Heart's Counsel (Finished)

[Lux]

"In light of the recent return of the Crystal Empire," Heart Healer said as she read some hoof written notes of hers, "and to to the return of... He Who Must not Be Named... is my theory that there will be a proliferation of crystal ponies that will be suffering from traumatic memories. It is my duty, neigh, my destiny to assist these poor ponies by helping them return to a sense or normalcy and peace."

She stared at the note for a while and with a chuckle said, "Plus without ponies to help I'd have to find something else to do with my talent, like lecturing crystal sheep."

And so the pink crystal pony shifted in her seat, looking around the room. It was a simple place, a single room that doubled as her office and counseling space. The room was in a state of what Heart called Organized Chaos with papers and books in various piles around her desk and on shelves that lined the walls of the room. In the middle of the space was her comfortable chair and a couch where the patient could sit and relax. Outside there was a waiting area and rest room for ponies waiting for her as well as a receptionist.

And so the pony waited for ponies to counsel.

(RP Rules: Sessions will be given one at a time. For those who are waiting for Heart Healer, feel free to talk with others in the waiting room.)

[GingerbreadSpy]

Cinnabar Star trotted into the waiting room, pleased that she had just finished her shift as mailmare. She had passed by the office while she had been delivering the mail and wanted to see what it was all about. A pony that helped ponies have a sense of peace and normalcy? It sounded interesting. She had to admit that after everything that happened, she did feel a little out of sorts. And besides that, if nothing else, this pony's name was Heart Healer. Maybe this pony could help her find her true love! Wouldn't that be something? She went up to the receptionist desk and dinged the bell. She blinked at it, then giggled. She pressed the bell again and grinned wide at the dinging sound. She attempted to play a tune on the bell, unaware of the racket she was probably making.

[Lux]

The pink crystal pony suddenly heard the telltale ding of the bell at the receptionist desk indicating that there was a pony to visit. She assumed that the receptionist was there ready to give the pony the paperwork to fill out before seeing her. But assumptions she was quick to find out was some to never be guaranteed.

Ding!

The bell rang a second time.

* Ding dingdingdingding Ding dingdingdingding Ding Ding Ding...

Finally Heart Healer had enough of the impromptu bell music and trotted out to the waiting room.

[colour=#800080]"Mental note," [/colour]Heart thought, [colour=#800080]"Get a less obnoxious bell."[/colour]

[colour=#800080]"Hello," [/colour]she said to the apparent bell ringer, [colour=#800080]"I'm Dr. Heart Healer. I see you have found that bell to be... amusing. What is your name?" [/colour]

(* My Little Pony theme in Bell Major)

[GingerbreadSpy]

Cinnabar Star looked up, one sparkly, red crystal hoof hovering over the bell. She dinged it one more time for good measure, then cleared her throat and set her hoof down. She smiled warmly at the good doctor. "Hiya, doc. I'm Cinnabar Star. I just thought I'd, you know, check in and see what this is all about. It doesn't look like you've got too many ponies here yet." She looked around to confirm this fact once more, then looked back at Heart Healer. "So, now that I'm here, what's next?"

[Lux]

Heart Healer could only shake her head when the pony impulsively dinged the bell one last time before speaking with her. The pony really didn't seem to know why she was there and exactly what the purpose of a psychologist was. It was just as well as unless a pony had a psychologist in their family or visited one on a regular basis they could only guess.

[colour=#800080]"Well, Ms. Star. I help ponies with any issues they may have in their life, whether it is due to sadness, uncertainty, anger[/colour], [colour=#800080]or even love. [/colour][colour=#800080]Do you have something in your life that you would like to talk to me about? If so, then I can help you. As for what's next, you could step into my office if you'd like and we can get started."[/colour]

Heart didn't respond to the fact that the waiting room was empty save for her and Cinnabar Star, hoping that it would be remedied as more ponies dropped by.

