Don't need to see...

by Swift Swap

Remembering

Anthea opened her eyes, and went into the real, sadly blurry world.

For her, since she could remember, the reality had that aspect: a confused jumble of shapes and colors, through which she could extricate herself only by the other senses. And that shapeless world reflected also in her dreams.

Honestly, she was glad that, even in dreams, she didn't have a different, more limpid, vision of things. If that was the case, it would be too painful, for her, to have to leave that world for the real one every time. And anyway, she didn't like dreaming. Very often her dreams were chaotic and incomprehensible nightmares, like the one that had preceded the vision of her loved ones.

Those dreams, instead, were very rare. It's been so long since she made that dream. And also, for the first time, in that dream there was a new element.

Butter Belting. Her sister. The true daughter of Fluttershy.

Months had passed since Anthea had thought about her the last time, and now, she was back, when she least expected it, in her dreams. And still, she had done everything to avoid thinking about her. It was too painful.

But now, just the memory of her voice in her dream was slowly dragging with it all the memories of her once beloved sister. And she didn't resist. Because, before the thought of her became so painful, there was one of the best times of her life. And for that, even if only for that, it was worth remembering.

---

She had never considered, at that time, that Fluttershy marriage with Bulk Biceps would also lead to have a sister. She was already very happy to have a mom and a dad, but one day, a few months after the wedding, Fluttershy told her that soon she would have a sibling as well.

At first, she was thrilled by the news. For all the while of the pregnancy, she stayed close to her mother, and sometimes she enjoyed stroking her belly and talking to it.

“Hurry up!” she said to the belly, “I'm tired of waiting! I want to play with you!”

And at that point she leaned her ear to the baby bump, waiting for the answer, which sometimes came in the form of a kick.

And her mother took her in her forelegs, gently, also wrapping her with her soft wings, and whispering, “Calm down, dear! You'll see that your little brother or sister will be born soon, and then you'll be friends for life!”

Friends for life. A concept that she, at that time, applied only to her adoptive parents, and no one else. At that time, except for her parents, she was alone. Completely alone. None of the foals of her age wanted to play with her. They barely addressed to her with words.

Sometimes, Fluttershy's friends came to visit her, but their attention was focused on her. And, even if they turned to Anthea, all they could say were words of compassion and comfort. The kind of words she had heard since she could remember, except from Fluttershy, who didn't pity her at all, but instead pointed out her strengths, such as her highly developed hearing and touch, and from Bulk Biceps, who instead urged her to be strong, to ignore those who said malicious things about her, and to always be fair and proud.

“But,” she asked at that point to her mother, “what if he won't like me, as all the other foals don't like me?”

“Don't be silly.” was the reply, “ He is your sibling, and between siblings, there's always a strong bond, stronger than blood, stronger than everything. It's the love, the love which unites one family. The same goes also for you and me. Even though I'm not your real mother, I've always loved you as if I was, and that makes you my true daughter! Blood ties don't matter, nor the diversity, and not even disabilities. Whatever happens, we'll be a true family, forever....”

---

And finally, one day, the long-awaited day came. Moreover, by a strange twist of fate, it came exactly the same day she had been adopted.

She was in the waiting room. His father had come into the delivery room to give strength to his wife, and she was left with a bunch of ponies she barely knew.

They were all friends of her mother, who, together, were excitedly discussing how their friend was finally going to experience the joy of motherhood.

Of course, she knew them a little, as well as many ponies around Equestria knew them as the Elements of Harmony. Sometimes she had even talked with some of them. But the truth was that, except for Fluttershy, she didn't really know the Elements. She never had the opportunity to bond with one of them, because they didn't visit her home too often, and, even when they did, they focused almost exclusively on Fluttershy. And so, she never had a real opportunity to make friends with them.

“Can you imagine it?” said one of them, a pink spot that, from the voice, she recognized under the name of Pinkie Pie, “Our Fluttershy will shortly become a mom in all respects! Oh, I'm so nervicited! I think I could scream at any moment!”

“Well, try to contain yourself, Pinkie!” said another one of them, a purple stain that she knew was called Twilight Sparkle, in a tone that was gentle but that brooked no argument, “After all, we are in a maternity ward! Didn't you learn anything when the Cake's children were born, or when Applejack's son was born, or even when my daughter came into the world? For Celestia's sake, even when your daughter was born you weren't silent for a moment!”

