Anthropology: Lyra's Taleby Racha900ChaptersI'm LyraWhatVille?Apples and ButterfliesDiamonds and RainbowsI'm Lyra~ ~ ~ Freshman Troubles ~ ~ ~ It was an average day. I woke up early that morning at 7:00 to get ready for school. I was happily snuggled up in my bed, until my alarm clock decided to ruin my peace. The clock beeped it's ear splitting tone, tearing me away from my sweet dream. "Ugh.." I moaned. I leaned up in bed and hit the snooze button on the evil machine. Rubbing my eyes, and threw off my covers and swung my legs to the side of my bed. I stood up slowly and stretched, my back popping as I did. I stood up and yawned, rubbing the tiredness out of my eyes. I opened my door and trudged down the stairs. I soon made my way into the kitchen, grabbing a plastic wrapped muffin from the counter. I sat down at the table, unwrapping the treat and taking a big bite. The muffin was creamy and warm, odd for a packaged muffin. I thought nothing of it as i finished it off. After eating, I walked back to my room, feeling in a peppier mood now, and started getting dressed. I pulled on my favorite mint green sweater and some kaki pants. I glanced at my clock, and my heart started pounding when it read 7:45. I only had fifteen minutes to get to school. So, I pulled on my favorite sneakers, pulled my messy blonde hair into a ponytail, and grabbed my backpack. I dashed out the door, eager to get to school without being tardy. I ran down the street, my backpack slamming against me as i ran. I pulled out my phone to check the time. 7:50. Good I still had ten minutes. I picked up speed, dashing across roads and past bus stops. Finally, the school was in sight. I made a break for it, running across the football field, dodging the oncoming tacklers. Some stopped and stared, others tried to aim for me, but some even applauded. With one last quick dodge, I pulled myself up and over the schoolyard fence, and walked up the sidewalk to the front doors. Panting and sweaty, I looked around for my best friend. Being careful not to run by Ms. Parker, I slipped past the front desk and over to my friend Bonnie. "Hey Bonbon." I said, trying to stay cool. "Hey Lyra." she said, not looking up from her book. I sighed and started tapping the desk with my fingers, hoping she'd get agitated. After a few moments, she finally closed her book. "What is it Lyra..." she asked impatiently. I chuckled. "Oh nothing...I was just hoping to see if we could hang out after school today." I asked. Bonnie smiled and closed her book completely, putting it under the front desk. "I'd like that." she said happily. I silently cheered and did a little dance. She chuckled and pulled out some attendance sheets. "OK not get to class. You don't want to be tardy." she said, handing me an attendance slip. I smiled and picked up my bag, walking down the hall and turning the corner. I walked down the hall and into my teacher's classroom, setting down my stuff by my desk. The bell rang, and I started to zone out. After what felt like hours, the teacher finished his lecture and we were free to go. I grabbed my stuff and ran out the door, weaving my way through the crowd of students. I continued this endless pattern until 9th period, where I could actually have fun. I walked into the band hall, the sweet scent of brass polish filling my nose. I smiled and took my seat, pulling out my Lyre from my backpack. Only a few people were in the room, left over from the previous class, so I decided it might be fine if I played a few chords. I set up my fingers just right, making sure I wouldn't strum the wrong chord, and lightly ran my fingers along the thin wires. Some smooth light sounds came from the wires, echoing through the empty room. I ran my fingers along the chords a little faster, creating a louder, quicker sound. I repositioned my hands to go again, but then people started walking in. Startled, a nearly dropped my lyre. Students slowly trickled in, one by one, and took their seats accordingly. Once everyone was in their seats, Mr. J made a motion with his hands to quiet us. "Hello class! Please get out your instruments." he said simply. The others did as told, some of them already having them out, others struggling to grab their instruments. "Oh! And we have a new student." Mr J told us, grasping our full attention. He motioned for a girl with raven black hair and purple eyes to walk in. As she walked, I noticed she was wearing a grayish purple sweater and blue jeans. "Class, this is Octavia. She plays the violin." Mr J told us, sending murmurs throughout the room. Octavia spoke up at this. "Actually sir, I play the cello." she said as she grabbed her cello case off the floor. "So sorry Octavia. My mistake." he told her, his face turning scarlet. She smiled at him. Mr. J motioned for her to take a seat, and she chose the chair next to me. I leaned over to her. "Hi. I'm Lyra." I whispered. I smiled at her and she returned it, but half hearted. Soon, class got under way, and since it was Thursday, that meant we would take turns presenting the class with a sheet of music we had created. Mr. J looked around at the class, all of us eager to go first. "hmm...How about you Lyra?" he asked, pointing his instructor's baton at me. I smiled and walked slowly to the front. I pulled out a folded piece of paper from my pocket. "I call this, Humanity. It's not finished yet, but here's the first part." I said, setting the wrinkled paper on the holder. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I got rid of any stress or fear that had built up and blew it away. Then, I opened my eyes and set up my fingers on the correct chords. I started slowly, but soon started playing to my full potential. I strum each chord and felt the vibrations inside of it. As each wire snapped back into place, a harmonious tune filled the air. It was gentle and calm, not to soft, but not too loud. It was refreshing and catchy, but not catchy like a song that gets stuck in your head for days. I got lost in my music, playing the chords in a smooth tone. Soon, I stopped playing, seeing how my song didn't have an ending yet. Most of the class applauded, not like standing ovation, but genuine gratitude. I bowed and picked up my music sheet, stuffing it back into my pants pocket. I then took my seat and waited until class was over. Half an hour later, the final bell rang and I dashed out the the band hall, stuffing my lyre into my bag as I ran. I darted out the front doors of the school, eager to get home. I ran across streets and down sidewalks, around shrubs and over gardens. I said hello to some neighbors, and turned the corner to my block. I then picked up speed and made a mad dash for my house. Once I reached the house, I pulled out my key and unlocked the front door, slamming it behind me and walking to my room. I pulled off my sneakers and stretched out on my bed. "That feels good..." I said as I popped my back. I was about to get out my lyre when there was a knock on the door. "Who could that be?" i asked myself as I went to the door. I opened it and saw nobody. "Ha ha ha. Ding dong ditch. Very funny." I said as I started to close the door. Before it shut however, something caught my eye. "What's this?" I said as I stared at a medium-sized box, with no stamps or any sign of return address. The only thing on the box was a note that read, "TO: LYRA HEARTSTRINGS" in big bold letters. I shrugged and picked up the box, it being surprisingly light. I grabbed a knife from the kitchen and cut open the packing tape. I lifted the big brown flaps to reveal lots of packing peanuts. I dug around int the sea of peanuts until I hit something. Grabbing it, I lifted the object out of the box. It was a smaller box, with a shiny red covering and plastic so you could see inside. Inside the smaller box was an assortment of candies. "Awesome!" I said happily, tearing open the red box. I picked up one of the candies and popped it into my mouth. It was the sweetest, most delicious thing I had ever tasted. It tasted chocolatey, with a soft chewy center. I smiled and swallowed the treat, and popped two more into my mouth. I closed the box and walked back to my room, shoving it under my pillow. I then pulled out my Lyre and started picking at the chords, making them sing their sweet sounds. Soon my mom got home, and we enjoyed a mac and cheese dinner. I told her about my day, and about the new girl Octavia. After I washed the dished from dinner I went to my room to play. I popped some more yummy candies into my mouth and started to get tired. So, I pulled on my pajamas and climbed in bed. Soon, I found myself not able to keep my eyes open. I slipped into a deep sleep, enjoying it so far. Then stuff got weird. I tried to dream of pleasant things, but a splitting headache kept me up. The only time I had relief from my head is when I thought of horses. Not regular horses, like pintos or Arabians, no, more like candy-colored horses. That talk. It took some time to get used to, but eventually I was fine with dreaming of these odd creatures, inserting myself among them, thinking about what they might do or how they may act. Soon, I was pulled away from my dream by a bright light. I opened my eyes to see a bright blue light covering my field of vision. My body felt hot and my head ached. "Ugh....morning..." i groaned. I tried to pull my covers over me, but I couldn't find them. I unwillingly opened my eyes fully and looked around. my covers, pillow, and bed were gone. So was my room. And my house! I think it's safe to say I flipped out. WhatVille?My heart was pounding. I looked around, and confirmed that my house was indeed gone. Poof. Like the wind. I tried