The Words Have Long Since Failed Me

by TLC

Rating: everyone
Tags: Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rarity, Slice of Life, Sad
Length: 2526

While out on a stroll through Canterlot, Rarity walks by a small colt outside playing music into the night and decides to take the part of his audience of one.

Days can be chaotic at times, especially for ponies such as Rarity who are kept busy with their work. So occasionally our alabaster fashionista takes it to walking through her home town while she's visiting. But on this night, she stops at the sounds of twanging strings and is brought to its source; a young colt playing out to the stars above.

Published 2014-07-17 23:30:02 UTC
Last updated 2014-07-17 23:30:02 UTC

The Words Have Long Since Failed Me

The Words Have Long Since Failed Me

        Stars blanketed the silky texture of the night sky, coolest of blues and darkest of blacks mixing together in swirls via the doing of our Lunar goddess princess. It almost seemed that her everything was put into every night such as one like this, one I find myself out on my own ever so often. Like a cat prowling Canterlot's cobblestone roads, I was out simply sight seeing and taking my usual breather from my near drowning times at work.

Doable, yes. Not to boast, but I am quiet the professional in the art of dress and I had been for years up to that point. Since Twilight's rise as the new Princess there had been little to no breathing room between dress orders, as being an Element of Harmony and the princess's then personal wardrobe provider the demand for royalty like outfits, dresses, and suits went up like a thermostat.

So...for days at a time, I would find myself never leaving my shop, only moving between Ponyville and Canterlot to make it easier on the customers to collect their orders. However much I love my profession, my career, my own special talent; it can leave me claustrophobic at times. The difference between a job and a career is whether or not you enjoying doing what you're doing whether or not the pay is good or not, whether you see it as a chore or something you take part in because it brings you joy.

Generosity, is no job. Making dresses, is no job.

Though every now and again I feel I need a reminder, a small spark here and there to get my mind back on track when the pressure wares me too thin. This could lead to either a trip to the spa with my friends, a restaurant date with my favorite little assistant, or if it gets a bit too exhausting Celestia forbid; a small week's break, which I had found out in the past that the customers understand.

I gazed up towards the sky, the closed stores and buildings' windows simple black rectangles upon their surfaces. While the town slept, I walked and cleared my mind breathing in the fresh air and soaking in the light chill of the night. The silence relaxing, the only sounds grazing my ears being my hoof steps and whatever small creature sang out into the night.

It was then, reaching the center of town, my ears perked up as I heard another sound.

Quiet at first slowly grew with life, the steel twanging of strings in the night. I followed the sounds, a chorus of chords beckoning me to a lone bench. Atop it's worn out wooden planks sat a young colt, a knit cap snugged over his head barely covering his coal colored mane. In his lap sat an acoustic guitar, stickers of origin worn against its aged surface.

The colt, white furred and seemingly lost in his own music to notice, nodded his head as his hooves dance about the neck of his instrument. I dared a few steps forward and stopped a short eight or so feet of him, fearing any closer and I would disturb him.

A street lamp stood beside the colt, lighting him like a spot light on this evening's stage to this audience of one.

Suddenly he stopped, his hooves stilling the strings and his head leaning up slightly. It was then I had only just noticed his flame orange eyes, meeting my own ocean blues.

"O-Oh...hello." I spoke out, taking another step forward. "Don't mind me..I er, had heard you from down the way..."

The colt startled slightly. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

I tilted my head quizzically before realizing the misunderstanding. "Oh no, no! You didn't wake me, I was simply out from a walk and..." I approached the colt, sitting before him and looking up to his position on the bench. "You play rather lovely."

The colt furrowed his brow. "R-Really?"

"Why yes, of course!" I beamed. "Do you write?"

"A little." He said, giving me a slight shrug as he began to twiddle with the pegs on the head of his instrument. "I'm not that good at writing songs."

"Oh don't say that." I told him, giving him a smile. "What is your name?"

The colt stared, his eyes shifting left and right at the empty space of the city center around us. "Did you see anybody out here when you were walking?"

