//-------------------------------------------------------// Lost and Searching -by MoonMoonStargazer- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 1 //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 1 Chapter 1 “Sweetie, you’re going to miss the bus if you’re not faster!” My mom called to me from the bottom of the stairs. My mom always was worried about me. She was the type of mom who was too busy caring about her kids to actually do work. To me, she always seemed kind of odd. Whenever faced with questions regarding my birth, she always found a way to deflect and send me off somewhere. I couldn’t blame her, though. I always did ask at the worst of times. As I charged down the stairs, quickly zipping up my fly, the ill-fated topic was once again brought to the table. “Mom, where was I born?” Silently, for the next minute, she sat there just staring at me, tears beginning to form. Just as suddenly, she wiped them away and pushed me away once again. “Trevor, the bus is here! It’s time to go now!” She threw my backpack to me, which, in turn, caused me to fly out the door and fall on my butt. With a swift kick to the door she was gone. She got away again. One of these days I know I’ll learn the truth. I just knew it wouldn’t be any time soon. My name is Trevor. Trevor Strum. To be honest, I’m a brony. I always have been and hope to be one forever! My friends call me Trevor Strings, because my favorite character from “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic” is Lyra Heartstrings. Sometimes, though, I think it’s because I have been awarded the most musically-gifted award at our school two years running. My special instrument that got me the awards was my trusty viola! As I stood outside, waiting for the bus, I had suddenly remembered that today was a very important day for our school. We were having a party for the music and athletic programs! It was being hosted by none other than the most known party person in our school, Diane. She was part of the music program herself. She never played the same instrument two days in a row and nobody really could classify an instrument to her, as it was a new one every single day. Any time the mention of a party came up, she was right there, already starting to form plans inside her head. Finally, in the middle of my thoughts about today’s party, the bus came around. I actually dreaded the bus as to what is going to happen next as it does every day, but reluctantly I hop on, realizing it’s the only way I’ll get to school on time. As soon as I step on the kids start bawling. “Hey, look everybody, It’s Pony boy!!!” A random kid from the back called out. Everyone started to laugh. It was normal, but still, it made me feel terrible inside. They always liked to make fun of me for being a brony. I liked it, though, and that wasn’t going to change, no matter what they said. I sat down at my normal seat as people crowded around, throwing their usual spit balls. Then, in an instant, a voice was heard above the rest. “Don’t make fun of him just because he’s not afraid to be himself!” It was Bonnie. She was as beautiful as ever. I’ve known her since we were in elementary school. Still, I never failed to see her as the fairest maiden in all of the land. (My stupid Shakespearean class is finally getting to me!) She liked to style her hair in two different colors, which just made it all the more adorable. Either way, she had just spoken up for me! ME! At that moment, I was in too much of a daze to notice that everyone had left my side and returned to their normal seats. Everyone had left, that is, except for Bonnie. She sat down next to me and sparked up a chat. “I’m so sorry that they’re mean to you every day. I wish they could just respect you as a normal person.” “Hey, it’s ok! I’m glad that you actually saved me and will be glad to repay you in any way that I can!” “It’s ok, ummm….is it…Strings? Trevor Strings?” Well, she had gotten my first name correct, so I had to give her that. “It’s actually Strum. Yes, my friends do call me Trevor Strings.” “Well that’s a nice name. It’s nice to have found a new friend!” She looked up and then stood up. “Well, I guess I’ll be seeing you tonight at the swinging party I’m helping Trish set up and Diane plan!” I looked up, snapping back into realization as I saw we had arrived at the school. I just sheepishly waved at her as I watched her depart. Suddenly it hit me. Bonnie was the vice president of the student council, only succeeded by Trish!! By the time I had rushed outside to look for her, she had already disappeared. ... The rest of the school day went about as normal as any other day. My schedule was always the same: Math class, History, English, Orchestra, Chemistry, and finally, Virtual Reality. Of course, as the top musician of the school, my favorite class was Orchestra. I even shared it with my best friend Derek! When I entered the gymnasium that morning, I was blinded. The gym was completely redesigned! In the middle of it all stood Trish, her purple hair complimenting her fuchsia- colored shirt and black pants. She had a clipboard by her side, a book underneath of it. She couldn’t leave a room without a book. She was the smartest one in the school and won every academic competition in our school. Nobody really entered anymore. It wasn’t worth the loss. “…And that goes on the table as a garnish decoration! No, don’t put the spot light there! It needs to go right!” She was looking around frantically. I chuckled to myself, laughing at her loss of organization. She was known for her skills, but sometimes she got in over her head. Luckily for her, someone else was helping her. It was none other than the vice president of the student council herself. My heart dropped into my stomach in just one heartbeat. “Trish, you really can’t do this by yourself. I’ll manage the stage crew, while you work on the decorations. Please, it’s what’s best for you.” “Fine…,” she replied grumpily. I floated over to her (not literally) and brought up the main topic that was on my mind at the moment. “Did you finish making the most of the food that we’re gonna need for tonight, Bonnie?” What kind of question was that!?!?! I messed it up big time…. “Of course I did! I finished the big cake, the strudels, and most of the nachos. I also cooked some chicken, made some punch, and brought some chips along. The rest is a surprise!” I sighed at that, really wanting to know what she had done for the big fiesta. She refused to answer the questions any further, though, and led me right out the door, closing it softly behind me as she said good bye. I guess I would have to wait until tonight to make my move. … That night the parking lot was packed. Although both the athletic group and the music groups were small in our school, nobody in their right minds would miss out on a party thrown by Diane! As I walked to the front of the line, I spotted Diane going through the back, dressed like our ever faithful DJ, Vinyl. It seemed that Vinyl was out today, so instead, Diane would be the Disc Jockey. Once people started being let in, you could hear the oohs and aahs from all the way outside as the guests entered. When the doors open and closed again, you could feel the rush of cold air breeze right by you. It made me shiver, just being in my casual clothes. Diane never threw formal parties. Of course, some people always over did it on the attire they wore. As I entered into the hall leading to the gymnasium, I saw my best friend Derek. He had this funny style that he liked to do with his hair. He dyed it a rainbow color, saying it was his thing. Still, you had to respect that he was one of the most awesome people I’ve ever met. I even got to be best friends with him. We shared many similar traits and loved to spend the night at one other’s house. He was just standing there, as if waiting for something to happen. I walked up to him in a sort of failed bounce walk. “Hey there, bro, watcha doing?” He looked up from his downward glance and jumped back, a little shocked. His neon light-blue shirt shone into my eyes, making me wince for a second. “Oh, hey there Trevor!!! I’m waiting for Jason. He has my student I.D. You know it’s the only way into this epic party.” If Derek says something is cool or awesome, it has to be. “How in the world did he get your wallet?” “Well…” [Flashback] [Derek’s POV] “This time I’m gonna beat you, Jason!” I shouted as I benched another one. “Y’all couldn’t beat me if ya were on steroids!” he groaned as he lifted an extra ten pounds to mine. “Ok, fine. Let’s settle this,” I smirked. “Arm wrestling. Best two out three wins the contest.” “I reckon that’s a good bargain. But the loser pays the other a good twenty bucks. I need me a new hat.” We were having an Iron Man competition. We always tied up, but this time, we were sure to see who was the strongest. I was, of course, better at this than Jason. I wasn’t going to let him beat me just because we were amazing friends. Two rounds later, it was tied, one to one. “Come on, Derek, giving up already? Y’all is weak!” My arm was strained badly. I knew I wouldn’t win the next one, but I couldn’t forfeit. Jason was obviously a tough opponent. We were both tack, but I did sprints and he won the long distance races. That didn’t stop me from showing him up on the field. I was always the fastest and he knew it. I never could figure out why Trevor hated him so much, though. “Jace, can we just stop. I can’t go another round…,” I managed to ant out, strained enough as it was. “So yer forfeiting is what yer saying?” “No, just taking a couple weeks off to strengthen up! I haven’t been doing as much working out lately! Can’t blame me though, since I’ve been so busy!” I exclaimed, flexing for him. “Just pay up, you dork!” “No, I don’t think I will…” He reached over and took my wallet out of my pocket. After taking it, he swiftly put it into his own, running off and laughing like an idiot. Sometimes, he really frustrated me. All in all, he was a pretty cool guy. "I’m gonna get you back later Jason! I need that wallet!!!!” [End flashback] [Trevor POV] I laughed, not even bothering to conceal it. “You lost a strength contest to a cowboy!!!!” He glared at me, instantly freezing me in my tracks. “Sorry…” At that moment, I realized I didn’t really want to be around when Jason came. His cowboy talk really annoyed me. It’s you’re, not yer! He’s always talking about his farm and blah blah. I decided to just split and continue down the hall towards the gym, where I heard a sudden applause and was eager to find out what was occurring in there. Right as I turned around, I smacked right into Sara, whose nice singing hit a sharp note when bumped into. She had the most beautiful voice, being at the top of her choir class. She also had a thing for animals. She never ever let one get hurt on her watch. She supposedly kept a shelter at her own home for lost, sick, and wounded animals. When her song, which sounded like Mary Poppins’ “Chim Chim Cherry”, was interrupted, she shrieked and jumped straight up into the air. I forgot to mention that she is mega shy and cannot stand physical interaction lest