me away, and we hugged." His smile returned, and I smiled too. Thank goodness for fears. It sounds strange for somepony to say such a thing, but fear is a vital emotion to a pony's survival, and for somepony like me, knowing such fears is one of the most effective ways to help somepony.

"May I say something?" He nodded. "It seems like that fear still has a hold on you, even though Miss Sparkle has reassured you that it will never happen. I understand, probably more than most, that getting over fears takes a while, and must go at somepony's own comfortable pace. Aside from being let go, what other situations are you afraid of?"

"Well, sometimes stuff like I already mentioned happens: I've got a big moment, and then I screw up. I had the Crystal Heart, but I tripped. I helped Twilight sneak into the Canterlot library one night... oh, it was only because there was a problem and that was the only way Twilight could solve it! Anyway, that night I ate too much ice cream and had a bad stomachache the next day. On my birthday, I was happy because I was getting presents, but then I got greedy and started growing into an adult dragon. It was only when Rarity snapped me out of it that I was able to calm down and be my normal self."

"How did she do that?" It's an understandable question. If something like that were to happen again, I may need to know how to calm him back down.

"That actually goes back to a few days before my birthday. I had a perfectly ripened fire ruby, but gave it to Rarity. After I became an adult dragon and snatched her up in my claw, I was eyeing the ruby again, but then she started talking about why it was important to her. She said it was given to her by the kindest, sweetest, most generous dragon ever, and I suddenly remembered how good it felt to give it to her in the first place."

He smiled, a little blush rising to his cheeks. Ah, a child's first crush. Sometimes directed toward somepony of an inappropriate age, but completely logical to them.

"What are your feelings for Rarity?"

"She's the most beautiful, most elegant pony I've ever met! I want to spend as much time with her as I can, which usually means helping her carry stuff, or being her pincushion, or helping her in some other way."

I wanted to ask what feelings he felt she had for him, but it already felt like we were going on a tangent, so I made a note to ask him about Rarity in a future session.

"It sounds like you are a dragon of several talents, who may be at his absolute best when helping others. You've admitted to having a fear of letting somepony down while you're helping them. However, from what you've told me so far, it also sounds like nopony holds such mistakes against you, whether it's due to how well they know you or your age. You are still a baby dragon, after all. Not everything you do is going to be your fault."

"So what should I do?"

"Continue helping, but try not to force yourself to help just because you're bored. Instead, when you're bored, do things for yourself that you might otherwise not be able to do. It could be the case that you force yourself to help when you don't know what to do."

He brought his claw to his chin "It has been a while since I've read a good comic book."

"That's a good start," I said with a smile. "Let things come naturally. Don't do too much at once, or you might get burned out."

"I'll try," he said, then paused. "Do I need to stay a full hour, or what? How does this work?"

That's another thing I'll have to buy: a clock.

"Unless you have something else you'd like to talk about right now, we can be finished."

"Then in that case, thanks for talking with me, Doc. I'll see you around town!"

I opened the door to let him out as he jumped off the couch. He left my house and turned toward the library, and I turned the opposite direction toward the restaurant. If I waited for clients to come to me, it would take a long time before I got a full schedule, although I felt it had been appropriate for the first day. On the way to the restaurant, I met a couple going the opposite direction and introduced myself. It was true that a pony of my profession was not in high demand throughout Equestria, but perhaps the ponies in Ponyville had a higher demand due to what they've gone through. If so, my schedule will be filled in no time.

Author's Note

This chapter, I realized partway through, was on the edge of becoming a Spike episode, where I write him poorly because I don't know what to do with him. Then again, this chapter is set before "Power Ponies," so he hasn't had his best episodes yet.

04: Lyra Heartstrings, Session 1, Obsessions and Hobbies

When I was at the post office to send the letter to Princess Celestia, I saw the grey mare I'd seen on the train station's platform when I had arrived at Ponyville. I could see now what I didn't see then: here eyes were looking different directions. At once I began to wonder if it was a characteristic she had developed over time, or if she was born that way. Either way, it would be interesting to get to know her.

There was a basket of muffins on the counter. I supposed a little snack wouldn't hurt my appetite for lunch, so I took one and she smiled. I took a bite as I turned, and saw other familiar faces from the train station's platform: the cream-colored earth mare and the teal unicorn mare. I swallowed my bite of muffin and greeted them.

"You're the kind of doctor that fixes ponies' minds, right?" asked the cream-colored mare.

"Well, if you want to boil it down to a single sentence, then yes, but -" I was unable to finish my thought when she interrupted me.

"This is Lyra Heartstrings, and she needs help!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Miss Heartstrings and Bon Bon (as I later learned was the cream-coated mare's name) were kind enough to treat me to lunch, and I took the opportunity to get to know each of them and the nature of Miss Heartstrings's problem. The two had been friends for several years, since back when Miss Heartstrings was enrolled at Celestia's school for unicorns. They first met outside the school; Miss Heartstrings and her other friends from the school had finished their classes for the week, and Bon Bon had been walking by. They asked her where they could go to have a fun weekend, and Bon Bon had suggested Ponyville, mentioning that she lived there and that there was usually some sort of party going on.

"Those parties wouldn't happen to have been hosted by Pinkie Pie, would they?" I had asked, and they laughed and confirmed my suspicion.

Miss Heartstrings's problem, according to Bon Bon, was an obsession with mythical creatures that she believed was unhealthy, if not bordering unhealthy. Miss Heartstrings, on the other hand, said that although it could be considered an obsession, she felt it was more of a hobby. I asked what the topic in question was, and she told me about a race of creatures called "humans". I asked what these humans were, but Bon Bon interrupted, saying that it was a race of creatures most ponies had never heard of, and that talking about it in public might draw some unwanted looks. Miss Heartstrings agreed and we went over our schedules to find a time that worked for all of us, though she wasn't sure Bon Bon needed to come.

And that brings us to the afternoon of the same day. Miss Heartstrings and Bon Bon were both sitting on the sofa. Bon Bon sat normally, as any pony would sit, but Miss Heartstrings sat strangely, choosing to sit on her rump with her hind legs dangling over the edge, leaning her back against the back of the sofa. Her forelegs were crossed across her chest. I must have been looking at her pose longer than I'd intended, because it wasn't long before she said something.

"It's more comfortable than it looks. It just takes a little time to get used to it."

"Sorry for staring. Let's begin. Tell me more about these humans."

"Can I have some paper? I've found ponies understand what I'm describing if I draw sketches of what I mean." I agreed and gave her some spare paper and pencil. The teal unicorn started talking with what I could recognize was the practiced spiel of a storyteller. Whether or not she was telling a story or the actual truth, however, remained to be seen.

She described and drew a race of creatures that only walked on their hind legs and short necks. She went on to talk about their hands, at the ends of the forelegs which she'd called "arms", and the long, jointed appendages at the ends. While her drawing of the full body of the creature had been hasty and less detailed, her drawing of a hand was quite detailed comparatively. She pointed out fingers, knuckles, the palm, and the wrist, and I was struck by how similar they seemed to be to the paws of a manticore or the claws of a dragon or a griffon. Perhaps humans were more closely related to them than to ponies.

After describing their appearance, she started talking about some of the customs she'd read about. An autumn holiday called Halloween, similar to our Nightmare Night. A winter holiday called Christmas that was similar - very similar - to our Hearthswarming, although both had vastly different histories.

A lot of time had passed, and Miss Heartstrings had spoken the whole time, other than an occasional clarifying question from me. Bon Bon put her hoof to her head and sighed.

"It can't be healthy to know this much about a mythical creature, Doc."

"Well, that depends on several factors," I said. "Miss Sparkle was once the only pony who believed Nightmare Moon was real, so it's entirely possible that this race of humans exists, or used to exist. Likewise, at Manehattan University I met several ponies whose studies focused on such things that most ponies would consider pointless: mythology, archaeology, astronomy." They both looked at me with blank expressions, and I realized I may need to define the terms I'd used. "The study of a culture's legends or traditional tales, often involving supernatural explanations for natural phenomena; the study of historic ponies and their culture by examination of the artifacts they left behind; and the study of the stars and planets. I'm not aware of a term specifically for what Miss Heartstrings has spent much time learning about, but I'm sure there is one. I'd say it's a combination of mythology and archaeology, though."

Miss Heartstrings looked at me, a smile on her face. "You believe me about humans?"

