Fictional Reality

My name is Lyra. Somehow I got myself into a bit of a bind, literally. I’ve been tied up to this stupid chair in a big, cave-labyrinth thingy. I hated it; it was too cold and wet and dark and I don’t even know why I was fillynaped. I wished I had learned more magic aside from levitating my lyre, then maybe I could’ve escaped. I’m a unicorn by the way, a beautiful mint-green unicorn. Although I was now more like a frizzy green mare. Stupid cave climate. I don’t even know how this happened. Well that’s not really true. I know exactly how this happened. It’s just a long story.

“Lyra. Lyra, get up!”

“What?” I asked rubbing my eyes. My roommate, Bon Bon, just had to wake me up. I hate when she does that. What could be so important that she needs to wake me so early all the time? So annoying. I know what you’re thinking, why live with somepony who annoys you like that? Well she’s not all bad; she’s a pretty good cook and she does pay her share of the rent… and mine. And besides, we’ve known each other for, like, ever.

“Why are you still in bed?” she scolded me. “I thought you were going to look for a job. It’s already past ten.”

“But it’s Saturday,” I retorted, pulling the covers over my head. Bon Bon wouldn’t let it end like that though; she pulled the blanket and threw it off the bed.

“I don’t care. I can’t keep paying all the rent. You need income.”

I used my magic to grab the blanket and levitate it back to me, but she grabbed one end and started a tug-of-war. My magic wasn’t good enough to overpower her natural earth pony strength so I bit the other end and pulled. I thought I was winning until a sudden jolt sent me crashing to the floor.

“There, you’re up. Now eat something and get looking.”

“Fine,” I grumbled.

After eating breakfast, I went out and wandered through Ponyville. If I’m going to have a job then I want one playing the lyre. My cutie mark is a golden lyre for crying out loud. Music is my life. Bon Bon keeps telling me to lower my standards. But what does she know? She cooks. There are always cooking jobs. I couldn’t find anything around town that would let me play music for money. That kind of work seems to only happen during special events.

I didn’t really want to face Bon Bon and tell her I still didn’t find anything so, after a while, I wandered out of town. Eventually, I came across this old mine. I didn’t really want to go in, but I saw something shiny and thought it might be a gem or something valuable. As soon as I went in, I lost sight of whatever I had seen. Suddenly, something hit me in the head and knocked me out.

That’s when I woke up here, tied to this freaking chair with no idea who did this or why. Huh, maybe that wasn’t such a long story. It feels like a long story. I don’t know how long I was down there. Hours? days? I hadn’t seen anypony since I was captured. Suddenly, I heard something. Hoof steps.

“Whoever you are, you had better let me go or I’ll,” I started yelling. “Huh? A colt?” Right in front of me was a young, yellow pony… with a big scruffy, brown beard… How does a colt grow facial hair like that?

“My apologies ma’am,” he said as he untied me. He didn’t really sound young. In fact, he sounded almost old, with a really scruffy voice.

“Who are you?” I demanded. “Why did you hit me and tie me up? Don’t make me talk to your parents.”

“I am not some foal,” he said sternly. “I am an adult, and it wasn’t me who hit you.”

“Oh, sorry. But what’s going on here?”

“First, let me say I am sorry for that blow to your head. It were one of our guard who thought you suspicious. My name is Stone Axe, mayor of Eisen, underground city of the dwarves.”

“Dwarves?”

“I thought you might not know of us,” he said with a chortle. “We are a very… private people.”

“Okay, look, that’s interesting and all, but I just want to go home, so if you’ll excuse me.” I started to walk away. I didn’t get very far until I realized that I didn’t know the way out. I wasn’t just in some cave; from what I could tell, I was in some kind of underground labyrinth of mineshafts. I turned back to Stone Axe who smiled at me like he knew I couldn’t go anywhere. “Okay. How do I get out of here?” I almost yelled.

“I told you, we are very private. Normally, after knocking you out we would take you far from the mine and let you wander home not knowing a thing. But you were a special case.”

That really didn’t sound good. Now I was really worried. Why didn’t I just listen to Bon Bon and take some random job when I had the chance? I thought. Now I may never even see her again. Please, oh, please let me get through this.

“W-why am I here exactly?” I asked, trying to keep my cool.

“We couldn’t help but notice your flank.”

Oh Celestia! They want to…

“Specifically the golden lyre,” he finished.

“Wait, what?” I asked.

“The golden lyre is a sacred symbol. Truly you are a gift from the heavens.” He bowed to me for a moment then looked up at me expectantly.

“Yeah,” I said, playing along. “A gift. So, you still haven’t told me what you need me for.”

“Come,” he commands, “I’ll take you to Eisen. I’ll explain on the way. By the way, I never got your name.”

“Lyra.”