“Oh, come on, Twi!” said another one of them, an orange one, that if she remembered correctly was named Applejack “After all, if she didn't do so, she wouldn't be our Pinkie Pie anymore! Anyway, what do you think is goin' on inside there! By now she’s been in there for quite a while!”

“I don't know what to say.” answered the same than before, Twilight Sparkle, “I just hope that everything goes well. Among other things, I'm sorry that Rarity and Rainbow Dash weren't able to come! I know that they would have liked to be here today!”

“Well, you know, today they were overwhelmed with commitments. But, in the end, how can you ask that the greatest stylist of Canterlot and the vice-captain of the Wonderbolts have all the free time they want? It's already a miracle that you were able to come, despite all of your royal duties!”

“It was only a matter of organization. I knew that the day of birth would have been this week, and so I arranged my schedule in order to be ready to come. And in any case, for such an important event, I think I could postpone something!”

Suddenly, and without any warning, she felt herself being lifted from behind, and then she was turned over, and came face to face with the fuzzy blue spots that were Pinkie Pie's eyes.

“And you, little one,” Pinkie said to her, “aren't you nervicited that soon you'll have a little brother or sister?”

Anthea, not really knowing what to say, smiled. Yes, she was quite thrilled about that. Her family, which had always been the only world where she could feel safe, was just about to widen again. But she was also very nervous. This time it wasn't an adult, that would take care of her. This time it was a baby that would come into her life. Someone she was supposed to care for, someone she was supposed to help and guide. And she was afraid, because of her disability, of not being up to the task.

Of course, it would have especially been her parents to take care of the newcomer, but she also wanted to do her part. She wanted to have an active part of the growth of little one, because, only in this way, she would feel that they would really become siblings.

And then it happened. The door swung open, banging loudly, and she heard the loud and powerful voice of her father shouting “IT'S A FILLY!”

In addition to her father's voice, she also heard the unmistakable sound of a baby crying, and crying very loudly.

Anthea couldn't believe it. She now had a sister. She now was a sister!

“Can I come in? Please? I want to meet her!” she asked, running into the forelegs of her father, while all of Fluttershy's friends cheered happily.

He didn't answer, and looked toward another figure, which had just come out of the delivery room, and she didn't know.

“The patient is very tired, and needs a bit of peace. The same applies to the baby.” the figure said in an authoritarian manner. Evidently, it was the doctor.

“Please!” she insisted, “Pretty please! I promise I won't bother anypony, not my mom, or the filly!”

And she looked at the doctor with intensity. Not that she could see him better, but she knew that, when she was looking at someone with a lot of attention, her eyes took on a pearly glare, and shone in such a way that no one was able to resist.

And once again it worked. The doctor let out a loud sigh and said, “Fine, you can come in, but just for a minute. And, as for you, Mr. Biceps, I beg you to not scream out loud, as you have done for the whole time!”

Anthea, although she couldn't see him well, clearly saw the red hue that her father had taken from embarrassment. Evidently, what the doctor had said was true.

And then, the two of them went into the delivery room with the doctor. From inside she no longer heard the crying of the filly, but, in return, she was able to hear the sweet voice of her mother singing a lullaby. The same lullaby that she usually sang to her every night.

And they found her lying on a large bed, singing, her voice a little tired but still very sweet. She was surrounded by a series of figures that she thought were other doctors and nurses, who were busy putting in place the various tools.

But the thing that interested her the most was the little light yellow dot that Fluttershy was holding in her lap.

“Oh, hello dear!” she said as soon as she became aware of their presence, “I bet you can't wait to get acquainted with your sister, can you?”

She nodded, approaching the bed, in order to better see the baby, as her eyes would allow her. In front of her enthusiasm, Fluttershy let out a soft giggle, and moved the blanket that covered the filly so that Anthea could see her.

The shade of her coat resembled that of the mother, but it was slightly lighter, a color similar to that which she attributed to butter. The mane was bicolour, in part pink, in part ocher, divided into four strips.

She couldn't say anything else of her appearance, since the only thing she could distinguish quite clearly were the colors. But, all in all, she gave her the impression of a frail and vulnerable creature. And she thought that she too, a few years before, was like her. When she was just born, and when her real parents had abandoned her in an orphanage, because they couldn't tolerate the idea of a flawed daughter.