to calm down, but my dumb brain wouldn't let me. I ran my hands through my hair, when i came upon a long bump on my forehead. "Ow!" it stung when i poked it. I rubbed my face and noticed my hands were warm and hairy. No, not hairy. Fuzzy. I pulled my hands away from my face and nearly lost it. My fingers were gone and replaced with mint green stubs! I turned them over and over, making sure my eyes weren't deceiving me. They weren't. "Ok. Ok. I have stubs for hands. This is ok. I'm alive aren't I?" I told myself. I looked to see if my feet were the same and they were. "Dang it." I said. "What am I?" I asked myself. I turned to look at my body and realized I had hair coming out of my butt. "Great. Every girl's dream. A hairy butt." I mocked. Getting a closer look, I realized that it was a tail. A horse tail. A lime green and white horse tail. I didn't know what to think. I only knew one thing: I had to keep my cool. Freaking out never solved anything. I also noted that the rest of my body was covered in mint green fur, which would explain why I felt so hot. My hair seemed to have changed from blonde to teal to match my tail, and for some reason a picture of my lyre was plastered on my hip. "Ok. So i'm a mint colored horse with a tattoo on my butt. Perfectly normal." I lied. I looked around to see if I was any place familiar. "Ok so there's trees, dirt, a sky, flowers in the ground, and this just feels like i'm in a cliché setting right now." I shook the thought from my head. I tried to stand up on my hind legs, but doing so sent a shock through my body. It burned my legs to have the weight put on them. I collapsed onto my gut. "Well that went well..." I said, coughing up dust. I stood again, this time on four legs, and it felt much more comfortable. "I guess this works too." I said, stretching my legs and walking in place. "Ok. So, where am I?" I asked myself. I started walking along the dirt path, no real destination in mind, and thought about what had just happened. "Ok. So, somehow I've been turned into a candy-colored horse like in my dream, and I've been transported to a weird land with no sign of human life. Perfect." I was so deep in thought that I almost missed the strange sound coming from up ahead. "What the-" I said as my ear swiveled around, and I tried to get a better image of the sound. "That sounds like...music!" I said excitedly. I started galloping towards the sound, it getting louder as I ran. I soon came to what looked like a rustic town of some sort. There were houses made of wood, with straw roofs, as well as a couple of colorful shops. In the middle of the town was a large fountain, with a marble statue of a horse spitting water out of it's mouth. "Wow." I said as I slowed to a walk. Suddenly, a bright pink pony with a fluffy pink mane and tail came bouncing up the road, with what seemed to be a one-man band sort of thing strapped to her. I looked at her in amazement as she played the instruments, each perfectly in tune. Behind her, a trail of the most adorable creatures bounced, happy looks on their faces. They were small and circular, with little wings and big eyes. They were an assortment of colors, ranging from pink to blue. She smiled at me as she bounced by, the train of creatures following her. My brain finally registered what happened. "Ok, so if that pony can talk, then there must be more. Maybe this is some government facility full of genetically mutated talking horses that they don't want anyone to know about." I chuckled at my absurd thoughts. I then continued down the path, and then into the small town. It looked barren from the hill I was on, but inside the town it was all hustle and bustle. There were candy colored horses walking around, chatting with one another, and all seemed to be in a cheery mood. I walked through the town, catching glimpses of colorful shops amongst the white wooden houses. Suddenly, I came upon a peculiar-looking shop. It was cream white with bright pink trimming, which looked like frosting. The door looked like a graham cracker and a sign hung above it that read: "Sugar-Cube Corner". The name interested me and I decided to have a look inside. I immediately regretted it. As soon as I stepped inside, a little bell above the door rang. I walked up to the counter, and rang the small golden bell that lied on it's surface. A few moments later, the bright pink horse I had saw bouncing down the path appeared at the counter. "Hi! My name's Pinkie Pie! I've never seen you before, and I know everyone in Ponyville." It took me a moment to realize what she had said, since she talked as fast as a bullet. "um...Hi. I'm Lyra and I was just wanting to know what this place is." I replied. After I finished talking, a huge smile spread across Pinkie's face. "ooh I'm so excited your here! This is Sugar Cube Corner. Your number one stop for sweets, treats, and all things neat!" she replied, bouncing up and down. I was tarting to get annoyed by her peppiness, and I had a feeling she had some major ADHD. "Thanks. Anyways, I may have a few bucks in my sweater..." I said, looking at my torso. I then realized I no longer was wearing my sweater. Out of nowhere, Pinkie started laughing hysterically. "Why would you have bucks in your sweater?" she asked, her laughter turning to confusion. I rolled my eyes. "You know I don't mean actual deer right?" I deadpanned. Then she started giggling. I groaned. "How much does a cupcake cost..." I asked, trying to figure out how I would pay. "Well, usually they're three bits, but since your new, the first one's on the house!" she told me happily. I shot her a confused look. "Bits?" I asked. Pinkie nodded and pulled out some small golden coins from nowhere. "See? Bits!" she then put them inside the cash register and zipped into the kitchen. Pinkie shot back out two seconds later with a teal cupcake with a lyre on it and set it on the counter. "Here you go!" she said. I tried to grab the cupcake, finding out that that was hard to do with hooves. Pinkie smiled at me. "Why don't you use your horn?" she said, pointing to the bump on my head. "Oh. I didn't think of that." I said, trying to figure out how to use my horn. I tried turning on the magic, but after five minutes of trying, I gave up. "This is so stupid." I said. Pinkie put her hoof to her face. "Hmm...What if you used your mouth?" she asked, making a biting motion with her jaw. I rolled my eyes again, and, seeing how I had no other choice, scooped up the cupcake in my mouth, and chewing it. Wrapper and all. My mouth was immediately filled with flavor. The cupcake was soft and chewy, and it was so moist it almost melted in my mouth. I swallowed it and let out a satisfying sigh. "That was amazing!" I exclaimed. Pinkie smiled. "Thanks! Maybe next time you come here, you'd let me throw you a Welcome to Ponyville party!" I chuckled and nodded, saying I'd like that very much. I waved goodbye to the hyper pink pony, and walked out of the bakery. "Well that was something." I said as I walked around. "I wonder what else this place has." I said to myself as I walked. I started wandering around the town, and found out that it was actually bigger than what I first thought. There was a town hall, a boutique, a library, and even a music store. I stopped at a shop that was pure white with neon lights around the door. The front door was glass and a big sign hung on it that read: "We're Open!" Above the shop was an electric guitar made of neon lights, kinda like the one's back home. Under the guitar in big blue letters were the words: "Vinyl's Music Store" I smiled and decided to have a look around inside. I lightly pushed open the glass door, and took a look around. The floor was a light blue carpet, and the walls were white with neon colored trim. There were records hanging on the wall, along with an assortment of instruments. There were guitars, drums, keyboards, even some classical instruments like the cello, trumpet, and... My eyes grew as wide as baseballs. Hanging on the wall, in perfect condition, and a golden lyre. I gasped and ran to the instrument, looking it over and pretty much behaving like a fangirl. Barely any music stores back home sold lyres, and I had been needing a new one. I looked at the price tag and it read: "20 bits". Suddenly, I felt a tapping on my shoulder that made me nearly faint. "Whoa!" I said as I jumped, turning to see who had touched me. Behind me was a white unicorn, with a choppy blue maine and tail, and she had pink pointy shades covering her eyes. "Sup." she said, giving me a warm smile. She looked like a rocker, and it was easy to tell by the tattoo of a music note on her hip. "Hi. um... I was just looking around." I said. "The name's Vinyl. But most ponies 'round here just call me DJ P0n-3." she replied, pulling her shades up and over her horn. She had blazing red eyes. "So what brings ya here?" she asked. My face turned red. "Well, I was just taking a look around town, and I saw your shop so I decided to come in. I saw the lyre on the wall and i had to come look." I said nervously. She chuckled. "You play the lyre? Not too many ponies can play that, seeing how we don't have claws. That's usually done by the gryphons." she told me, using her magic to take it off the wall. The lyre was enveloped in a pink glow was flew towards her. "Wanna try it?" she asked. "Oh! Well, I'd love to but I'm not sure if-" I was cut off by the unicorn placing the lyre in my hooves. Somehow, I was able to hold it. "Go on, play some chords." she said, giving me a warm smile. So, I took a deep breath and sat on the floor. I put my hooves in my normal position, then paused. I thought for a moment, and repositioned