He took me through a long path of tunnels, winding this way and that. “Let me start at the beginning,” he said as we walked. “Long ago, our ancestors built this underground city in order to escape our enemy. You see, there were once a terrible group of dragons that tried to enslave my people. These beasts had interest in our superior mining ability. There is a nearby volcano that produces the rarest of gems. These gems produce light when exposed to oxygen and water, but only for a few days. That light actually puts dragons to sleep. This is why they need them; dragons sleep much when young but develop terrible insomnia in old age.”

I wasn’t sure what to make of that. I knew that there was a baby dragon living in Ponyville, but I didn’t know much about him or dragons in general. “So what does any of that have to do with me?”

“My ancestors successfully escaped the dragons by digging underground, but not for long. Now, many, many generations later, we are forced to mine these gems for the dragons. However, there was a time when this was not so. Five generations back, there was a mare born among us with the ability to play the lyre like no other. Her enchanting music was able to lull the dragons to sleep better than any gem, and for a time, there was peace. It could not last though. Eventually she passed, leaving only her golden lyre and memory with us.”

Before I knew it, we had left the maze of tunnels and were standing over a huge city made of stone. All I could do was stare. It was beautiful. Some of the buildings were as tall as four stories and the whole city was in a gigantic pit. Large, extravagant stone stairs led up to the level we were standing at. There were all kinds of marble and granite and stone I can’t recognize that seemed to give the whole place an elegant shine. The cave ceiling had all kinds of shimmering gems encrusted in it.

Stone Axe led me straight to the center of the city where there was a large gathering of dwarf ponies. Standing at twice their height as we moved through them, I had never felt so tall. They all stood in front of a stage and podium, behind which was a large statue of a mare holding a lyre. I was led up on stage by Stone Axe and he walked up to the podium to address the crowd.

“Fillies and gentlecolts,” he said, his voice practically booming though the city. “Today is a great day. For so long we have lived under oppression, but now, no more!” The crowd cheered and stomped the ground. Stone Axe continued after the noise died down. “The heavens have shined down upon us and gifted us with a path to freedom. This day will be remembered as the day we threw off tyranny and gained back what it is to be, a dwarf of Eisen!”

The masses of dwarves erupted in cheer, even louder now than before. I covered my ears; the noise was almost deafening. It began to settle down and Stone Axe started to speak again. “I present to you our shining light in these dark times. The successor to our hero, Silver Chime. The one and only Lyra!” He turned to look at me like he wanted me to speak. The horde of dwarf ponies started another uproar.

I didn’t realize just how big a deal this was to them. It must be hard living under the rule of dragons. I guessed this wouldn’t be too hard if all I needed to do was play some music. Even if it was to dragons…

Heh, play music to dragons. Easy right? right? What am I crazy?! I need to back out of this fast! I stepped up to the podium and stood next to Stone Axe.

“Uh, good evening,” I said, trying to speak loudly. There wasn’t any kind of speaker system or megaphone. Apparently I was just supposed to yell. “I’m honored to be counted in with a hero, but—”

“Speaking of the hero, Silver Chime,” Stone interrupted. “You’ll be needing the golden lyre to play your song.” A dwarf pony walked up on stage carrying the most amazing lyre I’ve ever seen. It was a simple design but very elegant with a classic feel to it. I pick it up with my magic and strummed the strings. The sound was perfect.

Wait, I can’t get sucked in by just this, I’m supposed to be refusing their offer.

“This is really nice, but…”

“And of course,” Stone interrupted again, “you’ll be needing the traditional garb.” Another dwarf walked up to me and floated a very lovely red cape made of silk over my back. Then, just to top it off, a third dwarf brought me something I couldn’t even believe, a tiara.

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, I have a silver tiara! Wait, I need to play to the dragons for all this?

I looked at the lyre, the cape, and the tiara. Bon Bon did say I needed a job, and what better one than playing the lyre?

“I’ll do my best to free you all!” I projected to the crowd, smiling like an idiot. The audience cheered.

It’s only one song right? I can totally handle this.

There was a sudden rumble. It felt like an earthquake. No, it felt like something fell and hit the ground, something big. Everypony started to run and scramble around.

“They’re here,” Stone said.

“What? Who’s here?” I asked.

“The dragons. They’ve come to collect the gems. Follow me.”

“Already? But I haven’t practiced.”

“There’s no time.” I was led out of the city and through a large tunnel. It looked big enough for… well for a dragon, I guess. At the end of the tunnel were a huge set of double doors. Two guards stood by, one on either side. Stone Axe noded to them and they opened the doors.

I expected a blinding light when the doors opened but instead it was just dim. This did lead directly outside, but apparently it was already dusk. I almost couldn’t believe that I was gone for that long. Stone headed out ahead of me, I didn’t follow him though. I was kind of nervous, kind of really nervous.