[GingerbreadSpy]

"Oh!" Talking sounded easy enough. There were a lot of things she could talk about to the doctor. She gave a vigorous nod of her head. "I'm not sure I have that many issues in my life, but I sure do have plenty to talk about. Sometimes, I get so busy that I forget to talk about stuff with my friends!" She laughed. Then, she gave the doctor a questioning look as she followed her into the office. "Um, this won't take too long, will it? I'd love to keep you company since being in this office must be lonely, but I have a strict training regimen to attend to. I can't let myself fall behind. And I need to work off all that crystal berry pie I ate this morning." She flushed slightly at that and took a seat, looking at Heart Healer expectantly.

[Lux]

The crystal ;pony appeared to like the fact that all she had to do was speak to Heart Healer. In the most basic way, that was what was the key part of a counseling session: talking and listening and asking questions to get to the root of whatever the pony's troubles were.

The pony then mentioned the fact about a time limit being made due to her need to exercise. She couldn't see how a single slice of pie would impact her health, but time was precious to all ;ponies, especially those who were frozen in time like her fellow crystal ponies.

[colour=#800080]"No need to worry Ms. Star. I try to accommodate my sessions to every pony who sets their hooves into my office. And yes, I will be asking questions about you and [/colour][colour=#800080]you can respond to them. So, let's start with what you said about being on a training regimen. Do you participate in some kind of sports [/colour][colour=#800080]or is such a regimen just meant to stay healthy?" [/colour]

[GingerbreadSpy]

Cinnabar Star grinned wide. This was one of her favorite subjects! She was really starting to like this counseling business. "Oh yes, I'm a competitive athlete. Running, jumping, swimming... But especially running. I'm hoping to become a big-time all-star one day, but if I'm going to do that, I have to train and train hard. Nopony got to be an all-star athlete sitting on their rump, after all." As if compelled by saying it, she stood up and started pacing. "I'm still just a rookie, but I know that becoming the best athlete I can be is my destiny. I just wish I had more time to devote to my training regimen. I'm trying to move out of my parents' place, not that I don't just love my dear Mumsy and Daddio and sissy-missy, but I'm a mare now! I need to be out on my own. I mean, what if I find a special somepony and HE finds out I'm still living with my parents? That wouldn't be a good thing! So, I have this job as a mailmare now, and it's good because all the running I do in that job is helpful, but it doesn't hold a candle to concentrated and deliberate exercise."

[Lux]

Heart Healer could tell much about a pony from how they spoke, what they said, and the actions that they did. It was an innate gift to read their emotions but also a skill honed by her studies in psychology.

She could tell that this mare was very unsettled. She couldn't even sit still when speaking to the psychologist, preferring to move around. Also, from the incident with the bell, she could tell that the pony always needed something to do or else get bored very quickly. She could see that the pony had a drive to be successful yet wondered if the mare pushed herself too far. There was also the issue about being independent with finding a job and moving out eventually and a hint of looking for romance in her life. Clearly there were several things to cover, and Heart endeavored to tackle each one at a time.

[colour=#800080]"Well, I can see you have many things going on in your life Miss Star. Let me first ask about your training as it seems that it takes up a large portion of your life. How much time do you spend in a day training? Do you find yourself getting very tired tired during the day?[/colour] [colour=#800080]Do you take time to do things other than working and training and of course eating and sleeping?" [/colour]

[GingerbreadSpy]

"Oh!" Cinnabar Star made a thoughtful face and waved a hoof. "About half a day, I guess. Maybe a little more than half? But I always find time to eat! Mumsy and Daddio are always getting onto me about eating too fast, but it's either that or miss out on some training or having fun with friends or spending quality time with my darling little sissy-missy." She beamed. "So, of course, I spend time doing things other than working and training! This body needs fuel to move! I've never heard of an athlete who didn't eat, after all." She made a satisfied nodding motion, then paused a moment to consider sleep. "Tired? Well, ah... hmm..." Cinnabar Star suddenly became interested in looking at the various things in the office instead of at the doctor.

