//------------------------------// // 16 Happy Dreams // Story: Homecoming of a Jumper // by tosety //------------------------------// Steelskin sat on his couch, depression once again weighing heavy on him like an invisible smothering blanket. The worst part was this was one of the times there wasn’t a reason for it. No, it was probably because of Angel Bunny, he thought to himself. I always get this way when I go overboard. He sat with the data crystal in his hooves, projecting it onto a cushion. To My Son, Steelskin He opened the link and read. Steelskin, my young drake, I am writing this so that you will have something of me when we inevitably become separated. Hopefully you will not find this until then, but even if we have not parted, you may still read this. You have the sharpest mind of any creature I have met, even among dragons. You have grasped every concept I have tried to teach you with the exception of one, and that was due to your nature rather than your intellect. It would be as difficult for me to learn to eat grass. Your resiliency amazes me constantly. I cannot think of an herbivore that could handle the violence you see on a daily basis both in the worlds we visit and in the habits I have. You have started to adapt and have not frozen in terror at anything since before we started jumping. Through it all, you have even kept your gentleness and compassion. You interact with ponies as a pony, but carry yourself in danger with the courage of a dragon. I could easily see you demanding and being given the respect of an equal from any but the elder dragons. If you ever are at a loss as to what to do in a given reality, you would make an excellent diplomat, though you would most likely prefer to be the bodyguard of a diplomat. Know that you are loved and respected and that I will be praising you at least as much as I have praised Gajeel and George to you. If one day all three of you could meet, I am unsure if those two would get along, but you would have no trouble forming fast and strong friendships with either. Above all else, I wish you to know that you constantly amaze me with your intellect, resiliency, and gentleness. If we have parted ways, I am certain to be missing you. Your proud father, Tallic. He hugged the crystal to his chest, a tear filled smile on his face. He knew it was exaggeration on Tallic’s part, but it filled him with emotion. Ginsu decided Steelskin shouldn’t be rereading it and dropped down on the pillow, blocking the projection. #PR-06# @Arrival + 15 Minutes@ I lay in the middle of my jump circle, fighting down the waves of nausea as I waited for my vision to clear and my ears to stop ringing. Of course, this was the time that I heard the snarling roar of one of the Everfree Forest’s less than friendly occupants. Looking around, I made out a manticore colored blur. Just great, I thought to myself as I worked to thicken and harden my skin. Sadly, the effort caused me to lose my fight with the contents of my stomach and I puked all over the inquisitive manticore. The manticore replied by swatting me into a tree with a snort of annoyance. Just as I got back to my hooves, a shockwave knocked me down again. “Ponies aren’t food!” I heard a familiar voice, only it was really angry and maybe a little sad too. “Stupid rutting manticores, how many times do I have to buck it into your tiny kitty brains?” I wasn’t in the best of condition to read manticore snarls, but its next one seemed confused. Dash apparently didn’t think that was its message, because I saw her blue shape slam into the manticore shaped blur and send it careening out of sight. “What the buck do you think you are?” She yelled, turning on me. “How many brain cells does it take to understand that the Ever-bucking-free Forest isn’t a place for colts?” Despite her unhidden anger, she was gentle when she helped me up and checked me over for injuries. She got concerned by my stumbling, so she put me on her back. “I’m sorry,” I forced out. “I’m not as stupid as it-” “Sorry? Give me a bucking break. You’re in the bucking Ever-bucking-free Forest,” She yelled. I tiredly spoke up, knowing it was probably useless. “I can explain if you give-” “I’ll get nurse Redheart to check you out, then I’m finding your parents,” She threatened, completely ignoring me. At least she calmed down enough to stop using ‘buck’ every second word. “Not necessary,” I said, getting a little angry myself. “The buck it isn’t,” Dash retorted. “You’ve obviously got a concussion and you’re a bucking idiot. I don’t know what you have to prove, but you aren’t doing it on my watch.” I gave an internal sigh. I didn’t bother arguing the point, focusing on getting everything to stop spinning. As Dash touched down, an oddly nervous Pinkie spoke up. “Hey Dashie, I can take care of him.” Dash