//------------------------------// // Chapter VIII: Letter // Story: Memoir of Misery // by Silvak //------------------------------// "So... Luna couldn't help you either?" Twilight asked, having arrived in the morning out of the desire to know the results of Sapphire's night, sitting across from Sapphire's seat at her table. "No... whoever, or whatever, this Veritas thing is, Princess Luna couldn't get rid of it. She believes that whatever Veritas is, she's probably linked to my memories, or my subconscious, or even both. She thinks Veritas is most likely some unresolved issues or something of the sort that I need to overcome, and she believes that would be good for my own well-being," Sapphire answered before dropping her face onto the table, where she let out a groan of frustration. "What's worse, Veritas taunted me every so often when I was trying to recover some of my memories despite Luna trying to order her to stay silent. So not only do I have some annoying voice in my head, but now it'll take longer to recover my memories." Tapping her chin, Twilight stated, "That is a problem. Perhaps you possess a traumatic memory that your subconscious doesn't want you to remember, so it produced Veritas as a means of preventing you from having access to that memory." Moving her head so she could look at Twilight, Sapphire countered, "But why would she make it harder for me to remember at all? Wouldn't it be easier for her to just take the shards of that memory and either get rid of them or hide them from me?" "Hmm... good point... unless she's trying to distract you so that you wouldn't notice the memory being taken!" Twilight exclaimed, looking a bit proud of her reasoning, only for it to fade a bit at Sapphire's skeptical look. "Hey, it does have valid reasoning." "You're really reaching for that idea with that explanation," Sapphire said as she lifted her head with a groan. "But it doesn't matter. Veritas is there, and I need to figure out a way to get rid of her." "Well, I'll look at some books on psychology to see if there is anything that can help you with that. Though, you should look at the bright side. Things could always be worse, like say… being petrified," Twilight stated, causing Sapphire to raise an eyebrow at that. However, before Sapphire could open her mouth, Twilight continued, "Petrified means that a pony has been turned into stone." "...That is a very specific thing to bring up Twilight," Sapphire replied, causing Twilight to let out a chuckle as her eyes darted to the side while her face took on an awkward expression. "Well... let's just say that there was a little incident in the Everfree Forest where... I ended being turned to stone by a cockatrice," Twilight explained as she rubbed her forehooves together as Sapphire gave her a surprised look. "What what what‽ You were turned into stone!" Sapphire exclaimed as she rushed over to Twilight's side, grabbing one of her forelegs as she inspected it. "But... you're all flesh and blood?!" Pulling her leg away from Sapphire, Twilight replied, "Of course, how would I even get to your home if I was still a stone statue?" She then rolled her eyes. "Look, I'm fine now thanks to Fluttershy, so you can relax." "Are you sure? I mean, turning to stone and then back to normal doesn't mean you're completely alright. Did you see a doctor?" Sapphire asked as she continued to look at Twilight with concern on her face. "Of course I did. Even I know that being a statue for any period of time can't be good for your health. Luckily, the Ponyville Hospital is always open for medical emergencies," Twilight answered. Just as Sapphire was about to say something in turn, there was a knock on the front door, causing the both of them to look at it as Twilight asked, "Were you expecting visitors?" "Not that I know of..." Sapphire replied as she went to the front door, opening it to reveal a grey mare with a blond mane. The mare had one eye looking at Sapphire and the other looking at a different direction as she held out an envelope with one of her wings. "Umm... thanks?" Sapphire said as she took the envelope, to which the mare smiled and gave her a salute before flying off. "Who's it from?" Twilight asked as she trotted over to Sapphire's side just as Sapphire took a look at the return address. "It's from Photo Finish? It can't be a check..." Sapphire said as she opened the envelope, pulling out the letter as she read its contents, causing her to take a surprised look. "She wants me to go to Canterlot for another photo shoot." "But ain't that a bit soon for you? I thought you wanted to do it once a month at most," Twilight asked. "Yeah... she mentioned that in the letter, but she said that due to how rare it is for a model to be naturally as thin as I am, and along with my coloration, I'm drawing quite a crowd. She thinks that if I go to Canterlot for the photoshoot, it could draw the attention of some of the wealthy ponies that might have them want me to model for some of their advertisements... whatever those are," Sapphire said as she looked over the contents of the letter again. Sighing at Sapphire's limited knowledge of the world, Twilight explained, "Advertisements are a form of marketing communication that corporations use in order to alert the general public of the products they're selling and their capabilities," only to receive the sight of Sapphire blinking at her, which caused her to sigh again. "It's how corporations get their buyers to know about their products." "Ohhh... though I don't know if I should... I mean, I don't want to attract too much attention to myself..." Sapphire replied. "That might be a problem. But, if this is working out for you, it can't hurt to do one shoot early, right? Maybe Photo Finish can