But the thread of her sad thoughts was suddenly interrupted by a powerful scream. The filly had started crying again. And she was crying really loud, so much that Anthea couldn't help but to plug her ears.

But then, she felt that the little one had calmed down again. She opened her ears, and heard that her mother had resumed singing.

“Oh, sweet Celestia!” exclaimed one of the doctors, “Is it possible that this little filly has so much voice as a newborn? That cry nearly deafened me!”

“I bet I know from whom she had inherited this booming voice!” said the doctor who had accompanied them in, and, by the nervous laughter that Bulk Biceps did soon after, she realized that he was talking about him.

“Well, certainly she has a powerful voice,” Fluttershy interjected, “but, apparently, she also likes my singing. Look, every time I sing, she calms down instantly.”

And she returned to sing softly, while Anthea, at that point, climbed on the bed, lay down next to her mother and, with infinite delicacy, reached out to caress the mane of the filly.

“So, what's her name?” she asked.

“To tell the truth, we haven't decided yet,” Fluttershy answered, “but nevertheless, I thought we could give her a name that has something to do with singing, as it seems she likes it!”

“Yeah!” Bulk Biceps said, in an exceptionally quiet tone, so as not to disturb the repose of his daughter, but in any case with determination and energy, “But I think her name should also make reference to her powerful voice, which she took from me!”

“Oh I think you're right. And what do you say, Anthea?” Fluttershy asked, “What do you think should represent her name?”

She was taken aback by the question. Help to choose the name for her sister was a huge responsibility. And she didn't know what to say. Her parents had taken the only things she could tell, that had to do with hearing. Of course, she could also say that her mane was soft, but that seemed to her an insignificant detail, since virtually everypony had a soft mane.

However, determined to say something, she shyly said, “Well......the color of her coat reminds me the color of butter...”

“Butter, you said?” her mother said with a chuckle. She, by that laugh, believed that her idea was bad, and that it would have been discarded immediately.

Therefore he was very surprised when her mother exclaimed, “Then it's settled! You, little filly by your powerful voice and the color of butter, and who loves my singing, your name will be Butter Belting!”

For a moment, she thought she had misheard. But then, she realized that it was all true. Her mother had chosen the name of her daughter, her true daughter, based on her idea, and giving it even more importance to the her idea and of her father, because, while their ideas were grouped into a single word, her one was expressed as it was.

Butter Belting. She liked it. She felt it was a good name for her sister.

“Yes, I like it. I think it's a good name for her.” she said, stroking the little Butter Belting with even more sweetness.

“YEAH!” shouted her father, without any notice, “I LIKE IT TOO!”

At that scream everyone froze for a second, hoping that what they feared it would come after that scream wouldn't happen. But of course, all their hopes were rejected, when the baby began to fuss and resumed her deafening cry.

---

Many years had passed since that day, when she brought her young sister in the forest for the first time. Of course, she didn't intend to delve too much far into its depths. She knew perfectly well that the Everfree Forest was very dangerous, because she had already been there several times, and sometimes she even risked her life. But, fortunately, thanks to her magic ability to soothe the savage beasts, she had always managed to get away from every dangerous situation.

But that day, there was also her sister, and she had no intention of risking her safety.

However, there wasn't only Butter Belting with her. Turquoise Blitz had accompanied her too, as he had done several times since they met, more or less one year before. Since then, they were almost inseparable, and she couldn't ask for a better best friend. He was able to help her without making her feel useless.

Simply, when she stumbled on a root or a rock that she hadn't seen, he was there, ready to support her. And, instead of showing pity for her, he joked about it, canceling all of her embarrassment. He was able to make her feel almost normal, thanks to the support he gave her without the need for her to ask for it. It was as if he could read her thoughts.

But nevertheless, in the Everfree Forest, she didn't need her eyes to navigate. Her ears were all that she needed. She had explored that forest dozens of times, and had learned that, in the safe areas on its borders, lived different animals for each zone. And thanks to the verses of those animals, she could find her way, as if she could see. And so, when she heard a chirping a little different from the others, she realized that she had arrived in the right area, and stopped.

“So, are we there or not?” Butter Belting said at that point, aloud and with a hint of impatience, “I'm tired of walking! Is this the place you were so excited about?”

