That One Patient

Well, today was… rather unexpected, something I never thought would happen. A while back, I advised Apollo Glint that he can come talk to me whenever he needed to. I said it as a way to reassure him but he walked into my office this afternoon with an escort. The look on his eyes… I never saw that much desperation. After I got him seated, I told the guards to leave, which they did. I think that he rarely felt comfortable with a couple of stallions walking him around and holding his hoof. I’m still a bit irate about the time they used stun batons on him… AGAINST my orders.

He seemed nervous to start at first but I guess it was more him just trying to transition his thoughts to words. He first mentioned how Mr. Skull was antagonizing him, hurting him mentally. As he put it himself, it was like pairs of sharp teeth gnawing on his brain. I can only begin to imagine how much that hurt, given that description. It was at that point he decided enough was enough and began to take his life in his own hooves. As per the report, he began bashing his head against any hard surface to get him to stop.

This tells me two things I already know but cemented those thoughts: one is that Apollo is afraid of Mr. Skull. The second thing is that I now believe this to be more than mere psychological problems and a ‘magical presence’, for the lack of a better term, to be the culprit. But, with anything, there’s always a psychological element to this and it’s influencing Apollo’s mind in both drastic and subtle ways. Now, I firmly believe that I’ve bitten off way more than I can chew and I’m starting to worry.

As a result, I’m going to hire, in addition to Dr. Scribe, some experts in dealing with strange and old forms of magic. I considered consulting with Twilight Sparkle at one point but she is busy with other matters so I won’t bother her with this. However, she and the other princesses are still my last resort option if this somehow goes completely awry. I have written letters requesting immediate assistance in the event that this goes completely beyond what I can do. It’s good to have a safety net in place and I always come prepared. Better safe than sorry.