“Emily, if you’re having a problem, you can talk to me,” Ivory Spark said kindly. “I’m here to help you. I won’t be angry if you tell me you don’t like your parents.”
“It’s not them! It’s… ugh, I don’t know how much I want to get into it right now. I mean, I know I might as well get it out of the way now since we’re already on that path, but I don’t know if I want to explain it now.”
“I’m here to listen to you if you want to talk. It’s okay if you don’t, but I’ll be here if you do.”
“But are you gonna believe what I tell you if I do? I mean, I don’t wanna tell you; I just wanna play this out as long as possible and feel nice about myself, but…”
“I’m not going to assume you’re lying, if that’s what you’re asking,” the doctor assured her. “I promise.”
“That’s not the same thing, but I guess that’s the best I can ask for, isn’t it?” Before Ivory Spark could interject, Emily took a breath and started, “I was not a pony before two days ago.”
That was a statement Ivory Spark was unprepared to hear, and had to keep the look of surprise off her face as she stayed silent to listen to her.
The filly clearly expected the mare to interrupt, but when she didn’t, continued, “Like, I don’t know how to say this in a way that doesn’t make me sound crazy, and didn’t even want to say anything to begin with because I like being here and being myself. But if this is playing out like Mind Over Matter did, then I want to get it out of the way now that I’m not the filly whatever parents you found are looking for. I mean, physically I probably am, but mentally I wouldn’t be. And it’s gonna make me uncomfortable if I’m just moving in to steal some random little kid’s body.”
Ivory Spark wasn’t sure what she was trying to say, but it made her deeply confused. What was she suggesting? That she was inside a story she read? That she was somehow mind swapped into a pony from some creature else? That was the strangest thing she’d ever heard in her life.
She didn’t bring up that fact though, keeping any confusion off of her face as she asked, “What’s Mind Over Matter? A story you read?”
“One that I wrote. It’s about a foal named Leo and has you in it, and that’s why I was so surprised when I saw you. Cause Leo was the kid you took care of in that story, and he was put into the same situation as I’m in. So I know how this is gonna turn out already.”
Okay, this was getting even more confusing, but the doctor could see a theory coming up. She didn’t know how likely it was, and it was one that made her frown to think about, but she was certain that over the course of this conversation she’d find out whether it was viable or not.
“You said before that you didn’t feel like you all the time, especially right now,” she started carefully. “Do you know what ‘you’ is supposed to be?”
“I mean, I guess I’m supposed to be a human, but I’d much rather be a filly than a human.” She sounded like she was trying to scale back her age again, her voice going up a bit in pitch as she continued, “It’s not like I don’t like being a pony, but that’s not what I am.”
“Mhm, I see.” She didn’t even bother asking what a human was as she continued, “And humans don’t live in Equestria, do they? They live in Cansess, right?”
“Yup.”
“Okay. So then how did a human like you from Cansess get all the way to Equestria as a filly?”
“Well, I teleported, obviously,” Emily shrugged, like it made the most sense in the world. Ivory Spark didn’t know if she was intentionally trying to play down her maturity or acting younger on purpose, or if she was unintentionally switching back and forth between being anxious and nonchalant, seeming slightly older and slightly younger as she did.
“And how did you teleport here again?” she asked. “What exactly happened?”
“How did I get here?” Emily wondered too, putting a hoof on her chin as she tried to think about it. “Let’s see. I was at work, and then… um…” She frowned as she thought, and then finally wondered aloud, “How can I not remember? It just happened two days ago!”
“That’s okay. Where do you work at? What kind of job is it?”
“I write, but also I work in a telephone company. I answer calls for insurance.”
“Oh wow, that sounds important. What kinds of calls did you get at work before you were teleported here?”
“If you’re expecting me to remember that, I’m not gonna. I mostly tune out anything that’s not memorable. It’s all the same after a while.”
“What about ponies you talked to that day? Do you remember that?”
“Yeah, I talked to my friends like I always do. We always hang out together in voice chats, and I watch them play games and stuff while we talk. It’s fun.”
Not all that different from what she said before, even if Ivory Spark was unsure what a voice chat was. But the point wasn’t to see how honest she was being. It was what she remembered and what she didn’t.
“What kinds of movies and games did you watch them play yesterday? Do you remember what you talked about?”
“Yeah, we talked about, uh… it was… it’s…” Now she had a scowl on her face, clearly picking up on what Ivory Spark was trying to find out. “Is there a reason why I wouldn’t remember what we were talking about?” she asked. “I was there! And we…”
“Yeah?”
“Ugh, I don’t remember, but it’s not like my memory has been perfect anyway. I know what you’re trying to do, and I know why you’d think so, but I really am not from Equestria.”
“That’s okay. What were your parents' names again?” she asked politely. “What did they look like?”
“Their names are Willie and Mindy, and they’re a black stallion and a white mare,” she told her immediately. “My dad has black hair and my mom has blonde hair.”
