//------------------------------// // Tangents // Story: The sound of her voice // by Caedrus //------------------------------// Through the window, one could see clouds scuttling across the moon, occasionally obscuring it for a moment until the winds whipped them further past. A wicked storm that had been prepared all day by the pegasi weather bureau kicked up, promising a wild night and torrential rains that would keep any sane pony indoors. Obsidian Shine was shocked, then, to see the mare walking into her office this late in the evening; a beautiful white-coated mare dressed to kill in a crimson evening dress, with rich lilac hair artfully arranged so that only one big beautiful azure eye was visible. Shine tilted the brim of her fedora higher up to get a better look at the new potential client. The only sounds in the room were the soft crunch of Shine's favorite cherry-lime rock candy and the howling wind outside. “Pretty mare like you out on a night like this, must have a pretty powerful need. I should warn you now: I don't do unfaithful spouses, if that's why you're seeking my services. Any two-bit unicorn who fancies themselves a P.I. can tail a soured sweetheart. My services are expensive for a reason, I get results. However, I'll at least listen to your case, and if I don't take it…” Shine paused to flick a business card lazily towards the stunning mare. “… He's a friend of mine. Not as good as me, but he can get the job done and he's less finicky about the cases he takes. So what story do you have for the best and only mare in the P.I. biz? There was a break in the sensations then, as the reader paused at the end of the chapter, and slowly warmth came back to suffuse all of Twilight's senses. It was quite the pleasant sensation to the mare. A fire crackled merrily in the hearth of her room. A soft blanket was wrapped around her and Rarity, keeping them intimately close. Their sides pressed up against one another, sharing body heat and further keeping the winter chill outside at bay. Pillows were piled around them, making a cozy nest just for the two of them. Twilight slowly closed her sightless eyes and let out a languid sigh of contentment. Dinner had been most pleasant, and the night was further promising to be wonderful as Rarity had insisted on making good her offer to read to her. “This is nice. I don't think I've been read to since I was a filly.” She thought to herself as she shifted further into a relaxed pleasant state. Rarity's voice brought to life the images of her mind’s eye stronger and more acutely for her than her own mental voice had done in a long while. It was amazing what the addition of another’s accent and inflection on the words did to the way they immersed themselves in the violet librarian's mind. How fully she had in her mind become for a short time Obsidian Shine, hard-boiled unicorn detective, rather than Twilight Sparkle, favored pupil of Princess Celestia. “We're nearly out of wood for the fire, shall I ask for some more so we can continue? Or do you wish to stop here?” asked Rarity, the reverie and daydream having been broken. Twilight stretched a little and hrmmed. “We just hit a chapter break right? It's as good a time as any to stop, I wouldn't want to keep you from your beauty rest.” She teased softly and continued to drowse lazily against her companion. “How did you know?” she asked after a yawn. Rarity set the book down. “Know what dear?” was her puzzled response as she smoothed out the blankets and pillows, preparing them for bed. “That I enjoy a good hardboiled detective novel?” said Twilight as she stretched out, sleep creeping up on her. She felt Rarity crawling into the bed next to her once again, unasked for, but quite welcome. A pool of warmth opened in her chest unexpectedly as she felt the silkiness of Rarity's coat so close against her. There was a soft chuckle as Rarity got comfortable next to her. “To tell the truth darling... I rather didn't. When I stopped by the bookstore this afternoon to pick out a few things that I thought you might enjoy, I realized that I don't actually know your favorite genre. Which reminds me, what are your favorite kinds of books? But anyway, did I do a good job?” Twilight thought for a bit. “As for favorite kind, mmm… Anything, really. I love books, I love reading. Yes, I enjoy detective novels, but I wouldn't say I like them strongly enough to call them a 'favorite' or anything else, really. I love them all too much to pick one above the others; I can't possibly pick a favorite genre. Also, do a good job of what?” “Do a good job reading, dear. I don't think I've ever really read aloud to somepony else. I was away from Ponyville when Sweetie was that age. So, I wasn't really sure if I was reading too fast or anything.” Twilight reached over and took Rarity's hoof with her own. “Yes, you did a good job; I don't know why you'd think otherwise Rarity. You always seem to know just what a pony needs and just when they need it. At least, you always have with me, you know. Besides, you're my friend! I'd like anything you'd do for me.” “Oh I don't know Twilight, I've never really noticed doing such a thing. But what are friends for if not to help one another? You know I'll be here with you through this and long afterward, as I know you'd be for me.” The two settled into bed after a little while longer. Rarity seemed to fall asleep almost instantly. Twilight lay awake for a while longer, her mind churning somewhat still. Part of it was still engrossed with the story Rarity had been reading, A Quicksilver Night-Mare, though the larger part of her mind was distracted by something else. Twilight wasn't a filly with her head in the clouds; while it was true what she had told Rarity the other day about never putting much thought into love and romance as it concerned herself, she found that, now