New Beginnings
...You are Sam...
...I am Sam...
...Sam I am?
With a grunt and a groan, Sam sat up, rubbing his head. Of course that would be the first thing to pop into his head. It wasn't enough that his full name was ridiculous enough—Samuel Delouise McIntyre Hall. It wasn't enough that his name utterly belied his and his family's station—a hole-in-the-wall flat in lower Manhattan. It wasn't even enough that that nickname had followed him, through elementary school, junior high, and now high school. No. What really made Sam grind his teeth was that his own brain was now rebelling against him, reciting that stupid Dr. Seuss book, and meaning that he was going to get no peace from being the “green eggs and ham” kid, for likely the rest of his life.
Taking in his surroundings, Sam looked around. It was night, or very early in the morning, and he was outside. That in and of itself wasn't all that strange. He had gotten into another fight with his parents—again—and had simply left. Walking through the city at night had always made him feel at-peace; relaxed. They had been arguing more lately. Sam chuckled ruefully to himself. Now that he was over six feet tall, they couldn't really beat him anymore, so they yelled instead. Ah well. Couldn't worry about that now. It wouldn't do him any good. Nothing here but the sounds of—nature?
Sam blinked, looking around more actively now. There were still stars and a moon above him, and grass beneath his feet. He was still on Earth. But everything was too—quiet. New York was the city that never slept, and while the noise hadn't bothered him, its absence certainly was noticeable. All of it was simply—gone, replaced instead by the quiet sounds of a country evening, a particular rhythm that he hadn't heard since the last time he had visited his grandparents' house, when he was sixteen.
Pushing to his feet, his eyes took in the towering, thick forest behind him. His still-waking mind raced as it searched for possibilities, and he snapped his fingers as he suddenly came to, what he thought, was the most logical conclusion.
I'm on a sound stage!
It was unlikely, but not impossible. He started piecing together his evening as the fog from his mind lifted further. He had fought with his parents, left—wandered around town for an hour or so, then headed to the bar. Sure, he wasn't twenty-one yet, but he and Jake had known each other for years, and Jake knew he wasn't going to do anything stupid. So, not much else was said—a few looks, and the bartender had passed him a couple of beers. A while later, some cash slapped on the table, and he was back out on the streets.
Maybe those beers were stronger than I thought...
After all, he hadn't remembered how he got—here. Or why no one else seemed to stop him when he got inside what should have been a relatively secure sound-stage. But, he said with a shrug, anything was better than going back home.
Wandering further away from the forest, Sam blinked as he saw small lights—at least, he thought they were lights—in the distance. He kept walking, and after a few minutes, he found himself in a town. Glancing around, he raised an eyebrow. It was a town, he was certain of that. But everything was a bit smaller than the usual scale. He looked at a row of houses and guessed that the ceilings couldn't have been taller than six or seven feet high. The only logical conclusion, then, following his earlier “sound-stage” idea, was that this was some kind of children's production.
Sam continued walking through the darkened town, until he reached what looked like the town square. He paused, blinking in confusion as he stared at what looked like a grand piano, possibly left behind after the day's rehearsal. Well, it was definitely a grand piano, but it was the wrong size, only about three-fourths its normal length and height. Realization dawned again after a few seconds' observation. Of course! It was for one of the actors to play.
Sam had always loved the piano, and been very good at it, too. His mother had insisted, however, that the violin was more appropriate for a “young man of class.” In possibly the only case where his father had worked out a compromise that ended up being beneficial to Sam, he had convinced his mother to buy him a small keyboard. With its tinny sound and only fifty-six keys, it could hardly be compared to the real thing. But now, here sitting in front of him, was the real thing. Shifting in his shoes, Sam pondered an idea. There was no one else here...and, it was likely the only chance he'd get to play a real grand piano, even if it was a bit off-scale.
He pulled the bench out, chuckling to himself as he had to fold his knees up in order to fit at the smaller instrument. He brushed his hands over the keys, playing a few experimental notes. His brows shot up, a small smile curving his lips. The keys responded so smoothly, and the instrument sounded absolutely fantastic. Sighing softly, he settled into the bench, wiggling his shoulders as he assumed a more comfortable position. He splayed his fingers and let a few basic chords ring out. I, IV, V, VI...just basic progression.
“What to play...?”
Sam frowned a bit, trying to think of a song, but nothing in particular came to mind. A moment later, he realized why. Just barely on the edge of hearing, almost inaudible, was other music. Music that didn't seem to be coming from anywhere, but also was all around him, and as soon as he focused on it, it seemed to be the only thing on his mind.