"I wouldn't go that far, especially since I only just learned about them. Don't get me wrong," I interrupted myself, seeing her face fall a little, "I'm only skeptical because I've been trained to evaluate each claim I've come across. Like I said, with the old pony's tale of the Mare in the Moon turning out to be actual history, it lends a believable precedence to your claims."

"She's becoming more aggressive about them, though," said Bon Bon. "She's been talking more openly about them in public, and ponies are starting to give us strange looks whenever we're out because they don't think humans ever existed!"

"Even though they totally do..."

"What would you say your primary concern is about her recent behavior, then?"

"The social repercussions. I don't want us to miss out on something just because we weren't invited because somepony thinks she's weird." Her concerns were valid. The ponies in Equestria are very sociable, and aside from the most prestigious of events like the Grand Galloping Gala, social events in pretty much every other town are open to everypony, and everypony is given an invitation. If somepony can't make it, it's assumed that they had a prior engagement or the invitation got lost in the mail (though that explanation is much more rare).

"That still leaves several options available for your interest. You could pursue a degree in the field, like I pursued a degree in psychology and counseling. You could write books about these creatures, the way A. K. Yearling writes her Daring Do books about things too fantastic to happen." At this suggestion, I heard Bon Bon hide a giggle with a cough. Perhaps she thought it strange that somepony as learned as I read Daring Do, but I passed it out of my mind.

"I would also suggest not talking about humans too much unless somepony shows an interest in it. Too much too quickly will overwhelm them, and make them less receptive to the knowledge you do have."

"You're encouraging her obsession?" asked the cream-colored mare.

"I'm afraid you and I have different definitions of the term," I responded. "See, to a psychologist like myself, an obsession is 'a continual thought, concept, picture, or urge which is experienced as invasive and not proper, and results in significant fear, distress, or discomfort.' Miss Heartstrings's fixation on humans may be continual or improper, but it has not caused her fear, distress, or discomfort, therefore I cannot properly classify it as an obsession. More of a hobby."

As I gave the psychological definition of the term, I realized that Miss Sparkle fit the criteria for obsession, namely obsessing over keeping busy. Or something. I noted this down, along with a note to develop the hypothesis further.

"However, Miss Heartstrings," I continued, "you do seem to be causing some trouble for your friend here. I suggest you two talk about the issues that are causing one or both of you some distress so that it doesn't get out of hoof. Keeping such feelings hidden from the other will only cause greater pain in the future."

"It's really bothering you this much, Bon Bon?"

"Of course, Lyra. I'm not just concerned that I'll look bad because I'm with you all the time. I'm also concerned this might get in the way of your musical career, ponies not inviting you to perform and all that."

"Come on, Bon Bon, that hasn't happened yet."

"But it could! And I don't want it to get to that point."

I let the two talk with each other for a few minutes, taking a note once in a while. They came to an agreement, and as they finished their conversation they embraced before turning to me.

"Thanks for taking us on such short notice, Dr. Mindwell."

"It was no problem at all, Bon Bon. I still have plenty of open slots in my schedule anyway, though I can't promise that'll last very long. We still have a few minutes, so would you mind showing me how to sit like that, Miss Heartstrings?"

05: Scootaloo, Session 1, Being Bullied Because of Physical Disabilities

One afternoon I was heading down the stairs when I heard some voices outside.

"I'm not so sure, Rainbow Dash..." said the voice of a young filly, hesitantly.

"It'll be all right, squirt," replied an older mare confidently. "Twilight tells me this stallion's pretty good at helping others." Ah, so Miss Sparkle had started to tell her friends about me, and they were starting to tell their friends. My schedule should be getting fuller day by day in no time at all.

"He won't think any less of me because I can't fly?"

"Or course not!" said the older one, before adding "Probably. I haven't met him yet, but I trust Twilight."

"Okay..."

I opened the door, finding a cyan-colored mare with a mane the full spectrum of a rainbow and a small orange filly with a purple mane. Both were pegasi. The taller one must be Rainbow Dash herself, and her hoof was poised at my door. Apparently I'd opened the door just as she was about to knock.

"Good morning," I said. "I'm Dr. Mindwell. You must be Rainbow Dash," I said, talking to the older mare.

"You bet I am! And this is Scootaloo." I greeted the filly, who greeted me back. "Long story short, she just had to deal with a bully situation. She came out of it all right, but Twilight insisted I bring her here to make sure she was all right. You know how worked up she can get sometimes."

I did know. I'd experienced it firsthoof the day I arrived and then had learned of several other instances during our session together.

"Better safe than sorry, as they say. Come in, both of you."

"Okay..." The young filly was still hesitant. I'd have to make sure she was comfortable during the session. She climbed up onto the sofa as I stayed near the door with Miss Dash. As a pegasus, I would have expected her to fly up, but she didn't; rather, it seemed that she couldn't. She pulled herself up with her forelegs, using her proportionately small wings as more of a boost than anything. I made a mental note to keep a small step under the sofa for other fillies who might come through my door looking for help.

"Me too?"

"You're more aware than I of how she can be, but Scootaloo is still just a foal, and young ponies like her are best helped when they're with a parent or an adult they can trust. Are you her legal guardian?"

"No, she still has both parents. They just travel a lot lately, and I've kinda taken her under my wing. Plus it helps that she's my biggest fan!" This session was for Scootaloo, not Miss Dash, I had to remind myself. Yet I still couldn't help my mind from telling me that Miss Dash was very prideful and that I may have to talk with her later about her pride.

"What's your relationship with her like?"

"We kinda sorta adopted each other as big sister/little sister when we went camping a few months ago with some other friends. We bonded, and that's when I decided to take her under my wing."

"Then given such short notice, you'll have to join her in her parents' place. Given her apparent respect for you and your sisterly relationship, that shouldn't be too much of a problem for her, should it?"

"Nope," said Miss Dash. What I was allowing would make an ethics committee uncomfortable, to say the least, but my gut was telling me I was doing the right thing. If her parents traveled a lot and Miss Dash was the one to take Scootaloo under her wing, then perhaps having her parents here would actually be less beneficial than the current situation. "Hey, Scootaloo, looks like I'll be joining you today. Moral support or something like that."

I supposed the phrase was accurate, but Miss Dash's nonchalance and possible disinterest in the details would be another thing to talk to her about. In her own session, I reminded myself again.

The filly smiled, and her small wings fluttered. I closed the door and made my way to my desk, taking out my notebook as usual.

"Now then, would you like to tell me how the whole incident began?"

"A couple days ago Ms. Harshwhinny, the head of this year's Equestria Games, and I were visiting the schoolhouse - "

I held up a hoof, cutting her off mid-sentence. "I appreciate your enthusiasm, Miss Dash, but try to remember this is Scootaloo's time. I'd like to hear it from her mouth, and ask your input should the need arise."

"You're right. My bad," she smiled sheepishly, rubbing her mane with her hoof. "Although could you not call me Miss Dash? Ms. Harshwhinny called me Ms. Dash all the time, and she's way uptight. I'm pretty sure you're not nearly as uptight as her."

I chuckled, seeing that she had a very good point. "All right, I'll be more casual about it, Rainbow Dash."

She thanked me before turning to the filly beside her. "Sorry about butting in like that. Go ahead, Scootaloo."

The filly thanked the mare, and started talking. "Like Rainbow Dash said, she and Ms. Harshwhinny told my whole class that one of our teams would have the honor of carrying the Equestria Games flag for Ponyville, just like Rainbow Dash did for Cloudsdale when she was a filly! The class split into groups, and each team created a routine. My team, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, came up with a pretty good one."

"A really good one!"

"Who is in the Cutie Mark Crusaders?"

"Oh, yeah. You're new in town. The Crusaders are me, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle." I looked to Rainbow Dash for clarification.

"Did Twilight mention Applejack and Rarity when she gave you the tour?" the blue mare asked, and I nodded. "Apple Bloom is AJ's little sister, and Sweetie Belle is Rarity's."

"Thank you. What other teams were competing?"

"A bunch of 'em, but only one's important to the rest of the story. They're the rich bullies, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Anyway, since each of the Crusaders is a different type of pony - Apple Bloom is an earth pony, Sweetie Belle's a unicorn, and I'm a pegasus," at this she gave her wings a little flutter, "Our routine focused on the three races living in harmony here. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon called us blank flanks again, but we didn't let it bother us this time! Our hearts were as strong as horses, and we were determined to win!" At this she and Rainbow Dash high-hoofed.