paused a moment, like she was taken aback at Pinkie’s sudden appearance. It was rather strange for Dash to be not only irritated like she was, but seemingly unconcerned with Pinkie’s unusually reserved nature. I’m also pretty sure I saw tears in Dash’s eyes. Oh, buck, I thought to myself. I hope Loo didn’t die here. A knock sounded on Steelskin’s door. He sat for a while, knowing he should answer it, but unable to find the strength. A second knock followed and the duty to keep from being a jerk gave him enough push to call out “Come in.” For a brief moment he considered cleaning the dirty dishes off the coffee table, but he just couldn’t bring himself to care enough. “Hey, Steel,” Rocky said as he walked in and saw Steelskin sitting on the couch. Rocky opened his mouth but stopped as he decided against what he was going to say. After a moment, he made a decision. “I was gonna ask if you wanted to hang out, but you look like you’re not doing too well. Can I do anything to help?” His voice was filled with concern. “Thanks.” Steelskin’s voice was almost monotone. “I’m just feeling lousy... You can drag me out tomorrow, but I think I just need to rest today.” “Okay,” Rocky replied uncertainly. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” Steelskin smiled and said goodbye, but it was clear his heart wasn’t in it. #PR-06# @Arrival + 30 Minutes@ It hadn’t taken long to explain. Pinkie, of course, told everypony who asked everything that she had no way to know, then proceeded to take me to the library. The explanation of where I came from quickly turned to Rainbow Dash. “Yeah, she’s been out of sorts for a few months.” Twilight’s expression matched her voice as she looked at a particularly interesting spot between her hooves. “She’s even been ignoring Scootaloo.” “Has she talked with Miss Introspective yet?” I asked, forgetting where I was. “Miss Introspective? I’m afraid I don’t know her.” “She’s a donkey therapist that helped me out...” I caught myself, realizing that it was likely she had never come to this world’s Ponyville. “How much do you know about depression in this world?” “Depression? Never heard of it,” Twilight replied quickly before looking up in thought. “Do you mean, clinical sadness?” I raised an eye, having a taste of what Tallic felt when talking to ponies. “There’s not really much to know. Some ponies get it and giving them happy thoughts makes them happy again,” Twilight said, trying not to sound dismissive. I put a hoof to my face. Happy thoughts? Clinical sadness? What is wrong with this world?” “Well, I guess giving them ‘happy thoughts’ could help, but ‘clinical sadness’ is the stupidest name I’ve ever heard it called...” I caught myself. I’d been getting slowly more and more cynical as I continued jumping through these various Equestrias. “Oh, sorry, didn’t mean to be like that.” Luckily, I felt the embarrassment I wanted to express. Twilight’s lips tightened. “Well, that was just plain rude. I don’t know how they act in your universe, but young colts do not behave like that here.” She gave an annoyed snort and glared at me. “With that being said, yes, I suppose it is a little silly. But, I don’t think ‘hole in the ground’ -oops- ‘depression’ is any better. Now, what did this Miss Introspective do? Was she some kind of spell caster? Did she use ritual magic? Nevermind. Of course she used either ritual magic or potions if she was a donkey.” I frowned, halfway between sad and angry. “First, have you experienced clinical sadness?” I tried to keep most of my contempt out of my voice. Twilight seemed a little unsure, “Um.. no. However, I have read the literature extensively. Surely that should be enough.” I sighed. That was such a Twilight thing to say. “I’m sorry if I’m coming across as rude. It’s hard to remember how young ponies think I am... You know what? Tell me what clinical sadness feels like and I’ll help you understand it.” Twilight sat up a little more primly. I hid a little smile, Good old Twilight. They all sit like that. Every single one of them. “ “Clinical Sadness,” Twilight began lecturing, “Is when a pony is sad more than fifteen percent of the time. ‘Sad’ is defined as not happy thoughts.” She paused and her eyes drifted upwards in thought. ”Now that I think of it The literature is a little vague-” “No” I interrupted as gently as I could. “I asked what it felt like, not the definition.” I couldn’t help but let irritation into my voice. No matter the reality, Twilight always thought that a textbook definition was the be all and end all of something. She seemed a little out of her comfort zone, “Oh. Er, well, sadness, I suppose. Mopy? Not happy? Away from your friends?” “Okay,” I said, switching into a lecturing mode that I knew Twilight responded well to. “Clinical sadness may be a decent label for