Snap To It

by David Silver

6 - Minty Fresh

Gabby gently shooed Lyra off for her proper appointment. This delayed her coming for a whole day. "Today's the right day. With Celestia as my witness, I demand satisfaction!"

Gabby inclined her head at the energetic unicorn. "Did he do something to upset you?"

"Upset me? Hardly." Lyra waved that way. "He's going to make my everything is what he's going to do. I want to see his tricky human fingers go to work."

Gabby stroked along her beak. "Well, he does have those. Let me tell him you're here. Doc! Lyra's here early."

"Do we have other patients scheduled?" came his distant reply from the back.

"Nope! Some after her, but none before her." Gabby kept her smiling eyes on Lyra as she shouted.

"Give me a moment."

"Okay, I can wait." Lyra looked at the griffon. "So, you're his nurse or something, right?"

"Something like that." She pointed to the board. "I welcome them in, answer any questions, and when he needs to go into the back, I let him know. It's a team effort. Doctor and receptionist, both to make you feel better."

"Nice. I'd love to be a part of that team, even if it's just a volunteer thing." Lyra giggled with growing excitement.

"I'm not a volunteer." Gabby dug out a bag, jingling with coins as she set it down. "He pays me. But it is nice to work here. I like it!" She leaned in at Lyra. "And I get to see some other human creatures. I startle them a little." She nervously laughed at that. "I try to be nice, but they're not used to seeing anything but other human creatures."

"Ah, yeah. They're the only ones over there." She sighed, shaking her head. "I guess that means it's my lucky day, since I do get to see more. What's your name?" She thrust a hoof over the counter at Gabby. "I'm Lyra! But you know that."

"Gabby." She took hold of Lyra's hoof and shook firmly. "Nice to meet you." She perked an ear tuft. "And he's ready. Go on into the back."

"Yes!" Lyra pumped a hoof. "Gonna feel me some fingers." She trotted into the back with her tail wagging eagerly behind her. She poked her head into the examination room and looked around briefly before she spotted the doctor. "There you are. Wow, look at you." She spread her hooves with awe. "Please hug me."

Samson regarded his smiling patient curiously. "Sorry?"

"Nothing to be sorry about." She waved her hooves gently in the air. "Bring it on in here!"

Samson chuckled, dazed. "You are the first pony to ask that as their way of saying hello. I'm Samson, and I'll be performing a--" He paused to check the chart dangling on the wall. "Oh, a new client initial visit with full hand-on adjustment requested. That's more detailed than I'm used to seeing."

Lyra rubbed her hooves together, looking perhaps a touch too eager. "Yes, both hands, kindly. So, about that hug?"

"Huh. I thought that was a joke." Samson laughed with a shrug. "Well, okay then." He extended his arms towards the waiting pony.

"Yes! The human touch!" She dived into his waiting arms and wrapped her arms around in kind, snuggling up to him with happy little purrs and whickers. "This is better than I hoped."

Samson kept the hug brief, setting Lyra down on the table instead of the ground. "Now, what's bothering you today, if anything?"

Lyra's eyes sparkled with delight. "I was just hugged, so nothing." She dreamily melted against the table, flopping over onto her back. "You have a nice, firm, grip. Oh!" She sat up so sharply she almost collided with Samson. "A shake!" She thrust a hoof out. "Human shake, hand, two if you like."

Samson obliged the eccentric pony's request, wrapping his hand around her hoof in a firm shake. "Pleased to meet you too. But you already said that. Do you have any trouble you'd like me to fix? Anything you know about that I don't?"

"Not really." She tilted her head with a happy sigh. "But if you want a problem... I have an itch?" She offered a hopeful smile.

Samson perked a brow. "Let's begin with an adjustment and we'll have a look at things as I go." It was standard, especially with new patients, that they may make little uncomfortable noises as he began and made the rougher changes, but Lyra seemed to enjoy every touch and every firm shove. The noises she made was far more pleased than pained, and she only got happier the more he worked.

But one thing she did not seem to have was any back problems, or muscular-skeletal issues of any kind he could spot easily. "Miss Heartstrings, you are a pony."

"Yep."

"As a sapient species--" He crossed his arms. "Telling your doctor what problems you want fixed helps the process along. You appear to be an entirely healthy pony. Is this simply a preventative treatment?"

Lyra bobbed her head quickly. "Yep! I'll be back a lot, so you can keep everything working just perfectly." She held up a hoof as her magic formed a glowing hand with a big OK sign at Samson. "You're already doing so great. I feel like a new pony!"

"But you are a new pony to me. I haven't touched you before now. That was the first time." He pointed to the door. "Your friend was in yesterday, and she seemed happy."

Lyra perked at that. "Minny? Sweetie? No, she woulda told me. She really should stop in here, feel those hands. She could use it."

Detecting an opportunity, Samson pat Lyra on the back. "Send her this way then. I'll be glad to help her. Now, you're all adjusted--"

"--Wait!" Lyra hopped up to her hindlegs on the table, standing like a human might instead of the pony she was. "Please? Can we chat? I wanna talk about your world." Her tail swayed with hope, leaning in a little. "Please?"

Samson checked the clock. "You booked a solid hour. Sure, we can talk for a little while." He gestured to a chair. "Have a seat."

Lyra sprang from the table and threw herself into the nearby seat with gusto.

This surprised Samson. She was seated in the chair easily, like a human would. It was quite a difference from when other ponies found the chair too narrow to plonk their haunches on. "Have you tried a human chair before?"

"Nope." Lyra kicked her legs, looking comfy indeed. "Just the way I like sitting. Which makes this kinda magic. I found a chair that really fits me. Can I buy it?"

