13
27
103
Joined August 2012
360
5,569
Luna's disposition worsens after Twilight Sparkle once again outdoes the Princess by fighting back another evil foe. Princess Luna wishes to speak with somepony, and finds that a therapist is her only possible choice.
Cover photo by Leyanor.
Featured on Equestria Daily (somehow) on 12/19/2012.
Made the mistake of listening to this while I read it.
Right in the feels. Good story, I look forward to more.
"Celestia told me that wanting more than you get is a path to becoming Nightmare Night again."
I'm assuming that should be Nightmare Moon, unless Celestia is warning Luna about turning into a holiday 
But joking aside, this is definitely going somewhere. I like how we're left to infer what the therapist said from Luna's replies... and that ending. Damn, what did he say to make her that upset?
Fixed that. Derp.
I wanted to make this third person omniscient, but I decided against it because I would end up using an OC. I felt that this format was better for the fic.
Updates are going to be sporadic, I'm doing a lot of other things in my spare time. Drawing, voice acting, and gaming. I have a little too much spare time, but at the same time, it all gets sucked up.
I found this rather interesting. I'm sorry about EQD--I got outvoted, but I don't think you should change what you've got just to get published. I do feel like you should reword some of Luna's rhetorical questions so that they come off more as natural responses rather than obvious stand-ins for the therapist's dialogue, and I believe you can do that without losing any clarity in the writing, or in her personality.
I understand about the whole EQD thing. At least I'm improving in my writing, for whatever that's worth.
Thank you for the suggestions. I just didn't want every response to remain ambiguous to the point where it was hard to tell what the question was.
Wow, shit man. Da feelz... This really reminds me of the current project I am working on...
Great story!
It's long been my position that Luna was getting pushed aside in favor of Twilight.
Well, Twilight, Cadance and Shining Armor. Of these 3
2 owe there social status directly to Celestia.
1 owes his job to Celestia and his social status to Celestia and Cadance.
Celestia is surrounding herself with "yes" ponies. While I'm sure she was happy to see Luna come back, it just never seemed to me, at least, that she was happy enough to share her power. They ARE co-rulers after all. But Luna never seems to get to exercise her birthright.
You're doing a much better job of putting what Luna is, no doubt, thinking down that I ever could.
Keep up the good work.
I'm sorry, but all I can think when I read your story is: "What? Why? How...?"
I know it's just the way you see it, so you aren't doing anything wrong, but I just cannot imagine Luna being depressed because she would feel hated and dropped to a false role in Twilight's favor.
And the image I have in my mind when reading is a whole crowd of ponies coming in the middle of the night, alarming all the guards, and coming to prove their devotion to the princess of the night.
But that's a matter of points of view and, once again, you've done nothing wrong, I just don't understand why you would try and develop the character that way.
Understandable points. But think of it this way:
Luna has been in the same spot since she was revived in the Season 1 opener. At least, in this continuity. Imagine you see someone that is capable of taking your spot slowly moving up in the ranks while you remain benched at your spot.
And I doubt there would be such a crowd.
But as you said, these are points of view.
I developed the character this way because Luna still remains unused after 2.5 seasons. I wanted to give her some love.
You do a good job at making me hate the Celestia in this story! I want to honestly know how she can still be a total bitch to her sister... .I never like to see Luna sad for it tugs to hard on my feels but honestly in terms of this story I want to see her get to almost a breaking point. Then a confrontation of some sorts.
But that is just me, keep on writing and sorry I didn't read and fave earlier 
Whenever I see Luna depicted as the pitiful inferior of the mighty and faultless Celestia, it makes me hate both of them.
Why is this interpretation of these characters so popular? Is it really so interesting?
I don't mean to sound like I hate this story. I don't, but I wanted to strike up a conversation.
I found it curious that Luna was still denied her ability to shine in the Season 3 opener. That is why I wrote this. The last time that she showed her emotions, she turned into Nightmare Moon. As such, her emotions are usually not used in the show. For example, even her sadness in Luna Eclipsed was small compared to someone like Rarity if she was told that her dresses were terrible. Luna seems trained, pushed into something that she did not want to be. I wanted to explore this.