Anthea turned around and smiled at the yellow dot that was her sister. Even though she was only three years old, she had quite a temper. Apparently, she hadn't taken any of the sweet character of the mother. She was always impetuous, hyperactive and frenetic. She never stayed still for a second, and loved to scream out loud and make noise for the simple fun of it.

And she, unfortunately, didn't particularly like the fuss, and felt she didn't have too much in common with her. She couldn't even try to teach her the magic tricks she knew, because Butter Belting was a pegasus, and she couldn't learn them.

However, maybe they had something in common, and that was why they were there. In fact, as far as she understood, she liked a lot to listen. Every time she heard a new sound, she immediately asked whoever was around her where the sound was coming from and what was producing it. She was literally conquered by the sounds, and also from their pace, that others hardly felt. Even sounds like the rain falling or the sound of hooves on the road, to her ears had its own unique musicality.

That was why they were there that day. She wanted to make her sister listen to her favorite music: the music of nature.

Until then her mom hadn't allowed her to go into the forest with her sister because she thought it was too dangerous. But, finally, that day she was able to convince her, also for the fact that with them there would be also Turquoise Blitz, who, although was only eight years old, was already rather sturdy, and had already learned to spit fire.

However, like her sister, he didn't seem too enthusiastic about that outing. T wasn't a great lover of nature. Grown in the elegant town of Canterlot during his childhood, he greatly preferred the comforts of the city. In any case, he didn't complain at all. Indeed, he was doing great efforts to make himself like the twisted trees and the thorny bushes of the most inhospitable forest known by ponies.

And all this because he knew how much Anthea loved that forest, and all the creatures it contained.

Anyway, after Butter Belting had spoken, he added, “Indeed, I don't think this point of the forest is different from the others. What does it have that makes it so special compared to the others?”

“Oh, you're so impatient, guys!” Anthea replied, very softly, and giggling, “Listen, and you'll understand!”

And, having said that, she let out a whistle, a whistle strangely modulated, which seemed almost the singing of a cicada.

For a few seconds, after she stopped whistling, the forest reigned in absolute silence. But then, slowly, from the leaves, the holes in the trunks and the grass, began to emerge, first a few, and shyly, but then more and more, so as to form a real swarm, some rather large insects, more or less like a berry, and colored like copper.

Both her companions were quite surprised by that sight, but Anthea, in front of their reaction, chuckled and said, “Come on! T, BB-Two, don't tell me that you're frightened by these insects? Don't worry. Those are Choristers Cicadas, and they are innocuous.”

The two calmed down a bit, while the swarm of insects had settled all around them, forming what looked like a copper carpet at their hooves.

“These insects,” she resumed to explain, “as well as the pest-busters spiders, live only here, in the Everfree Forest. They are insects that love to sing, and they also love to do it as a group. Also, unlike the normal cicadas, which are found only during the summer, they have a very long life cycle, and they are found throughout the year. Furthermore, depending on the season, they sing in a different way. Their song that I prefer is the one they perform during the fall, and that's why I brought you here today! Today is the first day of autumn, and I wanted you two to hear their singing!”

At that point, she whistled again, and immediately after the cicadas began to emit their call. However, in contrast to the normal cicadas, which emit the same call always at the same pace, which in the long run becomes boring, instead they gave off a true melody. Each of the cicadas emitted a slightly different sound, and there were several variations on the rhythm that made the entire performance smooth and harmonious, and never repetitive. It seemed, indeed, like a chorus of ponies, rather than a chorus of bugs.

The melody they sang was slightly sad. It seemed to convey the feeling of the nature that withers, fades and falls asleep. It conveyed an idea of decline, sadness, and waiting. Waiting for the earth to rest beneath the snow and ice, in order to rise again in the flowers, the colors and the explosion of life that was the spring.

That was the song of the fall, and, although sad, it was heartbreakingly beautiful, and every time it filled Anthea's heart with emotion. And also, from what she could hear of the reactions of her companions, they also seemed pretty impressed by that spectacle.

But nothing could have prepared her for what happened a moment later. Indeed, suddenly, Butter Belting began to sing.

And she didn't do so with the voice with which she usually screamed or made noise. The voice she had in that moment was sweet and gentle, and almost sounded like the voice of her mother. And also she managed, with an extraordinary talent for someone who had never sung before, to follow perfectly the pace of the cicadas singing.

Stunned, but also pleasantly surprised, Anthea stood there, listening to the beautiful improvisation of her young sister.

