Old Magic

by HyperBlossom7

New Friendships

Melody came from a family of musical talent. Most of the talent was found on her father's side, but there were a few relatives on her mother's side who possessed musical ability. Her father was a composer for formal events like orchestras and choirs. Key Note was well known in Scoltland, and had earned enough wealth for his family to have a good home and lifestyle. He was the one who had given Melody her name, with her mother's agreement of course. Key Note had also changed her mother.

Dawn's lineage consisted entirely of unicorns. There were no earth ponies or pegasi on Melody's mother's side. They had also practiced the old ways of magic. Dawn's mother, Melody's Grandmother, was deeply rooted in the old ways and preferred a quiet lifestyle on the edge of the forests in Scoltland. When Dawn met Key Note, he did not approve of the old magic style and tried to get Dawn to abandon it. Dawn was reluctant at first, but she found that she loved Key Note more than she did the old ways. So Dawn moved out of her mother's home and moved to Edinburgh, Scoltland. That was where Melody was born.

For most of Melody's childhood, she lived with her Grandmother. Melody's parents had busy life styles, and didn't have a lot of time to care for her. Melody didn't mind living with her Grandmother, however. She adored the elderly mare. Her Grandmother taught Melody all about the old ways of magic, and even welcomed her into the attic where all of the books were stored. Each night, her Grandmother would play a single song on her flute. It was a flute that her long deceased Grandfather had made, and a precious family heirloom. Melody loved listening to this song, as it made her feel safe and at peace. Eventually she convinced her Grandmother to teach her the song and how to play the flute.

Melody kept all of this a secret from her parents for a long time. She feared that if they knew, she wouldn't be able to see her Grandmother anymore. Unfortunately that fear came true when her parents made a surprise visit when Melody was 13 years old. There was a teary farewell between Melody and her Grandmother, and the elderly mare left Melody the flute as a parting gift.

Ever since then, Melody was never seen without her flute. Her parents didn't mind, since it was a musical instrument after all. For a while Melody didn't want to play it. She thought it was the kind of treasure that should be kept safe and hidden. As she grew older, her parents encouraged Melody to practice playing the flute. To satisfy her parents, Melody did practice every once in a while. Her parents decided that if Melody practiced playing her flute twice a week, that would be enough. Melody accepted this, since it was the only way she could please her parents.

The flute was one of the first objects Melody had packed the day before boarding the train to Ponyville. She kept it in a wooden box with a golden lock and key. Melody kept the box in her saddlebag so she could keep it close by without worrying. The young unicorn planned to bring it everywhere she went, because like it was to her Grandmother, it was a precious treasure.

It was late afternoon now, so Melody had a few hours before she would meet up with Roseluck. She shivered slightly in the cool autumn air as she stood in front of the door to the local library. She knocked twice with a hoof and waited patiently until the door opened. Melody smiled when she saw it was Spike who had answered the door.

"Good afternoon, Spike," she said. "May I come in?"

Spike chuckled and said, "This is a public library. You're welcome to come in at any time. It's just Twilight's floor you need to ask permission to enter."

"Oh, right," Melody blushed, a darker red spot forming on her coral pelt. "Thanks Spike."

Spike smiled and moved so Melody could walk inside. He closed the door behind her and Melody looked around the room. Twilight was actually on the main level of the library and sitting at her desk. The alicorn princess looked up and smiled when she saw Melody.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, Prin--I mean Twilight," she said, correcting herself at the end of her sentence.

"Not at all, Melody," Twilight Sparkle smiled assuringly at her. "Do you want help finding a book to read?"

Melody looked towards Spike and said, "Actually I wanted to ask Spike about what he knows about dragons. I've never met an actual dragon before."

"Oh," Spike frowned, understanding what Melody wanted. "I actually don't know very much. I was hatched from an egg in Princess Celestia's Academy for Gifted Unicorns. Sorry," he apologized.

"Oh, that's a shame," said Melody, a little downhearted.

"Melody, I have plenty of books on dragons for you to read," Twilight said when she sensed the young unicorn's disappointment. "Though if you've read a lot like Pinkie Pie told me, you may have already read some of them."

