Life, Death, and Ponies

by thunderclap

A New Song

You knocked on the door to the library and heard the shuffling of feet behind it. A few moments later the door opened but no one was there.

“Welcome to the Ponyville Library.” Said a young, male voice. You looked around a bit but you still didn’t know where the sound had come from.

“Hello?”

“Hey genius I’m down here.” The voice grumbled, obviously getting irritated. You looked down to see some kind of small, purple lizard. He stood on two legs like you once did with short arms that ended in clawed hands, his underbelly was a light tan in color and he had green spikes on his back. He also had a short tail that ended in a spade shape. Looking at him made you think of a certain children’s show but you kept that thought to yourself.

“Oh, I’m sorry I just wasn’t expecting to run into a baby dragon around here.” You said, patting yourself on the back for studying magical creatures during your stay with the princesses.

“No problem, but I’m not that much of a baby.” The dragon said puffing his chest out a little.

“Of course not, with muscles like yours, you must get a lot of attention from all sorts of mares.” You replied with thinly veiled sarcasm. The dragon didn’t seem to pick up on your tone and took the compliment at face value.

“Well, I do try to take care of myself. I’m Spike by the way.” Spike said with an inviting claw letting you know that it was okay to enter the home/library.

“I’m Blackstar.”

“Pleasure to meet ya, Blackstar so what can I do for ya?”

“I’m new to town and I wanted to introduce myself to a few ponies and take a tour. And with how much I like to read I figured a good place to start would be the library.”

“Oh man, something tells me that you and Twilight are going to get along great.” Spike said with a roll of his eyes. “Seeing as you’re introducing yourself I’ll go get her. I think she fell asleep studying last night.” Spike turned and disappeared up a staircase in the back of the room, leaving you alone to examine the library.

From the look of the building someone had found a way to hollow out the tree without actually killing it. You chalked up another point to magic before you could start to question such a feat. The entire room seemed to have bookshelves carved into the walls and every single one of those shelves were filled with books, minus a few empty spaces but from what Spike had told you Twilight was probably studying from them. You chuckled for a moment as you remembered how you had pulled all night study sessions a few times when you were back in the castle, learning from the princesses. Of course you had also done it as a human but not just for pleasure.

‘Celestia never mentioned Spike to me. Could he and Twilight be in a relationship?’ You thought, causing your brow to furrow. ‘No the way he talked about her didn’t indicate anything like that. They do seem to have a close relationship, but not that kind. Then again, what do I know? I’ve never even thought of a woman in that way before. And I don’t think I’ve gotten used to the pony form enough to call anyone attractive yet.’

Your train of thought was interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. You turned your head to see a lavender pony with a dark purple mane that had a pink stripe running through it and her eyes were a deep amethyst color. She also seemed to have a bookish or inquisitive air about her. This could have been because she lived in a library, or the fact that you were told that she had fallen asleep studying, or maybe it was something in her eyes that seemed to have a spark of curiosity in them. Or maybe it was all three. She stopped a few feet away from you and offered you a slight grin before speaking.

“Hi there, I’m Twilight Sparkle, student to Celestia and the current Ponyville librarian. You’ve already met my assistant, Spike.”

“Yes, he seemed to say something about you falling asleep while studying. Does that sort of thing happen often with you?”

“He told you that?” She replied blushing a little. “I was brushing up on a certain historical figure and I kind of lost track of time.”

“It’s not a problem; I’ve spent plenty of nights studying instead of sleeping.” You said grinning a little. “My name’s Blackstar by the way.”

“Blackstar, that name sounds vaguely familiar somehow.” Her voice trailed off for a moment as she rubbed her chin with her hoof. “Could you excuse me for a moment?” And with that she vanished in a glow of purple light. This didn’t surprise you. You instantly recognized the telltale signs of teleportation magic, and were even working on mastering the spell yourself.

She returned a few moments later with a newspaper floating in front of her. “Here it is.” She said with an odd facial expression. “New student to the princesses rescues foal.” She read aloud, looking at the headline. “Do you mind explaining this?”

“How did you get that?”

“I always have a Canterlot newspaper sent to me so to help stop homesickness. Now would you please tell me what this whole ‘new student to the princesses’ business is all about?”

“Hmm, to put it simply, I was found in the royal garden, had a little discussion with the princesses. They said they would teach me magic, I finished my lessons a few days ago and now I’m here.”

“Huh?” Twilight gawked, her mouth nearly hitting the floor. “What kind of discussion would convince the princesses to teach you personally?”

“That’s private.” You said averting your gaze away from her eyes ever so slightly. You didn’t want to tell your life story again. Once had been hard enough already.

“Okay then.” Twilight sighed. She had obviously wanted more information. “Still you must be very gifted in magic if the princesses took notice of you. Can you tell me what spells you used to stop the piano?”

