The streets of Canterlot mumbled and hummed with conversation. The bright light of the sun beamed down on Satin as she turned the pages of the book she was reading. The weather had started to warm, which was only natural for this time of year. The summer solstice was tomorrow, and there were preparations that still needed to be made. Once the three of them arrived at school, they would be pulled into jobs for decorating and cleaning up the campus. She also needed to straighten her room, due to the fact that she was going to open her curtains more. Not to mention the fact that she needed to begin her second reading of her summer assignments-
"Boo!" Violet's face suddenly appeared in her vision. Upside down. And baring fangs. Acting like a reasonable pony, with a logical mind, Satin screamed. Stumbling backward, she landed on her rump on the sun-warmed grass.
Violet chuckled, still hanging upside down from the tree branch. "Gotcha." Her long mane and tail reached for the ground like heavy wisps of smoke.
"Violet..." Satin quickly got her books in order. "Must you do that to me every morning?" She pulled her ponytail, tightening it to the base of her head. She readjusted her scarf and glasses.
"Must you fall for it every morning?" Violet countered, her fangs flashing in the sunlight. She looked down towards the grassy earth. With an unnatural amount of grace, she let herself fall, and landed perfectly on her hooves without missing a beat. "Besides, it keeps you healthy."
Satin pushed her glasses up her muzzle. "That has never been proven. I know, I've checked." She looked around. "Where's Cloudy?"
"Doughnuts." Violet answered. Satin nodded, instantly understanding. She watched as Violet shifted. No matter how much she studied, observed, and wrote about her friends special talent, she never managed to quench the sense of awe that always appeared. Violet's entire body went still, as though turning to stone. Her eyes stared at nothing, changing from an intense black as the pupil completely overtook the iris, to their odd silver. She looked less graceful after the ordeal, and her face tightened as a brief headache burst in the center of her forehead.
"You okay?" Satin asked, like she did every morning.
Violet cleared her throat. "Yep. Right as rain." She started walking in the direction of the park entrance. "Come on, you know how impatient Cloudy is." After a few moments of walking, the two of them fell into conversation.
"So, uh... I'm assuming that your training is canceled for the day?" Satin asked, remembering the incidents from the years before. "I mean, with your coach's new baby... and the Summer Sun Celebration... am I correct?"
"When are you ever wrong?" Violet asked with a chuckle. She nodded. "Coach told me not to bother coming over today... but I'm going to meditate, just to make up for lost time."
"Good idea. Your headaches are diminishing, right?" Satin asked, eager to get developments on Violet's special talent. She hadn't updated her research journal in a while.
"Yep." Violet's ears lowered. "'At a slow rate', obviously." She wrinkled her nose. Satin couldn't blame the sudden change in mood. That was a phrase that Violet had constantly heard for the past four years while her training progressed. She had to push her body's limits, her special talent demanded it. She needed to be capable of handling her character's abilities physically and mentally, in order to handle them without growing ill afterwards. Because of that, Violet's body was unnaturally skinny, and not in a pretty way. Not that Satin was calling her ugly, it was just... it looked abnormal. Violet could lift more weight on her back than most of the stallions in their grade, but she looked as though she could crumble onto the ground at any moment. The meditation sessions didn't really help matters, due to the fact that they sometimes came at random times in the middle of class. Not even Satin could count the number of times where a worried pony looked at Violet, ready to catch her if she were to faint as they were walking down the hall. Violet had then explained, time after time, that she wasn't sick or dizzy or even tired. She had just begun to 'not think'.
"Slow progress is still progress." Satin said. Violet nodded, hearing the words again for the billionth time.
"I know. I know." The two of them had reached the entrance to Joe's. "But sometimes... it doesn't feel like anything is developing. It kind of blows."
"'Blows'?" Satin quoted. "I never understood the concept of using that word to express disappointment. Due to the fact that, during our generation, the term 'suck' is used to describe the same thing. Words with nearly opposite meanings, being used in the form of slang, to show the same form of-"
"Booooorrrrinnnnggggg." Cloudy's voice interrupted Satin. "Honestly, I go to get doughnuts for twenty minutes, and I come back to you being as boring as Violet."
"Hey!" Violet lifted the bag of pastries. "I'm not that boring..." She pulled out her jelly filled treat and eagerly took a bite. "Ask Satin, I made her heart beat fast just half an hour ago."
"I thought we agreed not to develop romantic relationships until after we graduate?" Cloudy batted her eyelashes, taking out her own breakfast.
"Ha Ha." Satin clung the bag, now only holding her own doughnut, close to her chest. "You two are soooo hilarious." Both of the girls chuckled.
"Did she scare you again?" Cloudy asked, taking another bite.
"I did it while hanging upside down this time. See? I'm changing it up."
...