"I'm not selling my furniture," laughed Samson, taken aback at the idea. "Now, you had questions about my world?"

"Right, yes." She clapped her hooves as her glowing horn pulled out a clipboard dense with writing. "Your fingers, how sensitive are they?"

That had him pondering. "Compared to what? From what I know, our fingers are close to the most sensitive part of us, at least the fingertips." He splayed his fingers of one hand and pointed at the tips with the other. "And lips." The pointing turned to his lips.

"Lips, sure." She made notes quickly. "We have those, plenty sensitive. But we don't have fingers to have tips." She waggled a hoof at Samson. "Do you find yourself ever being distracted by them?"

"Distracted?" Samson blinked with puzzlement. "No more than the average person does." He leaned forward and cupped his hands. "I mean, look. These are your hooves, right?" He pointed at the underside of the one with his index finger. "Ever get distracted by these?"

"Never had that happen before, nope. So, when it comes to human beings, you tend to keep your attention focused on what you want it to be on." Lyra nodded with confidence. "A human super power!"

"Do ponies not also do that?" He snapped his fingers by her ear, but she was fixated on him entirely, not even glancing.

"See?" She turned an ear at the snap but not her hear. "That sound. That was a human sound."

"That--" He chuckled, unable to find an argument. "That was a pretty human sound, yes, but you just did the super power. You kept focused on me even when I made the odd human noise."

"Oh. I see your point." Lyra scribbled a note. "What about the rest of you? Do you all have the super power?"

Samson stared for a moment. "Yeah, I'd say that's mostly right. Humans are in general good at focusing on tasks, even with the distractions. But I hope ponies can do that too, or you'd get into trouble."

Lyra made a firm scratch. "Nevermind that, getting distracted. Pony hooves are big and round." She displayed one of hers. "Human hooves, er, hands, can get way more precise. I would like to experience this precision. How precise can you be?"

"It depends on the task, but for a fair measure, I'd say with my eyes closed and hands tied behind my back I can probably still write my name." Samson grinned. "You know what's even more impressive? I could write it in cursive with one hand and print it with the other, like a mirror image of each other, all blindfolded and bound."

"That is really impressive. Like, way better than we can do." Lyra made quick notes of this super power to look into later. "Now, if you had to pick one thing--when you first see a pony--you'd like to use your hands for regarding them, what would it be? Go on, I'm a clear canvas with no such thing as boundaries."

Samson nodded, even as he narrowed his eyes. "Well, a proper adjustment, obviously. See if you can get rid of any little pains, stiffnesses and such, anywhere."

"Spoken like a true doctor." Lyra made new notes with a whistle. "But we did that already, so, after that?"

He reached for her, placing his hand on the top of her head and gently ruffling her mane like she was a good dog, or horse as the case was closer to being. Lyra shivered with a little giggle, allowing the petting to proceed with a smile that only grew with time.

Samson drew his hand back. "Now, I should get ready for my next client. Talk to Gabby on the way out and she can set up a new appointment, if you like. I should warn, unless you're actually in need of me, you'll have to pay yourself instead of Princess Celestia."

Lyra hopped down to her hooves. "Worth every bit. See you next time, doc. Keep those fingers warmed and ready!" She trotted from the room, doing a poor job of concealing her giggles.

She hurried to the front desk. "I'm back, Gabby! He handled me." She shivered at that word. "And I want the next appointment." She curled on herself and dug out her coin pouch.

Gabby pushed it away. "You live in Equestria, so--"

"I'm here because I want to be, not medicine." She pushed the bag forward. "I insist. Not making Celly pay for my fun, that'd be rude."

"Huh, okay." Gabby accepted the payment and tucked it away. "So, see you in a month?"

"A whole month?!" Lyra clopped a hoof to either side of her head. "Can I see him next week?"

Gabby flipped through her papers. "Next week, this time? Mmm, could you come when you were scheduled? This exact time, there'll be somecreature else seeing the doctor."

Lyra leaned in. "Ooo, what kind of creature?"

Gabby held up a hand. "I'm--" Lyra had grabbed her hand. "Sorry?"

"Nothing to be sorry about. Griffon talons are not the same." She felt over the texture of Gabby's hand softly a moment. "Yep, not a human hand, but close. I get why you two work together so well. Mmm, but maybe he'll warm up to me over time."

"Maybe?" Gabby inclined her head with confusion. "See you next week?"

"Next week!" Lyra trotted out with a big smile.

Author's Note:

Seeing Lyra is a good time, everycreature, give her a hand. No, really, surrender your hands.

Don't want to do an ongoing thing? You could

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Comments

[Diamondized]

Lyra, Lyra, Lyra. Always dancing on the line between fascinated child and obsessed creep.

[Wooden Wheel]

Samson dealt with Lyra's eccentricity quite well, but Lyra's behavior could easily be considered a form of harassment, and I wouldn't blame the good doctor for putting a firm stop to it.

[Ralanost]

Lyra really needs Bon Bon to reel in her crazed obsessive tendencies. On her own she becomes unhinged pretty quickly.

[Poparakelis]

If she didn't have bonbon I'd think she was trying to rizz up the MC, maybe she is trying still, with that herd thing most fics like to do.

[harts fire]

well i wonder what Lyra really want's???

[Eroraf86]

Lyra? Lyra, NO. HEEL. I have a squirt gun and a rolled-up newspaper, and I'm not afraid to use them!

[redandready45]

Lyra. Chill!

[Winter Star]

Caught a typo.

...uncomfortable noises as he began and mad the rougher changes...
made

[David Silver]

11881058
Fix!