Lyra’s heart pounded against her chest. She never felt so afraid her entire life. Moments ago she was chasing after her friend, Bon Bon, playfully galloping through the cold winter snow. Now the mint unicorn found herself plummeting through a deep hole with increasing speed. Her eyes widened in fright as time seemed to slow down. Glancing towards the end of the hole, she saw that the many spiked rocks seemed almost eager, awaiting her arrival. In shock, Lyra realized that she couldn’t possibly live through the fall. She began to black out as the bottom slowly grew closer and closer. She forced her lungs into a final shriek of terror before slipping into unconsciousness.
* * *
She felt numb. Every inch of her body seemed to burn with a searing pain. Lyra tried to focus but her mind wandered by itself in a sea of whiteness. ‘I’m... dead...?’ She thought as she noticed the sudden shifts into gravity, but no matter where it pulled her to, Lyra didn’t feel like falling anymore. ‘I feel... cold...’
Distorted voices on the distance made her look around herself, searching for their source. Although white was everything that stood around her, the teal mare was able to see a concentrated ball of white light, glimmering intensely in the distance. The gravity shifted once more, making her float lazily towards the near-blinding ball of light. The voices grew in volume as the mare neared the ominous light source. She began to flail her limbs, desperately trying to reach closer and touch it. The voices became clearer, and brought her a warm feeling, soothing her panic. She felt as life itself was slowly returning to her. The numbness in her limbs slowly subdued, but they seemed to fight against the orders her brain sent. Lyra kept pushing forward until she was mere inches of the white ball.
She could tell that the voices belonged to two individuals and, although they became much clearer they were still muffled. Lyra felt more determined than ever and reached a hoof for the white ball. As the tip of her hoof touched the ball, the strange yet satisfying warmth seemed to spread through her entire body. The gravity shifted once more, violently launching her away from the whiteness. As the distance between herself and the ball grew, she felt the numbness return back to her. The white light surrounding her slowly turned into darkness as the mare felt something quickly approaching her. Wincing and closing her eyes, she awaited her impact on wherever it was that she was flying to.
Suddenly, she became more aware of herself. Her heart slowly beating as her calm, tranquil breaths lazily pushed her chest up and down. The mare acknowledged that gravity had straightened itself, as she felt her own weight against something soft beneath her. She opened her eyes, but a sharp pain in them prompted the mare to close them as tears began to flow from it.
Trying once more, slowly this time, she found that the tears brought forth from the pain blurred her vision completely. Another concentration of white light stood before her, this one more long and slim than the ominous ball from moments prior. This white spot was different. She tried to speak but only blurted out unintelligible sounds. As her voice left her throat, she noticed two entities close in on her.
“Com iu hir mu?!” The first voice, a feminine one said to her. The voice, although heavily distorted, had a tinge of concern in it. Lyra all of the sudden felt physically exhausted. She tried to focus on the voice in order to figure out what it said. But her mind seemed to drift further and further apart from herself.
“Fis boin mac!” The second voice, a masculine one said to her. This voice lacked the empathy and concern that the first one had, sounding stern, decisive and a little bit anxious.
Lyra muttered more unintelligible sounds before her eyes automatically rolled back in their sockets, sending her into unconsciousness once more.
* * *
Thump...
Thump...
Thump...
Lyra felt bound to the ground, her sore muscles slow to cooperate. Opening her eyes, she gasped when she saw where she found herself in. Blackness surrounded her. It was nothing like the strange white place she found herself in, nor like the comforting white space she had been prior. She felt that cold, but once again, her body didn’t shiver. Time felt nonsensical in that place. Centuries seemed to pass for the mare, as she slowly learned how to move her of her pained limbs. After slowly lifting herself from the ground, her muscles gave up and she collapsed, panting and sweating.
