Glorious Song

Chapter Six: Marked

        A crisp breeze caressed my face as I sat with my back against the tree that is Twilight's house. Whether she doesn’t know I’m here, or simply doesn't care, I don't know. Regardless of which was true, I continued to loiter there for a good while. The golden rays beaming down on me slipped away as the encroaching shadows offered their relief.

        Ponyville is a quaint town. I could understand how Twilight would come to enjoy such a place. What I can’t picture is Vinyl Scratch, DJ pony and party enthusiast, choosing to live here over Manehattan. Maybe her desire to stay with Octavia played a part, or perhaps she just wasn’t as wild as I thought.

        If I had to describe how I feel about Vinyl, I would say that I love her. Twilight and Octavia knew it, but I was always too shy to tell her the extent of my feelings. Now that the chance to see her again has arisen, I’ve got parasprites in my stomach, and there’s not a one-pony band in sight. So many questions swirled around in my head. Will she recognize me? Will she remember me? Will she even want to see me?

        Maybe I’m worrying for nothing. Somepony once told me, “You can’t wait around for things to come to you. The only thing stopping you is you. If you want something bad enough, act like a stallion and take it. Otherwise, let it slip away and move on.” I let it slip away once, but I didn’t move on, because I wanted it bad enough. The approach was wrong before. If I mess up now, there won’t be a second chance. Time to be a stallion, for once.

        I stood up and left the treehouse. As I walked through town, it became apparent to me that I was accumulating a rather insurmountable pile of questions, none of which had foreseeable answers. When I was still her student, Celestia always told me that the unknown can be terrifying, but it’s the not knowing that makes it so exciting. It took me til now to realize how great the truth was in those words.

        She didn’t deserve the cold shoulder I gave her. Celestia always treated me and Aria like her own children. I loved learning from her, whether it be magic or the lessons through parental duties she took on in my parents’ stead. It was hard living without parents around. They were always travelling. I...don’t remember what they looked like. When I heard about their deaths, the world seemed much more dreary. Then I left. Celestia could’ve sent for me. If I had to guess, she probably hoped the concept of friendship would return to me like it did with Twilight.

        The citizens of Ponyville are extremely friendly. It’s a welcomed change of pace. I can’t recall the last time somepony greeted me for the sake of simply making others feel welcomed. Here in Ponyville, it’s stranger if it doesn’t happen every few minutes. The ambient kindness gives me a warm feeling I haven’t felt since my days in Canterlot.

        There was one pony who was off though. A gray cloak covered his body. Naught but his muzzle was visible under the hood. The mystery shrouding him was intriguing yet terrifying, just as teacher said. I felt compelled to speak to him, but as we neared, he brushed past me. The touch of a hoof grazed me as he passed. My chest was warm, not like the feeling from earlier. This sensation was...burning.

        The agonizing fire in my chest brought me to my knees. Unless my eyes deceived me, a faint glow escaped the mysterious stallion’s hood as he passed me. I heard a voice ask, “Are you sure about this?” The words echoed in my mind, but I didn’t hear anypony say them. Am I hearing voices?

        As the pain faded, I stood up and looked back in the direction the stallion went. He was gone, lost in the crowds of ponies going about their daily lives. That encounter was more on the side of frightening than interesting. Teacher never said the balance would shift this much. Wait...where was I going again?

        Oh right, I was going to visit Vinyl. However, as the burn returned, I felt the need to think things over some more. With that notion in mind, I left for the outskirts of town. I heard from passersby that there was a quiet lake nearby, the perfect place to clear my head. With all these distractions, and no clear time range to finish this little adventure by, I needed to make haste with the plan. I just...need to do this first.

        The trip to the lake was a mostly quiet one. Aside from a few hellos and waves from ponies along the road, there was a peaceful silence that was music to my ears. The ponies of Ponyville are a lively bunch. I’m no stranger to lively towns, but there was something special here. This wasn’t the busy hustle and bustle of Manehattan or the lax high-society of Canterlot. Ponyville gave off a feeling of excitement to me. A new town for a fresh start.

        Melodious tunes emanated from the trees around the lake as colorful birds shared their songs. The water was still. Across the way, a family of frogs hopped in, spreading light ripples across the lake. This beautiful display of nature was foreign to me. I sat down on the shore. The ripples reached me, causing some water to dampen my hooves. Its refreshing sensation lasted for a moment before the liquid returned back to its home in the lake.

