practice makes perfect (open)

She began thinking about Heartspan saying her story was sad. She had never really thought about her leaving Canterlot in an emotional way. Due to how little she fit in with the world of her parents, she had always viewed the event more like an expectation than a choice.

Then, Heartspan said that her parents should accept her for the amazing pony that she was.

Melody’s face sported a slight blush as he spoke these words - it was very difficult for Melody to make sense of what was happening. She was experiencing such a spectrum of emotions, and all of them were ones that she hadn’t ever had much experience dealing with.

He truly was an intelligent stallion. All of the points he brought up, his words, and his explanations drew Melody in more and more. And, more than this, they all made sense and were based in, what Melody interpreted as, philosophical thought. She didn't realize until now how much she missed listening to ponies explain their views on thought-provoking issues.

So few conversation in her Canterlot childhood and adolescence had this sort of depth. Melody remembered that, of the few friends she made in Canterlot, only one of them could articulate complex views on deep issues. She would listen to her talk for hours on end, listening intently to every word spoke - Heartspan, in a very vague, distant way, was very similar to her. And this realization gave her immense comfort, expressed through the small, relaxed smile that slowly rose over her face as he continued to explain himself and the manner in which she gazed into his eyes, as if continually asking him to speak more and more.

”Have you ever - “

As she was about to ask him another open-ended question in the hopes that he might continue to explain his views and opinions, coinciding with her internal worry that she might be badgering him or making him feel like she was making him talk to much, their server arrived at the table. Melody, having been so enraptured by Heartspan’s words, was slightly caught off-guard as the waiter asked them if they would like to begin with something to drink.

She cordially and rather quietly responded with,

“Thank you - um... may I have a glass of water?”

The arrival of their server nearly made his heart jump though he was careful not to let his surprise show on his face. He smiled at the waiter as he sat forward.
“ I will have an apple juice.” he replied to the waiter before turning back to Melody
“ what were you going to ask?” he asked
She had seemed so interested in his thoughts, even those ones he had found troubling that he had all but forgotten his previous awkwardness. In fact he felt himself fully comfortable and leaned forward eager to hear her question. His fears had entirely vanished , burned away by the way she had eagerly watched him.

Turning back to Heartspan, she took a moment to try and remember what is was that she was going to ask him. Their server’s arrival had distracted her and threw off her train of thought completely.

She looked up and to the left, trying to recall what she was asking as she mumbled,

“Um... I-I think it was, um...”

She continued to think for a second before she excitedly remembered.

“Have you ever heard of or read ‘Behind the Moon’s Darkness: Equestria from Princess Luna’s Perspective’?”

She didn’t really expect him to have read it, especially considering how not well-known its author was; but she figured that she may as well ask anyway.

Heartspan thought for a moment. he was not an avid reader but he was also not a pony who never read.

" No, i don't think i have read it." he concluded after some thought. " So, what's it about?"

he rested his chin on his hoof as he waited to hear more about this book. he was a big fan of princess luna and he was more than interested. His earlier thoughts vanished under the light of his fandom for lack of a better term. The sparkle that had faded from his eyes had returned and now burned brightly with hidden enthusiasm.

Her tone as she began explaining was one of subdued excitement, as this was one of her favorite works that she had read recently. Not being much of an equestrian history buff, she liked to read works that were relevant to the topic.

“Well... it’s mostly a collection of poems, short stories, and a few drawings that are all about Princess Luna. Most of them are about how she became Nightmare Moon and, um... pretty much what Princess Luna’s involvement in history must have been and felt like from her perspective.”

She took a small breath before she continued with,

“I bring it up because of what you said about your sister. The first and last works in the book are both poems on sisterhood and how Luna might have felt before being banished by her sister and after returning to Equestria. They’re really intriguing because they talk about how, even though Luna was very jealous of Celestia, she still loved her as a sister and must have felt very abandoned after being banished.”

Starting to feel like she was taking too long explaining herself, she finished up her statement.