As she stood still, her mind began to wander about her friends. ‘They must be so concerned with me...’ She thought about Berry Punch, Junebud, Cheerilee and Bon Bon. Especially Bon Bon. Her best, most faithful friend; the one who cared most for her. A tear escaped her eyes as the cold intensified around her, making even her bones hurt. Just the mere thought of Bon Bon brought another chilly sensation to the mare, but her happy memories alongside with her friend forced her to keep remembering the joys she shared with her.
The cold became unbearable. Lyra felt her mind slow down gradually to the point that all her thoughts seemed alien to her. ‘I... need to sleep.’ She thought to herself, but another part of her brain was quick to retort.
‘No! You must stay awake!’
‘But I feel so tired... I... I have to go back.’
‘No you don’t! You’re going to stay awake, Lyra Heartstring, you hear me?’
‘It’s just... a small nap...’
‘I said no! We have to get out!’
‘I can’t help it... I’m... just so... tir-’
‘Y... You better... not do an-’
Her eyelids began to feel heavier than ever before. Like she told herself, it would be just a small nap, and then it would be all over. Her eyes battered frantically, trying to rid herself of the soporific effect. But no matter how much her eyes fluttered, she couldn’t keep the lashes apart for long; dozing in and out of consciousness. The moment her eyes closed for good, the warm embrace was back, prompting the mare to forget her tired state. She began to embrace the whiteness, but the sound of something massive being ripped apart brought her back to her senses. Lazily turning her head around to see what it was, Lyra saw a massive tear in the blackness, with a light-blue, cold light emanating from it. She groaned for a moment, but her mind told her that this was her chance to go back, prompting the teal mare to get up and haggardly walk towards the cracks.
‘Wha- what... are you doing? You’re... too tired.’
‘No... I.... can... do this!’
‘Just sleep a little, Lyra. Then we both can go back an-’
‘No! I have... to get out... of here...’
‘But you like it here!’
Lyra stopped, pondering about what she just thought about. She knew it to be true; that place was everything she ever wanted. Everything she ever dreamed of.
‘No... I... I...’
‘We can be happy... again! Think about this.’ She pleaded with herself.
‘No... I have... to go... it’s time to...’
She stopped mid-thought, trying to conserve her energies. As the mare pressed forward towards the azure light that now bathed her completely, she felt the cold grip at her furiously. Every step she took seemed to drain her almost completely. She collapsed onto the ground and started to drag herself towards it. A loud beep could be heard from beyond the rip, its continuous and steady rhythm brought some comfort to her. Nearing the rip, Lyra extended a hoof to touch it.
‘You know there’s no turning back, do you?’
‘I... have to... It’s been... too long...’
‘You don’t have to do this.’
‘I’m... I’m sorry...’
She extended her hoof and delicately reached out for the azure glimmer.
* * *
“She’s coming to!” an excited voice yelled, beaming with joy. Lyra tried to speak when she thought that the voice was almost too familiar, but she only muttered out an unintelligible groan.
“Oh, thank goodness!” another familiar voice screamed, this one bordering hysteria. Lyra opened her mouth to try to speak, but only coughed in response as her throat ached. “Lyra, are you OK?” the same voice from before said, now filled with concern. Something clicked on her mind and she instantly recognized whom the voices belonged to. She opened a bit of her eyes just to feel the white light invade them, prompting her to forcefully close them as they spewed out tears.
“M- Mom... Dad...?” Lyra asked, her dry throat making her voice sound rasp. She stopped and swallowed some saliva, dulling the soreness in it. “Wha- What are you doing here?”
Her father waited a moment before replying, “We’re... we’re here because of you. Oh, Lyra... your mother and I are so happy!” he said as his voice cracked a bit. The thought of a tough stallion like her father crying made her smile, suppressing a giggle. The loud beep that coincided with her heart’s rate brought her back from her jovial mood; making her remember that she was in a hospital room. ‘The accident must’ve been pretty bad to make my parents rush all the way from Canterlot to Ponyville.’ She thought.
