Chapter 3: The Story of the Swan Pony
Chapter 3
The Story of the Swan Pony
Spike was quick in preparing a simple meal for himself and the semi-cautious unicorn that is Pirouette. After scouring Fluttershy’s cupboards, the dragon settled for tomato-and-basil soup with grilled cheese sandwiches.
“Better give her something close to a light meal. Who knows what she’s used to eating besides bread-crumbs.”
As Spike made the soup, Pirouette watched with intrigue. She watched as Spike opened cans of a red liquid substance into a saucepan before using some sort of water pump to fill one of the cans with clean water before dumping it into the saucepan. He placed the saucepan on a device the size of a pair of rain barrels and saw a tiny flame spark beneath the saucepan when he turned a knob.
As he stirred the liquid every now and then, he took four slices of bread and spread a hard creamy-looking substance on both sides before placing yellow squares in between two slices. Once the two strange foods were made, he got out a flat pan and started the fire-making device again. She heard the food sizzle as the dragon got out a green spice she was familiar with and sprinkled some into the liquid, stirring it in as he did. He then flipped the bread concoction, revealing a golden underside. The smell of the items was tantalizing to the filly.
Seeing that the soup and sandwiches were nearly done, Spike pulled out a pair of bowls and two small plates from Fluttershy’s cupboard and began filling the bowls with the soup. After checking to make sure both sides were done, he used a spatula to remove the sandwiches from the frying pan and cut them diagonally. He placed one soup and one sandwich at each end of the table before getting glasses of milk.
Pirouette sniffed the strange offering and found the scent delightful. With her front hooves, she picked up one of the triangles and, with slight hesitation, took a bite. Her eyes widened as she experienced a flavor she never tasted before and found it wonderful. The creaminess and flavor of the golden filling and the white creamy substance were balanced with the crunch and familiarity of the bread. What’s more, the heat that had been applied to this dish had somehow made the dish taste more delicious.
This was definitely a step from the breadcrumbs and the edible vegetation she spent most of her life eating.
Next, she tried the liquid. She sniffed it, finding scents old and new mixed together in a thick liquid with little green specks in it. Unlike the bread dish, the liquid had a scent of items that were familiar to her. Tomato and basil? Yes. That must be it. The filly’s eyes quickly glanced at the dragon, who had begun to dig into his own meal by taking one of the bread triangles and dipping it into the red concoction before biting on it. Out of curiosity, she did the same thing and found it delightful enough that she forgot about her situation and began to enjoy her meal with great fervor.
Spike saw the filly enjoy his creation of Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato & Basil soup. It was simple but flavorful and easy to make. And it was clear he did a good job judging by Pirouette’s reactions.
Speaking of reactions, he noticed how the food seemed unfamiliar to the filly as well as well as the way he made it. Had she never been inside a kitchen before? Was it because of her swan form? And speaking of her swan form, how did she get that way? Was she a powerful unicorn like Twilight? He shook his head of that thought as he realized the filly had not used not one bit of magic to levitate her sandwich, her soup bowl, or her milk. All of that was done by her hooves. He wouldn’t question it were it not for her swan form. After all, Sweetie Belle, Rarity’s younger sister, had only just started her magic training not long ago. But the swan still begged the question: how did Pirouette get like that?
He chuckled as he saw a red mustache on her lips and handed her a napkin.
“He-he. Here. You got something on your face.”
Though she was confused by the gesture, Pirouette took the napkin and cleaned her face. Once she saw the red liquid, she realized why the gesture was made and blushed in embarrassment.
“S-s-sorry. I-it’s just…I’ve never had anything this good in a very long time.”
Yet another piece to the mystery in Spike’s head, one he hoped that would be solved. He waited until they ate their dinner and he began to clean up before he spoke.
“I’m glad you liked it. I wasn’t sure what you would like, considering we met while you were a swan.”
Pirouette gave a faint smile before Spike placed the dishes in the sink to wash another time. For now, it was time for some Q&A.
As he sat down, Pirouette spoke up with a soft voice once again.
“Th-thank you. For the meal…and saving me, that is.”