"Not ALL the time. Just sometimes. Sometimes, I stay up kinda late, you know, doing... stuff." The young mare suddenly got quiet. She cleared her throat to break the silence after a good minute. "So, where do you get your hair done? It looks nice!"

[Lux]

[colour=#800080]"A half a day," [/colour]Heart Healer said while thinking about what the mare said, [colour=#800080]"Well, while I do say that you are putting much of your effort into your training you should be careful not to overexert yourself as that could lead to lasting injuries or sickness. You should also take time to do other things perhaps a little more so you can be balanced in life." [/colour]

The pony became distracted it seemed by things around Heart Healer's office. The psychologist had to admit that the place was not a good area to focus with all the books and trinkets on shelves. Maybe she could have somepony build her a wall that separated her office from where she held her sessions. Well as long as the mare still focused on her advice, Heart couldn't fault the pony.

What directed her attention was the fact that Cinnabar mentioned going "stuff" at night. She heard that vague explanation times before with patients mentioning they were doing something or stuff. Typically it was something embarrassing, and in this case Heart wanted to delve deeper into it without of course losing the mare's trust.

[colour=#800080]"Well thank you for your comment about my mane. I will give you the name of my stylist when we are finished. Right now though I'd like to talk more about you. So tell me about this stuff. Is is something like reading at night or dancing, or even making things?" [/colour]

[GingerbreadSpy]

"Oh, I try not to overexert myself. I don't want an injury, either. I can't compete if I'm sick or injured." Cinnabar Star smiled gently, but it disappeared when the doctor seemed determined to bring the conversation back to something she'd rather not talk about. Those private moments she had to herself, at night, when she gazed up at the stars and pondered about everything that had happened and all the worries and fears that came with it... No, it was best to just keep those things for the nighttime when nopony else had to deal with it but her. She forced a smile. "I like dancing," she said, trying to divert the subject.

"I'm not the best dancer, but I've got some basic moves down pretty good. It's good exercise. I'm not much for reading, though. My little sissy-missy loves reading! I think maybe she spends a little too much time reading, sometimes. I think if she opened up a little bit and made some friends, she'd probably feel a lot better for it."

[Lux]

It didn't take a psychologist to see that Cinnabar Star was hinging something from Heart Healer. Crystal ponies were known to have strong empathy, meaning there were few secrets in a pony's true feelings. Heart Healer could guess that it wasn't something that the mare was doing at night that was a concern but something she was thinking. After all, at night when all the day's activities and tasks were done it was just a pony alone with their thoughts in bed, wondering about what they did or didn't do or should have done. But Heart decided to redirect things away from that part of the pony's life, filing it away in her mind for later.

[colour=#800080]"Well, I can see that you have a very healthy relationship with your sister and your parents. Even though you like dancing and she likes reading maybe you two can share with each other those interests to strengthen your bond. But as I recall you said you wish to leave the home you were raised in and live in your own house. Are you interested in doing so for yourself because you desire space or is it that you are worried how other ponies might think. I only mention this as you brought up how a special somepony would view you if you were at home." [/colour]

[GingerbreadSpy]

"It's kind of hard to do anything else while reading at the same time. I've tried that already, it didn't work out too well! And T-Glassy really isn't as... hmm. Well, quite as coordinated as I am. But I always find a way around that. We both love sweets, so hanging around and digging into a delicious treat is a great bonding method!" Cinnabar Star suddenly glanced at her flank. "Eh, of course, an athlete needs to be careful not to go TOO overboard on the sweets." She gave Heart Healer a little grin. She frowned a little when the doctor asked her another question.

"It's... kind of both. I love my parents and my sissy-missy to pieces, but I really want to set out on my own. Be my own mare. Live my own life. And well, yeah... Some of my friends already have their own houses. A couple of them have even started hanging out with a special somepony they've found. I don't want to be behind the times." She paused, then muttered. "Well, more than we are already."

[Lux]

Satisfied that Cinnabar knew her limits with her training, the psychologist focused on what the mare said about her family and her desire to move out. The fact that she mentioned her friends living in their own houses with a possible special somepony made her wonder why the mare truly wanted to move out.

