//------------------------------// // Chapter III: "Fun in Funeral" // Story: Tears of an Angel // by Jet Howitzer //------------------------------// (Another exploration into the life and times of Pure Note the unicorn. Enjoy.) The post office visit took just a few minutes, and shortly after giving the letter to the mare behind the counter you were making your way to the markets, simply to kill some time before heading home. Maybe, if you saw something that tickled your fancy, you’d buy something. The usual hustle and bustle was present, allowing you to immerse yourself in the ebb and flow of ponies. The act of shopping was dull enough to let your mind flow from topic to topic until it settled on a single part of your life. ---/\/\ Six Years Ago: Junior Year of High School /\/\--- The party continued around you as you slowly dragged the unconscious mare out of the house. It took several long minutes and many of the stallions present said rather unflattering things to you regarding how you treated Melody. You, in so many words, told them what they could do with what was between their legs and their own backsides. As you neared the door to Melody’s home you heard your voice shouted out. The voice that once brought you a small measure of joy to hear now only made you eager to leave. Sadly, you found yourself unable to lift the mare onto your back fast enough to escape Melody’s home before she could arrive. If looks could kill you’d be a pile of dust that was once a skeleton. Luckily she couldn’t kill you by looking at you. “Melody, I don’t have time for your bullshit. I’ve got a mare here who needs some serious medical attention. Like, right now. She’s had way too much to drink, and so I don’t need your crap right now.” The mare’s gaze just intensified as you bent down to place the alabaster unicorn on your back. “You come to my house, drink my booze, ruin my game, and call me a bitch. There’s… There’s no way I’m letting you get out of here in one piece.” The mare’s slightly glazed eyes roamed over the groups of ponies surrounding you until they settled on two of the bigger stallions standing near the door. “You two. Make sure that Note here doesn’t… Doesn’t… Leave! Yeah, make sure he doesn’t leave.” The two burly stallions glance at each other, and then they open the door for you, the bigger of the two making a small gesture, prompting you to leave. With the added weight of the mare on your back you find that you are slow to get going, and it takes you a moment to get to the door, and then out onto the street. Melody’s infuriated, drunken, screams echo after you, promising you that she’ll have her revenge. You just continue your pace, weaving down the deserted roads towards the clinic that was on the other side of town. As you passed through the town square, marking your halfway point, you felt a gentle stirring of the mare on your back. “So cold…” Her words were barely audible, despite the relative silence of the town. A few tremors passed through her body, and then she became still on your back once more, her previous shivering fading until she was limply sprawled on your back. You did your best to go faster, but your already tired limbs protested the increased activity. You looked down the length of the street, and off in the distance you could just make out the lights of the clinic. You grunted with exertion as you forced yourself to increase your speed once again. As you reached the clinic you felt the pain in your legs finally begin to process. The door yielded to your uncontrolled pulse of magic, and then you stumbled into the clinic, a sharp gasp greeting your entry. ---/\/\ The Present /\/\--- “Note, you okay?” The words shatter your daydreams, bringing you back to the real world with a jarring mental jerk. You quickly search your surroundings as you look for the source of the words. Your search ends once you spot the familiar mare standing before you, a quizzical look plastered on her face. Behind the mild confusion, though, you could see a deeper level of concern. “You had that look on your face again.” “Sorry, BonBon, just… Memories, ya’know?” The mare nodded slowly before she gave you a quick hug. At first you recoiled from her, the compassion seeming out of place given your relationship. You had dated her a few months ago, until a mutual breakup had taken place. You were still friends, but the two of you had grown just a bit more distant. After you overcame your initial discomfort, though, you returned the hug, glad for the comfort. She’d known your sister for nearly her whole life, much like the rest of Ponyville. “I heard this morning. If you want to talk about it, I’m always available. We may have broken up, but you’re still a friend of mine.” She slowly broke the hug, and you let up on your own embrace, taking a step back from the mare. A slight bit of moisture had formed in her eyes, and as it began trickling down her cheek you brought up a hoof, and gently wiped it away. “Thank you, BonBon, but I’ve already got an offer from Redheart. Maybe I’ll see both of you, maybe neither of you, but for now I need to get my thoughts in order before I share with anypony.” The mare nodded before she gave you another, much quicker, hug. “I understand. Just don’t bottle up your emotions. You need an outlet, or the issues will start to resurface.” “I know. I’m trying, but this whole thing with Grace… Just give me until after the funeral, and then I’ll talk. I don’t know who I’ll talk to yet, but I’ll talk after the funeral.” “Alright. I’ve got to get going, but I’ll see you around, Note. Don’t dwell