Spike smiled as he waved a hand nonchalantly.
“Heh. I’m just happy to help.”
He then became serious as he took the chance to ask his question.
“If you don’t mind me asking, why were you a swan? How did you get that way? Was it a spell gone wrong?”
Pirouette bit her lip at the questions. She was anticipating it, but she was still debating on telling him. After all, it wasn’t a happy tale.
“But he seems nice. And he did save me and fed me. Not to mention he said he would keep the spell a secret.”
Seeing her anxiously thinking, Spike panicked and tried to salvage the situation.
“S-sorry! I-if it’s too sensitive, I won’t talk about it anymore!”
Hearing this, Pirouette was brought out of her thoughts and she noticed the embarrassed and ashamed look on Spike’s face. Biting her lip again, the filly made a decision.
“N-no. I…it’s alright. I mean, you did save me and fed me. I guess it’s only fair I tell you.”
Hearing this, Spike straightened himself in his chair as Pirouette gazed at the table, tracing a circle clockwise with her hoof.
“I…it all started when I was three. I…I lived in a city with my mama and papa. My mama was a unicorn ballerina named Rhapsody. Papa, who was a Pegasus, worked on the stage, making sets for Mama’s dances. It was there that they met and fell in love. Mama was the best dancer in the world. At least in my opinion. She was beautiful, graceful, and very kind. When I was little, I wanted to become a ballerina like her.
“But what we didn’t know was that there was somepony who didn’t like Mama at all. It was another unicorn name was Requiem.”
Spike’s eyes widened. A unicorn ballerina named Requiem? It must be a coincidence. Wasn’t it? He remained silent as Pirouette continued her tale, her body shivering as she spoke.
“Requiem hated Mama. While she danced well, Mama was better. While she performed with little mistakes, Mama made none. And more ponies loved Mama more than her. She hated Mama because she felt that Mama was taking everything from her when she actually worked hard for it. I guess it wasn’t enough for Requiem, because…because…”
Pirouette trailed off, trying to hold back tears. Seeing this, Spike got off his chair and made his way to the filly. He placed a claw on her shoulder, getting her to look at him.
“You don’t have to continue if it’s too painful. I won’t force you.”
Again, the gentleness in his voice was foreign to Pirouette. No pony had treated her this kindly since her parents. Perhaps he was not like her after all. She shook her head as she spoke.
“N-no. It’s ok. I…I’ll finish.”
Spike kept silent as Pirouette continued her tale.
“One night, after Mama danced a ballet called Swan Lake, Requiem came to our house. She broke down the door and screamed at Mama. I don’t remember what. I was too scared to pay attention. But I do remember what happened next.”
Pirouette swallowed hard as she recalled the rest of that horrible night.
“Requiem charged her horn to cast a spell. She aimed it at Papa and unleashed it. It…it…”
Tears fell as she nearly screamed the words out.
“…she killed him! She killed Papa!”
Spike’s pupils shrank in horror. Murder was very uncommon to the point of rare in Equestria. Mostly because according to ancient law, Murderers were dealt the harshest of punishments depending on the kind of murder they committed. If it was premeditated first-degree murder, the punishment was execution. But there had been no accounts of executions in over five hundred years. Spike had to shake the Twilight Sparkle-induced history lesson as Pirouette continued, crying.
“Sh…*sob*…she was going to kill me, too! *sniff* She aimed her horn at me *sob* and…fired.”
She bit her lip.
“But…Mama…*sniff*…she…she jumped in the way. Requiem killed her, too!”
Feeling guilty for asking and sorry for the filly, Spike grabbed a paper towel and let Pirouette use it as a tissue. He waited patiently as the filly went on.
“R…Requiem wasn’t happy. She…she wanted me dead and Mama to live. She…she was going to do to her what she did to me.”
Unable to stop himself, Spike asked with a growing sorrow and a planted fury.
“What did she do to you?”
He waited patiently until Pirouette composed herself enough to continue. Her tear-stained face made him want to kick himself as she spoke.
“*sniff*…She…she didn’t kill me. She…she wanted Mama alive so…so she could…curse her.”