Then her face fell a little, and her voice showed less enthusiasm. "Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon saw our routine, and actually said it was good. And not just good: impressive. But the compliment only led up to a new insult." She rubbed her eye with her hoof, and Rainbow Dash put her hoof on the filly's shoulder.

"Take your time, Scootaloo. I don't want you to feel like you're being forced to say anything you don't want to say."

"It's ok. I'm mostly over what they said, but it still hurt a lot."

"I understand what you mean," I replied. "Although words are just words, they can also cut deep, causing long-lasting emotional pain."

"Thanks." She smiled. "But why would they go after my inability to fly?"

"You mentioned that they'd called you and your friends blank flanks before, correct?" The filly nodded. "And also that you didn't let that phrase bother you this time." She nodded again. "Then perhaps they felt the need to come up with a new way to get under your skins, since their go-to insult fell flat this time. Standing up to a bully like you did shows you're not afraid of them, and they either stop bullying you or come up with new tactics. Even then, though, they'll eventually run out of new insults."

The filly chuckled. "I guess we did show them we were tough little ponies."

I smiled and nodded. I asked if she was feeling better and ready to continue talking, although I already guessed from her smile and her chuckle that she was. She confirmed my hypothesis and continued her story.

"Anyway, they insulted my wings, and I decided to change the routine that would showcase my flying to prove to them and me that I could fly. That didn't work though. I still couldn't fly, even after practicing as much as I could. I was so focused on flying that we forgot to polish the rest of the routine!" Rainbow Dash nodded.

"I chose not to join them on the train to the Crystal Empire. I'd worked all night, trying to fly, but I just couldn't. I became discouraged, and abandoned my friends because I thought the only way we could win was if I was able to fly like a normal pegasus! Ugh, that was stupid. We hadn't even come up with a routine that only involved the two of them. They told me..." she sniffed, but kept her head high. As I looked into her eyes, I could tears lining her eyelids. I could see the struggle she was having with saying the next part.

"Maybe I should tell this part, huh Scootaloo?" The filly nodded and Rainbow Dash wrapped her forelegs around the filly, who did the same, hiding her face from me. "When I realized Scootaloo wasn't with her friends, I asked them what happened. They told me that she wasn't coming, and that they told her they didn't want a quitter in the group." Scootaloo coughed and sniffled, and I levitated a box of tissues over to them. I hadn't met her friends, but already I could tell that they were very close. "I think they were mad at the time, but by the time I talked to them they'd started to regret what they'd said. Fortunately I'm the fastest flyer in Equestria, so we flew to Scootaloo's house to try and get her to join the team again." She looked down at the filly and asked if she was okay to continue herself. Scootaloo must have shaken her head, because Rainbow Dash continued.

"The three of us talked to her, and the others apologized. Sorta. They told her they didn't want to have the honor of carrying Ponyville's flag at the biggest sports event in Equestria if they couldn't do it with their friend. Well, that's how I interpreted it. It's like when I was accepted into the Wonderbolts, but quit halfway through because one of the recruits' actions had put my friends' lives in jeopardy, and it felt like her irresponsibility was being rewarded. Twilight told you about the Elements of Harmony, right."

"More or less."

"Well, I'm the bearer - well, was; we had to give them up to bring back Celestia and Luna - of the Element of Loyalty. I may be selfish or arrogant at times, but I'll always represent the Element of Loyalty, and respect those who do the same. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle did make a big mistake that day, but I respect their decision to remain loyal to this little squirt in the end." She messed up Scootaloo's mane with her hoof as she said that, and I heard a muffled giggle. So Rainbow Dash knew she could be arrogant sometimes: that was fortunate, as I made a note that I wouldn't have to work as hard with her to work on some humility.

"Thanks, Rainbow Dash."

"Anytime. Feeling better?"

"Mhm."

"Wanna continue?"

"Mhm."

Well, that had kept me silent a little longer than I initially thought I needed to. Either Rainbow Dash had learned to read the situation well enough to know how to cheer up her protege, or she just knew her so well already. Either way, Rainbow Dash had known what to do.

"Rainbow Dash reminded me that I didn't need to feel so bad about my wings. She told me... actually, you say it. You said it so good the other day."

Rainbow Dash smiled, and said what I believe to be exactly what she'd said the other day in Scootaloo's house. "Maybe you'll fly someday, or maybe you won't. You're all kinds of awesome anyway."

"Yeah, that! We made it to the Crystal Empire in time to do our routine and earn the honor of carrying the Ponyville flag with the original routine."

I smiled. "Congratulations to you and the other Crusaders, then."

"Thanks!"

"Even Ms. Harshwhinny couldn't contain her excitement very long. Nice to know such a professional pony isn't always professional." She smirked. Apparently something had transpired between the two mares in the last few days that Rainbow Dash couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment - or could it have been superiority? - over the incident.

"Hey, are you gonna come to the Equestria Games and watch us perform?"

"I've never been to the Equestria Games, but I would love to if I could. I don't know how busy I'll be yet, so let's just say 'maybe'."

"That's okay. If you can't make it, we'll just perform our routine for you when we get back!"

Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo high-hoofed again. Enthusiasm and being awesome: just two of the reasons these two ponies worked so well together.

"So, uh, we don't have to stay a full hour, do we?" asked Rainbow Dash, looking at the clock.

"Not unless there's anything else Scootaloo would like to get off her back."

"Not really," the filly replied. "But could you make sure to talk to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon sometime? They need to know from an adult that what they did isn't okay."

"I'm making a note now," I said as I jotted down their names.

"Thanks!" she said as she jumped off the sofa and headed toward the door. I opened it with my magic, and Rainbow Dash got off the sofa as well.

"I'll catch up with you in a minute, Scootaloo. I'm just gonna talk to the doc for a bit first." Well, I certainly didn't expect this.

"What's on your mind, Rainbow Dash?" I asked as she walked the few steps between the sofa and my desk.

"Twilight's right about a lot of things, and she's right about you. You're gonna be helping a lot of ponies here. Celestia knows we need it after the year we've had."

"Yes, I was told about several things Ponyville had gone through the past year. Oddly enough, it seems nopony is suffering long-term effects of what must have been several traumatic experiences."

"I'm sure most of us have just gotten good at hiding it. This is the first time I'd ever seen Scootaloo so worked up about her wings."

"You kept your head and was able to calm her down at the end of the story. Whatever relationship you two have, I can guess that it's pretty strong."

"Y'know, I've always had a little difficulty helping her through personal pain. That night camping was different, because I'd gone through the same fears before, so I could relate. But I never got bullied as a filly, so that part's been difficult. The way you responded the first time that calmed her down helped me realize I could try and relate better, so I tried it and it worked. So, thanks for letting me stay with her."

"I'm sure she's just as grateful for that as you and I are. Now, I believe you have a filly waiting for you outside."

"I sure do." She readied herself to fly out the door. "Hey, Scootaloo, hope I didn't keep you waiting!" I may have blinked, because she was outside that fast, leaving a rainbow-colored trail behind that slowly faded. Perhaps she wasn't just boasting about being the fastest flyer in Equestria.

Author's Note

For the most part I'll recap episodes in a couple paragraphs like I've done in previous chapters, but I felt that Scootaloo (as well as the other colts and fillies I plan to write about) would be more open about her feelings, and thus would be better to hear the recap in her own words. Let me know if you like the way I wrote it.

06: Rainbow Dash, Session 1, Pride

A few minutes after I finished eating my supper the evening after my session with Scootaloo I heard a knock on my door. Strange; I wasn't expecting anypony tonight. "Come in," I said as I opened the door and made my way from the back. To my surprise, I saw Spike sitting on Rainbow Dash's back outside. He jumped off and made his way inside again toward the sofa.

"Hey, Doc. Good to see you again. Boy, have I got a story to tell you!"

"Hello again, Spike." I looked to the blue mare. "Are you coming in too?"

"I can wait until he's done."

"It should take a few minutes. I wanted to tell you about one of the things we talked about the other day."

"All right, what happened?"

"When you mentioned I should take some time for myself, I mentioned comic books. Well, I went out later and bought a comic book, and brought it to the ruins of the princesses' castle in the Everfree Forest while Twilight and her friends cleaned up the place. Long story short, I accidentally activated a spell that pulled us all into the comic. They got the cool heroes, but I became the powerless sidekick, but that actually turned out for the better. They got captured, and I ended up saving the day. Like you said, I was at my best when I was helping others."