on the past too much. After all, like your Grandma told Ace when he first got here, ‘A new beginning awaits us all, you just need to find, and open, the door to your new future.’” The mare quickly trotted off, leaving you with the words of the grandmother you rarely saw. Still, the words were true. Without your sister you knew that you’d have to grow up fast, since she wouldn’t be there to help you out anymore. Her vast reserves of experience could no longer be drawn upon to aid you, and you’d have to make your own experiences. The hubbub of the market behind you slowly faded as you walked down the street, heading home with a new outlook on life. The funeral for your sister would be in just a few days, but you didn’t want to spend it mourning. You had a life to live, and Grace would’ve demanded that you don’t spend it crying your eyes out over her. Grandma was right about so many things in her life, her advice always being vague enough to give a direction, but never specific enough to dictate a course of action. She had a gift for motivation, and you knew that if she was here she’d have something useful to tell you. As your home came into view you spotted Vinyl entering, several bags of purchased goods were floating just behind her. You pushed open the door to your home as you reached it, the sounds of some activity coming from the kitchen. You decided to let the mare be as she unpacked, since you’d probably only get in the way. While it was your house, the alabaster unicorn would likely be here for a while, and so you wanted to let her get to know the kitchen some, since if her appetite was anything like you remember, she’d be spending quite a bit of time in there. ---/\/\ Six Years Ago: Junior Year of High School /\/\--- The nurse behind the counter rushed over to you, her eyes wide. She quickly checked over the unconscious mare on the floor. In a matter of seconds, though, she discovered what was amiss, and so she looked at you, a stern look in her eyes. “Note, we don’t have much time, if it’s not too late already. Take her to the ER, down the hall to the left. I’ll get the doctor, and hopefully we’ll be able to get a stomach pump.” Nurse Redheart’s quick instructions sank in slowly, your fatigued body struggling to obey the commands you relayed to it. Your horn pulsed weakly a few times as you attempted to lift the mare with your magic. Sadly, much like with nearly every other magic intensive task, your abilities failed you. You gritted your teeth as you tried again, finally meeting with success. While she was just barely off the ground, it was enough for you to begin moving her to the ER. After struggling with her for a moment, you lifted her onto the table just as Nurse Redheart, and a doctor you hadn’t seen before, rushed into the room. They forced you out of the room, and you looked on in fear as they began inserting needles into her body, several bags of fluid already set up and ready to begin dripping into her blood. Despite yourself, you couldn’t look away for the entire process, nearly an hour passing before the doctor came out of the room, a small smile on his face. The nurse came out a moment later, the alabaster unicorn resting in a wheelchair, still unconscious. “Well, we managed to save her. Although she’ll be incredibly weak for the next few days as her body recovers. If you’d like to stay till she wakes, that’d be fine. But if you want to get home, that’s okay too. If you like we can send somepony to let you know when she wakes.” “I think I’ll stay, but only for a little while. After that, I’m going to head home. My mom’s probably worried sick.” The doctor gave a small nod, and his smile widened just a bit. “Alright. That mare’s quite lucky to have a coltfriend like you. But I have to say, you really shouldn’t let her drink that much. If you had been just a bit slower, she might not have made it.” You nodded, before slowly following the distant nurse. You could’ve corrected the doctor, but a small part of you did like the prospect of being that mare’s coltfriend. She certainly was quite nice to look at if nothing else. Still, you’d have to get to know her before you’d try to see if she was interested. ---/\/\ The Present /\/\--- A gentle knocking came from the front door, shattering your introspection. A second knock came moments later, prompting you to get up from the chair you were in. As you opened the door you were a bit surprised to see Ponyville’s premier pink party pony at your door. Her usual bright smile was gone, a small frown having taken its place. Seeing this normally ecstatic pony looking so sad immediately squashed any traces of happiness that you had built up. “Hey, Pinkie. What’s up?” Your attempt at casualness was quite unsuccessful, the small crack in your voice telling the mare quite a bit. She gave you a quick hug, and then she stepped back, producing a small letter from, seemingly, nowhere. “I know that Grace wanted you to give the eulogy, so I took the liberty of writing down a few of Grace’s better jokes. I figured that she wouldn’t want everypony crying for her.” You nodded, and then looked back to the letter. It was sealed with a small drop of wax, pink, unsurprisingly, and formed in the shape of Pinkie’s cutie mark. You quickly placed the letter on the small table beside the entrance, and then you looked back to the pink mare. “Thanks, Pinkie. And you’re right. She didn’t want everypony to spend her funeral crying. In fact, she wanted me to put the fun back in funeral by telling it how it was. Even if that meant talking about all the stupid things she