A Life in Equestria

A crash was heard as Grace walked out the door. She looked over to see the grey mailmare getting up from her fall. “Derpy, are you okay?” Grace rushed over to help the pegasus. Thankfully, the mare was perfectly fine.

“Grace Note! I have a letter for you, it came all the way from Canterlot!” Derpy smiled in her usual derpy way and handed over the bent letter.

“Yes! Thank you Derpy.” Grace handed the mare a few bits from her bag. “ Here. Go get a nice muffin from the Cakes` shop. You deserve it.”

“Thanks Grace! But are you sure? I did bend and beat up your letter.” The grey mare frowned slightly and went to give the bits back.

“No Derpy, I insist. You gave me the letter, that`s all that matters. Now go before I change my mind.” She grinned and waved as Derpy flew off towards Sugarcube Corner. The light blue pegasus went back into the house and sat on her favorite reading chair. Gleefully, she opened the envelope and read the much anticipated letter:

Dear Grace,

The location of our concert is to be located in Cloudsdale inside the ballroom of the cloudscastle at 9:00 pm on Thursday, the third of January. Please arrive at 3:15 pm in order for us to practice together before hand. I will have Magic Sketch cast a spell that will allow me to walk on the clouds so do not worry one bit about that small detail. I will wait to see you there. Oh and bring any instrument you wish.

From,

Octavia

“January third, that’s next Saturday! I better go tell Magic Sketch about this before I forget.” Grace rushed out the door, letter in her mouth. She certainly didn’t want the stallion to think she was lying about him being able to come along with the two. She had almost reached the library when a white blur raced right in front of the pegasus, knocking her down.

“Oh I’m terribly sorry darling!” A familiar voice called out. Grace looked over to see Rarity walking over to her. “I was just in such a hurry and- oh my what is this?” The mare had stepped onto the letter and began to read it.

“Rarity, you shouldn’t be re-” She was cut short as the fashionista put a hoof to her mouth.

“Darling, why didn’t you tell me?” She gasped. “This is a high class event! I must make you a dress. I won't take no for an answer! No no, there is no need to thank me.” Rarity walked off to her boutique, dragging the poor pegasus along with her.

After many measurements and re-measurements, Grace was finally allowed to leave, on the condition that she would come back later to pick a well suited style. Not wanting to offend the unicorn, Grace resisted the urge to dash out as soon as possible. She calmly walked out of the door and over to the library. Luckily, no other incidents happened between then and the time that she reached the door. She knocked out her favorite melody and a dark red aura surrounded the doorknob, opening the door for her. She entered and saw Magic Sketch with his nose deep in a thick, dusty-looking book. Not surprising considering he lived in the library.

“Hi Grace, how are you?” He looked up at the mare with a smile. “Did the letter come yet?”

“Yes! I have to be in Cloudsdale on the third.” Grace grinned excitedly.

“Cloudsdale? But isn’t Octavia an Earth pony?” He questioned with a puzzled look.

“Oh yeah, I guess I should have told you the other part." She blushed. "Because the concert is in the clouds, Octavia needs you to go with us and use a cloudwalking spell for her.” The mare looked inquisitively at the stallion in front of her. “So will you?”

“Of course I will! I wouldn’t want to miss it for the world!” He smiled wide. “It will be worth it just to see you obviously overjoyed as you play with Octavia.”

Grace giggled, “Sometimes I think you’re too sweet Magic.” She hugged the now blushing stallion which just made him blush more. After a few moments, she let go with a happy sigh. “It’s actually quite relieving to know my very best stallion will be there to support me. I’ve been worrying about making any really big mistakes in front of Octavia and just…. It's really good to know I’ll still have you there, you know?”

“I understand completely.” He chuckled softly. “I can’t believe that I, of all unicorns, get to go with you two. This is amazing!”

“Exactly!” She smiled. The two talked more about the upcoming event until Grace glanced at the clock for the first time that night. “Is it really that late? Sorry Magic, I have to go see Rarity about the dress she insisting on making for me. Talk to you later.”

“Bye Grace!” He shouted as she dashed out of the door. Once she exited his line of view, he went back to his book and let out a sigh. “Oh Grace, you wonderfully amazing mare.”