A comic book with a spell that can be activated by non-magic users? I'd heard of other mundane objects with magic infused into them for the same purpose, but never something as commonplace as a comic book. I asked him where he got it, and he said it was from a shop in Canterlot that sold enchanted comic books, but that he'd misunderstood exactly what was enchanted. Perhaps it was a new shop, but when I lived in Canterlot I hadn't heard of such a comic shop.

"Do you still have the comic book?"

"No, we must have left it in the castle."

"Thank you for the update, Spike."

"No problem. I'll see you later, then!" He hopped off the sofa and headed toward the door, which I'd apparently left ajar. Rainbow Dash pushed at it with her hoof, allowing him enough space to walk out and came inside herself. After she'd entered, I closed the door.

"Hey, Doc. We all just came from the abandoned castle ruins."

"Being sucked into a comic book dimension sounds like quite the adventure."

"Yeah it was! It was pretty awesome. Pinkie Pie was could run a few miles in a millisecond, Applejack had a lasso and all these cool gadgets, Twilight and Rarity used their magic as usual, I could control the weather, and Fluttershy could turn into a big rage monster!" I wondered if the roles they were put in had any semblance to their personalities. Only time will tell. "And Spike was the sidekick who was pretty clumsy but saved us all when it mattered."

"He left the clumsiness part out earlier," I mentioned.

"Yeah, but here's the thing. This wasn't our first time being superheros."

"It wasn't?"

"No, we all basically had a turn being a hero several months back." She started talking about herself, namely how she was having a great day one day, having saved somepony who was in danger and having a fanclub led by her protege Scootaloo. She admitted that her ego started getting in the way of helping other ponies, but that she hadn't noticed it at the time.

"Then suddenly there was a new hero on the scene, a mysterious mare dressed in purple and wearing a big hat. She started getting to ponies in trouble before I could, and I was getting jealous. Even all my friends were singing her praises, and right in front of me too!" She talked about how she always seemed to know what was going to happen, her strength, her agility, and her speed, and how she realized that she couldn't compete with all that. "She even had a horn and a pair of wings!"

I was shocked. "She was an alicorn?"

"It seemed like it at the time, but I'm getting to that. Even the Rainbow Dash Fan Club turned their focus from me to the Mysterious Mare Do Well. It got to the point where I was using my hero status to help in vain ponies by doing mundane tasks, just to prove that I was still awesome. I got desperate and annoying. Anyway, I interrupted a ceremony that Mayor Mare had set up for her, and chased the Mysterious Mare Do Well through the streets of Ponyville. She seemed to teleport away whenever I thought I had her cornered. As it turned out, there were four different mares all dressed as Mysterious Mare Do Well. Two of them were earth ponies, one was a unicorn, and the other was a pegasus. Can you guess who Mysterious Mare Do Well was?"

"I have to admit I don't know many of the ponies well enough to suggest anypony for sure."

"I dropped quite a few hints, but you do make a good point. Mare Do Well was all of my friends. Applejack used her strength to stop the carriage from going over the cliff, Pinkie Pie used her Pinkie Sense to know which construction workers were in the most danger, Twilight used her magic to fix the dam, and Fluttershy flew away after the dam was fixed. Rarity made the outfits."

"How did you feel when you realized that your rival was actually your friends?"

"At the time I felt betrayed. Why would my so-called friends put so much effort into being better than me?"

"Why did they?" I asked.

"Because I'd forgotten why I was being praised in the first place. Because I grew accustomed to the fame and glory, and forgot the things I did to earn that glory in the first place. Because my ego got so big that having my friends become my rival was the only thing that would snap me out of it. By the time my actions became a problem, they knew I wouldn't listen to reason anymore. I really ought to thank them for teaching me that lesson that day."

"What lesson would that be, in your own words?"

"It's okay to be proud of your accomplishments, as long as you don't brag about them. And I can be pretty boastful."

"I had noticed that you and other ponies have boasted that you're the fastest flyer in Equestria. What's the difference between the Mare Do Well incident and that?"

"Huh. Guess I never thought of that." I gave her a few minutes to think. "I brag about being fast, but I can always prove how fast I am, so it's never been much of a pride problem. I mean, c'mon! I got my cutie mark by making a Sonic Rainboom and winning a race! With Mare Do Well, I wasn't proving that I could do things. Huh. I don't know if that's enough of a difference to matter." Her ears lowered and she looked down at her hooves. I took a minute to figure out what I was going to say next and how to say it. Rainbow Dash did have good control over her emotions, but I wasn't sure I wanted to see how sad she could get. In fact, I knew I didn't want to; like with Scootaloo the day before, I wanted my clients to feel comfortable enough to freely express their emotions.

"I think that whether pride is good or bad all comes down to motives. Your motives that caused your friends to take on the persona of the Mysterious Mare Do Well were clearly selfish, though they started pure. What are your motives when you brag about being the fastest flyer in Equestria."

"That's easy. I wanna join the Wonderbolts! They're the fastest and the best flyers in Equestria, so it only makes sense that they'd want a pony who was able to perform not one, not two, but three sonic rainbooms, an event which everypony used to think was impossible and just an old mare's tale."

"In our session with Scootaloo, you said you'd left the Wonderbolts Academy because of questionable practices. Why would you still want to join them after that?"

"Oh yeah. I guess I forgot to mention the next part of that story. Spitfire, the leader of the Wonderbolts, came up to me as I was about to leave, and said... hey, that's right! What she said fits perfectly into what we're talking about right now!"

"What did she say?"

"First of all that I was right, and then something like 'Being the best should never come at the expense of our fellow ponies. It's not just about pushing ourselves. It's about pushing ourselves in the right direction'. The first time I ever performed a sonic rainboom, I did it by accident, and it was what caused the six of us to get our cutie marks. The second time was when I had to save my friends from falling from Cloudsdale to the ground. The third time... well, that's an exception, because I performed it at Shining Armor and Princess Cadance's wedding. With the Mare Do Well incident, I did nothing but push myself in the wrong direction. Thanks, Doc. I probably wouldn't have been able to figure that out if I hadn't come here."

"I'm glad to be of assistance, then, Rainbow Dash."

The blue mare looked at the clock. "Uh, do you remember what time I came in? Has it been an hour?"

"We've still got 12 minutes left. If you need something to talk about, may I suggest we talk more about your relationship with Scootaloo?"

"Sure, no problem. What would you like to know?"

Author's Note

I Pinkie Promise that I did not intend this chapter to fit so well with the lesson from "Wonderbolts Academy".

08: Trixie Lulamoon, Session 13, Attachment Theory

I was in a session with Hughbert Jelluis when I caught some movement at the window in the corner of my eye. I glanced over, and saw what appeared to be the tip of a horn and a silver-ish mane drop below the sill. I excused myself, got out of my chair, and walked over to the door. Opening it, I took a look to one side and saw what I'd suspected: Trixie Lulamoon, showpony extraordinaire, was standing to the side of the window. She must have crouched down low to move away from the window after I'd noticed her.

"How long have you been there, Miss Lulamoon?"

"The Great and Powerful Trrrixie!... was here less than a minute," she said.

"Miss Lulamoon, I told you two weeks ago that I moving away to begin my own practice elsewhere."

"You said you'd be in Canterlot. I went there, but nopony knew where you were. Eventually somepony sent me a message from Princess Celestia that you'd come here."

"I left you in good hooves, Miss Lulamoon."

"But he's not as good as you are, Doctor!"

I put my hoof to my head. "Regardless, Miss Lulamoon, I'm with another client. Is this urgent?"

"Of course it is. The Great and Powerful Trixie hasn't had help for weeks!"

"Very well then. I have an open slot in my schedule in two hours, so you'll have to come back then. Until then, stay out of trouble, all right?" She agreed, and I returned inside to Mr. Jellius.

Before Miss Lulamoon returned to my office that day, I went upstairs to my bedroom, where I still had two boxes I hadn't opened from the move. One of them was a box filled with my notes from my classes; the other was filled with notes and files about the clients I'd helped treat in Manehattan. I had a feeling in my gut that I may need to read the notes I'd taken with her before she came in for her session.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trixie Lulamoon, Session 1

Today is another step forward for my career: Dr. Gestalt is allowing me to take on a client without his guidance. He has told me several times that he was pleased with how well I was already doing.