them so they would work better. I then ran my hooves along the wires, allowing them to stretch, then snap back into place. It wasn't as graceful as normal, but it was still pretty good. Once I was finished, I looked at Vinyl to see what she thought. To my surprise she was standing, staring at me with her mouth hanging open. "You...can...play that?!" she asked, a look of pure shock on her face. I nodded, my face turning scarlet. "That was awesome!" she exclaimed, helping my up off the ground. "Thanks." I replied, setting the lyre back on the rack. She then frowned at me. "Dude. With a gift like that, you need this more than I do." she said, using her magic to give me back the lyre. "But I cant pay for it." I told her. She smiled. "Nah, it's cool. We can work out a deal later." she said, pulling down her shades. I thanked her as she put the lyre into a saddle bag, then put it on me. As I walked out of the shop, I thanked her again and waved goodbye. I then ran into a bouncing pink blob. I fell to my butt, choking on dust. "What the-" I was cut off by the insane pink pony. "Hiya Lyra!" Pinkie said, looking as cheerful as ever. "What's up Pinkie?" I asked, picking myself up off the ground. "Wanna come meet my friends? I told them all about you and now they wanna meet you!" she said. "Are they anything like you?" I asked. Pinkie giggled. "Oh no silly filly! They're each special in they're own way. There's Applejack, she's a cowpony, Rarity, who makes dresses, Rainbow Dash, the athlete, Fluttershy, the animal lover, and Twilight. She likes books." I thanked Pinkie for that vague description of each of her friends, and face-hoofed when she replied with a "your'e welcome". I could tell this was going to be a long day. Apples and Butterflies - - Meet The Gang - - - I walked along side Pinkie, my saddle bags starting to get heavy. "Where are we going Pinkie?" I asked as I watched the hyper pink pony bounce along the path. She gave me a big smile and continued bouncing. "Silly filly! We're going to go see my friends!" she said happily. I rolled my eyes. "I meant, which friend are we going to see?" I asked as I watched her bounce. Suddenly, she froze in mid-jump, and gently floated to the ground. She put a hoof up to her face and thought. "Hmm...who should we see first..." she asked herself. "I know! Let's go see AppleJack!" she said, beginning to bounce again. I chuckled and walked beside her, thinking of this pony named Applejack. "Wow. Her parents must have sure liked that cereal." I thought. Pinkie gave me a confused look. "What cereal?" she asked, stopping her bouncing and starting to walk. I froze in place. "What the-" I said as I stared at her in confusion. "How did you-" I was cut off by Pinkie shoving her hoof in my face, and giving me a big smile. "My Pinkie sense!" she said, pointing her hooves at her head. She then giggled and continued walking, me having no choice but to follow her. My brain just couldn't keep up with this place. Talking ponies, magic, mind reading? This was too crazy for me to use logic. After a few moments of walking, we came to a big farm with a white picket fence around it, and an apple orchard surrounding it for miles. "Whoa." I said and we walked down the hill. "Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres! Home of the most friendly family around, the Apple family! And the most honest pony around, Applejack!" Pinkie said happily, waving her hooves in all directions. Again I thought of the cereal. "So where are these ponies?" I asked looking around. We walked through the white arch way and in to the farm, no sign of any equines. Pinkie frowned. "Hmm. Maybe they're in the barn!" she said, a smile returning to her face. She then bounced to the big red barn, and opened the sliding doors. Inside was nothing more than a bunch of hay, some giant spindles, and a lantern. "Nope!" Pinkie said, closing the door with a click. Pinkie started calling out names, things like Applejack, Apple bloom, and Granny Smith. The last one made me snicker. Big Macintosh. "What like the laptop?" I said, after Pinkie finished shouting. She shot me another confused look. "Laptop? What's a laptop?" she asked with a giggle. I groaned and said to forget it. Pinkie then pulled a huge megaphone out of nowhere and started calling the names again. I started to wonder where it had come from, but didn't get much time to think as I was trampled by a small brown and white sheep dog. "Whoa! Nice doggy. Good boy." I said, the dog licking my face. "That's Winona. She's a girl. Silly filly!" Pinkie corrected me, as Winona jumped off of me and ran towards an orange pony with blonde hair that was pulled up in a hair tie at the bottom, and a cowboy hat sat on her head. "Howdy Pinkie. Who's yer friend here?" she asked, smiling as she walked over to us. Pinkie smiled. "Hi Applejack! This is Lyra, the pony I was telling you about! Lyra meet Applejack, Applejack meet Lyra!" she said, bouncing up and down. I smiled at the cowpony, holding out my hoof. She shook it and smiled. "Howdy. Hope Pinkie here didn't startle ya. She can be a bit hyper sometimes, but most of Ponyville is much more relaxed." she said. I sighed in relief at the thought that the rest of the town wasn't crazy like the pink mare. "Well, what can I do for you gals?" Applejack asked, tilting her hat back on her head. Pinkie giggled. "You wanna come with us and meet the gang?" she asked. Applejack nodded and we set off down the dirt path, leaving the sweet smelling apple farm behind. As we walked down the dirt path, I took in the sights around me, the fresh air, cool breeze, and sounds of nature. AJ and Pinkie chatted about their day, and I followed happily behind, enjoying the outside. "You ready to meet Fluttershy?" Applejack asked me, slowing down so we were side by side. I nodded and thought about her name. "She must be real shy. Nah, her parents wouldn't name her after her personality." I chuckled softly at my thoughts, walking along the two mares. Suddenly, Pinkie gasped, causing me to jump and twist my ankle. "Ouch ouch ouch!" I said, lifting up my back hoof. The mares helped me up and tried to help me walk, but I told them I was fine. Soon we came to a small cottage with a little river flowing around it. We crossed the small bridge and I noted that there were tons of bird houses hanging from the trees, as well as several small dens near the house. "Doesn't she get frightened by some of these bigger dens?" I asked, looking at a hole big enough for a fox. The mares giggled. "Nah, she takes care of em'. She loves all her animal friends, big or small." Applejack told me, snapping my attention back to the house. Pinkie knocked happily on the wooden door, and a yellow pegasus with long flowing pink hair opened the door. "Hi Fluttershy!" Pinkie said, bouncing in place. Fluttershy looked around, and squeaked at the sight of me. She then poked her head back into her house, leaving us outside. "What's her problem?" I asked, curious about the mare's actions. Applejack gave me an apologetic smile. "She's uh...just a little shy when it comes to new ponies." she told me, knocking on the door. "Flutters? Ya ok? Ya wanna come out and meet this here pony?" she asked sweetly. Applejack rolled her eyes and opened the door, revealing the pegasus, hiding in her mane. She squeaked again, staring up at us. Pinkie smiled. "Fluttershy! Meet our new friend!" she said, pointing at me. I walked up slowly to meet her when my ankle started to hurt again. "Ouch..." I said, stopping to rub my hoof. Fluttershy gasped. "Oh my Celestia! Your hurt! Please, let me help you." she said, snapping out of her shyness and helping me inside. She sat me down on the couch, and walked into the kitchen. I looked around, spotting several mouse holes in the walls, along with countless birdhouses. Fluttershy came back with an icepack help in her wing, along with some bandages in her mouth. She set the icepack on my hind leg, sending chills up my spine. She then took it off and wrapped my leg, afterwards putting the icepack back on. "Are you feeling ok?" she asked nicely. I nodded and reached into my saddle bags, pulling out my lyre. "Ooh! You can play that?" she asked happily. "Yea, It's not as good as normal, but it's alright." I said. Fluttershy smiled. "Could you play some for me?" she asked. I nodded as she went to sit on a cushion on the floor. Pinkie and Applejack followed her, eager to see me play as well. "Oh wow..." I said, my face starting to get hot. Playing in front of my class was easy because they were my friends, but this was different. I hardly knew these ponies, and I wasn't sure how'd they react. I realized I had been staring when Pinkie started clapping her hoofs. "Lyra? Hello? Equus to Lyra!" she said. I shook myself back to reality. "Oh. Sorry guys." I said, positioning my hoofs how I had before. I took a deep breath and ran my hooves along the strings. The music sounded a bit off compared to my normal playing, but that was expected. I played for a few minutes before my hooves started to ache, so I stopped and stuffed it back into my bags. I smiled at the ponies, their faces struck with disbelief. Somehow, Pinkie's jaw was literally touching the floor. I shuddered at the thought of how Pinkie's muscles worked. "That was plum amazing Sugar cube!" Applejack said, putting her hat back onto her head. Fluttershy nodded in agreement. I glanced over at Pinkie, and her jaw had snapped back into place, and a huge grin had replaced it instead. "Pinkie?" I asked cautiously. "THAT. WAS. AMAZING!!!" she squealed. I blushed at her compliment. Soon the mares stood up and stretched, including me. "So, anyways it sure has been