it be an animal in her arms. She squeaked and ran off, running into the nearest bathroom there was. I shrugged it off and continued walking, suddenly blinded worse than before. The hall I was in was dazzled with decorations, glitter, and lights. At the center of this masterpiece was Rachel. Earlier, when I mentioned that some people overdid it on their costumes? She would be a perfect example of one of those people. She was the school’s decorations master. Her dress was a sparkling red dress that flowed to the floor. It was somewhat tight on her, bringing out the curves in her natural body. Her hair was curled up and dyed purple for the night’s occasion. Everybody was crowding around her like paparazzi, taking picture after picture of her wonderful self. I wasn’t as amused, as there was only one girl for me and continued on my way, straight into the middle of the decorations right into the eye of the party. At the center of the floor stood a large cake. I assumed it was the one that Bonnie had made and I was eager to taste it. I extended a finger to it, but it was slapped away as Bonnie quickly scolded me. “You can have some once we cut it! Try a nice cookie instead!” she smiled. I hesitantly picked up a cookie, taking a bite as my mouth was suddenly consumed by heaven. Bonnie could make some amazing treats and this time was no different. Flavors exploded into my mouth as I got both cherry and chocolate chip, all colliding into one scrumptious cookie. I grabbed a couple and sat down, knowing the party would truly start in half an hour. They were just doing introduction messages at the time. My eyes became quickly fuzzy as I stared continuously at one spot. Soon enough, I had zoned out, my body deciding to take a rest on the bench. [Dream Message] “Lyra Heartstrings?! Lyra, can you hear me?” The voice sounded familiar. It seemed to want one specific person. The name as well sounded familiar. “Yes, Princess Luna, I am right here. What do you request of me?” “You remember when the ponies that are currently missing were taken from Equestria?” “Yes. But are they not gone forever?” “No, my child. They are in another world. You must find a way to their world and retrieve them. The memories of the ponies have been clouded up, and they cannot remember their time in Equestria. They have a new life and must remember their old one.” “I…..I accept your task. But I do not want to become one of them. I’ll send signals, through dreams. I don’t know who I’ll find, but I can help them remember so they can come back.” “Thank you, Lyra. You are a life saver……just remember….” [Dream Message cut] I was being shaken. I fluttered my eyes open in a hurry and hopped up to my feet. “Who, what, where……oh….” What was that? It sounded like Princess Luna and Lyra, from MLP:FiM. That was impossible though. They weren’t actually real. I must have had another crazy day dream. To my surprise, the party was in full swing as Derek took me straight to the middle. “C’mon buddy! Time to dance!” I shrugged, realizing I had nothing to lose, and started to dance. Author's Note Haha I'm currently writing this for somepony else but hey, so far I like it!Hope you all enjoy it! I write many fanfics, but this one I hope will be loved! I'll post earlier ones later. //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 2 //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 2 The party was amazing. From the dubstep beats that Diane threw up on the floor to the spiked punch (classic), nothing could have been more perfect. All good things must come to an end, though, and it was time for the last dance. Unfortunately for me, it was a slow dance. I wanted to dance with Bonnie, but I knew she would never accept me. She only thought of me as a friend. I drooped my head down when a familiar sweet voice rang into my ears. "Hey there. You look lonely. Would you...like to dance with me?" I shot up, excited. "YES!" I screamed, loud enough to make everything stop in place. My cheeks turned a rosy red and I quieted down, grabbing her hand and leading her onto the dance floor. We danced through the crowd, flowing and sweeping across the floors. It was the longest dance of my life, and I loved every second of it. People even stopped to look at us, as me, "Pony Boy," and Bonnie, vice for student council, danced on the floor in an eternal embrace. Then the song ended and she pulled away. I was disappointed. I had wanted the dance to last forever. I knew that could never happen and so I made it all dramatic as she pulled away from me, like in the movies I had seen. She then turned around and strode up to me again. She smiled at me and we started to talk. "Trevor, do you need a ride home? I can always provide you with one!" I was in another one of my dazes and started to stutter, which embarrassed me to death. "U......ummmmm......y....yea....thank you Bon bon......." She stared at me, puzzled for a second. I wondered if I had something in my teeth or if she had just spaced out, hen she spoke up. "My name is Bonnie, not Bon Bon." Finally my attention kicked in and I had to think fast for an excuse from this moment. "Oh, that's my nickname for you! As friends, I have a nickname, and I thought you would need one too!" She still stared at me, and a minute later she perked up, smiling yet again. "OK! Then to me you are now Trevor Strings! I'll see you in a few minutes!" With that she trotted, er, skipped off outside the doors. I was about to follow pursuit, but also realized that I need to go to the bathroom, and a lot of people were swarming me with questions. One hand actually grabbed me and pulled me out, to my relief. "Hey, I picked out the song just for you. You looked like you were having a good time out there." I recognized the voice as that of Diane and blushed at her comment. "Yea...I love her so much, but I don't think she knows it. I will take any opportunity I can to get closer to her." She smiled at me and simply handed me a book, walking off into the shadowy corner. When I got there, she wasn't there, which was a mystery all on its own. The cover of the book said, "Dating Tips for guys." Of course it did. I was grateful for this, but at the dsame time, I didn't believe I needed tips on how to pick up a girl! In the distance I could hear the sound of a bass. I immediately knew who it was and, forgetting about my planned trip to the bathroom, followed it into the orchestra room, where Derek sat in a chair, playing his bass. I strode up to him and sat down for a minute. "You're doing fine there, you know. I don't think anyone could play a bass as great as you. Either way, guess what happened to me!?" He only looked up for a minute, a questioning look on his face. He looked back down, going back to moving the bow across the strings. "Bonnie is going to drive me home!" This seemed to catch his attention as he stopped and looked up, a glimmer in his eyes. He set his bass down, got up, and hugged me. He actually hugged me!? "Nice job, bro. Get out there and make your move. I don't really have much time for conversation. I'm so sorry, but we have a concert next week and I really need to practice!" I understood. I just had to get the news out to somebody. I walked out, a grin on my face as I suddenly remembered my trip top the bathroom. ... The car was small. It was only fitted for two people, but it got me so much closer to Bon Bon. Her car was a grey Corvette. I liked it, though. Her music was blasting out of the speakers, the windows rolled down. I wasn't afraid to call her Bon Bon anymore. In fact, it seemed normal to me. "Bon Bon, thanks for the dance earlier. I loved it! Everypony else seemed to also have a wonderful time!" She smiled, keeping her eyes on the road. Her hand reached down and, brushing mine, hit the next button on the CD. Then she got a look of shock across her face. "Every PONY!?" I noticed my mistake and wondered why I would say this. The rest of the ride, I was quiet. We stopped at my house, which was a tall two-story building. It was brown. I found it quite ugly. I opened the door of the car and stood up to get out when she stopped me. "It's been a wonderful night, Trevor. Thank you for taking the dance with me." She pulled me back in and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I exploded with joy on the inside, but it wasn't like I was going to show it on the outside. I wobbled out of the car, looking like I was drunk. To be honest, I WAS drunk. Drunk on love. I watched her off and waved as I opened my mailbox. My parents never got the mail. I never could figure out why. I picked up the usual bills. One was just a junk letter from some place called, "Equestrian Pacific." I assumed it was just a cruel joke and threw it away as soon as I got inside. The party ended at 10:00 and it was now 10:30. By this time, I realized how tired I actually was. It was time for me to go to bed. Grabbing a bagel from the kitchen on my way up, my mom called my name. Dang it! She had heard me come in! I hopped down most of the stairs down and entered her bedroom. It was dark and she had obviously been awoken from her slumber by the sound of me closing the front door (Which I closed quite loudly.) I stepped in and she turned on the lamp that lay next to her on her nightstand. "Did you have a good time at your party, sweetie?" "Yea, mom, I truly did. Bon Bon even drove me home afterwards, which I thought was an added plus." "Oh, it's good to know you've made some new friends aside from that weird kid, Derek. Now, I think it's time for little boys to go to bed!" I was embarrassed and angry too. I hated when she didn't treat me like a normal person. I wasn't a baby anymore. I didn't want to upset her by saying anything, so I just closed the door behind me and went up to my room. It was a complete mess. Clothes were scattered everywhere, and I really didn't care that my light bulb was replaced with a red one. Plates sat piled up on my nightstand and my bed was covered in books that I had to return to the library. I just pushed them aside, and on to the floor with a loud THUMP. I flopped onto my bed, my stomach landing on the bagel that I was probably never going to finish in the end. I was out of it in a couple seconds. [Dream sequence] I was reading a book on anthropology. If my friends were in this "Human World," then I had to save them. To do this, I had to understand what human being actually was. I read out loud, "and when two people find a strong interest in one another, they fall in love." This wasn't surprising. If us ponies loved, then obviously the humans had to love as well. My reading was interrupted by a loud knock at the door. As I opened it, Bon Bon burst in, looking distraught. "Lyra, I'm worried about you! You've been caught up in this "Human" thing for far too long. I think Luna was just pulling your hooves. Please, let's go out and do something." I gave her a look. I couldn't just quit now when I had come so far! "Bon Bon, I'm determined to find the missing ponies. Nothing you say will stop me. If Princess Luna took the time to give me this mission, then it must be serious. Please, can't you just support me, as a friend?" Bon