//------------------------------// // Sanity (Part 2) (edited) // Story: Getting Back to Good // by FlufferNutters //------------------------------// Peanut Butter adjusts his position on the couch to him laying down with his feet over the edge with him staring at the ceiling. He sighs and looks towards Clear Mind. "It was hard after the crash, those five years I was on my own in Manehatten." Peanut Butter admits. "How so?" "Well for starters I had days without food and had to steal, I slept in either the streets, benches, or abandoned houses if I was lucky." "What else?" "Hid from truancy officers thinking I'm some kid that skipped school, do my job wi-" Peanut Butter covers his mouth as he shuts his eyes. "With who P.B.?" "No one, just no one." "Lying isn't going to help you any, what you say in here, stays in this room." "With The Changelings." "The largest gang in Manehatten?" "Yep." "Why were you with them?" "I owed them my life at the time." "Why is that?" "They got me out of the gutter and took me in for a while." "In return for helping them?" "Yeah." "Any reason why you haven't told anyone?" "They don't need to know about my time there nor what I did." "Will you tell them?" "I don't know, maybe?" "I think it would be good for you to say something eventually." "No." "Why?" "It's none of their business." "Okay, how was your home life before the crash?" "Peaceful, calm, and loving." "Have you felt that here?" "Here as in my life living with Luna?" "Yes." "At times I'll admit, but they are far and few in between." "Ah, so you're adjusting well?" "You could say that." "You've been here for how long?" "The hell if I know, three months maybe?" "Okay, well I know you're hiding something from me when it comes to your past." "Because you don't need to know what it is." "It could help you." "That's something that has been bothering me, that phrase really pisses me off, you know why?, It's because whenever someone says that it turns to nothing more than a lie and wishful thinking." "Is that so?" "Yeah." "I take it people have lied to you?" "That and used me." "That's a shame, so why did you leave The Changelings?" "Their leader thought I could do better and dismissed me." "What did you do?" "Carried out deliveries and spied on other gangs." "Any stories?" Peanut Butter turns his head towards Clear Mind and glares at him before looking back up at the ceiling. "No there isn't." "Fine, but the more you avoid it, the more it will eat at you until you can take it anymore." Peanut Butter sighs and looks back at him. Silence remains in the office for a minute before Peanut Butter looks at Clear Mind. "You promise nothing will be disclosed outside of this room?" Peanut Butter asks. "I cannot disclose what happens in these sessions, so yes, I promise." Peanut Butter sighs as he sits up holding his head with his hand as his elbow sits on his leg. "I, I killed someone, I killed them for money that they owed to the gang." "That is a pretty heavy burden to carry." "It is, I have been carrying it for three years." ""That is quite a long time, have you told anyone else?" "No, it's none of their business and they don't need to know." "I see." Peanut Butter glares at Clear Mind after a couple minutes of silence. "You tricked me into talking." Peanut Butter accuses. "Actually, I didn't, you 'played along' I recall." "Whatever." Peanut Butter faces the ceiling with a sigh as Clear Mind writes on his notepad. "So P.B., if you are still willing to play along, how has school been?" Clear Mind asks. "Difficult to say the least." "How so?" "Having to adjust, catch up, and deal with people I do not like." "Like who?" "Blueblood, a snobby entitled rich shit that has hated me since elementary." "Why is that?" "I stood up to him after he picked on a kid." "I see, you must have hurt his ego pretty hard in order for him to have a grudge." "Probably did." "Anyone else?" "Not really, other than a stuck up girl named Twilight Sparkle, but other than her, the others are just annoying, but bearable." "I see." "Yeah, she's too in the lines and doesn't think to experiment or go the extra mile, ya know?" "You're quite the free spirit." "I had to be to survive and keep my sanity in a crazy world." "I see and I do agree." "People don't get that I did what I needed to in order to survive, some of it I may not be proud of, but it was better than being dead in a ditch or ally somewhere." "This is true." "They expect me to act normal, like nothing happened, but things happened and it's hard to adjust." "That it is, in your situation it's perfectly normal to have these issues." "What issues?" "Do you have frequent panic attacks?" "Yes, at least two a day." "I see, well I know you didn't want to be on meds, but until we find you some decent coping methods it will be for the best." "No, I'm not going on meds." "It will help you." "I don't care, you're just like the rest of them, trying to drug me up and brush me under the fucking rug like a nobody." Peanut Butter quickly gets up and heads for the door. "Please listen," Clear Mind says as Peanut Butter opens the door. "No, you had your shot and blew it, I'm done here." Peanut Butter walks out of the office and down the hallway as Clear Mind follows behind him. "P.B., at least consider it." Clear Mind suggests to him. "I'm not going back on that shit again." "Again?" "You heard me." Luna gets up and looks down the hall to see Peanut Butter walking towards her with the hood of his jacket up with Clear Mind behind him. "What happened in there?" Luna asks. Peanut Butter stays silent as he sits on the couch looking towards the wall. "P.B. was making good progress until I suggested medicine for his anxiety." "Then this happened?" "Yes, though after what he just said to me as we went to the hall I can see why he doesn't like psychologists." "Why?" "All