//------------------------------//
// Loop 26 
// Story: The Time Thief 
// by Reading4HalfMyLife 
//------------------------------//

Astral stood nervously in the hallway, trying not to pace, the sound would only echo in the empty halls of the psychologist office. She really didn't want to be here, but maybe it would help? Still felt weird to be telling a stranger all her feelings and emotions.

Her parents knew she was here, but she insisted on coming alone. She didn't want to have to look them in the eye  when she said she killed their daughter.

At last, a soft "come in" drifted through the wooden oak doors, and she entered the room.

She was kind of dissapointed, to be honest. She had expected an old mare, her hair tied neatly back into a bun and wearing old fashioned glasses, with one of those long couches for Astral to lay down in.

Instead, a young Pegasus mare with long, wavy hair sat on a simple chair opposite a green sofa. "Hello Astral Plane" the psychologist said, motioning for her to sit on the green couch. Once Astral was seated, she said "my name is Red Cross. How are you today?"

Astral shrugged, waving her hoof in a meh gesture. "Been better, I suppose."

"Oh? And why is that?"

Be honest. She has to know to help.





It took over an hour to explain everything that was happening- from the loop itself, to the notes to prove it was real, to the trauma she had gone through, to the paranoia and nightmares- but by the time she was done, the room was dead quiet.

Red Cross nodded solemly as she chewed the end of her pencil. Over the course of Astral's explanation, she had been taking notes, and Astral was kind of annoyed she never learned how to read upside down. That would be helpful right now.

"Astral, I am going to be completely frank with you."

Then can I be George? She bit back the joke, getting the feeling it 'wasn't appropriate.' Instead, she nodded her head, and gestured for the mare to continue.

"You seem to be suffering from PTSD, depression and hypervigilance. The baseline for the later two could be attribued to your mild anxiety, but I'm not here to talk about that, I'm here to reccomend you the right medication."

Wow, okay, really frank.

"There's medication for vigilance?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

Red Cross shook her head, placing her front hooves together while she thought of a way to explain it. "It's more like extreme paranoia" she said at last. "The PTSD isn't helping."

"Right . .  . . so, medication? Is there even medicine for these things?"

Red Cross smiled. "While Equestria isn't as scientifically advanced as it's neighboring countries, we don't need to be, we have magic. Some ponies put a magic spell into little pills for these kinds of things. Don't worry" she said, seeing apprehension cross Astral's face. "It doesn't hurt or anything. It just balances things out in your body."





Two hours later, Astral was holding a little bottle, filled with Zebraloft (it originated in Zebrifica).  She was supposed to take one a day for the next six months to see if anything improved.

She made a quick mental note to keep the bottle in her saddlebags at all times, just in case.