"I do not see my sister often, much like a quarreling couple that argue due to their opposite work shifts."
It's kinda creepy the first thing she likens her sister and her's relationship to is a couple. Oh Luna, you're just a field-day for therapists, aren't you?
I enjoyed a few things about this story
First, I loved how it showed how a sister would feel about her essitanally being upstaged by a newcomer without making her to extreme in the anger direction. I could see how someone, who was once a hero and respected, could feel like Luna. Lost and being forced back into a role. While at the same time, you succeed in not making Celestia too evil, just trying her best.
Another thing I loved was the POV. It gave me a chance to interpit the different lines in different ways and I always enjoy a story like that.
I want to know what comes of all of this. I can pretty well understand what Luna's feeling, and if she's anyway a reliable narrator things aren't so sweet about Celestia. Luna's tormenting herself by trying to be what she should have been 1000 years ago, and I want to see her be okay, or at least see someone try to be there for her.
The format is real effective; Luna's the only pair of eyes we see from, the only mouth we hear from. It remains open-ended without being to vague, thanks to the quality writing. It's animated, even without prose; her choice of words lets the reader imagine her tone, gestures, the works. It's slim as well, there's not a lot that doesn't need to be there.
Without much else except for Luna's side of things, I can't really tell if she's just being whiny, or this is actually happening. I'll hold my judgment on her for now, as I eagerly await more.
First: My English is terrible, so sorry about this.
Second: Reasons to like and favourited your Story:
- your idea is good and new
. i like your interpration of Luna and her emotions
- it is another kind of story
- i like your ... speling style? Yes, yes i think this is the right word-
- Oh, and the point of view style, i like this.
Soooo, i think this is enough to like your story, or?
I... do not wish to say anything about this card.I'm not sure what the female version of 'phallic' is, but that's what it looked like to me. That might say something about me but I'd like to know why Luna didn't say anything.
On the subject of saying things, did you see my reply to your comment on my user page? I'm still fairly new to the being-a-user aspects of FimFiction, so I'm not sure if you saw it and didn't reply or if you didn't see it at all.
Still liking the story though. The psychiatrist did a fairly stupid thing, going behind Luna's back but I'm not sure if it would be a breach of confidentiality of just getting more information.
RE to: ABagOVicodin - Thank you for the favorite on Therapist Visit! If I may ask, what is it about the story that made you favorite it?
First reason: I like a little of psychology in stories... perhaps because I was interested in psychology since my late school years and generally think that psychology adds deepens to story plot. And well... self-analysis is one of my minor hobbies. Perhaps I like such stories mostly because of a possibility to find in them some new topics or ways to perform self-analysis.
Second: Just interested in some new point of view on Luna's personality e.t.c.
Third: Rare monologue type of storytelling. It makes reader's imagination to produce the absent part. Just curious about how much more you can put in a monologue...
PS: Excuse my English if I made mistakes in my comment. English is not my native language.
RE: Comment on my User PageThank you for the favorite on Therapist Visit! If I may ask, what is it about the story that made you favorite it?
I always liked Luna as a character, mostly the character that the fandom has made for her since the cannon character has very rarely been explored, and for a good reason I might add. Explorations of Luna as a character have the capacity to turn very dark, and would be something Hasbro execs would not never greenlight for a children's show. Besides that, dumbing the exploration down would make the episode very bland if you ask me.
This particular method of exploration I find to be rather unique, and something that I find personally relatable having been in and out of therapists offices before. The issues you bring up as well, inferiority complex in relation to Twilight, are something that I haven't even thought about as well as something I don't think I have seen in other fictions. However, after looking at Luna's disposition towards Twilight in the Season 3 opener (beginning of part 1, after she leaves the throne room before Celestia explains Twilight's mission to her), it makes a huge-lot of sense.