that the subject had been brought up, she was wont to put some thought into it. Still though, the languid warmth suffusing her drained thought from her mind and slowly sank her down into the gentle welcoming arms of sleep. -*-*-*- Twilight sighed contently as she shifted a bit and pulled closer to the warm source that was Rarity sleeping next to her. There she dozed happily in that state between being awake and dreaming. Slowly, though, the everyday needs and demands of her body pulled her towards wakefulness. Twilight stretched as she got up from the bed. She tucked the covers back in around Rarity, not wanting to disturb the other mare's beauty rest. She made her way to the bathroom and prepared herself for her day. Little by little, Twilight was feeling more like herself again. Once done with her routine, she decided a bit of breakfast was in order. Ordinarily she would have considered waiting for Rarity to awaken, or at the very least awaken her enough to find out if she wished to join her or not; but this morning, she didn't think to do so. Twilight was in her thinking mode, which did tend to put blinders on her thoughts when it came to things outside of her current track. Unconsciously, she decided to head to one of the dining halls for breakfast, and as she made her way her thoughts returned to the other night, when Rarity had first stayed over with her. “You never know when the mare of your dreams may come along,” Rarity had said. “What did Rarity mean by that?” Twilight thought. “Maybe it was just a turn of phrase and didn't mean anything? Does it mean she thinks I'm a, uh... What’s the term again? 'Filly-fooler?' Or does it mean she is?” Twilight moved. “Okay, so then let’s work it out. Premise: Rarity is a filly-fooler. What then?” Twilight's stride slowed as she mentally worked over the train of thought. “So what, I guess. I mean, she's still my friend, nothing has changed about her. All that's changed is my perception. Okay, so how do I feel about that? Huh, well it doesn't bother me. She's still been the kindest best friend I could have. I might have to ask why she hasn't been more open about it, but that would be all. And well, if so... I wonder if she has a marefriend.” Twilight attributed the odd sinking sensation that came along with the last thought in that line to hunger. She ordered breakfast from the serving pony that waited on her without really considering it. When she got into this state, she could be a very one track minded pony. “Alright then. So, premise: what if instead of Rarity being a filly-fooler, she for some reason thinks I am.” Twilight sipped at her water and gathered herself. “What, if anything, have I done to give her that thought? Let’s see... Well all my closest friends are mares, but does that mean anything? I mean really, with the numerical disparity between genders in Equestria, it can't be that odd, can it? Besides, that's not wholly right. What about Spike? He's a boy, right? I mean, uh… Isn't he? I don't know; I've always presumed he was, but how does one tell gender differences between dragons? Maybe I should ask...” Twilight shook her head and returned to the main track of her thoughts from her digression. “Well I have admitted before that I never really put my efforts towards relationships or social standing. I mean, I knew of it, but never how I related to it. Okay then, so… Am I a filly-fooler?” Twilight would have continued further in her train of thought, but was interrupted by two things, which together brought her out of her tunnel-visioned thought process. The first was the arrival of breakfast, and the second was the arrival of another pony at the table with her. “Oh, good morning, sugarcube! How're you today? Your eyes feeling any better?” asked Applejack as she joined Twilight at the breakfast table. After a moment, she placed her own breakfast order. “Good morning Applejack. I'm doing quite well, all things considered. My horn still twinges a bit, but that’s the only thing aside from still being temporarily blind. What about you? How goes the pageant? Have you repaired the effects panel yet? Oh, I wish I could go down to the theater and fix it myself to be sure...” “Don't you worry your head about nothing but getting better there, Twi. We're getting everything cleaned up. We've even got another theater lined up to take the pageant, too. Several places offered to do it. You'd have thought there was a stampede going on the way they hurried in to offer! You'd think they'd be more worried about offering their place for a play that blew the roof off the last place that had it.” Twilight was a bit shocked by the news. “It needs a new roof? Rarity told me the panel had failed, and that it blowing is what caused my backlash and blindness! She didn't say that the theater had been damaged! Was any pony hurt?! What about practices? Oh, this is a problem!” Applejack laughed a bit “Didn't I just tell ya to not worry your head over it? It's all being taken care of. Pinkie Pie is handling the change in venue. The pageant will still open on time. Actually, it might even run longer than we thought it might; no other place in Canterlot is as big as where we were, so we'd want to get in a few extra nights to make sure everyone gets to see it. The only thing you need to do, sugarcube, is get better, and decide on if you'll at least make it to opening night or not. Nopony will be upset if you don't, but the rest of the cast is worried about you, too; they'd be right happy to see you there for it, even if you still couldn't see the play. So you think about it, and just let me know when you decide how you feel.” Twilight fell silent for a moment as the information sank in. She'd been rather distracted the past couple of days, and now she felt a bit guilty about not doing more to keep in contact with her pageant crew, something she