“I guess, um... I don’t know - I’ve never had the experience of having a sister and... I guess I’m just sort of wondering what it’s like having a sister, from your perspective. You seem really close and... well, I think that’s really special. I’m, um, sort of curious as to what it’s like, I guess.”

he listened with rapt attention. he enjoyed the way she explained her book and he could easily tell that she had enjoyed reading it. Once she had finished her thoughts he took them into consideration before he spoke.

" Hmm, i am not sure what it is like for anypony else, but for me i adore having a sister. My sis tries to copy me and listens to what i say and it's nice. I am helping to shape the mare she will turn out to be. For me she is the only pony i truly trust. We share secrets and some stuff like that you know. " he explained. " as to ythe book, i suppose i will have to find a copy, it sounds pretty cool."

As Heartspan talked about his sister, a warm feeling sprouted inside of Melody. She thought about how special and amazing it must be to feel like you're helping someone that close to you grow and develop into the pony they’ll become one day. Having never experienced that relationship before, just hearing about it from Heartspan was enough to make her smile.

She was beginning to warm up to him more. Gradually, she found herself having moments where she was able to focus on just him and what they were talking about instead of how she was presenting herself and what she did and said.

Along with this, she was also beginning to become more curious about Heartspan himself, specifically about his time in Canterlot. Her mind was bouncing off idea after idea of what she could ask him, but she was able to finally focus in on one thing that she was especially curious about.

“So... being as adept at certain magical skills as your are, I can’t help but wonder if you’ve ever received any training outside of your natural ability. Um... I guess what I’m wondering is, did you ever go to any private institutions or take lessons to develop your magic? How would you recommend a late bloomer, like myself, start learning other magic?”

She chuckled slightly as she finished with,

“Especially if they have been pretty, um, unsuccessful at it thus far?”

“So... being as adept at certain magical skills as your are, I can’t help but wonder if you’ve ever received any training outside of your natural ability. Um... I guess what I’m wondering is, did you ever go to any private institutions or take lessons to develop your magic? How would you recommend a late bloomer, like myself, start learning other magic?”

Heartspan thought about this with a chuckle to himself. he was not in his estimation particularly adept with magic considering how many other unicorns used many different spells. however, transmutation was an advanced magic, and with his years devoted to telekinesis he would say that to had become advanced. He thought hard on it and on certain things she had said previously, and he did he rubbed his chin absently. Then at last he looked at her in an appraising manner.

" Well i went to formal magic school. Although i had to be set in a special class since i had to intently focus on the one power, but that isn't very important considering a pony can learn magic in surprising variety of ways. Thinking on what you said and what little i saw i would say you are not successful because in your mind you draw a distinct line between your special talent and normal magic when really they are the same thing. All you need to do is realize that lifting a rock with magic is as much an extension of your feelings and creativity as making a verse. Since you weave magic into your words to make them more beautiful you could try weaving magic into your words that is more active. Instead of acting on the words left the words simply be a vessel to carry your effect into reality. like charging the word up with energy so that when you say it, the word will lift an object. eventually you will say the word internally instead of vocally and then eventually you wont need power words at all. really though you are just retraining the way you view the whole thing. I am not sure that makes sense but then again i am not a professor."

he smiled as he spoke. he had never really tried to teach someone magic but it seemed to make sense in his head and it was close to how he did transmutation.

Thinking back on the three whole days she spent in magic school when she was a filly, she began to remember the concept of power words. They never made any sense to her. Whenever she tried to use them, she quickly lost motivation because she couldn’t find what words to use. Although she was still perplexed by the concept, she was beginning to have a desire to understand what Heartspan was explaining. She replied with

“Okay... I’m, uh - sort of starting to get what you’re saying. How would you recommend I find what words to use”?

he thought about her question for a few moments.
" That's tough, i never used them myself." he said absently " but judging by your skill with poetry you could maybe use a verse or something."
he smiled sweetly.

She slowly nodded and replied with,

“Alright. I’ll have to do some more reading on this subject.”