[colour=#800080]"Ok Miss Star. I want to ask you two questions, but I want you to think carefully before answering it as it's really important. I heard you say that you desire to move out, but you mention that your friends have their own places and even a special somepony. Therefore my two questions are as follows. First, are you more interested to move out because of your independence or because your friends are doing so? Also, is there anything in your life that makes you hesitant to move out and if so what would that be?" [/colour]

[GingerbreadSpy]

Cinnabar opened her mouth to speak without a second thought, then paused to give it some thought. "Uhh..." She rubbed at her head with her hoof. "Gee, I don't really know. Why do you think it's really important?" She looked at Heart Healer with slightly widened, expectant eyes. "Are you thinking that I shouldn't move out? Because I mean, nopony can live with their parents forever."

[Lux]

At first the psychologist believed that Cinnabar would reach her own conclusions about her thoughts on romance and living at home. But instead it looked like that the mare was in need of another pony's opinion. This was something Heart Healer saw that was consistent in the patient's life, a need to have others help her. She needed her parents, her friends and now even Heart's opinion on matters with her life.

[colour=#800080]"Well Miss Star, I can tell that you are a very intelligent mare who desires great things in her life. I cannot give you my opinion on what you should do with moving out of your parents' house and in finding a special somepony. If you were living in someplace with ponies who treated you negatively, the that would be something entirely different, but your parents and sister appear to be very loving and supportive. What I can advise you is to be the one who ultimately decides. I see that your friends are a driving factor in persuading you to move out and to find a special somepony, but rather than give in to what others are doing, who have to ask yourself what you want in your life. Because when all said and done, it is you who must live your life. does this make sense?" [/colour]

[GingerbreadSpy]

Cinnabar Star started to nod her head, but then paused, frowning a moment. "Well, yeah, I don't see how anypony else could live my life." She paused again, looking perhaps a little offended. "I don't think my friends are persuading me to move out and to find a special somepony. My friends aren't bossy at all!" She stomped a hoof on the ground and sat in a manner that was straight and rigid. "As a matter of fact, I'm not just finding a special somepony because somepony is telling me to find a special somepony. That would be weird! I want a special somepony to share my life with, my dreams with, and I kinda need a stallion if I'm going to have ten, no, twenty adorable baby foals in the future! Or maybe I'll settle for fifteen." She stopped ranting a second to think about it, then glanced sharply at the doctor. "But the point is, ah, the point is..." She trailed off, apparently having lost her train of thought.

"Well, I don't know what the point is, but I know my friends are the best friends I could ever have, and I don't appreciate somepony who doesn't even know them telling me they're bossy! Hmph!"

[Lux]

Heart Healer was surprised at the sudden display of emotion that Cinnabar exhibited towards her comment. Granted Heart had seen outbursts like this before in her sessions. Some ponies cried when they exposed their darkest fears and dreams to her while others got angry. It was what the psychologist knew as catharsis, the purging of one's emotions that were bottled up inside.

[colour=#800080]"Please don't misunderstand me Miss Star. I never said that your friends were bossy towards you, and I'm certainly not meaning to offend them. But I was wondering about whether the way they live influenced your decisions. It's a subtle persuasion, like when a pony wears a scarf and you are persuaded to buy it because you think it is nice. But I can see that you are interested in moving out, finding a special somepony, and starting a family for your sake which I find is a very good thing. Are you actively looking to find an apartment or a special somepony or are there any obstacles that are preventing you from achieving these goals?"[/colour]

[GingerbreadSpy]

Cinnabar Star calmed down when Heart Healer explained her intentions. "Oh. Well, that's different, then." She looked a little sheepish about the mistake she made and was happy the doctor moved onto the next question quickly, which saved her from having to stay embarrassed for too long. "Well, I'm still trying to keep myself in the bits long enough for me to afford an apartment. I don't really make much as a part-time mail mare, and, uh..." She blushed a little. "I have a hard time saving up, sometimes. I try, and I try, but sometimes, I see something I can buy somepony, and I can't help but get it just so I can see the smiles on their face later. Or I'll go out to eat, or I'll find something really cool that I just have to have. I'm sure it's just going to take a while." She smiled. "As for my special somepony, I am actively looking and flirting. I just need to find a guy that will finally take the hint that I'm interested in him!"

