Pony Tales - Clover - Day 30

Part 30: Boiling Point

By Firefly

Aria was in full flow, dressage was her all-time favourite skill, and nothing could ruin her mood here:

"Now as you all know, Flower Dressage is one of the hardest skills we teach in Ponyplay. Not only because it can be physically demanding in the longer patterns, but also in the fact that it makes use of a ponies mind. Complex patterns combined with very specific rulesets as well as trying to look pretty while doing so can make for a challenging skill. But this is also what makes it fun. There's a lot of enjoyment within the challenge of Flower. It's also one of the harder skills to instruct someone on how to teach. It's one of the few skills I recommend learning in hooves before you ever attempt to teach it to someone." Aria stood in the center circle of the flower-like pattern made up of ten circles. It was one of the bigger fields to the left of the barn with stadium side bench seats on the left and right sides of the field. At one end were three tall chairs almost like lifeguard chairs and at the opposite end was the gate into the field along with a crowd of trainers and ponies listening to Aria speak.

Aria had offered Clover some encouraging words on the way over, but even now she could sense something was off as she was giving her speech.

"Today I am going to offer you a bit of a demonstration and workshop on Flower", Aria nods in Clover's direction. "Clover here has recently been spending some time learning this skill, but is still new to it and needs practice. So she'll make the perfect subject for showing how to teach, correct and progress within the skill."

Beside her, Clover let out an indignant snort at being told she needs practice.

~It's not my fault the stupid skill is so needlessly complicated!~

"...Clover?" Aria snapped her fingers in front of Clover's face, yanking her back out of her thoughts.

She blinked several times and looked at Aria, tilting her head.

"I was just asking if you're ready to give a basic pattern a try?"

Clover draws in a deep breath and then nods.

So flustered was Clover that it seemed she was forgetting her manners. But Aria didn't want to embarrass her so she turned off her mic and whispered, "Clover. You need to respond properly. Get your head out of the clouds."

Clover blows around her bit.

Aria turns her mic back on, "Clover! Are you ready to give a basic pattern a try?" Aria asks, trying to salvage the moment.

Clover stomps her hoof once and stands up straight.

Aria nods and turns back to the crowd, "Now, normally the judges would design and pass out a randomized pattern. But as we have no judges today, I will simply make them up on the spot. So let's start super easy. AxC. Now in a pattern, the x means that you change direction when crossing over to your next letter. So you start clockwise, walk the circle, and change direction to the next one..." Aria stepped back to the center of the C circle and held her whip, "Ready, Clover?"

Clover stomped once. As if she wasn't. She could handle AxC.

CRACK!

The whip snapped and Clover was off, walking around the A circle and crossing over to C, changing to counter-clockwise for the second circle before coming back to finish in the center. She turned about and curtsied to Aria.

The crowd clapped and Aria smiled, "Very good. Now that's about as basic as patterns get, and so we move into something a bit more complicated. A-BxC. Now when I say 'to' instead of x. It means the pony keeps the same direction of travel."

She turned to regard Clover, "Ready, Clover?"

Again came the stomp.

CRACK!

Clover took off at a walk again, following the lines until she hit B.

"Stop." The whip cracked twice.

"Now, keep in mind. It's not JUST about doing the pattern correctly. You have to look good doing it. Roll those shoulders back Clover, Lift those knee's nice and high and then take a small peek at where you're standing." Aria instructed.

Clover drew in a slow breath, trying to remain calm.

~Look pretty. Remember the pattern. Stay on the lines.~

Clover looked down at where she stood, having accidentally gone to take the wrong direction on B. She stared at the circle for a moment and blinked. She snorted at the circle.

"Ah, see it do you? Come now, this pattern isn't too hard Clover, you've got this. Back to the center, try again."

Clover cast a surprising glare at Aria who in turn was a bit taken back at the look but chose to ignore it and move on.

Clover turned and headed towards the center, walking through the lines.

Two cracks of the whip echoed, "Stop!"

"Clover. Follow the lines back to the center. That's one of the first lessons you learned! Now back to the center!" She said sharply, scolding her.

Turning her gaze on Aria, Clover would stare for a very long moment before shifting her gaze back and walking to the center.

"A-BxC. Ready, Clover?"

Clover stomped once.

CRACK!

Clover walked off once again.

Immediately came two cracks of the whip, "Stop!"

Clover let out a loud cry around her gag and spun to face Aria.

~What is it this bloody time!~

"Wrong direction Clover. Look at the letters. Back to the center." Aria said simply.

Clover didn't move as she stared at the letters. In her frustration, she'd not even bothered to look at what direction she was facing, and at this point, did she even care? She was so done with this confusing, frustrating skill.