Bon looked surprised to hear me say that. She just sighed and stood tall. "Fine, Lyra, but if you don't make any progress by the end of the day, you have to end this whole charade!" "Deal. Let's go to Twilight's library. She is bound to have some sort of spell that can help me." ... Twilight's library was, as always, super clean. Spike usually did most of the cleaning, as Twilight was too busy organizing her friends straight. When we had gotten to her library, she eagerly invited us in, glad to have somepony that wanted to find a book. She seemed even more excited when I mentioned the humans. "I have a whole series!!! What do you need to know!? Interests? Schools? Towns? Types of humans?" "Actually....I need to find a spell that can send humans to Equestria. If you don't have something like that, then I need a simple dream spell." Twilight jumped at the words "dream spell" and quickly rushed off, bringing two books back with her magic. One said "Spells for the Lucid Dreamer." The other one said "Telportation spells." "This is the best I can do for you, Lyra. I hope they help!" I thanked her and, not thinking, gave her two bits. I ran off, Bon Bon deciding to stay behind as I galloped into my house. Immediately, as soon as I sat down, I opened the book, seeing the words "Entering one person's dreams." It stated, "To enter a pony's dreams..." [Dream sequence abruptly cut off] Author's Note More chapters will be coming soon! I hope you all enjoy this story! Enjoy it ^^ //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 3 //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 3 "Does he know yet, sister?" "I cannot tell him directly. It would not end well. Hopefully Lyra can do her part. I have a full sense of trust in that young pony." "If you believe that it is best not to do this, then I shall trust you, Luna." ... I woke up to a large shaking. My mom was nudging me awake, her face pale, as if she'd seen a ghost. She heaved a huge sigh of relief and embraced me tightly. "I thought you were dead! It was almost impossible to wake you!" I thought she was crazy. I obviously was in a deep enough sleep that I got her to worry. Then I started wondering about my dream. I seemed to have been dreaming about ponies a lot lately, mainly dream about my favorite pony, Lyra. Could this mean something? Who were these lost ponies? "Mom, there's no need to worry. I was just having a really good dream." That was true. I was kind of angry with my mom for coming in to wake me up. "Was there something you needed?" She looked gleeful now. She started talking about breakfast, but when I told her that I wasn't feeling very hungry she got right to the point. "I think today you need to get a job!" My eyes widened. A JOB!? This was against the rules! I was going to hear nothing of it. A job is like a prison. You wake up every morning to go to the same place for eight hours. you say the same things over and over again and finally, when you get your paycheck, it's a minimum wage paycheck. I was NOT going to do that for the rest of my life! Not until I was 18, at least. "I actually want to spend the day at Derek's house today. He said he had some new airsoft guns that he wanted to show me. I also have to help him get back at Jason for taking his wallet." In response, my mom started shouting. I ignored it and just walked down the stairs as she stayed in my room, yelling something like, "If you go out that door you are so grounded!" Personally, I didn't care anymore. I wished dad could be back from his business trip, but mom keeps saying things come up. I actually believed the guy was dead. I was done with my mom. I walked out the door, closing it gently behind me and walking the few blocks over to Derek's house. When I got there and knocked on the door, I was disgruntled to see that it was not Derek who answered the door, but Jason. "Howdy there, Trevor! Come over to see Derek? He's out there in the back!" "Yea yea....thank you...." I didn't look up as I walked past him. I really, really didn't like him. He was just too....country....for my taste. I walked to the back door and saw Derek, holding his airsoft gun and pointing it right at my chest. He shot it once, hitting me directly dead center into my chest. "OUCH! WTF man!?" "Oops! Sorry, Trevor, I thought you were Jason! This is going to be so freaking rad! Can you bring him out here please? Make sure he's the last one out the door!" I obliged, going back inside and grabbing Jason by the arm. I was doing it forcefully, trying to do anything to get him out there faster and see him in pain. He tried to resist, but I dragged him out behind me. As I exited the door, I winked at Derek and quickly jumped out of the way. I heard a barrage of bullets shoot from his airsoft machine gun as I watched Jason fall back, right into a wagon. There was a string set up in the wagon. When he landed on it, it set off two traps, one spraying water at his face, the other dropping over a dozen pies straight onto him. Derek and I burst out laughing. Jason, the tough country boy, had been pranked and humiliated! I watched as he stood up from his "seat" and his face was red with fury. The anger quickly subsided as he sat up laughing and he took a pie, throwing it directly at Derek's face. It hit him square on the cheek and they started yelling funny insults at each other. "That was for taking my wallet, you noob!" As a pie was flung through the air. "Oh yeah? This is for wimping out on me!" A pie soared, falling short and hitting Derek right in the kiwis. I couldn't help it. I started cackling over where I was standing. "Oh Rainbow Dash that was hilarious! AppleJack never even knew what hit her!!!" They both stared at me as I continued laughing. I had fallen to the floor and didn't even realize that I had said what I said. I was too busy laughing at the two of them and their silly arguments. They obviously weren't impressed and as my laughter died down, they both threw a pie at me, both hitting me in the face. Both were simultaneous in their words. "Lyra, this isn't funny!!!" By now we were all laughing at one another. We were covered in pies, calling each other pony names. "Lyra, you're such a dork! Haha hey Jason, do you wanna go inside and play some video games?" "You know it!! let's go!" I had actually been expecting to stay with Derek longer, but it seemed like he had plans. I just shrugged it off, still chuckling about them calling me Lyra. I walked out, making my way downtown. It was a fairly small town and it didn't take long before I was at the local gas station. I always came here on the weekends to buy some things. You never really knew what I would leave that shop with. As I entered, only one thing caught my eyes. They had brought back my favorite candy bars. These weren't any normal candy bars. When I was a kid, my dad used to bring me candy bars every week. Usually they were the ones called "Hershey's." Usually, they stuck with things like Mr. Goodbar and all that stuff I didn't like. Now that they had the Hershey's, I picked up a few and went to the counter, pulling out my leather black wallet. After paying, I sat down, opening one and taking a bite. The delectable sweet taste of the chocolate melted in my mouth as memories came to me of days past. The delicious taste cleared my head, making room for wiser thoughts. Then I started to remember that every time I talked to someone, I was calling them by pony names.It was absolutely absurd? What was happening to me? I also remembered my dream of the night before. It didn't seem like any normal dream. I actually was looking through the eyes of Lyra, talking about bringing missing ponies back from the human world. I lived in the human world! Could I be part of the missing pony group? NO! That was impossible! I was a human, not a talking pony in a human costume. Why di I have the dream, then? I didn't have much more time to think as Diane came up to me, dressed in her shop uniform. "Hey there, Trevor! Everything ok? You seem to be in a state of stress. Can I get you anything, it's on me!" Personally, I didn't want anything. I just wanted to sit here and be alone. I didn't need people pestering me while I tried to figure out if I was going crazy or not. "Well....Pinkie....." I stopped. Did I just call her Pinkie? As in Pinkie Pie!? This wasn't happening! It couldn't be happening! I need to forget about these ponies for one day! I couldn't say anything more, as to not cause any more awkwardness than there already was. I got up, running out of the shop, leaving my candy behind and also leaving Pinkie....no, Diane, looking stunned and confused. I ran as fast as I could. I didn't know where I was going, nut it had to be away from here. There had to be somepony who knew what was going on. They had to be good in psychology! Wait......TRISH! She knew everything! At the next intersection I came to, I turned right, running non-stop until I got to her house. She had to have a book on psychology. I had to, just had to, know what was making me turn into what I was. She was my last hope. My last chance. //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 4 //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 4 I ran into the door, only due to slipping on a small patch of water outside her door, her flowers totally soaked. As I fell to the floor, Trish opened up, fading at the sight of blood on the ground. Quick as lightning, she picked me up and set me down on a couch, giving me pain killers and some wet paper towels. "Are you ok!? That looked like it hurt...a lot!" I looked up, slightly dizzy as my crash may have gotten to some nerves. "Y...yeah....I think I'm ok. I...I have more pressing m...matters to discuss." Twilight got me an ice pack, setting it on the cuts in my leg and sat me up on the couch. "What kind of matters? GIRLS PLEASE COME IN HERE!" Who was she yelling at!? My question was quickly answered as Rachel and Sara came into the room. Rachel was wearing a classy T-shirt (if that was even possible) while Fluttershy....Sara!! Was wearing a jacket, covering most of her body, and pants. She was much too shy. "Hey there, girls. Twilight, why are Rarity and Sara here?" "Who was that, dear?" All three asked at the same time. I had done it again! This was going to end here and now! Trish had to have a remedy for this situation! "That's....why I came. Lately I've been having weird dreams and my thoughts are jumbled. I'm calling Everypony by a pony name. I thought you might be able to help, knowing your history with psychology. Cam you help me?" I sounded absolutely helpless. It was a desperate attempt and I was crossing my hooves just waiting for the longest second of my life. When she answered back, she sounded concerned. "I'm sorry, Trevor, but unfortunately I've never heard of anyone with anything like this before. If I had to diagnose you, I'd just say you need to stop watching MLP for a while. Other then that, I'd strongly recommend that you go to see a professional psychologist." I was disappointed. I thought I could end the craziness right here. It wasn't really fair that she could help everything else, but when I come