“I’m not that good. All I did was mix a slow momentum spell with levitation. Then I repaired the ropes and used an enchantment to strengthen them.” You explained, rubbing the back of your head with a hoof.

“That’s very impressive, balancing all those spells together takes a lot of concentration and energy.” Twilight said with a smile of approval.

“The whole thing did take quite a bit of my energy, and it’s nowhere near as impressive as dealing with an Ursa Minor.”

“You heard about that?”

“Princess Celestia may have mentioned it once.”

“Really, she mentioned me during your studies?” Twilight asked, her face lighting up.

“She said you were one of the most talented ponies she had ever met.” You replied, grinning.

“That might be a little too much. So what brings you to Ponyville? It seems like you had a lot going for you in Canterlot.”

“I wanted to get away from all of the attention that saving the foal brought me. I prefer to stay low-key. And my friend plans on visiting me so I don’t think I’ll get too lonely.”

“That’s good to hear. What do you plan on doing here in Ponyville?”

“For now I’m working at Sweet Apple Acres, but I hope that I can find something like being a teacher.”

“You’re working with Applejack?”

“Yeah, so far she’s given me a place to stay, but I don’t know how long I’ll be staying.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure something out. If you ever need anything please don’t hesitate to ask me.”

“You don’t have to help me.” You stated with a short laugh.

“Sure I do, personal students to the princesses should stick together.” Twilight answered with a bright smile.

“Then I might have to take you up on the offer. I wanted to study my magic some more and it would be a big help if I had someone else to work with and if you ever want somepony to study with don’t hesitate to ask me.” You said with a grin, turning to leave.

“See you soon, Blackstar.” Twilight called causing you to wave as you exited the building.

Twilight abruptly sat down on the floor with an odd expression. Spike descended from the staircase a few moments later and noticed the look on Twilight’s face. He walked up to her and waved a claw in front of her face to snap her back into reality.

“Twi… Hey, Twilight. Geez, what’s the matter with you?” The tiny dragon asked arching an eyebrow.

“Oh, sorry, I was just thinking about some of what Blackstar said.”

“What, about you two studying together?”

“Well that,” Twilight said, shifting uncomfortably, “and when he mentioned his discussion being private. He seemed to get uncomfortable.”

“So you think he’s hiding something? Do you think he’s a bad pony or something?”

“No from what I can tell he seems very nice. Not only that but he seems well versed in magic theory.”

“Are you gonna ask the princesses about their discussion with him?”

“No, it would be wrong to do something like that. Besides, I don’t think they would tell me anything if it was private. If he ever feels like talking about it, then that’s for him to decide.”

You walked out into the streets of the small town with a fresh source of vigor. The already bright colors of the town seemed a shade brighter and the sunlight felt a bit warmer on your face. So far everything had gone better than you could have possibly imagined. The instant you had made it to town you had found a job and a home. Then you found Twilight who was very kind and intelligent. You were excited to have someone to practice magic with. You were actually working on a few original spells of your own and having someone monitor your progress and give some advice would be greatly appreciated.

You continued walking down the streets and once again noticed ponies staring at you. Your cheeks started to turn red and you lowered your head. You decided to head to a clothes store as quickly as you could. Being naked may have been normal for most of these ponies but it still made you somewhat uncomfortable. You scanned the area and suddenly saw a store that had a sign that said, “Carousel Boutique”. You quickened your pace to the large building that was shaped to look like… Well a carousel.

You thought about knocking for a moment but remembered it was a business and that you could simply walk inside. You opened the door and heard a small bell chime as you did so. The entranceway to the store was filled with all sorts of dresses ranging in everything from color and style. Every dress you could see looked expensive and well made. A few were even lined with jewels.

“I’ll be right with you, Darling. I just have to take care of something.” Called out a somewhat musical voice from some other room of the boutique.

You found a small couch in a waiting room-like area and sat down, a few minutes later a white unicorn with a purple mane that appeared to be well groomed stepped into the room. Her eyes were an icy shade of blue which was accentuated by light blue eyeliner. Her eyes seemed to light up as she took notice of you.

“Well hello there Darling, you must be Blackstar.”

“I wasn’t aware that I was well known.” You said chuckling nervously.

“Oh don’t worry about that, Applejack merely talked to me about you is all. Although she failed to mention that you were so handsome.” She said with a grin.

“Thank you,” You said, blushing slightly. ‘I really need to stop blushing.” You thought, chastising yourself. “…and you seem to take good care of yourself Miss…”

“I’m so sorry I completely forgot to introduce myself.” She replied, gasping dramatically. “I’m Rarity the owner and designer of this establishment.”

“It’s fine, Rarity. I guess I should formally introduce myself. I’m Blackstar, recently graduated from Magic School and currently working at Sweet Apple Acres.”

“Well it seems somepony here is well versed in proper manners. What can I do for you today?”

