Barrier was grateful that Princess Celestia had been encouraging when she received his letter requesting to see this particular therapist, especially when she was able to secure an appointment with her as early as that Thursday.
The two days between were rather uneventful, save for when Verdant attempted to make chili on Tuesday, leading to a household of stomach aches on Wednesday. However, while Barrier was preparing to see the doctor, the rest of his housemates were spending the day preparing for Hat Trick’s birthday.
With his afternoon clear, the obsidian unicorn eventually made his way to the doctor’s imposing office. The six-story office building near the center of the city made Barrier feel out of place amongst the taller structures. It was a section of town he rarely visited and not one he particularly enjoyed.
After a trip in an elevator that uncomfortably reminded him of being on a train, he soon arrived at the top floor and made his way into a waiting room.
The room had a rather ornate maroon and gold carpet that matched the dark red walls. There were half a dozen burgundy couches that lined the office walls. Beside a large pair of doors was a mahogany desk that had a brown colored unicorn with a graphite colored mane done up in a messy ponytail. She was busily writing down some notes while she adjusted her large glasses.
Seems even one of Equestria’s best therapists can’t afford good taste. Barrier rolled his eyes as he trotted up to the mare at the desk.
“Excuse me, I’m here for my appointment. I hope I’m on time,” Barrier said, briefly drawing the mare’s attention away from one book before opening up a second one.
“A Mr. Magic Barrier, is it?” she asked, making the stallion nod. “You’re a couple minutes early, but her previous patient had to reschedule.”
The bespectacled mare rose up from the desk and slightly pried the door beside her open. “Doctor, your two-fifteen’s here.”
“Excellent. Send him in.” An older mare’s voice came from behind the door, making the glasses wearing unicorn turn to Barrier.
“Doctor Sound Mind will see you now.” Her horn glowed with goldenrod light as she pulled the door open for Barrier.
Quickly swallowing, Barrier stepped into the doctor’s office. Instead of a back wall behind a mahogany desk, there was a large set of windows that overlooked the city below. The walls to the left and right were lined with mahogany bookshelves that covered multiple, widely varying subjects related to mental health, along with a set of books about a cat wanting lasagna.
“Welcome, Mr. Barrier.” The stallion’s eyes fell upon the mare behind the desk. Though this indigo coated mare’s mane was puffy and light gray, her face seemed to indicate she wasn’t a day over thirty. Her azure eyes seemed to twinkle from behind her pale-blue horn-rimmed glasses. “I’ve been hoping for the day I’d get to meet you.”
“Is that so, Doctor?” Barrier asked as her horn shimmered with cornflower blue light, making a couch similar to one he recalled seeing at Carousel Boutique appear out of seemingly nowhere.
“Well, not just you, but several others I’ve been informed about,” Doctor Sound Mind said as she stepped out from behind her desk, revealing that her cutie mark seemed to be a somewhat cartoonish depiction of an equine brain. “Princess Celestia informed me months ago that you, along with other soldiers from the pre-Nightmare Moon era, would be settling down here. I’ve been curious, but also nervous since I rarely have had to tangle with ponies who’ve experienced anything quite like you and yours.”
“Yes, well, that’s understandable,” Barrier stated as the doctor gently guided him over to the couch. “Hopefully this will go well.”
“I certainly hope so, Barrier. Now, lay back on the couch and relax.” Sound Mind soon made her way back to her desk before pulling out a quill and a notepad. “So, how do you feel right now?”
“Understandably, somewhat nervous,” Barrier answered as he laid down onto the couch. “Something like this was quite unheard of in my time, doubly so as a soldier and I worry about what some of my housemates will think about this. I’ve told them I’m at a work meeting today.”
“Barrier, there’s nothing to be nervous about,” Sound Mind soothingly said from her spot behind the desk. “Not only do a lot of ponies see therapists like me these days, but nothing you tell me leaves this room. I’m not here to judge you, but to help you.”
The charcoal unicorn sighed as he felt his back sinking into the cushy couch. Her words did help put him at ease, but only somewhat.
“Now, how have things been since the Crystal Empire?” Sound Mind asked as Barrier stared up at the ceiling.
“Hmm… Overall, it’s been very good,” Barrier replied as he recalled some of the events that had transpired since he’d returned to the empire. “While I had to mercy kill my mentor, I know it was better than simply allowing him to expire from his medical problems. I’m confident I’ve come to terms with that, thankfully.
“After that, things started to improve more and more,” Barrier continued. “I grew closer to ponies I once thought lost. I bought a home for them and myself, I got a job as a self-defense teacher, I had a good Hearth’s Warming with my found family and remaining blood relatives.” The charcoal stallion shook his head in amusement. “I managed to become friendly with a griffin family, started a herd, held a party for my goddaughter, and took a brief vacation to Trottingham not too long ago.”
“Very nice to hear.” A wide grin graced Sound Mind’s muzzle as she jotted some things down in her notepad. “Would you say there were anything you’d call negative experiences since then?”