“So then your parents are ponies, but you’re not supposed to be?” Ivory Spark questioned.
“Wait, no, they’re both humans. I just misspoke.”
“I understand. And you said their names are Willy and Mendy?” she asked. “Because for somepony who’s supposed to be a human from Cansess, that sounds awfully similar to Willy Whisps and Cloud Mender.”
“Wait, what?” That got Emily to raise an eyebrow. “Their names are seriously Willie and Mindy?” Ivory Spark nodded, and the filly had a look of complete confusion on her face. It was one that said she had no idea what was going on, not one she’d show up to this point.
“That makes absolutely no sense,” Emily said. “I’d say you’re lying, but I know you don’t lie like that, but none of that adds up at all. How can this filly’s parents have the same names as my parents do on Earth? Leo’s parents didn’t have that.”
It might not have made sense to Emily, but it was all starting to come together for Ivory Spark. Every little thing she said and did was starting to fit together like pieces of a puzzle. It was like the whole picture was coming into view, a picture that made Ivory Spark a little bit sad. But it was better to have the picture seen now than it was in ten years.
“I know that look,” Emily started before she could say anything. “That’s the look that people give when they think you’re lying and feel bad.”
“I don’t think you’re lying, Emily.”
“But you’re gonna say I have schizophrenia or a psychotic disorder or something like that, aren’t you?”
“I’m not gonna say you have schizophrenia,” Ivory Spark assured her. Emily stared back at her with an incredulous look as the mare said, “I promise, I don’t think you have a psychotic disorder. You can trust me.”
“Well you definitely think I have something that I’m definitely sure I don’t have. If I had schizophrenia or something else, my psychiatrist would’ve told me. I don’t think that’s the kind of thing you really miss. Actually, I’m pretty sure it’s super rare for people under a certain age to get it.”
“It is rare for foals, and I promise you, I don’t think you have it. But can I ask who your psychiatrist is and what you saw them for?”
“I don’t remember his name, but he told me I have ADHD and autism. I used to take stimulants for ADHD, but don’t anymore. And I went to therapy for autism.”
Yup, Ivory Spark could definitely believe all of that. That was no surprise. As well, hearing that kind of put into perspective what the doctor thought she was dealing with and why he would miss it. It made it much more likely, at least in her opinion.
“Can we stop talking about this though?” Emily asked. “This is making me feel really bad. I knew you weren’t gonna believe me about being a human, but I thought this might end up differently.”
“Sure, and I understand. Was there anything you wanted to talk about?”
“Not really anymore,” the filly said sadly, putting her chin on the table and closing her eyes. “I just thought I’d be able to be happy here for a long time, but it sounds like it’s either gonna end with me being sent back to Kansas or with everyone thinking I have a mental issue or something.”
“It’s okay if you need a psychiatrist, Emily,” she told her. “Everypony needs help sometimes, some of us in different ways.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’d still be basically stealing an actual little kid’s place to be here. That’s not right.”
Ivory Spark sighed and sat at the table with Emily, not touching her but watching her. She definitely already had all her expectations laid out, so that no matter what the mare said, it would upset her. It was a no win situation.
“Can I ask what that story you wrote was about?” she suddenly started as an idea came to her. “You said it was called Mind Over Matter?”
“Yeah. Basically, the short version is that it was about this kid named Leo who used to be a human and went to Equestria because he wished on a genie to go there. And then he kind of, like, took this little kid’s place to be there and give the foal a better life cause he was being abused, but Leo inherited all of the abused kid’s memories. And then he went to a hospital in a city I forget the name to, and you took care of him, and went through helping him integrate into being a five year old colt even though he used to be a twenty year old drug addict.”
Well, that certainly sounded like a story, Ivory Spark could say that much. It did give her some more questions to work with though.
“So you’re saying you wrote a story about a stallion taking over the mind of a colt and replacing him?”
“Well, he didn’t really take over his mind. It was kind of like an equal partnership thing, I think? Except the kid wasn’t actually there? But Leo and the kid argued a lot, but, like, it was more like Leo was arguing to himself and against himself.”
If that wasn’t a textbook definition Emily described, Ivory Spark didn’t know what would be. “And you said that’s a story you wrote? Do you think you’re in that story?”
“I mean, yeah? Cause you’re here, and you’re a character I created, so that’s the only way you’d be able to be here. It doesn’t make sense for you to exist if I’m not in my own story. But, like, I don’t hear another voice in my head right now like Leo did if that’s what you’re thinking, but I won’t be surprised if I do because if this is like that story, then I’m taking over that filly’s mind. Either that, or I’m inheriting it and she’s taking over my mind.”
Oh, what a statement was that to hear? It made the doctor almost certain in what she was thinking. What she thought was a small possibility was now a large possibility in her opinion. This case Bright Side had given to her was turning out to be more interesting than the mare originally expected, but not in any way that was good.