He heard strings, woodwinds, and even the tonal hum of an electric guitar as soft harmonies spilled across the sky; a symphonic lullaby. As the music swept over him, Sam felt overtaken by emotions. His fingers danced across the keyboard, almost unbidden as his own notes wove throughout the other music. The melody gradually grew in volume, and Sam let himself be completely swept up in its rapturous beauty. It was like nothing he had ever heard before. All of his stress, fears, anger, and pain seemed to melt into the notes. He could feel tears beginning to run down his cheeks, but the smile on his face only grew as the song continued to build...It no longer mattered to him that he was on a sound stage in the middle of a movie set. In fact, he hoped someone did see him, so he could share this beautiful music with them.
Eventually, however, the music ended, its final chord played, echoing triumphantly into the darkness around Sam. Sitting back on the bench, he exhaled slowly, a broad grin on his face. He had needed that. Wiping his cheeks quickly, he looked up, his mind already working to explain his presence to whatever maintenance crew discovered him playing on their piano. What he hadn't expected, however, was to find himself surrounded by...well...“horses” wasn't exactly the right word. They were much smaller, seeming to only be about chest-height for him. And Sam was pretty sure he had never seen a cyan blue horse before. Much less a talking one, he thought with his mouth agape as a violet-hued—pony—walked up to him and asked him, wonder clearly audible in her voice, “How did you do that?”
Okay, so...not a sound stage. Sam definitely was going to have a talk with Jake about those beers. Rubbing the back of his head, Sam quickly made some determinations about where he was. He may not have been entirely sober when he first got here, wherever “here” was, but he certainly was sober now, else he wouldn't have been able to sit upright at the piano, much less play that song. That meant that to Sam, the only course of action he had was to roll with whatever happened, no matter how weird it seemed. He was a New Yorker! He had seen it all—or so he thought. But, if these ponies could talk, maybe they could help him figure out where he was, and how to get back. However, more pressing on Sam's mind at the moment was their reaction to his music. Obviously they had music of their own...right? It certainly wasn't his playing that drew their shocked gazes. He was good, but not that good. “Do...what?” he asked uncertainly.
“That!” the purple pony exclaimed, gesturing with her arm—hoof—towards the piano. “Not once, in
all my years of study, have I ever heard of a non-pony, let alone a non-Equestrian, managing to hear the music of Harmony, much less play along with it! Well, except for the case of Grisha Griffon, but that was more based on hearsay; the Royal Library didn't even have much on her except for an old entry in The History of Griffonstone—apparently, she had fought a giant—”
“Twi...” another voice said warningly. Another pony stepped forward, with orange fur and a blonde mane, a Stetson hat perched atop her head. “Twilight,” she said more firmly when the first pony continued, seemingly oblivious. A few seconds later, several eyes had shifted from Sam to her, and Twilight seemed to finally realize, shrinking away a bit, smiling with embarrassment, and blushing brilliantly. “Sorry, sorry,” she said.
The orange pony flashed Twilight a sympathetic smile, then turned to face Sam. “What Twilight's tryin' to get at is—well, you're not from 'round here, are ya?” Sam mutely shook his head. “Well then, how's about we start with some introductions, rather than just starin' at y'all and makin' ya feel like ya got two heads. Here in Ponyville, we do things friendly-like! I'm Applejack,” she said, tipping the brim of her hat slightly. “Over there, that's Rarity,” she continued, pointing to a white-furred—unicorn? She had to be, the horn on her head was unmistakeable.
“Pleased to make your acquaintance, darling,” Rarity said, flashing Sam a smile that was full of charm and grace.
“And I'm Rainbow Dash, the most awesome pony in all of Equestria!” crowed the cyan blue pegasus—again unmistakeably anything else, as she flapped her wings, hovering a bit before landing again.
All heads turned as a decidedly sproing-y sound began heading to head their way, and as Sam looked, he could see what looked like a puffball of pink cotton candy popping up above other heads, leaping to the front of the crowd and skidding to a stop in front of him. Pink. The absolutely pinkest creature he ever laid eyes on pressed her muzzle up against his face, talking a mile a minute and grinning a mile wide. “Hi I'm Pinkie Pie and it's so awesomely special super-fantabulously awesome to meet you and I'm sorry I'm late I heard your music I would have come earlier but I was planning your Welcome To Equestria Party and I just HAAAAD to get that done because I always throw a party for new friends and...”
Pinkie Pie's tail lit up a light blue, and she found herself sliding away from Sam as Rarity's horn glowed an identical color. Of course, that hadn't stopped her, or even slowed her down, as she continued to chatter until Rarity had pulled her in-range and was able to clamp a hoof over her mouth.
Magic? I mean it makes sense—unicorn, but to actually see it in action...
“And this...is Fluttershy,” Applejack said, drawing Sam's attention back to her as she gently nosed a lemon-yellow pony towards him, squashed firmly on her haunches, visibly trembling as she came closer to him. Sam hadn't been able to think much, particularly when Pinkie Pie had hopped up and he had barely been able to get a breath in edgewise, much less any thoughts or words, but now he blinked, his eyebrows arcing skyward as he considered just how apt “Fluttershy's” name was. She could barely look at him, her teal eyes peeking out from behind her pink mane. As soon as she saw that Sam was looking at her, she let out a high-pitched “Eep!” and dove back behind the cover of other ponies.