[Lux]

With the issue cleared up about her friends, Cinnabar felt clear to tell Heart Healer about her attempts to find a place to stay and finding a special somepony. It looked like she was a pony that liked to spend on a whim, something that didn't work well with her goal.

[colour=#800080]"With your goal to find a house, have you been saving some of your money. I'm not a financial adviser but if you put away a little at a time you'll get closer to your goal. As for a special somepony, it does take time to find an ideal match. How many ponies have you actually tried to meet? Also are you looking for a certain type of pony?" [/colour]

[GingerbreadSpy]

"I have been! It's just, you know, sometimes, things come up," Cinnabar Star said, frowning a little. She began to beam wide when Heart Healer asked her about special someponies. It was one of her favorite subjects. "Of course! I love meeting new ponies! I'm not too picky about what I want in a stallion. Any nice, hard-working, non-competitive athlete will do. He also must have a good sense of humor!" She made a dreamy smile and sighed. "I've tried so hard to set up dates with potential special stallions, but I never really manage to get to the actual date part, even though, I try to show them that I'd be a good date! I give compliments and gifts, I talk about him to all my friends and family, I get a hooficure and my mane done up all special and buy a brand new dress, I set up reminders about our first date, just in case he forgets, and then I also make sure to remind his friends just in case he forgets the reminders that I set up!" The dreamy smile drifted off into another frown and a disappointed sigh.

"I don't know what goes wrong! They never show up or visit, and they always seem to be in a hurry whenever I see them." She looked at Heart Healer with an expression that was a mix between melancholy and hope. "Do you think maybe I'm just not showing enough interest? I've heard stallions can be kind of clueless about these things..."

[Lux]

Heart Healer wondered what the "things" were in Cinnabar's life that interfered with her ability to raise money for an apartment. Granted she did seem to buy things on a whim, especially concerning dates. Yet she let the matter slide when it came to her discussion about romance. The pony appeared ready for a special somepony and actively sought one, but she was not seeing any results.

[colour=#800080]"It seems that you are interested in searching for a special somepony as you appear to be actively looking for one. I would caution sending too many reminders to said stallion or his friends as that can be seen as an act of desperation. Worse yet, some stallions may see it as too much of a control issue when trying to manage dates like one would manage appointments. What I am interested in is how you approach a stallion that you are interested in. so let's do a little role playing. I want you to imagine me as the stallion that you're interested in and say what you would normally say when first meeting one, ok?" [/colour]

[GingerbreadSpy]

Cinnabar Star gave the doctor a blank look. "It's a little hard to imagine, doc. You don't look anything like a stallion, and I'm pretty sure you're not my type." She paused a second before quickly adding: "No offense. Do you really think somepony would think I'm being too controlling? I don't see the harm in making reminders because, well, I can count the number of ponies who have gone on a date with me after they agreed to go on a date with me on..." She started to hold up a hoof, then put it back on the floor. "No hooves."

[Lux]

Heart Healer could only let out a sigh when Cinnabar dismissed her idea of role playing. Someponies just weren't interested in acting out fictional scenarios.

[colour=#800080]"None taken," [/colour]Heart Healer replied, [colour=#800080]"It was merely to be an exercise to get the sense of how you would address a certain somepony that you were interested in. I can understand that you feel the need to send reminders, especially with the history of stallions not showing. However, sending too many reminders will make you look desperate to find somepony which some stallions get nervous about. So minus doing the role play, let me ask you this: what is your ideal special somepony? Like if he walked into this room this very instant, what would he look like? How would he act?"[/colour]