“But mom, dad... what about Canterlot!? You can’t leave the family’s instrument shop closed!” she said, smiling. It was just a playfully reprimand to both her parents, trying to lift their spirits. Lyra’s smile stood on her face for very little, for the room was suddenly plunged into a deep silence, making her very uncomfortable.
“C- Canterlot?” Her mother stuttered out, Lyra could tell by her voice that she was on the verge of tears. “Instrument shop? What is she talking about?”
“I’m afraid I... don’t know, Ms. Heart,” said a third voice that up until now remained silent.
‘Wait... Ms. Heart?!’ Lyra thought as her heart accelerated inside her chest. She felt nauseated all of a sudden, making her throat ache even more when the bitter bile made contact with it. She emitted a loud gasp when something touched her foreleg. Snakelike, uncoated appendices -- much like a dragon’s claw -- wrapped themselves around her front leg. The feeling felt so alien to Lyra that she instantly recoiled her front leg and opened her eyes. The sharp, white pain in her vision started again, but she fought against both the pain and the torrent of tears that it had brought forth.
What she saw made her completely paralyze; only the steady beats of her heart, accompanied with the rhythmic beeping attested to the mare still being alive. Her breathing intensely quickened, becoming frantic. Before her stood three bipedal creatures. Two embracing each other, horrified expressions on their faces, and a third one, wearing a white coat and looking quizzically at her. ‘No... No! This can’t be true. Humans aren’t real! Humans can’t be real! They’re just creatures in my dreams!’ She managed to think before her mind also became frantic with strange thoughts. She instantly lift up her hoof and pointed it towards the trio of strange creatures.
“WHO ARE YOU?! WHERE THE BUCK AM-”she yelled accusingly at them before shifting her attention towards herself. She saw an arm much like the ones that the human had. Shock came to her when she realized that the alien arm protruded from herself. Her eyes widened and she screamed in terror, bringing the strange appendage closer to herself to inspect it in disbelief. She saw the human wearing the white coat step forward towards her and she desperately tried to get up from the bed. The human was stronger though, and was able to hold her down.
“NURSE, WE NEED A SEDATIVE HERE!” he said, turning his head towards the door on the distance. Lyra struggled with all her might but it was uneventful; she would never be able to break free from his grasp. An idea rushed into her mind and she closed her, focusing entirely on her horn, trying to levitate the human away from her.
She stood still, furrowing her eyebrows and grunting. But try as she might, nothing happened. She couldn’t feel her magic.
“MY HORN! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY HORN?!” she screamed hysterically, eyes shifting from the human holding her down to the human couple who looked at her with shocked expressions. The male embraced the female, bringing her head closer to his chest to shield her from the sight.
A female human wearing a white coat came rushing from the door and quickly neared Lyra’s side. Her pupils shrunk when she saw the syringe in the female human’s hand. “NO! GET THAT THING AWAY FROM ME!” she screamed before biting the male human’s arm. He instantly cried a loud, pained yelp, releasing his grip on her. Inching her body closer to the bed’s edge, she threw herself on the cold floor, landing with a dull thud. She tried to get up and walk away on her four limbs, but as she pushed her body upwards, she noticed that her legs weren’t moving. She looked back at her hind legs, only to find out that they too were like the humans’.
This distraction on her part was enough to give the humans the time to close in on her and pin her down to the ground with their arms. She only acknowledged their oppressing force when she felt a small pain on her right shoulder. Turning her head back to face the two humans, she screamed in panic, making both humans inch away from her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the syringe still attached to her shoulder. Lyra clawed the floor, trying at all costs to flee the room, but it was proven uneventful as the sedatives began to kick in and make her feel dizzy. She opened her mouth to scream once more, but the only thing that came out was a murky-green liquid. She coughed and gasped before falling face-first on the puddle of her own vomit. Her muscles were flaccid and her will was completely depleted. A loud, skull-splitting ringing sound made its way inside her mind. The once-teal mare just lay there on the puddle of her own bile as her consciousness began to slowly fade away.
