Letters
Dear Princess Luna / My Faithful Patient (take your pick),
My apologies for not being available for your meetings with the Elements of Harmony. My wife was in labor once I came home, and I doubted that you wanted to hear my constant shouting as my wife cursed me for getting her pregnant. Call me crazy, but I have a feeling that you were able to get all of the Elements to attend the dinner. Before you toss this letter in the trash, the fireplace, or inside of a frame to remind yourself of the trials and tribulations that you were put through in order to get where you are today, I would please ask of you to finish this letter before you make your decision.
When you first selected me to be your therapist, I honestly didn’t know what to make of it. I accepted it as I would any other job, and I treated you the same way as all of my previous patients. I thought that with a constant amount of visits, I could eventually talk you towards the solutions that would help you at the end of a visit. But I was naive. I assumed that we would have enough time to address all of your problems. I thought we could address the things throughout your life that have been swirling around your head and dismiss them as either a problem or a possibility for a solution to yourself. That simply was not the case.
When you first sat down on your bed and faced me, the eyes of a pony without a purpose were staring back at me. Whenever you talked about your past, your sister, or even yourself, you never met my gaze. You only looked me in the eyes when you were talking about me, or my family. Your body language was enough to give me an overall view of what you were, but I always hesitate to simply take one characteristic and use it as my findings. I had to come back. Again and again, from the cards that I presented you to your fight with Celestia, your words and actions only corroborated my hypotheses.
Many doctors would sit you down and provide you with a diagnosis of your problems, followed by a list of possible ways to ameliorate the problem. This is probably why I am not a doctor, since I will not do either of those things. Here is what I will tell you.
You are not replaceable.
You are an Alicorn Princess of the Night with the ability to look into pony’s dreams, a mind that has been strengthened by your vast library, and a grasp of empathy that cannot be learned. No one on Earth can replace you Luna, despite how close it seemed to you.
When you first looked into my cards, you provided me stories and answers that I’ve never heard before. You told me about moths with goals, handicapped creatures, and authoritarian figures that challenged your disposition and made you uncomfortable. I attempted to write down every word of yours, and when I couldn’t, I made sure to remember them.
Every visit of ours was full of emotion, but the moment I mentioned Celestia, your emotions either boiled over or ceased completely. You conditioned yourself to act a certain way around your sister, when it simply did not have to be so. The Legend of Nightmare Moon tells us that you were imprisoned by your sister for a thousand years. Combined with your attempt to solve Starswirl’s spell and your contempt for Twilight’s success back in our first and second visits, your actions were all but a paper of connect-the-dots.
Please do not think I am saying that your thousands of years of emotional turmoil is as easy as a children’s drawing game. After all, you can’t create the game if you don’t have dots in the first place. Your hesitancy to elaborate your anger with your sister gave me some more information that I will continue with. My apologies if this letter is getting long. This will be the last letter that I send you as your therapist, so I want to make sure that I am thorough and you understand me completely. Or I might be rambling. The baby has been crying a lot and I’ve probably taken enough painkillers to subdue a minotaur.
Let me preface my statement by saying that I do not know everything about you. I wish I did, because then I could give a perfect diagnosis. Nevertheless, here is the part of the letter you have been waiting for. But it seems I am running out of room, so I will send you another letter.
Sincerely,
Your Therapist
~
Dear Princess Luna,
My apologies for the wait if the mail system decided to send your letter a day later. Anyway... we should continue. The problem I noticed the most in our visits was the lack of communication between yourself and your sister. I found it hard to believe when you told me in our first few visits that Celestia did not bother to integrate you into Equestrian society when you came back. While some may call you a liar, I would simply say that you were mistaken. There are powerful mechanisms inside of your mind, which were built up through a millenium and a few years that probably biased your opinions. It is as you said: a thousand years thinking about the same things probably changed your mind for the worse.
This does not mean that your thinking cannot be changed. The first part of fixing a problem is realizing it exists. You do not have any trouble in this department. You never did. The part that was hard for me was getting you to confront them. I’d be willing to guess that back before Nightmare Moon, you had a very confrontational personality. I could sense it from your anger towards me for trying to send a letter to your sister, but it quickly drained away when Celestia visited our room for the first time. You got all up on your high horse back then, pardon the pun, and was instantly smacked back down to reality when you were imprisoned in the moon.