did in her life.” The pink mare just nodded as you continued. “I mean, sure, she was a great mare, often going out of her way to help, but she also acted like a foal sometimes, often whining at me when I took the last of the ice cream without telling her. I’ll miss her more than anything, but now I can start making my own experiences, rather than relying on what she’s already done.” The mare gave you a quick hug as you felt some tears threaten to well up in your eyes. “Don’t worry, Note. I’m sure that you’ll do just fine with the funeral, and with the rest of your life. While she can’t help you anymore, she’s already turned you into a fine stallion. And that’s something we both know you’ll never change. I’d love to stay for a bit longer, but I do have to get back to the Cakes. They get nervous sometimes when they don’t see me for a while.” As the pink mare walked away you slowly closed the door, the letter on the small table catching your eye. You reached a hoof out for it, before stopping. Rather than read them now, you’d wait until the funeral, that way they’re just as fresh to you as to every other pony present. You made your way to the kitchen slowly as the thoughts of the funeral proliferated in your mind. When you got to the kitchen you saw the DJ pony sitting at the table in the kitchen, a sheet of paper before her. Every few moments she’d scribble something down on the paper, only to cross it out a moment later. As you approached you noticed her ear twitch before she turned to face you, her horn flashing briefly as the paper flipped over, hiding whatever it was that she had written. “Oh, hey, Note. How was Pinkie?” “She’s good. She gave me a letter with some jokes Grace was known for, so that I’d be able to tell them at the funeral. But I’m not going to look until the funeral, so that they’re as fresh for me as for everypony.” You glanced at the paper once again, letting your gaze linger long enough so that Vinyl knew what you were looking at. “And what are you up to? The only time I ever see you this secretive was when you wrote that awful poem for English class senior year, and when you’re working on a song. And since we’re not in English class anymore…” “Yeah, it’s a song. But…” The mare looked at the paper for a moment before she looked back at you. “I’ve already got the actual music done. Now I’m trying to see if any lyrics can be worked in.” A moment of hesitation followed before she continued. “I won’t be singing them, of course, but I’ll still need to test it out.” You raised an eyebrow at the mare for a moment, having never heard her sing. You knew that she sometimes worked in some lyrics into what she did, but they were often just single words. And she’d never sung any of them, often getting some famous singer to do them for her. And, frankly, given her voice, that was a good idea. “Well, if you need any help with matching any notes, let me know.” You gestured at your cutie mark, and then your ear. “Perfect pitch, and all that.” “Yeah, the music is one of your older pieces. I worked some of my magic with it, but the core of what you wrote is still there, so you don’t need to worry about that.” You nod before smiling. “Well, then it has to be good if it’s something I wrote.” The mare chuckled nervously before averting her gaze. “Yeah, I’m sure it’ll be great.” A sigh escaped you as you turned away from the mare and headed to the fridge. “Look, I’m sorry about what happened between you and your latest ‘toy’, but you’ll have to get over it. There’s plenty of other stallions out there who will be more than happy to put up with your eccentricities for the fame. And, to be fair, your looks. But I already told you all about that.” “Yeah, but I wouldn’t mind if you told me again.” You felt a hollow laugh escape you as you paused while opening the refrigerator. You closed the door with a bit more force than was necessary, and then you looked back at the mare. You were about to say something quite hastily when you saw her, but when you saw the goggles were on her head, as opposed to over her eyes you stopped. Those damned magenta irises… “Vinyl, we both know that you ruined any chance you had with me, so what do you hope to gain by having me tell you, again, what I think of your looks. This has happened with each coltfriend you get. You date them for a few months, realize they’re a total mule, and then you break up with them, coming to me, either in the flesh or through letters, to get me to boost you up again.” You let out a massive sigh before you continue, quietly enough for the mare to be unable to hear you. “And, like always, it works.” You trot over to the mare before you stop a few steps away. As you start to speak, you realize, with a grim sense of humor, that this is the same thing you’ve told her every time she’s asked for you to tell her what you thought. From the first break up, all the way to now. With each compliment you saw her smile briefly, and her cheeks turned a slight shade of red, her alabaster coat failing to hide her slight embarrassment. While she was getting her usual ego boost from the speech, you just felt like it was all rote recital. You didn’t try to use colorful description for her, since it would’ve been wasted. You’d shower heartfelt praise upon a mare who had a chance with your heart, not some mare who used you for a pick-me-up when she got dumped. (Well, don't you feel used and exploited. I'll just go ahead and say, right now, that I do have the song picked out. And the lyrics are quite nice. Yes, you will get to hear it. No, I won't spoil it ahead of time.)