ACT TWO
Twilight found herself walking through Ponyville, and what she saw turned her blood cold…
Everywhere she looked, ponies were being mean, angry, and very nasty instead of friendly, calm, and caring.
A filly was throwing dirt balls at colt.
“Why are you doing this?” the colt would ask.
“I just feel like it. So there!” answered the filly, and she threw one right at his head knocking him unconscious.
Teenage ponies were having a battle of genders, saying that Boys were better than Girls.
“Boys are stronger!!”
“Girls are smarter!!”
Back and forth, the insults flew, and then it turned into a full out street fight.
Twilight angrily tried to use her magic to break the fight up yelling, “Stop this, now!!” but to her surprise, her magic did nothing-- no barriers, no paralysis, she couldn’t even teleport one pony to someplace else.
Twilight ran for her dear life when one of the colts was thrown her way.
She barely made it up the street when she saw more ponies committing riots-- breaking and entering stores or other ponies’ homes and just helped themselves to whatever they could steal, and whatever they didn’t take, they’d break just for the fun of it.
“What are you all doing?!” Twilight thundered.
“Shut up!” one pony balked at her.
Twilight tried to protest, “THIS IS NOT HOW EQUESTRIA IS SUPPOSED TO BE!!” only to get shoved out of the way by another pony.
“Who cares what YOU think?!” he snapped at her, and he went to go fighting some pony else just to feel good about himself.
The skies were beginning to grow dark, and the grounds began to rumble, just as Twilight always feared.
“Please stop!!” she shouted to everyone. “The more hate you show, the more the world is descending into chaos!”
No one would listen, and the more they continued, the more the ground shook, and crevasses began to open spreading magical dark smoke that covered the lands in a veil of shadows, and the once proud land of Equestria was now a dark, chaotic world full of hate, anger and destruction… all of it was heading Twilight’s way.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOO…!!!”
With a loud gasp, she bolted upright to find she was in her own bed, in her own room.
She quickly caught her breath and realized, “It was just a dream…” one that she had many times over.
She used her magic to pull the curtains open at the end of the room, only to see it a beautiful morning.
She dashed to the window to see all was normal in Ponyville. Adults were going to work, children were out playing in the summertime, and other ponies were hanging out, talking, and other blissful things.
She breathed a huge sigh of relief. “I can’t let it happen!” she said to herself. “I won’t let Equestria fall into darkness. I will uphold friendship, and I’ll help everyone else see that way too.”
Just then, there was a knock at her bedroom door. “Twilight, are you awake?” Spike called. He sounded rather upset.
Twilight quickly ran to the door. “What is it?”
“A friendship emergency! Come to the map room.”
Twilight’s eyes widened, and she teleported to the map room with Spike, only to find all her friends were there waiting for her, except for Starlight who was still away.
“What’s going on here?” asked Twilight.
Spike then told Twilight. “I’m sorry I lied…”
Twilight blinked once. “You mean there is no emergency?”
“…I had to say something that would get you here.” cried Spike.
Applejack motioned at Twilight’s chair at the table, “Have a seat. We need to have a little talk.”
Twilight was confused and asked, “Talk about what?”
“…About you.” replied Rainbow. “Spike came to visit us all last night and told us about Celestia wanting you to go to therapy.”
Twilight looked down at Spike, finally seeing how sleepy and baggy-eyed he looked-- proving he had been up late, and his wings sure looked tired from having to fly all over, and even to Cloudsdale to talk to Rainbow.
Twilight sighed, “Look, I don’t need this therapy. So, can’t we just drop it?”
Fluttershy stammered a little, trying to find her courage to speak up. “Um… well… No, we can’t really, Twilight.”
“I’m forced to agree with, Fluttershy.” said Rarity, and she addressed Twilight. “Darling, we do love you so, and we hate to see you coming apart at the seems like an old gown.
You should consider getting this help.”
Pinkie bounced giddily saying, “Yeah, come on, Twilight. What have you got to lose; it could even be fun.” She stopped right there, especially when the others glared at her hard for that last line.
Pinkie had forgotten that therapy was very serious.
“…Sorry, I knew I shouldn’t have eaten that extra cupcake today.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Look, I appreciate everyone’s concern, but, really, I’m fine. I don’t need this, and I don’t have a problem. Can we please just forget about this?!” Her voice got louder and more aggravated, causing everyone to shake their heads at her.
“What?!” she snapped.
Rainbow said, “With talk and denial like that, you need this help more than ever.”
“RD’s got a point,” agreed Applejack, and she said to Twilight, “Don’t take it so hard. We all have problems we have to deal with.
RD’s a bit of a showoff.”
Rainbow’s features hardened. “True… But you overwork yourself to the point where you don’t pay attention to your surroundings.”
Applejack opened her mouth to argue, but she ultimately couldn’t.
Pinkie stuffed her face with another cupcake, “Rarity’s a bit of a diva.”
