Unsung Melodies

UNSUNG MELODIES - Singer, Weave Me A Melody

The chill wind ushered them inside Carousel Boutique, Rarity’s coffee bobbing dangerously in Starlight’s telekinetic grip as the door slammed shut, bells clanging noisily instead their usual soft tinkling jingle. Melodia winced, ears flattening against her head in protest to the discordant sound, one hoof-tip scuffing a shallow groove in the carpet. She hated off-key noises like that ... they hurt.

All was silent in the Boutique, except the rhythmic clack-whir of Rarity’s sewing machine. Unicorn mage lights lit the interior and she could catch glimpses of Rarity’s ice-blue magic from the half-shut door to the fashionista’s workroom. She was working – still working, the poor mare. She must be exhausted by now, Melodia thought sadly. Did she even stop to sleep? No, this was Rarity. She wouldn’t.

“Rarity?” she called into the quiet building. “We brought you something – thought you could use a good coffee.”

“Darling, you didn’t have to!” Rarity protested dizzily as she trotted into view. “I’m practically fine!”

“Rares, generous and hardworking as you are; take the word of a friend – you’re not fine.” Spike replied with a frown.

“Don’t be silly, Spike! I’m just a little tired, that’s all.”

“Okay, I’m going to pull a Sparkle-”

“Hey!” Melodia complained. “Rude!”

“-and ask you to describe it as best as you can. Please?”

Rarity swayed dangerously on her hooves. “I’ve been running on coffee the last two days and I haven’t slept properly in a week.”

“...Ponyfeathers. Okay, that’s it. I’ve had enough,” he growled. “Rarity, you’re taking the day off.”

“Nonsense! I don’t have the time!”

“You won’t have time for anything if you keep this up!”

It was true. She looked exhausted because she was. If what Rarity said was, in fact, correct, then when her mother got back home from Canterlot she was going to want to have serious words with her fashionable friend. Serious, stern words too. Sighing, she blew her fringe out of her eyes and gave Rarity a small smile, feathers ruffling as she trotted up to the mare and draped a wing over her barrel. This was bound to work – Rarity could never resist the temptation of a makeover.

“Take the day off – get some sleep, eat some decent food – and I’ll give you free reign coming up for a new outfit for me.”

Rarity perked up immediately. “Oh, dear, how positively fabulous! ... And I could use a break, I suppose. Thank you, Melodia.”

She giggled. “Anytime, Rarity. Go take a nice, long, relaxing bath – your poor mane’s a mess!”

While Spike guided the unsteady unicorn upstairs to her living quarters, Melodia and Starlight got to work. They didn’t need to speak, not now, when a friend needed their help. Starlight’s turquoise glow tugged and adjusted as fabric and ponnequins returned to their proper places; the dust that been collecting on surfaces swirling to the floor in great, elegant arcs to pile in heaps upon the ground.

A flap of her wings lifted her off the floor, and she closed her eyes as she tapped into her race’s innate magic. Each wingbeat sounded as loud as a drum in her ears; and she twisted the air into form with a neat pirouette. ‘Round the room she raced, taking the spinning funnel with her in her wake – dirt and grime torn, helpless, from their resting places by a great wind as she travelled.

Throwing Star a sharp salute, she darted out the door with the ease of a hummingbird and dispelled the dust-devil with a clap of her hooves. It had hardly drifted down to the road before she lifted herself higher, already zeroing in on her chosen cloud. She stopped with a near-audible screech, wings beating at the air as she alighted down on the fluffy surface. She was no weatherpony but that didn’t stop her.

One hoof tapped her perch experimentally, and she gave a satisfied hum. Yes, this would do just fine.  Now ... how did Rainbow do it? She burrowed through the cloud and out the bottom, before flipping over mid-fall and twisting back around. There was no need to fly at breakneck speed; but speed was still a requirement as she zipped around gathering enough vapour to form a decent raincloud.

Dropping earthward with evenly-timed flaps, she nudged her cloud back towards the ground, hooves damp from brushing the grey mist. The door opened and she shoved the rain-filled mass into the centre of the room. Magic bubbled up, weatherproof barriers slamming into place over easily damageable goods; and with a nod from her unicorn companion, she began the second phase.

Flap. Flap. Flap. The drumbeat returned, and she found herself humming along as she sprinted towards the low-lying cloud. One smooth pivot later, and her back hooves struck the cloud with enough force to knock apples off a tree in the Apple family’s orchard.

“And, go.” The words were like a dropped pin in a silent room.

“Diva, if you can’t handle it...”

“Relax, I’ve got this.”

“That sounds suspiciously like a Rainbow Dash line, Melodia.”