If I were to take a guess, I would think that you negatively correlated confrontation and communication with punishment, which is one of the unfortunate things that may happen. You avoided your sister like the parasprites and wallowed in your own depression and guilt due to your supposed lost chance at rekindling your love with your subjects.
When you appeared on your first Nightmare Night since your return, I was there. While you simply dismissed it as your “one day of fame”, I saw it as an opportunity that completely passed you by, but still remains within reach. Equestria loves you Luna, and while that seems like a sweeping generality that made you roll your eyes on our second visit, I’m sure that Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack provided you with enough proof that we want you back. Pipsqueak, Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, I bet even the new reformed Discord wouldn’t have as much fun if you resorted to anonymity.
It is around this part of the letter where I extend my heartfelt apologies to you for the many tricks that I played. I will admit, my letter to Celestia was probably the action that should I apologize for the most, even though your confrontation with her gave me the most information towards my hypotheses. Whether you wanted it to or not, I needed her in order to help you. However, betrayal is an act that makes my blood boil, so I understand your anger and for lack of a better word, beg for your forgiveness, Your Highness.
You were right. I didn’t know what would happen during your confrontation with your sister, but I felt that you needed to talk to her. Whether it was a complete meltdown of feelings or not didn’t matter to me. I wanted something to happen between you and her. However, my biggest frustration was probably the night that you asked me to be your royal advisor. I tried in all of my previous visits to prove to you that you could be the confident and benevolent Princess you yourself doubted. In that one visit, upon being given a task that scared you with the consequences (even though there weren’t any specific ones), you reverted back to your introverted ways and tried to get me to help you, even though it wasn’t needed. While you did not deny the dinner, your improvement (to me) was moving at a snail’s pace. So I grew impatient. I didn’t want to cease being your therapist altogether, but I did want something to snap you into action, something that would put you on the spot and force you to make decisions. Something a Princess sometimes has to do. The dinner was my perfect chance.
So, I left you. I’m sorry Princess Luna, and I will always be sorry for my betrayal. But you have to understand that I couldn’t fuel your passive personality any longer. I suggested our first visit to Fluttershy’s cottage because I wanted to see you talk to someone else other than me. I wanted to see how you would choose your words, what you would do in an actual conversation, and last but not least, try to make a friend. You told me yourself that you wanted to become more prevalent in your subject’s lives, and yet, I had to practically drag you to someone’s house (the house of one of the most timid ponies might I add) in order to get you to do it.
My apologies if this seems like I am insulting you. I’m not. But you have to understand my frustration. The Princess Luna that I was subjected to was an introverted pony who believed she was useless and weak because she was unable to live up to the paragon that her sister created. My apologies for saying so, but the Princess Luna that I talked to was introverted by choice. As I previously said, it was a choice that was defiled and mistaken due to your previous fallacies, but it was your choice. You cannot deny that. I will agree that your sister should have tried harder to integrate you into society, but it’s hard to drag someone kicking and screaming into change. They have to accept it first or at least recognize that it exists. Long story short, I refuse to believe that the Luna that I talked to is the real you. It would be ignorant of me to tell you who the real Luna is. I’m only assuming this because of past legends and history books that accentuated your role in Equestrian society before your imprisonment. Yes, I do have history books that are that old, even though they look like they are going to crumble from a simple touch.
Speaking as a professional therapist, here is the reason why I am jealous of you. You are a mare that was born into royalty and was given one of the most important jobs in Equestria during the period of your birth. Yes, I’m aware that your sister was capable of doing your job, but I agree with her. There is a difference between the artificial creation of something and the intention behind somepony’s actions. Celestia rose the moon to keep her subjects happy and alive. You rose the moon because it was your destiny, it was your beauty and your creation. The moon was an extension of yourself, rather than a tool used by your sister. I’m sure your sister would feel the same way about her sun. It’s like the old phrase, “Just like Mom used to make.”
I’m getting off-topic aren’t I? Jealousy, got it. Maybe it’s just because I love seeing the mechanisms of others minds in action, but I saw an extreme amount of potential in you for my job. Now, I know that you will never quit being the Princess of the Night just so that you could become a therapist (although lucky for you, if you did, student loans wouldn’t be a problem), but you have the capabilities to become a better therapist than I ever could.