around, it's impossible. I watched as the three of them sat whispering, clearly about me. I was really done with everyone today. I just needed to go home and rest. Get away from Everypony else. I stormed out the door, not bothering to close it as an orange cat brushed past my legs. I would be glad of this was Twilight 's cat. She deserved what was coming to her. When I got home, I noticed the door was locked. I climbed over the fence leading to our backyard and took out the ladder , positioning it outside my window. I climbed up, attempting to open my window. The glass burned my hands and I pushed relentlessly until the window finally gave way, opening up at my fingertips. I looked down at my hands. They were burnt badly. With pain, I heaved myself up through and flopped onto my bed, which was conveniently positioned right in front of the window. I used my elbow to close it and went downstairs, turning on the faucet. As I put my hands into the cold water, I saw a note written in the whiteboard. It said, "i went out for groceries. I also have some errands to run m I'll be back in an hour or two. Love, Mom I stared at the note, my hands cooling off slowly. I thought it over and over in my head. Since she wasn't around, I thought it would be a good time to catch up on my viola playing. I never got the chance when she was in the house because it annoyed her. When I was sure that my hands were safe again, I took them out, drying them off slowly. I took some bandage and wrapped them up, going upstairs to get my viola from under my bed. Playing a couple musical numbers would get my mind off of the day's bad events. I loved my instrument. Crafted from redwood wood, it shone in the light like a diamond. It was sanded down regularly to keep its shine. It was a very treasured possession of mine and I had practically mastered it. As I brought the rest to my chin and the bow to the strings, all my worries were forgotten. I stayed to play a B flat scale sheet. It was going perfectly until I hit a G. After that, the way down the scale was a bumbling disaster. I tried again, but this time, the whole scale was messed up. I didn't know what was wrong with me. Instead, I brought the bow to the strings again and started to play the viola rendition of "Fir Elise," sick I had memorized to heart. The sound was perfect, but yet again I hit a dissonance of notes. I couldn't seem to play today, and the more I played, the worse it got. I, in frustration, threw the instrument down and flopped onto my bed. I thought a nap was necessary to clear my head. It couldn't hurt to try, as long as one of those dreams doesn't occur again. I was dead to the world within seconds. [Dream sequence] I was in the royal castle archives. Twilight's teleportation sites couldn't do any good with traveling to another world and possibly dimension. The archives of Canterlot had to have a spell here that could return everything to normal. I knew that there were no time spells after Twilight had that....incident with her "future self." My mission was so simple yet so hard at the same time. All I had to do at the current moment was communicate with somepony, ANYPONY, from this new world. I obviously kept trying my dream spell, but it didn't seem to be working. I pulled a scroll from a random slot. A guard walked by, noticing me bit quickly walking away when he noticed my princess pass (yes, such a silly name!) I opened the scroll up. All I had to read was, "time tra-" before I closed it up. I couldn't be seen with forbidden spells. As soon as I put the scroll into it's slot, Princess Celestia strutted into the room. "Hello, Lyra, my student. Are you looking for something specific here?" I looked at her flowing mane. It was almost as beautiful as her sisters'. Her voice was really regal. It wasn't very exciting. "I need a spell that can bring people here from worlds far away." She seemed confident at the words, but the actual words she spoke weren't as hopeful. "I'm afraid that we have no spell like that. You are free to look through the castle that my sister and I used to inhabit. We had something of the sort over there." I groaned. I had to either teleport and waste all my energy, or ride a really long train to Ponyville. I chose the latter, not being in any time rush. It was to be a long ride. Especially since Pinkie Pie was there. "Hey there, Lyra!!! Gotten any good news from Trevor yet?" She smiled and exclaimed. Q Author's Note Haha hey there!!! Fourth wall breaking o.o enjoy this chapter!! //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 5 //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 5 I was CONFUSED! Why was Pinkie Pie in Canterlot, and who was this Trevor guy she was talking about? She'd never even met a pony named Trevor before. I guess I'd have to ask her if I actually wanted to know what in Equestria she meant? "Ummmm Pinkie, why are you in Canterlot? Isn't it your baking hour or something right now?" She stared at me for a second, as if she hated me, but then faked me out by taking out her party cannon, which proceeded to spray me in the face with ribbons and....cake? "Correctomundo! But I ran out of peaches at the shop, and there are no peach fields in Ponyville! I have to come to Canterlot every so often to get the ingredients I need for the most important of recipes. On the way here though, I wanted to stop at a peach stand, except I was stopped because somepony was doing a magic show! Then the castle just looked so pretty in the sun and I got all distracted by the sights! I totally forgot all about my peaches and stopped at Pony Joe's for some donuts, chocolate, which were abso-tutely-lutely delicious! What else do you need to know...particularly about Trevor?" How does she know all of this stuff? It wasn't possible for her to know stuff that nobody else knew! was it...? "Ok....then who is this Trevor guy!? I don't think I've ever met anypony with that name before." "WEEEELLL....he's obviously worried about something in his mind right now. Due to the fact that he's worried, he scared a lovely girl of his, and then ran out, leaving her confused and all of his chocolate sitting on the table with her. Chocolate is so amazing! I special order it from Princess Celestia. I should give some to you sometime! It is wonderful! Did I tell you about my donut adventures! I think I wrote a book about it...or was that cupcakes....." She wouldn't stop talking! I started to think that maybe she was so hyper due to this "special" chocolate of hers. I, in the loudest voice I could muster up, yelled, "WHY IS HE UPSET!?" She stopped, a sudden tear forming in her eyes. I had probably scared her. I stopped her party talk, which she loved doing. I needed to know this, though. "It's just something about ponies. It's not really important." Could this be the guy I've been looking for? I took a mental note of his name, opening my eyes to ask some more very important questions, but she was gone. It still fazed me as to how she did that. So, I got on the train, steam pouring out of it's smokestacks. The engineer on board, Daylight Shines, yelled out, "AAAAAALLLLL ABOOOOOAAAARRRRDDD!!!" As the train started heaving off, I wondered as to how I was going to get to the castle...... [Dream Sequence Ends] I sat up, eyes wide and slightly shaking. That dream in particular scared me. She couldn't of known my name! She was a pony! This was a ludacris idea! I knew what to do. I grabbed a notebook from the nearest shelf, taking a pencil from the desk. I started to write everything I had seen in my dream before I forgot any of it. I put a lot of emphasis on the fact that Pinkie Pie had said my name. I needed to convince somepony I wasn't crazy and this had to be the only way that I could do so. In it, I wrote everything except for Pinkie's talking. She had too much information, most of which was pretty much impossible to remember. I also left out the part about Pinkie crying, because she didn't deserve to have that written about her. She was a great pony, just misunderstood sometimes. Just as soon as I wrote the words on the story, they were gone. I did a double take, making sure I wasn't hallucinating. The words were literally gone from the page! They disappeared into nothingness! Where did they go!? I couldn't convince people that I wasn't crazy if I told them I wrote down a dream and it wasn't even there. I threw a total rage fit and threw the notebook against the wall. Now I was questioning my own sanity! Wait a minute.....could I be the missing pony! My friends could also be some of them! Maybe I wasn't so crazy! If I could convince people that they were talking ponies from a land called Equestria that we needed to get back to because we lost all our memories, maybe I'd have a chance. For now, though, there was nothing I could do. It was a Sunday and no school. I decided to take out my viola again and practice my concert music, which was coming up this Friday. My viola still looked as new as ever. I had had it for nearly four years, yet I've kept such great care of it that it will probably look new until the day I die. I pulled out the bow, making sure that everything was perfect. I went downstairs for a second to grab some breakfast, just then realizing how hungry I actually was. I grabbed an orange, quickly peeling it and swallowing it as if it was a whole orange. I rushed back up the stairs, tripping and falling down the whole flight on the way. Stupid clumsy me! I, slowly, walked back up again, slightly limping but taking it as no issue. I took the viola up and put my music stand in front of me. I placed the music on the stand and brought the viola to my chin just as I had done the night before. I then realized that I couldn't remember how to play the viola. All the music looked like a new language to me. I tried to move the bow across the strings, but only a cackle of disharmony came from the instrument. I couldn't be doing this! It was all just a mind game! I couldn't play the viola, I was having strange dreams, and I was convinced that I was a talking pony from another dimension. What in Equestria was going on with me!? I wasn't being myself, and I had ditched all of my friends, multiple times. I had a concert coming up this Friday and I couldn't even play a simple tune like I always had been able to do. I was done. It was hopeless. I didn't think that I'd be able to play the viola again. I just decided to give up and go downstairs for another activity. As soon as I touched the landing, I felt oddly compelled to go over to the couch and turn on MLP. Then I got to thinking. Maybe if I watched some of it, I could trigger some memory of Equestria, with me possibly remembering who I was! I ran over to the couch and turned on the TV. The static hurt my ears and I quickly turned on Netflix to stop it. The most recently watched was always MLP as I almost always was the only to actually use Netflix. My mom has lately had this "reading craze." I felt really lucky to have such an understanding mom. Sometimes, I felt like she didn't respect the fact that I was a brony. Nobody really did except for my friends, who loved to playfully tease me about it. I