The Little Filly Who Could

by Boopy Doopy

Chapter Eight

If Ivory Spark had to guess an age for Emily, she’d say either six years old or twelve years old.

She wasn’t really learning very much new about the filly– well, she was, but not anything new in relation to what Bright Side explained to her about Emily. He was only a social worker for Foal Services, but he did an exceptional job on making an assessment about her just based on his observations. If he was this good with everypony he saw, he might be able to have a second career in foal psychology.

There were little things though that Ivory Spark was able to see, such as the way she did some things repetitively, like making sure the crayons she used to write on stayed in color order, or how she seemed like she was keeping track of the song she was singing in her head whenever she stopped to speak to the mare. Very peculiar.

Another thing she took note of was the way she moved her body. She didn’t seem so much like she was being hyperactive; instead, it looked like she was obviously stimming as she sat calmly in her chair. Her wings and hooves were obvious, but less obvious was the way she moved her jaw when she wasn’t eating. It seemed like she was catching herself just as she started to move it in a chewing motion, but Ivory Spark could pick up on it.

The most obvious thing about her was sensory issues, so obvious in fact that Emily herself said she had them when she and Ivory Spark were presented with pizza. She explained how she disliked the sensation of touching certain paper objects, and even used the term sensory issues. Had somepony else diagnosed her with something previously?

The unicorn didn’t know, but she did know that the filly probably had some level of autism. That much was clear after just under an hour spent with her. Of course, saying she had autism wasn’t the end all be all of her work, and in fact would probably affect nothing. The main reason Ivory Spark was here was so she could see what the best course of action would be for dealing with the filly, and determining how truthful or untruthful she was about the statements she made and what sorts of conclusions she should draw from them. Probing her for information would be the unicorn’s job, something she was sure she could do effectively.

“Mr. Bright Side told me that you–” the mare stopped when Emily broke out into a fit of giggles and nearly fell over laughing. “What’s so funny to you, silly filly?”

“You called him Mr. Bright Side! Cause that’s what he is! Bright Side is Mr. Brightside!”

“I can’t say I understand that, but only because I’m not as silly of a filly as you are.” Emily giggled again and flapped her wings happily as the mare continued, “But Bright Side told me that you were from a place called Cansess. What’s that like?”

“It’s big and flat and filled with wheat fields,” she said, “but I don’t think you’re gonna– well, never mind.”

“I’m gonna what?”

“Nothing. I wanna play this out for as long as I reasonably can. But Kansas is dumb! Equestria’s better!”

“Oh yeah? I guess I'll have to visit there some day. Are your parents from Cansess?”

“No, they’re from a state called Louisiana, but they live in Kansas now.”

Ivory Spark nodded. She’d read in the report that she said she was from Cansess, but a bit of searching on her part before she came here showed that no such place existed, at least not in Equestria. She was certain that was a lie, although what threw her off was the automatic nature of the response off Emily’s lips. It sounded truthful, but she knew it had to be a lie. At the very least, it was false, but Emily believed it to be true.

“Mhm, I see. Well that sounds like a long way from Ponyville. How’d you get all the way here?”

“Um, that’s a great question, but one that I don’t have a great answer to, and don’t really wanna answer.”

“That’s okay.” Her silence spoke more words than an actual answer would. It said that she was almost definitely lying, or at least fearful of the consequences of the truth, and that she was probably a runaway. Ivory Spark might have only been doing this job a couple of years, but she picked up on these tendencies quickly.

“Do you know why you’re out here in Ponyville? Bright Side told me you like to travel around to see your friends. Do any live in town?”

“Nope, unless you count you, then maybe. But I don’t know if we’re friends. I don’t think just knowing who you are would make us friends.”

“Well, I’ll certainly be your friend if you want. You said you knew somepony named Leo before. Is he your friend? Is he in Ponyville?”

“Just like with you, I don’t think I can classify him as a friend, and nope, he’s definitely not in Ponyville. He’s supposed to be in Baltimare with you. Well, maybe not yet. I don’t know.”

Ivory Spark tilted her head. She was extremely curious, and had to ask. “How do you know me again, Ama Lee? I certainly would’ve remembered a wonderful filly like you.”

“Um, do you think I could go get a drink of water?” she asked, not waiting for an answer when she climbed down and hurried out of the room. Definitely dodging questions, just like Bright Side said. She wondered what it meant, and what the filly had in relation to her. How did she know her? Ivory Spark couldn’t find an ounce of recognition about her.

She didn’t ask the question again when Emily sat back down, instead moving on to ask, “Bright Side said you sometimes don’t like your parents. Can I ask why?”

“I don’t dislike them, I just don’t like it when they blame me for things I don’t do. Like stealing and lying, which I don’t do. I mean, I lie sometimes, but I try my best to not lie when I can, and I certainly don't go out of my way to intentionally deceive people.”

“Mhm, I understand, and everypony does lie sometimes, but as long as we’re doing our best, that’s what matters.”

“Yup, I agree with that! You can try the best you can, and the best you can is good enough!” Another song was broken into, and Ivory Spark smiled and waited patiently until she finished before continuing.

“Now Ama Lee,” she said, “these next few questions might be tough to answer, but it’s important to be truthful, even if somepony told you to keep them secret, okay?”

“Okay!” She didn’t even flinch, staring at the mare expectantly, like she knew what was coming next. Somehow, she knew what the filly was going to say in advance, and it was already making the unicorn feel like she couldn’t trust her answers despite no words being spoken yet.

“Has anypony ever tried to make you do something you don’t wanna do?”

“Yup, like drink milk when that’s the grossest thing in the entire world. I’d rather just not have calcium than drink that stuff.”