I sat there, staring around at the empty cobblestone street. "No..no, not exactly-"

"Then I'm CD." He said, chuckling slightly. "Sorry...I'm not exactly supposed to be out here."

I joined in with him, giggling at the colt's juvenile act of sneaking out. "That's quite alright, I am Rarity. Um, CD was it?" I asked him, granting me his attention. "Do you mind, you don't have to of course..."

He nodded his head, showing his was following me.

"Do you think you could play me something?" I look back up towards the stars. "I normally walk out here in the silence that the night grants me, it would be nice have a change of pace."

I turned back to him, seeing that he too was entranced by the night's sky. When he came back down to gaze at his instrument, he smiled. "Sure." He said, shuffling in his seat. "I can do that."

I smile, lightly clopping my hooves together.

"Just, uh..." I stalled. "Don't do that."

I chuckled, getting comfortable as he played a few chords and began to hum. "I wrote this a few nights ago, so..."

I gave him an assuring smile. He sighed.

"So...yeah." And he played.

His hoof strummed the strings with precision, me closing my eyes as I became immersed within the music.

I sing to you from the shores,

Of what used to be our home,

And my hooves sting from the sand,

And the glass resting on the coast,

And you've stray so far away,

Your disappearance was today,

And all is non too well for,

The words have long since failed me...

        His voice was calm and low, his eye lids slowly drifted down till they were shut. I watched him as he not only seemed to get lost within the song, he too was immersed with every word. The chords were bright like the sun, Celestia's magic morphing the ball of radiation into the words he sang, while the meaning behind them were slightly darker, bringing out the moon and that night's sky with it. I re-positioned myself on the bench, listening closer to the words.

And I've changed a little,

While you've been left but an outline,

No longer a small lump,

But a colt whose halfway to becoming a stallion,

And I still find myself,

Searching for any guidance I can,

It's so far lead me to no where,

The map's too worn out for me to understand and...

I sing to you from the shores,

Of what used to be our home,

And my hooves sting from the sand,

And the glass resting on the coast,

And you've stray so far away,

Your disappearance was today,

And all is non too well for,

The words have long since failed me...

       That was when I engaged in conversation with the colt and took a break from the lonesome walking about. He turned out to be quite bright for his age, and the talented young pony. During our conversations he would play little bits to add atmosphere, adding background music to our talk.

It was later into our meeting that I began to wonder what he was doing out this late. "I was just about to ask, why are you out here by yourself?"

CD sighed, plucking at the fattest string. "It's nice to get out every once in a while."

This made me smile a bit wider than I may have intended, surprising the colt. "I know what you mean. You know, I too used to sneak out when I was your age."

CD turned to me. "To clear your head?"

I opened my mouth, images of many parties and suitors and numerous occasions where I would meet two fairly angry parents and at least three months grounding upon returning home.

I smiled sheepishly, shuffling my hooves. "You...could say that."

He titled his head at me, an all knowing smile for such a young pony.

In an effort to change the course of this sudden conversation, I look up towards the stars, speaking in their visible language to one another.

"I sometimes come out on nights like this-" I point up towards the star blanket sky, catching his attention as well. "-and just enjoy the fresh air and take time to clear my head."

CD gazed out towards the sky. "Should probably get out more..." He mumbled to himself, before returning to tuning his instrument. Once he finished, he plucked each string to be sure each was tuned right. "I usually come out here to think too, but sometimes it's hard to be anywhere lately."

"Whatever do you mean?" I asked him.

He leaned back against the bench, letting his guitar fall against. "My ma's got this friend whose kinda acted as my second mother for as long as I can remember...whether it was holidays, birthdays, times good or bad, it's like she's always filled that place that's been vacant for so long."

I bit of me wilted at the colt's words, getting up and taking my place by him on the bench.

"And she really cares for my mom, too." He continued, smiling. "Like...I'm pretty sure they love each other, and not even like that love you say to like your friends or whatever but like...love." His smile faltered, but righted itself. "And I'm glad i have both of them, where ever I am...it's just.."

"CD, if you don't mind me asking?" I intruded, hesitant but he nodded. "Do...do you know how you were born?"