Sleep well, oh my sweet mother,
Rests gently and with no fears
Because cold days are coming
As they always do all the years

That what was your glorious outfit
Now is the blanket of the earth
So she won't feel cold and frost
And will be ready for life rebirth

And then, suddenly, it happened. She saw the stain that was her sister rise in the air, while the fuzzy nubs that were her small wings, slightly smaller than the norm, from what she had been told, flapped wildly, but in any case, following the rhythm of her singing.

She couldn't believe to her eyes. At first, she thought it was a joke of her already bad eyesight. But then, she convinced herself that it was all true. Her sister was flying at half a yard from the ground.

Butter Belting had already tried many times to fly, always without success. The best that she was able to do was lift herself a hair from the floor for half a second. Her wings were slightly smaller than the other pegasi of her age. No one was much surprised by it, since her father had very small wings, and her mother had learned to fly very late.

As for her, she wasn't particularly interested in flying, but she still wanted to learn how to do it. After all, she was only three years old, and she still had plenty of time to learn to properly fly.

But now, she was flying as if she had never done anything else. She was very good at it, and she seemed to have not even noticed to be suspended in the air. She simply continued to sing, under the astonished gaze of Anthea and Turquoise Blitz.

During the long sleep of the nature
We will sing our humble lullaby
And one day, of light and heat
All the life will awaken joyfully

Eventually, Turquoise Blitz could no longer restrain himself, and shouted, “BB-Two! Look at you! You're flying!”

And she, caught by surprise by that call, stopped singing and looked around her. And finally she realized that she was actually in flight.

“What! No Way! Look, sis! I'm flying! I'm.....I....Woah!”

While she was talking, her flapping wings lost strength and coordination, and she began to stagger, until she fell on the ground.

Immediately, Turquoise Blitz rushed to help her up, and Anthea did so as well, while all the cicadas stopped singing and returned quietly to their dens.

“That was amazing!” Anthea said, still impressed, “When did you learn to sing, and especially to fly, so well? You've never done this before, at least as far as I know!”

“I have no idea!” Butter Belting replied, “I just know that, as soon as I heard the beautiful melody of the cicadas, I felt light, and I had a great desire to sing. And so I started to sing, and, I don't know why, but while I was singing I also started to beat my wings to the rhythm, and poof! I flew!”

“But, the words?” Turquoise Blitz asked, “Where did you hear that song. It didn't seem pure improvisation!”

“Well, the words....They just came to me. It was as if I could understand what the cicadas were saying with their singing....”

“Do you mean that you've inherited the talent of our mom?” Anthea asked, “That you too, like her, can talk to the animals?”

“No, I don't think so!” Butter Belting replied, “After all, since our house is always full of animals, I think I would have noticed it much earlier!

“And so, what do you think it was?” Turquoise Blitz asked.

“I don't know exactly, but you can bet that I'll find it out, and I'll fly again!”

Anthea smiled, in front of the enthusiasm of her sister. She was a worthy daughter of Bulk Biceps, always ready to get caught up in excitement and enthusiasm, which didn't often happen to Fluttershy. It was nice that those two were there, to bring a bit of arousal in their family. BB and BB-Two, so nicknamed because she had the same initials of her father, although she was smaller and wanted to stand out from him.

Those two kept her excited and entertained, while her mother treated her with infinite tenderness and affection. If she thought back to when she was still at the orphanage, she felt, now, like she was in a dream. She had the family she had always dreamed of. And it was true.

“Oh, my goodness!” Turquoise Blitz unexpectedly exclaimed, “It's almost sunset! If I don't go home immediately, my mom will ground me! We'd better go back!”

“It's really so late?” Butter Belting said, “So it's true that time flies when you're having fun! And to think that, when I came here with you guys, I thought I would be bored to death!”

And then she ran to hug her sister, saying, “Thank you, sis! Thank you for bringing me here. I love this place! And I love the cicadas! Can we come back here again? Please?”

Anthea looked at the blurry blue spots which were the eyes of her sister. They were almost identical to those of her mother, at least as she saw them. She couldn't see her expression, also because she didn't know how the various facial expressions appeared. But, from the sound of her voice and the intensity of the embrace, she realized that she was successful. What was one of her passions, now belonged also to her sister. Now they were really sisters.

“Sure thing, sis!”