Everyday was a routine for Violet, especially since she entered the last stage of her education. As soon as she entered the campus grounds, she headed straight to the counselors office. There, she would talk to Doctor Pool about plans she had for the rest of the day, her childhood, what she had eaten the day before, and other things like that. There were many days when Violet wondered where her counselor had gotten her degree, due to the fact that there never seemed to be any actual progress in Violet's development.
"Good morning, Iron Wing." Violet said as she walked into the sitting room. She was met with the same reaction as always, a small dash of fright. She wasn't sure if Iron was simply immensely worried about Phoenix every morning, or if she herself was just that forgettable. Either way, every time she said (which was every morning), it always seemed as though Iron Wing had briefly forgotten her existence.
"Oh! Uh... Hi, Violet." He said, fluffing up his grey feathers. He was the star of nearly every single sports team on campus, so his muscular build would have intimidated most. But not Violet. She couldn't really be intimidated by him after seeing him wait outside the shrink's door every morning like a lonely puppy begging for scraps and hugs. "How was your morning?"
"It was good." She said, taking her chair next to him. "Planning anything big for the Summer Sun Celebration?"
He nodded. A pale pink blush highlighted his gray cheeks. "Me and Phin are going on a picnic until the sun rises."
"That sounds nice, I'm sure she'll enjoy it." Violet smiled. Iron Wing's blush grew deeper.
"What about you?" He asked, trying to keep the small talk going. They didn't speak often, considering they didn't have any classes together, but Violet could admire him for being courteous.
However, before she could answer, the door to Dr. Pool's office opened with a soft click. Phoenix stepped out, looking slightly less anxiety stricken than normal. It was a good sign.
"Alright, dear." Dr. Pool's voice resonated from the open door. "Don't forget to spend some more times with your birds to get your heart rate down. And don't forget to breathe." Phoenix nodded. Her eyes completely darted over Violet and rested squarely onto Iron Wing. Her shoulders relaxed, and the panic lines that formed on her face faded. He, along with her phoenixes, were the only thing that calmed her down.
"Good morning, Miss Lace. Come right in!" Dr. Pool called. Violet quickly waved goodbye to Iron Wing and Phoenix before heading inside.
Dr. Fern Pool was one of the greatest therapist ponies in Canterlot. At least, that's what Fancy Pants had said when Violet suggested that she start visiting her four years ago. He said that she settled for the counseling gig due to her rather calm and down to earth demeanor. And that couldn't be any closer to the truth. Dr. Pool's appearance reminded Violet of the stories that her mother used to tell her. The ones with her traveling, after first getting her cutie mark. Dr. Pool's mane was done up in braids, and it being colored a bright green, made it look like vines. She had a few tasteful beaded bracelets adorning her hooves, made out of river stones and wood. Her coat was a soft, sandalwood color, and always smelled like rain. Her office was decorated like a rain forest crossed with a Zen garden. The only thing missing was a little waterfall leading to a pond of piranha.
The shrink was sitting on her plush chair, completely covered in beaded scarves and pillows.
"Hello." She took a sip out of her steaming mug of tea. "How was your morning, Violet?"
"Oh, you know. Same old, same old." Violet took her usual seat on a large pillow in the center of the room. "Mom made special pancakes. She added, like... lemon and orange zest in the batter. She said it was for the celebration, but I'm pretty sure she just wanted to use those oranges before they went bad." She shrugged. "Dad warned her about splurging on that sale, but everypony knows he has no control at the food market."
"So it wasn't the same then?" Dr. Pool got out of her chair to sit next to Violet on the pillow. "You did something different today."
"Yes..." Violet nodded, knowing this was what she wanted to hear. "I'm changing my routine."
Dr. Pool hummed. "You need to change your routine on your own, Violet. That might be the key to solving your nightmares."
"I'm trying." She tucked a gray lock of mane behind her ear. "I had a conversation with Iron Wing this morning."
"You do that every morning." The counselor took another sip of her drink.
"But we talked about the celebration." Violet quickly defended. "He's going on a special date Phoenix Heart."
"A different conversation is not the same as a different situation all together." She placed her drink down on the nearby shelf. "Perhaps you should try to talk to somepony else, like in the hallway or at the library."
Violet sighed. This was how her appointments always went, though she was quick to hold her tongue on the matter. Telling her counselor that meeting with her was part of the problem wouldn't help anypony. If anything, it would just make her parents upset. "I'll try."
"Good." Dr. Pool stood up, and made herself comfortable in her chair again. "Did you have another nightmare last night?"
"Yes ma'm." Violet answered. She stared at the steaming mug, forgotten on the shelf. She watched the steam curl and spin in the air, as though it was dancing. "I don't remember them, obviously."
"How has your training been going?" She asked.
"As progressive as it's always been." So hardly a change, whatsoever... Violet said in her mind with a bitter tone. "But my headaches and sore muscles have been improving."