* * *
Lyra groggily woke up to the sound of the beeping machine that emulated her heart’s rate. As the memories of what had happened rushed back into her mind, an adrenaline rush made her inch her body forward, trying to get away from that place. It was short-lived, as she felt her arms being held by strange leather shackles to the bed. The shackles were tight, but allowed some movement of her part. She looked around and calmed a bit when she acknowledged the room was empty. Pulling and yanking the shackles proved uneventful, as the only thing she was able to accomplish was to make some noise. Her eyes watered up. ‘If only I’d still had my horn...’
Focusing on those recent memories made her nauseated again, making her gag as she tried to swallow her own bile. The gagging was closely followed by her sobs and tears, blurring her vision. A voice from outside asking prompted her to stop whimpering. She focused closely on what the voices were talking about.
“... she seems to be having difficulty coping with the fact that she just woke up. We don’t know what could be causing this, Mr. and Miss Heart, but I would recommend weekly sessions with this therapist.” Lyra heard the voice that belonged to the third human, the doctor, followed by the sound of paper being ripped from a page.
“Is she crazy, doctor? Is my daughter crazy?” the voice from Lyra’s mother asked, almost cracking.
“Judging only the way she acted, I would say that yes, she is. But if I take her whole situation into consideration, I’m glad to say that this is not the case. The way she spoke so fervently about her... horn... would tell us that she had access to some mental faculties while in coma.”
Lyra’s eyes widened when she acknowledged that they were talking about her. ‘But I’m fine! I don’t remember ever being in a coma!’
“What do you mean?” asked the male voice from Lyra’s father.
“Well, you said that she never had much friends but she was rather fond of outdoor sports. I would say that she created a world for herself. One in which she could have real friends and to also cope with the physical restraint of her state. But please, consider everything I said about this as pure speculation. That’s why I want you to bring her to the psychologist; to help her remember her previous life and accept it. Other than that, we will keep her under observation for the night and you will be able to take her home in the morning.”
“But doctor, you saw the way she was screaming! What if she... loses it near us? Me and my wife are old now... we won’t be able to stop her.”
“Hmmm...” the young male voice muttered. Shortly after, Lyra was able to hear the sound of something rubbing quickly against paper. Once it stopped, she once more heard the sound of paper being torn. A few seconds passed in silence before the female’s voice spoke, filled with disbelief.
“S... Secobarbital!?”
“It’s a sedative that will make her sleepy for a couple of hours. It will also serve to hinder any oncoming anxiety outbursts. We will put some on her IV serum in the morning before you two can take her home. That should keep her calm for the time being. This drug is very potent and not completely safe; make sure she takes only one pill every day on the same time.”
The voices were silent for a few moments before the old male voice spoke, “Is there anything else, doctor?”
“Oh, I almost forgot. Being so long without physical activity, most of her muscles atrophied,” he stopped for a moment and Lyra heard the sound of paper pages being moved. “She’s been in a coma since she was seventeen... but her upper limbs seem to be only mildly affected, she can use them at will. You will have to bring her here twice a week for physical therapy. We... still don’t know if she will ever regain control of her lower limbs,” There was a moment of silence before the young voice spoke again. “Mr. and Ms. Heart... I’m so, so sorry...” the voice said before Lyra began to hear rhythmic hoofsteps distancing themselves from her door. The faint sound of sobbing was heard on the outside before a pair of hoofsteps also distanced themselves from her door, much slower than the first.
Lyra stopped listening and turned the palms of her hands towards her. She looked at the delicate patterns that differed from one another before slowly flexing her fingers. Sorrow crept inside her brain as she looked at her closed hands, seeing that they didn’t even resemble hooves. Her hands were brought closer to her face and she began to feel herself. There was no snout, only a small nose. She felt a small tube that entered through one of her nostrils, taped to her nose. Lyra felt the tube with her hands and pulled it a bit, only to be rewarded with a small pain on her belly, throat and more nausea. She let go of the tube and began exploring her new self once more. The ears weren’t pointy; they were round, small and were not where they supposed to be. Her eyes were much smaller and had much more eyelashes on her eyelids. Her mane was completely gone along with her crest; in its place stood a flock of brown hair. Lastly, he touched her neck and chest, feeling naked without her furry coat to cover her.
