//------------------------------// // Games // Story: What Princesses Need // by Aegis Shield //------------------------------// What Princesses Need Part 19: Games Deep Psyche had not seen Princess Luna in several days, but it was time for their appointment once more. He had it all planned out: today would be a nice relaxing chat. Let her vent a bit more at him, relieve some of the emotional pressure—simple things like that. No tests or mind games or grand revelations. He’d been doing almost as much damage as good lately, like ripping burnt flesh from a burn victim. It was painful and terrible, but for the healing to happen the dead bits had to be cut out. The brown stallion winced at the graphic pictures his mind came up with, and shook his head quickly. Trotting down the hall with a snap in his step and his mane slicked back, he adjusted his glasses as he went. Peering down the hallway and then going into his office, he waited for the Princess to come. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. He looked over at the long clock on the wall, cocking his head. He adjusted the picture of his family on the corner of the desk… played with a stress ball… reorganized his desk… flopped back in his chair finally. She was late. Very late. Luna had never missed an appointment, angry or not. “Where is she?” he said aloud, scowling a little. Rising from his high-backed chair, the therapist went to Luna’s room. She was not there. He went to the hall of the Midnight Court. She was not there either. He went to the royal dining halls, and after being patted down by a guard for poisons, he found she wasn’t there either. Sighing aloud in frustration, he decided to check the library. Maybe Nightmare Moon was doing more research on how to seduce Twilight Sparkle? Frowning in disapproval, he headed that way. When he arrived in the quiet, hallowed halls of knowledge, he squinted around. Turning his head one way, then another, he spotted an elderly librarian stamping books behind the front desk. “Pardon me.” He whispered, coming close. She looked up at him. “Have you seen Princess Luna? I can’t find her.” The librarian pointed without a word. He turned, looking towards the conference rooms. They were sectioned off from the rest of the library like study rooms, but much larger. Cantering slowly along as not to disturb anypony, he listened at one door, then another, then another. He heard murmuring behind one, and gently opened it. The scene beyond astounded him. Luna, and her four new Lunar Stallions, were hunched scowling over a tabletop. On it was a large grid, some plastic figurines, and strewn about was more snack food than the therapist had seen in ages. “Alright Princess. Your Amazonian war-zebra approaches the castle gates. The portcullis is down and locked. What do you--?” the stallion on the far end of the table paused, looking up at the newcomer. Everypony turned as one. “Er, Princess, it’s time for your appointment.” Deep Psyche said, wondering what he’d just wandered into. The four stallions scowled rather openly, giving each other looks and then glaring at him some more. “Doctor, I am enjoying a new, more adult game with the stallions you’ve brought me.” Luna said, sitting up a bit straighter. Her cheeks colored a bit as she pushed some of her funny-shaped dice out of sight. “I must have lost track of time.” “Isn’t that a little irresponsible, these role-playing games?” the therapist had spotted the stack of thick books, marked with pictures of dragons and other nasty beasties. “We agreed to meet every few days or so…” he trailed off as one of the four stallions pulled up a chair, making space for the doctor. “Oh, no, that’s okay, I’m just here to fetch the Princess.” He shook his head no. “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover still and--!” the four of them combined angry stares, and the Princess smiled behind her hoof. Deep Psyche blinked a little. Clearly, some bonding had taken place in the past few days that he had not foreseen. He was so sure she would reject the new Lunar Stallions for a long time, but already they were stepping up to shield her from him. He weighed his options carefully. She didn’t look like she wanted to budge… and he had only hoped for pleasant conversation during today’s session. “W-well, I guess it couldn’t hurt to sit and observe.” He slowly slid into the chair and scratched the back of his head. Deep looked to his left and right, the armored stallions next to him returning their gaze to the little grid in front of them. “Where were we…?” mumbled the stallion at the end of the table. “Ah, right. You approach the castle, and the portcullis is closed and locked. What do you do?” he looked over at Luna, who scratched her chin a little. “Hrm.” She nudged her little plastic zebra figurine forward a bit. “I look for traps.” She took a funny-sided die and rolled. “Huzzah! A