“Where are our gems?” said a loud, booming voice. I thought Stone Axe had a gruff voice, but this took the cake. It must have been one of the dragons, probably an adult. I couldn’t really hear what Stone Axe was saying, but I suddenly saw him wave me over. I backed away. I didn’t think I could really go through with it, but my way back to the city was blocked by the two guards. Now you might think that two ponies half my size would be no match for me, but they were carrying some rather large, heavy weapons. It was either fight two abnormally strong dwarves who had already managed to knock me out once or try playing my music to knock out the dragon and let the dwarves do whatever they were going to do with him.

I took a deep breath and moved toward the doors. The first thing I saw when I got outside was a pair of dragons instead of just one. One was red with green spines, the other green with red spines. The red one lowered his head until his face was centimeters from my own. I froze. I had no idea it would be so terrifying; some of his teeth were bigger than I am, for crying out loud!

“Well?” he said to me. Stone nudged me when I didn’t respond.

“Um, g-good evening?” I said, trying not to sound like dinner. The dragons each give me the stink eye. I picked up my new lyre with magic and started to play one of the only lullabies I knew. Something surprising happened, the dragons actually smiled. Both of the dragons started to yawn. Have you ever heard a grown dragon yawn? It’s the strangest noise, like the cutest yawn of a newborn foal in the most terrifyingly deep octave. It’s hard to believe that just one song can cure insomnia, but who am I to complain?

Holy Celestia! what is going on?

The dragon grabbed me and picked me up, taking my lyre too. Stone Axe just smiled and waved goodbye as the dragon lifted into the air!

“You tricked me!” I yelled.

The dwarf pony walked back inside.

Ohh, that little… If I ever see him again, oh the unspeakable things I will do.

I started screaming as loud as I could, but the dragon shifted a claw and covered my mouth. We were really high up now. I could see Ponyville in the distance. At least I didn’t stray too far from home. We kept flying for, I don’t even know, an hour maybe? I could still see Ponyville in the distance when we landed; maybe it was more like ten minutes. I don’t know, how am I supposed to keep time without a clock?

We landed at the top of a mountain and went inside a large crater on the top. There were literally dozens of old-looking dragons all around, each one looking more tired than the last. It was only after we landed that I saw, right in the middle of the dragons, a huge mound of gold and jewels recessed into the ground. This was like the ultimate of treasure troves. It must have been like all the dragons retirement funds put together or something.

The dragon holding me presented me to the others and, one by one, they all started to look really happy. One of them brought a cage and they threw me in. Another one dropped a small pile of grass in with me like it was my supper. I was about to complain, but then I realize they were dragons, probably ready to eat me if I disobey. I took some and choked it down. It tasted horrible. Now I knew how domestic birds felt.

I was given my lyre and told to play for them. I guess I really was there to put them to sleep. I just didn’t think it would be every night for the rest of my life! I wondered if that ‘hero,’ Silver Chime, was captured and forced to play like me. Maybe that’s why the lyre, cape and tiara were all my size instead of dwarf size. Well, I figured I should make the best of it. I started to play and all the dragons began to yawn. At this point, I didn’t know if I should be proud or insulted. Were they sleepy because I’m so good or do they think it’s that boring?

I stopped playing when all the dragons were in a deep sleep. I slumped down and solemnly took another bite of my ‘food.’ I never realized just how good Bon Bon’s cooking was until now. "This just sucks." I kicked the cage… The door opened… They forgot to lock the cage.

“Yes!” I almost shouted. I froze and looked around. Luckily, none of the dragons woke up. I carefully climbed out and looked for a way out of the crater. I spied the mound of treasure again.

Hmm, I wonder…

My name is Bon Bon. I’m an earth pony. I live in a small, two-pony apartment. I have a roommate named Lyra. She’s been my best friend forever. Earlier this morning, we had a fight about her getting a job and I haven’t seen her since. It was already past midnight and I was getting worried. It isn’t like her to stay out like that. I considered contacting the police, but they wouldn’t do anything if she hasn’t been missing for more than a couple of days. I was probably just overreacting. She probably just got mad and spent the night somewhere else just to make me sweat. Or maybe she found a job and needs to stay there overnight for some reason.

There was no need to stay up all night wondering. I figured I should just go to bed and look for her in the morning. But then I heard hoof steps in the apartment hallway. It might have been her. I went over to the door to see and it swung open before I could touch it. Lyra! Or was it? It looked like her, but she was wearing a tiara and a cape and had an old lyre strapped to her back.

“Hello, Bon Bon,” she said, sounding a little bit too cheerful for somepony coming home so late. I was about to say something about that when she continued.

“You want income?” she said, walking in through the doorway. She levitated a large sack and squeezed it into the room. She set it in front of me and let its contents spill out. “Here’s your income. I’m going to bed.”

She walked off to her room and closed the door behind her. I was too shocked at what was in front of me to care about her behavior. I stared at a sack filled to the brim with gold and jewels and all manner of treasure.

Dear Luna! What did she do, rob Canterlot? I am definetly going to have a talk with her about this… in the morning. For now, maybe I’ll just let it be and get some sleep. Hmm, I wonder how much a house would cost if we pay in full.