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// Understanding the Issue 
// Story: Pinkie's Depression 
// by kaytisparklewriter 
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	Pinkie stared at Dr. Blueheart. She let it sink in. Could helping others too much be...bad for herself? She tried to understand but then a thought occurred. She couldn't understand this because she was stupid. She was an idiot. Tears rolled down her cheeks and onto the floor.
"Miss Pie, are you alright?" 
"I...I don't know..." Pinkie Pie stuttered and started to cry. It was soft at first and then it turned into sobs. Then she broke down and fell on the floor. She felt like she couldn't get up and didn't even want to. 
Dr. Blueheart had seen similar cases like this before but every time something like this happened, he always felt so bad for his patients. He stayed calm as Pinkie continued to sob her eyes out.
After about five minutes of continuous crying, she finally stopped and sat up, leaning on the couch, trying to stand up and sit back on the couch. When Dr. Blueheart noticed how much she was struggling, he helped her up on the couch and patted her back a little. He didn't want to show too much affection or sympathy, considering he didn't know what she needed yet.
"Miss Pie, are you alright?" He asked once more, with a more serious but also concerned tone. 
"I...I think so...I just..." She stuttered and started staring blankly at the walls.
"How are you feeling right now? Can you describe any thoughts going through your head?" He asked.
"I feel stupid and worthless. I feel like I shouldn't even be alive..." Pinkie said with no emotion in her usually hyper and high pitched voice. Now her voice sounded flat and empty. 
"Well, I'm going to tell you right now, you're most certainly not worthless or stupid, Miss Pie. You are able to plan parties and make ponies so happy. Not to mention your organization skills of keeping track of ponies birthday's and what they like and don't like. You're an expert party planner and from what I know about you personally and heard, you're a great friend. Miss Pie, you have been part of saving Equestria several times and are an important part of Equestrian history. You are not worthless."
Pinkie tried to listen to what he had to say. It made her smile a tiny bit which was definitely an improvement. She started to actually feel a bit less worthless. She smiled at him and cleared her throat. It was a little dry and worn out from crying so much.
"Thank you, Dr. Blueheart. That helps a lot actually. I just sometimes get in these moods where I don't feel happy or smart or worth anything. I don't know why but they kind of just happen. It's hard to find a cause and even harder to get rid of the feeling," Pinkie explained.
"I understand it's difficult but that's why I'm here. I will help you through this, Miss Pie. Plus, you have some very nice friends that will help you get through this as well. If you ever feel sad and you can't make an appointment with me, talk to your friends. They care about you and will help you feel better about yourself. Even if it's temporary, you will get happier and happier as we meet more and you get more help. I'm very glad you started coming to me. We will get you happy again, Pinkie. I promise you. I don't want you feeling this way anymore and I know none of your friends do either," Dr Blueheart said, showing a lot of sympathy and compassion for this mare. 
Pinkie smiled even wider. Seeing somepony care so much and being reminded of how much her friends loved her, really helped her feel better. She knew this wouldn't last forever but it was nice for the moment and she was going to savor the happiness. She was starting to realize that savoring happiness would be the best thing she could do for herself. 
"I appreciate that a lot, doc. I am so glad Fluttershy had me come here. I don't know what I would have done if Fluttershy wouldn't have found me that day I was harming myself."
"I'm very glad she did find you. Though, I don't want you to do that anymore. I know you may be tempted and thoughts in your head may tell you that you should but it's not true, I assure you. Nobody deserves to feel that awful about themselves; especially not you, Miss Pie. You are a good pony and deserve a lot of happiness. I want you to know that spreading happiness to other ponies is good but make sure it doesn't effect you in negative ways," Dr. Blueheart started to explain more. 
"Now, it's almost time for you to be dismissed home so I want to give you an assignment. I will give you these every time you see me." Pinkie nodded. Dr Blueheart smiled and kept going. "Every time you plan a party, make sure that you're having a good time too, not just the people who are having the party. Give yourself time to relax and have fun. You work hard on the parties you plan and deserve it. It's also alright getting help if you feel too stressed. Basically, start thinking of yourself a little more. That's all I want from you for now."
Pinkie thought about it for a moment and didn't think that would be all that hard. She would definitely try as hard as she could. She knew she had to do whatever Dr. Blueheart thought was fit. 
Pinkie then stood up from the couch and made her way to the door. "Will do, doc! Thanks again for this help and oh, when should we meet again?"
He smiled and looked at his clipboard. "How's same time and day next week?" He asked her. She nodded and smiled. He wrote it down quickly on his piece of paper. 
With that, she opened the door and closed it behind her as she made her way back to Fluttershy, who was waiting patiently in the waiting room.