In my perfect world, I see somepony walking into your room with their worries left at the door. They might have been piqued because of the numerous Royal Guards in the castle, but they quickly drain away when your soft voice meets their ears. I see you sitting them down in a chair or laying them down on a bed before you explain your therapy process. You then begin a short back and forth much like we did numerous times in the beginning of our visits before I see you putting them to sleep, watching their dreams, and creating hypotheses from what you see. Dreams are one of the most interesting gateways to the mind and you have access to any dream at any moment. Once again, from a therapist’s point of view, that is useful to say the least and bucking awesome to say the most. I can only hope that this hypothetical situation unlocked your desire to follow within my footsteps, but I know that you are not interested in therapy. Nevertheless, while I go assist other ponies with their troubles, I hope to hear the following statement: “I talked to Princess Luna about it, and she gave me some very good advice on...”
You have fallen Luna. You fell harder than any other pony in the world and yet you are still strong enough to lecture me on betrayals, defend yourself from your sister’s overprotective nature, and explicitly state what you want from your sister even though your request probably shattered her heart. I am glad that you are going to reconcile with her. Your sister made a lot of mistakes, but she has nothing but good intentions and love for you, Luna. The two of you were meant to rule together, as loving sisters of a harmonious nation.
You did not fail me, but more importantly, you did not fail yourself. As I previously said, this letter is going to be the last that I send you as your therapist. I announce my official resignation, effective immediately. It was fun, Luna. It was eventful, but I’m sure you can agree with me when I say that we are both ready to move on. I hope to see you at Nightmare Night again, I’m sure my wife and foal would love to meet you.
Sincerely,
Rationale
~
Dear Princess Luna,
Can we talk tonight? I need... someone to talk to...
Sincerely,
Twilight Sparkle
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Well, it was a hell of a ride, Vico. Glad to see it wrapped up in such a way. I'm *hoping* for a possible sequel/side-quel where Luna takes Rationale up on his idea, becoming a therapist, but i'm not demanding it or anything.
Soo about those bonus chapters...will they be during the story timeset or after (aka Twilight's conversation with Luna as referred to at the end)?
I'm not exactly sure you understand what "introverted" means.
Luna is an extravert who has some serious problems interacting with others, not an introvert. The two are completely different state of minds.
Here's a hint: if a person wants to be an outspoken part of the group, then they're not an introvert, regardless of how much they actually interact with others.
2363139
Both. One will be after and one will be before.
That was a clever ending.
I'm looking forward to reading more of your work in the future.
The story getting better and better!
Really looking forward for Twilight chapter!
Hope Lu will talk to her therapist once again.
And, yeah, Lu has a potential to be physiologist with her dream traveling powers.
Heck. Absolutely fantastic job.
I can't remember when I last went through such well written emotional roller-coaster ride and actually enjoyed it this much. Sure there are couple of stories on this site that send me from tears to d'aaawwww and back and I'll not even try denying that I love it. But Luna as you wrote her was somehow something even more than that. I don't know what it is in this story that makes me say it but it's there somewhere. Might just be me starting to go through my own emotional baggage after reading this.
Thank you for your hard work on this and I'll be sure to follow your future projects.
That was good! Very interesting storytelling, good insight, smooth open ending. Waiting for a new story from you! *brohoof*
I have to agree with Voba on the questionable diagnosis of Luna at the end. Being introverted is not a disorder, nor is it really something to "get over". It's ok to use simpler words and just say she was shy and had self-confidence issues. Regardless, what an excellent story! Really enjoyed the format, and loved the characters, including Therapist and he only spoke at the end. That can't be easy to do. Also a great ending. I hope others can take a lot away from the writing here. So, thank you for the story! And have a great day
This was a beautiful and well done story
You sir, must be a student of Psychology, if not a student of therapy in general.....if only in a hobby reading kind of way. You seem to know the process and represent it well, and for that I hank you. Too many people look at psychology as psudo-science because it sometimes has to deal with abstract ideas and feelings that are very individualized. I am in my training to be a Therapist and loved the concept of this story as a whole (I may even steal the the base idea for a little of my own writing
). I have been entertained, moved, and generally let the feels fly while reading this and I can't wait to see more of your work in the future!
