//------------------------------// // Sin Of A Singer (RB, KTK And BS ) // Story: The Humble Prince // by Lighting Ace //------------------------------// With Special Guest Dr. Wolf!  As the first rays of sunlight bathed the halls of the crystal empire, a short bipedal wolf with white fur was finishing his preparations to receive a particularly odd client. He was quite a sight, with his colors transitioning from white to grey to dark black at the tip of his tail. The same gradient marked his nose, on which a small set of glasses rested. The eyewear was coupled with a dark purple vest on top of a formal white shirt with the sleeves tucked in, and a matching light purple tie with some black shorts. He waited, standing in one of the receiving rooms of the crystal castle. His services had been requested by none other than the Princess herself. And he, Dr. Wolf, therapist and psychologist extraordinaire, was now waiting for two friends of the royalty. The good Doctor didn't mind that much, quickly accepting the offer. He loved to help others in their time of need, and also, the payment the Princess was kind enough to give as a bonus was just too enticing to let the opportunity pass. Not to mention that this presented a perfect opportunity to try out his new therapy incense, made from carefully selected crystal flowers picked by none other than Mistmane. Yet, as the final dampening stone was put in place and the Doctor returned to his chair to pick the specially made sound-canceling earplugs, given to him alongside the note with all the instructions that needed to be followed to the letter, he couldn't for the life of him figure out why one of his patients requested such extreme conditions for their session. Even for a soldier, this looked a to be a tad bit excessive, but for the sake of keeping his patient comfortable, he was willing to play along and hope that with time she would explain why so many precautions were necessary. His train of thought was soon broken by a couple of knocks on the door, which signaled the arrival of his first patient. "Come in," the Doctor instructed. Soon the door opened, revealing none other than Stellar. With a stern gaze, she marched right into the room and started to look around.  "Oh, good morning. You must be my first patient. Stellar, right?" Rather than answer, the mare in question began to poke all the dampening rocks in the room before whistling at them, resulting in them vibrating for a second before killing the sound almost immediately. "Oh yes of course, just as requested, the entire room has been placed in three layers of sound-canceling magic barriers. I put the sound dampening crystals on the corners of the room and an emergency teleportation circle underneath my chair if anything fails," he explained as Stellar went on to check every precaution he had just listed. Once satisfied, she looked back at Doctor Wolf and then pointed at her ears. "What? Oh! Right, I have the sound canceling plugs right here, do you want…" He was about to offer them to her, but she only shook her head and moved them back to him. "You want me to wear them?"  She nodded a couple of times in response.  "But then I won't be able to hear you."  "Y–You will," Stellar replied in a barely audible whisper, "Please," she insisted, looking at him straight on the eyes. With a defeated sigh, the Doctor finally decided to comply and put them on.  "Is this better?"  "Much, thanks for understanding doctor," Stellar finally spoke, a bit louder this time to the surprise of Dr. Wolf. "What the…how can I hear you better now?"  "Those are not complete noise-canceling plugs, Doctor. They are adjusted so you can hear me on a frequency only bats can hear," she explained, and indeed the explanation held when the Doctor tried to listen without the plugs; he couldn't hear a single thing despite Stellar speaking.  "It was the only way I can be sure you'd be safe," Stellar confessed in shame, "I hope this isn't a problem, I just don't want to hurt anyone by accident."  "It's ok, and I'm willing to accept your conditions if it helps you feel more comfortable. Though it just makes me wonder, are you that afraid of your own voice?" Dr. Wolf inquired with sadness as the poor mare only nodded in shame. "Ever since I hit puberty. In a way, it also why I am so mad with the pony that tried to kill the Prince," she explained before taking a seat on a couch while Dr. Wolf went to sit in a high backed chair next to her. "Sounds like it was hard growing up, why don't you tell me about it? Tell me about how your childhood was?"  Steller sighed and laid down on the couch. "Well, I suppose you could say that it was far from normal, but then again, that is to be expected when your mom is a siren," she explained, before standing up to grab a bit of her fur near her neck — pulling it back slightly so the Doctor could see an actual gill, which was hidden underneath. "And yes, they are functional, which means I'm kind of an amphibious pony that can breathe underwater," she mentioned with a small hint of pride and a smile on her face.  "Fascinating, this is the first time I have seen a pony displaying the attributes of a sea pony from her mother's side of the family."  