"You've been practicing your talent?" Dr. Pool started to look at Violet's paperwork, probably trying to find the last time she said she was improving.
"I've been using it regularly, yes."
"As well as your school work, your spells?" She found the paper she was looking for, and placed on the top of the pile.
"Yes ma'm." Violet nodded.
And that was how their appointment went. Dr. Pool would ask questions, Violet would answer. They would dabble in a little bit of small talk, have a brief moment of 'relaxing' silence, and then it would end. And Violet would leave feeling no more confident that her nightmares were over than she did when she first walked in.
...
"Man, today was harder than usual..." Cloudy complained. "Floral Sonata tried to steal my part, per usual!"
"Isn't that sort of the point of an audition?" Violet asked. "To try to get a part fair and square, based solely of talent?"
"Ha!" Cloudy huffed. "Look, I'll give her the credit of her singing voice. She's an amazing singer. But let's face it, Vi. She can't act any more than Celestia can walk in public without getting stared at."
"I wouldn't know, I've never seen her on stage." She levitated her books out of her locker. "Thanks to you."
"Well..." Cloudy chewed on the edge of her hoof, trying to hide her guilt. "She should try out for a different role! It's not my fault she's my understudy all the time. If she really wan't to be on stage so bad, she should be proud of those background roles! I know I was when I was a first year!"
"Yeah, but... she's in our grade, Cloudy." The two of them started walking towards the exit. "Don't you think it's embarrassing to be a fourth year, and having to be 'background pony number five'?"
"I-"
"Violet! Cloudy!" The two girls spun around to see Satin running towards them at full sprint.
"She's expressing emotion. This must be good." Violet said sarcastically.
"Violet... Cloudy..." Satin huffed as she reached them. "Father... wanted to know... if you and your parents could... make it to dinner... tonight?" The two of them stood still, slightly disturbed and confused by Satin's eagerness to get an answer.
"Um... yes?" Cloudy said, still weary. "Is there a reason that this couldn't wait until later?"
"Father... got us reservations... for The Garden." Violet quickly pulled out her water bottle that she had in her bag. Satin eagerly chugged it down. "He's inviting all of his clients and acquaintances, but he wanted me to ask you two first."
The Garden, which was an exclusive area that lingered almost impossibly far off the Canterlot cliff's edge, was a prime location for the celebration normally reserved for smaller members of the royal family. But, as all of Canterlot knew, this year the location was Ponyville, a smaller town to the south.
"Hm... well..." Cloudy wrinkled her nose. "Mom and dad... might want to go to Ponyville this year. It feels like forever since we visited."
"The Garden is a once in a lifetime opportunity!" Satin insisted. "I-I've always wanted to go!"
"Satin Scarf...?" Violet's face blossomed a smug smirk. "Are you using us for your own personal gain? Do you want to go to The Garden so badly that you're willing to prevent one pony from visiting her home town, and prevent another from seeing the Summer Sun Celebration in all of its live action glory?"
Satin, her face giving no sign of emotion or remorse, starred at Violet with eyes the shade of cold jade stones. "Yes." The only sound for the next five seconds was the sound of the large wooden doors of the school opening. A gently breeze ruffled Cloudy's mane and caused Violet's to ripple.
"Well, alright." Cloudy said with a bright smile.
"Yeah, we'll ask later tonight. I'll be sure to send you a letter when I get the answer." Violet added, smiling herself. Satin, satisfied, nodded excitedly and sprinted in the opposite direction. She was running late to her after-school classes.
"Well, that was weird." Cloudy mumbled. "Even for her..."
"She must really want to go." Violet quickly spun on her hooves. "Come on, I need to get at least an hour of meditation today."
"Can't you miss a day?" Cloudy pouted. "Didn't Dr. Fern warn you of routine? Missing a day of mediation isn't going to hurt you."
"Cloudy..." Violet sighed. "No. I can't. I need to meditate. I need to."
They started to walk, having tiny drabbles of conversation along the way. It was bubbly, and happy, and on occasion, sarcastic. Nothing out of the ordinary. But, while Violet let her mind wander to other things, like a story she wanted to write, or what she could suggest for dinner, Cloudy was thinking of other things. Her acting talent came in handy in that regard, her smile revealing nothing of what was actually go on in her head. The intense wave of worry and helplessness as she watched her sister take the same steps down the same road every day at the exact same time.
It had gone on for years. Ever since she entered Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns... her sister had begun to act different. It was subtle, enough to the point where Cloudy was sure she was the only one to notice. Every day, the same thing, over and over. The same words spoken, the same things done. There was no progress. Sure, her sister learned new things in her classes, and wrote new stories, but her sister herself never changed.