I took a look at the file he had given me earlier as he told me that she had come in not long ago looking for some help. Because she was a new client, the file was unsurprisingly thin, a single sheet of paper with her name and contact information on it. Or at least what I assumed to be her contact information; all that was listed was "Residence: wagon, doubles as a performance stage, travels across Equestria". It had a picture clipped next to it showing a yellow cart with a red roof. It looked plain.

Name: Trixie Lulamoon, aka The Great and Powerful Trixie

Sex: Female

Race: Unicorn

Occupation: Showpony

Residence: wagon, doubles as performance stage, travels across Equestria

Surely this Trixie had a town that she considered a home base? I found it hard to believe that anypony could be comfortable technically being homeless.

"Good morning, Trixie," I said as I introduced myself to her when she entered. She was a blue unicorn mare with a silver-ish mane and tail. Her mane included a little curl at the front. Her outfit was a flashy purple cape and hat, decorated with stars to catch the eye. The cape itself was latched with a rather large gem. "I'm Dr. Mindwell."

"The Great and Powerful Trixie thought she was meeting with Dr. Gestalt." Apparently she thought she would be meeting with the one who had taken down her information.

And she is... no, not is. I usually don't have trouble keeping my thoughts subjective. She seems to be pretentious, referring to herself in the third person like that. When I first learned that she liked to refer to herself as The Great and Powerful Trixie, I thought it was just her stage name, not something she called herself often. We may have to work on her pride and humility.

"He decided to let me handle your case. He's in high demand here in Manehattan, so I'm sure you understand."

"Yes, I have been known to be in high demand myself from time to time." Her tone of voice indicated that her humble words were laced with sarcasm. I led her into my office.

"All right, Trixie, why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?"

She talked about growing up in Hoofington, and moving to Canterlot as a filly to enroll in Celestia's school for unicorns. She talked briefly about her cutie mark, and how she'd gotten it while performing the Fire of Friendship spell for a version of the Hearth's Warming play put on by the fillies and colts of her class. After that, she stopped focusing so much on her studies and focused more on show business and the spells she could use to enhance the entertainment value. All the while, I listened and took my notes.

"It sounds like you've led an interesting life so far," I said.

"To say the least."

"Why are you looking for help?"

She removed her hat and her cape, folding them and putting them on the sofa next to her. I saw an expression on her face that appeared to be a combination of anger and sadness. "I used to bring in plenty of bits at my shows before I decided to perform in Ponyville. The Great and Powerful Trixie's reputation was ruined! And the last few shows I've had, I've barely been able to earn enough bits to pay my expenses."

It seemed like now was as good a time as any to work on her pride.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trixie Lulamoon, Session 3

By our third session together, she'd grown accustomed to meeting with me. She had become comfortable enough with the therapy environment that she was able to let herself drop her boastful act and be her true self in my office.

"I'm afraid I can't come back, Doctor," she said to me near the end of the session. "I'm nearly out of bits, and I haven't been able to bring in enough from my show to do much of anything."

"I understand, Trixie. Have you thought of other means of earning an income?"

"I don't see how I can, if nopony wants to see my show."

"Then it may be time to set show business aside momentarily until you can earn enough bits -- and perhaps work on a few more spells -- to be able to afford to perform a new routine."

"But show business is all I know!"

"I realize that, Trixie. I'm not saying to give it up, just suggesting that you take some time off to work on a new act, and work for bits elsewhere while you do so. I'm sure somepony could hire your help with something they can't do."

"I see what you mean. Except for that last part. I've boasted before that anything somepony can do I can do better but... well, a certain unicorn proved me wrong."

"If I recall correctly, though, you were able to be better than three other ponies in town."

"Yes, I was. The pegasus was bragging about being fast, and I could never be as fast as her, but I did slow her down. The earth pony knew some tricks with a rope, but I knew some too and hogtied her. The unicorn was vain. Getting the better of her was as easy as messing up her mane a little."

When she'd first told me about the mentioned incidents, I suggested she apologize to them the next time she saw them, but she scoffed. That was the first session, however, when she still kept up her persona in my office. Perhaps now that she was more comfortable being honest she might have a different reaction. "I still believe you should apologize to them."

"I know. But what could I do?"

"Well, Trixie, you have a horn. I'm sure there are some earth pony farmers )or something like that) somewhere who would appreciate the extra helping hoof moving things around. And the helping horn."

"The Great and Powerful Trixie does not do manual labor!" She'd unintentionally slipped back into her persona.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie might not, but you're going to have to if you want to keep doing show business."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trixie Lulamoon, Session 4

"I need to see Dr. Mindwell as soon as possible!" I heard the voice of a familiar blue unicorn in the lobby outside, one I hadn't heard in several months. I was just sorting some files when she came in, and went out to meet her. Dr. Gestalt was at the desk, looking through my schedule to find a time that would work.

"I've got some spare time now, Doctor. Come inside, Miss Lulamoon." I led her into my office, where she sat down on the sofa as usual. "What's going on?"

"I did something I now regret doing, Doctor." She told me about the trouble she'd had since our last session, and about the job she'd found working on a rock farm in the southwest of Equestria, and how she'd tried performing a couple new shows, but to no avail. She said how she'd gotten desperate, and spent most of her bits in a Canterlot shop on a very powerful magical artifact called the Alicorn Amulet. She'd heard how it increases a unicorn's powers, but realized that once she'd put it on it not only enhanced her magic but basically took control of her, telling her what to do and she doing it without questioning.

"I'm done with that trinket forever now. I still don't like what it made me do."

I asked what happened next, and she told me about her return to Ponyville, and her attempt to take over the town with the amulet. She also mentioned how she had been tricked into taking it off, thinking a normal jeweled necklace had power greater than the Alicorn Amulet. She mentioned that she'd been more humble to them after that, explaining what she'd just told me, and they forgave her.

"After all I did to them, they forgave me. They're either the most naive ponies in Equestria, forgiving somepony who'd done nothing but try to hurt them, or the most wise. Anyway, I knew I had to come see you again to make sure that the effects of the Alicorn Amulet's possession (for lack of a better term) aren't permanent. And if I'm being perfectly honest, I think this happened because I wasn't getting help. You helped me a little before, but I reverted back to my old ways after not getting help for so long. Doctor, I need your help!"

She'd come such a long way with her pride, at least when talking to me. Frankly, that little bit was all that was needed for me to work my magic, as it were.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trixie Lulamoon, Session 12

Well, this was it. I've graduated with my doctorate in counseling from Manehattan University, and Miss Lulamoon is my last client here. I received a letter from Princess Celestia herself, telling me that a new office has already been prepared for me. I'm going to Canterlot! I've had many good times in this office, and I'll surely have some good times in my new office.

"What?!" Miss Lulamoon could be quite loud when she wanted to be, or when she reacted too quickly. I rubbed my ears with my hooves.

"Yes, Miss Lulamoon, it's true," I answered. "I'm transferring to Canterlot. This is a big opportunity for me, bigger than I could have imagined I'd have at this point."

"But what'll I do when you're gone?"

"You'll be in very capable hooves. I've talked to Dr. Gestalt, and he's agreed to continue your therapy in my stead."

"But he doesn't know me the way you do!"

"I realize that, Miss Lulamoon, but that's unavoidable in a transition like this. He'll have access to copies of the notes I've taken during all my sessions, so it shouldn't be too long before he knows you about as well as I do." She had a pained look in her eyes, although I couldn't pin down exactly what I was seeing, though for some reason it seemed betrayal was among them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I heard the sound of a crack downstairs and set my notes aside to see what it was. As I descended, I saw Miss Lulamoon inside, just at the doorway. She was breathing heavily, and looked a little tired. I helped her over to the sofa, where she laid down.

"Miss Lulamoon, what happened?" I asked, then remembered to be more professional. Odd, isn't it, that in some crises you forget your training and instinctively go to helping those in need.

"Please forgive the intrusion, Doctor. I've only been to Ponyville twice, and the ponies here don't exactly have a very positive view of me. As I'm sure you remember from our previous sessions." I did remember, not in the least due to the fact that I'd reread my notes from our sessions earlier. I was sure that Miss Sparkle and her friends didn't hold anything against her, but the other citizens might not be as forgiving, not having as much experience with her as them. Or as myself, for that matter. "I teleported in here from across the road. Phew, Twilight makes it look easy, but it's really quite difficult."

