Confessions and Confidants
After a little while, when Coloratura finally calmed down from Twilight scaring her, however unintentionally it might have been, the two ponies arranged themselves to sit across from each other. However for a little while an awkward silence settled down on the confined space of the trailer, and each mare fidgeted somewhat nervously in their seats as they glanced around. Every once in a while they would make eye contact, but it was quickly broken as they glanced away to look at the floor or whatever odd knick-knack adorned the shelves of Rara's trailer. The pop star seemed to have an affinity for snow globes, Twilight noticed. In addition to that there were envelopes of various sizes scattered about the place. Twilight imagined that they were mostly fan-mail, given to her by fillies and colts if the little heart stickers on them were anything to judge by.
As her gaze wandered around the interior of the trailer,Twilight found herself herself accidentally looking at Rara again. The pop star opened her mouth slightly as if to speak, before apparently deciding not to and closed it. This repeated a few times, and Twilight could not help but find the comparison to be a little humorous. She kept her mirth contained however, and remained silent.
Twilight sniffed.
Coloratura coughed lightly into her hoof.
The situation was incredibly awkward for Twilight, though she could not imagine how much more so it must be for Rara. She began to feel that if something was not said soon, then she was going to go nuts. And judging from the look in Rara's eye she felt much the same, except neither one of them was sure what to say to the other.
Which meant that Twilight was all the more relieved relieved when Rara at last cleared her throat and started to speak, although the nervous tone in her voice was plainly obvious in Twilight's ears. It seemed that she was still hesitant to speak openly about her true nature, even in the presence of friendly company, but Twilight knew that she could not really blame her for it.
"S-so," Rara said, clearing her throat a second time. "How long have you, um. . . you know. . . ." Rara fell silent as she gestured to herself with a hoof.
"You mean how long have I known that you were a siren?" Twilight guessed, and Rara nodded her confirmation. Twilight did not follow up immediately, unsure how to say what was on her mind without possibly offending Rara, especially after sort of gaining her trust after their brief misunderstanding. "Well," she finally said as she rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof, "I know this might sound silly to you. Actually now that I think about it, it is rather silly in hindsight." Twilight paused, unsure quite how to say it. So Rara apparently decided to say it for her.
"It was the mane, wasn't it?" she asked.
Twilight could do little more than stare in shock at the pop siren, having temporarily lost all capability of thought the moment she heard those words. Rara noticed the expression on Twilight's face, and could not suppress the little knowing smile on her own muzzle.
"It's alright," she said as Twilight struggled to regain her train of thought. "I understand perfectly."
"B-but why?" Twilight asked, incredulous. "I mean, you're not offended by it?" Rara shook her head. "But why? I mean, you don't find it the least bit offensive that I might have judged you based on appearance?"
To Twilight's continued befuddlement Coloratura simply shrugged and said, "Actually if I'm being completely honest, this would not be the first time my personal hairdresser has gotten carried away, and I've been compared to a siren thanks to him overdoing it. You would not believe how often it actually happens. Now, I of course wanted to give as little away as possible when in public, but Svengallop said it would help to draw in fans."
Twilight quirked an eyebrow and put a hoof to her chin when Rara mentioned Svengallop, and what it meant concerning her encounter with him earlier today when he rambled on about exposing her secret. Had Svengallop known from the very start about the siren? She could not dwell on it long as Rara continued speaking.
"I actually remember this one time while touring around Manehatten a few years back when some history buff told me that I was emulating the sirens with my songs and my appearance. I think his name was Flare Blitz or something like that. Anyway he went on to give some of the fans a little history lesson on them to a few of my younger fans. Apparently hair stylist was one of the topics. At first I was scared that he would give me away, but it actually made them like me even more, like I was the real thing." Rara laughed a little. "If they only knew."
"But if this kind of thing has happened before, then why did you get scared when I brought it up?" Twilight asked.
Rara sighed through her nose and proceeded to explain, "It was when said the names of those three that sent me over the edge." It was hard for Twilight not to notice the slight edge in her voice as she said that. "Not once in my entire career as a singer has anypony brought them up, and I guess I just panicked."
