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// Chapter Twelve 
// Story: The Little Filly Who Could 
// by Boopy Doopy 
//------------------------------//

Emily still wasn’t feeling in a particularly good mood after Ivory Spark asked her more questions, but the mare decided that after lunch, she would try to improve it. 
“I heard that you were feeling excited about being in Ponyville a few days ago,” she started as the filly found a fish filet sandwich to eat. “How do you feel about going out for a walk around the town? We can head to the park and see if there’s any foals you could make friends with.”
That instantly brought a smile to her face. “Yeah, I wanna see stuff and go to the park. Oh! Do you think we can eat at Sugarcube Corner and visit Twilight’s School of Friendship? Please?” She flapped her wings happily at the prospect, once again seeming like a filly younger than ten years old.
“Of course,” Ivory Spark told her, now wearing a smile of her own. “If Headmare Starlight Glimmer lets us, sure. And while we’re out at the park, you can release some of that pent up energy you probably have and fly around.”
“Oh, um, I don’t think I know how to fly, but I do wanna go outside again.”
“Wait, you don’t know how to fly?”
“Not really.” Emily shrugged, and continued, “I can’t know how to do something I’ve never done before since I’m not from Equestria, but I think learning how to would be pretty fun. I mean, I’m probably gonna be sent back to Kansas before I have a full grasp on it, but something would be better than nothing.”
Now how interesting would it be if the little filly could fly, Ivory Spark wondered? Certainly more surprising for Emily than it would be for the doctor, that was for sure. She had a feeling she knew how it was gonna turn out if she tried to.
She didn’t say anything though, deciding to remain silent while Emily finished her lunch and chattered excitedly about the kinds of ponies she wanted to meet. There was a second where the filly made a face and put a hoof to her chest because of the food getting stuck in her throat in the middle of her esophagus, but other than that, it seemed like she wasn't having any issue with eating. Afterward, the two headed out, Emily galloping ahead of her as Ivory Spark kept her in her sight line. She was absolutely adorable, probably one of the most adorable fillies she’d met, especially when she was happy.
There was still a lot of work to do, but Ivory Spark didn’t know how much she would get through today. She might let the filly play for the rest of the day and then talk to Baltimare Psychiatry Services where she normally worked about her later that night. She definitely needed to go more in-depth with her about her dissociation, as well as follow up on any sexual abuse she might have received and what other trauma she might be harboring. Then her parents would be here to pick her up, and she would talk to them in Ponyville and during the train ride back to Baltimare. Yes, she could say her plate was extremely full. Thankfully, she normally only worked on one foal at a time. She could devote all her time to Emily for now.
They eventually found their way to the park, and while Emily did try to talk to other foals there for a bit, she mostly kept to herself, not that she seemed particularly upset by it. She sat on the swings as Ivory Spark sat on the bench, no clipboard, but making mental notes about her behavior. At least right then, she seemed like a completely normal, if slightly reserved foal. 
It was a while before she got tired, eventually opting to sit next to the mare in the shade, and when she did, the doctor took the opportunity to talk to her again.
“How are you enjoying Ponyville so far?” she asked. “Is it living up to all your expectations?”
“Heck yeah!” she said, flapping her wings again excitedly as she spoke with enthusiasm in her voice. “It makes me super happy to see everything there is here, even if I don’t get to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders or Twilight Sparkle and her friends. But it’s still fun!”
“That’s good to hear,” the doctor smiled. “Lots of ponies come here to visit a lot, and I’ve even stopped here myself a couple of times to do just that. Did you walk all the way here from Baltimare? Or, I mean, Cansess? Or you said you teleported?”
“Yeah, I teleported, but I don’t really know how it happened. But, um, that doesn’t mean I dissociated.”
“That’s okay. I understand. Do you think you would know where in Baltimare you live?” she asked. 
“Not the slightest clue,” she shook her head and shrugged. “But you know what? I’m gonna try and fly now! I’ll be right back.”
Before she could tell her to be careful not to hurt herself since she didn’t know if she could, the filly was climbing up playground equipment and carefully looking at the ground. The mare had to admit, she was interested to see what would happen, and wasn’t too worried. Pegasi were much more built to brush off things like this than other creatures. 
“Here I go!” she declared, jumping down and flapping her wings as she did. Predictably enough, Emily had no trouble sustaining herself in the air, something that was of no surprise to Ivory Spark. Emily herself seemed surprised, because she looked around at her flapping wings and then down at the ground, blinking like it was the last thing she thought would happen.
“Huh. That’s weird. I must be doing this on instinct.”