"Describe the events that led up to your arrival here from the last time we spoke."

She told me how she spent the first week trying to convince herself that Dr. Gestalt would be a suitable replacement. The week was filled with cycles of confidence, doubt, and reassurance, but on the day of what would be her next session, she had her doubts. She went into the session, believing Dr. Gestalt would be able to help rid her of these doubts.

"It didn't go well, needless to say," she said. "He said he was interested in getting to know who I am, not who I was. I thought he meant the pony I've been since the amulet incident. Did you know he barely read the files you left for him? It was like starting all over again."

Oh yes. I'd almost forgotten about that particular aspect of the type of psychotherapy for which Dr. Gestalt is named: the focus on learning about an individual's functioning and relationships in the here and now, rather than the investigation of past events. Since I was no longer Miss Lulamoon's therapist, Dr. Gestalt must have assumed that I was no longer a factor in her life.

"So after that first and last session with Dr. Gestalt, I packed up my wagon and made my way to Canterlot. I asked around, but nopony knew you, except for your family. They'd heard I was asking about you, and said that they'd seen you a few days before. It wasn't long after that that a messenger pony from the castle came with a letter for me. Apparently Princess Celestia knew where you'd gone, and that I was asking around, because she told me she'd sent you to Ponyville. I thought you said you were going to Canterlot?"

I explained my misunderstanding with the letter.

"I was afraid to come back here," she said, her ears flattening slightly. You know what I've done in this town. I've been responsible for an Ursa Minor rampaging through. Two young colts lured it here, but it was my boasting that made them want to do it. I terrorized and enslaved them when I was under the amulet's influence. I couldn't just waltz in here. That's why I was hiding earlier."

Yes, I knew all the details, or at least the important ones, about what had happened each time she'd come here. She had left Manehattan, left the therapist I'd decided to let help her, and come to the town that had the most reason to be hostile toward her just so she could have the help she needed. I repeated to her these thoughts. "I will be staying here, likely for a long time. Would it be fair to assume you'll want our regular weekly session?" I asked, to which she nodded. "Then it may be time to start making amends. Since Miss Sparkle and her friends have forgiven you, I have little doubt that many ponies in this town will also forgive you. I do not believe it to be naivete, rather from what I've seen of the citizens of Ponyville so far, it seems most of them desire to be as good a pony as they can be, and giving somepony multiple chances for forgiveness is one way to do so.

"Like always, however, you need to do so at the pace you find most comfortable. Only when you're ready. You were not ready for me to end our sessions, and I didn't realize that two weeks ago. I reread my notes from our sessions, and at our last one I noticed something I didn't realize I'd missed. I'd seen a look in your eyes when I told you I was leaving, and it was akin to betrayal. I left you when you still needed the help only I could give you, and for that I apologize."

Miss Lulamoon wiped her eyes with her hoof, a smile on her face. "Thank you," she said, her voice starting to break. "I... I think I understand the forgiveness Twilight and her friends gave me a little more now. It's not so bad."

I smiled. Who knew that after I started anew, I'd have something familiar. In a way, I knew it was the right thing to leave her like that, otherwise neither of us would have learned what we did in the past two weeks. Already, Ponyville was quickly becoming home.

Author's Note

Do ponies use the terms "first", "second", and "third person"? What would even be the pony equivalent?

03: Princess Twilight Sparkle, Session 1, Living Up to Expectations

It was Tuesday morning, and I had just finished eating my breakfast when there was a knock on my door. I set the dishes into the sink and opened the door. There was Miss Twilight, standing outside with a nervous smile as she wiped her hooves on the doormat.

"Welcome back, Miss Sparkle."

She thanked me and stepped inside, taking a moment to look around as I closed the door behind her. It had changed nicely since the last time she was here: the back part of the room was hidden by a screened partition, and most of the space had been decorated to suit a typical therapy office; there was a sofa and an easy chair in the center of the usable space, the easy chair set behind a desk to face the doorway, and there was a fireplace to the sofa's right, past an endtable; in terms of lighting, there was a desk lamp on the desk and a floor lamp on the sofa's left.

"I like what you've done with the place. It's an improvement over what it was before. Well, almost anything is an improvement over an empty house, that is."

"Thank you, Miss Sparkle."

"I don't see a bookshelf. Don't you have a lot of books you can use?"

"I do, and they're being delivered later. As for the bookshelf, I haven't found a design I like that's also practical."

"Hm. I've never really considered aesthetic in my bookshelves. I've always just used something if it works."

I made a mental note that it didn't seem to matter to the young princess what something looked like as long as it functioned well. I moved to sit behind my desk, turned on the lamp, and readied my pencil. "We can begin whenever you're ready, Miss Sparkle." She apologized and walked quickly to the sofa, where she sat down.

"Let's begin by recapping what's happened the last few days. Have you felt any pressure from your new position lately?"

"Only from the repercussions of what happened at this year's Summer Sun Celebration. More ponies have started bowing to me, and my schedule is slowly filling up with important political events."

"I did notice that you'd left a couple days each week open in the agenda you sent over with Spike."

"That's right. Usually I like to have every minute of every day filled with something, whether it's daily chores, reorganizing the books, spending time with my friends, or running errands around town. The past few days, however, I think I'm starting to realize that I need some time scheduled for nothing to make up for emergencies like missing princesses or for political stuff like summits. It's really hard to not schedule something after so long of being occupied all the time."

"I know what you mean," I replied. "In Manehattan I used my skills under somepony else's practice while I was working towards my doctorate. It's strange not having my own schedule filled as a result of moving here."

"All that down time has made me think of a few things. Well, most of my new free time is spent getting used to my wings."

"How's that going?"

"Great! I'm as agile as Rainbow Dash now. I've gotten better at landing, too, though it still needs work."

She'd mentioned Rainbow Dash during my tour of Ponyville, and I'd seen the light blue pegasus around town a couple times since I moved here. Rainbow Dash has the reputation of being the best flyer in Ponyville, and even all of Equestria, though that fact has yet to be confirmed.

"How's your speed?"

"Average, probably. Definitely not as fast as Rainbow Dash can go. Not even close."

"You mentioned that the down time made you think of a few things. We've already talked about your flying. What else has been on your mind in your new-found free time?"

"Castles."

"What about them?"

"When I got my wings, Applejack told me I looked like a princess. Then Princess Celestia said it was because I was one. Celestia and Luna have the castle in Canterlot, Cadance has the Crystal Empire, but I live in a tree."

"Does this bother you?"

"It did when I first thought of the issue, but I'm not as bothered by it anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because there's an abandoned castle in the middle of the Everfree Forest!" She said this with a big smile on her face. "A couple days ago my friends and I were all at the castle where Celestia and Luna ruled a thousand years ago. None of us knew the rest of us were going to be there, though. It's actually kind of a funny story. Do you want to hear it? I wouldn't want to waste your time."

"You can if you'd like to," I said with a smile. Sometimes I like hearing a client tell a lighthearted story just as much as hearing them talk about their problems. Well, I don't "enjoy" listening to their problems, per se. It's my job to, and I feel more fulfilled at solving their problems than joy in listening to them.

She proceeded in telling me what happened a couple days ago. She and Spike had gone to the old castle to see if there were any books that mentioned a certain Tree of Harmony or a chest. I was about to ask for clarification on these terms, which I'd never heard before, when she explained their significance right away. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were competing to see which mare was braver by spending longer in the old castle than the other. Meanwhile, Rarity and Fluttershy were at the castle to restore the old and torn tapestries. None of them knew the others were there, but Pinkie Pie did, and the pink mare had decided to play pranks on the others the whole time, using traps that had apparently been installed into the castle when it was built over a thousand years ago.

"Anyway, I realized that if the Castle of the Two Sisters were to be restored, it could be my castle. I've got the trip planned out, and I've talked to my friends about it. They all like the idea, and we'll all be going to fix it up a bit as soon as all of us can clear the same day in our schedules. It's a good thing I kept my availability open a lot this week and next week."

I recalled what I could about Miss Sparkle's schedule. Tuesdays and Thursdays were left open, but days like Saturdays were filled with mostly errands, and Saturday's schedule could be easily moved to Thursday or next Tuesday. Perhaps Miss Sparkle will want to check in with me when it's done.