"But why?"
Coloratura developed a far away look in her eyes as she gazed out of the small of her trailer. Twilight followed her line of sight to the groups of ponies still lingering about even after the show had ended almost an hour ago. Twilight however got the feeling that she was not really looking at them. And then she began to speak, her tone one of sadness and regret.
"A long time ago, years before Princess Luna tried to overthrow Celestia, three mysterious creatures unknown to almost everyone and everything above the waves appeared. At first their intentions seemed benign, as they did nothing on their own to upset the stability of the surface nations. At least that's what it looked like." Coloratura took a breath before continuing. "Eventually, after it became clear that something was happening to cause everyone to suddenly turn on each other, it was discovered that these three individuals were somehow responsible for it. The Princesses attempted to speak with them, and convince them to cease casting their spell song on the land." Turning to Twilight she stated, "I don't think I have to tell you what happened then."
Twilight merely shook her head and continued to listen.
"After those three were banished it was discovered that they were not the only ones of their kind to exist. Most of Equestria's leaders, your Princesses included, were of the opinion that it would simply be best to leave them alone." At this Rara's face turned sour. "There were unfortunately others, mostly politicians, that believed they were a threat that had to be dealt with before more came to invade. What they did not realize was that Equestria had already been invaded, although it was anything but a hostile takeover."
"What do mean?" Twilight asked, genuine curiosity in her voice, her studious traits leaking out at the prospect of learning an unknown piece of history.
Coloratura laughed lightly. "Truthfully Prin- oh excuse me, Twilight. The truth is, Twilight, that sirens have always been present, almost from the very beginning of Equestria's founding. I actually it was a little after the three pony tribes were united and the windigos were driven off that sirens first took notice of your then fledgling nation."
The mention of windigos brought a curious thought Twilight's mind and she asked, "Is there any relation between sirens and windigos? I mean, both feed on hate and negativity."
"True," Rara replied. "But that is the only similarity we have with them. And the way we do it doesn't affect the environment. In fact if anything sirens and windigos are bitter enemies, sometimes clashing with each other over our food supply. Uh, excuse the term."
Twiight simply shrugged and motioned for Rara to proceed.
"Anyway, even for a long time afterward there was still some animosity between the tribes. One does not simply find peace after being at each others throats for however many generations. And it was that animosity that drew us out of our homes in the sea. And so for many years afterward sirens have been secretly living with the ponies of Equestria, feeding on the ambient distrust and negativity of them."
"But wouldn't doing that make them even more hateful towards each other? Or are there other aspects of siren magic that allow you to feed without doing that?"
"You're right. You would think having us around would have been nothing but trouble for you ponies," Rara replied. " But in actuality, that only happens when a siren actively causes arguments to break out with her song. The rest of the time however we can just feed off of the ambient negativity off of ponies. In addition this method does nothing to harm the pony other than make them more agreeable. Believe it or not, but from I've been told that actually played a major part in helping the three tribes come together."
"Really?" Twilight said, receiving a nod from Rara. Twilight's eyes went wide at the prospect of sirens playing a secret role in the unification of Equestria. If what the pop star had just told her was true, then it was likely that without them then Equestria might have been very different than it was today. There was still one thing that bothered her regarding one of the sirens abilities. "What about mind control? Has that ever been a factor?"
When Twilight asked that question however she was surprised to see Rara suddenly scowl. Thinking that she had said something wrong, Twilight quickly began to apologize, only for the singer to cut her off with a wave of her hoof. "It's fine," she said, although the tone of her voice suggested otherwise. Realizing this, Rara closed her eyes for a few moments and inhaled deeply before letting out a calming breath. "I'm sorry," she said, and Twilight nodded even though she did not know what she could possibly be apologizing for, although she got the distinct feeling that she was going to find out.
After a brief moment of silence Rara began to speak. "It's just that even so long after those three have been banished, their actions still haunt our kind even centuries later. . . . You see, hypnotism and mind control is not an ability that a siren naturally possesses. To this day, it is still unknown how those three were able to obtain that kind of power, but their purpose was clear enough." Coloratura face shifted to a deeply angered scowl that Twilight would have been frightened of were it directed at her. Never-the-less it still set her ill at ease as Rara continued to speak.