Stellar only shook her head at that. "My mom isn't a sea pony, but I understand the confusion. Ponies frequently have a hard time noticing the difference," Stellar corrected, "A sea pony and a siren are like a unicorn and a pegasus, both equines but different species."   "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to offend."  "None taken, but as I said, it happens all the time. So you can have a better reference, the sea ponies lived in Seaquestria, and their hooves are fins, not to mention that the ones on their backs are thinner and smaller. Sirens have actual frontal hooves, and their fins are much larger and bulkier which allow flight. Normally they lived in the northern, colder regions of the world and don’t interact much with the outside, which is why the information about them is a tad limited…and of course; there is also their singing power. You are probably familiar with the infamous story about those three sirens."  "I have heard of the story, yes," the Doctor gave a small nod. "Just know that those three don't represent the rest of the species, they were just criminals with a thirst for power and disregarded the gift we sirens have," Stellar was quick to answer with slight but present anger, most likely from experience. "Anyways, back to my story. Like other sirens, my mom had one incredible magical voice, and the thing she loved to do the most was to sing. So when sailors navigated near her territory, she often sang to them to help them navigate through the most dangerous parts of the ocean, using a bit of mild mind control while doing so, but she never abused her abilities in the end. It was during one of her many sessions when she found my dad, a now ex-pirate named Kid North Star, who, like mom, loved to sing more than anything in the world. According to them, the harmony of their duet was so cute that stars danced around them," Stellar recalled with fondness before giggling. "Of course that is probably an exaggeration, but that is more or less how they met, fell in love and eventually settled down in a little house near the coast of Prance where they had my older sister, Delfy Star."  "Sounds like one incredible love st…sto…wait a minute! did…did you just say Delfy Star? As in the Prance Pearl of the ocean? The famous star of the world of jazz, the sea pony Delfy Star?" "The same," Stellar confirmed with a nod. "As you can see, I look after my dad while Delfy was closer to mom, and yes before you ask, our mom is Aurora Borealis, are you familiar with her work as well?"  "Am I? I'm a big fan of her! The opera songs she has performed, I even use some of her recordings with some of my sessions. Her voice is one of the most heavenly things I have ever heard!" he gushed with great excitement.  "Yep, sounds like mom, she never stopped singing. And as you can imagine, that voice got the attention of the neighbors, then the mayor, then other towns and before we knew it, mom and dad started performing for the richest of audiences of the day, and my sister soon joined in the fun too. I always tried my best, too, but…"  She sighed before looking down. "But then puberty happened, and everything changed forever."  "What exactly happened?"  "It was during a school performance. Like the rest of my family, I had this dream of performing on stage and singing with my family, as Alouette Star, the best singer of the world," she recalled, moving her hoof from side to side. "A silly dream of a delusional thirteen-year-old little filly." "Why that name?"  "It was the name given to me before I changed it out of shame. You see, Doctor, when I was born, I thought I only inherited the gills and my mom's eyes while my sister got the horn and eyes of my dad…turns out that of the two, only I inherited the voice of a siren."  "Oh dear, you mean…" D. Wolf looked at her in surprise as he covered his mouth when she nodded.  "It happened so fast, and I was too engrossed in my singing to notice, but when I came of age, the siren side of me made itself known to the audience and put the entire school in a trance."  "It forced their bodies to dance on my command. At first, I thought that my singing was just that good until my mom saw what was happening and used her singing to break the spell. Thank the stars they were in the audience."  "Only that stopped me from causing any more damage. That was by far the darkest day of my life, and it just got worse from there," Stellar mentioned as she closed her eyes and cleaned a single tear from her left eye. "The next day, they took me to see an expert, and he confirmed our fears. Since I'm not a full-fledged siren, my vocal cords can't exactly turn off the siren voice, and what's worse, I don't even need to be singing to use it. Just one word could be enough to influence the minds of others, and if I'm not constantly restraining my voice, it can happen at any moment without warning whether I desire it or not. Do you know what that means for a singer, Doctor? A true singer puts their soul and heart into a performance. Being forced to stay conscious of your voice means never being able to hit a single note with emotion. The dream of a silly teenage filly was shattered that day," Stellar finished while