Princess Preparatory

by Melody Song

A Gift

"So your mom and dad would joke that Rainbow took all the color with her when she was born?" Applejack laughed

"How else would you explain her hair?" Daring asked

"Genetics." Twilight replied. Daring was sitting in her sister's room with her and her roommates.

"No, actually. Our mother has orange hair, and our father does have rainbow hair, but it doesn't explain my hair." Daring responded

"Yeah, but you make up for i-" Rainbow broke off and covered her mouth.

"What?" Applejack asked

"Nothing." Rainbow said quickly.

"You said she 'makes up for it' what does that mean?" Twilight asked

"Just tell them Daring, they won't tell anyone." Rainbow sighed

"Alright." Daring shifted and looked down at the ground. "Do you ever...see colors?"

"Of course, the bedsheets on ma bed are orange, Twilight's are purple, Rainbow's is blue."

"I mean, besides them."

"Huh?"

"You're not making this any easier to understand Daring." Rainbow said, just as Twilight's phone went off.

"Oh, sorry, I made an alarm to tell me when to meet Rarity for her dress fitting."

"The Winter Ball's two months away!" Applejack cried

"Try telling her that." Twilight sighed, then glanced over. "Daring, are you alright?"

Daring was hunched over, covering her ears. She straightened up nervously.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." Daring said, giving them a small smile.

"No, she's not." Rainbow said

"What's wrong?" Applejack asked

"Medically, nothing. I meant she's shaken up because of something. I'll show you." Rainbow went to the door, opened it wide, then slammed it closed. Daring flinched and closed her eyes, covering her ears as well.

"What-?" Twilight asked

"Rainbow, no!" Daring moaned

"Tell them the truth or I'll do it again." Rainbow warned, pulling the door back open. Just in time for Spitfire, Fleetfoot, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Sunset, and Starlight to run in. They all began talking over each other.

"Why did you slam the door?" Sunset asked

"Is something wrong?" Fluttershy worried

"Do it again! It was so loud!" Pinkie shrieked

"You messed up my stitches! Now my seam is all crooked!"

"What's going on?" Spitfire asked, loudest of all.

"Quiet!" Daring yelled, covering her ears. They all fell silent.

"Daring, what's wrong?" Starlight asked

"I-you were being too loud." Daring said

"What's that got to do with anything?" Sunset asked. Rainbow shut the door very softly.

"She was just about to tell AJ and Twi. Might as well tell everyone." Rainbow said.

Daring shook her head and stood up, running to the door. She yanked it open and left, running to the door that led outside. She ran straight past Vice Headmistress Luna. Daring slowed down in the gardens, the one place where there was no noise. She breathed a sigh of relief and touched a flower gently.

"Miss Do?" Vice Headmistress Luna came up behind her. Daring turned at her voice.

"Yes Professor Luna?" Daring asked

"Is everything alright?"

"Fine. I just...needed a break. My new friends were being pretty loud and it was-disturbing me." Daring said

"You know, people say I am not like my sister in the way that I like to connect with my students. If you need to talk to me-as a friend, not a teacher-then I am more than happy to oblige." Vice Headmistress Luna said

"It's just..." Daring tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm worried that people will think I'm a freak if I say something."

"I won't. I have a tendency to accept and understand everyone." Vice Headmistress Luna assured her

"It's because you were evil once right? What did everyone call you? Night-something?" Daring asked

"Nightmare Moon. I admit, it did help me to see people in a different way. I began to understand the reasons people do what they do and make the mistakes they do."

"I just...no one would understand what I'm going through. It's very rare." Daring said, then gasped, covering her mouth as she realized she might have revealed everything.

"Daring!" Rainbow ran to her, and Daring lowered her hand.

"Hey sis."

"What happened darling? Why did you run off?" Rarity asked

"We want to help." Twilight added

"Okay." Daring looked to Vice Headmistress Luna, who gave her a small nod of encouragement. She didn't understand either, but she still was supportive.

"Well?" Pinkie asked impatiently

"Will you promise not to think I'm weird?" Daring asked

"Of course." they all said together.

