So, tell me what's on your mind.
Dr. Wolf was running to Twilight's castle. Twilight called him over on short notice. He was used to getting requests from Celestia, but Twilight usually brought her friends over to his office then they were having problems. He guessed that it might be an argument between them, but they usually were able to work it out on their own. He decided to stop trying to figure it out until he got there. As he got to the large castle he had to stop to catch his breath. He never was a good athlete.
Doc rested for a second right before Twilight stuck her head out of the large door. She was obviously in full panic mode. "Dr. Wolf! Quick! I'll explain on the way."
Dr. Wolf panted as he talked to her between gasps. "Just... Let... Me... Catch... My... Breath..."
Twilight instantly picked him up with her magic and carried him inside. "I don't know what's going on. Her friends wrote to me and told me what happened. She's having nightmares, she's not eating, and now she's not even showing up to school anymore. They couldn't get through to her so they wrote to me. I think you might be able to help her."
Dr. Wolf found it hard to process this while being carried in the air. He always felt uncomfortable whenever somebody used their magic on him. It felt disorienting. He tried to calm her down while trying not to get motion sickness. "Uh, I'd be happy to help, but can't we talk on the ground?"
Twilight stopped in the library and set him down. "I'm sorry. I'm just worried about Sunset Shimmer. She's never been like this. I was pretty sure that she was past the whole "taking over Equestria" thing, but this might just be something else. Either way, she has a problem that I can't handle. I was hoping you could help her."
Dr. Wolf's eyes widened as he cleaned his glasses. "Oh! Well, she isn't the first patient of mine who had tried that. I guess I can head over to her today, but you said that her friends mailed you? If I need to go out of town I think I should have packed, and why the rush? The next train out of town won't be here for another hour or so."
Twilight paused for a moment before trying to explain. "Uh... I know this is hard to understand, but you'll be going through this mirror."
Dr. Wolf watched as she gestured to a mirror in the corner of the room.
Dr. Wolf stared at it for a while before turning back to her. "Forgive me for being blunt, but excuse me?"
Twilight slowed down as she explained the situation. "This is a portal to another world. Sunset Shimmer was from our world, but she went to that world after a falling out with Celestia. I'd love to tell you the whole story about it, but it would take to long. So I came up with something for you. Here's a book explaining the important stuff. I took the liberty of bookmarking the important parts. Her friends are waiting on the other side to take you to her house. I will warn you that their world is a lot different than ours. It may take a while to get used to it."
Twilight shoved a rather large book into Doc's hands. Dr. Wolf sighed as he processed everything. "Well, I'm a talking Wolf in a world of ponies, Griffin's, and everything else except talking wolves. I should be able to handle whatever craziness is on the other side of that mirror."
Twilight instantly remembered what happened to Spike when he went through the mirror. "By the way, if you end up turning into an animal, just come back and we'll figure something out."
Dr. Wolf almost questioned what she meant by that, but he changed his mind. "So Miss Sparkle, I simply walk into the mirror to get there?"
Twilight nodded. "And through the statue to get back. You'll start understanding when you get there. Good luck."
Doc turned to the mirror. He wondered about what mysteries and dangers lay on the other side of the mirror. The only thing he knew that was over there was a person who needed help. Finally, he took a deep breath and slowly walked through the mirror.
Dr. Wolf groaned as he gathered his bearings. He remembered the sessions Twilight's friends had after Starlight Glimmer brainwashed them. Applejack described it as being sent through a certain juicing machine. He didn't think that it was that bad, but it might have been close. The only difference was that the side effects of the portal didn't last as long. As his eyes started to adjust to the world around him he rubbed his forehead to notice that his head and his hand felt smooth. He looked to see his hand covered in bare skin. He looked down at the rest of his body to see that he was wearing a white long-sleeved collared shirt, a purple vest, a pair of black pants, and a purple necktie. His whole body felt uncomfortable; almost like it was fighting with something else inside of him.
As he adjusted to his new body he heard a familiar voice. "Are you okay? I've heard that it's a rough trip."
Dr. Wolf looked up to see a human girl with purple hair and clothes standing in front of him holding his glasses. Even though he never saw her before she looked extremely familiar.