high number!” she pointed. There was grinning and nodding around the table. “Not bad! You find a needle trap hidden between the raising chains. Good thing you spotted it, it might be poisoned!” said the stallion on the end of the table. Deep Psyche flicked his eyes at the table. Five ponies, four figurines. He must’ve been some sort of story-teller or narrator. “Can I play?” Deep Psyche suddenly heard himself asking. They all turned to look at him. He wilted a little. If he could enter this roleplay, perhaps he could examine Luna that way. “No.” said one of the stallions flatly. “Full game. Four players only.” There was nodding about the table. Ponies and Castles was serious business, yo. One simply did not jump into a game in the middle of the story. The brown stallion wilted a bit. He was glad that Luna was bonding with her new stallions, even if it was over a board game, but he really did have an appointment to keep. Scratching at his mane a bit, he pulled out his notebook and decided it might be best to just sit and observe. He initially noted that Luna had had foals as guards, and they no doubt played board games with her… but now she had grown stallions that did the same thing? Well, everypony had a hobby, some of this stuff looked pretty serious. Leaning when nopony was looking, the therapist cracked open a book labeled ‘Bestiary’. It was filled with pictures of terrible monsters, complete with descriptions, numbers and how they related to the funny dice in the game. It was so complicated! He closed it and put it carefully back, returning his attention to the Princess when she spoke. While her therapist watched, Princess Luna and her pretend band of heroes led the charge into a haunted castle to do battle with pony skeletons and ghosts all while searching for a sacred artifact. A pretty stock story, to be perfectly honest, but Luna seemed to be greatly enjoying herself. Deep Psyche found himself nibbling on the junk food around him as the hours spun on. Before long the group had slain the necrophidius (a giant bone snake monster) and recovered the artifact—going home in triumph. The brown stallion took lots of notes, watching Luna’s expressions and body language. She really seemed to be bonding with these adult stallions, and they seemed to like her and naturally follow her as well. Sure, it was just a board game, but the premise was the same. They followed her, and they supported each other on the board. If real life was anywhere near such positive results, this was a big step forward for the Princess! Flipping his notebook closed while the group was cleaning up, Luna sighed and finally turned to her therapist. “I did not expect thou to be so patient with my indulgences.” She admitted, cocking her head. “However,” she looked over at the clock. “Four hours is a respectable time to sit and wait.” Luna admitted, and he smiled wryly. “I am still sore with thee, make no mistake.” She lifted a hoof before he spoke. “But thou has earned my time, clearly.” One of the Lunar Stallions snickered a bit, but no more than that. “Er well, I was wondering if you would look at something for me? After that, I’ll leave you be, I promise.” Deep Psyche smiled honestly, so Luna gave a single nod. Turning, he flipped open his saddle bag to get out his binder. Finding the page he wanted it, he unclipped the three rings and put it out on the table in front of her. The Lunar Stallions crowded around her, wanting to see too. Deep Psyche smiled inwardly. Three days, just three days and they were treating her like a friend. A good shove was all it had taken. “Oooh, it looks like a-!” The therapist shushed the unicorn about to speak. “What do you think is going on in this picture, Princess? Tell me the story.” Deep Psyche smiled his most charming smile. Psychologists called it the ‘explosion picture’. It was a trio of badly drawn ponies with no facial expressions. There were two big ones and one little one in the middle, a foal. All around them were what appeared to be giant mushrooms… mushroom clouds… explosions? It was hard to tell. It was drawn badly on purpose, the therapist knew. It was up to Luna to interpret the details that weren’t there. “Er.” Luna said, pulling it close to herself and poring over it a bit. She worked her mouth a bit, and Deep Psyche leaned back a bit to give her some space. “Tiz a family.” She pointed. “A mother, father, and foal.” She told him what she saw. “They are walking through… explosions, together?” it came out like a question, for she was very confused with the imagery. “What is it supposed to be, doctor? It does not look finished.” She pushed it back to him, frowning a little. Deep Psyche smiled grandly, snatching up the picture and stuffing it back in his binder, back in the saddlebag. “That, Princess, was the explosion test.” He told her, grinning. “It’s supposed to tell me if you’re a