Her statement lightened the mood at least, and Ivory Spark had to stifle back a little chuckle. “Well, milk does make little fillies like you grow strong, but that’s not really what I mean. Can you think of anything else?”

“Nope.”

What a quick answer, but she didn’t dwell on it. “Has anypony ever touched you in a way that made you feel uncomfortable?”

That actually gave Emily pause. She thought for a second before deciding, “For simplicity’s sake, I’ll say no, because I know you’re talking about parents and friends exclusively.”

“But somepony else has?” Ivory Spark asked carefully. “Is it okay if I ask about it?”

“Nope, don’t wanna talk about it.”

“Okay, that’s okay,” the mare said kindly. “If you do want to talk to somepony, you can trust me, okay?”

“I know, but it doesn’t matter in the larger context of your job, so I don’t wanna make things needlessly complicated. I also don’t wanna lie though, so I’m gonna just not talk about it.”

“That’s fine.” Ivory Spark paused before asking, “Do you ever feel like you’re not you?”

“Uh, yeah, all the time, and especially right now. I mean, look at me!” She spread her wings and wore a big smile as she explained, “I’m the cutest filly of all time! This is amazing!” Then she hugged herself and giggled happily.

“It sounds like not being you is a good thing then? How do you think you usually are?”

“Ugly and terrible and annoying, but not anymore! I’m amazing!”

“Well I think you’re very pretty and wonderful, Ama Lee.” She seemed to absolutely love hearing the nice words, and looked like she was going to fall over and die from how big and bright the smile on her face was.

“But I have some more questions for you, okay?” The filly nodded, and the mare continued, “Does anypony ever make you take medicine you don’t need or make you do things you think might hurt you?”

“Nope!”

“Mhm, that’s good. Just a few more questions, okay? These ones might be tough, but if you could answer honestly, it would really help.”

“Okie dokie! I’ve been honest the whole time, but I’ll make sure to be double honest now!”

“Do you ever feel like you want to hurt yourself, or like you just can’t do anything right?”

“Nope! I used to feel like I couldn’t do anything right before, but I’ve worked past that. I’ve never wanted to hurt myself though. And I know what your last question is gonna be, too. Nope, I don’t ever feel like I don’t wanna be alive. Especially not now, since I’m the cutest little filly of all time!”

She was implying that she didn’t think so before. Had something changed in her life to give her a new perspective? Ivory Spark didn’t know, but she made a mental note of it to ask later. More importantly than that right now was…

“How do you know me, sweetheart?” the mare asked, friendliness and casualness in her voice. “I must have seen you before. Have you ever been to Baltimare?”

“Nope, but I know who you are because– well, I can’t say. Not yet. Like I said, I just wanna be me right now and enjoy being me.”

“Do you think knowing me will make you unhappy? Were you unhappy before?”

“I definitely wasn’t happy, and yup, it super duper will, but not for the reason you think. It’s nothing to do with you, just the situation in general.”

“And what situation is that?”

“That’s not important right now. What is important is… the fact that I need more paper so I can draw!”

“Of course sweetie, let me go get you some.”

A minute later, Emily was drawing contentedly, and Ivory Spark was writing her notes on a clipboard. Very peculiar was the filly, but not the strangest case Ivory Spark had gotten thus far in her career. Still, it was giving her a lot to think about, and a lot of questions to ask her guardians when they turned up. Not to mention, she definitely needed to dig deep with Emily. It hurt Ivory Spark to hear her admit to sexual abuse. She said it wasn’t by her parents or friends, but was that truthful, or was she told to say that? She didn’t know, but it was a start.

Regardless, Ivory Spark knew this wasn’t going to be a situation where finding her guardians would be the end of her work. This was gonna take some time. But for now, she wrote down her notes and watched Emily draw a picture of a bright blue sky and a barn surrounded by strange bipedal looking creatures.

Comments

[Greenhorn]

It seems strangely easier than I thought for an alien to escape the detection of the Princess and her secret agencies - especially when you have the same body shape as the general population. This felt less and less likely to be Discord's work.

[Fetch]

Emily doesn't want to risk breaking the 4th wall and waking up from the dream. She doesn't realize she is actually in another dimension and in a new body, like in so many stories of humans going through a portal to Equestria and becoming ponies.

[Ralyx]

11441377
To me, it seemed more like she just doesn't want to risk them believing her and then being treated as not a filly.

[rikithemonk]

“How do you know me, sweetheart?” the mare asked, friendliness and casualness in her voice. “I must have seen you before. Have you ever been to Baltimare?”

"Because I'm your GOD!"

Yeah.....to be a fly on the wall in that conversation.

Monk
“Heat? isn't that when... I took a whiff of air when I smelled a smelly smell that smells smelly.” -The Kitsune

[rikithemonk]

11441377
I feel like she has figured it out by now, but you are very right, she is being very careful not to rock the boat.

Monk
"Anon had never known a bat pony to shy away from carnage. They were cuter than kittens, and much more bloodthirsty." -HeideKnight

[Munro]

i dont get that psychologist thinking," she probably was sexualy abused "

even when she clearly truthfully says no

[Theresa]

11441486
Because the question was about sex and everything involved. Sometimes these people don't understand that double talk doesn't make Things better. It only makes them more complicated . Considering most people would understand what the question was about?

[Kevin Lee]

11354326
I felt the comment that started this conversation was much like paraphrasing Winston Churchill's observation about Capitalism, but this explanation works, too.

11375467
There's one word to explain that phenomena in Florida: "sinkholes".

11354329

"Anon had never known a bat pony to shy away from carnage. They were cuter than kittens, and much more bloodthirsty." -HeideKnight

No truer words!!

[Green121]

Well, reading the author's other stories definitely gave me more context