"It sounds like you've thought of every last detail," I said.

"I'm pretty sure I have. I haven't thought of anything that could go wrong with the idea since yesterday."

"Hmm. This whole idea of cleaning up the castle to use as your own; would you describe it as a desire to be productive, an obligation due to your new position as a princess, or something else entirely?"

She put her hoof to her chin. "I hadn't thought about that," she responded, then giggled. "I spent so much time thinking about getting it done I never realized I never considered why! And it's probably a bit of both. The last couple weeks have been a combination of busy and not busy, what with the wings, the missing princesses, the portal to another dimension, and all the emptiness in my recent schedules. Like I said, I'm used to being busy, so naturally my mind goes into overdrive when I'm doing nothing. On the other hoof, it's also very much so an obligation because I'm now a princess. Then there's also the historical value of restoring such an important piece of Equestrian history! Did you know they didn't have their cutie marks at the time of their coronation?"

I did now, but now I was curious how young they were when they were crowned.

"They had to have been at least my age at the coronation. Maybe natural-born alicorns just naturally take longer to get them than other ponies, especially with gifts as powerful and rare as moving the sun and moon."

I nodded, then changed the subject. "The other day we talked about the stress you'd been under the last year. I'd like to delve more into that, if that's all right."

The purple princess sighed. "I suppose we'd have to get to that sooner or later, wouldn't we?

"I've always felt the pressure of being mentored by Princess Celestia herself. I only got into her school for unicorns because of a fluke, and as a result I felt I had to keep pushing myself to be better than I was."

I asked what the fluke was, and she told me about the trouble she'd had using magic until there was a loud boom. Her magic went haywire in a brilliant display of raw magical potential, hatching Spike, growing him, and accidentally turning her parents into potted plants. I covered my mouth with my hooves, trying to hide a smile as the image formed in my mind by looking like I was in deep concentration.

"Fortunately one of the first spells Celestia taught me was how to change somepony back from being a plant. For several years, pretty much the only stress I knew came from my education. Then for last year's Summer Sun Celebration I discovered that the Mare in the Moon was fact, not myth, and was going to return according to a prophecy. I felt stressed when Celestia sent me here, thinking she wasn't taking the prediction seriously enough; I felt stressed as I met each pony who would later become my friends. Is there a name for the kind of stress you feel when something terrible happens that you knew was going to happen but were powerless to stop it?" I didn't know. I thought I might have learned a term for that somewhere, but I couldn't for the life of me remember what it could be. "That's what I felt when Nightmare Moon returned. One time I even became stressed because I was going to miss the deadline for writing to Celestia about what I'd learned about friendship that week, so I kinda caused a problem to solve. A big one that got way out of hoof before I realized I couldn't do anything to stop what I'd done."

I made a note to ask about the incident later.

"One time I became stressed because I got a visit from me in the future, then I tried to stop the horrible thing that I thought was going to happen, but then I went back in time to tell myself not to worry, but past me was too preoccupied with learning about the future that I didn't have time to tell myself not to worry before the spell wore off."

Such time travel sounded complicated. I set down my pencil, taking a moment to think. Of all the incidents she'd mentioned that had caused her stress, the last two in particular stuck out to him. These were incidents that she had inadvertently caused herself.

"I noticed several of the incidents you mentioned have something in common. What do you think I might be referring to?"

She put her hoof to her chin and looked up at the ceiling in thought. The room was silent for a few minutes as she worked through what I meant. "I guess most of them do have a common theme. The huge pressure I felt came from the expectations I had placed on myself. I could have taken my education easy, but I was afraid I would disappoint Princess Celestia if I didn't prove my magical abilities were as good as when I was accepted into the school. Then after I moved to Ponyville, I guess I placed the weekly deadline for my letters to the princess myself. I don't actually recall if Princess Celestia ever actually gave me that deadline. And the time travel incident... there is no way that wasn't caused by myself!"

Her ears lowered, and she had a saddened look on her face.

"On the other hoof, placing such high expectations on yourself hasn't been unproductive, has it?"

"I guess. I became tutored by Celestia herself, became her star student, and eventually became a princess as a result. When I first came to Ponyville, I thought she'd told me that Nightmare Moon was just an old pony's tale, but what she'd actually told me was that I needed to stop reading books long enough to make a few friends, and I'd just misinterpreted it. I already said that the big problem I created was because of a deadline I'd placed on myself. Same with the time travel incident."

"How have you used the lessons you've learned from these incidents since learning them?"

"If Celestia and Luna had disappeared last year instead of this year, I totally wouldn't have been prepared to deal with the situation! I've learned to take things as they come and not to become too preoccupied with something that hasn't happened yet. These, other lessons I've learned the past year, and Spike helped me keep more or less calm and collected until I could find a way to solve the problem." As she had talked, her face lightened, and she'd gained a smile again, and started to sing a beautiful song.

You've come such a long, long way,

And I've watched you from that very first day:

To see how you might grow,

To see what you might do,

To see what you've been through,

And all the ways you've made me proud of you.

It's time now for a new change to come.

You've grown up and your new life has begun:

To go where you will go,

To see what you will see,

To find what you will be,

For it's time for you to fulfill your destiny.

She wiped a tear from her eye. "That's a song Princess Celestia sang as I was about to get my wings. It's hard to believe it's only been a year."

I smiled, leaning back in my chair as I listened to the song and what Miss Sparkle had said. Glancing at the clock above the fireplace, I saw that it was almost ten o'clock.

"An hour has almost passed," I said, reluctantly breaking off the moment, "and I like that we ended it with such a beautiful song."

"My voice can't really do it justice. It's better to hear it from Princess Celestia herself." She got off the couch. "Thanks for having me over, Dr. Mindwell. I wasn't sure I would need help at first, but I'm glad I did. If you could help the rest of Ponyville as much as you've helped me so far, then Princess Celestia made a great decision. Do you mind if I send over my friends sometime?"

"That would be great. I'd love to meet them."

"Great! I'll see you around town, then. And thanks again." She opened the door and left, humming the song again as she closed the door behind her. I, on the other hoof, watched the closed door for a few minutes, recollecting the session. Eventually I turned my attention back to my desk, taking an envelope and a stamp out of a drawer, and began to write a letter to Princess Celestia.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I probably won't write to you as often as every few days, but I feel this is something you'd enjoy knowing. Today Princess Twilight Sparkle had her first session with me...

Author's Note

I love that song more every time I find a new situation it applies to. I've even found it to apply to Sunset Shimmer, even moreso after Friendship Games than after "My Past is Not Today" when I initially realized it.

07: Hughbert Jellius, Session 1, Substance Abuse(?) and Obsession

Word of my accomplishments so far seem to be spreading quickly. Perhaps I should consider hiring a secretary before I get too overwhelmed by the number of ponies asking for help.

Regardless, yesterday a pair of unicorns with off-white coats stopped by my house, a mare and a filly. The mare had a beautifully quaffed and curled mane, and the filly's mane was pink and purple. It was also curled, even more so than the mare's.

"This is the house Scootaloo told me about," said the filly as I opened the door. "She told Apple Bloom and me really good things about him."

"You are Dr. Mindwell, I take it?" asked the mare, and I confirmed her question. "Twilight has been singing your praises as well, Doctor. I'm Rarity, and this is my little sister Sweetie Belle." Ah, the unicorn sisters that Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash had mentioned.

"I've heard a few things about you both as well. What can I help you with?"

The younger sister spoke. "Actually, it's not exactly something for us. See, this last Hearts and Hooves day, the Crusaders were trying to find a special somepony for our teacher Cheerilee, and I was kinda harsh on several other ponies around town while trying to find one." She told me about several ponies: an older stallion named Geri, whom she'd called too old as he was delivering a eulogy; a young colt who was playing a video game; a short pony; a tall pony; and a grey stallion she'd called 'strangely obsessed with tubs of jelly'. "I've apologized to them since then, but I'm pretty sure I was right about one in particular: the jelly stallion. He wasn't bothered by what I'd said, but I've seen him around a few times, eating a lot of jelly, salivating over a new flavor at the jelly shop, or things like that. I think he might need your expertise."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Thank you for coming, Mr. Jellius," I greeted him as he entered. Since this was our first meeting, I paid attention to his appearance: he had the same coat and mane colors as the walleyed mare I'd seen at the train station and at the post office. I noticed a substance that appeared to be jelly at the corner of his mouth. His cutie mark was three strawberries.