“I just wanted a jacket for when it rains, but it looks like you only make dresses so I’ll go.”

“Nonsense, I can make you something like that. Especially for somepony that’s working for my good friend Applejack. Now come with me and I’ll take your measurements.”

You followed Rarity into a large room that was a sharp contrast from the rest of the boutique. Instead of being clean and orderly it was a mess. Fabric rolls were lying around and all sorts of equipment was strewn about. You were confused by this Rarity didn’t seem like the type to let such a mess exist in her store.

“Uhh, Rarity did the weather team accidentally start a tornado in here?”

“No, this is my idea room. Don’t worry about the mess I know exactly where everything is.”

Rarity started taking your measurements and was close enough for you to smell her perfume as she did. It was a light floral scent that was similar to something your mother had worn before a concert when you were about five or so. Eventually Rarity stopped taking your measurements and started levitating fabric rolls in front of her.

“So Blackstar, what causes somepony who’s graduated from something like Magic School to work on a farm?” Rarity asked with an odd look at you.

“To tell you the truth I saw an opportunity for a job and I took it. And my job is cooking a recipe my father taught me so I do enjoy the work.”

“That’s good to hear, everypony should have a job they love.”

“You do seem to enjoy making clothes.”

“But of course, Darling!” Rarity exclaimed. “Being the greatest designer in Equestria has always been my dream.”

“That’s a good dream. From the little work I saw downstairs you have a good shot at it.”

“You’re too kind, Darling. While we’re on the topic, what was your dream job as a little foal?”

“Oh, my dream was… kind of stupid, you don’t want to hear about it.” You said, lowering your head.

“Nonsense, there are no such things as stupid dreams. Please tell me.”

“Fine, when I was a kid I wanted to play violin, like my mother did.”

“That sounds like a wonderful dream, did you ever take lessons?”

“For a few years, but I stopped. I never was that good anyway.”

“I would love it if you could play something for me.”

“I don’t have a violin.”

“I once tried to play the violin when I was just a little filly. I still have it. Wait right there and I’ll go get it for you.”

Rarity disappeared from the room before you could voice your dissent. You sighed and started to think back on when you tried to learn how to play the violin. It was after your mother’s death when you first decided to learn. You even used her old violin, always being careful with the instrument and practicing it around your father actually made him smile. This fueled your passion for learning to play even more. You only stopped when one of your foster parents broke your mother’s violin when you were eleven. After that you had never felt like playing again.

Rarity returned with a black case that she placed at your feet. You opened it up and saw the all too familiar shape of the instrument inside. At first you tried to put it in proper position using your hooves but the fingering felt off. So you used your magic to pick it up. You closed your eyes and began to imagine playing the violin as if you were still a human. At first you made a few mistakes but eventually you corrected yourself and the song came out the way you wanted it to. It started out slow and sad, with every note lingering on for a second or so. Then it picked up speed and became happy and cheerful. At the end the song took on a mysterious note and you stretched out the last note for a bit of a dramatic effect. You looked over at Rarity who had tears in her eyes.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I would be that bad.” You said, feeling hurt.

“What are you talking about? That was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard.”

“Thanks,” you replied, blushing once more. “How’s my jacket coming along?”

“I should be done with it by tomorrow.” Rarity said, snapping herself back into the task at hand.

“Okay, how much do I owe you?”

“Nothing at all, Darling.”

“I can’t just ask you to make something for me for nothing.”

“Then consider that song payment, and take the violin while you’re at it. You seem to have far more talent for it than I ever did.” Rarity said with a wave of the hoof.

“Now I owe you for the violin.”

“Then come back in and play again for me sometime and I’ll consider it payment.”

“You’re very generous, Rarity.” You replied with a weak smile.

“I’ve been told that before. Now run along I want your jacket to be a surprise.”

“I understand, just tell me when the jacket’s ready and I’ll play for you again.” You said turning to leave the boutique.

Once Rarity was left alone she turned to one of her free mannequins and brought out blue and black fabric wheels towards her. After working for a while her brow furrowed and she let out a sigh.

“I can see how you fell for him, Applejack.”

Comments

[Sleipnir]

Right now, everything is just peaches and cream with cherries on top.

I guess I'll just wait for the sad/dark part of the story...

[-Brutus]

Great story so far, glad that I tracked this. Also, I like how you kept the love interest to just one compared to what other authors usually do- make entire Mane 6 fall in love with him.

[Phase Nexus]

Awesome. Nuff said. And... Third.

[Jagged Fox]

Who the hay decided to downvote this?!!!! IT'S! SO! AAAWWWWEEEESSSOOOOMMMMEEEEE!!!!!!!!

[Starlight Uplifting]

I love violins but I don't kniw how to play them...this hit an emotional zone in me...Rarity and Twilight are now "Ex machina" tools...