Remembering back to when she first started trying to learn magic, she was reminded of the many less-than-successful attempts that she made at spells and incantations. As she continued thinking, she began smiling, then chuckling, and, finally, laughing as she remembered one particular story that she thought Heartspan might enjoy hearing.

“So...” she had to take a moment to gather her collectedness before continuing.

“Before my parents enrolled me in magic school, they decided that it would, um... be a good idea to give me a book on basic magical concepts. I’ve always loved reading and, since I had already had some bad experiences with attempting magic, I figured that they simply gave me the book as reading material. Basically I, uh... I read about twenty volumes of magical literature in two weeks. I guess that my parents just figured I was soaking up the information really quickly when, in reality, I was just reading them purposelessly.”

She started laughing embarrassedly again and rested her face on her hoof for a moment as she began to explain further,

“Essentially, when I arrived for my first day of magic school... well, I was terrified. All the other ponies had been preparing for so long and most could already perform three or four types of spell. I, on the other hoof, had abundant theoretical knowledge of magic, but... uh, no practical or inherent ability whatsoever. On the third day, it came time for us to demonstrate any spells we already knew. Every pony and their parents were gathered into the same room. Everypony watched and applauded as the kids came to the front of the classroom to do their spell. Then my turn came.”

She sighed.

“I got up there and had no idea what to do. I remembered a section in one of the books about liquefaction spells and, thinking that it would all turn out fine because I had read about it, I had the fabulous idea to try it out on a piece of fruit in my bag. I closed my eyes and concentrated really hard and, um... when I opened my eyes, half of the lights in the room had shorted out, the fruit was on fire, and... well, uh - yeah. That was my last day of magic school.”

As she put her head down on the table in an exaggerated gesture of humility and laughed at her wonderful magical “abilities”, she began to wonder why, of all the stories that she could have chosen to tell, that was the one that she decided on.

" oh my.." he began as he managed to stifle a laugh " The fruit was burning....I can just imagine how well that went over. You know, although it's funny it really is pretty common. I bet many households have burned fruit and smashed furniture. I know when i was learning telekinesis i broke everything that was not firmly affixed to the floor."

he thought back to his youth and laughed a little

" i remember a time when i was not much older than my sister, just a little colt. barely just learning i even had powers. I thought it would be a great idea to help sweep the house. I wasn't very healthy but i thought i will use my power. So i focused hard and released the spell....." he paused for dramatic effect.

"I will never forget what happened next....My spell backfired and i was whisked around the living room. swish swish i went across the marble. Under tables and i even had my face pushed into the Bottom of the couch a couple times. It was so scary i couldn't even scream. when it finally stopped i was hurt, dirty,and stunned. let me just say the life of a broom is not a good one." he laughed as he spoke.

Melody was shocked by Heartspan's story.

"Oh my... that must have been so scary. I'm lucky, I guess - I've never had a misfire that bad. If only there was someway you could've stopped the spell midway."

She paused and remained silent. After thinking for a moment, with her eyes gazing off into nothing, she added,

"I really don't like misfires - I'd so much rather the spell not do anything than cause some sort of additional damage. It's so embarrassing when they misfire."

Heartspan listened intently and when she had finished he thought for a moment before he spoke.

" Well, yes ideally you would never need to worry about making mistakes, but magic is powerful and dangerous. embarrassing or not it is inevitable that a mistake will be made, it is your responsibility as a unicorn to ensure the proper amount of exchange was made so that it doesn't rebound wildly. whether that is in amount of magic used or material used, or time used to cast. being able to limit the depth of your mistakes is as important as being able to cast all your spells properly. You never know when you will be interrupted or just plain misread a text . " he commented a little sternly.

realizing his tone had become a little harsh he smiled apologetically.

" sorry...i just think that is kind of a dangerous way to think. If you are frightened of rebound you just raise your chances of making a mistake. " he explained " But it does make me think that that is a good place for you to start your research, learning to control your failed spells. It will give you a greater understanding of the forces involved, how they interplay with each other, and what the balancing point is for proper casting. of course that is probably the most silly and dangerous way to learn magic. "

After considering what he said, Melody began to think that he was making a good point.