“What? Just because I happen to be confident means I’m pulling a Rainbow? Have a little faith in me, Star.”

The rain was already starting to fall, which meant she had to work fast. Putting the conversation in the back of her mind, she shoved the shrinking cloud across the room, watching with as a critical eye as it slowed, then vanished with a soft ‘poof’ as if it had never been there in the first place. Spike slid down the stairs, coming to a halt on all four legs at the bottom with a smug, content grin.

“She’s all good, guys. Need someone to steam clean the carpet for you?” he asked cheerfully.

“That’d be great, thanks!” she replied with an answering grin.

It was an interesting experience, watching Spike work, but there was no lack of speed and precision in the manner he worked. Rarity had been his childhood crush, a friend, an Element of Harmony and so much more. Fashionista, designer, charity volunteer ... he could relate to the mare in many ways and that made his inclination help her out that much stronger. It was fascinating, it really was.

Being the daughter of a princess had its perks sometimes, especially if your mother was the Princess of Friendship, so it wasn’t all that bad – just confusing and a little lonely. Yeah, lonely – you’d expect her to have a tonne of friends, but no, she didn’t. Sure, she had Starlight; and she had Spike, but apart from them? She couldn’t count many others as friends – others her age, anyway.

Discord, because he listened and cared; Roseluck because she understood the frustrations of not being able to express yourself the way you wanted; and Silver Spoon was ... Silver Spoon. She didn’t exactly have friends; and Princess Luna made an excellent conversationalist when it was the middle of the night and everyone else was asleep. At least she knew what it felt to be like this.

And thank goodness she did; because Melodia wasn’t sure she could have survived this long without the Princess’s advice. That, and her cousin’s company. Flurry Heart was a Faust-send sometimes, with her Pinkie-like abilities in cheering ponies up. Her cousin was never afraid to go out on a limb for her people, and the same went doubly for friends and family. She’d have to send her a letter later; tell her the news.

Flurry would be ecstatic – she could already imagine her reaction. Full of capitals and exclamations; not to mention smiley faces.  Meoldia giggled as she fluttered off her seat on Rarity’s banister and went to find the mare herself. It was a good thing she’d spent as much time as she had around her mother’s friends as she had; it meant she knew her way around and knew exactly where to look for a sleepy fashionista. Sure enough, she found Rarity curled up on her bed, still damp mane and tail wrapped up in towels.

Grabbing a blanket in her teeth – it was a cashmere/wool blend, a fact she noticed purely out of exposure to the white mare – she draped it over the sleeping Rarity. Shaking her head, she dropped back to all four hooves and trotted quietly out the door, shutting it behind her. It was best to let her sleep.

Armed with the knowledge that there was no way Rarity would accept payment for her makeover, Melodia busied herself in cleaning. Thankfully, she had no need to go grab a cloud or two, Rarity’s broom cupboard had all the supplies she needed. Plates at least a week old sat piled up by the sink, dirty and in desperate need of a wash. It was simple, repetitive work; not that she minded - it was just dishes.

Only when each plate and glass gleamed, clean and dry, did she watch the water go down the drain. Returning to the cupboard, she grabbed a bottle of wood polish and a soft rag. Clearing the knickknacks off the table, she memorized the placement, so she could put them back later, just the way they were. Music bled softly through the speakers of the radio from where it sat on the bench, and she couldn’t help but dance along as she went.

Next was the shelves, and as she swept a feather-duster over Rarity’s disorganised collection of fashion magazines and sketchbooks, the amount of dust that fell nearly made her shudder. After all, the white unicorn, by her own admission, was a neat freak. It was sad that Rarity had driven herself to the point that she didn’t have time to keep everything neat and tidy the way she liked it.

Melodia had just fetched the broom when she heard hoof-beats in the hall. She felt Rarity’s eyes on her, and turned around slowly, shuffling her hooves nervously. She took in the fashionista as she more than likely did the same. Rarity’s mane was swept to one side, her forelock covering one side of her face – and though she still looked a little tired, she appeared much better. This only made her aware of her own state however, and the amount of dirt and grime that clung to her coat. She looked like a mess; and felt like it too.

“Uh, hiya, Rarity. I hope you don’t mind that we kinda cleaned up a bit – your house needed it, to be honest.” she confessed.

“Oh, not to worry, dear. In fact, you’ve done me a great favour! Now, to return it ...”

“Oh, um, before we start ... we kinda sorta grabbed you a coffee and a piece of Pinkie’s apple slice. You might want to eat them.”