give you an extended break afterward?" Twilight proposed, causing Sapphire to look at the letter once more before letting out her own sigh. "Might as well. Having some more bits can't hurt, and getting this out of the way now instead of later would be best. Though that means I have to pay a visit to Rarity and figure out how to get a ticket to Canterlot," Sapphire said as she rubbed her forehead with a hoof. Twilight then levitated the envelope up from the ground where Sapphire dropped it, opening it a bit before pulling out a ticket, causing Sapphire to blush for not fully emptying out the thing. "Okay... that's one problem solved. So, I guess that I have to just pay Rarity a visit since she told me she would like to see me before I go to another photo shoot." "Please! Please try to get Photo Finish to come to Ponyville!" Rarity cried as she clung to Sapphire's chest after she heard the news. "Whoa! What has gotten into you Rarity?! You weren't this bad when I went to Manehatten," Sapphire said as she tried to pry Rarity's hooves off her without hurting the crying mare. "But that wasn't before a new fashion trend had started to hit and I need the exposure now before its too late!" Rarity cried out as she kept her hold on Sapphire. "If I don't get my dresses into the fashion magazines now, I won’t be able try again for months!" "Alright already. I'll try to convince Photo Finish to come to Ponyville. But didn't you want me to bring some of your dresses instead?" Sapphire asked as Rarity finally loosened her grip enough for Sapphire to push her off. "It's quite simple my dear. You can only bring so many dresses, and they may not look as pristine as when they arrived, which Photo may reject. But if she were to come here herself, then I could present my entire line in their best condition! It may be a tad hard for you to convince her, so try to use Ponyville's idyllic nature as a drawing point to get her interested," Rarity stated. "If you think so... I'll try my best, but no promises," Sapphire said, which Rarity then pranced about on the same spot with delight clearly on her face. "Ohh... first Hoity Toity, and now Photo Finish? This will put my store on the fast track to becoming famous! At this rate, it won't be long before I have my own boutique in Canterlot!" Rarity exclaimed, causing Sapphire to blink in confusion. "Wait, you want to move your store to Canterlot?" Sapphire asked as she tilted her head at this revelation. "Oh, I don't want to move my home to Canterlot dear. Ponyville is my home, but I would love to expand my business into Canterlot. I'll just be having a pony selling my dresses in my stead there. For you see, Canterlot is the capital of Equestria, and if you can have a successful store there, than you can open one anywhere!" Rarity explained as she danced in glee. "Oh... okay... I see what you mean, I think," Sapphire replied, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof. "Well, since this is cleared up, I'll be off to Canterlot then," Sapphire declared as she started to rise from her seat. "Very well dear. Do tell me of all your escapades in Canterlot when you come back!" Rarity said with a smile. Pausing for a moment, Sapphire replied, "Umm... I'm just going to a photo shoot, nothing more..." which caused Rarity to gasp in surprise. "...What?" "What?! Sapphire dear, you're going to Canterlot! Didn't you hear what I just said? Its the capital of Equestria! There is no more impo—wait, do you know what a capital is, Sapphire?" Rarity asked, as her shocked look turned into a narrowed eyed one. "Um... it's when you make a small letter a bigger one?" Sapphire answered, bearing an awkward smile as Rarity simply placed a forehoof to her head as she shook it at her. "Dear... have you gotten to your geography books yet?" Rarity asked as she eyed Sapphire with a suspicious look. "Umm... a little bit?" Sapphire said as she forced herself to smile even wider as Rarity just let out a soft groan. "Sapphire... a capital city is where the seat of government rules from. The royal sisters reside in Canterlot, along with the unicorn nobility and... well, how about you see for yourself?" Rarity stated as she walked up to a window, opening it as she pointed at something. Stepping up beside her, Sapphire followed the direction of where her hoof was pointing, only to gasp at the sight of the city perched on the nearby mountain. "How did I not notice that?" "Well, considering that you either have your nose in a book, to the point that you could give Twilight herself a run for her money, or that you were occupied with food, you haven't been out that much lately. You should consider going out once in a while for some fresh air, and visit the spa while you're at it. It would be good for your complexion," Rarity stated. "Okay... but I wouldn't know what to do there after the photo shoot. I mean... I really don't have any hobbies and I'm not into sightseeing," Sapphire replied back in mild tone. "Well dear, since it is the capital, you could visit various historical sights, as well as the various cultural centers..." Rarity started to say until she saw that she wasn't grabbing Sapphire's attention, which caused her to add, "Not to mention the high-class restaurants th—" "Wait, high-class restaurants?! What do you mean by that?!" Sapphire said as her ears perked up at that bit of information. "What I mean is that you can experience some of the best food that Equestria has to offer. There is nothing but the best in Canterlot," Rarity said, smiling at Sapphire's eyes as they started to brighten while she inwardly hoped that this would lead Sapphire to fully experience the splendor of Canterlot. "Then why didn't you say that in the first place‽ Canterlot, here I come!"