Dr. Wolf sat up as he started putting the pieces together. "Miss Sparkle? What are you doing here? I thought you were staying in Ponyville, is something wrong?"
Twilight scratched her head as she realized what her pony counterpart forgot to tell him. "Well, my name is Twilight Sparkle, but I'm not your Twilight Sparkle. I guess you could call me her double."
Dr. Wolf looked around to see the human versions of the mane six around him.
Applejack offered Doc a hand as she continued where Twilight left off. "From what I hear we all have one. Well, at least most of us do."
Rarity sighed. "I found it best if you don't think about it too much. You sleep better too."
As Applejack helped Doc to his feet he realized that he was half a head taller than all of them. He found it interesting because he used to be the size of a young filly.
As he tried to get a better grasp of the world around him he looked at Fluttershy who looked a bit disappointed. "I was hoping for a real wolf." She said softly.
Nobody seemed to notice what she said besides him. Doc soon started to notice that some of his canine senses were still working, mainly his sharp hearing and a strong sense of smell. He caught a strong whiff of something which he was unfamiliar with but smelled delicious. It smelled like cheese and something else that he wasn't familiar with. He decided to look into that later. He was already used to walking on his hind legs so he had no problem adjusting to moving around.
Doc started getting carried away with this new world and all of the possibilities that this had to offer, but he slowly reminded himself that he was there to help somebody and decided to get things underway. "Well, I'm guessing that all of you are named after your respected double, and I also suppose you all know who I am."
Twilight nodded. "Of course. Twilight said that you're the best phycologist she has ever met."
Doc gave a respectful nod. "I'm flattered. Now about Sunset, Twilight has told me about her symptoms, but do you know what might have started this?"
Pinky Pie started talking, and seem to plan on stopping. "Well, she told us about a few dreams she had a couple of months ago. Only the dreams she had were super weird, but they're not the same level of weird as some of my dreams. Like one time..."
Applejack interrupted her. "I don't mean to be rude, but I think we need to stick to the point. I think she's talking about a few weeks after the whole memory wiping incident. We all have been having some of those dreams about our pasts for a while, but Twilight said it would wear off. It seemed to wear off for everybody except Sunset. It didn't get really serious until a week ago."
Dr. Wolf scratched his head. "Okay, well Miss Applejack do you mind elaborating on the whole memory wiping thing?"
Rarity spoke up. "We'd love to darling, but we don't have a clear recollection of what happened, or what Sunset went through during that time."
Dr. Wolf didn't like the lack of facts he was getting. He decided to continue his questioning. "Is there anything else that might have set her off?"
Fluttershy softly spoke up. "It didn't seem like a big problem until a week after the phone incident. It didn't seem big at first, but eventually, she distanced herself from us. We told Twilight, er, your Twilight about what was going on, and then she told us that she'd send you. None of us have a good idea of what's bothering her."
Dr. Wolf was desperately trying to place these pieces together. "Phone incident? I'd ask what a phone is, but I have a bigger question. How did you even contact our Twilight?"
Rainbow Dash leaned back against the corner of the statue and scratched her head nervously. "Well, Sunset has a book that she uses to talk to your Twilight. So I might have sneaked into her house and borrowed it."
Doc gave a disapproving glare at Dash after she explained that she stole it. Human or Wolf, his stare was always unsettling.
Dash started to sweat looking at Doc. "What? I'll give it back."
Doc continued to stare at her. "We need to talk about respecting other people's property."
Fluttershy decided to get back on topic before things got too awkward. "So how can we help Sunset?"
Dr. Wolf sighed. "I'll have to talk to her alone. I'm sorry, but I do have doctor-patient confidentiality to uphold. I can promise you that I will do everything I can to help her. Well, is it alright if you all take me to Miss Shimmer?"
They all started to make their way over to Sunset's house. Dr. Wolf tried to focus on reading the book Twilight gave him. It gave him a small idea about the world he was now in. Admittedly he had a hard time understanding some of the things it talked about. He kinda lost the idea of what cell phones were, so he decided to just roll with whatever was there that he wasn't sure about. He stopped for a moment when he passed by a mirror in a furniture store. His grey hair was neatly combed, but it was still very thick. He still wore his thin glasses. He looked at the mirror for a while and realized that he did look old enough to be someone's father. As he looked back at the book it focused on what happened with the specific group he was with, including Sunset. It was very well detailed, unfortunately, it felt too detailed. He wished he didn't have to skip over parts, but he needed to focus on Sunset.
