I lay in an awkward heap on the floor of my home. My ears were hurting and a wave of nausea was threatening to overtake me. The spell I had been attempting had backfired spectacularly and the results were somewhat catastrophic. The books I had been reading were flung to the far reaches of my library while I had been thrown into a bookshelf.
With shaky legs, I fought back another wave of nausea as I stood up, letting the books that had fallen on me fall to the floor, and examined the rest of my library. The damage was minimal, thankfully. A few of my books had been rustled loose, a few of my scrolls were in disarray, and there were scorch marks on my floor but other than that everything was fine.
I spun around, earning more protests from my stomach, when I felt a claw touch my side. As expected, it was only my friend/helper Spike checking up on me. For a moment, I wondered why he wasn't asking what had happened when I realized that he was speaking. I could see his mouth moving but I couldn't hear any words. Come to think of it, I didn't hear the books that were on me clatter to the floor or my moans as I stood up (and I was certain that I had).
A wave of fear spread through me as I realized that I had gone deaf. My fear must have been shown as Spike's body language became more frantic and worried but I didn't care about that at the moment. I was too busy worrying about the future to care about the here and now. I knew of a few ways to circumvent the drawbacks of being deaf but most of those would take at least a couple of years to learn. For a horrifying moment, I saw my friends' disappointed faces and Princess Celestia shaking her head, obviously disappointed by her failure of a student. Thankfully, these fears were unfounded as I slowly began to hear Spikes voice.
"Twilight!" For a moment I wondered how loud he had been yelling but quickly pushed the thought aside. "I can hear you Spike." I reassured him. I could barely hear myself but the improvement was enough to make me giddy with relief. Spike seemed to share my feelings and wiped his brow of imaginary sweat. We sat there for a minute as I let myself recover. Before long Spike began to get fidgety and it was only a matter of moments before he looked at me in concern.
"Are you sure you're alright Twilight?" He asked making a point of looking me over for injuries.
"I'm sure Spike, just a little shaken up." The moment of terror over Spike set himself to cleaning up the mess I had made. This wasn't the first time one of my experiments had gone wrong after all.
"You have to be more careful! One of these days your going to hurt yourself and I might not be able to pick up the pieces." Shaking my head I allowed myself a small smile.
"You're right Spike, I'll try and be more careful next time. I certainly don't want you picking up any pieces of me." Standing slowly I groaned. "I think I'm going to go for a little walk to clear my head. Keep an eye on things while I'm gone." Spike snapped off a small salute.
"Yes ma'am!"
Walking outside I was welcomed by a blast of cold air. I shivered for a minute, the change in temperature sending goosebumps down my body. It was late autumn and most of the leaves were gone from the trees, winter wasn't far off. As I walked down the street I quickly became thankful for the cold air. It helped clear my mind and that much faster. A fact I was glad about. The overcast skies promised rain but I didn't know when the pegasi would start the storm. Not wanting to get caught outside when the rain started I picked up the pace, turning my slow walk into a brisk trot.
My walk was a short one and soon I found myself heading for home. I was feeling much better and was ready to help Spike clean up the mess I had made. As I made my way around the last turn a colorful poster caught my eye. I didn't know why, out of all of the posters in town, this one drew my attention but there was something tantalizingly familiar about it. I looked it over carefully. It advertised the tour of a singer that had been making her way through all of Equestria starting in Canterlot. Apparently Ponyville was the next on the list and she would be there within the week. I searched my mind, trying to figure out what had drawn me to it until finally it hit me. High Note, the singers name I had heard it before.
The rest of the walk home, I desperately tried to remember where I had heard that name before. I knew it had been something important, something that I should have remembered. But no matter how hard I tried the answer stayed stubbornly out of my reach. The closer I got to the library the more frustrated I became.I felt so close to the answer! Like it was a treasure just beyond the reach of my hooves. I couldn't take it anymore. Breaking into a run I galloped through the streets, earning me more than a few strange looks from the ponies still outside. Bursting into the library I felt a sense of relief, if the answers were to be found they would somewhere in my books.
I wasted no time finding Spike if I was going to try and find the answers I was looking for I would rather have my number one assistant at my side. I didn't have to look long, the sounds of him eating ice cream from the kitchen brought me to him within seconds.