"I see where you're coming from. One has to try if they expect to see results; and one of the aspects of trying is failing."

Heartspan was one of the first ponies (an definitely the first pony in Ponyville) to succeed at encouraging her to try magic again. Although Melody accepted the fact that she would probably lose her newfound confidence as soon as she tried magic again, she was looking forward to the possibility that she might stay focused on her new goal, despite any failures that she might encounter.

She gave a very small laugh as she quietly confessed,

"You know, it's sort of funny - if I learn some new spells, my parents will probably want me to come back to Canterlot sooner. In my next letter to them, I'll have to make sure to tell them that I'm trying magic again."

She gave a small, empty smile at the end of her statement.

Heartspan smiled though it seemed a little off from his usual smile. While he was glad she was able to take something from his ramblings on magic, he found her last statement to be profoundly sad. he wasn't sure what to say. In his mind it seemed a little like begging.

" I hope so." he replied warmly and a little cautiously " You know.... if you want to go home, why not just go. I am sure they will be glad to see you. magic or not. It really seems like you miss being part of their unit so maybe you should do that first and see how it goes, besides trying to fit in with your family is a bad reason to learn magic. You will never accomplish any spells that way.....too much pressure you know. I would say see how going home goes and if it works out try some spells that will be useful in everyday scenarios like telekinesis."

Realizing that he had a very good point, she looked into his eyes, paused for a moment, and, with her head cast slightly downward, calmly said,

"I get where you're coming from. I forget sometimes why I don't just go back there when I get the urge to."

A small smile came to her face.

"I mean... well, I know that they miss me - they say it their letters all the time. Hm... maybe the reason I get worried about going back is because they've, um, never explicitly expressed that they want me to; they've only written that they miss me. But... then again, they've never explicitly written that they don't want me to, either."

Shifting her gaze to the table, she continued to think about what Heartspan said to her as she quietly, distantly said,

"You make a lot of really good points."

In her mind, along with thoughts on the meaning of Heartspan's words was also a slow, dreadful worry that she was opening up too much. She had never been this up-front and honest with ponies before. She was beginning to worry that she might be overcompensating for her lack of social confidence.

Looking at the table with a slight undertone of nervousness, she softly, apologetically spoke,

"Ugh... I'm sorry. I'm probably being very forward right now."

She uncomfortably laughed and struggled to look into his eyes as she continued.

"I really hope I'm not coming off as... well, um - I'm not sure, even. I j-just don't want to make a bad impression on you, I guess."

She resumed her subdued, nervous laughter. After a moment, though, she realized it was not helping her situation and stopped it by clearing her throat and focusing her thoughts on calming down.

" there's no need to worry melody, we are family now as i mentioned earlier ...so i don't mind hearing your thoughts. " he replied " i know you are on the timid side but you make a good impression to me. I am glad we met."

Heartspan leaned his cheek on his hoof in a very lazy way.

" You know, i have enjoyed my day out with you. you are fascinating and intelligent. like i said we have a lot in common. "

he smiled

" i am a little curious, what do you do for work?" he asked casually

Hopeful that he was speaking the truth, she smiled.

She shifted her weight around a bit and brushed her mane back behind her ears, though it was still in its original placement, before she admitted,

"Um... well, that's the thing. I don't really have a place to work yet. My parents are paying for my board and groceries at the moment. I feel so bad that they have to do that - I really don't want to be a burden on them, but I've just been having so much trouble finding a place to work."

She hung her head as she said,

"Though, it's mostly because I haven't been outgoing enough to look for or to find opportunities."

She brought her head back up and looked off to the left as she thought out loud,

"Maybe I could find a place to work at the library... that might be, uh - a possibility, perhaps."

" Yeah, the library would probably be a nice place to work, a little boring maybe. Me i do odd jobs for the most part." he replied.