"How could they have been so shortsighted? Did they not know that what they were going to do would have put a black mark on all of us?" Rara sighed as she seemed to calm down. "When ponies discovered that there were sirens living among them, right after the chaos that those three had caused, they began a sort of witch hunt, driving them out of their homes, destroying the lives that had built."
Coloratura's eyes glistened as she her gaze fell to the floor, and Twilight was alarmed to see a thin stream of tears slide down her face before falling, creating a dark blotch on the cheap carpet. She inhaled sharply, a deep stuttering breath that made it seem like she were doing everything just to keep herself from falling apart completely. Unsure what else to do, Twilight got up from her seat and hurried over to Rara, putting a comforting wing around around her withers. The siren responded by burying her head into Twilight's chest as more tears came.
When she seemed to recover enough she said, "Some of them. . . they had so much to live for. They had lives that they were proud of, ponies that they would have been proud to call friends. And many had even become more than friends with the ponies they lived with. They. . . I had somepony special." Twilight's eyes widened slightly in surprise at that, though she made no comment as she continued to listen. "I thought that I'd had something special. I thought he would always love me. . . but when I was found out, he. . . he. . ."
Rara faltered as she continued to quietly sob into Twilight's chest, staining the princess's coat, and it did not take much for Twilight to come to the conclusion that this was something very personal for the siren. She had of course known that the sirens that she had already encountered were responsible for much heartache in not one but two worlds, but never did she imagine just how widespread the damage was. And now here she was, hearing the full story from someone who was there to witness it. And in her heart, she felt true sorrow for the siren. . . no, her friend, who had lost so much. She was truly at a loss as to what to say. What could be said to help alleviate that kind of pain and loss? Twilight did not know, so she opted not to say anything just yet and let her friend let it out.
"I didn't know what to do then. For so long I just wandered around, never letting myself get close to anypony else ever again, kept myself distant because I was so afraid they would look at me for what I truly was, and all they would see was a monster," Rara said, beginning to quiet down a little. Her sobbing tapered off into stuttering breaths as Twilight held the siren close. "Everyday was the same for so long, keeping everypony at hooves length so that I would never have to experience that kind of pain again. . . . But then all of that changed one day."
"How so?" Twilight asked quietly, hoping that she was not pushing too hard.
"I met Applejack," Rara explained, and Twilight noticed that her tone was somewhat lighter, as though all it took to bring some measure of happiness to her was the mere mention of the farm pony's name. "I honestly don't know why, but whenever I was around her I would just feel. . . safe. Like all of the pain just didn't matter anymore. The way she talked to me, how she actually encouraged me to finally sing again. Every moment at Camp Friendship felt the best time of my life, all because of her."
As Rara spoke, Twilight noticed that a small smile had steadily begun to grow on her face. But it seemed that as soon as Twilight spotted it, it disappeared when she said, "And for so long I wanted to tell her the truth, hoping that even if she knew what I was she would still see me as a friend. But every time I tried to tell her, I would remember how much it hurt to be rejected for simply being what I am, and I would lose my nerve." Rara took a deep stuttering breath, visibly shaking. "You can't imagine how guilty I felt that even after we went our separate ways, I couldn't even bring myself to tell her in the letters we sent each other. Eventually I couldn't even respond to her anymore. I was just so afraid that if I told her the truth, that she would. . . she would. . ."
"Rara."
Rara looked up to see Twilight looking at her, and the Princess began to speak to her with the utmost conviction in her tone.
"I may not have known Applejack for as long as you have. And I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it must have been for you go through what you did. But if I have learned one thing in the time that I have known her, then it's that it does not matter in the least what you are. It's who you are that matters. And who you are, Rara, is nothing less than a genuine friend to those around you. And if you think even for one second that your friendship with Applejack will end simply because you're a siren, then you don't really know her at all." Finally breaking the embrace she had on the lavender alicorn, Rara wiped her eyes with a fetlock as she looked at Twilight, who thought for a moment that she saw a kindle of hope ignite in them. "Now, I can't force you to, but I sincerely believe that if you go to Applejack and tell her the truth, nothing between you will change. If anything, I think that your friendship will be all the stronger for it."
