"Aaaaaaaaaaaand..." Dr. Terra clicks a stopwatch. "Stop."
I obey her.
And for once...
...I don't notice any difference.
I am the same pony when inhaling and exhaling.
Somehow, it's always been this way.
I slowly open my naked eyes.
The magenta is everywhere... and yet nowhere. If I try hard enough—in that I don't try at all—I find that I can ignore it. Swim through it. Breathe through the strange medium like I've always had gills.
Only now have I begun using them. It's a little bit painful... a teensy bit dizzying...
...but I can manage.
I can manage.
"How do you feel?" she asks.
I stand up, squirming slightly. I look up at her.
She fidgets where she stands.
I raise an eyebrow.
"It's just..." Dr. Terra smiles, hugging the clipboard to her chest. "...I have to admit. I... I almost didn't expect this kind of progress. I mean..." She bites her lip. "To call it 'miraculous' would be unprofessional, but..." Her eyes narrow. "Are you certain your previous physicians were actually qualified?"
I blink curiously.
"Because... because it's almost as if half the symptoms don't even exist anymore. Surely you got second opinions during all these years."
I look at her. I shrug... and then I smile.
She shrugs back. A nervous chuckle, and she flips through her clipboard. "Uhm..." A dry gulp. "You're quite the enigma, Miss Scratch. I'm very happy that Miss Capricorn requested that I work with you."
I nod. I breathe easily.
I can breathe easily...
"And... I know it's none of my business, but..." She cocks her head curiously to the side. "...how goes the other project that you're working on?"
I stare at her from across the hospital room.
A dumb grin hangs off my muzzle.