“Don't mind her,” Applejack said, her eyes rolling a little. “She's a mite shy, but she'll warm up to ya right quick! And o'course, this is Princess Twilight Sparkle,” the orange mare said, gesturing to the purple pony again.
Twilight blushed, rubbing her hooves together as she waved off the other ponies. “Please, just call me Twilight. I may be a princess, but I'd much rather be known as a friend to everypony. Now that that's done, though...” her eyes lit up in excitement again as she looked up at Sam. “I'd love to know more about you! Who are you? Where did you come from? How did you learn to play like that?”
“Whoa, jeez, Twilight, let him catch his breath!” Rainbow Dash interjected, hovering up next to Twilight and Applejack.
“Sorry, sorry!” Twilight blurted out again. “Okay. Erm, one question at a time?”
Sam nodded. Even if these ponies were all possibly the strangest things he had ever seen, they seemed friendly, and he found himself smiling and more at-ease, even in the short amount of time he had spent around them. “Well, first,” he began, “My name's Sam.” Reflexively, his mouth twitched a little as his mind awaited the instant comparisons to Dr. Seuss, but none came. Instead, six smiling ponies merely stared back at him, various murmurings of “Ah, Sam,” “Nice to meet'cha!” “Hi Sam!” making their way around the group.
That's a first... he thought to himself. Feeling emboldened, he pushed on. “A-and...And I'm from New York. Manhattan, actually.”
“You're from Manehattan?!” Rarity exclaimed, her voice cracking. A broad grin threatened to split her face, and a split-second later, she—rather elegantly, Sam thought—swooned onto a plush red-velvet couch that seemed to appear just at the right moment. His eyes darted around, but no one else seemed to take Rarity's behavior as particularly strange, so...
“Ahem. Apologies, my dear,” Rarity said, the moment passing as quickly as it had come. “But it's always such a pleasure to meet such a well-educated and well-to-do traveler from the great city of Manehattan. It's not often that we get high-class visitors such as yourself!”
“W-well...” Sam murmured, feeling the confidence he had had only a moment ago slipping away already. “It's not Manehattan, it's—Manhattan. I guess I'm a bit further from home than I thought, heh...I've never even heard of Manehattan. And...” he said, his shoulders seeming to deflate with his mood, “I'm not that high-class. At least, not where I come from. Trust me on that one.”
It was too faint to hear, and Sam wasn't even thinking about it, but at the latest series of revelations, the quiet music in the air, which had resumed shortly after the arrival of the ponies, had begun to take on more sour and dismal qualities, its melody distinctly in a more minor pitch than earlier.
Almost as a single motion, five heads whirled, glaring at Rarity. “What?” she asked, oblivious—that was, until Applejack inclined her head pointedly in the direction of Sam. Blinking several times, an astute observer may have been able to hear the wheels in Rarity's head turning, until the proverbial lightbulb went off, and a soft “Oh!” slipped from her lips. “Da~arling,” Rarity said, walking up to Sam and laying a hoof on his knee. “I didn't mean it like that, not at all. I—apologize if that was insensitive of me. Your—class—doesn't matter! Such a silly thing. Everypony can be friends with everypony else. Me and my friends exemplify that every day. We're all different, but we're all stronger friends because of it. Now, you said you're from a place called Manhattan?” Sam nodded. “Strange. It sounds so similar to our Manehattan, but obviously not. I know everything there is to know about that city, and I've never seen any—one like you there before.”
“It's all right—Rarity,” Sam heard himself saying, almost automatically, his voice conveying a lightness that he didn't feel. He was impossibly far from home, in some kind of strange place inhabited by pastel talking ponies. If that wasn't bad enough, if he wasn't home by two A.M., well... Come to think of it, he wasn't sure what his parents would do if he missed curfew. He never had before. It wasn't as if they'd be worried, though. They certainly hadn't tried to stop him when he had stormed off after their fight, and hadn't called him once all through the night, to make sure he was okay. It's the little things, he thought bitterly, clenching his teeth.
The ethereal music in the air around them squealed discordantly, and Sam jerked his head up, while all six ponies around him either scrambled to cover their ears or plastered them flat against their heads. “What was that?”
“That,” Twilight began, “Was the Music of Harmony. But I've never heard it sound so—out-of-tune before.” She wiggled a hoof against her ear, then flapped both her ears, as if she were trying to clear them. “Did you girls all hear that?”
“Did we hear that?” was Applejack's incredulous reply. “It's a wonder all of Ponyville ain't awake right now.”
