This is a written recording of the last psychiatric analysis of patient Korsan A. Maden in the Victoria Mahkra Asylum on Foreversea Island, two days before his escape from location. Up to this point, patient has committed an unconfirmed number of crimes across Baltimare, Equestria, though the general guess is at least one thousand over the course of three years, ranging from robbery, arson, murder, and several other federal crimes.

Psychiatric Interview and Analysis of Patient #113

Timestamp: 2300 hours, [REDACTED]

Psychiatrist: Dr. Gale

Stenographer: Dr. Parker

[Begin Recording]

Upon patient's request, all overseeing doctors and front security have been removed from the treatment room, leaving only Dr. Gale to examine him and Dr. Parker for both recording and required security. The patient is seated on a large red therapy bed with Dr. Gale seated next to him on a small metal stool bolted to the metal floor of the containment chamber.

Dr. Gale speaks first, greeting the patient in a welcoming tone of voice, "Hello Mr. Maden."

The patient responds in a charismatic tone, similar to all previous interviews between him and other doctors, "Greetings."

"I will be your interviewer for the evening. I'm just going to perform a psychiatric evaluation, so this will be quick."

"Oh great, another one of these..."

"Excuse me?"

"Bah, don't mind that. This is just the tenth one I've received this month."

"Do you have a problem with it?"

"These doctors, these professionals, these shrinks, they've been so desperately trying during these last months to try and dissect my brain and psyche. They just keep searching for something that isn't there, something wrong with me."

"I don't quite follow. Can you please clarify?"

"...You're an intern, I presume."

"I used to be. This is actually my first actual interview as a psychiatric. I hope you don't mind."

"No, no, that's good, very good, some hospitality for once."

"What do you mean?"

"These coworkers of yours are not the kindest lot. They really can't take 'no' for an answer from me. You'll be different I assume."

"Who knows? But anyways, how about we start this session?"

"Good luck on your first analysis."

"Thank you. Should we start by asking you a few personal questions?"

The patient's voice cuts into a cold and apathetic mood, "Very well then."

"What are your hobbies?"

"Many really. Construction, engineering, self-educating, and 'business'."

"What do you educate yourself about?"

"Mathematics, history, biology, mechanics, physics, nautical studies, magic, you know, the essentials."

"Essentials?"

"Knowledge that helps you keep up with the world and change it to what is best for it, things you know before diving headfirst into the icy sea of reality."

"Do you like to read fiction?"

"Of course. They give ideas and concepts you would never thought of alone, perhaps even a decent fantasy to pursue."

"Why did you commit these crimes? If you were so interested in self-benefit and education, why did you not follow through?"

"Knowledge can only get you so far. Like most things, everything has an invisible limitation, either it be physical, mental, magic. Upbringing just makes these limits all the more obvious, as for my case. In order to at least avoid these limits, I have to break a few rules."

"Were you bullied?"

"That is both an understatement and an overstatement."

"What do you mean?"

"It is an understatement because it was more than just bullying. My past was nothing but humiliation, torture, neglect, and pain. I became the laughing stock of any set of ponies I was clumped together with, even my own family treated me like such."

Dr. Gale slightly rises from her seat and reaches her hooves towards the patient's scarred face.

Against regulation, she breaks formal tone and  exclaims, "That sounds horrible!"

"But, this 'bullying' you speak of is also a very dramatic overstatement."

"How?"

"It was all justified."

"What?"

Dr. Parker motions to Dr. Gale to take her seat, in which she obeys and calms down before the patient answers.

"You see, there is a grim truth to this world. An ultimate reality that everypony tries to refuse the existence of and live in a state of innocence."

"What is this reality?"

"...Perhaps I shouldn't tell you. The other doctors called me mad when I told them."

"You can tell me. I won't judge you."

"Oh, but you have to. It's your job isn't it? To pick and judge me in order to find some solution to whatever illness I have, well, claimed that I have at least."

"Well..."

"Don't feel too bad for yourself. It isn't your fault, it's this cruel false world that you live in."

"I don't understand. Please clarify."

"The illusion, the limit, the resistance against the grim reality. To an outside observer, anypony that lives in this resistance is almost as mad as a patient of the asylum. Your bean counters are alongside these lunatics in their own little world with their own little ambitions."

"Do-do I fall into this limit?"

