I don’t even know where to begin. I’ve never entertained the idea of writing a personal journal before but hey, always a first time for something. My name is Farsight, Head Psychologist at St. Solaris Mental Institution, ten miles north of Manehattan. I’ve been working there for almost two decades now after I got my Ph.D. in Psychology. As a colt, I’ve always been fascinated with the way the mind behaves and what makes us tick and that’s why I chose this career path.

My job, apart from handling the paperwork and instructing the therapists on what to do, was handling patients on a case by case basis whenever my skills were required. It happens a fair bit from time to time but it’s a way to help break the ice when all I have to do is writeups and signing of forms. As I examine each case, I continue to be surprised. However, nothing I’ve encountered yet truly unsettled me.

Today, I carried my usual routine of filing reports and signing approvals for treatments. It was nothing really out of the ordinary but… it was all boring bullshit. Still, it had to have been done. It was shortly after I wrapped things up that I got the call to come to the lobby to help process a new arrival. At a glance, I saw nothing off about him but, when I looked into his eyes, it was… I couldn’t quite make it out but it was unnerving like something that gives you goosebumps.

The newest patient in our institution was a unicorn from Downtown Canterlot named Apollo Glint. According to his file that I got to read after he was situated, he was a dayshift manager at a food market so he looked to be doing relatively well for himself. Both parents were dead in a fire and he was the youngest of three and fairly brilliant. Yet, a month ago, for reasons unknown, he butchered his brother, his marefriend, and his workmates during a party one night. He was only stopped when his sister and a few guards managed to subdue him.

The odd thing was that... despite being slightly on the anti-social side, he was described as relatively normal. So, with something like what he did being out of character, we had to look for the ‘why’ of this situation. Why would he just snap all of a sudden and begin murdering friends and family out of the blue? I often ask myself that whenever I’m confronted with a case because that’s often the first step to treating those who come here. When I get to interview them is when the thick of the action starts.

I entered one of the many interview rooms we have in this place. Sitting in one chair was Apollo, looking like he’d been tossed around in a storm and was left in shock as a result. He undoubted was after what he did so I had to approach him cautiously. I started off with the usual greeting, telling him who I was and where he was, standard operating procedure. All I got was silence and not even the faintest sound of breathing. I know he wasn’t dead but the way he carried himself made it seem so. It would seem like that Magic Suppression Ring is making him morose.

I kept asking him questions, small talk to help break the ice, but he was still dead silent. Eventually, I asked Apollo about what happened and what caused him to murder all those ponies. Right away, he said “No! No please!” with a face of dread and shock, something I anticipated. One of the many tactics to get a patient is to confront them with a question pertaining to their trauma but he seemed especially shocked by it. If I were to guess, some influence might’ve been the cause. Still, it’s too early to draw that conclusion.

But, without even the slightest warning, he lunged at one of the orderlies and began slamming her against the wall, letting out a curse-filled scream of anger. It was about half a minute before we were able to separate and pin him to the wall. His face… I’ve never seen that much fear in any creature like that. At that point, he was in full-on panic mode and I had to resort to hitting him with the appropriate amount of sedative to knock him out. That did it for my chance to interview him today.

Odd, it truly was odd. It was like with a clap of hooves that he went berserk. But, it seemed like my straightforward approach was what might’ve set him off. His face screamed desperation and his eyes were abnormally bloodshot. Like, I’ve seen bloodshot eyes in many ponies who were sleep-deprived but… nevermind. I suppose can dwell on that at a later date.

As a result, I had the director assign a duo of guards to maintain constant surveillance. As a result, I‘m beginning to classify his behavior as indicative of Intermittent Explosive Disorder, Bipolarism, or, though unlikely and too early to assume, Schizophrenia. I’ve instructed the nurses to give him the proper medication and be allowed to interact with fellow patients at certain points in the day. It’s the least we could do to help him. Something tells me that this might be the most interesting case I’ve taken in a long time.

Author's Note

Originally, I intended to release this on the 1st of the month but various factors held it back a bit. With that out of the way, this is my first foray into horror. I may or may not succeed at this but it's my hope that you'll enjoy this.