depressed pony or not.” “Am I?” said Luna in a small voice, ears turning down and eyes softening. The Lunar Stallions cocked their heads, unsure of what to make of a test that lasted all of six seconds. They decided to scowl at the therapist some more. “Not at all.” He smiled, closing his saddlebag. “Good news, huhm?” the stallion congratulated her. “How dost thou know?” Luna stared at him. “How does it work?” “Nice therapists don’t reveal their secrets, Princess. Otherwise, how would we ever survive?” he shook his head with a playful wink. Truth be told, the explosion picture was very simple. A depressed pony would describe it as a family’s last walk together, some depressing comments about illness or apocalypse or hopelessness. Normal ponies would display confusion, prod towards unity and the family unit sort of descriptions. In fact, if one looked closely enough, one might see that the ponies weren’t actually touching—just standing close to each other. The grouping could mean anything. But no, Princess Luna had used the word ‘family’. The word ‘together’. Excellent, powerful words that sent up excellent red flags that Luna was well on her way to thinking more positively. “Thou art as enigmatic as thou art mad, doctor.” Luna quipped, sniffing a little. “Who else but a madpony, to rob a goddess?” He reminded her a little painfully. Referring to the Lunar Stallion foals, of course. “We shalt be sore with thee for a long time.” She promised gravely. “But… thou were correct,” Luna admitted. “They deserved families, not just ourselves. I was being selfish.” She said it so openly that he smiled. “I know.” Deep Psyche said gently. “But, seeing you here with these grown-up ponies?” he gestured to the small gathering of Lunar Stallions. “Even doing something simple like a tabletop game… it’s a healthy sign, Princess.” He clipped his saddlebag shut and pretended to fiddle with the clasp so Luna could live out her blush in less embarrassment. “Being social with adult ponies is definitely a good sign. I’m proud of you.” “Am I closer to mine sanity?” the Princess blurted eagerly. Deep Psyche fought down the wince that welled up inside him. “W-well… closer than we were before.” He admitted. He looked at the four armored stallions in the room with them. “Take good care of the Princess.” He scolded playfully. They nodded in all seriousness, and one of them actually saluted him as he made for the door. “That’s it?” Luna found herself saying, staring after him. “No tricks? No oddball yelling? No yanking me about?” “Not today, no.” said the doctor smartly, turning and grinning at Luna. “Enjoy today. You’ve been declared medically NOT depressed, and you seem to have four new friends to socialize with. That’s a big step forward!” he smiled encouragingly. Luna blushed just a little, nodding a few times. The four Lunar Stallions thrust their chests out, egos inflated. They’d been briefed on Luna’s… condition, but it was nice to get some recognition. Luna stood there, a shy smile on her face. She watched the doctor go, then looked at her four soldiers gleefully. They smiled back at her. “Come, we make for the dining hall!” she snapped to attention, and started forward. She had so much to tell Tia! Even her four guards could see the bounce in her joyful steps. =-----=-----=-----=-----= “Doctor Psyche?” a feminine voice floated over the therapist’s head, and he turned. Twilight Sparkle stood in an alcove by a statue of Princess Celestia. “Oh it is you.” She smiled when she confirmed. “Oh, Twilight Sparkle. Hello there!” he smiled, stopping in his canter. “How have you been?” “Better.” She said a little shyly, nodding a bit. “I went to nurse Red Heart in Ponyville to see about my… marks, and they’re gone now.” She smiled embarrassedly. “Oh? That’s good.” Being a red-blooded stallion he couldn’t help but flick his eyes down for just a moment. Remembering himself, he brought his smile back. “I’m glad that could be taken care of so easily, it wouldn’t have been good if it scarred.” “Yeah.” Twilight nodded. “How’s Princess Luna doing? Any better?” “She’s improving, yes.” Dr. Psyche said. “The Lunar Stallions that you knew have all been adopted. She has real guards now.” He smiled just a little playfully. “I don’t think you’ll need to worry about being kidnapped anymore.” Twilight smiled, her brow knitting for a moment. “Sorry.” He quickly amended. “I know that must’ve been very scary for you. I shouldn’t make light of it.” “It’s alright. It’s been a few weeks now, I think I’m over the kidnapping part by now.” Twilight smiled a little. “Oh? That’s good. You’re a strong pony, Twilight, going through all that and still visiting here.” Deep Psyche gestured to the massive, sweeping halls of the palace. “I imagine you’re here to see the Princesses, right?” he cocked his head. “You’re Princess Celestia’s protégé, yes?” “Well, yes, but I’m not here to