Melody smiled a little and said, "I probably have. My Grandmother had a lot of books on Scolttish Mythology."

Twilight caught the tense Melody had used in her sentence and a sympathetic look formed on her face. "Your Grandmother must have been a smart pony," she said gently.

Melody realized that Twilight had caught the meaning of her words, but she was grateful the alicorn librarian was being kind about it. She smiled and nodded. "She was amazing."

"Well you can look at my collections of books on dragons and see if there are any you haven't read yet," said Twilight.

"Sure!" said Melody, smiling more.

Twilight walked to one of her many book cases and looked up. She scanned the shelves until she spotted what she was looking for. A magical aura surrounded her horn and it extended to the books above. She levitated several dozen books off the shelf and put them on a table. Melody went to the table and started looking through the books.

"See anything?" Twilight asked after a few moments.

"Well I see many familiar titles, but some I haven't seen yet," Melody replied. "Is it okay if I stay in here while I read?"

"That's fine, just ask me if you need anything else," said Twilight.

"Thank you, Twilight," said Melody.

Twilight went back to her desk and Melody looked down at the piles of books in front of her. She got the first unread one and opened it up. There were several myths depicting dragons in the book, some she had read before and some she hadn't. Melody eventually became engrossed in the book and continued to read. A few hours passed and both unicorns were suddenly distracted by the sound of the door opening.

Melody looked up at the sound and saw Roseluck come into the library. The Scolttish unicorn looked towards the clock and realized she had lost track of time. Frantically, she shut the book she was reading and went around the table to Roseluck.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention to the time!" Melody apologized. "Please don't think badly of me."

Roseluck giggled and waved a hoof in the air. "Don't worry about it. Are you having fun in here?" she asked, glancing behind her at all the books Twilight had out.

"Yeah, I was just doing some reading," said Melody, relaxing now that she knew the earth pony wasn't upset. She looked over to Twilight and said, "Twilight, thank you for letting me stay for a bit. I might come again tomorrow, okay?"

"I'll look forward to it!" said Twilight with a smile. "Bye Melody."

"Bye," said Melody before she left the library.

She followed Roseluck out the door, gently closing it behind her with her magic. The sky had started to turn a bit darker, since Luna was currently raising the moon. The weather ponies had made it a clear night, so all the stars would be visible in the night sky. It had gotten a little chillier, but Melody didn't mind. She was used to this kind of temperature after growing up in Scoltland, which was colder due to its location in the north.

Roseluck nudged Melody's shoulder, getting her attention. "Hey, want to go get some food?" she asked.

"Sure, you pick where to go though. I'm new here," said Melody.

"Right, I know a good place," Roseluck said. "Come on."

Melody walked alongside Roseluck as they made their way down Ponyville's streets. There were still ponies out and about, either closing up shop or doing last minute errands for the day. There was a gentle breeze coming in from the north, reminding Melody of home. She smiled and glanced up at the sky, which was embedded with bright jewels that spread out across the gradually darkening expanse. Eventually they came to a diner that was still open. Roseluck got them a table inside since it was cold, and they took their seats. After ordering drinks, Roseluck started conversation.

"So Melody, what's Scoltland like?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Cold," Melody said, which got a laugh from Roseluck. She smiled and added, "A lot colder than here. Also a lot greener than it is here in Amareica."

"That makes sense," said Roseluck. "You have a nice accent too."

"Thanks," Melody smiled at the compliment. She paused as the waiter came by with their drinks. The two then went on to order their meals. Once he had left, she continued. "So what about you? How long have you been in Ponyville?"

"I was born in Fillydelphia, but I grew up here," Roseluck explained. "I come from a family of florists."

Melody laughed softly and said, "I come from a family of musicians. Guess we were both given appropriate names."

"Looks like it," said Roseluck, smiling. "I even got the right cutie mark."

At the mentioned of a cutie mark, Melody's face fell slightly. She quickly tried to hide it, but Roseluck had already seen it. Melody sighed, she knew somepony was going to notice sooner or later. She didn't want to lie to her new friend either.

"I don't have one," she said softly. "It's embarrassing, being a full grown mare with no cutie mark."