Sniffing, Rara asked with a slight amount of trepidation in her voice, "You. . . you really think so?"
Twilight nodded, not even once doubting that what she was saying was the absolute truth. "What do you say?" she asked as she stretched out a hoof towards the siren. "Are you willing to trust me?"
It was early morning in Equestria, but the day had already begun for the ponies of Sweet Apple Acres.
Young Applebloom was preparing for a day at school. Big Macintosh was busy fixing the plow, which had become bent once again from the previous day. Granny Smith was inside, busying herself cleaning up the house.
As the rest of her family tended to their own chores and tasks, Applejack was busy setting out empty barrel halves underneath he branches of apple trees. This took no more than half an hour, after which she proceeded to walk up to each tree and give it a swift kick to the trunk. Years of practice carried through her legs and into the wood, vibrating the tree until the apples were shaken from the stems and fell into the waiting barrels below.
Applejack carried on this manner, and before long she had worked up a good sweat. And all the while in the back of her mind she thought of her friend, Rara. It would not be long before she would have to depart from Ponyville to host a concert somewhere else in Equestria, and when she did leave, Applejack would be there to wish her the absolute best of luck. She only wished that Rara would have been able to stay for a little longer that the party that Pinkie Pie was undoubtedly planning. Celestia knows that it has been a long time since they had last seen each other, and she was itching to catch up with all that her friend had been up to.
As Applejack continued about her work, thinking over what would be said in their conversation, she noticed that two figures were moving towards her. And they were ones that she recognized, and was more than happy to take a break for.
"Howdy Twi! Howdy Rara!" Applejack shouted over to them as they approached at a casual pace. Choosing to meet them halfway, Applejack trotted over to them to greet them personally.
"Hello Applejack," Twilight greeted, while Rara simply smiled and dipped her head in acknowledgment. Applejack didn't think too much on that as embraced each in friendly hug.
"So what brings y'all here to Mah humble little apple farm?" she asked. "Ah mean, not that Ah don't mind the company, 'specially when it's you two. What can Ah do ya for?"
Neither pony answered, although Applejack did take notice of the way Twilight was looking expectantly at Rara. She also noticed that Rara seemed to be shaking slightly, and no matter what it seemed as though she couldn't bring herself make eye contact with the farm pony. Something was making her uncomfortable, and Applejack immediately became concerned. She put a comforting hoof on her friends shoulder.
"Hey," she said. "Is everythin' alright? What's wrong Rara? Whatever it is, Ah'll help ya any way Ah can."
Before replying Rara glanced over at Twilight, giving her a questioning look that the Princess responded with a comforting smile and a short nod. Setting her mouth in a thin line Rara turned back to Applejack.
"Applejack," she said. "There's something that I would like to tell you."
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There were errors though, mostly missing words here and there, but it's tolerable. But I'm wondering something... If Rara had lived that long of a life, was she a "young little filly" when she met Applejack? How did that work?
I now want a sequel.
Yeah... How does a filly that young have and then lose a special somepony? Is she a shapeshifter too? How old is she really?
so,.. how did the whole camp thing work? Shape shifting? It does explain her adult voice as a child.
Do they have shapeshifting powers or something? Because it's specifies that she's older than her appearance may seem and she even had a special somepony.
Typo:
"applejack" -> Applejack
***
Ditto on the "How was she a child if she lived for a long time"?
Other than that, pretty nice?
No! No! No! How could you?! You ended it on a cliffhanger?! Nooo!!! Great job!
Alright, so...I reached the end.
My conclusion? Same as before. Good concept, but the pronoun name is terribly annoying (And it continues here! Where it is entirely pointless!) and the story is slow. Sooooooooooo slow. This took you 11K words, but it could have been written in half of that.