I think I might track this in the hopes that rather than focusing only on Luna airing her negative feelings and playing the victim we see some character growth. Some of what seems to be happening feels out of character for the other ponies, but then Luna differentiating her perceptions and reality and finding a breakthrough would be the goal of therapy. Since the fic is only Luna's side of the conversation I would expect the early chapters to be her false and incomplete perceptions talking. You can't fairly judge this fic good or bad till we see what's on the other side, that is till Luna finds her solution as we see the repercussions.
It really sucks when someone you trust goes behind your back and betrays you even if (almost especially if) they tell themselves they are doing it for your own good. 
At this point I wish that Luna could talk to Twilight. The pony Luna is jealous of is so full of insecurity fear and self doubt that her name has become a byword for 'freaking out over minor problems" that exist only in her head. 
I'm no psychologist, nor do I pretend to be one, but I have a soft spot for it - just figuring out what makes people tick, you know? So, either this will seem really insightful, or I will look like an idiot.
I'll risk it.
During the fist few cards, when she was talking about being judged about imperfections and mustering up courage about love, I got it in my head that maybe Luna had some feelings for Twilight.
...okay, obviously she does, but I mean 'lovey-dovey' feelings - except, to the point where even she doesn't realize it.
But then there was that first 'color' card, and the comment about Celestia during the Summer Sun Celebration...
Suddenly it clicked that, maybe, Luna's 'lovey-dovey' feelings were toward Celestia, but she resented Twilight for being so close to her. I mean, it would fit with the 'jealousy' thing, since her mind would find some other way to justify the emotion.
I'm just under the impression that, since those were her most frequent types of responses, those were what she was really feeling.
But of course, my own interpretation could be clouded by my age. Stupid hormones.
Meh, food for thought. 
Damn...on a side note though, I do want to see Celestia get more or less punished for anything she has done to Luna. Be it little or big, Luna needs to be redeemed even if it is just Celestia see her errors.
Okay, even for me my statement didn't make a lot of sense so to sum it up, I'm a sadist for seeing ponies get punished for mistakes.
As a man who is going for a degree in Psychology with a specialty in Therapy, this story is accurate and a joy to read. I can really put myself in the Therapists shoes(hooves?) and delve into what Luna is saying. You make Luna seem very relate-able to her subjects and not something that is to be revered like her sister.
Also, from a readers point of view, when you have Luna asking a question in the middle of a paragraph, namely this part in the last big paragraph:
Do you agree? Thank you.it looks kinda wonky.
Can't wait for more!
I have never been much of a fan of audiobooks. That being said, I feel that this story would lend itself well to that media.
I think that one of your largest problems is going to be finding a voice that can make the emotions that you have written into your story audible.
If that can be done you still have the royal attitude, the guilt, and the underlying vulnerability to deal with. I do not envy you but it looks like a very worthwhile project. Will be watching to see what happens.
B.D.
Hmm. The first two chapters made me reach for the +Thumbs and +Favorite buttons.
The third though looks about as subtle as the televised show. Which is not a good thing.
I can understand the emotions in the forth, as they strikes close to home, but not Luna's forgiveness of the psychologist.
That kind of child death is not a crime without blame. Especially amongst the school authorities. And any time anyone implies otherwise, they help perpetuate it. I sincerely hope you also do not intend this child victim as a throwaway plot device.
As I said, the emotions strike close to home.
Another chapter well done. This is an interesting turn. I wasn't expecting to gain more knowledge of the therapist's past.
As I recall from my last Counseling Ethics course, most organizations now do advocate that school counselors break patient confidence more often, as children and adolescents are seemingly at a higher risk for depression and suicidal tendencies. Not to mention that the problem has been growing in recent years. Just a quick bit of knowledge for anyone who wants it.
Looking forward to another wonderful installment!
Reset Password
Resend Verification Email
5,569 ( 35,205 )
More
Less
Post Comment
Refresh
Image: http://denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw8281-131769487477.jpg
She's already made it clear in canon that pissing off the Princess of the Night is a verrrrry bad idea... 
Image: http://applejack.ponychan.net/chan/files/src/134999683069.jpg
There is still soo much drama that could go on!
Cancel
Send