"Spike there you are," I exclaimed. The dragon jumped, no doubt horrified that I had caught him spoiling his dinner. I would have to talk to him later but at the moment I had bigger concerns.
"Twilight! I thought you would be out longer."
"I can tell. Put the ice cream up and meet me by the biographies." Not waiting for an answer I trotted off. Even then I couldn't figure out where I had heard that singers name before. A part of me wondered if I had just heard about her from a pony on the street but I quickly pushed the thought aside. This was different. I hadn't heard from just some pony off the street. I wouldn't have gotten the sense of urgency I had now from that. But no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't remember where I had heard it and I didn't like it. I was a very organized pony, almost all of the information I had memorized was at my beck and call. If I had read it I could give an answer about it at a moments notice. So why was I having so much trouble with this?
Walking into the main room of the library I was shocked at the transformation that had taken place. Every trace of my accident earlier was gone. Every book was back in its place and the scorch marks were barely visible. Spike had been busy while I had been gone and I had been so caught up in my thoughts that I had missed it. I made a mental note to reward him for his hard work and then prepared myself for a long day of work. Just as I opened my first book Spike walked into the room.
"What's got you so wound up Twilight? I haven't seen you this anxious since," he paused for a second in thought. "Well a lot of the time actually. What is it this time?"
"I was out walking and I saw a poster." I explained not looking up from the book I was reading. "It was about a singer named High Note. I just know I've heard that name before but I can't remember where. I have a feeling it was something important. Do you know anything about her?"
"Not really. Last time I was over at Rarity's Sweetie Belle was talking about her but I really wasn't paying attention. I might have a little distracted at the time. But what can I say I was in the middle of something important." I suppressed a chuckle at that one. Put Spike in a room with Rarity and he could barely focus on anything else. Though I really wished he had been paying attention. The information he could have learned from Sweetie could have helped me greatly. "Well I'm sure Rarity appreciated the help, but right now I could really use yours. Start going through the books and see if you can find anything about High Note. We'll start in biographies and move on from there."
Hours passed as Spike and I made our way through the books. Outside the Pegasi had started the storm they had been working on all day. The sound if the rain pounding the side of my home filled the air adding a note of dreariness to the task I had set for us. At first we had been enthusiastic pulling off one book after another with a passion that was not put off by the rain. But as time wore on each book became more of a chore than the last. What the gloom of the weather outside could not touch time wore away. Eventually I could barely muster the will to pick up another book, there was no more point to it. We had already gone through all of the books that would have helped us and we hadn't found a single word on her. All we had succeeded in doing was wasting a perfectly good afternoon. And I wasn't the only who was feeling the effects of the fruitless study session. Spike sat in his own little nest of books looking at the pages in front of him with one of the most bored looks I could imagine. We were getting nowhere, if I was going to find the answers I was looking for I was going to have to change my tactics, but to what I didn't know.
"This is hopeless." I growled putting my book back on the shelf. "We're just wasting time." Rubbing my temples I tried to drive my aggravation away. It wasn't often that I came up with nothing after a long study session. From the elements of harmony to the Ursa Minor I had almost always been able to learn what I needed. But sitting there in the library with nothing to show for my hard work just felt wrong.
Getting up from his pile of books Spike walked over to my side.
"Oh come on Twilight there's bound to be something about her out there. Even if the books were a bust I'm sure there are plenty of ponies out there that will be able to help."
"You're right Spike. If she's coming here than there would be ponies that are preparing for her arrival. I'm sure the mayor would know something."
"That's the spirit! You should stop by Rarity's place as well. Sweetie Belle seemed to know a lot about her and Rarity keeps track of famous ponies for her fashion. I'd say it's one of your best bets." In an instant my enthusiasm roared back to life. Once again I had a plan and it was one that had a good chance of working. Out of the three ponies I planned to talk to at least one of them would known something. Whether or not it would help me make the connection I had been looking for I had no clue, but at least I had something to go on. "I'll head to Rarity's first. Its on the way to the mayors anyways. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll learn enough there that I won't I have to stay out in that rain for too long."