scrolled through the episodes, not really wanting to watch most of them. Quickly, though, I had picked out two episodes from the first season. I chose "Green Isn't Your Color" and "Party of One." I loved these episodes, especially the parts where Lyra was just hidden. It was fun to search for her, as well as the other background characters. After the first episode, nothing really happened and I turned on the second one. I was at the part where Pinkie Pie was talking to a bunch of inanimate objects when I started to feel woozy. Then the thought came to my mind that my mom still wasn't back. She should have been here by now, but she was probably somewhere important. Knowing her she was probably out drunk somewhere. I hated her for it. My dizziness worsened and I took turn to lying on the couch to relieve the pressure I felt the world had on me. Soon enough though, as I watched Pinkie's friends surprise her, my eyes slowly drooped and sleep overtook me. [Dream Sequence] I had finally made it, through a tough sequence of teleportation spells, to the castle. Luna sent me a mental message that the two sisters needed to see me immediately. Once I entered the door of the castle, I dashed through the twisting hallways and random doors (When did those get there?) to the throne room. In the throne room, the two sister princesses had a pony. She was a light blue pony with yellow hair. She was a Pegasus pony and her cutie mark was a torch. I didn't think I had ever seen her, much less known she was going to be there. I stepped forward, addressing the two sisters (and guest) as accordingly. "Thank you for inviting me here, but may I ask, sisters, what is she doing here?" Princess Celestia suddenly got a grin on her face as she said in the most polite way she could. "This is your next assignment. You, along with your other task, have to watch her and help her find her way around Equestria. She is supposedly new to Equestria. She claims she does not belong here, but we have no proof that she doesn't. She keeps saying she wants to get home, to her son Trevor, but we do not know anypony named Trevor. We think she has suffered some trauma." I was speechless. This was the second time I'd heard his name today. It couldn't of been a coincidence. I wanted to say something, but feared to do, as I didn't want to sound just as insane. In fact, all I did was accept the task and take her out of the throne room, confronting her as soon as the door shut behind us. "Who is this Trevor, where are you from, and how did you get here?" She responded with quite a strange answer. "My son, Earth, I don't know." "C'mon then. Let's get you settled in. I'll show you around Equestria. Come along." I teleported out of there, our first stop going to be Ponyville. [Dream Sequence Ends] I sat up, quickly going to record this in my dream journal, just in case it actually stayed this time. Surprisingly, nothing happened this time and as soon as I wrote the part about this pony's son, Trevor, I had an epiphany. My mom was trapped in Equestria! //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 6 //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 6 My mom was in Equestria!? How is that even possible!? She looked like my mom. I'm definitely sure I heard her say my name! It was impossible, though. I was sure that in all of my visions, Lyra said she couldn't find a teleportation spell strong enough to travel dimensions. My only theory was that a stronger force was at work here. It could be a princess, or it could be a villain. I was really betting my money on princess here. I got to thinking, and my conclusion was simple. If we were the ponies from another dimension, then maybe we were all actually the mane ponies and the background ponies. Diane was full of fun. She always volunteered to plan parties for random reasons. She tried to be friends with everyone, and I rarely ever see her without a smile upon her face. I could only relate her to one pony in Equestria. She had to be Pinkie Pie. Derek always tried to out-do everypony else. He claimed he was the most awesome person he had ever met and sometimes he was very self-centered. His best friend was Jason. Jason was a country boy. He dressed like it, and he had a heavy southern accent. He claimed he used to live on a farm, and I knew his favorite fruit was an apple. Derek and Jason were Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Trish was so organized. Anytime a single speck was out of place, she was compelled to fix it. Everything had to be perfect. Nothing was ever so classy with her, but definitely not messy. She was always reading something and never left a room without a book. I assumed her to be the human Twilight Sparkle. Rachel, obviously, had to be Rarity. No place she ever didn't have a sparkle or a touch up to it. She always left her house classy. Any party she went to, she vowed to be the fanciest person there. It was a no-brainer at the sight. I've never really gotten to know Sara. The only time I met her was at the night of the party. I bumped into her, and then she proceeded to shriek and run out to the bathroom. I did notice one thing as she was running away, to my memory. She had a bunny in her backpack. I put two and two together. She was Fluttershy. Now, the girl I loved wasn't so hard to find out. I had called her Bon Bon many times, and her actual name (Bonnie) really gave it away. I, on the other hand, was a virtuoso at music. My favorite pony was Lyra Heartstrings. She was also considered a virtuoso in the art of music. Her favorite friend was Bon Bon and she wasn't really a main part in everyone's lives. She was more or less left out. I concluded without doubt that I, Trevor Strings, err, Strum, was none other than Lyra Heartstrings. A thought entered my mind. If we were the ponies that I think we are, then how are the same ponies still in Equestria? I didn't really understand it myself, but there had to be a logical reason. Maybe both worlds had their own versions of the ponies, and we weren't really the lost ones. I thought for a while, trying to think of a solution, when I heard the door open downstairs. "Sweetie, I am home! It's your mother!" Her voice cracked as she spoke. After a day and a half, almost two days, she was finally home? This was both a miracle and a curse for me. I actually liked being in the house alone. It gave me time to do stuff I usually wasn't able to do and it was pretty quiet, which was abnormal for our house. Whatever the reason was, I ran downstairs and gave her a hug. "Where have you been, mom? I've been so worried about you!" That was a lie. In fact, the only time I really thought about her was while I was watching MLP, and then I just forgot all about her. It was too nice in the house to care whether my mom was in town, or halfway across the world. "Well, I was coming back home, when a car behind me hit me. I had to be taken into the police station. I had no serious injuries, but I needed to be questioned as to what the car looked like. It was a hit and run situation. They just caught him." That story had so many plot holes in it, but I didn't care. She deserved to get hit. My whole life she had been somewhat of a jerk to me. She seemed nice when friends were over, but as soon as they leave, I swear she grows horns. The plot holes escaped my mind, as a feeling of security washed over me. Although she hasn't been the best mother, she never abandoned me. Her being here just proved that all of my dreams had been a lie. Then and there, I forgot all of my crazy ideas, convinced that I was just having some very vivid dreams and those dreams resulted in me acting strange. I needed to apologize to my friends, which I planned on doing when I went to school the next day. The rest of the day went as normally as you would expect. I went out a couple of times, one for church and the other to go to the mall to shop a little. I didn't really have any money, which I realized as I pulled into the parking lot. Instead, I just did some looking around. That night, I told my mind to stop having these silly dreams and I settled into bed, this time turning on some music. Forest Rain's voice softly sang me to sleep, the tune of "Great To Be Different" flowing through my room. As I closed my eyes, I was convinced that tonight would be a different night for me. [Dream Sequence] I was walking through the streets of Fillydelphia with this woman. She refused to tell me her name. All she could do was talk about how much she needed to get back home to her son. I was unimpressed with this and tried to block her out as much as possible, making myself a tour guide, explaining every good sight we passed. As soon as we hit the center of Fillydelphia, she stopped talking, her mouth going wide. I could see the sparkle in her eyes, and I chuckled to myself. This made every pony stare in awe every time they hit this exact spot. The way we were facing, the sun glinted off of every building in the town, hitting the streets in an exact position to form something. I looked down at the ground, the golden glow shining in the pattern of a large pony. It was one of the most beautiful sights anypony had ever seen. "This is absolutely spectacular," she marveled, her voice quivering. I laughed again, this time at the fact that her voice sounded like a dying cockatrice. "Yes, it's one of the most treasured miracles in all of Equestria." I told her that we needed to keep going, but this time she refused. She wanted to stay for another ten minutes. I knew that this sight wasn't going to last that long, but I complied with her request. It was an act of kindness towards a new pony who seemed in distress. After all, she may be my key to the human world that I desperately needed to reach. After ten minutes had passed, and the sun had lowered beneath more buildings, fading the glow on the streets, I pushed her onwards. We couldn't stay around for much longer, as the night was about to fall. We needed to get back to Ponyville. The things that lurk outside in the night are unexplainable. I had met many things during the night, and I knew how to ward them off. Unfortunately, she was new here, and di not fare so well against these creatures. I moved her, pushing her butt with my head, trying to speed up our pace. "Geez! You don't have to push me, Ms. Heartstrings! Just ask me to quicken my pace." I lit my horn up, a spell in the process. I watched as she tripped on a hoof, falling straight onto her face. I burst out laughing. Having magic was just another perk of being a unicorn. Unicorns were probably the best of them all. Unless you count alicorns, but I didn't think they should be counted as any "regular" pony. We were on the outskirts on Ponyville by the time the night had approached, and we were just walking in. I told her my house was on the other end. We only were able to get about a quarter through the town before being stopped by an odd looking pony. His mane was a fiery red, flowing just as Celestia's mane would flow. His own coat, however, was a dull grey. He stood a few inches above the rest of us, a large grin on his face. "Hello there, Lyra. It's nice to see you