P.S- Introverted and extroverted are concept in Psychology that are not all are none, 2363175 , they are more an idea of a individual slide rule for both. For example, I tend to be extroverted in certain situations such as on a stage or one on one, but in groups and over the telephone I am highly introverted....to the point of near panic attacks before I started to confront these problems specifically. In Psychology, most concepts never fall into the all or nothing category.
I just wonder if Celestia had learned a lesson from all this?
Nice job! I appreciate that Rationale pointed out that Luna had, in large part, put herself in her current situation. She was responsible for giving up her own power. Celestia wasn't shutting her out or trying to replace her; she was actually concerned and worried about her sister while trying to involve her and help heal her life. Looking forward to the bonus chapters...Although we did get to see Luna organize an event in celebration of Twilight's ascension, it will be interesting to see how she will deal with the new Princess!
2363603
Psychology always interested me, but I am not a student in either. I had therapy for YEARS as a child, so I could understand the process.
Man, that was a pretty good ending. Seriously. I love how you worked from what you've created for Luna's personality, along with the whole "dream-walking" thing to make a role for her as a sort of therapist in her own rights.
2363798
I am right there with you!
That explains why you write the process so well and in such great detail, from the patients perspective.
2363869
I hope you aren't disappointed.
I personally don't see someone's feelings and the result of having those feelings as being their fault. If Luna didn't feel welcomed by Celestia upon her return even though she wanted to, then it's more Celestia's folly than Luna's. Another thing is even though it's Luna's destiny to be the Shepard of the Moon, it doesn't do the spirit any good when someone else can do the same thing and nopony cares that it used to be her job. I won't say her contempt of Twilight is justified, but you can't really blame her for feeling inferior considering everything Twilight has done.
Now that I'm done with that little spiel, I want to say that i did enjoy this fic. The writing style was unique to me, and I connected more with what was happening. It was like the ultimate first person limited story. In short, I dig it bro.
2363898
I believe it's kind of 50/50. I think the sentence, "You can't drag someone kicking and screaming into change" is a good application to this scenario. I've sure you've been through it before. You are being as nice as you can to someone and they simply are not happy. The therapist is not pinning Luna's lack of "welcomeness", for lack of a better word completely on her. He understands that Celestia probably should have tried harder, but he also makes the possible connection that Luna's attitude was not in the sufficient area for Luna to feel like she was welcomed or not. I hope that makes sense.
2363603
I was objecting to the usage of "introvert" as a shorthand for "serious social dysfunction", which it isn't. "Introversion" and "extroversion" are completely different concepts from social anxiety and the like. You were never an "introvert", you were an extravert who, unfortunately, suffered from some form of social anxiety. I'm glad to hear that you seem to have over come that, but please don't make the mistake of conflating "introversion" with a serious mental illness.
2363925
Yeah... yeah, I'm feelin' you. Makin' sense like a cashier.
2364182
I like that simile. Works well.
In exchange for my rather short comment, I've thought it over and actually decided to do a review of this while I still have my attention span intact.
Truth be told, I like very powerful stories. I like stories in where there the flaws and insecurities of a human (or pony) mind are portrayed in all of its rawness and realism. I like it when I have a chance to see past what's on the outside and looking into the inner workings of a person. I think I can speak for at least most of us when I say you did not fail to disappoint in that regard. There was the acknowledgement of Luna's presence paling in comparison to Twilight's (and possibly Celestia's), the fear of Twilight taking her place, the despair of eventually being forgotten and cast aside. Each scene involving the insecurities coming out made my heart literally pound with agony. At the same time, I wanted to keep reading and find out where exactly this would go. Your portrayal of the characters might as well have been canon if the MLP:FIM series ever took a darker and more adult turn. Doubt that will happen any time soon, but a man can dream, can't he?
I also particularly liked the perspective of how you wrote each chapter. There was no narrator, just voices. The scene, expressions, and actions are all left up to the reader to decide, reinforcing the need for imagination. You didn't give Rationale a presence, and it was like I myself was the therapist throughout the whole scene. Up until the final chapter, I was thinking that was the case. The best way to sum up my experience is comparing it to the game "Katawa Shoujo". I don't know if you've ever heard of that or not, but it pretty much is a visual reading book that might as well have the same perspective as this story does. It's amazing how something so simple as a name can affect a reader's experience, isn't it?