nice meeting your friends Pinkie." I said, giving her a smile. Pinkie gave me a confused look. "Silly filly! AJ and Flutters aren't my only friends! You still have to meet the rest of the gang!" she said happily. I chuckled and followed the bouncing pink mare along with Fluttershy and Applejack. "Ok, so who's next?" I asked, trying to keep up with Pinkie. "Next up is Rarity!" she replied, bouncing down the trail. I groaned. Why do I get the feeling that she's going to be up-tight... I thought as I trudged down the trail. As we walked down the path, it was really awkward with all the silence. So, I decided to strike up a conversation. "Ahem. So, um...what does this Rarity do?" I asked, trying to figure out her occupation based on her name. "Is she a jeweler?" Pinkie shook her head. "um...a florist?" AJ shook her head. "an arris?" I asked. Flutters shook her head. I sighed. "Then what does she do?" I asked as we walked back into town. Applejack was happy to elaborate. "Ya see sugar cube, she works in a boutique makin' dresses." she told me. I groaned again. Great. Another up tight girl who thinks she's better than you. I thought as we walked. I was so deep in thought that I hadn't noticed the mares had stopped walking. I slammed face first into a big purple door, with a golden plaque that said, "2110 Carousel Boutique" "Ugh..." I moaned as I rubbed my head. Pinkie knocked on the door, and happily waited for an answer. Here we go... I thought as we heard hoof steps approaching. Lets just get this over with. Diamonds and RainbowsBefore I begin, I want to say thanks to all of those who have enjoyed this story so far! I luv making stories that are out of my comfort zone, just as long as they aren't slice of life. I know it's been kinda slow so far, but it will get exciting soon, i Pinkie pie promise. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Diamonds ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I sighed as we waited for this Rarity to open the door. We heard the click of the door knob and a little white filly, a unicorn with purple and pink hair with big green eyes opened it. "Hi! I'm Sweetie Belle. What can I do for you?" she asked in a squeaky voice. Her voice cracked sometimes as she talked, but it wasn't too bad. Apple Jack stepped foreword. "Howdy Sweetie Belle. Rarity home?" she asked nicely. Sweetie Belle smiled and nodded, opening the door completely. I was curious to see what picture was on this filly's hip, seeing how all the ponies i'd seen so far had something to do with what they did for a living. To my surprise, there wasn't a picture on her hip. I leaned over and whispered in Pinkie's ear. "Where's that filly's hip picture?" I asked as we walked inside the shop. Pinkie smiled and whispered back to me. "The picture is called a Cutie mark. Ponies get it when they discover their special talent. Sweetie Belle here doesn't have one because she doesn't know her special talent yet." she said happily. The little unicorn guided us over to a couch, but as soon as we sat down there was a huge crash. Suddenly, two more little fillies, an orange pegasus with a purple mane, and a yellow filly with a red mane came running into the room with pots stuck on their heads. "Sweetie Bell help!!! I've gone blind!" the pegasus screamed as she ran in circles, completely unaware of the container on her head. "Apple Bloom! Scootaloo! What're you fillies doin'?" AppleJack asked, pulling the metal pot off of the yellow filly's head. She then pulled the pot off of the little pegasus's head, causing her to fall of her butt. "Whoa. Well, we can check cooking off the list." she said, flexing her tiny little wings. The trio giggled and clapped hoofs together, saying "Cutie Mark Crusaders Go!" in unison. They then ran off into another room, leaving us to sit alone in the large room. I just sat there. "What was that all about?" I finally asked, my brain finally giving up. This time Fluttershy spoke up. "Those little fillies were Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle. They have this little club dedicated to finding their cutie marks. Its really cute." she said. "It's not cute that my lil' sister runs around Ponyville almost killin' herself!" Applejack protested. "Which one was your sister?" I asked. "The little yellow one. I swear she gets more and more like Granny Smith everyday." she then sat down in defeat. Just then, we heard humming coming from the back room, it getting louder by the moment. "Sounds like Rarity." Fluttershy told me, pulling the hair out of her face. Soon, a white unicorn with a royal purple curly mane and tail came into the room, followed by several rolls of fabric held in her magic. She noticed us and smiled. "Hello darlings! What brings you girls here?" she asked politely. I was surprised. I didn't expect a fancy looking pony like her to be nice. "We're here to introduce ya to our new friend, Lyra. Lyra, this is Rarity." AJ told me, nudging me foreword. I walked towards her and held out my hoof to shake hers. She took it and shook it daintily. "Nice to meet you." she said. She had an interesting accent. "Well, have you met the little ones?" she asked, referring to the fillies. I nodded and sat down, glancing around the circular room. "So you make dresses huh?" I asked. Rarity suddenly got excited when I mentioned the word. "Ooh! Yes darling, would you like for me to make you an ensemble?" she asked, looking me up and down. I shook my head. "Nah, but do you make casual clothes? like t-shirts?" I asked. Rarity smiled. "Of coarse I do darling. I aim to please my customers!" she said happily. I smiled. "So what do ya have?" I asked. Rarity's horn glowed blue and a rack full of clothes was rolled into the room. "Look for yourself." she told me. I did so happily, sorting through the clothing, looking at possible outfits. Suddenly, in the middle of the rack I saw a grey hoodie. "That is cool." I said, pulling it off the bar. "You like this?" Rarity asked. I nodded and pulled off the hook, eyeing it with curiosity. "Well then darling, you may keep it." she said, the rack rolling away. "You sure?" I asked, pulling the sweatshirt over my head. "Yes, I was going to throw it out anyways. Consider it a welcome gift." she said, smiling at me. I thanked her and walked back over to the couch to grab my bags. Applejack helped me put them on and made sure they were fastened. Pinkie and Fluttershy stood up and stretched, Fluttershy ruffling her feathers in the process. " Hey Rarity, Ya wanna come with us and introduce Lyra to Rainbow?" Applejack asked, opening the purple door. "Why i'd be delighted dear." she said, using her magic to flip the sign on the door from OPEN to CLOSED. "Girls! We're going out! Come on!" she called, summoning the fillies. The trio rushed in, eager to explore. "Yay! Cutie marks for introductions!" they cheered in unison. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Rainbows ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ We stepped out of the boutique and into the warm sunshine. "Anypony got any ideas to where Rainbow Dash might be?" Applejack asked. "She may be closer than you think." a voice replied. I looked around, trying to figure out where it had come from. I looked at the mares, who were all staring up. I did so too, and got my answer. Sitting on a puffy white cloud was a light blue pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail. Her cutie mark was a rainbow colored lightning bolt. "Sup." she said, cartwheeling off of the cloud and hovering down to us. "Who's the new pony?" she asked. Over her eyes were big black sunglasses. "This is Lyra! She's new in town and were taking her to meet everypony! Then were going to have a super duper welcome party!" Pinkie said happily. Rainbow pulled off her shades to reveal some crimson colored eyes. "Cool. The name's Dash. Rainbow Dash. Fastest flyer in Ponyville!" she said cooly. "Hi. My name's Lyra." I replied. Rainbow then turned to the rest of the group. "You introduce her to Twilight yet?" she asked, as if I wasn't even there. "No, we were going to head over there after we found you." Rarity replied. "Well, you found me, so lets go see the egg-head." she said, springing into the air. "Wait-her names Twilight?" I asked, stopping them in their tracks. "Yea, why?" AJ asked. I thought of the stupid vampire books. "Never-mind. carry on." I said, shaking the thought out of my brain. Rainbow Dash walked beside me, asking me questions. "Where'd ya come from? Are there Pegasi? Are they fast?" she asked. I stammered. "I..uh...um..I.." I answered. Rainbow rolled her eyes and chuckled, spreading her wings and hovering along over the group. After a while of walking, I spoke up. "Where does this Twilight pony live?" I asked, hoping she wouldn't be a vampire, and or a writer or that crap. "She lives in the library." Rarity replied, trying to keep the fillies in line. I groaned. Great. Knowing my luck, there's probably a pony version of that book, and she's gonna be the one who had written it. I was lost in my thoughts and didn't notice the mares had stopped. I ran into Pinkie, which shook me back to reality. If that's what you could call this. I looked up at the giant object in front of us, staring at it in amazement. It was a giant tree, with windows, a balcony, and a front door carved into it. "Whoa." I said as I stared. Pinkie giggled. "Big tree huh?" she asked. I nodded. Rarity's horn glowed blue and the knocker on the door shook. It pounded against the wood, creating a deep thud each time it landed. "Twilight! Are you home Darling?" she asked. Suddenly, the red wooden door flung open, revealing a purple unicorn with dark purple and pink hair. "Hey girls! What brings you here?" she asked.