It took all of five seconds for me to wish I was back in the library. The rain was coming down in sheets, soaking me to the skin in a matter of moments. Coupled with the cold of the late autumn afternoon I found myself beginning to shiver as I made my way down the street. The town might as well have been deserted for all the ponies that were out on the streets. It seemed that I was the only pony crazy enough to be outside in the storm. A blinding flash of lightning split the skies causing me to blink away spots. It was miserable and I was already missing the comforts of my home. But as much as I wanted to go back an even bigger part of me told me to keep going. The weather may have been terrible but it wouldn't kill me. The only danger came from the lightning and I had already cast a spell to protect me from it before I had left the house. If anything it was just an inconvenience. Setting myself for the journey I began trotting through the gale. Not once did it ever become any less miserable but with every foot I traveled I came that much closer to my friends house.
Finally I could see the boutique through the rain. Not wanting to be outside any longer I broke into a full gallop closing the distance between myself and the promise of shelter in a matter of moments. Knocking on the door I was relieved to hear a voice from the other side.
"Sorry we're closed right now. Come back in the morning and we'll be open again." Rarity's voice could barely be heard over the rain but I was just glad she was there. Knocking louder I shivered in the rain wanting nothing more than to just be inside.
"Alright I'm coming!" She sounded throughly annoyed but at that point I could care less. After the trouble I had gone through she could spend ten seconds letting me in. The door swung open revealing Rarity looking like she had run a marathon. Her normally perfect purple mane was in shambles and her coat was ruffled in places. As soon as she saw me her annoyed scowl melted into concern.
"Oh, Twilight, darling, I had no idea it was you. Hurry, you have to get out of the rain. I'll have you dried up in a couple of moments." As I walked into the familiar interior of the boutique I realized just how cold I was. My entire body was shaking and my legs felt heavy. The moment I was inside Rarity's horn lit up, closing the door behind me.
"What were you thinking coming all this way in such terrible weather. Whatever it was I'm sure it could have waited until the morning." Concern filled her voice as she floated a towel to me. Accepting it with grateful hooves I began drying myself off.
"Well I could have but-"
"Not a word until we get you warmed up," she said cutting me off. "You look frozen to the bone. We don't want you catching a cold, now do we? Come on I have some tea waiting in the kitchen."
Sitting in the kitchen I had to admit that I felt much better. The tea was going a long way to warming me up and Rarity certainly didn't seem to mind the company. She sat across the table from me chatting away about her current project.
"Sixteen dresses, and they said they wanted them done in two days. I've been running myself ragged trying to fill the order but this amount of business is not something to just turn down. Actually I'm glad you did interrupt me. I've gone the last six hours without a break and probably have gone quite a bit further." Taking a sip of her tea she placed her glass on the table.
"Now I doubt you would have come all this way through a storm for a social visit, not that I don't mind the company. So what brings you here?"
For a moment I couldn't help but think that the whole thing was silly, going through everything that I had to satisfy a simple case of deja vu, but I had come this far and I certainly wasn't going to stop then. I explained everything to her starting from the moment my spell had backfired to my walk to her house. The entire time she sat there, listening intently to my story without so much as a word. Once I finished she let out a soft sigh.
"I hate to say it Twilight but I don't think I'll be much help. I know about her but not much more than the basics. From what I hear she started singing on the streets in Canterlot until she caught a big break. Now she's touring the country to promote her new album. Thats about all I know myself."
I felt myself deflate a little at her words. The thought that I had come all this way for nothing was more than a little depressing but I had known that it could be a reality from the start. That was why I hadn't placed all my eggs in one basket and had other ponies to ask.
"No that really doesn't help. But what about Sweetie Belle? Spike said she knew a lot about High Note." I thought I imagined it but for a second I could have sworn I saw Rarity's face darken with concern.
"Yes she does. Our parents took her to one of her concerts the last time they went to Canterlot. Ever since then my sister has been obsessed with her. Its strange really, sometimes she misses out on crusading with her friends to go to the fan club she helped make for High Note. It's really not like her."
I had to admit it was strange. Though I hardly knew the crusaders I knew that they were very close friends. The thought of them doing something apart from each other just seemed wrong to me. Suddenly my resolve to learn more about the singer on the poster became that much harder. Something just wasn't right about what I was hearing.