Roseluck slowly took a drink of her iced tea and set her glass down gently. "You're probably just a late bloomer," she said kindly. "I don't know a single pony whose ever gone through their entire life without a cutie mark." When she saw that only made Melody hurt more, she quickly added, "If it helps, my grandfather didn't get his cutie mark until he was in his middle 40's."

"Really?" Melody looked hopeful, which made Roseluck regret her words.

"No," she said. "But still, it'll come. I know it will."

"You don't have to lie," said Melody, downtrodden. "I appreciate you trying to make me feel better but lying won't help."

"Sorry," Roseluck apologized.

Melody sighed and took a drink of her own iced tea. She stared at her glass, the mood making her feel depressed. Roseluck kicked herself inwardly. She had just met the mare, and she had already hurt her feelings. Roseluck decided to try and change the subject in hopes of lifting her new friend's spirits.

"So do you have any hobbies?" Roseluck asked, hoping the change in topic would take away Melody's frown.

Melody smiled, grateful for Roseluck changing the subject. She nodded and said, "I like to play my flute sometimes. It was my grandmother's, and I like to play it whenever I start missing her."

"That sounds really nice," said Roseluck with a smile. "I would love to hear you play."

"If you don't mind too much," said Melody.

Roseluck shook her head. "Not at all. And you know, maybe playing the flute is your special talent."

Melody laughed hollowly at that. "I doubt it, but I'll play it for you if you want me to."

"I do," said Roseluck.

A waiter finally came over with their food. Melody had gotten a lettuce, cheese, and tomato sandwich. Roseluck had gotten a daisy and lettuce sandwich with hay fries on the side. They shared the fries as they ate their meals together. Melody was glad to have gotten another good friend in Ponyville. It was a good start to her new life and it made her temporarily forget about her personal issues for the time being. Soon dinner was done and Roseluck went ahead and paid the bill, since Melody's Scolttish money didn't work in Amareica. The two of them left the diner with full bellies and smiles on their faces.

Roseluck walked with Melody back to Sugar Cube Corner. The two friends parted ways and Melody went inside. She met Pinkie Pie in their room and the pink pony prodded Melody to tell her all about the rest of her day. Melody did so and once she finished, Pinkie Pie promised her that the next day would be better. The coral unicorn giggled at Pinkie's optimistic nature and bade her good night. As Melody tucked herself in her bed, she reflected on the days events.

The day had gone well, in her opinion at least. She had met most of Pinkie Pie's friends, and had earned two possibly close friends as well. She started thinking about Roseluck. The earth pony was a kind one, as far as she could tell. Roseluck had a friendly nature and had even treated her to dinner. Melody wondered if Roseluck had just been showing her Ponyville's hospitality towards newcomers. That wasn't true though, because Roseluck seemed genuinely interested in becoming friends with her. She had even asked to hear Melody play her flute. That went beyond basic hospitality and into friendship.

Melody turned in her bed as her thoughts moved onto her blank flank. Roseluck had tried to cheer her up, and even though she told a lie, her intentions had been good. Still, despite what Roseluck had said, Melody couldn't help but feel alone. She had met the cutie mark crusaders, but the three of them were still fillies and could easily get their cutie marks soon. Melody was a full grown mare with no cutie mark, and every single adult pony in Ponyville had their cutie marks. She felt lonelier than ever, and the loneliness threatened to pull her into depression. A loud snore from Pinkie Pie's side of the room stopped that from happening.

Melody still had three friends, one was Pinkie Pie who had offered her both a home and a job. She had Twilight Sparkle, who shared her love of reading. Then she had Roseluck, and even though they hadn't known each other very long, there was still a blooming friendship between the two of them.

Melody sighed, thinking she should try sleeping now. She closed her eyes and cleared her mind, trying to imagine her Grandmother playing the flute for her. She smiled as she remembered the sweet tune, and she played it in her mind.

Author's Note:

Well there's another good chapter for you. Not as long as the first one, but I'm not about to be putting in fillers. Next chapter will be about Melody settling in with her new life in Ponyville, and there will be some development in her relationships with the other ponies.