Light and Song (Open)

[Shyriath]

(OOC: This is an RP thread. The lyrics are slightly adapted from the Irish carol "Curoo, Curoo". I did all four verses, but only the first two are in this post; the other two, which complete the story, will be in the next one if Flicker's given a chance to keep singing.

Incidentally, if anypony wants to hear the original, there's a rendition available

.)

Another winter day drew to a close. And, wrapped up in a heavy wool cloak and scarf and thick boots, the lamplighter Flickerlight worked her way down the street, stomping through the snow from streetlamp to streetlamp. A brief touch from the lit wick in her lighting pole sufficed for most; sometimes an oil lamp needed a new wick or a reservoir refilled, sometimes a faeriefire light needed a brief re-enchanting. As she went, she was utterly silent, and wore a glum expression on her face.

It wasn't just the cold and the snow. She didn't generally like them, because she knew how dangerous they could get, but after nearly five years living in Canterlot she knew that the city's weather control kept limits on them. But there were other things.

Flickerlight didn't spend much time in company. Partly that was because of her job; social time was hard to come by, keeping such odd hours. But she had always maintained a certain distance from other ponies, especially since coming to Canterlot. A relative newcomer in a place where connections were so important? A village filly in a city of nobles? Fitting in was a difficult thing to do here, and mostly she hadn't bothered to try. She enjoyed being an oddball.

But this time of year, when all around her there were friends and family gathering, and enjoying each others' company, and laughing together... this time of year, when everypony should have somepony, she had nopony. No close friends here in Canterlot, certainly, and as for her family out in Solstice Heights... well, the less she thought about them, the better. Mama had been able to keep the family peace, but she wasn't around to do that anymore.

This time of year, back in the old village, Mama would have been singing her favorite carol, not often heard outside the little valleys in the mountains. Everypony had felt better for hearing it...

As she walked, Flickerlight began to sing.

"Full many a bird did wake and fly,

Curoo, curoo, curoo,

Full many a bird did wake and fly

To Puddinghead with a wandering cry

On Solstice day in the morning.

Curoo, curoo, curoo,

Curoo, curoo, curoo."

Without really meaning to, the mare found her walk turning into the slow, waltzlike little dance she'd used for the song when she was a filly.

"The lark, the dove, the red bird came,

Curoo, curoo, curoo,

The lark, the dove, the red bird came

And they did sing to proud Hurricane,

On Solstice day in the morning.

Curoo, curoo, curoo,

Curoo, curoo, curoo..."

Unheeding of the crowds, or even of her beloved lamps, Flickerlight whirled slowly through the evening crowds, with tears in her eyes.

[Apolline Allura]

Celebrating Hearth's Warming Eve was never the celebration that other ponies made it to Blaze Bright. The red filly would always enjoy a quiet evening in her house, listening to her sister croon her carols and decorate the house and do all sorts of things for a holiday that she had little reason to celebrate. She wasn't (openly) hostile to the idea of it all, but for the duration of time was stuck in Canterlot, she couldn't stand it. Hearth's Warming was a time for embracing ALL others, ideals and doing so in the spirit of togetherness or some such. Deep down, it bothered her, it twisted her insides something awful that her antichrist PR was bad enough to prevent anyone from doing any of that with her. And so it was with a conflicted heart that she wandered through the city, away from home for the first time without her sister, this holday season.

Such beautiful lights...

"What eyesores do they hang in the night to keep everypony up? Is it tradition to not catch a salt lick of sleep before this supposedly important holiday?" she huffed, a blast of hot air from her furnace of a mouth reaching into the sky to evaporate into nothing.

...and oh, the decorations are to die for...

She laughed derisively at the homes close by, strewn with this and that. Baubles and ornaments and Celestia pieces. It was without mirth. 'Such tacky homes...' she attempted to say to herself.

...and...oh my.

Blaze spotted a dancing mare with tears in her eyes and a smile on her lips. Intrest piqued, she trotted over to her in both concern and curiousity.

"Hello? You there? You dance while you weep, and it hurts me to see another in tears over this season. Are you alright?"

[Shyriath]

"The owl was there with eyes so wide,

Curoo, curoo, curoo,

The owl was there with eyes so wide

And he did sit at Platinum's side,

On Solstice day in the morning.

Curoo-"

"Hello? You there? You dance while you weep, and it hurts me to see another in tears over this season. Are you alright?"

Flickerlight, still singing, had not noticed the approaching filly until she spoke, and the surprise snapped her out of her reverie. Her long legs, still engaged in the dance, promptly tripped over each other, tipping the mare onto the ground.

"...Ouch," she muttered. "What now? Am I all right?" She cleared her throat, and wiped her eyes with her hoof. "I was... remembering somepony, that's all."

