Authors note:
In this chapter, I'm experimenting with a system I saw in the fiction Piano man (read it, guys; It's awesome). Whenever a specific song is played, by Stereo or anypony else, a link to the song will be provided. I'd appreciate feedback on this. Other than that, just enjoy!
Stereo creaked his eyes slowly open, stretching on the soft cloud bed that held him. Sunshine poured through the window, the one that let in a view encompassing all of Ponyville. After stretching all of his limbs sufficiently, Stereo smiled at the sight that welcomed him from across the room.
Stereo turned his head, the smile temporarily wiped off of his face until he recognized the mare at his doorway.
"Morning kid," Rainbow said from the doorway. "Were going to Sugarcube corner for a bite. You coming?"
"Y-your giving me a choice?" Stereo asked.
"Yep," the confirmation came. "So, you coming?"
"Yeah," Stereo replied. "Just give me a minute."
Rainbow left, presumably down to the living room. Stereo got up, making his bed and straightening it immaculately with his magic. He then quickly ran out the room, and down the stairs.
"Ready?" Rainbow said.
"Yeah, I'm ready now." Stereo replied.
"Okay then, hop on!"
Stereo climbed onto the Pegasus' back, followed by Frisky. Rainbow then leaped out the door, banking to the left. They made good speed over the short journey, flying over highland reserve and then a few houses, before coming to a rest in the market square. Stereo and Frisky dismounted, moving to walk the last ten meters, before they heard a voice from behind.
"Oh, hello Rainbow Dash!"
They all turned at once, noticing a lavender colored unicorn mare behind them.
"Twilight!" Stereo cried, before toning his voice down. "I forgot that you lived here!"
"But what about you? Why are you here?" Twilight asked.
"We live with Rainbow Dash now!" Frisky said.
Twilight narrowed her eyes slightly. "Rainbow, I didn't know that you were the one that adopted them!" Twilight said, genuine surprise in her voice.
"Yeah, well..." Rainbow began. "I kinda only told Rarity, but that's because everypony else was busy, and I needed somepony to make sure I was... doing the right thing!" She finished quickly. "Anyways, we're heading over to the corner for breakfast, you wanna come?"
"That sounds like a good idea," Twilight said. "I haven't eaten yet, with my newest research assignment from the princess."
They walked the few meters to the large gingerbread house, walking inside to find rows of tables and chairs, along with a counter displaying all kinds of foods that Stereo had never seen before. Pinkie Pie popped up from behind the display case, giving them surprising them all.
"Gooooooood morning, Dashie! And Twilight! And Frisky!"
"Pinkie Pie, we never told you our names!" Stereo said.
"I know," Pinkie replied.
"Wha-"
"Just Pinkie Pie," Twilight began, "being Pinkie Pie."
Stereo nodded, telling himself that he had to remember that.
"Now, I've got cakes," Pinkie said, before going into a rant. "Andbagelsandtoastandmuffinsandpancakesandcookiesandtartsandstrudelsand..." She quickly found a hoof in her mouth. Actually, she found quite a few.
"We'll just have cupcakes."
Stereo was sitting at one of the Sugarcube Corner tables, devouring, like everypony else, cupcake after cupcake after cupcake. The moist, chocolate sponge; the sweet and fragrant icing; the crunchy little sprinkle shapes on top; everything about these cupcakes were just too much to handle. It seemed that everypony thought the same thing, judging from the silence that reigned.
"Sooooo," Pinkie said, walking from the counter in a spare moment. "Whadda ya think of my cupcakes?"
"They," Frisky began, "are the sweetest, yummiest things I have ever tasted, better than when I cooked at home!"
"You cooked!" Pinkie cried. "I can teach you how to make cupcakes!"
"You would do that?" Frisky said.
"Of course!" Pinkie said. "That's what friends do! You can come right now, if you want!"
"Can I, Rainbow, can I?"
"Sure squirt," Rainbow said, seeing Pinkie and Frisky bolt away quickly before she could finish her sentence.
It was now Twilight's turn to pipe up. "So, Stereo," she said, "How did you get that necklace? It looks very similar to your cutie mark."
"Oh, this?" Stereo said, looking at the amethyst quaver around his neck. "I've had it forever. It used to be round, like Frisky's, but its shape changed when I got my cutie mark."
"That's quite unusual," Twilight noted. "But I think I may have read about that somewhere. Would you mind stopping by the library tomorrow?"
"Sure thing," Stereo replied. "If Rainbows okay with it."
"Kid, unless we have plans, you do whatever you want around here."
"Wow..." Stereo said. "Thanks, Rainbow Dash." He then looked at Twilight." I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then."
"I'm going to start looking for that book right away," Twilight said, standing up. "It could be important. Goodbye, everypony." In a flash of purple-red light, Twilight disappeared. Stereo was mildly surprised, but found that it didn't really surprise him. Come to think of it, she was probably the element of magic that Luna mentioned, for all he knew. Which reminded him...