---

It was only a couple of years later that Butter Belting finally discovered what had happened that day. She couldn't understand the language of animals. She, instead, could understand the hidden language of the music and of every sound around her. She was able to feel all the emotions and hidden meanings in any sound and express all that through the words of a song.

And, when she was singing, for some mysterious reason she could also fly a lot better than she normally could.

When she realized all this, she also obtained her cutie mark, which represented her love for music and her ability to find it everywhere.

Anthea couldn't be happier, or prouder, of her young sister. She felt that she had fulfilled her duty as sister, helping her to understand what her special talent and her fate were.

But, unfortunately, she couldn't predict what would happen next.

Over the years, she and her sister began to move away from each other. She began to show a tough and rebellious side that she had never shown before. Not that she was a good-for-nothing, but she had shown a tendency to a much more unruly and dissolute life that Anthea had ever devised.

She went out late at night, and came back after midnight. She associated with ponies that were not very recommendable. At home she did nothing else but listen to rock music at full volume, singing loudly, without worrying about the animals who were frightened by that noise.

The time in which her favorite music was the singing of the Choristers Cicadas seemed far away. After that first day in the forest, Anthea had often brought her sister to listen to the cicadas, and many other animals by the wonderful verses. And every time she was ecstatic. But, at some point, it wasn't enough anymore, for her.

She began to go to other places, to listen to music. At every single country fair or festival, she was there, doing nothing other than filling her ears with music, no matter what kind. But not only that. For her, even places like the dam on the river, the train station, or even a construction site were inexhaustible sources of new sounds and new music.

At that point, it was Anthea who gave the idea to her parents. The idea for a gift for Butter Belting's sixth birthday. A radio.

At Ponyville, there weren't many ponies that had one of them. For the most part, they still used the gramophones.

Butter Belting couldn't be happier. After her sixth birthday, she spent hours turning from one frequency to another, listening to one song after another, learning all the styles and genres possible.

And it was thanks to, or rather because of that radio, that she discovered the rock genre. And it was precisely from that moment that everything began to change.

Her character, which already had a touch of rebellion, became even tougher, and sometimes even surly. At home she no longer spoke, and when she did, she was always grumpy and aggressive, even with Fluttershy.

For her, rock became an obsession. She began to look at all the major singers of the genre, and to imitate them. She tore all the clothes she had just to make them look similar to their own. She destroyed some of the furniture in her room, to imitate their excesses. One day, at age fourteen, she even went back home drunk, and with a pair of earrings in her left ear as a souvenir. All because she had followed the example of some bad boys she frequented.

Everyone in her family was worried about her. And, more than anyone else, Anthea was.

She had tried several times to talk to her sister, to get her to return to the more mild and sweet habits of the past. And every time she tried, Butter Belting said nothing, but looked into her eyes and then went away. She would desperately want to know in which way she looked at her. Maybe that was the key of everything.

She felt that she had failed. She had deceived herself to be able to be a good guide for her sister. She thought she could help her to become a good and kind pony, respectful and supportive. And instead, she saw that Butter Belting was getting worse. As if she had rejected all the teachings of their parents. And hers.

But the culmination of everything, the moment when she felt stronger and more evident of her failure, it was the eve of Butter Belting's fifteenth birthday, as well as the nineteenth anniversary of her adoption.

That day, she had come back home surprisingly early, and she had a very strange attitude, as if she was holding herself from saying something. However, she didn't say a word to anyone, at least until dinner time.

It was then that, without any warning, and as if it wasn't a big deal, she said, “I'm gonna leave Ponyville!”

Immediately she heard the high-pitched noise of the glass Flutteshy was holding that fell on the floor and shattered, immediately followed by the powerful, “WHAAAT?” shouted by her father. Anthea was also shocked by the news, but she said nothing, at least at that time.

Instead, it was her mother to speak, saying, “Ehm, what do you mean, dear?”

“I meant that I'm gonna hit the road!” she replied, “I've heard that the 'Rampant Rhythm' are looking for a singer, and that was the opportunity I've been waiting for a lifetime! They are a real kick! When I realized that such an awesome band was looking for a singer, I couldn't resist, and I went to their audition held by their agent. And guess what? I'm in! Now I'm a Rampant Rhythm member! So, now I have to join the rest of the band at Fillydelphia, and then go on tour with them! Isn't it cool?”

