In a Sea of Madness

Anything can be a weakness- a cloud that brings up a happy memory. A scent that reminds us of home, it could even be a rogue thought.

Whatever the trigger, it hits dead on, it finds the chink in our armor and blasts it wide open. The result is different for each of us.

AppleJack takes her typical approach and tries to bury the pain. She’ll try desperately to shore herself up with hard work, spending every waking hour tending to the coconut trees, treating them as if they were her own foals, neglecting food or sleep, mumbling “Gotta watch the trees gotta watch the trees”.
Rainbow’s claustrophobia kicks in hard. She tries to flee the Bubble, slamming into the shimmering surface repeatedly, screaming over and over that she needs to get out!

Rarity’s always had problems dealing with anxiety, and our current situation has made it even worse. She doesn’t so much break down as dissolve into a sobbing, blubbering, inconsolable mess.

Fluttershy has the opposite reaction. When she breaks, her personality actually inverts. She becomes irritable and abrasive, snapping at us for the most trivial of things, switching between violent outbursts and tearful apologies.

Then there’s Pinkie. Our friend’s bubbly, optimistic nature has proven resistant to despair- when one of us breaks down, she’s always there to try and cheer us up with a song number, a dance routine or, if necessary, something more carnal. But even she has her limits, when she breaks, she breaks hard. Her mane and coat go completely flat. She’ll completely deflate, becoming an inert, listless lump. She won't eat, drink, or even move. She’ll just lay there under her tent with a blank look on her face, an empty shell.

As for me, well, I can’t afford to break. I’m a Princess; it’s my duty to be strong. When the others break down, it’s my responsibility to patch them back together again, be it by an encouraging speech, an extra ration, or a firm slap on the face. But even I can’t keep this up forever. More than once I’ve caught myself looking at the coral reefs, wondering how easy it would be to break off a bit of razor-sharp coral…

Our little world is coming apart at the seams. We can’t keep this up much longer. It’s only a matter of time before we completely crack.