"Rainbow, which element are you?"
"I'm the element of loyalty," Rainbow said proudly. "I've never left anypony hanging. By the way, we shouldn't keep Rarity; I told her while I was on my morning weather rounds that we would stop by."
"Let's go, then!"
*KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK*
Rainbow Dash pounded firmly on the Carousel Boutique’s hard purple door.
“Just one moment,” came a slightly regal sounding voice from inside. “I’m just caught up with my new ’vêtements automne’”
Rainbow opened the door anyway, walking in. Stereo followed her, only to find, in the centre of the room, a beautiful mare, surrounded by clothes. She had a few similar features to Stereo; White coat, violet mane; but dark blue eyes and a trio of diamonds for a cutie mark.
“Why, hello Rainbow Dash!” She said, in what appeared to be a faux Manehatten accent; but was still quite pleasant, not being overly forced. Much better than the nasally Canterlot accent. “I’ve been waiting all day for you. I've looked forward to finally meeting the little musician face-to-face. Really, there aren't enough colts that take an interest in the haute culture of society. I bet he'll be an absolute gem."
Stereo moved forward rather sheepishly, for some reason. "Hello, Miss Rarity. I'm Stereo."
"I insist that you drop the formalities," Rarity said. "You may call me 'Rarity'."
"Thank you, Rarity," Stereo said. He was unsure as to why he felt so... shy around her. He checked off all the usual suspects; she wasn't mean, she didn't look angry in any way, he was pretty sure he didn't have a crush on her; so what was it? All the sophistication, maybe? It certainly was slightly intimidating.
"Rainbow hear told me of your enthusiasm to 'get back into your game,' as it were," she said as she began to lead them. They crossed the display room, before turning left and walking up a flight of stairs. "My piano is the absolute highest quality on the market, so I'm sure you'll be pleased." She led them into a room, in which sat an absolute monstrosity of a grand piano. It was white all over. It was big. When he tested it, it sounded great. It was beautiful.
"I- It's beautiful!" Stereo said.
"I don't mean to be a spoilsport or anything," Rainbow interjected, "but could I leave him here? I have some extra weather duties today."
"Of course, darling!" Rarity said. "Leave him as long as you like! I'm sure we'll get along smashingly!"
Stereo smiled and waved as Rainbow located the nearest window and leaped out of it."
"Now darling," Rarity began, "don't think I haven't noticed how nervous you are."
"How... how did you know?"
"Why, I encounter it every time I host a fashion show; you'd be surprised how apprehensive models can get."
"I- I don't really know, Rarity." Stereo said. "I've tried to pinpoint all of the usual things that make me nervous, but none of them fit."
"Hmm... judging by your manner of speech, you seem very well educated for somepony that's only- what, twelve?" Rarity said. "I'm curious, did you learn any foreign languages in Cloudsdale?"
"The Mayor made every filly and colt learn Istallion." Stereo said. "Me and Frisky both understand about half the language."
Rarity gave him a calming look. "Non essere nervosa. Mostro mi la musica bella!" She said, talking slowly and being careful to articulate.
"Were did you learn that?" Stereo asked.
"Please," Rarity said, "any fool can pretend to be fabulous, but you only are if you can put it into practice in any part of Equestria, even those that speak other languages. And I encourage you to keep learning. With your musical talent and fabulous looks, you could be the parler des villes in no time!"
"Do you really mean that, Rarity?"
"I would be a failure if I weren't to recognize such fabulosity the moment it walked through the door!"
"Thanks, Rarity," Stereo said. "That actually means a lot."
"You're quite welcome. Do you have anything particular that you want to play for me?"
"I have an old song, but It’s changed a little," Stereo replied.
He prepared himself, sitting on the chair, before closing his eyes. A violet glow manifested itself around his horn, replicated in several places around the piano keys. He began to play the song, a rendition of Canon in D. As he played, he found himself getting lost, tangibly lost in the music. It was as if all of the notes were physically there in front of him, like a huge maze, or intricate mosaic; that he could walk straight into. Behind the blackness of his shut eyelids, he saw colors flying past; not all different, and somehow organized despite their chaotic nature. He could feel himself getting drawn further in. It wasn't something malignant; but something under his control. This was his. This was...
"Hey!"
Stereo saw all of the colors around him recede into pinpricks, as he was violently torn from his reverie. Rarity appeared slightly dazed as well, but soon recovered her composure and attended to other matters that were at hand. He also noticed another figure, about his height, standing alone in the door frame. She was a white filly, without a cutie mark. Her mane was what was really attention grabbing, though. A purple-on-pink curly mane style made her look- while not nearly as regal as Rarity -still just as beautiful. It appeared likely that they were sisters, but those green eyes (as opposed to Rarity's blue) would have thrown him off if not for the fact that she obviously lived here.
"Sweetie!" Rarity cried, berating her sister. "It's very rude to interrupt somepony when they're trying to concentrate! I want you to apologize immediately."