At the boutique, Grace narrowed down Rarity’s creative ideas to just one. It was the most simple option that the unicorn had given her, yet it was still very fashionable. “Are you sure you don’t want one of the other options darling?” Rarity asked for what seemed like the billionth time.

“Yes Rarity, I’m absolutely positive. I’m playing an instrument, not dancing with royalty. This dress is going to be amazing anyway, knowing you and your previous designs.” Grace reassured the fashionista. She wasn’t even planning on wearing a dress at all before bumping into Rarity earlier, so simple was always better in her opinion.

“Okay then darling, just know that it’s no problem if you want to add anything to it. I do want you to look your utmost best!” Rarity smiled as she got right to work on the dress. After a while, the busy unicorn noticed her pegasus friend still standing there, watching her attentively. “Oh darling, you can go ahead and leave whenever you like.”

“Just making sure Rarity.” Grace giggled. “Sometimes you can get pretty intimidating when you’re working.” She was rewarding with a gasp and startled look from the white mare.

“I do not! A lady would never elicit such titles as ‘intimidating’. What makes you think I’m like that at all?” Rarity adjusted her sewing glasses.

“Well… There was that one time with my first Gala dress. And the time you made me a dress for my first ever date. Not to mention the-” She would have gone on if not for the light blue aura currently keeping her lips closed.

“Ahem, that’s enough. Shouldn’t you be home practicing now? Don’t want to disappoint your idol now, do you?” Rarity grinned at her.

“I guess not.” Grace blushed and smiled slightly. “I’ll come over tomorrow to check on the dress then. Ta-ta for now.” She walked out the door and flew off to her home.

It wasn’t until she went into the music room that she realized she had no idea which instrument she would play. She looked at her four instruments, contemplating them all. Triangle? No, it wouldn’t work well and most likely wouldn’t be heard. Cello? No, Octavia was already playing the cello. Clarinet? No, That wouldn’t blend with the sound of the cello very well. Harpsichord? Perfect! It had the ability to play a melody, blends with other instruments well, and wasn’t already being played. For the rest of the evening, Grace improved her playing skills as best as she could. Long tones, chords, scales, anything she could do to better herself, she worked on it. She was so focused on her instrument that she didn’t notice Lyra entering the room.

“The harpsichord huh? Haven’t heard you play that in a while. you’ve been favoring your clarinet.” The lyrist grinned, waking Grace from her musical trance.

“Oh yeah, I guess Barney had been getting quite a bit of attention lately” She smiled and glanced over at her prized possession, the plum colored clarinet nicknamed Barney. “That might be one of the reasons I won’t be playing him on Saturday.”

“Saturday? Did you get another job from Pinkie?” Lyra questioned.

“Yes I got a job but it’s not from Pinkie!” She squealed happily. “Octavia has asked me to play with her in Cloudsdale! Octavia!”

“Wow, that’s wonderful! And to think I was just about to make you stop practicing.” The mare smiled. “So the harpsichord huh? I thought you would have chosen your cello.”

“No, I didn’t want to seem like I was copying her.” Grace shrugged, still grinning.

“Okay you crazy mare.” Lyra laughed and walked away, leaving Grace to go back to her playing.

Grace eventually put her music away and dragged herself into her room. She plopped onto the bed, exhausted. She glanced at the clock to see it was already past midnight. She sighed and buried her head into the pillow. Thoughts of the upcoming concert rushed throughout her head. The last thought she had before drifting off was of how happy Magic Sketch was when he found out the wonderful news that he would go along.

Meanwhile, Magic Sketch had finished Magic: Spells Every Unicorn Must Know and was now stretching his sore back. He laughed, “Maybe reading on the floor all day isn’t the best idea.” Finally noticing his growling stomach for the first time in hours, he wandered into the kitchen. Without thinking too hard about it, the stallion put together a daffodil sandwich. He took a bite and remembered Grace's obsession with the food, how she would always order a daffodil sandwich, no matter where they happened to be dining. He smiled and continued eating. He still had the blue mare on his mind as he cleaned up and proceeded to get ready for bed. Brushing his teeth? He thought of her smile. Combing his mane? He thought of how soft hers was. Actually getting into bed? He thought of how much he never wants to leave her when they must depart from each other's company, much like she hated leaving her bed in the mornings.

He sighed and closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to take him away from reality. It took a few tosses and turns but eventually the comforting thoughts of the Pegasus mare soothed him to sleep.