somepony that’s sad more than fifteen percent of the time, but...” A question occurred to me. “Actually, you know what? How much of the time is Rainbow Dash sad?” “Lately?” She took a minute to think and I could almost see the pain of realization as she put a number to Dash’s misery. “...Eighty-eight point five, plus or minus two percent.” Her whispered voice conveyed all the horror of this realization, “Saying that out loud... That’s...” I gave a friendly smile and put a hoof on her shoulder. “I’m gonna say that twenty to forty percent of the time would be okay to call clinical sadness. Once you get beyond that, it goes way beyond sadness.” I was pulling the numbers out of my plot, but I knew she’d be more receptive to statistics. Besides, if anything, the numbers would be higher, not lower. “Depression is a decent description because, at that point, everything about you feels pressed down and crushed. That said, Tallic said dragons call it the emptiness, and I think that’s probably the best term I’ve heard to describe it.” As I spoke, the look of horror continued to grow on Twilight’s face. Her thoughts were so obvious they didn’t need to be said. My friend is suffering, and I’ve been failing her. Seeing the tears forming in Twilight’s eyes, I wrapped my forelegs around her neck and gave her a tight, reassuring hug. Twilight flinched at the sudden contact, but quickly returned my hug. “What can I do. What can we do? How can we make Rainbow better?” Her voice was raspy as she kept from crying by sheer force of will. “It’s okay,” I whispered, “We can help her.” Pulling back and ending the hug, I looked her in the eyes and gave her a confident nod. “But we’re gonna need Fluttershy.” Twilight got that faraway look and sound that said she was analyzing everything. “Yes, that makes sense. Her kindness-” I caught her train of thought and interrupted her as gently as I could. “No. I just need her to get Rainbow back down here so we can treat her... or get me up to her cloud... do you have a cloudwalking spell in your library?” “Cloudwalking? Of course. But first, Spike! I need your help.” I was happy to see Twilight get animated as she switched from ‘analyze’ to ‘do.’ Spike responded quickly and enthusiastically. “Sure Twilight. What do you need? A letter? Some tea? Hoof rub?” “No, thank you, Spike. I just need you to get Fluttershy,” Twilight said with a smile. “Oh. Maybe Rarity can help too?” Spike asked hopefully. Irritation crept into Twilight’s voice. “No, just Fluttershy, thank you.” She probably would be more patient, but, at this point, she had no time for his puppy crush. I realized I needed to keep her from going ‘twazy’. “Hey, Twilight, I don’t want this to come off mean or anything... Even though it’s urgent we get Dash help, we need to go slow. Be sure to be extra gentle to both Dash and Fluttershy.” Steelskin sat, petting Ginsu and staring at the index of books and videos hovering above the data crystal on the coffee table. He didn’t know how long he’d been staring at it, knowing he should do something, but unable to find the willpower to do so. His stomach growled and he tried to think of what he had in the kitchen. Hay pucks sounded downright disgusting. Tea would be nice, but he’d have to boil water for it. That would mean either getting up twice or staying up while the water heated. He felt like he was being lazy, but even that didn’t give him the strength to get up. Milk was in the fridge. There was even some lettuce and fresh grass in there too. He sighed heavily, and tears threatened to spill as his eyelids filled up. His stomach rumbled again. He knew that his hunger was only making his mood worse, but it still felt like his body weighed ten times its normal weight as he found just enough strength to push himself off the couch and drag himself to the kitchen. As he opened the fridge, he noticed some flowers he had forgotten about. He grabbed the grass and the flowers and took them to the kitchen table. The flowers tasted just as sweet as he knew they would be, but the taste didn’t reach him. He could have been eating bedding hay by how appetizing it was. Hopefully he’d feel better tomorrow. #PR-06# @Arrival + 1 Hour@ “So, uhm...” Fluttershy, in her usual almost inaudible voice, greeted Twilight. “You wanted to see me?” Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Yes. I need you to talk with a colt that just arrived. He’s got ideas on how to cheer up Dash.” “You know how to help Dash?” Fluttershy’s entire body perked up as a previously lost hope returned. I smiled at her, filled with joy at being able to help her help somepony we cared about. “I need to be able to talk to Dash, but we can’t force her. Could you please fly over and just sit next to her?” “What would that do?” Twilight interrupted with a touch of confusion. Fluttershy flinched. I had spent the last half hour preparing, so I knew how to answer. “It’ll make her feel less lonely, and, if she’s willing to talk, Fluttershy might be able to convince her to come down.” I decided to open up a little and turned to Fluttershy. “You can let her know that I know what she’s feeling. I’ve felt it too.” “But, what if she won’t talk?” Fluttershy asked. I gave a knowing smile. “Actually, I’m not sure. You know her better than me, so just do what you think best.” I blinked back some tears, remembering one of my own experiences. “In another reality, actually, a few of them, you were the one that helped me the most.” Giving her a quick hug, I added “Now go and comfort her and, if you can, get her down here.” As Fluttershy flew off, I turned to Twilight and Spike. “Could you please gather up everything you have on clinical sadness? I think we should have a major study session tonight. I may have gone through it, but I was never trained in how to help professionally.” “I’m on it!” Spike said, already dashing to the library. Without anything more to do, the full weight of the situation hit me. I sank down to the grass, almost physically crushed by how little I could help. No, I thought to myself, even if all I can do is get them spending time with her, I’ve done a lot to help. Fluttershy gave a few flaps up and settled gently next to Dash. She just sat there next to her hurting friend, listening to Dash’s breathing. Her eyes grew damp as she heard a weariness in it that made it sound almost labored. After a few minutes, she extended her wing and laid it across Dash’s back. Ever so slightly, Dash leaned into her side. It was so slight that, if there was anything else to notice, even Fluttershy would have missed it. After about an hour, Fluttershy started talking. Ignoring the fact that Dash wasn’t answering, she jumped from topic to topic, hiding the fact that she was hoping that one of them would get her friend to respond. As the sun touched the horizon, Fluttershy got up. “I-I’m sorry, but I need to feed the animals now.” She looked back as she jumped off the cloud. Rainbow Dash looked just as sad as always. “I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said as she landed. “I didn’t even ask her to come down.” I smiled at her and tried to put as much thankfulness into my voice as I could. I really wanted her to know that she did much more than she realized. “No, you did perfect. I’m sure you knew she wasn’t ready.” “But she looks just as sad as when I came.” Fluttershy was on the verge of tears. I sat down, sad that I couldn’t show her how much it meant just to have somepony next to you that cared. “...I don’t know how to explain it, but I know you helped.” “I’ll try again tomorrow.” Fluttershy didn’t look reassured as she prepared to fly off. “Hey, Fluttershy, one more thing,” I said quickly. I had just realized I could at least give her a little treat. And free myself up for what was likely to be a typical Twilight study session. Fluttershy turned, questioningly, to see me nose open my saddlebag. “A popping kitten!” Fluttershy whispered excitedly. “His name is Ginsu. Could you please take care of him for tonight?” I asked with a hopeful smile. Ginsu, previously looking scared, now purred happily as he hopped into Fluttershy’s forelegs and licked her face. She started to bite onto the scruff of his neck when he blinked out of existence, appearing with his species’ namesake pop on the top of her head. I laughed quietly. Ginsu never really liked being carried that way. I think he wanted to keep full freedom of movement at all times. Steelskin finished forcing the food down his throat and trudged back to the couch. Halfway there, he saw Ginsu and realized he hadn’t gotten fed yet. Trudging back into the kitchen, he pulled out the food Fluttershy had given him to supplement Ginsu’s hunting. He sighed as he filled the food dish and replaced the water, getting stuck with the realization that he shouldn’t have sent Rocky away. Rocky could probably have gotten him to eat more. As it is, I’ll probably be feeling some decent hunger pains in the morning, Steelskin thought ruefully. Ginsu sauntered up to his food dish and sniffed it before giving Steelskin that irritated glare all cats had. Too bad I’ve got plenty of food for him. It would’ve been a good excuse to talk to Fluttershy. He thought to himself. I really should just go anyway. Sadly, he didn’t have anything left and he settled back on the couch. He was, however, able to build up enough anger to mumble “Rutting buck depression up the plot.” The energy from his anger spent, he laid his head on his forelegs and closed his eyes, hoping he’d be able to find strength to do something. Anything. #PR-06# @Arrival + 3 Hours@ “If somepony suffering from clinical sadness threatens to kill themselves, the best response is to call them on their bluff to prove to them that they don’t want to die.” ”What the rut?” I knew I shouldn’t have said it, but I was too angry to care. Twilight gasped in horror, hearing such a foul word from a colt so young. “Burn this book,” I said in a low, dangerous, tone as I turned the book to face her. “I am not burn-” Twilight stopped short, seeing tears in my eyes. “...Why?” I tried to keep from remembering. “...I almost did.” I forced the words out even as my throat closed up. Twilight’s voice was slow and cautious. “...Almost did what?” I gave her a look that was a clear ‘do you really want to know?’ I felt the start of a runny nose and sniffed it back defiantly. “Oh. Okay,” Twilight continued, trying to sound casual. “Not going to burn it, but maybe I can get a discussion going with the author.” An increase in sugar intake, especially in the form of cupcakes, in conj cunju with parties, has been shown to lift a pony’s mood considerably. -Bluey Cake Twilight narrowed her eyes as she lifted up the parchment paper with foalish pictures and written in pink icing. We spent another half hour of marking passages and sorting books into ‘good’,‘bad’, and ‘Pinkie’ piles, Twilight even gingerly setting one more into what I knew she thought of as the ‘burn’ pile. “Happy dream therapy...” I said out loud as I sat up in excitement. There was something about this that somehow shouted at me ‘This is important!’ “What do you have?” Twilight asked, moving over to read it with me. Without looking up, I slid the book slightly to make it easier for her to read. After a few moments, I looked up, trying to keep from looking like I was pleading. “Do you think you can cast this on me?” “That’s a fairly advanced medical spell. I would have to consult with an expert on mind, emotion, and dream magic.” She stared into space for a moment. “Of course! Princess Luna! She would be the foremost expert in these fields. Of course, we should also try to find a physician with practical experience in this field. Perhaps that Miss Introspective you mentioned can be found.” Steelskin took a deep breath. He couldn’t let depression win. He had to do something. No, he was going to do something. He pushed himself off the couch and pushed towards the door. Every step he took was accompanied by a strong desire to just lie down and forget it. The only thing that kept him going was reminding himself of how foalish it would be to get off the couch only to lie down on the floor. He reached the doorknob and the act of raising his hoof and turning it felt like the hardest thing he had ever done. It also felt like an achievement. As he pushed himself down the street towards the library, he intentionally let his body show how rotten he felt, hoping that somepony would notice and care enough to ask him how he was doing. What he’d answer, he didn’t know. He reminded himself of the request he wanted to make of Twilight as a way to urge himself forward. More than once, he came close to turning around and heading home. It hurt that nopony bothered to notice how sad he was. Well, at least he was doing something. #PR-06# @Arrival + 3 Days@ For the next week, I hung out with Twilight and, occasionally, Scootaloo. From my observations, Rainbow was sad more like 100% of the time, but I noticed a little bit of improvement, especially around Fluttershy. She had been able to get Dash down mid-afternoon the next day and I watched from the background as Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack got her up and moving. I was happy to see that either Twilight briefed them beforehoof, or they knew better than to force on her the things that made them feel good. Tragically, Pinkie Pie avoided her, displaying outright fear as if she might be able to catch depression like a disease. On second thought, it was probably a good thing. I doubt she’d have been able to handle Pinkie’s personality. On the third morning, I found Scootaloo staring up at Rainbow’s home with tears in her eyes. “Hey, Loo. Is Dash up yet?” I asked. She silently shook her head no, so I gave her a hug. She stiffened up for a moment, uncomfortable at the close contact with what I belatedly realized was, to her, a stranger. Even so, she quickly melted into it, letting her worry, sadness, and helplessness out. “Why?” Her voice was a hoarse whisper. I tried to push my own sadness out in a huge sigh. It was only partially successful. “...You ever feel hopeless? ...Like everything was horrible and nothing would ever change?” Scootaloo nodded, dripping tears into my mane. There were many things I knew about that could be what she was thinking of. “...Well, that’s what Dash is feeling.” Scootaloo pulled back. “But what does she have to be sad about?” Her voice cut me