“Ah!” snapped Rarity, but she conceded, “I… suppose… I get a little full of myself, just like you, Pinkie, with your overindulging on junk food and hyper antics.”
“Guilty.” Pinkie admitted.
Fluttershy then spoke up, “Um… I have… Well, I… I guess.” She didn’t have to say much more, it was obvious her flaw was her timidity.
Spike, rather than say his own flaws, looked up at Twilight with very sincere eyes. “Please, Twilight. Won’t you do it-- if not for yourself, then for your friends, who are very concerned about you, and not just us, but for Celestia as well.”
Twilight looked back and forth at all her friends, and how they were gazing at her with desperate eyes. Pinkie even did her sad puppy dog impression.
“I… I just…!” she couldn’t seem to find the words. Her friends did seem worried, as if they could see things she couldn’t or had just forgotten about.
Finally, she relented, “Spike, take up a letter. I’ll do it.”
Everyone smiled proudly at her.
“…I’m only doing this to prove to you all that I’m just fine.”
“Sure, Twilight…” Spike muttered, and he got his quill and paper ready.
Twilight had written up a letter to Dr. Colt in Canterlot explaining her situation and scheduling an appointment to see him… under Celestia’s recommendation.
“Well, now we just wait.” said Spike.
Twilight agreed, “Who knows when we’ll get a reply?” but at that very second, Spike belched up a response letter, much to everyone’s surprise!
“Well, that certainly was fast.” remarked Rarity. “You’d think he was expecting you to write him.”
Which was exactly what the letter said when Twilight opened it, and even more surprising, Dr. Colt was willing to see Twilight to schedule sessions that very afternoon, much to Twilight’s shock.
“This afternoon?!” she spluttered.
Even Spike was astounded, “Is this guy a doc or some kind of psychic?”
That very afternoon, Twilight teleported herself and all her friends to Canterlot, to a big building in the village, and yet another surprise was there waiting for them.
“Princess Celestia?” Twilight nearly exclaimed when she and the others came into the doc’s office.
They all bowed immediately, and Celestia giggled. “Figured you’d come.”
Then she presented the doc himself.
Cy colt was a middle-aged orange coated Unicorn. He had a short red mane. He wore half-moon glasses, and wore a blue sweater under a purple blazer, and his cutie mark was that of a hypnotic pendulum ball on a string.
He seemed a kind, and very deep pony. “I am honored, Princess Twilight.” He said with respect.
Twilight felt a little flattered.
Soon, everyone was speaking privately in the office.
“I knew you’d be coming.” said Cy. “When Princess Celestia wrote to me, citing her concerns for you, I had a feeling it would not have been long. I wouldn’t have expected anything less from the Princess of Friendship.”
Twilight grinned nervously, but then cleared her throat. “Pardon me, Doctor…”
“Oh, please… call me “Cy.”
“…Cy.” said Twilight. “I really don’t think I should do this, or even be here.”
“Mm-hmm…” remarked sigh “That’s what they all say. Denial is the first and foremost excuse, and a formidable one.”
“I agree…” said Celestia. “I’m more than convinced she needs this treatment now than ever.”
Twilight was shocked at her. “But your majesty…! I’m just fine. I really don’t think I need all this.”
Celestia only gave her an unconvinced stare, not buying her whining at all.
“Princess Twilight, I know therapy can seem scary.” said Cy.
“I’m not scared. I just don’t get why I need all this.”
Rather than arguing to the point, and seeing she was truly in denial, Cy spoke softly to her, “Princess, no one is going to force you to do anything.”
He then went into a deep and profound speech…
“Many people who often come to me claiming the same thing-- that they are fine, and that they don’t need help. Maybe it’s true, maybe it isn’t, but I can’t force them to sit with me and spill their guts.
Therapy isn’t a matter of needing, it’s more a matter of “wanting.”
Many out there would deny their obvious problems for all to see and claim. “I’ve tried, and I’ve tried, but there is no help me out there.”
That’s a load of nonsense. Coming to me for advice and help is an excellent start, or even addressing your problems and finding ways to overcome them is a good way too…
…But the overall thing is that you have to “want” it. You have to be willing to get help, and you have to be willing to want to change.
Therapy isn’t some magical process, bargain, or instant relief. It’s a slow and delicate process that can take weeks to many years, and even with it, there is no guarantee that you will be cured.
My job isn’t to cure others myself, but to help them discover a cure for themselves, and whatever happens is entirely up to them, so there is no one else to blame when it fails.
It isn’t a matter that I didn’t help you, but rather you didn’t help yourself, or you weren’t willing to.”
The more he spoke, the more Twilight and friends were stunned and astounded by his deep words. It was no wonder he was considered a professional and recommended by Celestia.
“Give me a chance, Twilight.” said Cy. “I cannot guarantee success-- no therapist can-- but I am willing to try.
Are you?”
Overly moved by his speech, and the fact that she didn’t want to disappoint her friends or Celestia, Twilight could only ask, “…When do we start?”