holding back tears. "That's why I decided to simply not talk and why I asked you for all these precautions. I don't want to hurt ponies simply by talking…I don't want to recreate that incident ever again." She then pointed to different parts of the room. "You asked me if I'm afraid of my voice earlier? Well, the truth is that during those years, I lived every day absolutely terrified of it." she admitted with shame. "That is why I enrolled in the royal army, or rather, it was the solution that I came up with after my parents asked Princess Celestia for help. Such unique abilities were too good to let go to waste, and both her and my parents thought that with the proper guidance, I could find a way to control my powers. Maybe I could find a way to speak regularly again, and back then, I was so scared that I would hurt anyone that I was willing to try anything."  "And that is when you decided to enroll in the school of gifted unicorns. So you could have a better understanding of your powers, right?"  Stellar nodded. "Or to remove them altogether if necessary."  " I beg your pardon?" Dr. Wolf asked in alarm. "I know, I know, that is a terrible thing to think about, but I was afraid, young, and naive. I wasn't thinking much back then. So out of a whim and not wanting to get any sort of attention from the shame of what happened, I changed my name to 'Stellar' and enrolled in her school, not uttering a single world for three whole years. Those were the hardest of times, and thankfully Princess Celestia, bless her soul, stayed with me the entire time, and together we found temporary solutions that allowed me to talk. A couple of words here, talking in whispers, she even taught me hoof language, so I didn't have to talk much. All the while, we studied together on how to understand my condition better. And that was when I embarked on a new adventure to find a new dream for myself."  "Don't you miss being able to sing?"  "Oh, of course, I do. I have had many dreams where I can perform on stage once more, at least one last time," she sighed, wallowing in self-pity for a bit as she looked down. "I suppose that is one of the few regrets that still lingers in my heart. But the new dream I managed to achieve has helped me find inner peace and purpose in my life. All thanks to an event that helped me realize that I wanted to be a royal guard."  "Really? What happened?"  "It was during one of my daily meditation sessions in the park, at the suggestion of the Princess, I started to embrace Tai-Chi and inner reflection to better calm my mind and soul. During that time, I heard the voices of guards chasing a thief not too far from where I was. All of a sudden, I listened to a mare and filly scream in fear. I opened my eyes in horror to see how in the act of desperation, the brute took the filly as a hostage and was currently pressing a knife on the poor girl's neck to keep the guard's far from him. When it appeared that the crook was going to get away, I saw the tears in the filly's eyes, and for some reason, she looked directly at me and mouthed a sentence that changed my life forever.  'Help me.'"  Stellar closed her eyes, remembering the event in her mind before looking back at the Doctor.  "The next thing I knew, I was rushing toward them, and for one second, I forgot my fears and restraint as I used my siren voice for the second time in my life to say 'Stop!' The expression of utter confusion on the thief's face was simply priceless. What's better was when I gave the command to let her go, I discovered that somehow I managed to target only the burglar and not the filly who rushed to her mom almost immediately," she smiled at the memory as she grabbed her left hoof. "Both her and her mom hugged me so tight out of gratitude. I feared that they would never let me go, and at that moment, I felt happy once again. My powers helped an innocent individual instead of hurting them. I could use it to protect, to keep others safe, To be a guardian instead of a threat, and I knew that if I could refine it, even more, no civilian would ever be harmed as long as I had something to say about it." she continued with not a small amount of pride. "The next day, I left the school and requested the Princess to put me in the royal guard program. It was quite a shock for both her and my family when I told them about it. But…they ultimately let me go when they saw me smiling again. From there, the rest is history. I rose through the ranks and got a better understanding of my powers. I fought against those that abused theirs. That is why I am so angry at that assassin; he doesn't care that he hurts others, and used his gifts as he pleased, causing suffering and pain wherever he goes. Seeing ponies doing that reminds me of what I once did, and that's enough to make my blood boil."  "Is it now?" Dr. Wolf asked with a raised eyebrow.  "What do you mean, doctor?" Stellar was confused by his question.   "Well, Stellar, I'm happy that you found a purpose in life and discovered a way to use your powers to protect the innocent, but are you truly happy with how things are right now? Sure, your life might appear comfortable, but have you ever tried speaking normally again?"  "Why would I do that? I have Amber for that; she's my friend, and she knows me so well that there is no need for me to say anything to anyone. She would gladly speak for the two of us, and I'm grateful to her for that."  "But, Stellar, that is not a solution, that is an excuse." Dr. Wolf argued back, "Choosing not to speak and letting others do the talking doesn't solve the problem; it just postpones it. Plus you said it yourself, your dream of singing is still there, will you truly be happy with yourself never trying to sing again?"  "Of course, I will…it just that I already know that it's impossible," she looked quite shamefaced when she gave this admission, "And what does that have to do with my anger with the assassin?"  "I think the seed of your anger is not necessarily directed at the assassin but rather at yourself."  "What?" "Well think it of it this way, putting aside the fact that this criminal is hurting others. Like yourself, this pony clearly is showing a gift of his that Equestria has never seen before. But where you hide it and restrain yourself, he parades it around with pride. Having such confidence in himself and what he can do, doesn't that make you feel a bit…jealous?"  "Of course not!"  "Well then let's do a little experiment, close your eyes for a moment."  She did as she was instructed. "Ok, now let us use our imagination for a bit. Try to picture a complete theater packed full with ponies enjoying the performance of a mare singing her heart out."  "Ok?"  "Now imagine that this mare is a pegasus, but not an ordinary pegasus, since she is half Kirin, and can ignite her body as she sings."  "What?" Stellar's eyes shot open with alarm. "Interesting, tell me why the idea of another pony having a situation similar to yours scare you so much?"  "It just feels…unnatural, and dangerous, what if she burns someone in the audience?"  "And what if she doesn't? How does that make you feel?"  "I don't want to think about it."  "Fair enough, let's try again, this time a stallion, a firefighter. Just a regular unicorn…with the dragon's scales of his mom, making him impervious to fire and very resistant to falling debris, which makes him perfect for the job, he is good at it, and what is more, he loves it. Because he loves his job, helping others."  "I suppose," Stellar replied. The mare was doing an abysmal job of hiding her growing irritation. "Ok, let's try it this time with someone you know then, someone that has proven to be a nice pony to others, I want you to picture Blueblood, nothing special, just picture him in your head, you got it?"  She nodded in response. "Now picture him as his alter ego and tell me what you feel."  "I feel…I feel…anger?" Stellar opened her eyes in surprise as she holds her chest. "Why? I…I don't get it, and he is kind. A bit brash but with a good heart, he treats Amber and I with respect and kindness why…why all of the sudden when I picture him as Blood Moon I feel like this, it's like I…I feel jealous?" she realized in a moment of dawning cognition as Dr. Wolf nodded a bit smugly. "See? It looks like the root of your anger goes deeper than just protecting others."  "What should I do, Doctor Wolf? How do I get rid of that?"  "You don't have too, and there is nothing wrong with feeling envious of others. Letting it control you, letting it twist into anger or violence, now that is a problem. What you must do is use those emotions as an opportunity to improve yourself. See those more successful than you as inspiration and guide. Find out what they did that helped them reach the place where they are now. And of course be happy for their success, because chances are, they must have worked as hard as you to reach the top," Dr. Wolf told his patient firmly. "Thank you, Doctor."  "My pleasure, and well, it looks like our time is almost up. I'm glad we managed to achieve so much in one session, I would love to have another one, but that is completely up to you. What do you say? Maybe the next one we won't require the earplugs?"  "It's not going to be that easy, Doctor…but I wouldn't mind talking a bit more. Telling you about my problems helps; I feel like a weight has been lifted off my back," Stellar mentioned with a smile as she got up. "I will inform you when I can schedule another session, is that ok with you?"  "As long as you give me some weeks in advance, I wouldn't mind," Dr. Wolf said with a shrug.  "In that case, I will try to keep in touch, Doctor. Until then, thank you for your help," She nodded and marched toward the door as Dr. Wolf takes out his earplugs with a sigh. Well, now that was one incredible backstory, poor mare. I hope she finds a way to overcome her self-imposed mutism. He mused to himself in pity, watching the door close, with a smile. Putting his right paw on his chest he takes a deep breath to clear his mind with his eyes close before opening them again "It good to be helping" He voice out loud to no one in particular before picking a clipboard.  Ok then, let's see who is next on the list? Hmm, Amber. Ah, and it seems that she only requested…a punching bag? Dr. Wolf re-read the condition asked before groaning internally.  This is going to be one of those sessions, I just know it.