"You're welcome, but I'm still not sure why you asked me to come."

I told him who I was, what I did for a living, and how Sweetie Belle was concerned about his apparent obsession. "She suggested I meet you."

"I told her I didn't mind what she said about me. I do really like jelly!"

"Speaking of which, you have something in the corner of your mouth." I levitated the box of tissues to him. He took one and wiped his mouth, taking the jelly with it. "There we go. In any case, she was concerned about some behaviors she's noticed you exhibit since then, and addressing her concerns is the least I could do."

"Well... all right then." I brought him to the sofa, which he sat upon. I sat at my desk as usual.

"Now then, let's begin. When did you realize your love for jelly?"

"I was a young colt, working at my family's berry orchard. We grow all kinds of fruits, and most of it is processed into jelly, which we send all across Equestria. 'Jellius's Jellies'." Once I learned his name, I had wondered if he was related to the family who created the most popular line of jellies, jams, and preserves. "My task was to crush the berries that would eventually be put into jars. I'd eaten our jellies at meals before, but it wasn't until I tasted some strawberry jelly that I knew I wanted to continue the family business. It was the most delicious fruit product I'd ever tasted. I also got my cutie mark: three strawberries, one for each jar I ate that day." Oh my. "Course, it wasn't until the next day that I got a big stomachache from eating that much jelly. I cut down after that."

"When you have spare time, what do you like to do?"

"Eating jelly, organizing the different flavors, telling ponies about new flavors..."

"Any hobbies that aren't jelly-related?"

He had to pause for a while, then spoke again, slower than before. "I... I can't think of any. It's been a while."

Perhaps Sweetie Belle had had a point. If he didn't have any hobbies that didn't involve jelly, or just didn't remember any, then perhaps he was as obsessed as she thought he was.

"It's all right if you can't remember. You can take as long as you need, or we can continue if you'd like."

He nodded and stayed silent for a few more minutes, trying to remember anything he could. Finally he spoke up.

"I might have enjoyed reading. It's hard to remember."

"Can you say how long ago that might have been?"

"Nine... ten months, I think? I'm sorry, everything from before Discord came to town is blurry." Well now, that's interesting. I had very little information about what had happened with Discord, and perhaps this would be a good opportunity to learn a few things.

"What can you tell me about Discord?"

"The way I understand it, and I've heard some of this from other ponies who remember what happened better, he was freed from his prison and started spreading chaos all throughout the town. He's like a mix of a the body parts of a bunch of different animals or something. Apparently he chose Ponyville over a larger city because the only way to stop him was here or something. He started spreading his chaos: clouds made of cotton candy that rained chocolate milk; the ground became all hilly and checkered with bright colors; some of the houses and ponies started floating away. Sometimes he focused on individual ponies before getting bored and moving on to somepony else.

"He sounds like an interesting character."

"You weren't there. It was only for less than a day, but he made living here horrible."

"You mentioned that he sometimes focused on individual ponies. Did you experience any of this firsthoof?"

"I don't remember. Other ponies tell me I was turned into a plate of gelatin." Perhaps this transformation had something to do with his obsession. "One second I was running somewhere, and the next everything was fixed, although my legs felt unstable. Buildings were on the ground, the ground itself was flat and green like it should've been."

Well, that would seem to rule out post-traumatic stress disorder, as a symptom of that condition is a vivid memory of an event that could be triggered by something mundane.

"After everything was fixed again, what's the first thing you can remember doing?"

"Well, like I said, my legs felt unstable. Wobbly. All my joints, actually, seemed more flexible, but that got better soon. I laid down so I could rest and stiffen up."

"How long did it take to feel better?"

"I don't know. An hour, maybe two. What I do know for sure is that by then end I'd started to feel hungry. I stood up again when I felt strong enough again and made my way back home. I had to stop and rest once, because I felt too flexible again, but it didn't take as long to recover the second time. I got home and had some food."

He looked like he wanted to continue, but something was stopping him from doing so. Whether it was a block in his memory, or an emotion caused by what happened next was yet to be determined.

"It's weird. After eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I ate all the jelly that was in my house. All 30 jars of jellies, jams, and preserves. They were even more delicious than I'd thought they were before, and everything else didn't taste as good. I expected to get a big stomachache again like I did when I got my cutie mark, but... nothing. I felt fine."

Strangely obsessed with tubs of jelly, Sweetie Belle had said. Now a new hypothesis had formed in my mind: Discord had indeed turned Mr. Jellius into gelatin, and somehow after everything was returned to normal, he was not, and if not everything about him returned to normal, perhaps some other ponies in town also had some lingering effects from Discord's chaos. Perhaps the chaos magic had latched onto something relating to his cutie mark. I hadn't heard of any magic that could show that kind of semi-sentience, but it's chaos magic. It very likely didn't follow the same rules as a pony's magic, so anything could happen.

About this time, I noticed some movement at the window in the corner of my eye. I glanced over, and saw what appeared to be the tip of a horn and a silver-ish mane drop below the sill.

"Excuse me a moment, Mr. Jellius."

"Okay."

I got out of my chair and walked over to the door. This interaction is one for another file, so I will not include it here. A short time later I returned to my desk.

"I'm sorry about that. What were we talking about?" He reminded me that he'd been talking about eating all the jelly, and the resulting lack of a stomachache. "Ah yes, thank you. Perhaps the lack of a stomachache is a medical health situation," I suggested. "Have you contacted a doctor to see if that might be the case?"

"I've never felt the need to," he replied. "I never got sick from eating so much after that, so I didn't think it was an issue."

"On the contrary, a stomachache is your body's natural response to eating too much or to eating something toxic. If you ate that much jelly, yet it did not result in a stomachache, then that would indicate that there is something unusual going on."

"So you think I should go see Dr. Horse?" I assume that was the doctor in charge at Ponyville Hospital.

"I do. In many cases it's better to be cautious than to wait too long and regret not getting help sooner. Would you like me to let him know you're coming?"

"Well, if you think it's best."

I nodded and wrote a reminder to send Dr. Horse a message.

"What thoughts go through your mind when you encounter jelly now?"

He answered quickly. "Stuff like 'I wonder if that flavor's just as good as the last time I had it', or 'I'm gonna have a jar of this flavor made that's big enough for me to swim in'. Sometimes jelly's all I can think about, and I can't get it out of my head." The next few moments were silent. When I looked up, I saw a saddened look on Mr. Jellius's face. The next words he spoke were spoken softer than how he'd been talking for the whole session. "Doctor, what's wrong with me?"

Several things. An obsession, a fixation, a compulsion to consume all the nearby jelly perhaps. In some ways Mr. Jellius's behavior exhibited symptoms of substance abuse, if jelly were indeed an addictive substance. I sighed, trying to think of the best way to say what was on my mind without hiding the facts behind a screen of niceness. "It could be several things. I'm afraid Sweetie Belle was correct in saying you had an obsession with jelly, as you have thoughts and urges about this food that have caused some physical and likely some emotional harm as well to you in the past. It could also be a form of substance abuse disorder, as it shares some symptoms of substance abuse and of substance dependence, although I'm less inclined to consider that as a likely option because we haven't talked long enough to determine if you have other symptoms that may support that possibility.

"It could be other things as well, but the important thing is that you receive help so that it doesn't get to the point to where it takes control of your life. You've already come to the realization that something is unusual about your behavior, and I'd like to help you take control of whatever it is that's going on," I looked at the clock, and added, "which would require more sessions. This appears to be a complicated situation, and we're nearly out of time for today.

"However, I don't want you to continue if you don't want to. If you come back, it won't be because anypony has forced you to come."

He was silent for a few moments again, then asked, "So how often should I come in?" Ah, good. He was willing to receive help.

"We can begin with weekly sessions, if you'd like. My schedule is slowly filling up, but I am available to see you at the same time and day of the week as today."

He sighed. "Yeah, let's do that. I'll rearrange my schedule if I have to, but I'll be back. I'll see you next week."

I opened the door to let him out, closing it behind him. He was the first client I'd had who hadn't thanked me for helping him, yet I wasn't too concerned. I hadn't helped him much, after all, and for the most part had actually made him feel worse about his situation than he was before. Ignorance is bliss, as they say.

Author's Note

Headcanons galore.