“Curse her?” Spike asked, having a feeling where this was going.
“Req…Requiem wanted Mama to suffer. But since she had killed her, she decided to curse…me.”
Silence from the dragon urged the filly to continue and elaborate.
“She…used her magic to grab me and…used as a spell to take me away to…to her castle.”
Spike raised an eye ridge.
“Her castle? How could a ballerina own a castle? And why haven’t I heard of it?”
Pirouette traced the grain on the table as more recent memories appeared.
“I…I don’t think you would have. No pony even remembers its name anymore. No pony except for the family that owns the castle: Requiem’s family.”
Spike’s eyes widened upon hearing this.
“Were they nobility?”
Pirouette shook her head.
“I…I think that I remember hearing her saying that she…she came from a family of sorcerers. Ones that…practiced black magic.”
“Then…was this spell black magic?” Spike asked, struggling to put the pieces together.
Pirouette kept her gaze to the table, not wanting to meet Spike’s eyes.
“I...honestly don’t know. When Requiem brought me to her castle, she cast a spell on me. I don’t know what kind of magic it was. Then again…I can’t use magic.”
That statement sent Spike in a surprise so great, he jumped in his chair and nearly fell over. By law, Pirouette was at an age to know even a little bit of magic whether it is from her family or a school. Did Requiem deprive her of that, too? Keeping silent, he let Pirouette pick up her story.
“The spell Requiem cast upon me…it turns me into a swan…until I meet certain conditions.”
“Conditions?”
Pirouette nodded.
“First, I had to be in the water. Second, moonlight has to touch my wing. This lets me become a pony during the night. About the only time I can be a pony.”
She then looked out the window, gazing at the moon.
“When the moon sets, the spell turns me back into a swan.”
“Well…that doesn’t sound too bad. Then again, if I had her curse, I would miss being a dragon during the day, too.”
“What happened after she cursed you?” Spike asked, knowing that there was more than what Pirouette was giving at present.
Once again, she surrendered her story.
“Requiem told me that I could never leave the castle grounds. That even if I ran away, I’ll still turn back into a swan. Because I was so little and didn’t know where I was, I was too afraid to go anywhere. So I stayed. Requiem returned to work, but she would visit on the weekends, hurting me with her words, hooves, and magic.”
Spike gasped in shock upon hearing the last sentence. “She…abused you?”
Pirouette bit her lip, embarrassed. “I…I don’t know that word.”
Now it was Spike’s turn to bite his own lip. He wasn’t sure about Pirouette’s education other than that she had developed proper speech, but not knowing the word gave him an idea. Then again, it might be what little innocence she had left that kept her ignorant.
“I-in your case…it means ‘to treat with cruelty.’”
Now understanding the word, Pirouette nodded. “Oh. That’s right.”
Now Spike had another question.
“If Requiem treated you so cruelly, why didn’t you fly away, sooner?”
Pirouette rubbed her hoof, looking ashamed.
“I…I thought the only way I could become a pony again was to stay at the lake where I was cursed. That the water was another key to the spell. And to be honest, again, I would have died if I didn’t have my friends with me.”
Spike relaxed slightly upon hearing the word.
“Your friends?”
Pirouette nodded, finally smiling for the first time since she began her tale.
“Well, I befriended the many animals that lived around the castle’s lake. I made friends with turtles, frogs, birds, even the fish. But my best friend was Bell.”
“Bell?”
The filly responded with her smile, though it saddened a bit.
“Bourdon Bell. He’s Requiem’s Earth Pony servant. He was born ugly, so he is forced to stay at the castle, out of sight. His family served Requiem’s until his mama died. Requiem likes to hurt him, too. But even though she hurts him, Bell tries to keep smiling and ‘look for a better tomorrow,’ as he would say. He took care of me and taught me how to read and write. He also took care of my injuries when Requiem arrives and leaves. He was the one who convinced me to run away.”
Spike’s eyes widened.
“He did? Why? I thought you said you couldn’t leave the castle grounds.”
Pirouette nodded, recalling her statement.