"Alright. Well, the thing is-"

"Wait, are you colorblind?" Twilight asked

"No!" Daring exclaimed

"Oh, sorry. I thought maybe that's why you asked if we could see colors. And that you kept running away because it was a sensitive topic for you. It also seemed pretty logical considering your hair." Twilight apologized

"So what is wrong?" Sunset asked

"I-I have...Synesthesia." Daring admitted

"Syna-whata-who-huh?" Applejack asked, while Twilight, Sunset, and Starlight gasped. Vice Headmistress Luna's eyes widened.

"Sin-es-thee-ja is a condition where a person can see colors that others can't. I've only read about it in medical books, it's extremely rare." Twilight explained to Applejack, then turned to Daring. "So, what type do you have?"

"Two different types. Grapheme-Color Synesthesia and Chromesthesia." Daring replied

"So that is...?" Spitfire asked

"Rainbow, can you help me explain?" Daring asked, and her sister nodded immediately, going to Daring's side.

"Okay, so Synesthesia is a rare condition where...well, it's kinda technical, so I don't completely understand it. But basically, it's like two wires are crossed in your head, so you see things differently." Rainbow said

"Grapheme-Color Synesthesia is one type of the condition that I have. It's a little weird." Daring said

"Could you explain?" Fleetfoot asked

"Okay. Let's take the number three, for example. Three is the same color as rose petals, and has the same, silky texture to it. The letter "Z" is the color of the sky at midnight, a blend of blue and purple. It even glows like it's made of stars." Daring explained

"To sum up, numbers and letters have colors for her." Rainbow added

"And the second one you mentioned? Chromo-what was it again?" Fluttershy asked

"Chromesthesia. It's a bit easier to explain. Whenever I hear sounds, or listen to music, I see colors. It's different for normal sounds. I saw large red rings of color when Rainbow slammed the door shut, and when you talked over each other earlier, colors were exploding in my eyes. I rarely see voices as having color, but when people are shouting or whispering, then I see colors for each person. Talking at a normal tone doesn't affect me." Daring explained

"So, you can see specific colors for numbers and letters, and also colors for certain sounds." Starlight summed up

"Yes. Please don't think I'm weird." Daring said

"What? That's amazing!" Pinkie cried

"Yeah, it's awesome." Spitfire added

"I do have a question." Sunset said, and Daring looked to her. "If you can see colors, and Synesthesia is a rare condition, then why not tell your kingdom? Surely they would respect you more if they knew."

"I have thought about it. There are times when I want to tell the whole kingdom 'I'm like the rest of you, I have color too!' But, I'm also scared. I don't want to be seen as a freak. Barely anyone knows what Synesthesia is, and those who do are doctors or scientists. Besides, if I explained, then people would harass me about what color their names are, or what color I see when they make a noise. I don't want people to see me differently, and I don't want people to love me for a medical condition. I want them to love me for what I contribute to the kingdom." Daring explained

"I understand." Sunset said

"Well, we don't think you're different. You're a normal girl who just happens to have a condition." Twilight said

"It's not a condition, that makes it sound like she's sick." Rainbow draped an arm around her sister

"Then what is it?" Applejack asked, and Rainbow made a face

"I...don't know." Vice Headmistress Luna stepped forward, smiling.

"It's a gift."

Author's Note:

I wrote this chapter because I have a friend who has Synesthesia (of course, I'm not going to say their name). I wanted to bring awareness to this condition. Which it shouldn't even be called, personally I think it's a gift. I made Daring the person with Synesthesia because it seemed like such a good contrast: a girl with grayscale hair seeing the world with more color than anyone else.

And yes, I am aware that Synesthesia is actually more common than mentioned here. But in their world, it's a rare "condition". I think I explained it pretty well in this chapter but if you're still confused, I got the information from this website:

https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/synesthesia/the-many-types-of-synesthesia-explained/

~Melody Song

Comments

[Alduin The World Eater]

Is there gonna be anymore to the story?

[Melody Song]

10030445
Yes, I just have writers block. Wait, do you mean about the synesthesia or the story?

[Alduin The World Eater]

10030517
The story

[Melody Song]

10030524
oh, yeah. I'm working on another chapter now.