//------------------------------// // Psych! // Story: Shellstrings // by shortskirtsandexplosions //------------------------------// Tch. Tch. Tch. Tch. Tch. A wood-framed metronome ticked away atop an antique desk. A plaque rested just a few inches away, reading: "Hans Shrinkenfurter, M.D." Windows stretched across the end of a well-furnished office, displaying brilliant blue spires looming against a backdrop of granite mountains and white-capped peaks. "Ahem... so... Miss Twinkleshine..." An old, graying stallion in a suit smiled through his mustache and adjusted a pair of thick-lensed bifocals. "...let us continue from where we were last month, hmmm? How easy has it been... to find your happy place?" Canterlot – Hospital District – Office of Hans Shrinkenfurter, M.D. - Right After Lunch Time Across from him, Twinkleshine sat on a cushion in the middle of a long sofa. She chewed on her bottom lip, fidgeting. "Well... I..." The mare sniffled. "I-I'm not sure if I've got a good answer for you this month, Doctor. I mean... it's not so much a 'happy place...'" Twinkleshine glanced nervously aside. "...as it is a place that makes me feel... content?" Lemon Hearts sat at the far end of the room. She smiled supportively. "It's okay, Twinkies. Just be honest with the doc." A wink. "That's the key, remember?" Twinkleshine gulped. "Okay... well..." She turned to smile at the psychiatrist. "I-I've been absorbing myself in my work. Basically... uh... I-I got a second job at a local clothing store. It's... y'know... basic retail. Only one or two nights a week... in the evening. It's n-not like I need the job; my work at the office sustains me and pays the bills. But... it's really nice just... filling my time up with 'busy stuff', y'know? Plus... hehe... I get to talk to lots of ponies and work with pretty dresses and... and it feels very satisfying to be so... useful." She gulped. "And an actual contributor to society." "Mmmm... I wouldn't say you've ever failed in contributing to Canterlot society, Miss Twinkleshine," the therapist said. "This is part of the 'illusion of guilt' that we talked about last time, hmmm? Learn to let go of your self-imposed feeling of uselessness... or else you will always be a victim to that detestable Chrysalis." "Well, Doc." Lemon Hearts cleared her throat. "By proactively taking on a second job so that she could mingle with her fellow ponies, Twinkleshine here is showing that those sensations of 'helplessness' have no power over her, yes?" "Ah." The doctor bore a mustached smile, gesturing. "But we must make sure that we are not simply ignoring an undercurrent of anxiety. That is why we're still here after so many sessions, hmm?" Lemon Hearts opened her muzzle to say something— "Yeah, Lemon," Twinkleshine murmured. "It's good to play it safe, right? I agree with Hans. Best to keep on the look-out. After all, he's the Doc." Lemon Hearts coughed, repositioning herself in her seat. "Yeah... of course..." "Sculpting your happy place can take many methods," the therapist said. "And I'm proud of you for manifesting it on the outside as well as on the inside. But you must make sure that you are in perfect balance. I can teach you how to do this, hmmm?" "Really?" Twinkleshine murmured, eyes sparkling. "Indeed. But... one step at a time. Perhaps at our next session, yes?" Clearing his throat, the doctor pivoted in his seat. "And you, Miss Minuette, how have you been fairing in finding a happy pl—" "Oh, DOC!, you will not believe the progress that I've been making!" Minuette chirped wildly, causing Twinkleshine to squirm on the sofa beside her. "Heeheeheehee!" Minuette exhaled, gasped, and exhaled again: "Every day is like hunting down a new happy place! Y'know! Like a diamond dog might... mmmmmmm... rush up and pounce on an unsuspecting bunny rabbit! Heeheehee! Grrrr! Heehee!" Twinkleshine squeaked demurely. "Ahem..." Lemon Hearts gestured from afar. "...now settle down, Minuette. Twinkies is very sensitive at these sessions—" "Please, Miss Hearts." The Doctor cut her off. "Where else is Miss Minuette going to open up in such a positive way?" He turned to smile at her again. "Your enthusiasm is most charming, Miss Minuette. But—as we spoke last time—the key is to find a common theme that you can attach positive energy to. That way, when or if you experience another one of your unfortunate panic attacks, you can easily recall the singular sphere of thought that displaces all of the negativity. Now, before coming here, Miss Hearts implied that you had found such a theme, hmmm?" "You bet I totally-doodley-did, Doc! Heeheehee! Check