to the heart. “I don’t know. She might not even have a reason, but that makes it even worse for her. What I do know is that we need to be patient and do everything we can to make sure she knows she’s not alone.” “...I almost gave up once,” Scootaloo whispered almost inaudibly. “Diamond Tiara convinced me that a pegasus that couldn’t fly was worthless.” Scootaloo swallowed hard, the words painful to say. “I believed her and almost drove away Sweets and Bloom... I-if it weren’t for Rainbow Dash, I don’t know if...” She trailed away, unable to finish her statement. I hugged her close, feeling acutely the pain of knowing somepony you care about is hurting. It was weird; the pain I was feeling felt right. Deep down, I was content knowing that I was helping her. The pain I was feeling for her felt... I don’t like the word ‘good’, but maybe ’productive’. Steelskin continued his trek, not sure if he’d have the strength to take the next step. He focused on the fact that he’d be stuck at home alone in his misery and placed one hoof in front of the other. Every pony he passed greeted him with a ‘Hi, Steelskin, how are you doing?’ Every time he forced a smile and answered with ‘Hi.’ And every time, they walked away with a smile. They apparently failed to note that he never answered their question. Nopony cares about you, you might as well just go home. His emotions told him. Just look at how they lie about caring how you’re doing. “Oh! Hi, Steelskin. Looks like you’ve got one ginormically ginormous black dog on your back.” Pinkie had jumped in front of Steelskin and was staring at him with her nose less than a hair’s breadth from his. Steelskin sat down in the middle of the street, overwhelmed by Pinkie’s energy. He was too tired to be able to figure out if he was happy to see her or not. “So I was sitting behind the counter of Sugarcube Corner and both my rear hooves started twitch-a-twitching right before both ears went all floppy and my tail curled up tight, so I said to Mrs. Cake ‘somepony’s really sad and I’ve got to go help,’ and she said ‘sure thing, Pinkie.’ So I grabbed my party supplies, but then it came back as a super combo and I knew I had to find that pony super duper fast, so I zipped out and found you mopey-moping and I can tell that you’re so bullied around by the frownies that I know I’m going to need help to get your smile back, so you need to head right back to your house and I’ll grab Twilight and meet you there, so rest up and we’ll be back with some magic happy-zapping-” Pinkie stopped with her eyes wide like she just got surprised by something. “No, no, no! Pinkie, you silly filly! Steely’s much too frownie-downie to be able to make it back to his house. I don’t think I should even leave him alone.” Pinkie was talking to the air, almost completely ignoring Steelskin. “Pinkie-” Steelskin started. “Nopey-dopey,” Pinkie replied, cutting him off before he could get more than her name out. “You’re much too saddie-slouchy for me to leave you, so I’m going to carry you to the library.” With that, Pinkie stuck her head under Steelskin’s stomach and hoisted him onto her back. #PR-06# @Arrival + 1 Week@ I lay on a bed in Twilight’s guest room as Twilight and a Unicorn researcher that Luna recommended lit his horn. Twilight had a scroll and quill at the ready as Ginsu jumped up on the bed beside me. Both Twilight and Baron Beckon flinched at the sight of him, but studiously avoided saying anything. My eyes closed, turning the blue of Baron Beckon’s magic to the black of sleep. Soon, I ‘woke up’ standing beside an old grey dog. “Come on, boy, time for a walk.” I felt myself say. My voice sounded like some of the odd sounds El sometimes liked to make. I also had no idea why I was saying it. I watched as I stretched out a metal talon and clipped a lead onto the dog’s collar. I was half the size of that dog. There was a comfort that filled me as my metallic body spent a few hours doing simple tasks and caring for the old dog. It was relaxing and gratifying and was definitely something I wanted to do often. I actually enjoyed it so much that I was slightly concerned that I’d want to spend more time dreaming than in reality. As the dream faded, I became aware of the pillow under my head. I felt more content than I had in a long time. I opened my eyes to a barely restrained Twilight. Once she saw that I was awake, she closed her eyes and counted to ten under her breath. “Are you up to talking about the spell? I’m anxious to start treating Rainbow if you think it’s a good idea.” Twilight’s voice was calm and slow, but there was a nervous energy running just below the surface. “Yes, I think this might be just what she needs. If anything, I’m concerned about wanting to live in that dream all the time... But I’m guessing you’ll be able to lay down