        It was my fixation with the water that led me to notice something in my reflection. A veinous, black spot marked my chest, where my heart is. As my heartbeat rose, so did its pulsation. Was the burning from earlier caused by this? It wasn’t causing me pain at the moment, but it was definitely an item of concern.

        Before I had the chance to make a decision as to how I should react to this, the reflection of an old friend began staring back at me. Most ponies would probably drop what they’re doing if they saw something like this mark, but she loved that cello far too much to drop it for my sake. She carefully leaned it against a nearby tree, then returned to my side and sat down next to me. I avoided eye contact for as long as possible, but she leaned in and asked, “What trouble have you gotten yourself into?”

        Octavia was always very to the point. “I honestly don’t know,” I replied. “It happened very recently, and I just now noticed it.”

        Octavia and I hadn’t seen each other in five years, when she and Vinyl left Manehattan. She was the first pony I met there, as well as the first friend I made. Through her, I was introduced to Vinyl, and the three of us became the best of friends. The two of them had their own plans though and decided to move to Ponyville. In retrospect, I probably should’ve gone with them, but I was stubborn at the time.

        “Does it hurt?” she asked with a worried look on her face.

        “Not right now. It did before, but everything is fine at the moment,” I said with a half-reassuring smile.

        She frowned. “It doesn’t look fine,” she retorted. “It looks awful. You look awful. Something troubling you?”

        “You could say I’m stressed, but that’d be an understatement. A lot has happened. This little mark is just the tip of the iceberg.”

        “Your ship hasn’t sunk yet, has it?”

        “No, it’s just setting sail. I’m afraid this little setback has altered my course though. I suppose it could be worse.”

        Her frowned turned to a smile, albeit a light one, but it was reassuring nonetheless. “A bit of good news is better than none at all. So, what have you been up to?”

        “Until a few days ago, I was living what I called a life, but it’s come to my understanding that it wasn’t a very good one. Now, I’m here in Ponyville to—”

        “Are you going to move to Ponyville?” she asked excitedly. It was beyond me why that notion would excite Octavia, especially since I practically drove a wedge between us before she left Manehattan. “Well, are you? Vinyl would be happy to hear it. She’s been missing you, but we haven’t had the time to visit.”

        So Vinyl did miss me. I’m glad to hear it. “Um sorry, but no, I’m not moving to Ponyville. I’m also not going back to Manehattan. It’s a long story.”

        “I’ve got time, so go ahead and tell me.”

        “Actually, I was going to visit Vinyl. There’s something we need to talk about. It kinda intertwines with the story. Maybe she can tell you about it later.”

        Her eyes lit up. “Better yet, I can go tell her you’re coming, and then you can tell both of us at the same time. How does that sound?”

        “Uh sounds great. I’ll see you soon.” I looked back down at my reflection, eyes locked on the mark. It worried me, but for some reason, I wasn’t all that concerned about it.

        Octavia took note of this and told me, “You better get that checked out. Go to the hospital and see what they think before going to Vinyl’s house.”

        I kept staring at the mark. It entranced me. “Hospital won’t be necessary. I know who to see about this.” My reflected smile assured her everything was fine. After returning the gesture, she picked up her cello, and hurried off to tell Vinyl about my visit. Any reservations I had about this would have to be thrown aside now that I’ve been locked into the arrangement. I placed a hoof on the mark and stood for a moment while it pulsated, then headed off to Twilight’s house.

        “Go away!”

        After what happened since I was last here, it slipped my mind that Twilight had kicked me out. When she heard that I hadn’t spoken with Vinyl yet, her reaction was anything but pleasant. I was never particularly good at dealing with Twilight. On most occasions, she would outwit me. Now, all she has to do is put a door in my way and I’m bested.

        “I told you to talk to Vinyl, but you come back here almost an hour later and tell me you didn’t do it? I hoped that, given the situation, you would listen to me for once!”

        “I’m sorry, but there were some unforeseen circumstances, and I...well, I have something you should see.”

        There was no response. Instead, the door opened slightly, and Twilight poked her head out. Her wide eyes and my unconvincing grin communicated all we needed to say. She flung the door opened and pointed inside. I entered and sat on the floor, while Twilight ran alongside the bookshelves, her horn glowing as she pulled out books and threw them in front of me. Each one stacked perfectly atop the book before it.

        Twilight’s frantic actions only served to worry me further. I had never seen her act like this, but then again, her magic wasn’t as quick and precise as it is now. She didn’t have the ability to perform such a feat back then and there was never reason to. I never would’ve expected little Twilight to live the more exciting life, but look at her now. She saved Equestria and Ponyville on several occasions. I can’t compare to that.

