Foalhood

by KMCA


Chapter 4 (rewrite): The Kiss

Angelic Note watched curiously as Maple walked up to Seam Stress. His mouth moved, and Seam’s face lit up in utter happiness. Frozen, she watched as her best friend kissed the colt she herself had a crush on. Maple flew away, stunned by the kiss he’d received and Seam trotted happily off in satisfaction.

How dare she! Seam knew exactly how big a crush Note had on Maple, she’d even reassured her time and time again that she didn’t like him in that way. Angelic Note stood outside on the bright and sunny Friday afternoon wishing for rain. Bad things were supposed to happen in the rain, not under the light of Celestia’s sun. The afternoon sky might have been clear but the dirt below her muzzle was getting rained on all the same.

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Seam Stress almost bounced on her way home, one of her best friends had asked her to make him something. Even without asking she knew he didn’t want anything fancy, but he was still her first client, in a sense. He’d asked her to do it. He didn’t go to some store or have his parents send him something from home. He’d been so shocked when she’d given him that kiss in thanks... The pale yellow Earth Pony skidded to a stop, realizing what she’d done.

Oh no.

“Buck me.”

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Angel ran all the way home, leaving a trail of tears behind her as she ran through town, her mane almost managing to hide her face as she galloped unevenly up the front steps of her home, through the front door and into the music room. Slamming the door behind her so that her father and the servant Alfredo would know not to bother her.

She dove towards the piano where her pain, hurt and sadness could be written out as musical notes. Without realizing it Angel’s horn lit up and began flitting from key to key as she quickly scribbled the notes down on a blank sheet of music paper.

The melody echoed sadly throughout the house, bringing a tear to the eye of the butler chopping onions in the kitchen. The act of chopping onions served as an excuse in case the little mistress of music decided to take a break and get a snack.

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Seam stitched her latest creation at a feverish pace. When she was stressed, she sewed, when her sewing wasn’t perfect she stressed. It worried her friends and scared her dad but she couldn’t help it, the stress of sewing was a good stress. It was something she could deal with, and an escape from her meddlesome emotions.

This one wasn’t going so well. She’d already botched two attempts at making Maple’s vest. Why couldn’t life be as easy as sewing? If you made a mistake you just removed the thread and started over.

She considered how she might remove the bad stitch in her friendship with Angel and Maple before the entire garment of her social life was ruined.

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The piano echoed through the whole house. A single passage that repeated over and over. Each time it underwent changes; diminuendo here, a sixteenth rest here, another bar of music, allargando towards the end for the repeating bit.

Angelic Note sat so completely entranced by the pencil and paper in front of her that she didn’t even notice her father enter the room. It wasn’t until her father interrupted her musical reverie by playing a random note on the piano with his own magic that she realized that she wasn’t alone.

“Daddy, no! It’s not ready yet!” She grabbed her sheet music and stuffed it into the music folder where she kept all her half-finished pieces.

“Well, your daddy used to make music too, you know. Back before I first became a mayor I was considered a great composer and musician. Just ask Alfredo.” The musician turned mayor gave his daughter an affectionate head rub. If the townsfolk saw him now they’d keel over in shock. Their fair yet regal mayor giving his filly a noogie? The scandal!

“Daaaad, stooooop. You’re always so embarrassing when other ponies can’t see you!” Like magic a smile appeared on her face. As professional as he behaved in public he was so childish with her. His love for her never ceased to get a smile out of her.

“Now, tell me kiddo what’s got you so down? Your classmates aren’t making fun of you again are they?”

“It’s not that, it’s just something one of the fillies did to the pegasus student in my class.”

“I know how hard it is to stick up for another being bullied but sweetie, remember when you first started? How they were mean to you, imagine how things would have been better if you’d had someone willing to be your friend and stick up for you. I’m not saying that you have to be their friend, just be nice and help them see that it isn’t the end of the world.” He hugged his daughter to let her know ho proud he was of her.

Angel blushed, her father had no clue what she meant, but she couldn’t bring herself to correct him.

“Sometimes sweetie you just have to show your fellow ponies some love.”