After an hour or so they reached Sunsets apartment. As they approached the door Doc started to realize that the book about her might give the wrong idea.
He quickly handed it to Dash. "Miss Dash, may you please hide this for me? I don't want to give her the wrong idea."
She ran away with the book at super speed and returned empty-handed. Dr. Wolf took a deep breath and motioned for the others to knock. Twilight knocked on the door. After a few moments, Sunset welcomed them in. She looked tired; her hair was a tangled mess. Her clothes looked like she wore them for the last two days. Rarity nearly screamed when she saw the state Sunset was in. Rarity grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into the bedroom. Rarity asked everybody else to wait there before she closed the door. Doc didn't know how Rarity did it, but when they came out two minutes later Sunset was well dressed and had her hair brushed. Rarity said it was the best she could do on short notice.
It was that point that Sunset noticed her new guest. "Hey, I don't think I've met you before. What's your name?"
Dr. Wolf reached out to shake her hand. "My name is Dr. Wolf. Your friends told me that you were having nightmares and were hoping that I could help you."
Sunset looked confused. "I don't understand. What kind of doctor are you?"
"I'm a psychologist."
Sunset looked hurt when he said it. Her friends looked hurt as well. Doc recognized the look on their faces. Sunset felt like she betrayed her friends for letting this get so far that they sought professional help, and the others felt like they betrayed her for just calling for his help.
Doc decided it was time to get things going before their emotions started to get sour. "Would you like to talk in private?"
Sunset paused for a moment and slowly nodded. As she walked to her bedroom Doc turned to Dash, gave her a cold glare, and pointed to a table. Dash ran out and placed Sunset's book on the table.
Sunsets bedroom was a mess. The floor was littered with magazines, dirty clothes, and trash.
Dr. Wolf took a deep breath and sat down on a chair next to her desk. "I hope I didn't give you the wrong impression. I'm only here to help you."
Sunset sat down on the edge of her bed. "Forgive me if I'm not exactly comfortable talking to a stranger."
Dr. Wolf gave a small smile. "I promise that nothing will leave this room. I uphold doctor-patient confidentiality." Dr. Wolf then turned to the door and just barely raised his voice. "So stop eavesdropping!"
Instantly a bunch of shuffling was heard behind the door. Sunset looked in shock and wondered how he knew that they were there.
Dr. Wolf leaned forward a bit. "I promise you that I won't tell anyone about what you say. So, what seems to be the problem?"
Sunset had yet to make eye contact with him. "I don't think you'd understand me or where I came from."
"The world of talking ponies? I'm not called Dr. Wolf because somebody thought it was a cool name for a kid or a wolf for that matter."
Sunset's eyes shot up when he said that. "You're from Equestria? How did you know about me?"
"I got a letter from a friend of yours. Now, tell me what's on your mind."
She slowly lowered her head as she began to look in deep thought. "Well, I've been having problems sleeping for the last few weeks. I keep having nightmares about someone I didn't want to be."
"I see, and who is that?"
Sunset looked at her hands as if she wanted to burn hands in them. "Me."
Dr. Wolf paused for a moment. "I see. When did this start?"
"A few months ago. I had a large chunk of my memories removed and put back in my mind. I had to relive all of those moments of my life."
Dr. Wolf nodded. "Your friends told me about that. Twilight said that it should have worn off by now."
"It didn't for me. I tried staying busy to block it out of my head, but my past kept catching up to me. I had to remember all of the friends I made, and what I did to them. When I first came here I was trying to get an army of brainwashed students to take over Equestria. I broke up the friendship of five people who are now my friends to get what I wanted. I framed people, I stole stuff, and I was so bitter and greedy that I didn't see what I was becoming. I am a worse criminal then some of the ponies Twilight has faced."
"I see, but you've helped your friends so much since then. I've heard about all of the times you've helped them in their personal times of need, and even in their magical ones."