I'm Lyra~ ~ ~ Freshman Troubles ~ ~ ~ It was an average day. I woke up early that morning at 7:00 to get ready for school. I was happily snuggled up in my bed, until my alarm clock decided to ruin my peace. The clock beeped it's ear splitting tone, tearing me away from my sweet dream. "Ugh.." I moaned. I leaned up in bed and hit the snooze button on the evil machine. Rubbing my eyes, and threw off my covers and swung my legs to the side of my bed. I stood up slowly and stretched, my back popping as I did. I stood up and yawned, rubbing the tiredness out of my eyes. I opened my door and trudged down the stairs. I soon made my way into the kitchen, grabbing a plastic wrapped muffin from the counter. I sat down at the table, unwrapping the treat and taking a big bite. The muffin was creamy and warm, odd for a packaged muffin. I thought nothing of it as i finished it off. After eating, I walked back to my room, feeling in a peppier mood now, and started getting dressed. I pulled on my favorite mint green sweater and some kaki pants. I glanced at my clock, and my heart started pounding when it read 7:45. I only had fifteen minutes to get to school. So, I pulled on my favorite sneakers, pulled my messy blonde hair into a ponytail, and grabbed my backpack. I dashed out the door, eager to get to school without being tardy. I ran down the street, my backpack slamming against me as i ran. I pulled out my phone to check the time. 7:50. Good I still had ten minutes. I picked up speed, dashing across roads and past bus stops. Finally, the school was in sight. I made a break for it, running across the football field, dodging the oncoming tacklers. Some stopped and stared, others tried to aim for me, but some even applauded. With one last quick dodge, I pulled myself up and over the schoolyard fence, and walked up the sidewalk to the front doors. Panting and sweaty, I looked around for my best friend. Being careful not to run by Ms. Parker, I slipped past the front desk and over to my friend Bonnie. "Hey Bonbon." I said, trying to stay cool. "Hey Lyra." she said, not looking up from her book. I sighed and started tapping the desk with my fingers, hoping she'd get agitated. After a few moments, she finally closed her book. "What is it Lyra..." she asked impatiently. I chuckled. "Oh nothing...I was just hoping to see if we could hang out after school today." I asked. Bonnie smiled and closed her book completely, putting it under the front desk. "I'd like that." she said happily. I silently cheered and did a little dance. She chuckled and pulled out some attendance sheets. "OK not get to class. You don't want to be tardy." she said, handing me an attendance slip. I smiled and picked up my bag, walking down the hall and turning the corner. I walked down the hall and into my teacher's classroom, setting down my stuff by my desk. The bell rang, and I started to zone out. After what felt like hours, the teacher finished his lecture and we were free to go. I grabbed my stuff and ran out the door, weaving my way through the crowd of students. I continued this endless pattern until 9th period, where I could actually have fun. I walked into the band hall, the sweet scent of brass polish filling my nose. I smiled and took my seat, pulling out my Lyre from my backpack. Only a few people were in the room, left over from the previous class, so I decided it might be fine if I played a few chords. I set up my fingers just right, making sure I wouldn't strum the wrong chord, and lightly ran my fingers along the thin wires. Some smooth light sounds came from the wires, echoing through the empty room. I ran my fingers along the chords a little faster, creating a louder, quicker sound. I repositioned my hands to go again, but then people started walking in. Startled, a nearly dropped my lyre. Students slowly trickled in, one by one, and took their seats accordingly. Once everyone was in their seats, Mr. J made a motion with his hands to quiet us. "Hello class! Please get out your instruments." he said simply. The others did as told, some of them already having them out, others struggling to grab their instruments. "Oh! And we have a new student." Mr J told us, grasping our full attention. He motioned for a girl with raven black hair and purple eyes to walk in. As she walked, I noticed she was wearing a grayish purple sweater and blue jeans. "Class, this is Octavia. She plays the violin." Mr J told us, sending murmurs throughout the room. Octavia spoke up at this. "Actually sir, I play the cello." she said as she grabbed her cello case off the floor. "So sorry Octavia. My mistake." he told her, his face turning scarlet. She smiled at him. Mr. J motioned for her to take a seat, and she chose the chair next to me. I leaned over to her. "Hi. I'm Lyra." I whispered. I smiled at her and she returned it, but half hearted. Soon, class got under way, and since it was Thursday, that meant we would take turns presenting the class with a sheet of music we had created. Mr. J looked around at the class, all of us eager to go first. "hmm...How about you Lyra?" he asked, pointing his instructor's baton at me. I smiled and walked slowly to the front. I pulled out a folded piece of paper from my pocket. "I call this, Humanity. It's not finished yet, but here's the first part." I said, setting the wrinkled paper on the holder. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I got rid of any stress or fear that had built up and blew it away. Then, I opened my eyes and set up my fingers on the correct chords. I started slowly, but soon started playing to my full potential. I strum each chord and felt the vibrations inside of it. As each wire snapped back into place, a harmonious tune filled the air. It was gentle and calm, not to soft, but not too loud. It was refreshing and catchy, but not catchy like a song that gets stuck in your head for days. I got lost in my music, playing the chords in a smooth tone. Soon, I stopped playing, seeing how my song didn't have an ending yet. Most of the class applauded, not like standing ovation, but genuine gratitude. I bowed and picked up my music sheet, stuffing it back into my pants pocket. I then took my seat and waited until class was over. Half an hour later, the final bell rang and I dashed out the the band hall, stuffing my lyre into my bag as I ran. I darted out the front doors of the school, eager to get home. I ran across streets and down sidewalks, around shrubs and over gardens. I said hello to some neighbors, and turned the corner to my block. I then picked up speed and made a mad dash for my house. Once I reached the house, I pulled out my key and unlocked the front door, slamming it behind me and walking to my room. I pulled off my sneakers and stretched out on my bed. "That feels good..." I said as I popped my back. I was about to get out my lyre when there was a knock on the door. "Who could that be?" i asked myself as I went to the door. I opened it and saw nobody. "Ha ha ha. Ding dong ditch. Very funny." I said as I started to close the door. Before it shut however, something caught my eye. "What's this?" I said as I stared at a medium-sized box, with no stamps or any sign of return address. The only thing on the box was a note that read, "TO: LYRA HEARTSTRINGS" in big bold letters. I shrugged and picked up the box, it being surprisingly light. I grabbed a knife from the kitchen and cut open the packing tape. I lifted the big brown flaps to reveal lots of packing peanuts. I dug around int the sea of peanuts until I hit something. Grabbing it, I lifted the object out of the box. It was a smaller box, with a shiny red covering and plastic so you could see inside. Inside the smaller box was an assortment of candies. "Awesome!" I said happily, tearing open the red box. I picked up one of the candies and popped it into my mouth. It was the sweetest, most delicious thing I had ever tasted. It tasted chocolatey, with a soft chewy center. I smiled and swallowed the treat, and popped two more into my mouth. I closed the box and walked back to my room, shoving it under my pillow. I then pulled out my Lyre and started picking at the chords, making them sing their sweet sounds. Soon my mom got home, and we enjoyed a mac and cheese dinner. I told her about my day, and about the new girl Octavia. After I washed the dished from dinner I went to my room to play. I popped some more yummy candies into my mouth and started to get tired. So, I pulled on my pajamas and climbed in bed. Soon, I found myself not able to keep my eyes open. I slipped into a deep sleep, enjoying it so far. Then stuff got weird. I tried to dream of pleasant things, but a splitting headache kept me up. The only time I had relief from my head is when I thought of horses. Not regular horses, like pintos or Arabians, no, more like candy-colored horses. That talk. It took some time to get used to, but eventually I was fine with dreaming of these odd creatures, inserting myself among them, thinking about what they might do or how they may act. Soon, I was pulled away from my dream by a bright light. I opened my eyes to see a bright blue light covering my field of vision. My body felt hot and my head ached. "Ugh....morning..." i groaned. I tried to pull my covers over me, but I couldn't find them. I unwillingly opened my eyes fully and looked around. my covers, pillow, and bed were gone. So was my room. And my house! I think it's safe to say I flipped out.