again." Suddenly, his coat turned a coal black. His mane seemed to light up in a spark. "Leave us alone, Rapid Fire! You have no business here in Ponyville!" I was now pissed off. Last time he was in Ponyville, he had nearly fried Bon Bon and burned half the town down with her. He was a crook in our books, and we had banished him from Ponyville. It was a mystery why he would return, but no mystery that I had wanted to find out. "Actually," his dark voice, like that of King Sombra's, resonated, "I do have business here. I have come for the young woman who is hiding behind that fountain." I turned back, noticing that she was no longer behind me, but ten hooves back, behind the fountain in Ponyville. "You can't have her! She's not yours to keep!" "I think you should change that statement. I brought her here, and I plan to take her back with me." [Dream Sequence Ends] I jolted up out of my bed, quickly jotting down the main facts of my dream in the journal. I looked down at my clock. It read 8:10. I only had a few minutes before the bus arrived at my house! AS quick as I could manage, I put on a red T-shirt and a pair of orange shorts, grabbing my backpack and running downstairs to grab a donut from the fridge. I didn't have time to think about the dream, and when I closed the fridge, my mom was standing right behind the door, holding a sack lunch instead of my usual lunch box. "Hello, Trevor. I have packed you a lunch today. I hope you enjoy it." She seemed different. I couldn't really put my finger on it. Maybe it was the fact that she was right behind the door. Or could it be that my lunch wasn't in the right container? I didn't have time to question her; the bus stopped outside, letting out a loud SCREEECH as it stopped. I ran outside, wishing her a good day, and hopped on the bus, only seconds away from being left behind in the dust. The normal routine started, with all the names and stuff. The newest one that I heard was "crazy pony man." This time seemed different. I looked around, and there was an open seat next to Bon Bon with a note on it. I walked up to her and stared down at the piece of paper that sat on the seat. It said "Reserved For Trevor Strings." My face became a bright shade of red. I was blushing deeply when she pulled me down onto the seat and greeted me. "Hey there, Lyra!" She was still calling me Lyra? Haha I guess the game was still on. "Oh, hey Bon Bon! How you doing today?" She seemed quite flustered at the fact that I had called her Bon Bon, but I pretended to take no notice of it. "I-I'm good this morning. I saved the seat especially for you! Anyways, how are you?" Why would she save a seat for me? The answer...I did not know. I wasn't anything special, but I definitely wasn't going to go around complaining over it. "I'm amazing! I mean, the girl I've loved ever since.....I mean...I like the fact that you saved this seat for me." It was her turn to blush. All she could do was grab my hand and hold it the bus ride. I was aware that every single person on the bus was watching us, looking at me as if this moment was impossible. I just smiled back at them and looked back at Bon Bon, giving her a huge beam. I wasn't exactly ecstatic to get to school, mainly because of the fact that I'd have to let go of her hand until the bus ride home. Our school had some PDA rule (Public Display of Affection) that didn't allow anything lovey-dovey. It was stupid in my mind, but then again, after everything that had happened there, who can really blame them. That's the entire reason the bathrooms aren't able to be locked anymore. The rest of the school day was very predictable until I got into fourth period. Chatter in the room was unusually high and I heard little skims of conversations. "Two weeks..." "....concerts" I went up to Diane, who was playing on the harp. She wasn't doing very amazing at it and could only get a few good notes to come out of the heavenly instrument. "Hey there, Pinkie Pie! What is all this chatter that everypony is talking about?" She smiled, not fazed by the fact that I had called her by the appropriate name . She stopped playing for a second to respond to my question. "You haven't heard? The concert has been delayed by two weeks, and we have a full period to practice today!" That sent jolts of electricity through my body. Maybe my part in the concert wasn't hopeless after all! Though, I couldn't go back to the viola. It was impossible for me to play it ever again. I needed to find a new instrument, and, noticing that she was struggling on the harp, did the only logical thing that I could. "Pinkie, do you mind if I take the harp off of your hands to play it?" She didn't seem to object and stood up, pushing me down to the floor. "Okie-Dokie-Lokey! I wasn't doing very good anyways!" She moved over, grabbing a trumpet. I, on the other hand, plucked one of the strings on the harp. A beautiful sound came out, and everyone stopped to look at me. I didn't like the sound. To me it was very flat. I quickly tuned the harp a little and struck the string again. It sounded perfect. This instrument was nothing like a viola, but I'd try my best anyways. I've never even played a harp before. I closed my eyes and let my hands move across the strings, a song coming out quite excellently. I heard all the noise in the room but the harp stop, and I didn't dare to open my eyes. I just kept playing, until I thought the song deserved to finish. I closed it with a nice chord, and when I was done, I opened my eyes. Every single person in the room was staring at me. It was quiet for a little bit, and then, lightning fast, applause flooded the room. I was smiling and couldn't stop. Everyone moved over to me, congratulating me on my efforts. These weren't efforts. That was a masterpiece. Derek was the person I wanted to see. He came straight up to me, picking me up. "Dude, that....was....amazing!!! Lyra you're a beast on the harp! Why didn't you ever tell me?!" He was still calling me Lyra, just as Bon Bon was. It was just some sort of school joke now, wasn't it? "Even I can't answer that, Dash. That was my first time playing the harp." Wait a minute...that was my first time playing the harp. I played a song that was nothing less than perfect, and it was my first time! The thoughts of the actual Lyra Heartstrings moved themselves to the front of my mind yet again. It was so confusing, but now my suspicions were confirmed. I actually was Lyra Heartstrings! I exited the orchestra room as quickly as I could, running straight to a bathroom to collect my thoughts. Today seemed quite hot, actually. I ran in, the door slamming behind me. I went straight up to the sink and turned the cold water on, dunking my face in multiple times until the burning sensation in my head went away. When I looked up again, I jumped back in fright. I looked in the mirror and actually saw Lyra Heartstrings! Her mouth was moving but no sound came out, steam covering that area. I wiped it off and was met with a large amount of screaming at me. "Mister, you must hurry! I don't have much time to say this. I've pinpointed your location as that of the missing ponies here in our land. You must find a boy named Trevor and tell him that we have his mom in safe hands, but outside there is someone who is out to get her. Please, you must hurry. We must return her to your world and the missing ponies to ours! Please...you're the only hope we have....if you find them...just remember to.." Her voice was cut off. She looked behind her, screaming. A fire appeared behind her and I felt the warm sensation run through my head again. "PLEASE! YOU MUST HURRY!" This time, no matter how much cold water I put on my face, the burn wouldn't go away. I looked up again and she was gone. I only stared at myself in the mirror. What had just happened? Had I truly met my idol? Was she in trouble? Or was it all just some crazy mind game I was playing with myself? I walked out slowly, so as not to cast suspicion upon myself. I went in the orchestra room, grabbed my backpack, and ran out, going to sit in the cafeteria until the bell rang. I needed to think, and this was the only solitary place I had right now that wouldn't actually freak me out. I just sat there and put my head on the table, trying to clear my thoughts. I reached into my backpack and pulled out a box of mints. These mints were special to me. I didn't know how, but somebody put a new pack of these in my backpack every week. I didn't know who it was but it was always directly after orchestra that I found these. They were called "Party-Time Mint-Als" (Credit to Kkat) and they immediately cleared my mind, making me feel stronger. I was going to put one in my mouth when I felt a sharp pain come from the back of my head. My vision started to go black. The more that the black closed in to my pupil, the dizzier I got. When my vision was completely black, I started to feel myself slipping away from the world. My head crashed against the table, the mints spilling everywhere as I conked out. //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 7 //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 7 When I woke up, it was pitch black. I was already scared from the fact that somebody would knock me out. Now I was stuck in a dark room! When my lights started adjusting to the dark, I looked around at the shadows, hoping that there was a light switch in this room. There was nothing and I was worried. Maybe I was just too far away to see it. I didn't have any real time to think, because just as I started to get comfortable, I heard a hissing. I looked up and through the dark I saw a splitting green gas cut through the darkness. I was unsure of the substance, but whatever it was, it took hold of me quickly. I knew I wouldn't be conscious for much longer, so I ran up to the vent, attempting to close it. Luckily, I found a switch that closed it and did so instantly. It didn't help that the gas was still in the room, so I took off my shirt and wrapped it around my face for support. It wouldn't last long, I knew, but it had to last long enough. I sat down on the bed that occupied the room. It was a fairly tall bed and when I dipped my head back to the wall, I was hit by something pointy. I yelped out and looked behind me, my pain turning into electricity. It was a light switch! I flipped it and the lights came on. All around me, posters covered the walls. Two book shelves accompanied the back wall, books pulled out and scattered across the floor. A night stand sat comfortably next to the bed, a radio with an IPod sitting on top of it, a lamp beside these. The posters were all MLP related, only one being differentiated from the rest. It was a Doctor Who poster, with phrases scattered about it. A closet was on the north wall, open and, just as everything else was, dirty and untidy. Clothes were everywhere and game pieces littered the floor. The bed was plush, but a wooden board had been shoved beneath the mattresses, making the bed very painful on my butt. I knew the instant I saw it that this was my room. It wasn't like this when I left. It appeared that it had been raided by somebody when I was