Shellstrings

by shortskirtsandexplosions

Bodies and Voices

~o~We know that you can hear us.~o~

"Nope nope nope nope nope!" The stallion produced Lyra's words, galloping straight for the pond flanked with scant vegetation.

~o~Your resistance will not last forever. Obey us. Obey us and seek out the hives.~o~

"NOPE." Lyra reached the edge, took a deep breath, and—

—SPLOOSH! She dunked her head deep into the cold, muddy water. The sensation sent shivers down her spine. It was a refreshingly naked sensation—one that made her delight in the dire stab of the moment. Within seconds, she lifted her head up, gasping for air.

She sat there... dripping... surrounded by an empty arid expanse.

Silence.

More silence.

Then...

~o~You are accomplishing nothing.~o~

"Shut up!" She clenched her skull, gnashing her teeth. "You're not real!"

~o~Do you even possess the faculty to dream something so hyperbolic?~o~

"SHUT! UP!" Lyra hugged herself, doubling over with shivers.

Below her, the waters coalesced, forming a glossy surface. In that mirror-like sheen, an orange face came into focus.

Lyra blinked. Her trembles lessened slightly—for she was suddenly captivated by the stallion staring up at her.

"... ... ..." Her lips pursed. "Oh wow..." To her surprise, the voice came out was femine. It was hers.

The stallion's orange muzzle twisted in confusion.

Lyra blinked. Her eyes wandered as the stallion's wandered. Pensively... she flexed her back muscles, spreading a set of orange wings.

The stallion in the pond blushed.

"It's you," she murmured breathily in her own voice. One orange ear twitched... and twitched again. She reached forward, and a masculine voice came forth: "It's me."

The stallion reached up to her, smiling dashingly.

Lyra cocked her head aside. Her eyes narrowed. Something flickered in her orange throat, and she gargled: "Lyraaaaaaaaaaaaa." Bon Bon's voice lit the air, and the stallion giggled. A pause, and Princess Twilight's voice suddenly blurted: "Friendship!" The stallion bit his lips. "Farts!" the princess' voice said. Laughter. Then—a furrowed orange brow. "I would terribly much like to sit on an umbrella and rotate," Octavia's voice. "Because my music is utter rubbish and I love devouring boogers. Most exquisite, love."

The desert filled with laughter.

Lyra slapped the edge of the pond, snickering. She rocked back, wheezed, then leaned back forward into the water.

A green-maned unicorn with a glossy black coat glared out from the pond. ~o~You are a bottomless well of emotion.~o~

"Eeeeeeep!" Lyra shrieked, clutching her muzzle. FLASH! She curled up in a lime green ball, frozen stiff. A few blinks later, and she swallowed a lump down her throat. There was no time to rejoice at getting her unicorn exterior back. Nervously—with feline motions—she slinked back forward to look at the pond water.

A nervous unicorn stared back at her, amber eyes blinking.

Lyra cocked her head to the side. Her eyes narrowed, and she swiped a dainty fetlock across the pond.

The waters rippled, and—FLASH!—an old mare sat, her emotionless muzzle covered all over in smoke and soot.

~o~But love?~o~ The bodiless voice warbled in time with the mother's lips. ~o~You keep that locked away deep somewhere. Very shrewd.~o~ Burning green eyes. ~o~It is an endless battery. You cannot lose us.~o~

Lyra fumed and seethed. Her nostrils tickled with the smell of burning upholstery. "I don't even know who you are..."

The eyes burned brighter. ~o~Even you cannot pretend to be that stupid.~o~

"Grrrr!" Lyra snarled, standing up straight. "Get out of my head!"

~o~So now it's your head?~o~

Lyra clutched her skull, shivering all over.

~o~Silly fool. It's our head now. And unless you want to decay in this husk that we're sharing, you will do what I say and seek the hives.~o~

"No..." FLASH! Lyra hissed, once again a very green—and very angry—unicorn. She spun away from the pond and the voice and the cricket song. "This is me! MY body! MY head!"

~o~We will assume control eventually.~o~

"We'll just see about that!" Lyra ran off in a spontaneous direction, kicking up dust and flecks of dead grass.

~o~What in Tartarus' name do you think you're doing?!~o~

"Being random!" Lyra spat, running somewhere... anywhere. "Try to keep up!"

Comments

[Razzy]

You cannot resist forever, Lyra~

[IceKitsune]

Being random should help I guess, or at the very least be funny.

[Scorch215]

~o~We will assume control eventually.~o~

Will it be direct control?