He grew silent, tilting his head back and staring faintly at the sky and maybe closer.

"Do you remember..." I stopped, shaking my head. "On second thought, it's not really my place-"

"No!" He turned to me. "I never really talk to anybody about this stuff anyway." He smiled, nodding for me to continue. "I don't mind, honest."

I frowned, turning to stare at the cobblestone ground, allowing the silence of the night to sink in before asking.

"Do you remember your father?"

The chill of the night made it self known, a curious wind blowing past us while the question sunk into the colt, him shifting slightly in his place beside me. I regretted the question, forgetting completely the reason why I was out here in the first place. My own curiosity brought me into indulging myself into this colt's personal life.

"No." I heard him say. "My mom...both of them. They don't like to talk about him, I think Vinyl said something about him once, about how he left my mom the day I was born. About how he didn't want to stay with her, how...how..."

My ears perked up at the light tapping of CD's tears sliding from his chin and landing on his guitar. My heart stung at the sight. Unable to bare it much longer, I scooted closer to him and wrapped a hoof around him. His head leaned against my side as he softly sobbed into my fur, my hoof rubbing his shoulder as he let it out.

"Shh..." I hushed him, his shivering form nearly causing his instrument to fall to the ground before I had a chance to catch it in my magic and placing besides us on the bench. "It's alright, shh..."

"I just want to know why." I heard him say, muffled by my fur.  "Why he didn't want me?"

"CD!"

I snapped my attention upwards, seeing a shadowy figure running towards us before stepping to the light of the street lamp. She too had white fur like CD, but her mane was an electric blue and her eyes were and intense red, bloodshot as she closed in on the colt.

"There you are!" She sat down besides him, laying a hoof on his shoulder before turning up to me, burning red daggers pointed into me. "What did you do!"

I sat up and away from the bench, raising my hooves up in defense. "Me?! I had nothing to do with his state! I was simply comforting him!"

"She's right, ma..." CD sniffled, the mare's hooves wrapping around him.

"Listen Cee, I'm so sorry. I didn't want you to hear all that, I had no right to say all that about your dad..." She laid his head on his shoulder. "But he did something that I can't forgive him for, alright? What he's done to Octy and you? I can't forgive anyone who brings harm to you guys because you're my family." She whispered to him, I started to feel a bit awkward being there.

"I..uh.." Getting their attention, I scratched my head. "It appears I'm intruding on a rather sensitive moment, so I'll just be going.."

"Wait!" The mare said, standing away from CD and approaching me. "I'm sorry for going aggro on you like that. Heh, it's just that Cee' here has been missing for a day or so and just..."

I waved a hoof at her. "I understand, dear. No need for apologies. I have a younger sister who's ran away for some reason or another."

The mare grinned. "Yeah, kids right?" She extended her hoof to mine. "Name's Vinyl."

I met my hooves with her's and smiled. "Rarity, the pleasure is all mine. I had found our little musician resting on this bench playing his guitar, I simply though he was out here to clear his head." I turned to him, his gaze towards the ground. "You never told me you ran away."

"Sorry." He said, Vinyl resting her hoof on his head.

"It's alright, dude. Let's get you home." She said, helping the young colt to his hooves before turning to me. "Thank you for finding him, uh, unintentionally." She chuckled.

"No problem at all, deary." I told her, smiling. "It's been a pleasure talking with him, he's a kind colt and very talented."

Vinyl grinned down at the colt. "Heh, well look at the charmer!"

"Shut up..." The colt's face a blazed.

"Well...it's getting late." I said, turning away from the two. "It's been a pleasure, Mr. CD." I turned back to him, giving him a small wink. "Please do try to keep out of trouble, yes? I'd hate to find you back here in a similar state."

As I walked away, a grin growing on my lips at seeing the blushing colt watch me leave, I overheard the two's conversation before them too heading home.

"Wow..." CD said, feeling as though he will suffer a nose bleed.

"Eh, she's okay." Vinyl said, letting out a yawn. "Octy's got her beat though. Let's get outta here, I'll grab your guitar."