“That’s what I thought, at first. But a couple of days ago, Bell found the spell book Requiem used on me years ago on accident. He was looking for a book to read when he found it in Requiem’s normally locked study. I guess she forgot to lock it last time. Anyway, he figured I didn’t have to stay at the lake to turn back into a pony and that I could transform anywhere where there was water. Turned out his thought was true when we tested it the next night.”
“Then you flew away?” Spike asked.
Pirouette shook her head.
“Not at first. I asked him about how to remove the spell. Bell couldn’t find any spell to break my curse, even though he couldn’t cast it, anyway. But he did figure out two ways the spell can be broken.”
Spike jumped on the table with surprise and joy. After hearing this tragic tale, finally, something good was happening. If Pirouette knew how to break the spell already, then perhaps he could get Twilight to help once she returned.
“Really? That’s great! What are they? My friend’s a great sorceress. Maybe she can help you.”
A faint blush appeared on Pirouette’s cheeks. She was really hoping he wouldn’t ask that question. But when he mentioned his friend, the desire to end her curse grew too great to contain.
“W-well. One way is to break the spell the way it was written.”
“And that is?” Spike asked eagerly, causing Pirouette to blush redder.
Rubbing her foreleg, she answered.
“I…I would have to kiss somepony that I…love. I mean…love-love. And…and then they * gulp* must make a Vow of Everlasting Love. And finally, prove it to the world.”
Hearing this made Spike blush. He had heard about True Love’s Kiss in stories. Heck, he often daydreamed about playing the part of the heroic knight or prince that had to save the princess (whom he was picturing Rarity as at the time,) and granted her the kiss to break the evil wizard’s spell. But the conditions for Pirouette’s curse? They were real. And how would this pony make a Vow of Everlasting Love AND prove it to the world?
“O…ok. What’s the other plan?” he asked, sitting back down in his chair.
Glad that he wasn’t going to speak any more on the subject, Pirouette answered him.
“Well…that another idea is to…*gulp* meet with the alicorn princess and see if they could break the spell. That’s why I was flying this way. I was flying to the castle on the mountain.”
Hearing this, Spike smiled at this revelation. Hearing Pirouette’s story, he couldn’t stand to think to let her be miserable like this any longer. He realized it was her lucky day. Considering his friend, he had an idea.
“Actually, you don’t need to go farther than here to find a princess.”
Pirouette tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
Puffing out his chest, Spike happily answered as gallantly as he could.
“My friend, the sorceress I told you about?”
The filly nodded, allowing Spike to continue.
“Well, she also happens to be an alicorn and the Princess of Friendship! And if there was anypony who knew more than her fair share of magic, it would definitely be Twilight Sparkle!
Pirouette’s eyes widened with surprise. She never knew that the area she was in had a princess, or that there was more than one. If what Spike was telling her was true, then her long journey was over.
“Really?”
Spike’s smile grew. “Really.”
Excited, Pirouette left her chair and giggled happily.
“Can I see her? I really hope she can help me.”
Hearing her request, Spike cringed and frowned. He had forgotten he had just bid Twilight farewell that morning.
“I’m sorry. Twilight’s out of town for a week. But as soon as she gets back, we can tell her about your problem.”
Pirouette’s frown returned, not that Spike could blame her. After hearing her story, he had raised her hopes of ending her curse that very night. Now she will have to wait six more nights before she could finally meet Twilight.
This was bad. He wanted to make Pirouette feel better, but his clumsy memory made the situation worse. Trying once again to salvage the situation, he spoke.
“Why don’t you stay with me in the castle until she gets back? We have plenty of rooms in the castle.”
Once again, Pirouette was surprised by Spike’s hospitality. The only one who was ever this kind to her since her parents were Bell.
She had hoped to find one of the princesses right away and break her curse.
“*sigh* I guess I shouldn’t have expected it to be so easy. I just hope this Princess Twilight Sparkle can help me. Especially since Bell didn’t come with me. Still, it’s nice that Spike invited me to stay at his princess’ castle. But…”
She looked away shyly, feeling what she was about ask was a bit rude on her part.