Heartspan smiled warmly

" melody you are the most timid pony i ever have known." he said sweetly." You make an adorable sister for certain. have you ever considered owning your own business. You could make poetry or songs and hire someone to sell them for you. maybe you could even find some famous pony to use them."

Melody was beginning to have a very definite realization about her decision to come to Ponyville.

Throughout all of the preparation for her leaving, she had never really taken the time to consider that this relocation might be much more than that. Although she knew that she planned on staying for quite some time and would need to make her way somehow, she had yet to consider the possibility that Ponyville would be as full of life as it was. There was opportunity everywhere. She didn't have to just live here - she could make a life for herself.

She rested her head on her hoof as these thoughts filled her mind and said,

"I've always wanted to make a living from my poetry. Working at the library would be nice - nothing too difficult, really. Plus, I'd have all the books I could ever want."

She placed her hoof back down and looked at Heartspan, saying

"But working at something I'm passionate about..."

Lost in thought, she paused with a look of contentedness shining across her face.

"That'd be... well, wow... I don't know how to explain how great that would be"

The newfound joy that had found a place in her expression, tone, and demeanor began to slowly ebb away as she admitted,

"Ugh... I have no idea where I'd start, though"

heartspan listened to all she had to say. He paused for only a moment before he spoke very seriously.

" if i were you i would make a song from many poems. You are timid but will want it to appeal to a wide audience, so i would make these poems as you call them, this song about how it felt to be in such a position. pour your heart into it so that it is beautiful, and that would end phase 1
For phase two i would find a pony gifted with music who is not so timid. This may take some time but i would look for those who are already popular or are just becoming popular. When i found them i would befriend them and have them to sing my song to see if they like it, if they like it have them perform it and give you credit and in this way you make your name known and from there you should be able t get commissions." he explained " of course that is just my thoughts, i have no idea about show business. "

As thoughts of the possibility of forming her life around her passions filled her mind, she began to get lost in the exhilaration of the idea as Heartspan continued explaining his "plan" for her.

When he finished speaking his words of wisdom, Melody replied.

"Well... you certainly seem to know what you're talking about. Gosh... wouldn't that be amazing. Doing nothing but what I love for the rest of my life - that's a thought."

She giggled and smiled coyly as she added,

"I'm not sure if I'd ever be able to do half of those things in your plan, though."

Her laughter gradually faded away as she began to think more about Heartspan and his current state of "employment".

"What's it like?", she asked quizzically.

"Constantly changing what you do, that is. I'm very curious."

" It's not that bad. You learn some new skills and meet some new ponies pretty normal. I suppose learning a new skill is the hard part because sometimes you got to work for free to be able to gain so it can be an investment. However i am trained in working with precious metals, gem cutting and appraising of jewelry so i have something to fall back on. " he replied casually. " well sometimes you gotta travel to find work and that is a hassle for certain."

he scratched his chin

" i really don't know what i am doing so maybe it is best you don't follow my plan." he laughed " i have no idea about any of it, but it made good sense in my mind. plus you can peoples cutie marks so you should be able to identify music related ones fairly easily. that's What gave me the idea actually. "

he gave her an appraising look

" I think we should try to tough you up some." he said this with a small laugh " Or more i should say we should find some device you can gain courage from so that when you need to do a thing, like get a job since we are on the topic, you will have something that will give you that much needed push. That way you do not have to change who you are but will find things much easier you know. Of course i mean no offense."

She laughed and jokingly put her head into both of her hooves as Heartspan said that she needed to toughen up some. She shooke her head back and forth as he continued explaining and, after he was about halfway done, she lifted her head back up, straightned out her mane and glasses, and listened to what he had to say.

She cordially responded with,

"None is taken."

She tried to stifle another laugh as she somewhat playfully warned him,

"Be careful, though - many ponies have tried to make me more outgoing, we'll see if you'll be successful"

She looked at him as if she was expecting for him to have a response immediately. In a sort of mock-sarcasm, she followed with,

"Well... where do we begin?"

Not wanting to seem like she was actually intending to belittle him, she smiled very honestly and chuckled quietly.