gone. When I went up to go to the door, I found that it was locked, and the doorknob had been changed to make the door only able to be unlocked from the outside. I assumed it had been my mom, if that was even who she was. According to my visions, and what Lyra had said to me in the mirror, my mom was in Equestria. Right before her magic cut out, she tried to warm me about something, most likely my mom. While I was busy trying to figure out how to unlock the door, a bright flash took place behind me, a slight zephyr blowing my hair to the left. When I turned around, I found Lyra standing there next to me. My eyes went wide with excitement. I was talking to myself! It seemed strange, but I didn't utter a word until she spoke, as whatever she had to say might be important. When she opened her mouth to speak, an ugly voice came out. Something must have happened to her. "T...Trevor....Me....I need your help further. Y-you must gather the other p-ponies....I know you are me. Rapid F-Fire has sent an imposter, a changeling, to your world disguised as your m-mom. She h-has trapped you in h-here and you need the other p-ponies to break y-you out. Rapid Fire is p-planning to attack your world. D-do not let him win...." Her image started to break up. Her voice was no longer understandable. She just ran up to me. As soon as her image would have hit me, she was gone. Her magic had obviously faded away. I never even got the chance to tell her anything. It made me disappointed but at the same time made me more determined than ever. I reached in my pocket, relief washing over me as I felt my phone sitting there. I dialed Derek's number. I listened to it ring as I sat up, a piece of paper sliding off of my back and onto the bed. It read, "You had been passed out for four hours, dear. I took you home. Please be alright and wake up soon! Love, Mom." Typical...of course my "mom" would do something like this. All she cared about was keeping me away from Rapid Fire as he escaped. Finally, after six tries, Derek picked up his phone. His voice was quiet, and definitely agitated. It sounded as if he had been asleep. I instantly felt bad for waking him up. "What the hell do you want, Trevor!? Can't you see it's two in the morning? It better be a good excuse...." I felt shame take over my body. I had waken him up to tell him I was trapped in my room! What kind of a silly excuse was that? "Dash, please listen to me. My mom, isn't my mom. She's some sort of imposter. I keep getting visions from Equestria and I believe I'm some missing pony. My mom has trapped me in my room with no escape and she tried to poison me back to sleep. I really need you to gather all of our friends and bust me out of here. Please, I don't want to die in here." My voice was definitely faltering. Anyone out in the world could tell that right now, I WAS SCARED! He, at first, scoffed at what I was saying. I sat there for about four minutes before he finally answered back to me. "Trevor, I don't believe half of the things you're telling me right now. What I do believe, is that you're trapped. You are obviously scared and you need some serious help. Personally, I think you're absolutely delusional. That doesn't change the fact that you're my friend and I'm going to help you. I'll be over in half an hour with everybody else." The phone line went dead. He ended the call without allowing me to answer back. I was saved! The only problem was that the gas was finally starting to take it's toll on me. My vision, yet again, was going black. Once my body hit the bed, I was ready for another vision. This time, I expected it. [Dream Sequence] Trevor's mom and I were running. We wanted to make a break for Twilight Sparkle's help. She had to have some Alicorn magic that could help us in some form. We had escaped from Rapid Fire, undetected, back at my house. Now we were running for our lives while we were still free. On the way, luck was not with us. Halfway to the tree that Twilight stayed in, construction (Was that there the night before?!) was taking place, repairing some roads that had been broken apart. The only way around was to go two streets back and go around the construction. We backtracked two streets, hearing the roar of Rapid Fire. It was obvious that he had discovered the absence of his prisoners. We cantered even faster, finally stopping quickly at the door of the town library. We didn't bother knocking, and just burst in. Twilight jumped back, a book being flung by magic right at us. Luckily, just in time, I caught the book with my own magic, throwing it down and yelling at Twilight. "TWILIGHT HELP US! Rapid Fire is back and he's after this lady, who is from the human world. She is the mom of one of the missing ponies and we need your help to either contact him or bring them back or send her home. Rapid Fire sent a changeling to the human world to pose as his mom! Do you have anything!?" She stared at us. She wasn't impressed and I thought she would kick us out. She sat there frowning and then levitated a book over to her. "Rapid Fire is a dangerous villain. He will be upon us within minutes. I only have one spell. It will cast your image to this pony you found in the human world. You will only have a minute or two to explain to him what you need, then the magic will wear off. Does that sound like what you need? I really wish I could do more for you, but my magic isn't that advanced yet." I just shook my head up and down like a maniac. There was no time to lose and I just rushed her. She lifted her horn up and cast her spell. [Dream Sequence End] So that was what had happened! I took out my journal amongst the litter of books and pulled a pencil from my nightstand. Recording this dream was fairly easy, now that I was used to it. I had just put my notebook down, when a rock came flying through my window. "HEY PONY BOY! YOUR RESCUE IS HERE!" I recognized the voice as that of one of my friends. It had to be Jason, as nobody else does that to me. I guess he was needed here, as he was Applejack. I looked out my window, diving my head back in as another rock, this time bigger than the last one, came crashing in. I yelled out at the ponies outside. "That's enough!!! Stop!!" No more rocks came through my window, so I peeked my head out. The whole gang was standing there, even.......Bon-Bon!!! I was so glad that she was here. She would comfort me, and hold me.....I needed to snap out of it! In Equestria, we were both girls! But that didn't mean....Shut up! I looked outside, and a ladder had been set up beneath my window. I wanted to climb down the ladder, but I didn't know if it was worth it. I would escape, yes, but what would I do once I escaped. I had absolutely no plan. "Mom" would find me easily unless I knew what to do once I left this room. Then the perfect plan hit me. I turned off the lights in my room, climbing down the ladder as I smirked to myself. My "mom" was going to get the ride of her life. //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 8 //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 8 The running to her place was excruciating on all of us. All of us, except Rainbow, that is. Of course he was going to be faster than all of us combined. We were heading over to Moxie(Zecora)'s house. We thought that she would be able to help us cast some sort of magic on her. Of course, everyone else around me didn't believe in magic, but after what I had seen, it had to be real. They still didn't believe that they were ponies, but there was a first time for everything! Running down Main Street, where her shop was, I knew we were all thinking the same thing. "What the heck were we doing?" Finally, turning right into her shop, we ran into Zecora, who was about to lock her doors up for the night. "What can I do for all of you? Or have you come to trick a fool?" They all looked at her as if they had never met. In reality, they really hadn't met, but their pony memories had to be resurfaced at some point. It was ridiculous that I was the only one who could actually remember anything! Everyone else opened their mouths, but it was I who brought out words. "Zecora, and I know that you know your name, we need your help. There are changelings from Equestria and they took my mo's form and I need your help because we are the missing ponies from Equestria and we need to return to stop a villain who is planning on taking over the human race as well." I was panting. That had been a very long, run-on sentence and it wasn't helping that she stared at me like I was crazy. Of course she was doing this. Everyone was looking at me like that. I had to further my explanation on for her to understand. "I have a journal of my dreams. I know you can help me and will believe me after you have read it." I held up my hand. There was nothing in it! I had been sure that I brought it with me! Where could it have gone? Maybe I dropped it. Then, out of nowhere, Pinkie Pie began reading straight from it. Typical Pinkie. Always taking things without notice and being random. I didn't talk, just sat there and listened. These dreams seemed like they were from a forever ago, though it had only been a few nights. When she was finished, Zecora looked up, and began to speak. "I see you have problem here, but learn right now you must not fear. I have something to cure your curse, but in return, I need something first." I asked her what she could possibly need. I would do anything to get back, to stop Rapid Fire, and to get my mom back. I had never really realized how much I actually needed my mom here. She was an important part of my life, and she was always there to protect me. Although she could be harsh, I now saw why she had set up rules for me. It was to protect me and keep me safe when I needed the protection the most. Looking around, I realized the shop was entirely empty. She ran a clean business, though there was nothing in it. It wasn't really plausible, but I didn't question it. I just wanted to hear her answer. "I need your mother, the fake one of course, to reverse the magic right back to it's source." Of course she did. The world couldn't have been easy on me. In the awakening of a crisis, I had to battle a creature which defeated even the mane six at Canterlot. I thanked her, and I began to walk out, leading the others behind me, when Zecora stopped me. "Take this charm to keep you safe, for a wise decision you must make. Don't let pride stand in the way, or your journey may end, that's all I'll say. Good luck." Wow. She didn't rhyme that last phrase there. I took the charm, which was in the shape of a heart. It looked more like it would spread love, rather than protect me. I didn't doubt her, knowing the Zecora of the pony world. I put the necklace around my neck, feeling stronger already. I ran out, not bothering about the others at the moment. I was ready to take this lady (Or man) head on. The run back to my house was so much easier than the run to Zecora's shop. I ran until I reached my backyard, climbing back in to my window. I saw my friends coming around behind me and crawling in right behind. When we were all in the room, I shushed everyone up and knocked