Her parents initially stood in silence. Then, slowly, they began to congratulate with their daughter, but they did so with great embarrassment, as Anthea could tell by the extraordinarily low volume at which Bulk Biceps was speaking. Regarding her, she remained silent, trying to contain her emotions.

“It's great, dear!” said Fluttershy at some point, “But anyway, how long will you be away from home? You know, for the school, and-”

“Who knows?” replied Butter Belting, “But anyway, I don't care when I'll get back! I'm gonna live the high life, like a real rock star! And finally, I have the chance! It will be amazing! We'll do concerts in the biggest cities of Equestria, we'll have tons of fans, we'll-”

“Do you realize what you're saying?”

The one who had intervened was Anthea, that now, though she couldn't see her clearly, was looking at her sister with a fierce expression that no one had ever seen in her face. She seemed on the verge of screaming and crying at the same time.

“What again?” asked Butter Belting, surprised by the sudden show of grit of her sister, but also annoyed by her insinuation.

“And so you would like to become a rock star,” Anthea said, with a combative tone, “or rather a pony who does nothing else but scream out loud in front of a lot of fans, screaming rude or meaningless words, and that spends the rest of the time making troubles and being a slacker? Well, I'm sorry if I was hoping that my sister had a better future!”

“Hey, get a grip!” was the rude reply, “It's a job like any other, and it's my dream. Nopony gives you the right to criticize it!”

“A job like any other?” Anthea said, sarcastically, “Do you think I'm stupid? I know exactly what almost all the singers of that stupid music genre do! I hear it every day on the radio! And anyway, I know what effect that stuff has on you! Just look at you! Where is my sweet, young sister? And who is this insensible rocker that has taken her place?”

“First of all, I'm not a filly anymore!” Butter Belting replied, violently slamming her hooves on the table, “And second, who gives you the right to tell me how to live my life? Do you think you’re my mom! Well, breaking news! My mom doesn’t have anything against all this!”

“But I'm your older sister, and I have something to say!” Anthea retorted, slamming her hooves in turn, “And I'm not ordering you not to go. I just don't want you to do something you may regret! Believe me! I know you, and I know that's not the kind of life that-”

“You're lying!” Butter Belting shouted, “You're not my sister, and you never have been. And it's not true that you worry about me! You just want me to stay stuck here forever, just like you! Well, get this! I don't wanna be like you, 'cause I don't have a pair of faulty eyes that prevents me from living the way I want! Now back off!”

That said, she got up from her chair, opened the door, and disappeared into the night.

---

In regard to the rest of the story, she didn't remember it very well. She remembered that her parents had left soon after, and had looked for her up to dawn, but in vain. As for her, she just couldn't remember what she had done. Perhaps she had gone with them, or maybe she had gone to bed in tears. Or maybe, and who knows why that was the thing that seemed the closest to the truth to her, she had remained on that chair, motionless, without a sigh or a groan, without a word of anger or regret. As if, with Butter Belting, a part of her life had gone out of that door.

A few days later the radio, that dumb radio which had led to all those changes, announced the news: The 'Rampant Rhythm' now had a new member, a young singer named Butter Belting. The news came even with a brief interview with the young artist, that Anthea never heard. She turned off the radio as soon as she heard the voice of her sister, and almost threw it out the window in a burst of rage.

She spent the next week locked in her room. It was all her fault. It was her own fault if Butter Belting was gone. How wasn't she able to understand that, when she addressed to her those strange glances, she was looking at her pale pupils, unable to return the gaze, and in them she saw a prison? It was obvious that, having a sister with a disability like hers, she felt limited, restricted, chained. She had placed a limit to her world simply by being her sister. So maybe it was true that ponies like her shouldn't have a family.

They all tried to get her out of her room, with the kind words, flatteries and entreaties. But no one, not even Fluttershy or Turquoise Blitz succeeded in the undertaking.

At the end of the seventh day, it was her father to get her out. And he did it the hard way. Not even the barricade of furniture that she had made to block the door could contain his strength, when he broke down the door of her room. Then, he took her with him by force, and dragged her to the edge of the Everfree Forest.

Once they had arrived there, he let her go, and immediately after he shouted, “SORRY FOR MY RUDENESS, BUT YOU HAD TO COME OUT, AND, AS YOUR FATHER, I WAS FORCED TO DO SO!”