resolved to fix today if at all possible. She was sure they would forgive her, given the situation, but that seemed to only make her feel even more embarrassed. She sighed a bit at the thought, then drew up her mental checklist and added her intention to visit the rest of the pageant cast and let them know she was well on the road to recovery. Twilight's thoughts were not to be forgotten, though, and her mind turned back towards her earlier train of thought. Once she got onto some subjects, if they were important enough to her, she wouldn't let them go until she was well satisfied that she had an answer. She hesitated a moment, but decided that if her usual habits of studying and research buried deep in books wasn't available right now, she might try asking other ponies. Who better to start with than her friends? “So Applejack, let me ask you something. If one of your closest friends, say I or one of the other girls, thought you had romantic interests in other mares, how would you feel about it?” There was a pause before Applejack answered. “Well, Twi, ah'm not rightly sure. First, ah guess ah'd have to ask why one of my friends thought ah liked mares. Then, ah'd see how things went from there before doing anything about it. Why do you ask, Twi? Do you think ah like mares?” Twilight face-hoofed at the question. “No, no, it's not that. I ask because, well, I think a friend of ours thinks that I like mares, and I'm not sure what to think or feel or do about it. And, well, I just... It’s...” Twilight was about to continue on when Applejack placed a warm hoof on her shoulder. “Ah understand, sugarcube. Well, there's a few things you might should know before you decide on how you feel about things. First, don't you want to know why they might think you're a filly-fooler and what it might mean to them? “What it might mean to them?” Twilight echoed. “What do you mean by that?” she had to ask. She could think of several things, but she always liked to be sure. It was one of the reasons she loved books so much: the lack of ambiguity in the meaning of what was written for most things. “Well, you said this pony who thinks you might be a filly-fooler is a friend, right? Well, if they are going to stop being your friend because you might like mares, then they aren't much of a friend, and it’s no great loss. But if they are just being curious, well then that might be all there is to it, wanting to know more about a friend of theirs. On the other hoof, well, they could be wanting to know because... well... they might want to be more than just friends with you, Twi. I mean, if it’s a stallion asking and he has reason to think you might prefer mares, he could just be being cautious and not wanting to make things awkward if he's right. Or, if it’s a mare, it could be the same thing, but in reverse.” Twilight nodded along to Applejack's explanation, thoughts whirling through her mind. “Clearly, I need more information. Oh, why haven't I put more thought into these things before?! It'd make things so much simpler if I had!” she asked herself aloud. “Well, Twi, you're a smart pony. Ah'm sure you've had plenty of other things on your mind before now. It's just never come up for you is all, but now it has, so just think about it now is all you can do, right? … Since you brought the subject up, if you don't mind my asking... Do you? Like mares, that is.” Twilight's sightless eyes blinked as she pondered the question. “I... I don't know. I think I might... If it was the right mare... But then I can see a stallion if that were right, too. I don't know. Is that odd? A pony is a pony, right? Doesn't mutual attraction mean more? That's what books I've read in the past have said, that solid romantic relationships are built upon mutual attraction, commonality of shared interests, and interactions, as well as interchange of emotions and time spent together. But others have said that...” Twilight was suddenly cut off by a hoof being pressed to her lips as Applejack interrupted her before her monologue segued into a full blown tangent and no one could get a word in edgewise. “Twi, sugarcube, your books may have a point, but they can't fill you in on the whole orchard. Some things you have to feel for yourself. If you like mares, you like mares and we're still friends. If ya like stallions, the same. Even if you're one of those who finds that they like both, Ah'll be by your side no matter what. We've been through too much to let a little thing like that get in the way.” Twilight nodded, breathing a little slower now. “Thanks Applejack. You've given me something to think about. And it’s good to know that you're behind me on this, too. I never would have thought you'd be a pony to talk to on a subject like this.” Applejack let out a sound somewhere between a long suffering sigh and a laugh. “Seems like every pony forgets that ah lived in Manehatten and have family there. Ah don't spend all my time on the farm.” Twilight grinned sheepishly. “Sorry-” she started to say before she was cut off by Applejack. “Don't be sorry, Twi, Ah've gotten used to it. I'm glad Rarity is helping you out so much these past couple of days, but don't forget we're all here for you if you need us for anything. We all want you to get better, and no pony wants another late friendship report either. So now then, Twi, just what are your plans for the day gonna be then?” Twilight thought silently for a moment. “Well, first I plan on finishing breakfast here. Then I think I'll go visit the theater and everypony there, and make a decision about showing up for opening night if nothing else. After that, I'm not sure. I still want to think on this more. I can't stand not knowing something when it’s been made so clear to me that I don't know about it this way. Do you think maybe we could talk more on the way to the theater?” “Ah reckon we