they did was drug him and ignore his issues." "What issues?" "His anxiety being the big one, he has bottled a lot of emotions in without knowing how to deal with them and maybe something more, possibly PTSD." "He must have seen a lot then." "That he has." "I'll write a script for him, but let him take them on his own terms." "I understand." Clear Mind writes on a pad of paper before tearing off a sheet and handing it to Luna. She places it in her purse before looking at Peanut Butter. "There's more he isn't telling, but I won't push him." Clear Mind says. "What could he be hiding though?" "We'll find out in time, when would you like the next appointment?" "Does next Tuesday sound good?" "I'll have to check my schedule." Clear Mind goes back to his office and returns a few seconds later. "I'm free at four in the evening." He states. "Perfect, thank you Doctor Clear Mind." "No problem, have a good day." "You too, come on P.B., let's go home." Peanut Butter gets up and walks to the door with Luna behind him. They both leave and get into the car before driving home. They return to Canterlot only to stop at a drug store near by the apartment. Luna parks her car in a parking spot in front of the store and turns off her car. "You can stay in here if you want, I'll only be a few minutes." Luna says as she picks up her purse. "Yeah, okay." Luna's face has a small frown before she has a small smile on her face. "Look, I know you didn't want to go there, but I'm proud of you for giving it a chance." Peanut Butter lifts his head slightly and turns his head towards her. "Thanks, it means a lot that you said that." "You're welcome, how about after this we get some ice cream?" "That, that would be nice, thank you." "It's not a problem." Luna leaves and locks the car before going into the store. Peanut Butter stares out the window as people come and go. He keeps his hood up as he looks out the window, hiding his face. Five minutes later Luna returns to the car and opens the door before getting in and placing a shopping bag in the backseat. She looks over to Peanut Butter and notices that he didn't react to her coming back. She leans forward a bit to see his eyes closed and with his mouth slightly opened. She smiles and shuts the door quietly before starting the car and heading home. Luna parks in her spot by the stairs and turns off the car. She gets the bag she placed in the backseat and her purse before she gently shakes Peanut Butter. He stirs and looks at her with his eyes half open. "Time to get up P.B., we're home, did you have a nice nap?" Luna asks. Peanut Butter nods and gets up to grab his book bag before getting out of the car and walking up the stairs. Luna closes her car doors and follows him up the stairs. She takes her keys out of her purse and unlocks the door before opening it and going in. Peanut Butter follows her inside and drags his feet back to his room. Luna looks at him before he shuts the door. Luna giggles a bit before going to her room to change. As she puts on the top of her pajamas on her phone rings on the bed. Luna picks it up and looks at it, she raises an eyebrow when it is an unknown number. She answers her phone and puts it up to her ear. "Hello?" Luna asks. "Oh Miss Proper, how are you?" "That's good, may I ask why you call?" "A one on one interview with P.B.?" "After Hearth's Warming break would be best." "Okay, see you then." Luna hangs up the phone and puts it in her pajama pants pocket before she goes out to the kitchen to make dinner. She chops up chicken, vegetables, and some cashews before getting a pot out and filling it with water. She puts it on the stove and turns the burner on before getting a pan and heating it up. She throws the chicken in and cooks it. The water starts to boil as she finishes the vegetables and adds noodles to the water and puts the vegetables in a bowl with the chicken. She mixes them up adding sauce to it before switching over to the noodles. When the pasta finishes cooking Luna strains it and mixes them with the rest of the ingredients and warms the cashews as she plates dinner. She takes out the cashews and crushes them before sprinkling the pieces over the food. She places the plates on the island counter before walking to Peanut Butter's door and knocking on it. "Dinner is ready, come eat." Luna says. "Coming." Luna sits on a stool and eats as Peanut Butter comes out in his pajamas and a jacket. He sits on the stool next to Luna and starts eating. After they finish Luna looks at him. "We're not done yet, don't want to forget dessert." Luna mentions as she puts the plates in the sink. Peanut Butter sits as Luna gets two bowls and spoons and places them on the counter by the refrigerator while going into the freezer pulling out a tub of ice cream. Luna takes a couple scoops of ice cream and puts them in each bowl before taking out a can of whipped cream and putting some on top of each as well. She puts the tub and can back before placing the bowls on the island. Peanut Butter starts eating the ice cream with a smile on his face. Luna smiles back as she eats her ice cream. They both finish as Peanut Butter places his bowl into the sink with Luna doing the same shortly after. Peanut Butter looks back at her with a small smile. "Thanks for dinner and the ice cream." He thanks as he turns to walk to his room. "You're welcome P.B.." "I'm going to bed early, good night." "Good night P.B., sweet dreams." "You too." Peanut Butter shuts the door and locks it while Luna cleans the dishes. After she finishes cleaning she goes to her room and turns on the television before laying on her bed and watching her shows. She looks at her calendar on her bed and checks off the current day. "Two weeks until Thanksgiving, great, just great." Luna vents as she lays her head on the pillow.