WhatVille?My heart was pounding. I looked around, and confirmed that my house was indeed gone. Poof. Like the wind. I tried to calm down, but my dumb brain wouldn't let me. I ran my hands through my hair, when i came upon a long bump on my forehead. "Ow!" it stung when i poked it. I rubbed my face and noticed my hands were warm and hairy. No, not hairy. Fuzzy. I pulled my hands away from my face and nearly lost it. My fingers were gone and replaced with mint green stubs! I turned them over and over, making sure my eyes weren't deceiving me. They weren't. "Ok. Ok. I have stubs for hands. This is ok. I'm alive aren't I?" I told myself. I looked to see if my feet were the same and they were. "Dang it." I said. "What am I?" I asked myself. I turned to look at my body and realized I had hair coming out of my butt. "Great. Every girl's dream. A hairy butt." I mocked. Getting a closer look, I realized that it was a tail. A horse tail. A lime green and white horse tail. I didn't know what to think. I only knew one thing: I had to keep my cool. Freaking out never solved anything. I also noted that the rest of my body was covered in mint green fur, which would explain why I felt so hot. My hair seemed to have changed from blonde to teal to match my tail, and for some reason a picture of my lyre was plastered on my hip. "Ok. So i'm a mint colored horse with a tattoo on my butt. Perfectly normal." I lied. I looked around to see if I was any place familiar. "Ok so there's trees, dirt, a sky, flowers in the ground, and this just feels like i'm in a cliché setting right now." I shook the thought from my head. I tried to stand up on my hind legs, but doing so sent a shock through my body. It burned my legs to have the weight put on them. I collapsed onto my gut. "Well that went well..." I said, coughing up dust. I stood again, this time on four legs, and it felt much more comfortable. "I guess this works too." I said, stretching my legs and walking in place. "Ok. So, where am I?" I asked myself. I started walking along the dirt path, no real destination in mind, and thought about what had just happened. "Ok. So, somehow I've been turned into a candy-colored horse like in my dream, and I've been transported to a weird land with no sign of human life. Perfect." I was so deep in thought that I almost missed the strange sound coming from up ahead. "What the-" I said as my ear swiveled around, and I tried to get a better image of the sound. "That sounds like...music!" I said excitedly. I started galloping towards the sound, it getting louder as I ran. I soon came to what looked like a rustic town of some sort. There were houses made of wood, with straw roofs, as well as a couple of colorful shops. In the middle of the town was a large fountain, with a marble statue of a horse spitting water out of it's mouth. "Wow." I said as I slowed to a walk. Suddenly, a bright pink pony with a fluffy pink mane and tail came bouncing up the road, with what seemed to be a one-man band sort of thing strapped to her. I looked at her in amazement as she played the instruments, each perfectly in tune. Behind her, a trail of the most adorable creatures bounced, happy looks on their faces. They were small and circular, with little wings and big eyes. They were an assortment of colors, ranging from pink to blue. She smiled at me as she bounced by, the train of creatures following her. My brain finally registered what happened. "Ok, so if that pony can talk, then there must be more. Maybe this is some government facility full of genetically mutated talking horses that they don't want anyone to know about." I chuckled at my absurd thoughts. I then continued down the path, and then into the small town. It looked barren from the hill I was on, but inside the town it was all hustle and bustle. There were candy colored horses walking around, chatting with one another, and all seemed to be in a cheery mood. I walked through the town, catching glimpses of colorful shops amongst the white wooden houses. Suddenly, I came upon a peculiar-looking shop. It was cream white with bright pink trimming, which looked like frosting. The door looked like a graham cracker and a sign hung above it that read: "Sugar-Cube Corner". The name interested me and I decided to have a look inside. I immediately regretted it. As soon as I stepped inside, a little bell above the door rang. I walked up to the counter, and rang the small golden bell that lied on it's surface. A few moments later, the bright pink horse I had saw bouncing down the path appeared at the counter. "Hi! My name's Pinkie Pie! I've never seen you before, and I know everyone in Ponyville." It took me a moment to realize what she had said, since she talked as fast as a bullet. "um...Hi. I'm Lyra and I was just wanting to know what this place is." I replied. After I finished talking, a huge smile spread across Pinkie's face. "ooh I'm so excited your here! This is Sugar Cube Corner. Your number one stop for sweets, treats, and all things neat!" she replied, bouncing up and down. I was tarting to get annoyed by her peppiness, and I had a feeling she had some major ADHD. "Thanks. Anyways, I may have a few bucks in my sweater..." I said, looking at my torso. I then realized I no longer was wearing my sweater. Out of nowhere, Pinkie started laughing hysterically. "Why would you have bucks in your sweater?" she asked, her laughter turning to confusion. I rolled my eyes. "You know I don't mean actual deer right?" I deadpanned. Then she started giggling. I groaned. "How much does a cupcake cost..." I asked, trying to figure out how I would pay. "Well, usually they're three bits, but since your new, the first one's on the house!" she told me happily. I shot her a confused look. "Bits?" I asked. Pinkie nodded and pulled out some small golden coins from nowhere. "See? Bits!" she then put them inside the cash register and zipped into the kitchen. Pinkie shot back out two seconds later with a teal cupcake with a lyre on it and set it on the counter. "Here you go!" she said. I tried to grab the cupcake, finding out that that was hard to do with hooves. Pinkie smiled at me. "Why don't you use your horn?" she said, pointing to the bump on my head. "Oh. I didn't think of that." I said, trying to figure out how to use my horn. I tried turning on the magic, but after five minutes of trying, I gave up. "This is so stupid." I said. Pinkie put her hoof to her face. "Hmm...What if you used your mouth?" she asked, making a biting motion with her jaw. I rolled my eyes again, and, seeing how I had no other choice, scooped up the cupcake in my mouth, and chewing it. Wrapper and all. My mouth was immediately filled with flavor. The cupcake was soft and chewy, and it was so moist it almost melted in my mouth. I swallowed it and let out a satisfying sigh. "That was amazing!" I exclaimed. Pinkie smiled. "Thanks! Maybe next time you come here, you'd let me throw you a Welcome to Ponyville party!" I chuckled and nodded, saying I'd like that very much. I waved goodbye to the hyper pink pony, and walked out of the bakery. "Well that was something." I said as I walked around. "I wonder what else this place has." I said to myself as I walked. I started wandering around the town, and found out that it was actually bigger than what I first thought. There was a town hall, a boutique, a library, and even a music store. I stopped at a shop that was pure white with neon lights around the door. The front door was glass and a big sign hung on it that read: "We're Open!" Above the shop was an electric guitar made of neon lights, kinda like the one's back home. Under the guitar in big blue letters were the words: "Vinyl's Music Store" I smiled and decided to have a look around inside. I lightly pushed open the glass door, and took a look around. The floor was a light blue carpet, and the walls were white with neon colored trim. There were records hanging on the wall, along with an assortment of instruments. There were guitars, drums, keyboards, even some classical instruments like the cello, trumpet, and... My eyes grew as wide as baseballs. Hanging on the wall, in perfect condition, and a golden lyre. I gasped and ran to the instrument, looking it over and pretty much behaving like a fangirl. Barely any music stores back home sold lyres, and I had been needing a new one. I looked at the price tag and it read: "20 bits". Suddenly, I felt a tapping on my shoulder that made me nearly faint. "Whoa!" I said as I jumped, turning to see who had touched me. Behind me was a white unicorn, with a choppy blue maine and tail, and she had pink pointy shades covering her eyes. "Sup." she said, giving me a warm smile. She looked like a rocker, and it was easy to tell by the tattoo of a music note on her hip. "Hi. um... I was just looking around." I said. "The name's Vinyl. But most ponies 'round here just call me DJ P0n-3." she replied, pulling her shades up and over her horn. She had blazing red eyes. "So what brings ya here?" she asked. My face turned red. "Well, I was just taking a look around town, and I saw your shop so I decided to come in. I saw the lyre on the wall and i had to come look." I said nervously. She chuckled. "You play the lyre? Not too many ponies can play that, seeing how we don't have claws. That's usually done by the gryphons." she told me, using her magic to take it off the wall. The lyre was enveloped in a pink glow was flew towards her. "Wanna try it?" she asked. "Oh! Well, I'd love to but I'm not sure if-" I was cut off by the unicorn placing the lyre in my hooves. Somehow, I was able to hold it. "Go on, play some chords." she said, giving me a warm smile. So, I took a deep breath and sat on the floor. I put my hooves in my normal position, then paused. I thought for a moment, and repositioned them so they would work better. I then ran my hooves