could, Twi. I reckon we could. But- oh good, breakfast is here!” The two ate in companionable silence for a time, and were soon ready to head out into Canterlot. “Anything you think you'd need with you, Twi? Any medicines the doc says you need to take?” “No, the doctors haven't prescribed me anything yet. There isn't much a pony can take for backlash, anyway. Anyway, I wanted to ask: I thought you only lived in Manehatten when you were a filly before you even got your cutie-mark. How long did you stay there?” asked Twilight. Applejack chuckled a bit. “Well, sugarcube, Ah did live there the longest time when ah was a filly. Ah stayed with my aunt and uncle Orange for a little over a full year trying to fit myself into big-city living. It wasn't completely a bad time for me. Oh, ah missed the farm and the pace of Ponyville life, but it wasn't all bad. Still, as my apple-spotted butt shows, Ah'm much happier in Ponyville than Ah was there. “However, it wasn't the only time Ah lived there. A few years back, once Ah'd finished schooling and had grown up a might, I thought that maybe Ah could try again. Ah was smarter this time; Ah wasn't planning on living there, but I thought maybe I could stay a while, get to know some ponies, and make a name for Sweet Apple Acres up there. Auntie and Uncle know so many people up in the city, and there it's all about who you know rather than what you do. Still, Ah reckoned that it'd be good for business if Ah went there myself to make the contacts rather than just going through my aunt and uncle. “Ah stayed for just over six months that time. Made a few friends. Not as many business partners as Ah'dve liked, but it wasn't completely wasted. Every season, Ah ship off a few barrels of cider and a few bushels of apples and make a tidy profit off the deal. That was when Ah learned some of the things Ah now know about how ponies comport themselves with others. It was a shock then, but Ah learned to just get used to it. “Besides, Ah've known some ponies who seemed to be the nicest ponies you’d ever met on the surface but were rotten to the core on the inside. And Ah've met ponies there who seemed no-good and even downright sinful, as Granny Smith would say it, who are some of the most steadfast and worthwhile ponies Ah've ever known outside of you and the other girls. It's true what they say that there is one bad apple in every bunch, but it's not true that one bad apple ruins the barrel. That's how Ah learned that, while Ah might not be cut out for the city life, there are good ponies everywhere if you look for them, and that fancy clothes or fancy speaking don't always count for much.” Twilight was almost dumbfounded to hear the tale Applejack told her. Clearly, she had a lot more research to do into her friends. She'd never known this side of Applejack existed. “I... I never would have guessed at any of that Applejack...” she said softly. “It's alright Twi, we all have things we don't talk about much. Or things that just never come up much. It's also been a busy couple of years ever since we became the element bearers. Our adventures have brought us so close as friends that sometimes its easy to forget that we haven't always been friends and a team. Twilight fell silent, digesting the new information about one of her closest friends. She had just opened her mouth to ask a question that had come to mind when Applejack put a hoof out to stop her. “Easy there Twi, we're here.” She said confirming for Twilight that the ghostly lines she saw in her head due to her, visio-mystical refractor sensor ring, indicating that they were in front of a building. Together the two ponies entered into the building Applejack had guided them too. Twilight could only logically presume that this was the new venue for the play that Pinkie Pie had lined up. Her presumption was soon proved correct as a short trip down the hallways of the building led them into a larger open area or so the purplish lines hovering in her minds eye showed her. It was soon apparent that the crew of the pageant was on hand. As she was quickly flooded with a tide of voices, all the pony's she had gotten to know over the past few weeks running up to greet her, to inquire to her health, to tell her how amazed they were at her actions saving them and so on. Time easily got away from the violet unicorn as she conversed with her friends and cast. Several hours passed at the theater. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy both showing up a while later. It was well afternoon before Twilight was able to return to the palace. She had scarcely set foot on the grounds when she was summoned to the infirmary. Where she met with Dr. Bright field again. The doctor began almost as soon as she was in the room. “Well Lady Sparkle. I'm glad we were able to meet so soon. I've been discussing it with the rest of my staff and there is a treatment option we'd like to try with you. It is rather new and while it has passed all safety protocols so far it still isn't widely practiced or well known yet. It's a rather interesting combination of magical healing combined with a course of pills based upon research that has recently been done into traditional Zebra medicine. Of course I will explain more in depth before asking you to consent to treatment but I wanted to see if you were at all interested in this first. We are still devising treatment options along more normal courses as well. But this does show much promise. What do you think Lady Sparkle?” Twilight managed to keep her flinching at her title to a minimum, aided by the news of a treatment, even sooner than she had anticipated. She nodded her assent and began to listen as the doctor began to explain the details of proposed treatment. Though to herself she thought that if it could return her sight to her even one day faster she was prepared to try it.