Her heart began to ache on her chest, thought the rhythmic beeping of the machine didn’t race. She uncovered herself from the white blankets and touched her lower limbs. They were thinner compared to the other humans’. She felt her bones, hiding away under a thin layer of skin and muscle. They were longer, slender, but seemed much frailer too. Cold tears escaped her eyes as she tried to bend over herself in order to touch her toes. She remembered what the doctor said about the possibility of her never being able to walk again.
Just when she was nearly reaching them, the shackles allowed her no further. With a dry thud, Lyra fell back over the mattress and hid her face in between her skinny hands. The sobs increased in volume and frequency as she silently wished this all to be a nightmare. She cried for hours in relative silence, until the exhaustion allowed sleep to come and envelop her completely.
* * *
Lyra groggily woke up once more to find herself inside some sort of moving chariot. It grumbled like what a dragon’s silent roar would sound like. She felt something rubbing against her bare skin and lazily looked down to see what it was. There was something covering her whole chest and shoulders and another one covering her legs almost completely. She knew those were clothes, but they were far different from anything she ever wore, including the human hospital’s gown, which covered her body completely. Panic would have set in, but Lyra felt some sort of mental blockage on almost every emotion and thought she had. She turned her head and gazed through the windows of the strange chariot, whcich displayed the canopy of what seemed to be a large forest. An old, raspy voice awoke her from her trance.
“Oh, you’re awake, dear,” the male human said. She moved her head and saw the human holding some kind of hollow wheel. The female human turned around from her seat and looked at Lyra with a comforting smile.
“I’m sorry we didn’t wake you up earlier, Lyra,” she said, sounding almost apologetic, “The doctor said that he would give you a strong dose of the medication before we went home.”
Lyra acknowledged those words, but couldn’t think much about them, “Home...? Where... where...”
“Shhhh... It’s alright, dear. Everything will be alright,” the female said, eyes moist from newly formed tears. Lyra rested her head on one of the chariot’s soft seats and looked up at the ceiling. She could see from the corner of her eyes what the two humans exchanged concerned gazes toward each other.
The strange chariot kept on roaring for a long time before decreasing its speed and coming to a full stop.
“We’re here, Lyra,” the female stuck her arm out and gently wrapped her hand on her knee. Lyra felt sleepy and weak enough only to mumble something unintelligible in response. The chariot’s door opened and the old human grabbed Lyra gently before lifting her up and placing her on a wheelchair. Her arms fell limply onto her lap as she struggled against her dull muscles to keep her head up, trying to see the where exactly she was.
As the male human pushed her wheelchair, she noticed a large building, with many extra constructions nearby, a fence surrounding the entire place. Lyra’s mind briefly remembered of the Apple family’s farm and noted the similarities; there was an old barn, filled with many windows and cobwebs and a smaller house next to it, where she heard the sounds of various animals. The gentle breeze made her shiver a bit, but the glowing sun and the somewhat familiar scenery brought some comfort to her.
She tiredly looked around herself and saw a multitude of trees surrounding the small propriety. A smile crept on her face when she saw so much green, but it soon faded when she remembered that Equestria’s trees were much greener. All the colors in Equestria felt alive, whilst the ones in this human world were dull and emotionless.
The male human pushed her towards a large, brownish house. Before they went in, the male human grabbed Lyra on his arms as the female human dragged her stairs to the top of the small porch in front of the house. Once the wheelchair was set, the male human gently placed Lyra back onto the chair and pushed her into the house. A familiar scent made its way up her nostrils. The smell of old but preserved wood seemed to bring Lyra a little closer to reality. The male human continued to push her across the living room and towards a small bedroom. Once inside, her chair was pushed to a nearby wall before the male human turned it around, giving her a broad view of the whole room. The male human sat on a bed and looked at her with a lovingly smile.