“You're not really my father.” she replied, crying, “I don't have a real family, and I don't even have the right to have one. Somepony like me doesn't deserve it!”

“WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT I DESERVE TO HAVE A FAMILY?” Bulk Biceps yelled back, but without his usual cocky tone, “I'M JUST AN ALL BRAWL AND NO BRAIN GUY, ONLY ABLE TO SCREAM AND DO PUSH-UPS! DO YOU THINK I WAS READY TO BE A HUSBAND, OR A DAD?”

Those words hit her. She hadn't ever thought about it. He, who always seemed so instinctive, ready to embark on any challenge or adventure without hesitation, didn't feel ready to have a family. Just like her.

“But then,” she asked, “in all these years, why have you always been so confident, while you were hiding inside you all those doubts?”

“YOU KNOW ME!” he replied, “MY ONLY MERIT IS TO ALWAYS BE POSITIVE AND ENCOURAGING. AND SO, WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO FACE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE OF MY LIFE, I COULDN'T DRAW BACK. I OWED IT TO YOU, AND YOUR SISTER. BUT, ABOVE ALL, I OWED IT TO FLUTTERSHY, WHO IS THE MOST PRECIOUS THING IN MY LIFE!”

That said, he sat down and remained silent. At first, she didn't understand the reason of the interruption, but then, listening to the sounds of nature, she knew where they were. They were near to the den of the Choristers Cicadas.

Anthea smiled, touched. Her father had never accompanied her in one of her outdoors trips, and yet he knew her favorite place of the entire forest. And if there was a place where she could appease her sorrow, it was just that.

Happy, she whistled, like that time, many years ago, when everything was much simpler. When all she wanted was to stay together with her sister. When she believed that they would always be together...

And immediately the cicadas came out of their dens, and this time, they began to sing right away, filling with their harmonious melody all the clearing, and filling her heart with deep emotion. An emotion that, little by little, swept away her sorrow.

And finally, she found the strength to embrace her father, and to feel, in his warm and strong chest, the strength to keep smiling.

---

A year. Since her sister had run away from home, a year had passed, and now Anthea was there, on the bed, thinking about her, after having dreamed about her. It was all so strange. She wondered why, of all the days that followed her disappearance, that very day she had dreamed her.

Confused more than ever, she got up from the bed. She couldn't distinguish the watch hands, but, judging from the color of the light in her room, it was more or less the ten in the morning. That day she had overslept.

Her room, even though she knew it for years, was always an indecipherable riddle to her view. Every time she saw it, her room was slightly different, because in her view the forms were never the same, but they were constantly changing. But it didn't matter. It was from when she was little that she had learned to trust more her ears and her hooves than her eyes.

And so, without much difficulty, she walked out of her room and descended the stairs to enter the main room. Immediately she heard the sound of a broom that was rubbing against the floor, and she knew that Fluttershy was at home.

“Morning, mom!” she said aloud, in no direction in particular, since she couldn't see her.

“Oh, good morning, dear!” she heard her mother's voice answering, coming from another room, “I made a nice cup of tea for you, and there's also a bit of fruit and oats. Everything is on the table!”

Anthea, without letting her repeat, walked to the table and sat down. Then, by touch, she found the cup, and began to drink, as she heard her mother say, “Now, make a leisurely breakfast, dear, because today we'll be very busy. First of all, later we'll go to help with the census of the squirrels, and then we'll go to that nice meeting organized by Golden Delicious, for the arrival of his cousins. Then we'll have to go and help with the cleanup of the river bed, because now it's full of debris from when the beaver dam collapsed. Poor things, they had worked on that dam for weeks, and then a downpour outside program ruined all their work. We really have to give them a hoof, but we should be careful to not tire up too much. We mustn't forget that tonight is an important night!”

“Of course it is!” Anthea replied, “It's my eighteenth anniversary of adoption, after all!”

“It's true, dear,” Fluttershy answered, “but there's also another special occasion that we must celebrate, and today we'll have the chance!”

“What specia-”

But suddenly she stopped. Her interruption was caused by a memory that had abruptly struck her. It was true. That day was special also for another reason. And it was true that on that day they would have had the opportunity to celebrate it, as she was about to return.

“Tonight there will be the concert of the 'Rampant Rhythm' at Ponyville!” she resumed, “Tonight we'll see Butter Belting again, on the very day of her birthday!”