“So I pause at the gates, once more, as my spirit lifts and soars, and I wish I could enter in, 'cause you make me sing! 'Cause you make me sing!”
Clapping burst from the other pony's hooves, and her eyes lighted with genuine adoration.
“That was simply beautiful! I loved it!” Spice cheered.
Azure Harmony blushed. She brushed a silky strand back from her face and smiled. She had written that song for Sweet Spice simply because she was the greatest sister a pony could have. She put her music down on a stump and clumsily bowed.
“I'm glad you liked it. It took me weeks to write it and even longer to practice it.” she said, hugging her sister.
“Well, I'm sure glad you did. Seriously, you are a great singer. Ponies would love to hear your music!”
At this, Harmony quickly blushed and averted her sisters happy gaze. She looked at her bright blue hooves. Spice always spoke what she thought, and it was usually true. But ponies would never love Harmony's kind of music. It was simply....too different.
“No, no, they wouldn't. Not my kind of music.” she said quietly.
She heard her sister sigh. She looked up into her sister's bright eyes and saw a mixture of disappointment and reluctant surrender.
“Well, okay. But hey, let's get something to eat. Singing must be hard work, and we already missed lunch.”
That was her Sweet Spice.
Once again glowing and cheerful, Harmony looked back into her sisters pretty pink eyes and nodded smilingly.
Together they set off for the cottage. Azure Harmony and Sweet Spice were sisters. But no pony that didn't know them would be able to tell.
They were completely different in looks and talent. Sweet spice was a cocoa-colored pony with a very, very light pink, almost white mane and tail, and a wooden spoon with a pinch of cinnamon on it as a cutie mark. Her talent was baking and cooking.
Azure Harmony, on the other hand, was, hence the name, an azure pony with a white and aqua mane and tail, and a treble clef for a cutie mark.
Her talent, of course, was singing. As she reflected smilingly on this, she trotted behind her sister, almost tripped on the wooden steps and sat down at the hard wooden table with an exhausted thud.
When they got inside, Spice pulled freshly baked blueberry pumpkin cookies out, and set three on a plate, and put it on the table. She poured two icy glasses of peppermint tea and set them at each place.
“Oh, this looks delicious, Spice.” Harmony said as she bit into a cookie.
“Ah, thank you. Just repaying your beautiful talent with mine.” and she smiled sweetly.
After they ate, Harmony brushed out her mane and went into Pony Ville with a basket. She had to get a few things for Spice, and pick up a couple things for herself.
It was always beautiful in Pony Ville this time of year. The sun was high and bright in the cloudless sky (obviously Rainbow Dash and her friends were being lazy) and bright green growth underneath the bright blue covering glistened and glimmered with a sense of spring freshness that Harmony absolutely loved.
“Harmony! What luck to see you here!” a chirpy voice called out. Harmony smiled. She didn't have to see to know who that was. She thanked the vegetable-selling pony and turned to see Pinkie hopping towards her.
“Hi Pinkie.” she said, and would have hugged her, if it weren't for all the bouncing.
“What are you doing here?” Pinkie asked. Her curly mane was bouncing up and down on her bubblegum pink neck.
“Oh, nothing interesting, just picking up a few things for me and Spice.”
“Yeah, that's not very interesting. It is when it is something fun, like muffins, or maybe popcorn!!”and with this she closed her eyes in glee and bounced on her hooves.
“I agree.” Harmony said, giggling. Pinkie always had that effect on her.
“Oh, when you go home, don't forget to tell Sweetie Spice I said HIII!!! she's such a talented baker, and helps make the YUMMIEST things for parties!” and Pinkie bounced some more.
Pinkie Pie loved to call Spice, Sweetie Spice. Harmony wasn't the only one who thought her a sweetheart.
“I won't forget. As long as you tell Gummy hi for me.” Harmony didn't really have any affection for Gummy, but she liked exchanging pleasantry for pleasantry.
“Oh I will! Oh! And did you know that there is a strange, new pony in town?” Pinkie asked mysteriously, suddenly lowering her voice and leaning close.
“No, I didn't.” Harmony was getting more amused by the second.
“He's not a regular pony, see, he walks with a limp, his head is always bowed, he wears a black cape! With a creepy-scary hood!! Some say he's a ghost, others say a thief, or murderer, of some sort...and--”
“Pinkie Pie! Are you scaring Harmony with all your gossipy tall tales?” Rainbow Dash asked as she landed in front of the two.