        “Twilight, what do you think of—”

        Suddenly, I was surrounded in the magenta aura of her magic. She lifted me up and started rotating me in every possible direction. Meanwhile, she took notes as she inspected my body. Her quill dropped and I with it. Twilight trotted out of the room.

        “Ugh I think I’m gonna hurl. Twilight, what was that—” My eyes fell upon a set of beakers and tools she was bringing into the room. “Twilight, what are those for?”

        “Don’t worry. I’m just going to run some experiments.” Twilight began pouring oddly colored liquids into the beakers and test tubes. She lifted a stirring stick and began mixing the chemicals together. A test tube containing something red presented itself before me. “This might hurt a bit.”

        “H-how much is a bit?”

        She looked at the test tube and smiled. “Oh, just a bit.” She began her slow approach towards me. “Now, stay still.” She poured the potion on the mark. My heartbeat increased rapidly and I blacked out.

        When I regained consciousness, Spike and Twilight were standing over me. They were talking about something, but I couldn’t hear anything. Oh Celestia! Did Twilight deafen me? I sat up with haste and threw my hooves on my ears. I must have been screaming because Spike covered my mouth and Twilight pushed me back down. My dilated pupils searched the room for something, just one thing to make a sound and confirm that I’m not deaf.

        Twilight said something to Spike, who then walked over to the desk and brought over a notepad. He wrote something down and showed it to me. You aren’t deaf. One of the potions made you unable to hear. It’ll wear off soon. Well, that’s reassuring. Wait...no it’s not! She took away my hearing! Not to mention the blackout.

        From what I could see, the mark was still there. My heartbeat had slowed but it was still rather fast. I closed my eyes and tried to calm down. There wasn’t much else I could do until my hearing returns or Spike writes something else. In the absolute silence, I must have fallen asleep. Twilight awoke me from my slumber with a shout, “Wake up!”

        Sluggishly pulling myself up, I looked at her. My unamused expression received a smile from her. “You didn’t need to shout in my ear,” I said.

        “You didn’t need to fall asleep during my tests,” she replied.

        “You knocked me out!”

        “It was for science!”

        “I’m not a science experiment!”

        “Will you two stop yelling?” Spike pushed us apart and gave each of us an angry glare. “You’re friends. Act like it. Twilight, you should understand why somepony would be upset about being tested on without asking. Wubs, you should know that Twilight just wants to help you. So, stop fighting!”

        Twilight and I looked at each other; both of us frowned. “Spike’s right,” she said. “I should’ve warned you about the side effects first. I’m sorry.”

        “I’m sorry too. I know you’ve always had my best interest at heart, but I have a quick temper sometimes,” I said.

        “You don’t have to tell me. I know your temper well,” Twilight said with a smile. Before I could respond, she brought me in for a hug. I sat there awkwardly for a moment with my hooves at my sides. Remembering all the things Twilight’s done for me, I reciprocated and embraced her. Upon release, I saw the smile of the excited filly I met in magic school. My first friend.

        The air of emotion was broken by Spike’s coughing. He held up Twilight’s notes and said, “Did you forget what we were doing?” He tapped the results of the tests.

        “Right,” Twilight said as she grabbed the notepad. “So, I ran some more tests while you were unconscious. From what I can tell, the origin of the mark is not scientific, which means it is of magical origin. The problem is I don’t know how to fix it.”

        “Do you have even a clue of what it is?” I asked.

        “I’ve looked through dozens of books, but I can’t find any mention of a mark like this. Do you know when it first appeared?”

        “I noticed it when I was at the lake, but it might have shown up when I met that stranger in town. That was when the burning started.”

        “Stranger? Burning? Why didn’t you mention those before?”

        “Because I needed you to help me figure out if they were connected. When I was on my way to Vinyl’s house, a cloaked stallion placed his hoof on my chest as he passed by me. After that, an intense burning sensation filled my heart.”

        “Despite that, you didn’t come here immediately? What were you thinking?”

        “I don’t know. I heard a voice then everything seemed to fade away. The only thought in my mind was to get away from town and think.”

        “You need to go back to Canterlot and have Princess Celestia fix this.” Twilight ushered me out of the library. “Be careful.” She shut the door behind me.

        Twilight seemed very concerned about what I told her. It’s not like I’m not concerned as well, but is Celestia really necessary? I’ve been relatively fine since that encounter in town. The pain wasn’t unbearable. I’m feeling it now, but I’m still standing. Going back to Canterlot would take too much time. Time that I don’t have. I’ll manage on my own.