Cloudy had progressed. She became one of the greatest actresses in her class, and was a star student in the drama department. She had dated a few stallions, all of them ending in failures and tear filled nights, but that was life. She had found new hobbies and met new ponies and did new things. Even Satin tackled her anxiety head on and became the oddly cold, but still lovable pony that she is. But not Violet. She tried, on occasion. She would poke her hoof at the bubble walls that surrounded her, gently stretching its surface. But it would never pop. Violet wouldn't move, and she would eventually fade into the routine that she had been in for the past four years.
If Cloudy were to be perfectly honest with herself, she would say that she liked the fact that her sister was experiencing such horrible nightmares. Every night, they were different. Violet would react in different ways, scream at different times, and do different things. She once screamed a full sentence, sounding like utter nonsense in Cloudy's ears. She once ran all the way across her room. Another time, she laughed, as though she had gotten away from whatever she was running from. One time, by some sort of miracle, she heard her sister singing. It was a small song, but it was cute. She saw sides of her sister when she slept. Sides that she couldn't help but think she was supposed to see when she was awake. But something was preventing them from coming to the surface.
No, you don't need to meditate. You don't need to do anything. Cloudy thought angrily. You just... can't do anything else. She didn't know much about magic, what with her being an earth pony. But she couldn't help but assume it had something to do with it. But then again, most earth ponies did think that of magic. It was always the easy way out, and therefore was blamed for everything. So she kept her mouth shut.
"I'm thinking about letting Floral take the lead role next time." Cloudy said. Violet's eyebrows quirked up in surprise. "I might be relaxing, working backstage like the good ol' days."
"That's very nice of you..." Violet smiled warmly. "I'm sure mom and dad will be very proud of you."
"You... um... Mrs. Plume is looking for a new play to perform, for the freshman class next year. You ever think of writing a play? I know it would be different than what you're used to, but I think you'd be good at it."
"Hmmm..." Violet wrinkled her nose. "Nah, I don't have the time. It wouldn't be good."
Cloudy silently sighed. "Okay." Another failed attempt. "So, uh... Let's see. Meditation until dinner-"
"Yep." Violet stepped on a square shaped stone.
"Satin wants to go to the garden, so we'll do that-"
"Until sunrise. Then the Summer Sun Celebration." Violet stepped on a heart shaped stone.
"Then you'll probably go for a jog..."
"Ten miles for two hours. Then I'll write." Violet stepped on the bluest stone on the path.
"Then you'll meditate until dinner..." Cloudy let the words die on her tongue. Violet was just out of earshot. She couldn't hear the sadness in her voice, thank Celestia. This wasn't the first time they reviewed her schedule, but it continued to open fresh wounds. There was something wrong with her sister. Cloudy knew this. But the thing was, the thing that was wrong, wasn't doing anything bad. There were hundreds, thousands, maybe even more ponies that lives these types of lifestyles. They work in cubicles and offices, writing the same things with the same pens for the same ponies that ordered them around with the same orders. But Violet wasn't one of them. Cloudy knew, deep in her soul, that Violet was never meant to be one of them. There was something going on.
She had been plagued with these thoughts for nearly half a decade. But she never said anything. Violet... seemed happy, in her own way. She certainly didn't want to change. Whether it was because of some outside force or not, that didn't change the fact that Violet thinks that everything is perfectly fine. Her parents thought it was odd, but they seemed more worried about Violet getting the proper training for her talent, as well as her getting the cure for her nightmares. They didn't add 'make their daughter's life more exciting' to their list of priorities yet. If they ever do it at all.
The worst part of it all, was that Cloudy saw Violet suffering because of it. Though Violet's emotions and own mind believed that everything was exactly how it should be, Cloudy could swear that something in Violet's eyes knew that something was wrong. Exactly what was wrong. And was in horrible pain because of it. It was like her sister was trapped in her own eyes, as though they were balls made of unbreakable glass. On occasion, the strange imposter that replaced her sister would let her guard down, and Cloudy could see her sister pounding on her prison walls, screaming to be let free. Crying and sobbing to be let out, and able to write her own story again.
"I'm excited for tonight." Cloudy said, mindlessly trying to keep the conversation going. They were at their doorstep, and were only a few paces away from the coolness of their house and their mothers ice-cold lemonade and chilled strawberry macaroons.
"Ponyville..." Violet said absentmindedly. "I wonder why they would host the Summer Sun Celebration there? I guess they wanted to tone it down?"
"Yeah. They're probably planning something super extravagant next year, and need to save a few bits because of it." Cloudy felt tired, like she did every day when they got home from school. She wanted nothing more than to take a nap. "Something small, insignificant. Nopony will notice a few cut corners over there. There certainly won't be anything very thrilling."
"Maybe they'll do the celebration in Manehatten next year." Violet suggested. "That would be nice."
Cloudy sighed. "Yeah... yeah it would."