• Published 22nd May 2015
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It's OK to Be a Pony - David Silver



Lyra Heartstrings, transformation specialist and social worker for those who believe they were not born ponies. These are her therapy sessions, both in group and in private.

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8 - Shattered Facade

Shattered Stone sat comfortably on the sofa. He always looked comfortable. He usually looked happy. Of all her patients, he was the closest to being well-adjusted.

Lyra rolled a hoof at him. "You are a pony, aren't you?"

He nodded. "Gladly."

Lyra smiled. "Good, but, and I mean this in the kindest way I can, you're not acting like a pony. You're putting off others by some of the things you do. We want to be your friend, Shattered." She leaned forward a little. "Can you tell me what you think is bothering ponies?"

He frowned with a bit of thought. "I'm not sure? The mares seem to like me enough..."

Lyra nodded slowly. "Alright, let's talk about that. You were with a mare last night?"

"Oh yeah! She was quite the screamer."

Lyra held up a hoof. "How many other mares did you have to ask before you ran into her?"

He counted on his hooves, which was a funny thing to do with only two hooves to count with. "Eight?"

"How did the others react?" Lyra smiled gently. "How did they react exactly? Be specific."

Shattered frowned. "The first one slapped me. Three of them were busy, and four said they already had coltfriends."

Lyra leaned back in her chair. "Why do you think they acted that way? It's not in a pony's nature to hit things without provocation."

Shattered looked all the more thoughtful, and Lyra smiled internally, hoping he was going down the right path. "Maybe my approach is off?"

Good enough. Lyra nodded. "You're coming on too strong. What do you tell them, exactly?"

Shattered waved at Lyra. "Well if I wanted to go out with you, I'd tell you your plot looks tight enough to bounce a bit off of."

Lyra went red at the mental imagery. "That will only attract a very specific kind of mare. Is that really the kind of mare you want? Tell me, do you want to start a family eventually?"

Shattered shuffled his hooves awkwardly, looking shamed. "Well... yes... I suppose. But mares are so fun!" He rolled onto his side. "I love being a stallion. I feel so... alive when I'm on a mare."

Lyra tapped her chin. "Well, can you imagine that, but deeper? Because when you find that special mare, the one you want to be with forever, it grabs you right in the center of your body and never lets go. You feel it every time you see her."

"How would you even know?" He frowned at her.

She just smiled. "My Bon Bon makes me feel that way. Every day I come home to her and all my worries retreat under her smile. She holds me when I hurt, and she gives me great ideas. We support each other, and I wouldn't want another pony in the world compared to her."

He ran a forehoof in slow circles over the cushion. "I doubt there's a pony out there that'd fit me that well."

Lyra could hear fear, and a little hurt, and she slipped from her chair, approaching Shattered. "You won't know until you give that special mare a chance. She'll want to be treated right. Is the way you're acting now the -real- you? Is that how you want a mare to look at you, really?"

Shattered sank his head on the cushion. "I used to be a really nice guy. I used to always mind my manners, but I never got any women. Then I came here, and I was a pony. I wasn't the old boring me. I'm a virile slab of... horse." He rolled over onto his back, squirming on the couch. "Mares look at me. Sometimes they make unhappy faces, but they look at me."

Lyra reached out and brushed one of his cheeks. "You have the bravery to find a mare worth keeping. You don't need to act this way. Be yourself, but keep that bravery, and everything will work out. I promise. Your problem before was just not going out where mares could see you."

Shattered smiled gently and rolled up onto his hooves. "I'll try. I swear, I'll try." He stole a kiss from her forehead just under her horn and dashed out of the study before she could reprimand him. She sighed softly and smiled, deciding it had been a good session.

She settled on her chair and began to jot down notes. Some time later her hat buzzed, warning her a pony was coming or going from the house. She gave it a twist and saw Shattered was coming home. He ran into Darrell and watched her a moment before clearing his throat.

Darrell turned to look at Shattered with obvious reservation. "What?"

Shattered smiled. "You're looking very nice today, even if that's not the body you wanted. If you need any help, let me know. I'll be making dinner." He trotted off towards the kitchen without waiting for a reply, leaving a shocked Darrell behind.

Darrell shook off her surprise and stormed after Shattered with a frown. "Don't try to butter me up! I'm not a mare and I'm not available!"

Shattered looked like he was getting a pot of water from the kitchen camera. "I know that. It doesn't change facts. As mares go, you're pretty. I know you're not comfortable, and I'm not asking you out. If you need anything, ask. Sorry I've been a jerk."

Darrell looked increasingly out of sort, perhaps trying to figure out Shattered's new angle. She eventually spun around and retreated from the room, leaving Shattered to cook.

Lyra disabled the feed and smiled. It wasn't perfect, but it was progress. A few minutes later there was a soft rapping at the door.

She opened the door to find Twilight for the second time that week. She smiled brightly. "Sorry to keep pestering you, Princess."

Twilight waved a hoof. "Twilight works. What's on your mind?"

Lyra gestured towards Twilight's castle through the window. "I think I was wrong. I want to face their past dead on, at least some of them. Maybe one at a time. Would you be willing to oversee a few trips through that portal of yours? I have a few theories, but they're just that, and as many theories get shot down as not, so I feel like I'm floundering. I want to help them get better..."

Twilight frowned a little. "What if they want to stay?"

Lyra drew a slow breath before letting it out. "What if they do? Would that... be a failure? I'm not even sure anymore. Some of them are adapting really well. Shattered Stone is turning a bend, and was happy as a pony to start, but he's not the only one. But some of the others... If they can find happiness through that portal, is it even right to say no?"

Twilight nodded slowly. "I think I understand. We have to be careful though. There are dreadful consequences if they run into their counterparts."

Lyra blinked. "What?"

Twilight made a hologram in the air, showing Lyra as a pony, and the human Lyra. "There are two of most ponies. One on this side, and one on the other side. You're very similar, but not the same person. If they meet, the universes draw dangerously close, and that's bad. Really bad."

Lyra tilted her head at her human self, fascinated. "I look really strange as a human. I prefer the pony model, thank you."

Twilight smiled. "If you went with them, you'd look like that." She pointed at the human Lyra. "And you'd have to avoid your copy at all costs. You'd also have to learn how to walk on two legs, and how to use hands."

Lyra waved a hoof dismissively. "I've been teaching them how to move as ponies, I can figure out how to move as a human no problem. When can we go?"

Twilight turned for the exit. "Let me prepare first. Maybe a week?"

They shared a wave and Twilight departed, leaving Lyra with a fresh batch of thoughts.

Author's Note:

Has Shattered Stone turned a new leaf, or will he slip back into old habits? Are there answers beyond the mirror portal, or just a new load of questions to the mystery?

Lyra intends to find out! She won't rest until she can help these ponies.

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