it!" She rushed forward—making Twinkleshine flinch again. Bouncing back, she slapped a paper box on the table. "Doughnuts!" "I... see..." The therapist nodded. "And lots of 'em!" Grinning from ear to ear, Minuette flung the container open and exposed several pastry treats. "And look! Duaaaaaah! My favorite! Heeheehee! Chocolate with cinnamon sprinkles!" PLONK! She shoved one such doughnut into her muzzle and nibbled liberally. "Mmmmm... such sweet sugar! Like my soul-self! You remember us talking about our soul-selves, right?" "Well, true. Although, Miss Minuette, the term 'soul' is simply a device used to simplify the nature of meditating on—" "Well, I discovered that when I pump my soul up full of sugar, it gets super extra bouncy..." She chomped on another doughnut, gulping the tender morsels down her adoracute gullet. "Mmmmmmmm... so I get all trembly and goosebumpy inside... so that way all of the negative energy shakes off! And I no longer have to remember that I was ever once maliciously and non-consensually mindslaved by a giant mutated bug queen! Eeeeeh hee hee hee hee..." She grinned wide as crumbs lingered on her twitching lips. "That's a good thing, right?! Heehee! Progress! Right?!" "I must say, you do seem... quite happy, Miss Minuette," the stallion said, nodding. "Although, I would rather that you hadn't externalized the source of your positivity quite so... blatantly." "Well, it's more than that, Doc," Lemon Hearts said, leaning forward in her seat. "Tell him, Minuette." She smiled at her friend across the way as she spoke in a calm tone. "Tell her about our doughnut luncheons with Princess Twilight and how they make us smile and—" "Ah. The Princess of Friendship!" The doctor nodded. "An expert on the social sphere, for sure. But we—my dear fillies—are dealing with the mental sphere... for which I am well-trained in consulting! And I can tell that despite the diminishing of panic attacks in our beloved patients here, we still have a lot to work on before we can properly balance the positive and negative energies within our beings!" "You really think so, Doc?" Twinkleshine murmured. "Weeeeee!" Minuette hopped up and down in her seat. "Balancing mini-games!" "Mrmmmmff..." Lemon Hearts rubbed her forehead. After a deep breath, she murmured: "You believe another session is in order, Doc?" "Well... yes. It would be most wise, I think. Miss Twinkleshine and Miss Minuette have come a long way, but they do seem to vascillate quite wildly between extreme joy and melancholy every other month. I'd much rather avoid another dip into a depressive episode for the both of them, wouldn't you agree?" "Well, yes, but—" "Which is why I've been thinking of prescribing a new form of treatment... something... a bit more daring and out of the ordinary." He smiled. "Something that would involve a change in scenery... so that they may be encouraged to look within." "Like..." Lemon Hearts squinted. "...you mean like a retreat?" "Think of it as a vacation," the doctor said. "Mmmmm... it would be a bit more... expensive... eheh... than our usual sessions, but we do wish for your friends to get better, yes?" "Right... ... ..." "And I have many suggestions in mind as to when and where. Only with their mutual agreement, of course." He smiled again. "But, before I even pretend to recommend such a course of action, I would like to see how Miss Heartstrings is finding her happy place." He looked towards the end of the sofa. "Well? Miss Heartstrings? How fairs you?" Silence... save for the persistent ticks of the metronome. Twinkleshine squirmed while Minuette grinned and shook in place. The stallion cocked his head to the side. "Miss Heartstrings? It's okay. No need to be shy. We're all on the same team here." Lemon Hearts paused in biting her lip to say: "Uhhhh... Doc? She's uh... she's not here yet." "Huh?" The elder therapist adjusted his thick bifocals. "What was that?" "Lyra... hasn't shown up yet. She's late... again..." Lemon Hearts gritted her teeth until they produced sparks. ...for some damned reason..." "Oh, that's okaaaaaay!" Minuette waved a hoof. "Heehee! You know how she is! Super-duper scared of insect noises! Like crickets! They're all chirp! Chirp! Chirp! Chirp! And she's all 'Eeeeeeeeek!' And they're all Chirp! Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!" Minuette's "chirps" began matching the ticks of the metronome. Twinkleshine's breaths grew more and more shallow. She rubbed her forelimbs together, shivering. "I... d-don't like that s-sound either..." "Minuette... uhm... darling?" Lemon Hearts winced as she leaned forward in her chair. "Could... not make that noise? I-I don't think Twinkleshine is—" "Why's Lyra late?" Twinkleshine shivered more and more. "Has... h-has she given up the sessions?" She gulped. "H-has she given up on us?" "No!" Lemon Hearts shook her head. "Not at all! I-I'm sure she j-just got held up on the train from Ponyville... heh heh heh!" "Heeheehee! Yeah!" Minuette giggled... then giggled louder. "Heehee! Good ol' Lyra! Heehee! Too scared to live in Canterlot with her craaaaazy friends! Heehee! Silly filly! Am I right?!" Minuette simpered and smiled and simpered and smiled and—"Why should she be scared?! It's not like sh-she's the only one the cr-crickets are after!" "That dinging sound..." Twinkleshine whimpered. "...that the cash register makes at my s-second job... it sounds j-just like them! And... and..." She hyperventilated, pulling at her mane. "Oh Celestia! That mare who bought the golden cocktail dress last n-night! I t-totally shorted her nine bits in change by accident!" Her pupils shrank as she fell into a cold sweat. "Or maybe... m-maybe it's b-because I thought Chrysalis was t-talking to me through the crickets and I briefly became sociopathically blind to individualistic monetary demands!" She squeaked, covering her muzzle as her eyes teared up. "...I'm a capitalist monster!" "No you're not! You're sweet! Sugary sweet!" Minuette hopped up and down on the sofa. She smiled and panted through rivers of sweat. "Just like... chocolate-covered ants... with black legs wriggling around... in cinnamon-sprinkled pupae... laced w-with slime a-a-and silk webbing!" "Oh Celestiaaaaaaaaaaa..." Twinkleshine sobbed. "...and I forgot to send mail in those credit slips to the sales audit departmenttttttttt!" The doctor sighed. He reached over to his desk, grabbed a notepad, and scribbled on it. "Perhaps I'll see if the spot at Appleloosa is available..." "Uhhhhhhh..." Gulping, Lemon Hearts stood up straight and smiled at the stallion. "I'll be right back, Doc..." That said, she scampered right out of the room, slamming the door behind her. "Okay... just... think happy thoughts," Twinkleshine said, rocking back and forth while hugging herself. "...Dr. Pony... petticoats... Jockey Chan fight scenes..." "Don't go through all the trouble, Twink-Twink!" Minuette grabbed another pastry. "Dunk the doughnuts!" And she crammed one into her mouth. "Mrmmmffff... aref anyf off myf teethf showingf?" "N-no!" "That means it's working!" And Minuette's eyes crossed. "Heeheeheeheeeeeeeee!" Breathless, Lemon Hearts galloped across the spacious lobby until she practically threw herself into the face of the gum-chewing receptionist seated outside. "Where is that insufferable mint-colored wench?!?" Lemon Hearts rasped, eyes red. The receptionist leaned back. "... ... ...ulp!" She swallowed and lifted a sign-in sheet from her desk. "Last... name...?" "'Heartstrings'... 'Lyra. Heartstrings.'" Lemon Hearts huffed and puffed. "Yes. Forgettable. I know." "Uhhhhhhhh..." The receptionist squinted down the line of names. "She promised she would be here... she promised!" Lemon Hearts paced and paced, scowling. "Grnnnffnngh... it's not enough that I gotta carry those poor mares on my flank, month after month, through Tartarus and high water... but does Lyra give them any support? Noooooooo... session after session, she's gotta show up late and just... sink everything like a brass torpedo through a toilet paper boat!" The mare's eartips burned. "So what if she doesn't give a crap about herself?! We're her friends! Minuette and Twinkleshine can't travel the road to recovery without her! Grnnngh... should have known it was all doomed to disaster the very day she moved her lime-butt to Ponyville!" "Uhhhhhhhhhhhh..." At last, the receptionist pointed at a single name on the list. "There it is! Lyra Heartstrings. It showed that she checked in." "She... she did?!" Lemon Hearts' body drooped like a deflating balloon. "Whewwwwww..." She sighed through a relieved smile. "Oh, praise Celestia. How could I have been so angry?" A gulp. "She's probably off in the little filly's room, powdering her muzzle—" "And then she checked out." "... ... ...what?" Lemon Hearts blinked. The receptionist lifted the book. "It shows here that she check in... and then she checked right back out." "... ... ...what?" Lemon Hearts icily crept over to the desk. She squinted at the book. "When... was this?" "Uhhhhhhhhh..." The receptionist squinted. "...about two hours ago." "Two hours ago?!?" Snarling, Lemon Hearts spun about. Her eyes flickered red again. "Where... in the Hell... is she?!"