“There are a few, to be certain.” Barrier quickly glanced towards the doctor before turning his attention back to the ceiling. “I learned my mother left my father, remarried the father of one of my cadets and had a sister I never got to meet. I got drunk and slept with somepony that wasn’t my lover, but that’s thankfully been resolved. I got turned into a foal and then a mare for a few days due to a magical mishap. I tried to help when Discord was attacking, but all that resulted in was me having to hike up to Canterlot and out a thousand bits. Still, the worst thing has been…”
“Go on, Barrier,” the doctor said in a comforting tone. “I’m here to help you, but I need you to be honest and willing to tell me what is bothering you.”
Taking a deep breath, Barrier felt a chill running down his spine before he spoke. “Sometimes, I’ve seen the image of an old one-time enemy of mine, Grimhilde LeGrande. She’s a griffin that nearly ate me back during the war and easily beat the tar out of me in the one fight we had.”
Barrier heard the doctor’s quill suddenly stop scratching on her notepad.
“When you say that, do you mean in dreams or in real life?” the doctor asked, no readable hint of emotion in her tone. It was somewhat off putting for the charcoal unicorn to hear from the formerly warm doctor.
“Both, but there was only one terrible dream where I saw her,” Barrier answered before swallowing. “The first time I saw… I thought I saw her was during a stormy night. It was in my backyard when the lightning flashed. When I rushed out, I only found one of my pegasus housemates.
“There were other times where I believe I saw her. One was in Canterlot when I was getting on the train back to Vanhoover. I thought I saw her enter a cabin, but all that was there was another acquaintance of mine.
“There’ve been more times since then. Once going to an alleyway in town, another on a roof in Ponyville, alongside a traitor who worked with her on Nightmare Night. Yet another in a museum in Canterlot. And the most recent one was… Monday night, where she was on a roof with another stallion that’s been vexing me for some time.”
“And how did those other encounters go, Barrier?” The doctor’s comforting tone was slowly returning as she asked.
“The alleyway only had a drunkard sleeping in it while in Ponyville, it turned out it was a pair of ponies in costumes. After turning a corner in the museum, all I found was a hall full of statues and with the most recent encounter, I found a couple on a roof as they were about to fornicate.”
Facing the doctor, he saw only the faintest tinge of red on her cheeks as she jotted down more notes.
“Very interesting, Barrier,” the doctor said as her scribbling came to a halt. “Now, what about this other stallion who’s vexing you? Who is he?”
Barrier felt a pit forming in his stomach as he looked back towards the ceiling. He sighed before speaking once again.
“It’s a bit of a long story. I met with a mare named Spectral Image, who was able to use her magic to answer some questions of mine. She told me that the one responsible for my Grimhilde sightings was a lime green coated unicorn with a blueish green mane. His cutie mark was a large lemon, so I’ve been calling him the ‘Lemon Stallion...’ The next day, I found Spectral Image dead at the bottom of the stairs outside of her apartment.”
The doctor’s writing halted once more for an instant.
“After that, I encountered the Lemon Stallion outside my hotel when I went to Trottingham. We had a brief scuffle before he managed to escape, claiming that he didn’t kill her and that he didn’t steal Grimhilde’s skull from the museum. He followed that up with the implication that he dabbled in necromancy.
“When I tried to take him in, he smashed my face in with a soda can and managed to escape from me after I chased him down an alley.”
“Hmm… Barrier, have there been any other witnesses to what you saw?” The doctor asked as she crossed her forehooves.
“...Sadly, no. The closest to somepony else seeing them was when I ran into one of my housemates after he escaped.” Barrier sighed before he looked the doctor in the eye. “You think I’m hallucinating?”
“Because I’m a doctor, I want to be very thorough when it comes to your treatment. I need to eliminate all possibilities to make sure you get the help you need. If it’s a neuro-chemical imbalance causing hallucinations, then I might be able to prescribe proper medication.” Sound Mind took out a sheet of paper and quickly jotted something down on it before levitating it over to the charcoal unicorn.
“I’d like you to take that note to the clinic on the corner of Doodles and Noodles so they can run some bloodwork on you.” Doctor Sound Mind took off her pointy glasses and moved out from behind her desk. “After that, the lab should have results within a few days.”
“I see…” Barrier said as he stood up and stuffed the note into his saddlebags. “Thank you, Doctor. I do appreciate your efforts.”
“Best of luck, Mr. Barrier. I hope you have a good day,” The doctor said as Barrier turned to the door, seeing the final wall of the room covered with a multitude of degrees.
“Same to you, Doctor,” Barrier replied before sighing and leaving the doctor’s office.
***
Barrier felt drained as he made his way up to the manor thanks to the bloodwork he’d gone through. Though the orange juice and sugar cookie helped, he was still feeling tired and heavy as his horn lit up and pushed open the gate.
“Hello there, Barrier.” The obsidian unicorn’s mane bristled as he heard the voice coming from behind him. It belonged to the stallion that managed to escape him back in Trottingham. The Lemon Stallion.
