Pick Up Your Pencil

by Nova of Silver Skies

Rating: everyone
Tags: Princess Luna, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Adventure
Length: 1157

Nova Sketches is out of luck. A struggling artist, out of ideas, he gets an unexpected source of help.

Nova Sketches is going mad.
At least, that's what he thinks.
As a deadline approaches, the artist seeks help. The response he gets will change him forever.

Published 2013-12-21 00:40:08 UTC
Last updated 2013-12-21 00:40:08 UTC

Chapter 1

Luna had sensed the stallion's unease, and decided to find what was troubling him.

She closed her eyes, her essence connecting with the unicorn's consciousness. Luna had heard of this stallion before. What was his name again? Ah, she remembered. Nova Sketches. The artist.

Once he was fully asleep, she walked into his dream. She sensed that he was aware of her presence.

"Princess Luna? Are you here?" He walked around the dark clearing, horn aglow, looking for any signs of the Princess of the Night. Her suspicions had been confirmed.

"Nova Sketches." She walked out from behind the bush. He bowed, eyes wide.

"Your Highness. Why are you here?"

"As I was stargazing, I noticed you were in distress. I thought I could be of assistance."

"No, no, no, Princess. Don't trouble yourself with me. It's minor, really. Just a little conflict."

"Is that so?" The alicorn walked to his side. "You still seem on edge about something." She noticed the dark rings under his eyes. He must have been up all night by the looks of it.

"It's... nerves. Yes. It's nerves." Sweat beaded on the stallions forehead. He didn't like these kinds of situations. Luna eyed him warily, but there was concern mixed in. Nova sighed.

"I'm out of ideas."

Luna furrowed her brow. "Whatever do you mean?"

"I have artist's block. I have a big project due for Mayor Mare in a week and I haven't been able to start it. I'm just so stressed and-" Luna cut the worried stallion off. "Hush. Relax. I think I can help you. Walk with me."

Nova was surprised as his tension was released while he walked. It was never that easy for him to do that when he was awake. "But how, Princess?"

The mare looked down at him with kind eyes. "Follow your dreams."

He stopped in his tracks. "Wait... what?"

"Follow your dreams."

"Um..." Nova was at a loss for words. He had heard the saying before, but never in this context. Suddenly, his vision began to cloud over.

"What's happening?"

"You're waking up." Luna's image began to warp and ripple.

"But I don't understand yet!"

"I shall explain later! But now, you must awake!"

Nova woke up with a jolt, breathing heavily.

Chapter 2

Nova's mind was full of questions.

It always was, but not in this way. He was actually overwhelmed with them. What did Luna mean by 'follow your dreams'? Would she come back? How would this help?! Nova finally decided he needed to fall back asleep to find out. But first, he needed breakfast.

He opened his pantry and levitated an apple to his mouth, still thinking intently. How will I get back to sleep at a time like this? Will Luna even be awake to help me? Taking his last bite, he thought of a solution.
"Zecora!"

But that was miles away, and in the Everfree Forest. He'd never been there, but from the rumors that circulated about it, it didn't sound very appealing. Timberwolves, flesh-eating plants... he shivered just thinking about it. Maybe this wasn't the best idea after all...

No. He had to. It was the only way. But first, he'd make a detour to Ponyville. Nova had a few friends that may be able to help.

...

"Who is it?"
"It's Nova."

The door opened and a black stallion with straight white and gray mane emerged. "Hey, Sketch! How's Canterlot been?"
"Ok, I guess."
"Come in, come in. You look tired."
"Trust me, I am." Nova trotted over to the sofa and plopped himself down as the stallion went to get him a drink. "How's life for you, Shad?"
"Oh, same old. Business has been pretty good." Shadow Quill was Ponyville's resident author and a good friend of Nova's. They'd known each other since they were little colts, and had stayed in touch since.
"Well, that's good. Listen, I need your help with a little something."
"Give me a sec-"
"Now. I need it now."

Shadow looked back at his friend in surprise. Nova was almost never that stern.
"Something's wrong, huh?"
"Sorta. It's hard to explain. But I need you to get me to Zecora's. Fast."
"Wow, you're in a rush. Here, I have a map around here somewhere..."
Shadow dug through his cluttered desk. It reminded Nova of his own desk. Paint stains everywhere, papers scattered...
"Aha! Here it is. You sure you can do this yourself?" He pulled the map out from a drawer and tossed it to Nova. "I think I can handle myself well enough. I need to get going."

"Woah, woah. Slow yourself down there. What's wrong anyways?"
"No time to explain." Nova began to fidget. "I'll tell you when I get back."
"Well, bye then." Shadow waved as Nova bolted out the door. "Hope everything turns out alright."
"You have no idea," Nova murmured to himself as he disappeared into the thick forest.

Prologue

Nova Sketches had artist's block.

And it wasn't helping him sleep.

He tossed and turned, unable to shut off his thought process. The deadline for the painting was only a week away, yet he had no inspiration. Nova had walked around in the plaza of Canterlot earlier that afternoon, hoping something would spark his interest. But nothing did. Just the snobby ponies sitting at their fancy little tables in their expensive gowns and tuxedos, but that wasn't his cup of tea. He liked vibrant. Abstract. Fantasy. Anything but real life.

Art was his getaway from the busy Canterlot hustle. Every time he tried to get into society, his anxieties would shoot through the roof. He had his own little cluster of friends, and outside of that, Nova just didn't feel right. That's why he took to the arts, where he could be in a secluded little corner, expressing his feelings without having to talk.

But right now, he couldn't even feel secure. An artist with no ideas- he couldn't imagine living the rest of his life like that. It wasn't natural. Or even possible, for that matter.

"Celestia help me," he mumbled, tugging at his multi-hued purple mane. "I want to be able to sleep at night without pulling my mane out!" Nova sighed and took deep breaths, still trying to relax himself. The moon shone on his pastel blue coat. At least the sky is calm, full of its serene twinkling lights and deep blues, he thought. He found himself staring more intently at it, for the first time taking in the beauty of the night. He'd never noticed it before. It was... calming.

He began to drift off, eyes closing slowly. As he fell asleep, he noticed something strange. A disturbance in his mind.

It felt as if someone were literally walking into his conscious.

Author's Note

This is my first attempt writing a real pony fic. Hopefully, I don't get writer's block anytime soon.