“Uh, no.” Pinkie blushed.
“No, she was just telling me about the 'mysterious, new pony' in town. Nothing scary.” Harmony assured her.
“How can you say that? He's suuuuper creepy!!” Pinkie said. Her eyes widened as if she was remembering his creepiness.
Rainbow just rolled her eyes.
“He is kinda creepy, but I have more important things to talk about. I just came over here to see if Pinkie was spreading tales.” with a wave, she left the pink and blue ponies alone.
“Well, I better go, Pinkie. Spice will be getting worried.” Pinkie nodded and sported her usual super happy smile, and bounced away.
Harmony tucked an extra few apples in her basket, then flew toward home. She didn't feel up to walking.
As she flew, she looked at the weather ponies finally starting to push clouds here and there, and from up here she could see the far away peaks of Canterlot rising above the slowly descending fog.
It had been getting eerily foggy during the middle of the day, lately, and Harmony didn't like it. Fog always creeped her out, for she always thought something with red eyes and a black shadow of a body would appear and snatch her. Or Spice.
Once she was safely out of town, she started singing her newest song again.
“So I pause at the gates, once more, as my spirits lift and soar, and I wish I could enter in, 'cause you make me sing, 'cause you make me sing.....!”
'Harmony,
Sorry, I got called off. I had to go help Rarity measure me for my new outfit I ordered. For the upcoming singing show. (I still think you should enter!) so I won't be back till late.
I wasn't notified till just now, so that's why I had to rush out. See you later.
Spice.'
That was alright. She could wait. She at once set to putting her purchases away. The upcoming singing show would be held in Rarity's boutique. She hadn't once given participating a thought.
Like she'd convinced herself, even if she was good at singing, as her cutie mark suggested, no pony else would think so. So, she would simply have to be content listening to the show.
And, getting asked a thousand times about why she wasn't in it. Oh well. She could endure it for one night. It was sure to be a dazzling performance, because Rarity was making outfits for each participant, plus for any pony who would be watching that asked her for one. Like Spice.
When she finished putting everything away, she made her way to the cupboards and found a spare blueberry pumpkin cookie just waiting to be eaten. She gobbled it hungrily, washed it down with a drink of cool water, then flew upstairs to her room.
With the house empty (sure, her sister was a great listener, but sometimes it was nice to practice alone) Harmony decided she'd like to work on her latest song.
Not her 'So I Pause At The Gates' but a new one that had just sprang into her mind while she had flown back from the market.
She had been looking for inspiration like this ever since she finished her previous song. And when inspiration found her, she had to seize it in the moment before it was gone and put it down on paper.
Harmony pulled the curtains of her bedroom window back, tied them with a silver ribbon and threw open the window, letting in cool fresh air. She took out a worn leather suit case and opened the snaps, then threw it open, causing it to make a thwang as the rusty springs once again did her bidding.
Inside were her treasures. Old, beautiful, irreplaceable treasures.
She dug through the piles of stuff till she found what she needed. She lied all her supplies on the desk then shut the suitcase, pushed it under her bed and flew into her desk seat. She pulled her thick mane back into a pony tail and brushed a few stray strands back behind her ear.
Then she got to work.
She opened her music notebook, flipped to a black page and smiled. Her new song would be written on this very page. She took out a quill, dusted off the feathers and dipped it in her new bottle of ink.
As soon as she set her quill to the page, it was like magic. The notes, words, treble clefs, and tune fell on to the page, and the only sound in the room was that of her humming out her new tune and the faint scraping of quill against paper.
An hour later she left the quill in the ink and whipped out the new song.
“There! Finished! It may need some fine tuning but it's done.” and with that, she put her things away, and washed the ink off her hooves and face, then let her mane down, shaking it out as she did, then running a wide-tooth comb through it and patting it into place.
As soon as she finished, she heard the front door squeak open, then close, and the soft footsteps enter. She heard the rustling of a dress being brought from a box and the fwap of it being shook out. She smiled to herself. Writing a new song always brought a smile to her face.
Spice is home, and I am finished with the song just in time. I can go down and we can have a pleasant evening together, maybe she'll show me her new dress! She thought happily.
And why shouldn't she be happy? Writing a new song ALWAYS brought a smile to her face.
“Harmony! Come look at Rarity's dress she made for me!”
That was her cue.
With a barely audible squeal, she flew down to meet her sister.