"That does sound odd. Last time I checked she was just as obsessed with getting her cutie mark as the other crusaders. Its hard to believe she would miss any chance to try for it."
"Yes it has me worried. When this High Note comes to town I will have to go see her for myself. I want to know just what my sisters sees in her." Looking at her half empty cup of tea she pushed it away with a sigh.
"If you want to talk with Sweetie Belle she's in her room. I need to get back to work. If I want to get a good nights sleep I'll need to get a lot further." Getting up from the table she began gathering her things. Not wanting to get in her way I finished my tea in a single gulp and than pushed myself away from the table. Just as I was about to leave the room Rarity called out to me.
"And Twilight, if you find out anything about Sweetie Belle, let me know."
Like Rarity said I found Sweetie Belle in her room. The door was open and she sat on her bed, hooves deep in homework. I briefly considered leaving and coming back when she was done but thinking of the storm I had to walk through to make it here I pushed the thought to the side. I had come here for a reason and I wasn't going to leave without learning everything knew. Clearing my throat I gently knocked on the frame of her door. Looking up from the papers in front of her she looked at me in confusion.
"Twilight? What are you doing here? If you want to talk to my sister she's downstairs."
Shaking my head I walked over to her. "Actually I came here to see you. Your sister told me that you know a lot about High Note. Is this true?" The little filly's face lit up like I had never seen before. Excitement practically oozed from her as her eyes shone with enthusiasm.
"Know a lot about her? I'm the leader of the town fan club! I'm the biggest fan she has!" Her voice cracking she all but pulled me over to her bookshelf. Taking out a thick photo album she opened it up and put it on the floor in front of me.
"This is the scrap book I made. Every newspaper and magazine article about her I can get my hooves goes in here. And since Diamond Tiara is a part of the fan club she has her dad get newspapers from everywhere, even Canterlot! I also have all of her albums and pre-ordered the new one! So what did you want to know?" I let out a sigh of relief as I looked at the resources that Sweetie Belle had given me.
"I want to know everything you could tell me." I said sitting down next to her.
Sweetie Belle barely took a breath as she told me everything that she knew. Most of it was about the singer's history, how she had appeared out of nowhere singing on the streets of Canterlot until she had been found by an agent. How her career had taken off in a matter of months and her rise to become one of the most popular singers in all of Equestria. Though it was interesting to listen to I was dissapointed when she had finsihed and I was still no closer to satisfying my curiosity. I began to consider throwing in the towel and going home. I had let my obsession take hours of my day and so far it had done nothing but make me walk through a storm empty hooved. If things were going to keep going the way they were I was just wasting time.
"Thanks Sweetie Belle this has been interesting but I don't think you have what I wanted to know. I think it's time I got back to Spike at the library." Standing up I streched my back and began walking out the door. Before I could make it more than a couple of steps Sweetie Belle was in my way the scrap book she had showed me before held in her front hooves.
"Don't go yet. I might not have been able to help you but I'm sure what's in here could! I have articles going almost all the way back to when High Note became a star. I'm sure there's something in here that can help you!" Sighing I sat down again as the filly laid the book at my hooves. I was certain that this would just end up being another dead end and I was beginning to wonder if I would ever actually find what I was looking for. What if I was just chasing something I only thought I had seen before? What if there wasn't actually anything there to find? I decided then and there that this was going to be my last try. I had wasted enough on this search and wasting more wouldn't help anyone.
Opening the book I quickly began scanning through article after article. Most of it was dry information about where she was performing or one of many charity concerts that she ran for the royal guard and other law keepers through the nation. Others were tabloids spouting ridiculous claims of how she was a lost realitive of Princess Celestia or other nonesense. But as I made my way through the book one article made me stop the moment I saw it. As I read it my blood ran cold as what I had been searching for all day finally came to me. I remembered exactly where I had heard the singers name before and I found no comfort in my sudden discovery. It had been the last time I had visited my brother in the Crystal Empire. He had been working hooves deep in a major case when I had found him. He didn't tell me much and had quickly changed the subject, but now looking at the page in front of me I wished I had asked more, because I was looking at not one, but two missing pony reports. And just like my brothers case, they had both gone missing at one of High Notes concerts.