"Bu..."
"Apologize, then you can say what you want to say."
"I'm sorry," she said, grating a hoof into the hard wood floor, and with her head hung low in shame. "But you're really good!" She said, cheering up again. "What's your name? I'm Sweetie Belle!"
"I- I'm Stereo," he said, trying to manually shake himself out of the dream-like state that he had previously been in. His connection to music was strong, but he had never experienced anything like that before. It seemed to be stronger than ever before. Maybe his cutie mark had something to do with it. After all, he hadn't played since then...
"Ummmm... hello? I just asked if you wanted to hang out with me and my friends!"
"My friends and I, Sweetie." Rarity quickly interjected, feeling the need to remind her sister to use proper grammar before the conversation could continue.
Stereo shook himself hard. "Sorry, I was just thinking," he said. "But I would love to meet your friends. It'll be good to
Meet a few fillies my age."
Rarity raised an eyebrow at him, nonchalantly.
He gave a slight blush. "As friends, of course!"
Sweetie Belle led Stereo through the bustling Ponyville market, being careful not to lose each other in the throng that came along with the time of day that they were in. In other words, the lunch rush. Stereo was making it a point to mentally map the town's geography, finding his knowledge enabling him to travel From Rainbow Dash's house, to Rarity's, Pinkie Pie's, and by extension, the market. In his search for veritable landmarks, his eyes came upon a large, seemingly habituated tree.
"Hey, Sweetie," he said, "what's that?" He gestured to the tree in the distance.
"Oh, that's just the library," Sweetie replied. As she finished, they turned out of the market, on a path coming from what was previously their left. Soon, the cobblestone turned into dirt, as they made their way in between countless rows of apple trees.
"Where are we going, anyway?" Stereo asked.
"This is Sweet Apple Acres," came the reply. "My friend Apple Bloom lives here."
Not a second passed, before they began to hear a slight buzzing from behind them. Sweetie seemed to ignore it, and so Stereo chalked it down to probably being something normal- and he would be right.
"Applebloom's really good with tools." Sweetie continued. "She rebuilt our clubhouse in just a few hours! We're using it to practice for the Ponyville Talent Show! I made up our act, we're singing the Cutie Mark Crusaders Theme Song!
Stereo continued to ignore the increasingly distracting buzz, and attempted to carry the conversation. "The cutie mark what?"
"The Cutie Mark Crusaders" Sweetie replied, "that's us! We go crusading for our cutie marks!"
"Neat name," Stereo commented. "Uhhh, what is[/ i] that noise?" He finished, irritation apparent in his voice.
Not a second after that comment, both ponies turned in reply to a hastily shouted, "WATCH OUT!" They were bowled over by a fast moving object, soon identified as a scooter.
Stereo tried to locate the pony that was at the conn, but was beaten to the punch by Sweetie Belle. "Scootaloo!" She cried.
Stereo saw the filly with whom they had collided, an orange Pegasus; evidently named Scootaloo. She gave a drawn-out groan. "I'm okay!" Was heard coming from her a second later.
"Scootaloo, you crashed!" Sweetie cried out.
"Yeah," Scootaloo replied flatly. "I just noticed. Who's your friend?"
"This is Stereo," Sweetie said proudly, "and he can play the piano."
Stereo gave a slight blush, and stammered slightly at suddenly being in the spotlight. "I-I-I'm not that good..." he said humbly.
"So," Scootaloo said, "what's your story?"
"You really want to hear it?"
"Yeah, you never told me!" Sweetie said, butting in. "Rarity said that you actually have an interesting story.
"Well," Stereo began, "I was stolen as a foal, and so was my brother. I don't know my parents. The ponies that took me were Pegasi, so we were raised in Cloudsdale."
"Wait," Scootaloo interrupted, "Unicorns can't walk on clouds!"
"Well, we did," Stereo said, cutting the question short. "Anyway, we never knew about Unicorn magic, and the foalnappers wanted to keep it that way. So when I discovered it, the man, who was pretending to be my Dad, he beat me up!"
Sweetie winced slightly, but still stared in rapped attention.
"Eventually, I discovered that I was good at music, really good. When I got my cutie mark, it caused such a huge burst of magic that Luna could come and save me. The two Pegasi are in Canterlot Dungeons."
"Okay," Scootaloo said. "So, what really happened?"
"What do you mean?"
"First," Scootaloo began, "Unicorns can't walk on clouds."
"But I can!" Stereo defended. "My brother and I are living with Rainbow Dash!"
Scootaloo's eye twitched slightly. "A likely story."
They continued along the pathway, passing the lush, green trees, and eventually arriving at a wooden structure; presumably the Apple Family farmhouse. Sweetie walked up to the large wooden door, pounding lightly on the door. It soon opened.
The orange mare that opened the door looked to greet who she thought was a pair of fillies, but soon her eyes rested solely on Stereo; his eyes went wide with a realization.
“Applejack?”