along the wires, allowing them to stretch, then snap back into place. It wasn't as graceful as normal, but it was still pretty good. Once I was finished, I looked at Vinyl to see what she thought. To my surprise she was standing, staring at me with her mouth hanging open. "You...can...play that?!" she asked, a look of pure shock on her face. I nodded, my face turning scarlet. "That was awesome!" she exclaimed, helping my up off the ground. "Thanks." I replied, setting the lyre back on the rack. She then frowned at me. "Dude. With a gift like that, you need this more than I do." she said, using her magic to give me back the lyre. "But I cant pay for it." I told her. She smiled. "Nah, it's cool. We can work out a deal later." she said, pulling down her shades. I thanked her as she put the lyre into a saddle bag, then put it on me. As I walked out of the shop, I thanked her again and waved goodbye. I then ran into a bouncing pink blob. I fell to my butt, choking on dust. "What the-" I was cut off by the insane pink pony. "Hiya Lyra!" Pinkie said, looking as cheerful as ever. "What's up Pinkie?" I asked, picking myself up off the ground. "Wanna come meet my friends? I told them all about you and now they wanna meet you!" she said. "Are they anything like you?" I asked. Pinkie giggled. "Oh no silly filly! They're each special in they're own way. There's Applejack, she's a cowpony, Rarity, who makes dresses, Rainbow Dash, the athlete, Fluttershy, the animal lover, and Twilight. She likes books." I thanked Pinkie for that vague description of each of her friends, and face-hoofed when she replied with a "your'e welcome". I could tell this was going to be a long day.
Apples and Butterflies - - Meet The Gang - - - I walked along side Pinkie, my saddle bags starting to get heavy. "Where are we going Pinkie?" I asked as I watched the hyper pink pony bounce along the path. She gave me a big smile and continued bouncing. "Silly filly! We're going to go see my friends!" she said happily. I rolled my eyes. "I meant, which friend are we going to see?" I asked as I watched her bounce. Suddenly, she froze in mid-jump, and gently floated to the ground. She put a hoof up to her face and thought. "Hmm...who should we see first..." she asked herself. "I know! Let's go see AppleJack!" she said, beginning to bounce again. I chuckled and walked beside her, thinking of this pony named Applejack. "Wow. Her parents must have sure liked that cereal." I thought. Pinkie gave me a confused look. "What cereal?" she asked, stopping her bouncing and starting to walk. I froze in place. "What the-" I said as I stared at her in confusion. "How did you-" I was cut off by Pinkie shoving her hoof in my face, and giving me a big smile. "My Pinkie sense!" she said, pointing her hooves at her head. She then giggled and continued walking, me having no choice but to follow her. My brain just couldn't keep up with this place. Talking ponies, magic, mind reading? This was too crazy for me to use logic. After a few moments of walking, we came to a big farm with a white picket fence around it, and an apple orchard surrounding it for miles. "Whoa." I said and we walked down the hill. "Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres! Home of the most friendly family around, the Apple family! And the most honest pony around, Applejack!" Pinkie said happily, waving her hooves in all directions. Again I thought of the cereal. "So where are these ponies?" I asked looking around. We walked through the white arch way and in to the farm, no sign of any equines. Pinkie frowned. "Hmm. Maybe they're in the barn!" she said, a smile returning to her face. She then bounced to the big red barn, and opened the sliding doors. Inside was nothing more than a bunch of hay, some giant spindles, and a lantern. "Nope!" Pinkie said, closing the door with a click. Pinkie started calling out names, things like Applejack, Apple bloom, and Granny Smith. The last one made me snicker. Big Macintosh. "What like the laptop?" I said, after Pinkie finished shouting. She shot me another confused look. "Laptop? What's a laptop?" she asked with a giggle. I groaned and said to forget it. Pinkie then pulled a huge megaphone out of nowhere and started calling the names again. I started to wonder where it had come from, but didn't get much time to think as I was trampled by a small brown and white sheep dog. "Whoa! Nice doggy. Good boy." I said, the dog licking my face. "That's Winona. She's a girl. Silly filly!" Pinkie corrected me, as Winona jumped off of me and ran towards an orange pony with blonde hair that was pulled up in a hair tie at the bottom, and a cowboy hat sat on her head. "Howdy Pinkie. Who's yer friend here?" she asked, smiling as she walked over to us. Pinkie smiled. "Hi Applejack! This is Lyra, the pony I was telling you about! Lyra meet Applejack, Applejack meet Lyra!" she said, bouncing up and down. I smiled at the cowpony, holding out my hoof. She shook it and smiled. "Howdy. Hope Pinkie here didn't startle ya. She can be a bit hyper sometimes, but most of Ponyville is much more relaxed." she said. I sighed in relief at the thought that the rest of the town wasn't crazy like the pink mare. "Well, what can I do for you gals?" Applejack asked, tilting her hat back on her head. Pinkie giggled. "You wanna come with us and meet the gang?" she asked. Applejack nodded and we set off down the dirt path, leaving the sweet smelling apple farm behind. As we walked down the dirt path, I took in the sights around me, the fresh air, cool breeze, and sounds of nature. AJ and Pinkie chatted about their day, and I followed happily behind, enjoying the outside. "You ready to meet Fluttershy?" Applejack asked me, slowing down so we were side by side. I nodded and thought about her name. "She must be real shy. Nah, her parents wouldn't name her after her personality." I chuckled softly at my thoughts, walking along the two mares. Suddenly, Pinkie gasped, causing me to jump and twist my ankle. "Ouch ouch ouch!" I said, lifting up my back hoof. The mares helped me up and tried to help me walk, but I told them I was fine. Soon we came to a small cottage with a little river flowing around it. We crossed the small bridge and I noted that there were tons of bird houses hanging from the trees, as well as several small dens near the house. "Doesn't she get frightened by some of these bigger dens?" I asked, looking at a hole big enough for a fox. The mares giggled. "Nah, she takes care of em'. She loves all her animal friends, big or small." Applejack told me, snapping my attention back to the house. Pinkie knocked happily on the wooden door, and a yellow pegasus with long flowing pink hair opened the door. "Hi Fluttershy!" Pinkie said, bouncing in place. Fluttershy looked around, and squeaked at the sight of me. She then poked her head back into her house, leaving us outside. "What's her problem?" I asked, curious about the mare's actions. Applejack gave me an apologetic smile. "She's uh...just a little shy when it comes to new ponies." she told me, knocking on the door. "Flutters? Ya ok? Ya wanna come out and meet this here pony?" she asked sweetly. Applejack rolled her eyes and opened the door, revealing the pegasus, hiding in her mane. She squeaked again, staring up at us. Pinkie smiled. "Fluttershy! Meet our new friend!" she said, pointing at me. I walked up slowly to meet her when my ankle started to hurt again. "Ouch..." I said, stopping to rub my hoof. Fluttershy gasped. "Oh my Celestia! Your hurt! Please, let me help you." she said, snapping out of her shyness and helping me inside. She sat me down on the couch, and walked into the kitchen. I looked around, spotting several mouse holes in the walls, along with countless birdhouses. Fluttershy came back with an icepack help in her wing, along with some bandages in her mouth. She set the icepack on my hind leg, sending chills up my spine. She then took it off and wrapped my leg, afterwards putting the icepack back on. "Are you feeling ok?" she asked nicely. I nodded and reached into my saddle bags, pulling out my lyre. "Ooh! You can play that?" she asked happily. "Yea, It's not as good as normal, but it's alright." I said. Fluttershy smiled. "Could you play some for me?" she asked. I nodded as she went to sit on a cushion on the floor. Pinkie and Applejack followed her, eager to see me play as well. "Oh wow..." I said, my face starting to get hot. Playing in front of my class was easy because they were my friends, but this was different. I hardly knew these ponies, and I wasn't sure how'd they react. I realized I had been staring when Pinkie started clapping her hoofs. "Lyra? Hello? Equus to Lyra!" she said. I shook myself back to reality. "Oh. Sorry guys." I said, positioning my hoofs how I had before. I took a deep breath and ran my hooves along the strings. The music sounded a bit off compared to my normal playing, but that was expected. I played for a few minutes before my hooves started to ache, so I stopped and stuffed it back into my bags. I smiled at the ponies, their faces struck with disbelief. Somehow, Pinkie's jaw was literally touching the floor. I shuddered at the thought of how Pinkie's muscles worked. "That was plum amazing Sugar cube!" Applejack said, putting her hat back onto her head. Fluttershy nodded in agreement. I glanced over at Pinkie, and her jaw had snapped back into place, and a huge grin had replaced it instead. "Pinkie?" I asked cautiously. "THAT. WAS. AMAZING!!!" she squealed. I blushed at her compliment. Soon the mares stood up and stretched, including me. "So, anyways it sure has been nice meeting your friends Pinkie." I said, giving her