“Do you remember your room? We kept it just like you used to,” he said, smiling warmly as the female opened one of the drawers in the closet and took out a small piece of green clothing. She took Lyra’s arms and gently slid both inside the clothing before closing the front with a metallic object that moved producing the most peculiar sound Lyra ever heard.
“I remember when you asked us to buy this coat for you, Lyra,” the female human said, pushing her chair towards a mirror. “I always thought that it was too colorful, too vibrant... but green was always your favorite color.” She let out a gloomy laugh.
Lyra bent her back slightly, inching closer to the mirror. She slowly lifted one hand and touched her head with it, searching for her horn. The sorrowful feeling crept back into her for a moment when she realized that it was indeed gone. She slowly shook her head and closed her eyes, fighting back the urge to cry at the visage. The female human, noticing her distress, gently wrapped her fingers around her shoulders, tightening her grip lightly. Lyra opened her eyes once more and looked at her face.
“Gold...” Was all she managed to say when she saw the reflection’s eyes. The golden irises glimmered in the faint sunlight that shone through one window. She smiled when she acknowledged that her eyes were still beautiful, like they had a life of their own. Her mind deviated the attention from herself when the male human took a leathery round case from out the closed and rested it gently on her lap.
“It always cheered you up... I remember that you used to play it every single evening. Each day brought a new improvisation when you played for the setting sun,” he said. She had some trouble figuring out how to open the hard container, with her trembling hands. When she had managed to open it, she couldn’t help but put a hand over her mouth, covering her silent gasp. Before her stood a small, hoofheld, brass Lyre. Some strings were missing and the ones still attached were loose. Her shaking hand clumsily picked one string and gently stretched it before finally releasing. The plucked string resonated weekly with a strange, dissatisfactory sound. A single tear escaped her eyes and landed on the brass instrument, seeping through its delicate curves before falling onto the case’s velvet interior, staining it to a darker tone.
The female human saw Lyra’s distress and turned to face the male, “Do you think we should show her?”
“No harm can come of it, I’m sure,” he said, sounding a bit unsure himself. The male human proceeded to take the coppery instrument and gently place it in its case. He closed the instrument’s case and put it back into the drawer. Pushing her wheelchair once more, they headed towards the front door. The sun’s warm rays seemed to wake up Lyra from the drug’s hypnotic effects. The sense of dread increased a bit, but Lyra couldn’t think if it was because of the ominous looking cellar nearing her or the fact that the two humans believed fervently that she was their daughter.
The wheelchair stopped in front of the cellar-like structure and the male human moved from behind Lyra and neared the two barn doors. He took a key out of his jacket’s pocket and opened the padlock that kept a chain around the two barn door’s handles. He walked inside while the female human kept stroking her hair gently with her fingers. She heard some metallic sounds coming from inside and soon the male human returned, pulling a leather strap that was attached to something that still stood inside the structure.
“Lyra, you remember Bon Bon, right?” He said, smiling at her. Lyra’s heart skipped a beat at the instant her friend’s name was mentioned. She shifted on her chair and would have fallen into the dirt ground were not the female human there to hold her. The male human pulled the leather strap once more and a familiar form emerged from the structure. Lyra’s smile quickly faded when she saw a cream coated pony trot out of it and into the sunlight. ‘This... isn’t Bon Bon.’ she thought.
“We’ve had her since she was a little filly.” The male human walked near her, pulling the pony behind him. She recoiled a bit from the sight. ‘That... thing isn’t Bon Bon. Not my Bon Bon!’ she thought as she began to eye quizzically the pony. Its eyes were smaller and seemed emotionless, like it lacked a life of its own. She gasped when she noticed the absence of a cutie mark on its flank. She couldn’t help but feel pity for it.