“That was most definitely an un-party-like sound!” Pinkie Pie agreed, giving the sky a firm glare, as if it had something to do with the music. “But Twi-twi, aren't you the expert on magical weirdness? Why'd it do that?”
Twilight tapped a hoof against her chin, her eyes flickering back and forth slightly, as if she were reading invisible books. “I...don't know,” she said hesitantly, prompting surprised expressions around the circle of ponies. “The Music of Harmony is something every schoolfilly is taught about, but it's so integral to pony life that it's second-nature to most of us. I'm not a Harmonist—studying under Princess Celestia, I learned about other facets of magic. But!” Her expression brightened as an idea popped into her head. “I'll bet my library's got to have something on this.”
“Hey, while we're over there, could I get the latest Daring Do book?” Rainbow Dash piped up. “I've been dying to know what happens after she crosses The Thousand-Year Desert!”
Twilight laughed and rolled her eyes, elbowing her friend in the side teasingly. “You know, Rainbow, a pony might get the idea that you're turning into quite the—egghead.”
“Pff, yeah yeah, I may be an egghead, but I'm the 'egghead' that beat Applejack in an Iron Pony competition!” the pegasus replied, waggling her eyebrows as her smug smile grew to cocky proportions.
“Y'know, we could have a rematch anytime yer ready, 'pardner,'” Applejack quickly retorted, a confident glint in her own eye as she stared Rainbow down, a smirk of her own on her face.
Five of the six ponies were still lost in their conversation as they started to walk off towards Twilight's castle, leaving Sam alone with his thoughts. Pushing to his feet, he made no move to join them at first, after all, he hadn't been invited, and he was a stranger in their world. But then, he saw heads turning back his direction, and six pairs of eyes all looking at him expectantly. Fluttershy seemed to be having a battle within herself, her expressions shifting as her mind raced. Then, seemingly coming to a decision, she slowly trotted back towards Sam, pawing at the ground in front of her with her hoof. “Um...aren't you coming, Sam?” she asked.
Sam blinked, his eyebrows arching skyward. “You...want me to come with you?”
“Well DUH!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, bouncing in place. Somehow she had heard what he had said from over fifty feet away. “'Sides, you still have to have that welcome to Equestria party!”
“Mm-hmm,” Fluttershy agreed. “I mean, you're our friend now—if you want to be. And you should come with us! ...If you want to, that is.”
Sam shifted in his shoes again as he thought. It wasn't like people to simply be nice to him for no reason; experience had taught him that. Respect, if given at all, was hard-earned, and sometimes not even then. But here were these six ponies that had seemingly offered the hand—or—hoof of friendship to him without even a second thought. What was the catch? Was there a catch? Maybe, Sam thought, maybe he had died, and this was heaven. That was why everyone was so nice. But inhabited by nothing but ponies? That was a strange-sounding heaven.
A rumble of thunder tore Sam from his thoughts, and once again he turned his head skyward. The once-clear sky was now covered in a blanket of gray that encroached on the air above town, low-hanging clouds flashing occasionally.
Applejack glanced up too, then looked back towards Sam. “Well, whatever your decision's gonna be, Sugarcube, I suggest y'all make it fast. Looks like there's a storm a-brewin' and we don't wanna be caught outside in it if we don't have to be.”
“O-oh yeah, totally forgot to tell you guys about that. Sorry...” Rainbow Dash replied, chuckling with embarrassment and crossing her front hooves over each other.
Spurred into action, Sam turned and looked back over his shoulder. “Well, what about the...” He knew that whatever place he was in, dream-world, heaven, or alternate dimension, water wasn't good for any kind of musical instrument. “...Piano...” his voice trailed off as the piano he had been sitting at only a few moments before had vanished from view, not a single trace of it could be seen. “Uhh...”
Twilight noticed Sam's confusion and smiled, waving a hoof dismissively. “Oh, that's something I actually do know about. When an instrument is no longer needed, it rejoins the Music of Harmony to become part of the greater melody. The only strange part about that piano tonight was that it was still there when you arrived. It should have disappeared when the last pony to play it was finished.”
Of course, Twilight's “explanation” only left Sam feeling even more confused. But, with the six ponies staring at him, the piano gone, for whatever reason, and the approaching storm, there really was only one decision open to him. “Well, I suppose I could come with you,” he said, starting to feel a bit more confident again. “After all, it beats sitting out here and getting rained on.” A more genuine smile curved Sam's lips this time.
“Wonderful!” Twilight clapped her front hooves together. “Follow me then. We can get some tea when we get to the castle, and it'll certainly be brighter, and cozier inside if there's a rainstorm coming.”
Sam nodded, and this time, followed the other six ponies as they trotted off. Just above a low roll of thunder, the Music of Harmony swelled to a triumphant chord, the same as the one that Sam had played earlier on the piano.