//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4 
// Story: Rusted 
// by gallagsp the corgi 
//------------------------------//

	"And when the patient woke up, his skeleton was missing, and the doctor was never heard from again!" The psychiatrist laughed. "Well, actually, they did hear from him again, he was arrested and given a life sentence in Trottingham Prison, but yeah. That's why I decided to not be like my brother, he was crazy." He sniffed and wiped a single tear from his eye. "Anyhow, tell me a bit about yourself."

"You really spent all that time telling me about your entire life story and you just try to get me to talk like that?" Shimmering Blade said, running a hoof through her mane. "You're good." She smirked. "Alright, I'll bite. Mom and pop are originally from Hostralia, Dad's a herpetologist, they moved to Equestria because he wanted to study some rare reptile, then they decided to settle here. A couple years later I was born.

"That's not the strangest tale I've ever heard."

"Oh, it gets better. As a foal I had a really weird fascination with sharp things. I would get in trouble a lot because I'd steal scissors and knives from the kitchen and play with them, never did cut myself though." She laughed. "Mom said I was destined to be one of 'those' ponies. You know, the ones with really weird kinks like whips and chains, yeah we had a pretty open way of speaking like that."

"Alright, so are you?"

"Am I what?"

"One of those ponies?"

"I'll have to let you make the decision for yourself." She laughed again. "Anyway, I got into a lot of trouble playing with sharp stuff, then dad thought of a way to make it productive. Next thing I know I'm learning how to fence and how to sword fight, anything from scimitar to rapier."

"You are something else, You know that?"

"I wasn't very good at most of it. I wasn't fast enough for some of the smaller swords, and some of the bigger ones were too heavy at the time. When I got older I was more able to control the other ones, the rapier became my best weapon." There was  a moment of silence as she thought back to those days. It seemed so long ago, when was the last time she actually fenced? Six, seven years ago probably. Senior year in High School, before she joined the army. She was the president of the fencing club because of her skill with the blade. "Then the war started. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my future, so I thought 'well, this is better than nothing, and they'll pay for college or whatever.' So I joined the army fresh out of High School. I think you know the rest."

"I believe I do. Let's take a step back and talk a bit more about your childhood. You said you were fascinated by sharp things. Do you have any idea why?"

"Nope. No clue at all. I think it was because they were shiny. Like any foal I thought the shinier the better. Pots and pans, knives, even mirrors."

"I see. Most ponies would actually be afraid of sharp things at such a young age, especially after they cut themselves. Learned behavior and all that."

"I never cut myself, remember?" Shimmering Blade smirked. "I was one hundred percent stab proof. Nothing got through this skin. I even wrestled a manticore in a field of cactuses and only got a few bruises."

"And now you're lying." The doctor said. "And I believe it's called 'cacti'"

"I'm enhancing the truth, yes."The two stared at each other for what seemed like  along time. Eventually, Shimmering Blade broke thee silence. "Why are you staring at me, doc?"

"You are a very hard pony to read, miss Blade. I can't tell what's going on in that mind of yours."

"Is this the part where things start to get creepy?"

"Depends what you mean by creepy. I am still a psychologist, so I still need to figure you out. I have a feeling things aren't as they seem with you."

"And you know this just by looks?"

"Body language is a powerful thing. Ever hear the phrase 'Actions speak louder than words'? Ponies can easily hide their emotions through their voice. That's why it's sometimes difficult to determine what a pony is feeling by just their voice. To really get to know what goes on in someone's mind, you need to read their body." He smiled. "Like right now, You're feeling insecure. Something is bothering you, and I can tell because of how you're acting. You may feel like you're putting on a convincing act, but you're tense. You haven't relaxed your shoulders since we started this session. Your legs are constantly shifting, like they can't get comfortable. You keep glancing at the door and the clock, like you're expecting something to happen."

"You're crazy, doc. I'm fine, really."

"And you're going to keep telling yourself that because it's easier than facing the truth. I already know something is wrong, Shimmering Blade. I'm here to help you, but I can't do that until you learn to stop lying to yourself. I know it isn't going to be an overnight change, but when you're ready to talk to me, my office is always open." The doctor stood up and turned to the door. "I believe our time is up today. Remember what I said, okay?" He walked out the door, then turned back into it.

"And one more thing, I'm not the enemy. Right now I'm the closest thing you'll have to an ally for some time. I'll see you later."