The pony got nearer and sniffed Lyra a bit before the male human stroked its coat gently, “I remember that whenever we argued, you always stormed out of the house and came to the stable to be alone with her.” He sighed wearily. “You said that she were always a good listener.” He trailed off when he caught sight of Lyra.
Tears flowed freely from her eyes as she began to remember the real Bon Bon. She grasped her head in between her both hands and screamed for as long as her lungs were capable. The male human quickly rushed towards the stable, dragging the pony behind him while the female got from behind Lyra and tried to hug her. She just pushed her away and intentionally tumbled her wheelchair over, falling to the dirt ground. The female human could only look at her with wide eyes, not knowing what to do. Grabbing her legs with both hands, she pulled them as close to her chest as possible and let out an agonizing howl.
* * *
Lyra didn’t remember being brought to the inside of the house. She didn’t remember being bathed or gently placed over her bed. When she came to her senses, it was like waking up from a nightmare to another. Laying down in the same strange position she was in when she was a patient at the human hospital. Both male and female humans were seated on her bed, looking weary and gloomy at her. The female human opened a small orange bottle and took a white pill on her hand, before turning to face Lyra.
“It’s time for your medication, sweetie,” she said, extending her arm. Pill lazily resting on her palm. Lyra just stared at her with a blank expression without answering.
“Come on, Lyra. It’ll make you feel better. The doctor said that it will also help you sleep,” the male human tried, also smiling at her.
She knew she shouldn’t be listening to them. But she forced herself to extend her arm and take the small pill from the female human’s hand. Lyra looked at the pill for a moment before placing it on her tongue. A glass of water was handed to her by the male human, which she quickly gulped down.
“That’s my girl,” the female said, bringing herself near Lyra in order to kiss her forehead. She instantly recoiled, turning her head away from both humans. The female human only let her head droop before muttering almost inaudibly, “Good night...”
The female human rose from the bed and was quickly followed by the male, who gently wrapped his arm around her shoulder, comforting her. They both looked at Lyra one final time before moving the small lever on the wall that flicked the lights on and off. She saw them from inside her room as the male climbed the stairs to the second floor. The female human went into another room and she heard the sound of and cabinet being opened and closed shortly after. She closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep as she saw the silhouette of the female human coming out of the other room. She came near Lyra’s bedroom and stopped near the door, whispering, “I love you, Lyra.”
She stood still until she heard the steps of the female human slowly climbing the stairs. Opening one eye to check if both were gone from sight, she spat the pill she had hidden under her tongue to the floor. A few moments passed with her trying to remember what exactly the medic said about the medicament. ‘It helps me to sleep...’ she thought. A few faint sounds coming from directly above her brought her back to reality.
“... I don’t know... she seems different,” a female voice said, nearly cracking up.
“Of course she seems different, dear. She’s been six years in a deep coma.”
“I know but... she doesn’t feel like our Lyra.”
“Sweetie, she still is our daughter... we just have to be patient with her.”
The female voice took some time before answering, “You’re right... we’ll just have to wait until she remembers. Then we can have our little Lyra back.”
“She’s probably frightened, dear. The doctor said that the sessions with the therapist would help her deal with what she’s feeling. Let us try to sleep; we had a very tiring day today and we won’t be able to help Lyra tomorrow if we’re tired.”
“I just hope she still remembers that we still love her...”
“I’m certain she does...” The voices fell silent for a time before the male one spoke up again, “Good night.”
“Good night,” the female voice replied.
Lyra focused to hold back her tears. ‘Why do they insist on it?! I’m not their daughter!’ she thought before letting out a weary sigh, ‘I just awoke in here. Awoke... in here... awoke! That’s it!’ She waited for a long time, patiently hearing the sounds coming from the room above her. By pinching herself whenever her eyelids neared closer, she managed to keep herself awake. It was only when she heard a loud snoring coming from above that she knew the time had come.