a smile. Pinkie gave me a confused look. "Silly filly! AJ and Flutters aren't my only friends! You still have to meet the rest of the gang!" she said happily. I chuckled and followed the bouncing pink mare along with Fluttershy and Applejack. "Ok, so who's next?" I asked, trying to keep up with Pinkie. "Next up is Rarity!" she replied, bouncing down the trail. I groaned. Why do I get the feeling that she's going to be up-tight... I thought as I trudged down the trail. As we walked down the path, it was really awkward with all the silence. So, I decided to strike up a conversation. "Ahem. So, um...what does this Rarity do?" I asked, trying to figure out her occupation based on her name. "Is she a jeweler?" Pinkie shook her head. "um...a florist?" AJ shook her head. "an arris?" I asked. Flutters shook her head. I sighed. "Then what does she do?" I asked as we walked back into town. Applejack was happy to elaborate. "Ya see sugar cube, she works in a boutique makin' dresses." she told me. I groaned again. Great. Another up tight girl who thinks she's better than you. I thought as we walked. I was so deep in thought that I hadn't noticed the mares had stopped walking. I slammed face first into a big purple door, with a golden plaque that said, "2110 Carousel Boutique" "Ugh..." I moaned as I rubbed my head. Pinkie knocked on the door, and happily waited for an answer. Here we go... I thought as we heard hoof steps approaching. Lets just get this over with.
Diamonds and RainbowsBefore I begin, I want to say thanks to all of those who have enjoyed this story so far! I luv making stories that are out of my comfort zone, just as long as they aren't slice of life. I know it's been kinda slow so far, but it will get exciting soon, i Pinkie pie promise. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Diamonds ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I sighed as we waited for this Rarity to open the door. We heard the click of the door knob and a little white filly, a unicorn with purple and pink hair with big green eyes opened it. "Hi! I'm Sweetie Belle. What can I do for you?" she asked in a squeaky voice. Her voice cracked sometimes as she talked, but it wasn't too bad. Apple Jack stepped foreword. "Howdy Sweetie Belle. Rarity home?" she asked nicely. Sweetie Belle smiled and nodded, opening the door completely. I was curious to see what picture was on this filly's hip, seeing how all the ponies i'd seen so far had something to do with what they did for a living. To my surprise, there wasn't a picture on her hip. I leaned over and whispered in Pinkie's ear. "Where's that filly's hip picture?" I asked as we walked inside the shop. Pinkie smiled and whispered back to me. "The picture is called a Cutie mark. Ponies get it when they discover their special talent. Sweetie Belle here doesn't have one because she doesn't know her special talent yet." she said happily. The little unicorn guided us over to a couch, but as soon as we sat down there was a huge crash. Suddenly, two more little fillies, an orange pegasus with a purple mane, and a yellow filly with a red mane came running into the room with pots stuck on their heads. "Sweetie Bell help!!! I've gone blind!" the pegasus screamed as she ran in circles, completely unaware of the container on her head. "Apple Bloom! Scootaloo! What're you fillies doin'?" AppleJack asked, pulling the metal pot off of the yellow filly's head. She then pulled the pot off of the little pegasus's head, causing her to fall of her butt. "Whoa. Well, we can check cooking off the list." she said, flexing her tiny little wings. The trio giggled and clapped hoofs together, saying "Cutie Mark Crusaders Go!" in unison. They then ran off into another room, leaving us to sit alone in the large room. I just sat there. "What was that all about?" I finally asked, my brain finally giving up. This time Fluttershy spoke up. "Those little fillies were Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle. They have this little club dedicated to finding their cutie marks. Its really cute." she said. "It's not cute that my lil' sister runs around Ponyville almost killin' herself!" Applejack protested. "Which one was your sister?" I asked. "The little yellow one. I swear she gets more and more like Granny Smith everyday." she then sat down in defeat. Just then, we heard humming coming from the back room, it getting louder by the moment. "Sounds like Rarity." Fluttershy told me, pulling the hair out of her face. Soon, a white unicorn with a royal purple curly mane and tail came into the room, followed by several rolls of fabric held in her magic. She noticed us and smiled. "Hello darlings! What brings you girls here?" she asked politely. I was surprised. I didn't expect a fancy looking pony like her to be nice. "We're here to introduce ya to our new friend, Lyra. Lyra, this is Rarity." AJ told me, nudging me foreword. I walked towards her and held out my hoof to shake hers. She took it and shook it daintily. "Nice to meet you." she said. She had an interesting accent. "Well, have you met the little ones?" she asked, referring to the fillies. I nodded and sat down, glancing around the circular room. "So you make dresses huh?" I asked. Rarity suddenly got excited when I mentioned the word. "Ooh! Yes darling, would you like for me to make you an ensemble?" she asked, looking me up and down. I shook my head. "Nah, but do you make casual clothes? like t-shirts?" I asked. Rarity smiled. "Of coarse I do darling. I aim to please my customers!" she said happily. I smiled. "So what do ya have?" I asked. Rarity's horn glowed blue and a rack full of clothes was rolled into the room. "Look for yourself." she told me. I did so happily, sorting through the clothing, looking at possible outfits. Suddenly, in the middle of the rack I saw a grey hoodie. "That is cool." I said, pulling it off the bar. "You like this?" Rarity asked. I nodded and pulled off the hook, eyeing it with curiosity. "Well then darling, you may keep it." she said, the rack rolling away. "You sure?" I asked, pulling the sweatshirt over my head. "Yes, I was going to throw it out anyways. Consider it a welcome gift." she said, smiling at me. I thanked her and walked back over to the couch to grab my bags. Applejack helped me put them on and made sure they were fastened. Pinkie and Fluttershy stood up and stretched, Fluttershy ruffling her feathers in the process. " Hey Rarity, Ya wanna come with us and introduce Lyra to Rainbow?" Applejack asked, opening the purple door. "Why i'd be delighted dear." she said, using her magic to flip the sign on the door from OPEN to CLOSED. "Girls! We're going out! Come on!" she called, summoning the fillies. The trio rushed in, eager to explore. "Yay! Cutie marks for introductions!" they cheered in unison. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Rainbows ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ We stepped out of the boutique and into the warm sunshine. "Anypony got any ideas to where Rainbow Dash might be?" Applejack asked. "She may be closer than you think." a voice replied. I looked around, trying to figure out where it had come from. I looked at the mares, who were all staring up. I did so too, and got my answer. Sitting on a puffy white cloud was a light blue pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail. Her cutie mark was a rainbow colored lightning bolt. "Sup." she said, cartwheeling off of the cloud and hovering down to us. "Who's the new pony?" she asked. Over her eyes were big black sunglasses. "This is Lyra! She's new in town and were taking her to meet everypony! Then were going to have a super duper welcome party!" Pinkie said happily. Rainbow pulled off her shades to reveal some crimson colored eyes. "Cool. The name's Dash. Rainbow Dash. Fastest flyer in Ponyville!" she said cooly. "Hi. My name's Lyra." I replied. Rainbow then turned to the rest of the group. "You introduce her to Twilight yet?" she asked, as if I wasn't even there. "No, we were going to head over there after we found you." Rarity replied. "Well, you found me, so lets go see the egg-head." she said, springing into the air. "Wait-her names Twilight?" I asked, stopping them in their tracks. "Yea, why?" AJ asked. I thought of the stupid vampire books. "Never-mind. carry on." I said, shaking the thought out of my brain. Rainbow Dash walked beside me, asking me questions. "Where'd ya come from? Are there Pegasi? Are they fast?" she asked. I stammered. "I..uh...um..I.." I answered. Rainbow rolled her eyes and chuckled, spreading her wings and hovering along over the group. After a while of walking, I spoke up. "Where does this Twilight pony live?" I asked, hoping she wouldn't be a vampire, and or a writer or that crap. "She lives in the library." Rarity replied, trying to keep the fillies in line. I groaned. Great. Knowing my luck, there's probably a pony version of that book, and she's gonna be the one who had written it. I was lost in my thoughts and didn't notice the mares had stopped. I ran into Pinkie, which shook me back to reality. If that's what you could call this. I looked up at the giant object in front of us, staring at it in amazement. It was a giant tree, with windows, a balcony, and a front door carved into it. "Whoa." I said as I stared. Pinkie giggled. "Big tree huh?" she asked. I nodded. Rarity's horn glowed blue and the knocker on the door shook. It pounded against the wood, creating a deep thud each time it landed. "Twilight! Are you home Darling?" she asked. Suddenly, the red wooden door flung open, revealing a purple unicorn with dark purple and pink hair. "Hey girls! What brings you here?" she asked.