“…If it’s alright, I would like to stay here. I-if that’s ok, that is.”
She rubbed her foreleg again, anxious.
“I-I-it’s not that I don’t like your offer. B-but it’s nice and quiet here. An-and I’d like to stay by the pond. I-if that’s ok, that is.”
It was a strange request, but not an unreasonable one. Considering Pirouette’s “condition,” perhaps she felt more at home at Fluttershy’s pond than in the crystal castle. He then gave a smile that was both understanding and somewhat-mischievous.
“Well, alright. But on one condition.”
Pirouette gulped upon hearing this. “C-condition?”
Spike approached Pirouette and placed a claw on her shoulder.
“That we’d meet every day, whether it is during the night when you are a pony, or during the day when you are a swan. In other words, I’d like to be your friend.”
The request was a surprise to Pirouette, but she smiled. After what she had been going through, she needed a friend other than the animals at the lake and Bourdon Bell. Spike had been nothing but kind to her since they met and was even to keep her secret and volunteered to help her remove the spell. She held out her hoof, still smiling.
“Deal.”
Returning the smile, Spike shook Pirouette’s hoof, sealing the deal. But in the back of Spike’s mind, he was worried. The “Requiem” that Pirouette mention. It couldn’t be the same Requiem that Twilight and her friends were going to see? Not to mention Twilight had told him that the Manehattan Ballet Company had not performed Swan Lake since their best ballerina died. Could that ballerina be Pirouette’s mother?
One thing was for sure: he had to keep Pirouette safe. Her captor was still out there and she would not be happy once she discovers the filly had escaped.
“I’ll visit her twice for breakfast and lunch every day. Then I’ll return at night for dinner. That will give me time to do all the things on Twilight’s list and make sure no pony is hunting her.”
He sighed mentally as he and Pirouette began their first conversation as friends.
“Maybe I should send Twilight a letter about this. If the Requiem she is seeing perform is the same one that cursed Pirouette, then maybe Twilight can figure something out. I’ll have to let her know to keep this a secret, though. Last thing I want is for Requiem to find out.”
His thoughts became positive as he saw Pirouette’s smiling face as they conversed.
“Don’t worry, Pirouette. I’ll find a way to free you and keep you safe.”
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Why doesn't he write a letter to Celestia and ask if she, Luna, or even Cadance could come over and help?
Does that mean he has three gargoyles who come to life when he's alone?
8869189
I'm planning something for later.
No, No gargoyles.
hi! saw this story was updated and had to read it.
piro's tale gave me vibes of Black swan film (great film. the ending has very shocking twist. if you've seen it?) I thought you gonna go route of the unfinished dance/dying swan (forgot the french title/words!)
okay the plot of that film is about a young girl's obsession with a ballerina. so this other ballerina comes over from another company and takes her lead role in swan lake. the girl isn't happy about this so the plan is to humiliate this other ballerina by turning off the light on stage while in the middle of her performance. but that's not what happens far from it. instead the girl accidently opens up the trap door that other ballerina falls, injured and can never dance again!
8870246
Not telling. That's Spoiler territory.
8870322
I already know about "The Black Swan," but I don't intend to see it. And why would you think this fic has any relation to that?
8870347
Because of how pirouette explains after her mother's performance requiem shows up at their house with "crazy murderous intent." my take/wording on that bit!
I wanted to get my references out of the way first...sorry for not being more thought out:( also was a little sleep deprived.
Great story
When’s the next chapter coming?
I’m really anxious to see where the rest of this story goes.
9500567
Once I've updated 3 other fics. (Progress of that is slow because I had to do projects for college.)
9500829
Alright.
sounds like an interesting story can't wait to read more
Pirouette is too precious for this cruel world.
I wonder if we get to see these friends from the castle.
If this is a romance, I hope story goes on for a long time for build-up, rather than it coming from seemingly out of no-where towards the end. Though having the romance be well-written helps too with two people in a mutually beneficial relationship.
Stop it, please,you're making me hungry!
Give us more of this story please?
10812804
Working on it.
10812822
Ok