the law on that,” I said with a small smile. “Doctor, would you be able to cast that again immediately?” Twilight asked after a quick smile of gratitude to me. The doctor did one better and trained her on how to use the spell, including what to watch out for during and after the spell. I think he was actually kind of annoyed at a colt deciding if his treatment was good enough and wanted to leave as fast as possible. “Twilight, we have a frownie emergency!” Pinkie said with her upbeat seriousness. Steelskin had recovered a little on the trip over, most likely, he thought, from knowing Pinkie cared and was doing something that would help him. Thus, he was able to smile and climb off Pinkie’s back. “Oh, hello, Pinkie, Steelskin. What can I do for you?” Twilight asked, slightly surprised by Pinkie’s tone. "The black dog!” Pinkie said melodramatically, shoving her snout against Twilight’s. Before Twilight could catch the reference, Pinkie explained. “The black dog of frowniness is being a big, mean, meaniepants to Steelskin and he needs you to zap it away with your super awesome unicorn magic.” The normal spunk and vitality in Pinkie’s voice was replaced by earnestness. Twilight took a breath, feeling the need, but not wanting to inquire further about what Pinkie was expecting her to do. “Oooohhhh... I should get Doctor Weyul to scare that mean doggie away,” Pinkie growled, dashing out the door. Steelskin let out a halfhearted chuckle as Twilight rubbed her temples. “Yeah, I’ve been... down today,” Steelskin explained. “I was hoping that I could get you to look at a spell and maybe convince you to...” His voice trailed off as he realized something. “Buck m-” He caught himself, blushing at the fact he just swore. “Sorry. I forgot the crystal back at my house.” “So,” Twilight said, choosing to ignore his language. “What’s this spell?” “Well, the mindset of the reality was much more ‘cutesy’ than this one, so they called it ‘Happy Dreams Therapy’ and it does what it says.” Steelskin allowed himself a smirk. “Basically, I dreamed I was in some sort of metal golem in a world like Alex’s.” I also want to see that dog again, he thought to himself. #PR-06# @Arrival + 3 Weeks@ Dash and I were both getting the ‘Happy Dreams Therapy’ and we were both feeling better than we had in a while. For some reason, my dreams were crystal clear while Dash’s were more hazy and indistinct. We both were dreaming that we were helping somepony, but she couldn’t remember a face. She could only remember that it was old and it wasn’t a pony. What was completely the same was that we were helping somepony and it was the same one every time. The change, from my perspective, was huge. She did try to sleep more than was healthy, but she was spending time with Scootaloo every time she was asked. She was also being dragged along on all sorts of outings by the rest of her friends and even went on a date with Soarin. Meanwhile, Twilight was starting one of her biggest research projects ever. She had applied for special dispensation to enter two prestigious medical schools as a ‘distance learner’ as she called it. She was studying everything she could find on the mind and emotions and was conversing by mail with multiple authors. “If I could get my hooves on him...” Twilight growled, mane starting to smoke. “That book I told you to burn?” I asked. “He’s got no leg to stand on, but refuses to admit he could be wrong!” Twilight fumed, confirming my question. “I’m starting to think that I just might burn the thing. The research, little as it may be, consistently refutes almost every assertion he makes.” “Maybe,” she continued with a malicious grin, “I’ll burn it and mail it back to him.” I laughed cynically. “Oh, don’t get like that,” she chided. “At this rate, you’re probably gonna be the princess of mental health,” I joked. Twilight’s eyes grew wide. “...Princess?” Steelskin ‘woke’ in the metal body he was so familiar with, despite the long absence. He looked around, feeling more in control than normal, but that could just be a trick from the fact it was so long ago. There was a human sitting with a dog in his lap. Next to him stood a woman in a nurse’s outfit that reminded Steelskin of El. Steelskin walked over to ‘his’ dog. The human had sparse white hair and wrinkled, sagging skin. He looked down at Steelskin and, in a gravelly voice, said “Hey, bud, I see you’re back. You wanna say goodbye too?” “Yes, please,” Steelskin replied. “Nurse, please lift up Steelie,” The man ordered. He found himself being lifted up, reminded again of the strange sensation of only having the sense of touch on his talons and nose. He was quickly placed on a chair next to the dog he couldn’t help but see as an old friend. It moved its muzzle over and gave him a snuffle before licking his face and wagging