see either of them, really.” Twilight admitted. She scuffed at the ground a little, looking at the floor. Deep Psyche slowly realized what she meant. “I was wondering if maybe, y’know, you’d come to lunch with me. I’ve been reading a lot about Psychology lately and was thinking maybe we could compare notes.” The brown stallion froze up for a long moment. She was the victim of his only patient’s assault. She was not a patient, so not technically off-limits. His good sense told him no, no it was a very bad idea. Was she flirting with him? Her tone didn’t say so, but her body language sort of did. Did she think highly of him because of the group therapy session? Or perhaps because she saw him as strong enough to stand up to Luna after what had happened to her? Possibly. But, he couldn’t blow her off either. Twilight Sparkle was, cruel though it sounded, instrumental in Luna’s recovery. (She wasn’t bad -ooking either.) “Er, w-wuhh… well…” he struggled for a moment, and Twilight could see him fighting a mental battle. “I don’t mean like a date or something!” she quickly added, though she probably should not have. “I just meant as… as scholars! I’m interested to learn what you do for a living, and how you’re helping the Princess, is all. I’m not interested in you!” she suddenly looked horrified. “N-no! That’s not what I meant, you seem very nice! I just, I just…” her eyes were darting around in mild panic. She was back-peddling hard, and to be honest it was kind of cute. The brown stallion smiled despite himself. “Sure. Let’s do lunch.” Doctor Psyche interrupted before the poor mare had a panic attack. “There’s a nice little sandwich place on Sore Saddle street. I go there often.” He cleared his throat and straightened his bowtie. “Obviously I can’t talk about Luna a lot, you know, doctor-patient confidentiality, but I don’t mind discussing my work in general if you like.” “Sure! That sounds good.” Twilight said wearily, glad she was off the hook in her earlier ramblings. The two of them ventured out of the palace and out into Canterlot. After a few minutes of walking and animated chatting, they arrived at the eatery called the Pig and Whistle. Sitting at one of the outside tables, they placed their orders and finally they could talk some more. “So, why did you take up psychology, doctor?” Twilight said with interest. “My mother was in an accident when I was small.” He told her the truth without hesitation. “I wanted to cure her mental illness.” “Oh wow.” Twilight said. “Did you? Is she okay now?” She smiled broadly. “No.” said Deep a little uncomfortably. “She lives at Ponyville General.” He was grateful when their sodas arrived so he could take a long drink. “Besides, when you get a license like mine, it’s not advisable to work with your friends or family members. You’re too close to your own work.” “Like Shining was with me?” Twilight said a little painfully. “Er, yes.” Deep said, looking to one side. “Just like that.” He scratched his mane a little, not sure exactly where this conversation going. “You said you wanted to talk about my job, yes?” he pressed forward a bit, trying to get things back on track before it became too personal. “Yeah!” Twilight fished her messy notebook out of her saddlebag, flipping some of the pages open. “I figured that since Luna is the creative sort, you’ve been giving her art therapy, is that right? She paints the night sky like a canvas every night!” Deep Psyche winced. She’d hit it right on the head. “I’m not at liberty so say, Twilight.” He said as gently as he could. “What happens between a patient and a therapist is secret, by law.” He lifted a warning hoof, but not in a threatening way. “If you’re here to pick at me about Princess Luna, I don’t think we should be having lunch together.” Twilight, however, wasn’t looking at him, but rather pawing through her notes. “Hmm, so you got into Psychology to help your mother—but couldn’t because you’re not allowed to examine family or close friends…” she said thoughtfully, turning another page. “That must’ve been super frustrating!” she said sympathetically, looking at him and putting her notebook down. “Yeah.” Deep Psyche nodded carefully, not sure what to make of her now. “So maybe you figured if you helped heal Luna, it could make up for your Mom?” Twilight asked with all the tact of a baton to the head. How BLUNT was she? Deep Psyche slowly stood. Was she… was she cross-examining him?! He scowled angrily and made to leave. “No wait, please!” Twilight apologized. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean any harm.” “We all have issues, Twilight Sparkle. It’s what makes my job possible.” He said, frowning at her. “I’m sure you have a few mommy issues as well, being Princess Celestia’s protégé.” He said just a little bit savagely. Twilight Sparkle’s brow went up at his comment. Touche. “I… I…” she leaned back, lifting a hoof. There was a silence between them. Doctor stared at Scholar. One offended, the other startled. “Sorry.” The doctor quickly cast his eyes to one side, ears turning back. “That was mean. Can we start over, talk about something else maybe?” he asked, pushing her notebook back across the table at her. He sulked on the inside, surprised at how easily the brilliant mare had read him. With so little information, too. She had the makings of a good psychiatrist as well. “Yes… yes.” Twilight slowly nodded, and he sat down again. They frowned at each other for a time. “Uh… uhm…” the purple mare turned back to her notebook. “How long did you go to school for your license?” she launched into a series of mundane questions, and they chatted together until their food arrived so they could eat in silence. Deep Psyche found her intelligent, worried, and charming. Like most mares of higher than average intelligence, Twilight Sparkle had a few self-esteem issues, but seemed otherwise healthy. He then kicked himself for examining her in his mind like she was a patient. “Twilight, can I ask you something important?” He set down his sandwich after a time, taking a deep drink from his glass. Twilight looked up at him, nodding while she chewed. “What’s the question burning in your mind right now?” “Huh?” the purple mare asked, a little caught off guard. “You took me out to lunch, we’ve talked about my career and you’ve obviously done a lot of research just for this conversation.” Deep Psyche smiled kindly when her cheeks colored. He leaned forward a little, steepling his hooves under his chin. “What’re you really here to learn?” “What? Nothing! It’s just a friendly chat!” said Twilight defensively, leaning back in her chair and away from him. “I know how ponies think, Twilight.” Deep Psyche pushed his little glasses up his nose. “Don’t make me cross-examine it out of you.” He threatened her with his own skill set. “I can keep calling for more sandwiches until you talk, or until I get sick.” He smirked. Twilight stared at him, more than a little caught off guard. Finally she sighed and set her sandwich down. “I wanted to know,” she paused, trying to word it. “If you can cure Luna.” She finally got the words out. “You’ve been seeing her for weeks now, do you think you can make her… normal?” “Normal? What’s that?” Deep Psyche chuckled. “You know what I mean!” Twilight said angrily. “If by normal you mean can I end her DID?” he used a term he knew she knew. “No, of course not.” He looked down at his plate. Twilight looked crestfallen, and he lowered his voice into a more soothing tone. “Identity Disorders don’t get cured Twilight, at least not as far as I’ve ever heard of. It’s not a disease or a curse that can be fought or undone.” He sighed a little. “Luna will likely be like this for the rest of her life. All I can do is fix her most obvious issues and hope for the best.” “You mean she’s going to be morphing into Nightmare Moon, back and forth, forever?” Twilight said, looking genuinely sad. “That’s… terrible.” She looked down at her food. Deep Psyche nodded slowly. “It’s up to Luna, not me, how much progress she makes. I can have therapy sessions with her until the end of my days, she’s immortal after all, and just maintain her at a normal social standard. Easily.” He gestured with a hoof. “The calmer things are around her, the happier she is.” “Please tell me what you’re doing?” Twilight said. “I want to help.” “If I have more group therapy, I’ll certainly call you.” The therapist rose, seeing that this subject was not going away. “But like I told you, privacy laws are privacy laws, Twilight.” “Wait.” Twilight rose from her seat, a little red in the face. “What?” said the brown stallion. “I just want you to know I… uhm…” Twilight looked up at his face finally. “I think it’s really brave, what you’re doing. She could crush you like a bug with a flick of magic, and you’re there every day making her face her issues.” “It’s my job.” The stallion nodded, chuckling nervously when Twilight went around the table to come closer to him. “Celestia hoof-picked me to help, so I’m helping.” “I’m glad she did. You seem very smart… if a little bit crazy.” The purple mare chuckled. Then, without warning she leaned and pecked his cheek. His cheeks turned red. “For helping Luna.” Twilight said quickly. “Keep doing it.” She stared at the sidewalk, then turned to put bits on the table to pay for the food. “Er.” Was all the therapist could say. “See you later, Deep Psyche!” she gathered up her things and was away. “Let me know if you need any help with anything!” She walked out of the little courtyard and down the sidewalk. “Right!” he called, lifting a hoof. He scrubbed his cheek a little when she was out of sight. Mare germs. Yuck. He adjusted his bow tie a little. He’d have to watch out for that one. She was too smart for her own good. End of Part 19