"I wish not. You are quite a nice and young mare."

Dr. Gale and the patient both giggle for a second. Dr. Parker gives a stern look at Dr. Gale, motioning her to keep on task and not fraternize with the patient.

Dr. Gale breathes for a moment before continuing, "Okay... How about we move onto something else? I need some specifics. How about some word association?"

"Sure. I got nothing better to do other than figure out a way out of this prison."

"Progress."

"A beautiful idea, but impossible in practice."

"Art."

"The best form of communication."

"Acceptance."

"My favorite stage."

"Charity."

"Mercy for those who suffer more than you do."

"Honesty."

"The world's biggest paradox."

"Crime."

"A poor pony's excuse of living in envy. With that said, I probably have the biggest excuse."

Dr. Gale giggles again, noticeable louder than before.

After given another warning from Dr. Parker, Dr. Gale calms down and continues with the session, "Free-will."

"The unknowingness of what will happen in the future."

"Wait, really?"

"What? Is there a problem?"

"No. I think the same thing as well."

"You do?"

"Yes."

"Well then, you are quite a clever girl. Continue."

"Alright. Destiny."

"Knowledge of what will happen in the future. Not really as entertaining as its opposite, but much more powerful."

"Truth."

"Wait, what?"

"Huh? Oh! Your next word is 'truth'."

A low grunt escapes from the patient before he answers, "Other than the truth serum I was injected with during the last session, my only thoughts of truth is how oblivious the world is to it."

"Would you like to be specific?"

"You know what I mean. Don't you?"

"I-I think I do."

"Don't be so shy, it's only us three in this padded room."

"Sorry. I just, I have a lot of things going on. This new job, my dad currently in prison, my mom, it-it's just overwhelming."

"Pity."

"What am I even saying? I'm going off on a tangent instead of focusing again. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Perhaps it takes a 'screwball' to help you coop with your problem."

"No, no. I should stay on task. Your next word is, 'pity'."

"A synonym for charity."

Dr. Gale pauses for several seconds before continuing, "Fate."

"Do you want to know something funny? I used to see fate is something as vile as pure evil, some predetermined eventually that you can do nothing about. The good are rewarded, the bad are punished, the richer get richer, the poorer get poorer, death is inevitable, we endlessly pursue life, it is unstoppable in how tyrannical and boring it all becomes in the end. However, one night, something happened that changed everything."

"What happened?"

"I came across something, or maybe somepony, very special. I came across phenomenon that I can relate to, and believe me, that has never happened before. When I laid my one good eye across this speciality, I was practically blinded! And during that blindness, I saw a new light that I have never seen before, one that was more powerful than the moons, the stars, and the sun."

"What is this light?"

"I have no idea. All I will probably ever know about it is its power, its colour, its beauty. In that moment of blindness, I suddenly found a new perspective of fate."

"You did?"

"Yes. Now I realize that all of those tortures I went through, all the battles I was pulled into or began, they were all leading up to an ultimate moment, an enlightenment when I came across this phenomenon, and it was all set up by fate."

"Sounds like this 'thing' is important to you."

"Oh it is. Sure I may have received a few new, scars, but the knowledge and wisdom I received in that one moment made me change all of my aspirations. Fate isn't just a cruel form of destiny, but rather a cheat sheet on life, a series of mathematical equations. It is knowledge, and you can already figure out how much I adore knowledge!"

"Do you at least have a name of this phenomenon, this knowledge bringer?"

"I have no idea of this special little thing is called. I'm sorry."

"My-my name is November, November Gale."

"What a pretty name for a pretty mare. You must have a lot of friends."

"Not really. Most ponies think I'm weird."

"These, 'most ponies', what are they like?"

"You know, just your regular stallions and mares, Earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi."

"Are you sure it isn't them that are being wierd?"

"What?"

"From what I've seen of the world, for every normal pony, there are two morons right beside him or her, dragging the one down with them into their little theatre and forcing him or her to accept them."

"That sounds so..."

"Insane?"

"True."

"Ha. We aren't so different, you and me. Perhaps you're another 'screwball' that can put up a good act for her friends."

"Maybe..."

"...Do you have any friends? Close friends?"

A small sniffle is heard as Dr. Gale responds, "...Not really."

"Well you got one now."

Dr. Gale leans over to the patient and begins to gently stroke his mane.

[End Recording]