If I had to say anything bad about this story, it's that I couldn't help but feel that the psychological recovery (at least, that's what the direction seemed to be going) was a bit too fast. But that's probably because I'm an addict to drama and just fell in love with each and every confrontation within this piece. So even if I note that little issue, that's my opinion speaking more than anything else. Other than that, I simply am unable to find very much wrong with this.
So, that's it for my review (crappy as it is). Not only does this deserve a favorite, it's made me decide to jump into the sea of your 200 watchers. Here's hoping I learn something new in my own literary creations.
2364245
I have heard of the game, but I have not played it. I do know a significant amount of it though. I do completely agree, it is funny how a name could completely alter the experience of a story. Thank you for your review.
2364182 Now that's a pretty damn good metaphor right there.
little question: will the part with twilight be the bonus chapter or a full sequel (considering the cover I guess its the last^^)
2364314
I plead the fifth.
It has been a distinct pleasure and honor, Vic. I'm actually looking at getting a website set up for this year's NaPoWriMo in September... you game for another bout of writerly insanity?
2364366
You bet I am. I have around 16 fic ideas and I would love to write a few of them out when September comes along.
So is the story over or what ?
Either way it was a nice tale from start to finish and I'm glad to enjoy reading into it. So thanks for such a great read.
2364378
Huh... maybe I should run a few writing weeks in the meantime?
As sad as it makes me to see this phenomenal story end, I really like the way it did; far too many stories ramble on when they have nothing more to say. There is a certain level of continuity in the plot that makes this end feel like the beginning, the trademark sign that a prestigious amount of thought and care put into this—a feat that many (including myself) fail to achieve. You have every right to feel proud of what you've accomplished.
I look forward to reading your further works,
~Bridge
2364362
..........huh?
2364441
Canonically to the story, it's over. I had two bonus chapters in mind that I'm not going to write for a while.
2364442
Better to do it now when the midterms are over and the exams aren't here yet. And if you are, I'm ready for them.
Brilliant story. The writing style was refreshingly different and well-implemented, and the psychology used was in good form (in my untrained opinion, of course). The note from Twilight at the end was genius.
My only complaint is that the ending here seemed too fast. I believe one more session discussing the outcome of Luna's free interaction would have been in order so that Rationale could ensure Luna is on a recovery path. At this point, Rationale only states that he had "a feeling" that the talks went well. This seems unprofessional and out of character.
However, this is your story and I do see certain advantages to ending it this way, including effective summarization and adding in more personal thoughts that added to the emotional impact. Think of my criticism as food for thought, since I still find the story, in its entirety, amazing.
Good job and good luck in your future writing endeavors!
2364526
I can't do it now. I don't have the time. Too much going on until mid-August.
ABagOVicodin
For a story idea, why don't you have Celestia suffer a nightmare that seems to span a 1000 years in one night (her experiencing Luna's pain, like a spell Celestia did to herself to understand her sister better)?
For me, character driven stories are hard to come up with. With this under my belt, I feel like I've the best ways to do it. Thank you, therapist man for writing all this down.
Why don't you just take a seat over there?
Awesome end!!! And say hi to your new follower :D
2367555
Hi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:D
2366917
This is the first picture that I had done for him. http://cyclone-dusk.deviantart.com/art/Rationale-Ascends-330139128
Ehh. I'm not a fan. Sorry. The prose is boring, the characters are shallow and uninteresting, the direction of the whole thing was predictable from paragraph one...
I mean, I've seen sad Luna fics before. To be honest they're not my favorite genre because I think that's the easy way out when writing her character. But there are ways to do it well, and this... well, it was pretty one-note. There weren't a lot of ideas that you brought to the table, other than maybe the one where Luna could become a therapist, which is sort of an interesting twist on where you were going with the story in the first half. Other than that, this was really unmemorable.
Honestly, I love this story. You earned my fave and watch completely. Thanks for this.
2368041 Wow! That is cool (XD)
2368033 Hello!!
2370147
Sorry that you feel that way.
2370778
That's kind of ignorant of me to think that it would have been fine for colorblind people. Ugh... Damn dumb Vicodin.