With his horn already ignited, he grit his teeth and spun about, firing a volley magic at the feet of the source.
The blast struck the ground at the hooves of not the lemon marked stallion, but a pink coated mare who leapt back in fright.
“Holy crap! What the heck, Barrier?! I just said hello!” Fruity Punch said as she breathed heavily down at the hole and scorch mark on the ground.
“Punch, I’m so sorry!” Barrier rushed up to the mare, his eyes panickedly darting between the unicorn and the scorch as well as his surroundings. “I… I thought I heard… someone else. Are you okay?”
“Well, I’m not hurt and I haven’t left anything on the ground behind me, so I guess I’m okay,” Punch replied as she got her breathing under control. “How about you? You’re looking like crap warmed over.”
“In that case, I’m looking better than I feel,” Barrier said as he wiped his brow. “Sorry to say that I’m not feeling up to doing our normal practice after having some blood work done.”
“I’ll bet,” Punch said as she put a hoof on his back and started to pull him towards the house. “Let’s get you inside. You look like you could use some rest and food. Maybe some of Hatty’s birthday cake will do the trick.”
“I agree, Punch. Though I’m not too fond of cake,” Barrier said as he passed by the High Stakes’ tent just before he saw Wind Whistler carrying a baseball bat in her mouth as she headed into the tent. Not long after, he heard the sound of a foal crying out, “NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”.
“Should… should we check on that?” Punch asked as she looked over to the tent in uncertainty.
“No, I don’t think so. I’m betting a foal just lost a game and the bat’s to replace a broken table leg,” Barrier answered as Punch opened the door for him and guided him inside.
A moment after the two unicorns went into the house, Wind Whistler came out of the tent, escorting another foal out.
“This isn’t fair! I would have won if you didn’t jinx the table! Twenty-eight’s a magic number!” The foal grumbled as she led him to the front gate.
***
The party food and lighthearted atmosphere greatly helped to reinvigorate Barrier. Verdant, Erica and Gem had brought in a cake covered in fondant and frosting that matched Hat Trick’s coat while Swift and Forge brought in a large stack of pizzas.
Many guests were in attendance, most coming from Hat Trick’s work or Gem’s family. Everything was rather cheerful for the party, though Showtime Spectacular spent most of the party nursing a bottle of brandy. Games were played for a good three hours before it came time for the birthday colt to open up his presents.
Verdant, Erica and Toil had brought him a large collection of smoke bombs that came in a wide variety of colors, while Forge crafted him a steel recreation of the E.S.S. Endeavor and the station Terra Noir from Star Trot. Swift gave him a new silk top hat while Gem said; “I’ll show you your present later” and offered a wink.
Barrier didn’t pay attention to many of the smaller gifts the others gave him as he was still feeling somewhat drained from his bloodwork. Still, he did note that Hatty greatly appreciated the coupon booklet for Blockbuster’s that he’d gotten him.
The last one to bring a present up to Hat Trick was Fruity Punch. The vibrant pink mare placed a small, narrow box in front of the pegasus stallion with a wide smile on his face.
“I hope you like this, Hatty,” Punch said as he picked up the box and examined it.
“I’m sure I will, Punch,” Hatty replied as he slowly started to pull the lid off the box. “I’m sure I could make real good use of a wa—”
The words died in his throat as he saw the box didn’t have what he expected. Instead of a watch of some kind, he saw what looked like an airship ticket.
Slowly picking the ticket, he found a second ticket that he passed off to Gem. Under that was what looked like a postcard with the words “Congratulations!” written in gold on top of the image of an elaborate casino as fireworks were exploding behind it.
“For my present, I’m giving you and Gem a grand prize all-expenses paid, week-long romantic trip for two to Las Pegasus next month!” As Punch cheered, Hat Trick and Gem’s jaws went slack and their eyes remained locked on the tickets.
“Holy crap, how the Tartarus did you get that?!” Toil nearly exclaimed as she looked over the congratulating card.
“Well, it’s a funny story,” Punch said as she started to rub the back of her neck. “Y’see, my sister entered a sweepstakes a while back, figuring she’d end up with a toaster for it, but she ended up getting the grand prize. Since both of us are single, we figured we’d give them to someone else and then I remembered your birthday, so here you go!”
“I… I don’t know what to say but thank you, Punch,” Hatty said before pulling the unicorn mare into a deep hug. “This is just… phenomenal.”
“No problem. The back of the postcard should have the info for how to claim the prize and all that.” Punch let out a pleasant sigh as Hatty released her from his bone crushing grip. She then picked up a glass of Caneighda Dry and lifted it up. “To Hat Trick, may this birthday be just one of many!”
“Here here!” the other partiers said in unison as they clinked their glasses against hers.
The party would go on for a good while before the guests all went home while the household eventually slipped into bed, enjoying a very pleasant night.
Especially for Hat Trick and the red and black negligee sporting Winter Gem.