"But I became good friends with the same people that I've hurt. They have been so kind and forgiving after all that I have done. Why? I don't deserve this. I should be rotting in Tartarus for my crimes. I don't deserve the friends that I've made; the life that I have now. I can't even look at myself in the mirror anymore without..." Sunset couldn't finish as she started crying in her hands.
Dr. Wolf leaned forward and handed her a tissue. It always hurt him to see somebody who has carried their guilt until they couldn't hold it in anymore.
Sunset Shimmer kept talking through her tears. "How can I keep living with this hanging over me? Am I the only person who has suffered like this?"
Dr. Wolf started to clean his glasses. "I have seen dozens of ponies who have dealt with what your feeling right now. Miss Shimmer, has anyone come up to you saying that you haven't paid enough."
"No, but have I paid enough?"
"It depends on how much you think is enough. I've seen ponies with regrets over small mistakes, let alone what you've done. Even I've had made bad choices that I've regretted. I thought that I never paid enough for what I've done, but the only person that was holding me to what I've done was me. We have all made bad choices, and we all end up hurting people, intentionally or unintentionally. I've heard a lot about you. You aren't perfect, but no one truly is. You have helped your friends so many times, even at your own risk. It's natural to feel guilty when you hurt other people, and it's good that you feel it. I'd be more concerned if you didn't regret it. This guilt shows me that you don't want to do what you did again and that you've changed. The only person that is still holding you to the choices you have made is you. You won't be free of this burden until you forgive yourself."
Sunset dried her eyes. "But how am I supposed to do that?"
Dr. Wolf looked at the door. "Stop thinking about who you were. You have already learned the lesson from your decisions. Start focusing on who you are now and who you want to be. Would you say that you are the same person now as you were back when you were brainwashing students?"
Sunset straightened up. "No! Of course not!"
Dr. Wolf smiled. "Never forget that. You have left that old person behind and evolved into someone new and better. There is a saying that I always say whenever I want to remember the wolf that I've become. It's good to be helping. Maybe you can say it to yourself whenever you start thinking about who you were. Remember how much you want to help others now, and always strive to translate that thought into action."
Sunset wiped the last few tears from her face as she slowly stood up. "I'll try."
Dr. Wolf smiled. "That's all it takes. Just remember that you are not alone, change is always possible when you open your mind to it."
As Dr. Wolf stood up Sunset grabbed him and wrapped him in a hug. "Thank you! I couldn't believe that anyone felt what I did."
Dr. Wolf patted her on the back before pulling away from her. "If I could get everybody to forgive themselves for their bad life choices I would be out of business right now. Shall we join your friends?"
Sunset nodded. They walked back into the living room where the main 6 were waiting. All eyes turned to them. They all looked worried as they waited for somebody to say something.
Fluttershy was the first one to speak. "Are you okay?"
Sunset walked up to her and hugged her. "I couldn't be better. Thank you all for helping me. I don't know what I'd do without you girls." Dr wolf smiled as he saw all of them get into a group hug. It lasted for a few minutes. As they finished Sunset had a curious look on her face. "By the way, how did you get in contact with him?"
When Rainbow Dash saw the stern look on Dr. Wolf's face she instantly panicked. "I just borrowed your book for a minute! I put it right back! I promise!"
Sunset chuckled a bit and turned to Dr. Wolf. "Would you like to stay for a while? We'd love to show you around our little corner of this world."
Dr. Wolf shook his head as he cleaned his glasses. "I'd love to, but I promised my lady that I'd be home before dinner. I didn't expect to be sent to another world, so it would be best if I don't leave her waiting. I might return another time if any of you need me. Now, is it alright if you take me back to the statue?"
They weren't happy that he had to leave so soon, but they knew that he had his own life to get back to. They soon made their way to the school, after a quick stop at the market to grab a gallon of ice cream for the doc. They weren't about to let him go home empty-handed. By the time they got to the statue, the sun was already starting to set. Dr. Wolf was confused by the idea of walking through the statue to get back, but he has seen weirder things in his life. Before he could leave turned to take one last look at this familiar, but unique group of friends.
As he walked up to the statue he took a deep breath and whispered to himself. "It's good to be helping."