Or you’ve been dissociating, the doctor thought, although certainly kept it to herself. It wasn’t even good that the mare was thinking that. Thoughts like that were unkind, and not something any foal deserved.
And I can't rush to conclusions either, Ivory Spark reminded herself. The simplest and most obvious explanation wasn't always the correct explanation.
The filly carefully landed, and then took off again, this time from the ground, jumping into the air. It was a little more awkward, but within just a few seconds, she was raising herself up to the height she was at before. Yes, she knew how to fly, and just knowing pegasi, Ivory Spark knew it wasn’t something that could be done on instinct.
“This is so strange,” she said, floating over to Ivory Spark and plopping her flank back down on the bench. “I don’t understand how I can do that.” The mare gave her a little smile, one Emily didn’t return. “It doesn’t mean I’m dissociating though. I’m gonna prove I’m not, because I do care about whatever filly’s place I took. I don’t want her to be away from her parents.”
“Well, I’m sure that whatever is going on with you, we’ll be able to–”
“Oh! I know how to prove I’m right!” she suddenly interrupted. Before the doctor could ask, Emily started excitedly, “I wrote about Blue Mist and Herbal Essence and Thundertail and Lucky Day! If those ponies exist, then I must be telling the truth! There’s no way you can reasonably say me knowing who those ponies are is a coincidence, can you?”
“Emily–”
“Come on! It won’t take that long to do! If it turns out they don’t exist, then I’ll accept defeat and do whatever you say, but I know that won’t happen because you exist, so therefore they exist! So I’m right!” She flapped her wings in excitement, staring up at the mare with a little gleam in her eye that said she truly thought what she was thinking would turn out to be right.
The temptation to say yes and humor her in seeing if those ponies really did exist was strong, but Ivory Spark forced down that urge. She knew better than to start walking down random paths like this. 
“We’re not doing that, Emily,” she said seriously. “You’re going to have to trust that what I’m telling you is correct. I know it’s difficult–”
“But it’ll take only a few minutes to do! I’m pretty sure you could just send a letter to somepony, and they’d give you something back saying whether they exist or not!”
“You’re right. It would only take a few minutes,” the mare agreed, allowing a little smirk. “But as I was saying, you’re gonna have to put your trust in me. I need you to trust that what I’m saying is correct. I wouldn’t lie to you, and I wouldn’t dismiss looking for those ponies if I thought there was a chance that you were right. But regardless, whether or not they do exist has no bearing on whether or not you’re really from another world.”
“But there’s no way you can justify me being a natural born Equestrian if I know about ponies who I’ve never met. Nopony I know is psychic, and I’m pretty sure you’d agree.”
Ivory Spark debated whether or not to go into the logic of her claims or ask why she was hung up on this scenario specifically. She thought for a moment before deciding on the former.
“Okay, let’s examine what you’re saying,” she said slowly, turning to face her fully now. “Is it more likely that you came from somewhere else and just so happen to know the ponies who live here, and share the same name, and have the same parents' description as the filly you thought you took over, or is it more likely that you’ve always been who you are?”
“The former! Definitely the former! Because you can’t say where I would’ve met you either!”
Ivory Spark definitely did tell her where it would’ve been, but she didn’t bring it up. Instead, she moved onto the latter topic. “Do you think it would be bad if you were just dissociating?”
“If I am dissociating,” Emily started, not answering her question, “why do you need to convince me so bad that I am? Can’t you just start treating me regardless?”
“That’s what we’re doing right now, sweetheart,” the unicorn said softly, leaning it a bit closer and closing the space between them. “Grounding strategies for when you’re dissociating don’t work if you don’t think that you are. You need to accept that you need help before help is going to work.”
Emily crossed her hooves across her chest and frowned. “I thought you’d talk to me more like a filly and say something like, ‘I think you’ll understand soon’ or ‘just trust me, I know what I’m doing’.”
Ivory’s smirk turned into a full blown smile, one that made Emily smile back. “Well, I can treat you more like a little filly if you’d like, but I figured a growing young mare like you would want to hear an adult explanation.”
“Yeah, I guess… but, um, really you should find Blue Mist and see if she’s real, please.”
“Emily, I’m not–”
“No, really, because if she is real, then I’m definitely not dissociating, and that means she’s abusing her son like in that story I wrote, and, um, I really don’t want that.”
Now Ivory Spark had a concerned look on her face, too. “I’ll look into it, okay? But either way, you need to trust that I know what’s best for you and how to help you.” Then she stood up and stretched, asking, “Now how about we go visit Twilight Sparkle’s School of Friendship like you wanted?”
Emily flapped her wings happily again. “Yes!”