She threw the covers of the bed on the ground and inched her body towards the edge of the bed, trying to fall on top of the covers in order to muffle her sounds. Her plan worked and she fell gently and inaudibly over the covers. She dragged herself towards the wheelchair and as quietly as she could, forced herself to sit on it. She fought against the pain in her arms for a good five minutes before managing herself on top of the chair. After sitting on it, she stood still for a moment, waiting to hear the sounds of snoring coming from above. When she finally heard one particular loud snore, she put both her hands on the wheels on both sides of her chair and slowly pushed herself forward.
She entered the room the female human went before going upstairs; a bathroom. She saw a small cabinet hanging from the wall, a mirror as its door. She reached out for it and fortunately was able to open its door without lifting herself from her seat. Taking the orange plastic bottle on her hand and quickly opening it, she tumbled the container over her open palm. She proceeded to take each pill that was on her palm and ingest it until there was none left. Then, she repeated the process, tumbling the orange bottle once more and taking more pills, repeating it until the container was empty.
Lyra then pushed herself towards the front door and unlocked it with the key that was left in the keyhole. Before going outside, she looked to her right and saw a coat hanger with a particular jacket on it. She slowly made her way to it and proceeded to retrieve the key on the jacket’s pocket. She gave one last look towards the inside of the house before turning the door handle.
A light rain picked on, permeated with a chilly wind. Lyra exited the house and turned around, locking both humans on the inside. She wheeled herself towards the small barn on the distance, but she failed to remember about the height difference between the porch and the muddy ground. Lyra screamed in fright as she fell towards the mud. Quickly covering her mouth with her hands, she turned around to the house and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the upper floor’s lights were off. It was short-lived, though, for the lights flipped on, prompting her to look for her wheelchair and get going. Quickly crawling towards the wheelchair and flipping it into the right position, she tried to get on top of it, but her muddy hands slipped off of it every time she tried.
“LYRA, OPEN THE DOOR!” She heard the male’s scream, making her abandon her wheelchair and crawl all the way into the barn. The furious knocks against the door only made Lyra push herself forward with more force than before. Her lungs were burning with every sharp intake of cold air as she clawed the muddy ground to give her support. Her arm’s muscles aching, threatening to stall her with cramps. Even her eyes were pained with the occasional raindrops and mudplats that landed on them.
The knockings and bangs at the door didn’t cease, nor did the male human’s screams. But she couldn’t back off now; she felt so close. Once she neared the stable’s doors, she reached the padlock that firmly kept both ends of the chain together. Using the key she took from the human’s jacket, she unlocked the padlock and placed both it and key inside her pocket before taking the chains and placing them around her neck.
She struggled for a few minutes before opening the stable’s doors. Pushing herself inside, Lyra closed them and used the chain and padlock to lock herself inside. The sudden metal noises scared the pony that lay inside the stable, making him neigh. Taking a few seconds to calm her frantic breathing and her aching muscles, she turned towards the agitated pony.
“Shhh... shhh...” she said before dragging herself closer to it. The pony stood still for a moment, watching the human girl haggardly crawl towards it. When she reached the pony’s resting place, she opened the door and pushed herself inside. The towering pony then lay down on the pile of hay on the floor and kept looking at the muddy girl. She looked back, meeting it’s gaze, and it was with shock that she acknowledged that his eyes seemed to show compassion towards her.
Lyra began to cry. The tears helping to soothe the pain in her eyes. She reached for the pony, stroking its muzzle gently. Suddenly, a sharp pain in her stomach made her clutch her belly with her hands. She fought back the pain and tried to crawl towards the pony once again. As her eyes felt like they weighted a ton each, she hugged the little pony’s head and kissed it tenderly, before furrowing her brows and burrowing her head into its mane, allowing a stream of tears to pour from under her closed eyelids.
“I wanna go home... please take me home...” she said in between sobs as she felt her forces being drained from her, “... please... pl.. ease... plea.. se... ple.. as..e.. p.. l..ea...”
