Trigger Warning: Mentions of Self Harm, Eating Disorders
 
RehabVerse- 6  
Tiki was nervous, more nervous than one probably should be considering the fact that he was merely going to his first group therapy session. He thought of all the ways it could go wrong, all the ways he could embarrass himself or make the others angry. He didn’t mean to be so unpleasant to others but he couldn’t help but react strongly to negative comments. He must have been visibly on edge because Kiburi asked why he was grinding his teeth. Tiki unclenched his jaw and sighed heavily. Kiburi took the initiative to ask him what was wrong. Tiki admitted his apprehension and worries and Kiburi replied with words of comfort. He reminded Tiki that they’d not only be together during the session, but that Tiki wouldn’t be forced to speak if he didn’t want to. That gave the pegasus some reassurance.
 
Once in the room, Tiki took notice of each equus who walked in. There was a dark grey earth pony mare who Tiki vaguely recognized but couldn’t place, a dull yellow pelted crystal unicorn with several worrying scars, and a double amputee earth stallion who walked with a limp. The session began when a blue pegasus stallion with an oddly round belly entered the room and cheerfully introduced himself. Mr. Fluffy Cloud’s infantilizing manner of speaking to them made Tiki inwardly groan. One by one everyone introduced themselves, and as each equus stood up and spoke Tiki’s heart sank.
 
It turned out the grey mare was in fact someone he knew, her name was Rosina Pie, daughter of Ms. Maude Pie and Mr. Mudbriar. She introduced herself as Last Rites however, and didn’t mention her parents. He learned the stallion with the prosthetic hind legs was Deadweight, and Tiki wondered who thought that name was a good idea. He didn’t want to talk about his legs, Tiki was fine with that because just looking at him made the pegasus uncomfortable. The crystal pony was Lack Luster, and she was by far the most upsetting as it was quickly made evident that her scars were self inflicted. Her flanks were so marked it was unclear what her cutiemark was. Tiki felt more unsettled and horrified with each pony’s story. Thank goodness for Kiburi who seemed to brighten the room when his turn came up. Kiburi didn’t deviate much from how he introduced himself to Tiki, but he did mention something Tiki had thought to himself earlier. Kiburi was very much overweight and had been sent to this facility because of an eating disorder he did not elaborate on.
 
Mr. Fluffy Clouds was just weird, he started talking about how there was a parasitic twin tumor growing in his belly, Fetus in fetu he called it. Why the thing hadn’t been removed yet involved a considerate lack of funds, hence a weather pony working as an unofficial counselor at a rehab center. Gotta work that side hustle.
 
Finally came Tiki’s turn, but his eyes were trained on the floor and his jaw was clenched tight. He felt despair, all these upsetting stories made him feel horrible for so many unclear reasons. Mr. Fluffy prompted him again, but he remained silent. Kiburi spoke up instead, politely explaining that Tiki was rather shy. This wasn’t entirely true Kiburi would wager, but something had greatly upset Tiki and he clearly didn’t want to talk. The session continued without him and he sat and listened until they were dismissed to the lounge.