Still, she had to wince at the rushed manner Rarity devoured the food and drink. Clearly she hadn’t been looking after herself properly, especially if she was this hungry. Maybe Sweetie Belle could check in her sister over the next few days or so? It was a well-known fact that the young mare couldn’t cook – there were some pretty impressive horror stories of the times she had tried (how did you set water on fire?) – but she still cared for her big sister and it would bother her a lot to hear about the state Rarity was currently in.

Then she was swept downstairs and yanked into an overly-expressive group hug, with Rarity exclaiming her gratitude over and over. Only the promise of a makeover drew her away and Melodia quickly resigned herself to the unicorn’s fussing. Particularly over the mess her coat was – she couldn’t help it if it was full of soap residue and dust from her cleaning spree! She’d just be busy; it hadn’t been the time to complain how dirty she was going to end up. For Faust’s sake!

Starlight and Spike got pushed to one side; giggling as Rarity’s magic tugged and teased. After a particularly ruthless, and sudden, bath thanks to a warm bucket of water; and a brisk rubdown with a bunch of towels to get dry again, did Rarity declare her ready. Try as she might, she couldn’t stay mad at her, and she was soon laughing along with her two friends – even more so when Spike found a fake mustache and started dancing around, acting like he had a posh accent.

Cloth and blue magic surrounded her in a dizzying blur as Rarity got to work, holding rolls of various fabrics up against her coat – silk, cotton, wool, cashmere ... the list went on and on. Colours flashed before her eyes and then disappeared again; all the shades of the twilight hour – dusky blue and deep purple; pale gold dipped in amber, grey tinged with silver. She had no doubt that whatever Rarity came up with, it would be a masterpiece. It always was.

Sketches were soon scattered over the floor of Rarity’s workshop, all swooping lines and comfy winter clothing. After an hour of sketching up a hoof-full of ideas; she showed them to Melodia and explained the general ideas; then fetched a measuring tape and started getting her measurements. Melodia held perfectly still, following Rarity’s instructions to the letter. She’d offered to do this, so the least she could do was make it as easy as it could possibly be.

Pins held the fabric in place as Rarity darted around her, muttering to herself as she compared the design to the pattern – altering things here and there so her wings could sit free; and peppering her with questions about whether or not she wanted her ears sticking out of the hood. After getting the confirmation that it would be fine either way – ‘whatever you think works, Rares’ - she was off again.

So the sewing machine started up, and Melodia was allowed to sit down to Starlight and browse Rarity’s messy sketches. Though Rarity called her aside to check a couple of things, it wasn’t that bothersome and she rested happy in the knowledge that her mother would be proud of her efforts today – one good turn deserved another, and with Rarity you could never say no. She just did it anyway.

“Melodia? Darling, could you come here for a minute, please?” the fashionista called, levitating a scarf. “I need to check something.”

“Sure!” she replied, trotting over. “What is it this time?”

“Just got to see if this scarf sits right, dear,” Rarity responded distractedly. “Maybe if I layered the amber and the grey? ...Possibly.”

“You know, Rares, I think that just might work!” she exclaimed. “And what, instead of layering it, you maybe it reversible?”

A slow smile erupted. “Oh, that’s brilliant! It’ll be fabulous; and that way you can wear whatever way you want!”

“That would be awesome! Thanks, Rarity!”

Rarity giggled. “No, dear, thank you! You’re always a pleasure to work with.”

Soon she was slipping on a deliciously comfortable hoodie, Rarity’s new masterpiece complete. She could only grin as she listened to Rarity explain every detail; like the fact the lining was satin, and that there were pockets for her ears in the hood if she didn’t want them sticking out in the cold – that addition was genius. It felt amazing and looked just as great. It was a Rarity piece, of course it was.

When Rarity finished wrapping her new scarf around her neck; and promised to show her the manestyle she plaited up, Melodia’a makeover was complete. As she approached the mirror, she couldn’t believe her eyes – Rarity had outdone herself yet again.

The outer layer was a dusky blue – there was a layer of wool between the cotton and the satin for insulation - and made from a toughened, but warm cotton. There were tiny diamantes around the edge of the hood; and silver and gold beads up one side of both sleeves. She spread her wings, giving them an experimental flap and could have tackled the fashionista in a hug. It was perfect.

“Oh, Rarity, this is fantastic!” she squealed. “I love it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

So when the three of them exited the Boutique into the early evening air, waving goodbye to a much happier – and healthier – Rarity; Spike and Starlight couldn’t stop giving her compliments about how good her new hoodie and scarf looked. They were right; and they went home laughing and giggling about how good a day it had been. It had been difficult to deal with at times, but they’d done it.  And Melodia couldn’t be happier ... it really had been a good day.