She hauled herself upright, and glanced around for her lighting-pole. Her horn blazed with a red-orange aura as she lifted the pole from where she'd left it and brought it sailing over the crowd. Slinging the pole across her back, Flickerlight looked down at the filly again, remembered the expression of concern, and sighed. She ought to be more grateful that somepony had bothered to check on her.

"Thank you for your, ah, concern," she said, in rather more kindly tones than she'd been using. "I'm Flickerlight. City lamplighter. What would your name be?"

[Apolline Allura]

"Thank you for your, ah, concern," she said, in rather more kindly tones than she'd been using. "I'm Flickerlight. City lamplighter. What would your name be?"

Lamplighter? What a curious profession, but given that Blaze and her sister Ashsmoke had a great many things to do with fire magic, the need for such never seemed possible to her. This mare, more importantly, seemed mildly distraught before she came over to her. Her movements were so lithe and graceful, yet seemed to have been done in mourning.

"Blaze Bright. Pleased to make your aquaintence." she announced, her broken Royal Canterlot dialect in full force.

"Your dancing is beautiful, and at odds with such melancholy in those pretty eyes of yours."

[Shyriath]

"Your dancing is beautiful, and at odds with such melancholy in those pretty eyes of yours."

"Er... thank you." Flickerlight found herself flattered. She hadn't danced in public since... well, since she'd been too young to care. Any positive reaction had to be counted as a win. It just felt a bit odd for someone to comment about it, especially in that fashion.

She attempted to cover her discomfiture with work. She unslung the lighting pole from her back again, and levitated her igniter from her saddlebags to light the wick on one of its ends.

"Anyway," she said, "'melancholy' is a bit strong of a word. It was just... a difficult moment. The season's had more solitude than I like, is all."

A red-orange aura formed around the pole as she held it up for inspection; a little flame flickered on the wick. Flickerlight smiled, and levitated the pole upward to light the nearest streetlamp. Nothing like a bit of fire to make things seem brighter.

[Apolline Allura]

"Your dancing is beautiful, and at odds with such melancholy in those pretty eyes of yours."

"Er... thank you." Flickerlight found herself flattered. She hadn't danced in public since... well, since she'd been too young to care. Any positive reaction had to be counted as a win. It just felt a bit odd for someone to comment about it, especially in that fashion.

She attempted to cover her discomfiture with work. She unslung the lighting pole from her back again, and levitated her igniter from her saddlebags to light the wick on one of its ends.

"Anyway," she said, "'melancholy' is a bit strong of a word. It was just... a difficult moment. The season's had more solitude than I like, is all."

A red-orange aura formed around the pole as she held it up for inspection; a little flame flickered on the wick. Flickerlight smiled, and levitated the pole upward to light the nearest streetlamp. Nothing like a bit of fire to make things seem brighter.

Reading the shaken expression on her face, Blaze figured she came on a bit strong. Although this mare was very fetching to her, her gracefulness was enticing indeed. She would tone it down though.

"A difficult moment you say? Surely not so difficult that it would throw off otherwise impeccable cooridination?" she said, a small smile creasing her face.

"Maybe we could discuss it with you over hot chocolate? We are rather...starved for company during this time of the year."

Celestia have mercy! Did she just let that slip to a complete stranger? Oh dear.

Blaze blushed, turning her head to the side quickly, her pelt getting darker.

[Shyriath]

Flickerlight blinked, and swiveled her orange eyes away from the lamp to focus on Blaze Bright again. Although in general she enjoyed the efforts of others to get to know her, usually they tried an indirect enough approach to let her get to know them first, and that was how she preferred it. Having more friends would be nice, but there was such a thing as going about it properly... or, at least, not so directly. At any rate...

"Despite the dancing," she said carefully, "I am working at the moment, and I have to get the rest of the lamps on my beat lit before it gets too dark. I don't mind talking as I go, but I shouldn't really be stopping for hot chocolate."

[Apolline Allura]

"Despite the dancing, I am working at the moment, and I have to get the rest of the lamps on my beat lit before it gets too dark. I don't mind talking as I go, but I shouldn't really be stopping for hot chocolate."

A simple conundrum with a simple answer.

"Would accept our assistance then? Our affinity for fire magic seems to be similar to yours."

Demonstrating her ability, her horn began to glow, before a small ember appeared at it's tip. The small flame burned brightly in contrast with it's diminutive shape.

"If you would accept our help, we could finish your task in due time for a bit of relaxation."

[Shyriath]

Flickerlight's gaze fell on Blaze Bright's flame. Another pony with fire magic? Now that was a different matter. She smiled.

"Since you offer... that'd be lovely, thank you." She added, "I hardly ever meet anypony else with a gift for fire. It seems like you've got a better knack for making it than I do, really. Doing that with magic takes a lot out of me; that's why I keep my igniter around. But controlling it, that I'm good at. I was even a firefighter for a little while, before... well, before I was doing this..." Flickerlight trailed off awkwardly. Her firefighting days weren't something she was all that keen on getting into.

"And, er, what is it that you do?" she asked.