his tail. Something new came into Steelskin’s awareness; he found himself knowing the dog’s age as well as several medical conditions the dog was afflicted with. He was happy to know that, despite arthritis and several other normally painful conditions, it was experiencing no pain at all. There was also a timer in the back of Steelskin’s mind telling him the timing and relative safety of another dose of morphine for the dog. Thinking about it made him aware of the ‘hospice override’ that allowed him to dispense whatever comforts were needed. They sat for a while, Steelskin noticing dopamine and serotonin levels of dog and human in the ‘high happy’ range even as the dog’s breathing grew labored and his blood oxygen levels dipped into the critical range. “Goodbye, Tal,” The old man said. “Goodbye, old friend,” Steelskin said. The dog’s breathing and heartbeat stopped after one weak wag of his tail. MindScape COMOL 6.2.3 mental scripting language Patient Tallic Status: deceased terminate program? (y/n) Y ... mindscape wind down sequence...1%..12%..25%..38%..50%..62%.. The sound of the front door opening reached him as his senses faded. “Hey, Matt, heard old Tallic wasn’t doing well... You doing okay?” another elderly voice asked. “Yeah...” the old man said. “Even the Steelskin said goodbye. Thanks for coming over, Al.” Steelskin felt everything about this body coming to a stop. ...75%..90%..96%..99%..100% Program End # run shutdownscript # # sudo password: ********** # shutdown -h +0 "I’m shutting down now. Thank you for trusting Sparkle Companion Robots Inc." all processes stopped Steelskin woke up on Twilight’s couch. “Did something go wrong?” Twilight asked with a touch of panic. Steelskin felt tears running down his cheeks. “No,” he replied in a husky voice. “It’s just...” He couldn’t think of how to describe it. He’d wondered at times if it were more than a dream, but now he was certain. “But you’re crying. Doesn’t that mean...” “I got to say goodbye to an old friend.” Steelskin’s voice was husky, and he couldn’t stop crying, but he felt oddly at peace. Weyul broke his silence. “Not all tears are sadness and not all sadness is unhappy.” Twilight jumped, having forgotten the warg was in the room. “Still, I don’t think I should do this anymore. I need to think about what I realized.” Steelskin sighed deeply. His emotions were a big tangle, but the overall sense of it was positive. #PR-06# @Arrival + 4 Weeks@ I was strolling around the edge of the Everfree while Ginsu did some hunting. I’d never felt completely comfortable with him in there. “Hey Dash?” I heard Scootaloo yell. My ears twitched as there was a longer than normal wait for an answer. Finally, I heard Dash land. “Sorry, Squirt. I’m feeling pretty lousy today. You okay with just hanging out?” I could hear the strain in her voice. I was sure she was holding herself together just for Loo’s sake. Feeling a little concerned, I trotted towards them until I could see the two under Dash’s house. I was happy to see them lying next to each other and staring at the clouds drifting over the Everfree and sat there, watching them be the family they needed from each other. “Hey, Dash?” Scootaloo whispered carefully. “Yeah, Squirt?” Dash said, sounding much more together than she had earlier. “Could you...” Scootaloo’s voice wavered as her confidence left her. After a slight pause, she continued in a whisper. “Please be my mom.” From where I stood, I could see the glint of tears in both their eyes as Dash grabbed Loo in a hug. “I’m not sure I’ll be that good at it, but if anypony deserves one, it’s you,” Dash choked out. Steelskin trotted home, trying to sort out his emotions after his last dream. He was looking forward, but that was the limit of his awareness of his surroundings. “Oh, you poor dear,” Fluttershy whispered from above him. “Ginsu told me you were feeling bad, but I didn’t think it was this bad.” Steelskin felt himself plopped onto her back as a warg looked on with a smile. Weyul padded off in the other direction as Steelskin found himself flown back to his house. Back at the house, Steelskin hopped down and opened the door. Inside, Matt and Ginsu sat on his couch. Matt was reading one of the Daring Do novels and Ginsu was purring next to him. Steelskin gave a tired smile and hopped up between them. Fluttershy joined them and nuzzled Steelskin as Matt reached around and put a hand on Steelskin’s withers. As Steelskin closed his eyes and relaxed into the comforting, he heard Matt’s quiet voice. “It can be real rough, can’t it?” From his experience with Tallic, he knew it didn’t need an answer. Steelskin was about to fall asleep to Ginsu’s purring when the door burst open. [em=1.5]”Cutie Mark Crusaders Therapists! Yay!” Two hooves and a hand connected with their respective foreheads.