"Clover. To the center. Now."

Again. She didn't move.

Aria tossed down her whip and walked over, turning off her mic and leaning in, "Clover. I know you're frustrated. But I need you to focus. The more flustered you get, the harder this skill can be to learn." She said in a soft and encouraging voice. Clover just stared at her and ground her teeth into the bit.

Aria did something that surprised everyone there, she didn't do this often, she reached up, unclipping Clover's bit and tugging it from her lips along with a line of drool.

"Look, if you've got something to say. Then just say it. Are you ok?"

It was almost instant. And a lot louder than she intended but Clover spoke almost immediately, "Of course I'm not fucking ok! This skill is ridiculously complicated and all you people just pretend it's OH SO EASY!" She said with a growl.

Aria kept a calm look on her face, "It's not that complicated Clover. You're just getting frustrated and losing your head. I should know, I was top of the boards for Flower for most of my pony career. You just need to fo--"

"Top of the 'boards' huh? Then why don't YOU do it? If you're OH so good. The way I see it, all you do is hide behind your desk. Pretending to be someone you aren't. It's NOT as easy as you think it is. Maybe you're just a washed-up old has-been who still thinks she could be the best.

Why am I stopping just so I can look 'Nice', knee's up, back straight, don't cross the lines. I am twice the pony you ever were! I have broken your records! I doubt anyone here remembers you ever putting a hoof in this ring!" Clover was breathing heavily, genuine anger in her eyes. It was not a side that anyone had seen of her at this point and to be honest, surprised even Clover.

Aria simply stood there saying nothing. She was aware that the mic on her collar was still on. The entire crowd was silent, except for a lone figure stomping into the ring. It was Hayley, and she didn't look impressed. Aria stood there in silence, staring at Clover.

"CLOVER! That was completely uncalled for! How co--"

Aria raised her hand to Hayley "That is enough." Aria said in a voice of calm.

"No, it's not! Mistress Aria, that was complete--"

"Cloudstep! Enough!"

Hayley's words died in her throat and she immediately went silent. The three of them stood there for a long time before Aria reached over and pressed Clover's bit into Hayley's hand, then turned her gaze back on the frustrated pony. She recognized that look. That frustration. That almost desperate need to get something right. How many times had she been there, how many times had she lashed out, or broken down in her stall in the evening because of such feelings? She saw herself, even now, in Clover.

Aria closed her eyes and gave a slight nod turning away and walking through the crowd of ponies and trainers and back towards the house without another word.

It was probably one of the longest moments of silence at Tall Tails in quite some time. Everyone stood there quietly, watching as Aria left, handing her mic to one of the trainers as she passed and disappearing up the path towards the house. Everyone understood that the 'demonstration' was over and dispersed to take care of their regular duties leaving Hayley and Clover standing in the center of the field, the sun beating down on the pair, and the cloud of what just happened hanging thickly about them.

----------------------------------------------

It felt like a longer walk than it ever had been. From the barn to the house. A myriad of emotions played about in Aria's mind as she walked. Frustrations of her own. Not because of what Clover said, but because maybe she'd failed the girl in a way? Enough so that Clover had just said something hurtful enough to send her own thoughts spiraling. She pushed open the back door of the house, a maid moving to greet her. She held up a hand to silence her and looked over, "You're all dismissed for the day. All of you. Clear out, or make yourself comfortable in your room for the day. Am I understood?" She said this with a tone of finality that was strong enough that the maid curtsied and hurried off without a word.

Aria slipped through the house, aiming for her office. She had some paperwork to do. She slipped into her office, pushing the door shut behind her and walking to her filing cabinet. She rifled around it for several long moments, taking out a single green-coloured file from the 'Active Ponies' drawer as well as a fairly thick file from the 'Suspended Ponies' drawer which she unceremoniously tossed on her desk before taking a seat. Forgetting her decorum and posture for a moment she sunk into the chair and looked up at the ceiling of her office. It was an older office with beautiful coving and a stunning relief carved into the ceiling showing a lattice of vines and ponyplay scenes in its depths. Each pony had its own 'colour' and her eyes focused on a lone green one with the design of a moon with a series of small stars carved into the wood around it, it was close to the center where the relief had started.

"It seems so long ago since you found your place here." She says, a pained shake in her voice as she tugs her gaze away, looking at the paperwork in front of her for a long moment. Was it the right decision? Were her emotions leading the way here?

She looked at the green-colored file next to her and then the Suspended Ponies file to her right.

She sighed and took out a red pen and flipped open the green folder, beginning to write...