on my door. I got an immediate answer. "Yes, dear, what do you need?" This, of course, was the expected answer. "Mom, I need to go to the bathroom, and I can't hold it." I heard locks clicking in front of my as the doorknob jiggled. The door slid open in front of me, and the look on the changeling's face when she saw everyone in the room was priceless. Her eyes widened and she ran. She ran down to the kitchen, grabbing a knife on the way. She backed into a wall, holding it out at us. I closed my eyes tightly and thought about friendship. It had always helped back in Equestria. I couldn't doubt the power of friendship now. I felt a soft glow in my heart the more I thought about friendship. My charm began to glow. My heart had a fuzzy feeling all over it and the charm slipped off of my neck, floating over to the changeling. The changeling suddenly reverted back to it's own form and, just like that, it was gone. Where it went, I couldn't tell, but it had obviously been either decimated, or sent back to where it came from. In it's wake, a vortex was left. It looked like something I would expect from Doctor Who, but a lot, LOT smaller. I knew what it was, but my friends all backed away. It was the portal to Equestria. As I expected, Pinkie just jumped right in. The others took chase, fearing for their party friend (I think they just didn't want to lose the best parties in the land). When everypony else was inside the portal, I looked back. I ran upstairs, grabbing some of my posters, turning off all the lights, and jumping through, the portal closing right behind my legs. For a second, everything was black. Then a world of color opened up to me. It wasn't Equestria, but the vortex itself. We were all standing inside of it. Around us, rainbows danced around, a door standing in front of us. I barely took notice of the door, focusing more on the colors. It seemed like Picasso was working on his latest project, but much more animated. Looking down, I realized that I wasn't human anymore. My light blue coat gave me the hint, and I closed my eyes, imagining levitation. I opened my eyes to reveal Pinkie Pie floating in midair. I chuckled and set her down, now paying more attention to the gateway. The door was a plain, brown, wooden door. It was a typical door, but I knew it's purpose was much greater than that. It was going to lead us to a new dimension. I prepared myself to open it, and looked back. All around, the other's eyes were glowing brightly, memories flashing in their eyes. It looked like the episode "Magical Mystery Cure," in which Twilight brought the other's memories back when they had lost all hope in themselves. When they regained their minds, they all smiled at me, telling me they were ready for whatever challenge they may face ahead. I thanked them. They apologized for being so ignorant and not listening to me earlier, but I quickly forgave them. I still wondered why there were two of each of us, but for now, I had bigger matters on my mind. We had to find Rapid Fire and out an end to his terror once and for all. I opened the door, stepping through, and a bright light shined upon me. The colors blinded me. I was not in Ponyville, but just outside of it. It didn't look as pretty as I thought it would, though. Fire was burning through the town, innocent ponies screaming for their lives. In the center, Rapid Fire was demanding the ponies to exchange to him the information he had on me. Now I was Lyra Heartstrings, and nothing was going to stand in my way. The final battle was about to begin. //-------------------------------------------------------// The Final Chapter //-------------------------------------------------------// The Final Chapter Disaster scattered the streets of what was once Ponyville. I didn't even think this town meant friendship. It looked more like mortal terror! I didn't see that any pony had died, but buildings everywhere had been destroyed, and some ponies were screaming from inside of burning buildings. I couldn't help them. I had bigger fish to fry. Instead, I sent in Rainbow Dash to help them, seeing as she was probably the fastest one in our little group. "Everypony, spread out! We need to find Rapid Fire before he hurts any other ponies!" Truly, I meant that. Although I felt a little angry, I didn't really want anypony to be hurt. As I continued to run, I noticed that the fire was getting hotter. Though, it seemed that the fire levels were exactly the same here as they were back when I had first entered. When a sharp pain entered my side, I barely had any time to look, just catching the mane of the villain. He had slammed straight into me, scorching my skin as my eyes teared up. Rapid Fire started his speech, and I had no choice but to listen. "Ah, Lyra Heartstrings, I presume. I've been waiting for you. You have evaded me since the beginning of Equestria, and finally I have caught you. I am sorry to say that you probably won't be around very much longer to watch as I take over Canterlot. It is, however, such an honor to die like you shall. It was also very nice of Queen Chrysalis to let me borrow her pets. They have been such a great use. Right as we speak, the changelings have invaded Canterlot in disguise. Now, CHANGELINGS!!! Come and get some lunch." I couldn't move my head, but I knew my skin was burning. I could smell the burnt coat, and I could only look up as hundreds, no, thousands of changelings swooped overhead. They were barreling towards me, hunger in their eyes. I closed my eyes tightly and prepared for my death. It was then that I heard a blast. Looking up, I saw purple. It was obviously a shield cast by somepony, but it was impossible to tell who. Hearing faint muttering, I started to feel better and I was able to move my head around even better than before. Looking around, I saw creatures littered the ground, and five remained. Though, were they really changelings? As the shield dispersed, I turned quickly to catch my savior, but caught only a glimpse of purple. I turned back to the ponies who stood in front of me. It was all of the mane six ponies, or...were they changelings? Their eyes glowed green, so I was betting my money on changelings. Then I heard the familiar voices of my friends. "Don't worry, Lyra! We're here to help!" The battle commenced. As lasers were fired and hooves were put to faces, I was too stunned to move. It seemed to all happen so quickly, and it was taking me a moment to get my head together. I heard buzzing, coming from everywhere. Looking down, I noticed the changelings had been defeated. They were obviously seeing stars now. Looking up, though, was an entirely different story. Thousands of new changelings were swarming in. I really hoped that the magic shield would come back, but this time, it didn't. "Lyra, RUN!!!" I heard Bon Bon scream. I was puzzled, but found my hooves had begun to sprint. They kept going until I bounced back from the door of Twilight's Library. I was surprised that this building hadn't melted, as all the others had. This wasn't really an ordinary building, though. I mean, Princess Celestia sent Twilight HERE to live. The only logical explanation was that the library had been enchanted. Running in, I was taken aback. In front of me, stood Twilight Sparkle......and me! I was looking at myself! WAIT! A changeling was here! I didn't take any time thinking, screaming as I charged at the changeling. Then, it was a flower. I stopped, hesitating for a moment. What kind of tomfoolery was this? "I'm a bit surprised that you would hurt me, Lyra. I only wanted to help!" I knew that voice. It was Discord, master of...-sigh-....chaos. He was supposedly reformed, but I really didn't trust him all that much. "What are you doing here, Discord?" I mumbled. "Why, I'm only helping you! You see, you were split. Basically, Twilight's magical spell here took every pony in the room, and split their personalities in two. Unfortunately, you were also trying to teleport out of the room, sensing the impending tragedy. This caused a large amount of power to be created, and thew split personalities were transported. You saw what world you were in, the human world. "Luckily, Twilight here was worried about you guys. She insisted that I send her over there after you all. She disguised herself, but didn't expect her memory to be clouded as well. SO, I had Princess Luna send you dream messages, and used yourself here to help. I created a clone of Twilight Sparkle, and nopony was any the wiser. Now that you know the story, I see you have a slight problem on your hands. Rapid Fire, is it?" I was a little bit shocked, to be honest. Discord did ALL that for ME!? Why me, though? Maybe I was the only one who could do it? It didn't matter. All that mattered was that we defeated Rapid Fire. "What do we do then, Discord?" "It's quite simple, actually. All we have to do is..." ~~~ The ground was scorched. I stood upon it proudly, gazing at Rapid Fire. "You aren't going to win! Evil never wins." He just chuckled and stared at me. "You know that isn't true. Do not lie to yourself about something like this." I didn't believe him. He had to be wrong. Instead, I just winked at Discord, and the plan was set into action. Millions of ponies that looked exactly like the mane six popped out from everywhere. "See, Lyra, I have you surrounded. Changelings, get her." Nopony moved. I stood there, laughing my head off, as Rapid Fire screamed commands at all of them. Still, after nopony was moving, I finally decided to tell him what was happening. "What you see around you is, in fact, not a bunch of changelings. These are clones, property of Discord. It seems that you, my friend, are the one who is surrounded." His eyes went wide and he decided to either make it or break it. In the end, the latter won. He started to run, but an onslaught of water poured around him. Up above, Rainbow Dash was hopping on top of a rain cloud. I couldn't stop laughing, but this was hilarious! Rapid Fire's fire was drenched and put out, and he was weak now. I took this time to zap him with a couple of lasers before picking him up and transporting him to Canterlot. ~~~ "That was probably the easiest battle I've ever won. Or, maybe that one with those buffalo. I made a bunch of cupcakes! I'm going to have a party for you, Lyra! Hey, do you think you can invite Celestia? Or Luna!!!!! I love Luna!" I just started to block Pinkie Pie out. I didn't really think that now was the time to listen to her, so I just nodded my head a bunch of times. I was proud. I had just stepped out of the throne room, happy to have been congratulated for such hard work. I had stopped Rapid Fire. I had faced my fears. It was surprisingly much easier than I expected it to be. After running for so long, I found my place, and it took some friends. I had never really realized how much I needed friends until I had been transported to the human world. If Twilight and I hadn't messed up, maybe I wouldn't have any friends today. To this day, I thank her for everything she has done. Maybe someday my kids will do something just as great. For now, though, I have to go. I have a picnic to go to with my friends.