This story won't make much sense without introductions. And I suppose that introductions don't make sense unless the intoductor introduces themself first. So, to begin:
My name is Lyra. Lyra Heartstrings. I guess one of the most important things about me, and one of the most important factors in the story, is my special talent. My special talent is, in serendipity with my name, playing the lyre. My parents had bought it for me when I has a foal, as a toy. They hadn't known I would have been able to play it almost as well as the professionals. I was the first pony in my class to receive my cutie mark.
There are also some less important things about me, too. However, these things are fairly important, just not as much so as my lyre-playing abilities. One of these things is the fact that I am a unicorn. This means that I can harness the magic coursing through my horn, whichIcan then utilize for things such as picking up and manipulating objects, creating a light source, or, even, a small bit of teleporting.
Anotherinteresting thing about me is my "unhealthy obsession with humans." That's what everypony says: it's an unhealthy obsession. It all started when I was five. Every foal in the class was supposed to read a book and do a report on it, and present this report to the class. Simple enough. Well, not when the book you choose is written by a cryptozoologist. A cryptozoologist who repeats "Humans exist" a whopping total of nine hundred and forty eight times. When I gave the report, everypony in class just sort of looked at me for a second. Then the laughing started.
It was the first time anypony had ever laughed at me. I had laughed at other ponies before, but I had never been empathetic enough to sense what they were feeling. But, at that moment when the class' laughter cascaded upon me like a a downpour of cold, cruel rain, whatever illusions of my popularity that I had been led to believe existed we're destroyed.
The "Human Project Incident" is the event that leads me to my final attribute. I am quiet. Not particularly shy, and most definitely not bashful, just - hesitant. I'm always afraid that I'll say something that will make ponies laugh at me again. Through this, I don't really talk that much, or go out of my way to make friends. If some pony talks to me, I answer. If some pony wants to be friends, we are. But those two things hardly ever happen, so I've slowly been disappearing from everypony's minds.
Now I suppose that i should introduce ponies other than myself. The "best friend" character in this story is named Derpy Hooves. As her name suggests, the pegasus is very clumsy. This is due to her cystitis. Basically, she has a lazy eye. The muscles in one eye don't work in unison withi the other, causing her to have split vision. This creates a lack of depth perception, which, in turn. Makes Her clumsy. Despite this, she is very nice and funny, although most ponies don't try to see that abut her. They just focus on her flaws.
I guess I should introduce my love interest next. Now, I'm going to warn you ahead of time, this may sound a bit weird. I am a bit - different when it comes to loving ponies. I'm not heterosexual, I don't like stallions. I like mares. Specifically, I like Bon Bon. Bon Bon is the most beautiful mare in Ponyville, not to mention her personality. She's kind, outgoing, and hilarious. However, there's two problems. One: The taboo idea of dating somepony of the same sex. Two: Bon Bon is possibly the straightest mare I've ever met. I could never, in my wildest dreams, get her to like me. So, that's a big problem.
I suppose that sums up the introductions. There are a few more ponies. They are:
Cheerilee, the school teacher,
Magnolia Rose, owner of the flower shop,
Rainbow Dash, the leader of the weather patrol,
Pinkie Pie, the energetic party-addict,
Applejack, owner of Sweet Apple Acres,
Rarity, the seamstress,
Fluttershy, caretaker of all of the animals,
And finally, Derpy's coltfriend, Doctor Whooves.
So, I'm now done with the introductions. There may be a few ponies that I've forgotten about, and, if there are, I apologize. But I find it impossible to list everypony in Ponyville. So, on with the story!
Chapter 1 - A Chance Encounter
The story begins with my visit to Rarity's boutique. I was in need of a new dress, because a swarm of particularly hungry moths had gotten ahold of my clothes, leaving only a bit of lace and strings in a small pile on the floor of my closet. Anyway, I was kinda broke at the time, so I was only going to request a plain dress of sorts, nothing too fancy. However, knowing Rarity, I would most likely walk out of the boutique with an extremely expensive, ornate dress that she'd made me buy for half price.
My almost empty saddlebag allowing the bits inside to tumble around, clinking into each other just enough for anypony with a good ear to know that I didn't have that many bits. I walked into the door of the boutique, the small bell alerting anypony inside of my presence. A voice called from upstairs, "Just wait ere for a moment, I'm almost done!" It was Rarity. She was probably fitting a customer for a dress. I sat down in a chair and waited.
After about fifteen minutes, Rarity walked down the stairs. Somepony was behind her. The exact moment that I caught a glimpse of this pony, I felt my face begin to grow hot. It was Bon Bon. I had had a crush on Bon Bon since the third grade, twenty years ago.
"Oh, hey, Lyra, I didn't expect you to be here." Bon Bon said, her sweet melodious voice sending me into a transient state of euphoria.
"I could say the same thing to you." I replied.
"Right, you could." Bon Bon said.
"So what are you doing here?" I asked.
"Bonnie is getting a new dress." Rarity answered for her. "She has been invited to the Grand Galloping Gala, and she wants to appear extravagant." The envy in Rarity's voice was unmistakable.
"Oh, really?" I asked. "How did that happen?"
"I was showcasing my sweets in Canterlot a few days ago." Bon Bon explained. "Somehow, word reached the princess, and she personally visited my humble stand to try some. Turns out, she liked them enough to invite me to the Gala, with one guest."
"Wow." I said. "So who are you taking?"
"She hasn't decided yet." Rarity said. "Something about there being 'too many choices.'"
"Hey, look at the time!" Bon Bon said, glancing at the clock. "It's lunchtime. Wanna go to Sugarcube Corner, Ly? My Treat.
I was on cloud nine. My crush had just invited me to lunch. Sure, it wasn't a date, but it was still a minimum of a half hour with her. "Yes." I answered, trying to look as cool and collected as possible. Then I turned to Rarity. "I'll be back after lunch, okay?" I asked.
"That's fine." She answered.
"Thanks." I said.
Bon Bon and I left for Sugarcube Corner. It wasn't a long walk, maybe ten minutes. But, golly, it was an eternity. It took all of my mental strength not to stare at her, the way her dark blue and pink mane flowed with the wind, and the way her flank moved when she walked, not to mention the sun sparkling in her electric blue eyes. Sweet Celestia, she was beautiful.
When we reached Sugarcube Corner, we were led to our table by an eccentrically entergetic earth pony name Pinkie Pie. Once we were seated, she pranced off into the kitchen. "I swear, that pony has got to be the most hyper creature in Equestria!" Bon Bon said.
"Yeah." I agreed. " So what are you getting?"
"My usual." Bon Bon answered.
"Which is...?" I asked.
"Oh, sorry." She laughed. "It's a dandelion sandwich with a small order of hay fries."
"No sweets?" I asked.
"I have to taste test so many sweets, I have honestly lost my love for them." She answered.
"That's too bad." I said. "Pinkie Pie makes a mean pineapple strudel."
"So I've heard." Bon Bon replied. "Is that what you're getting?"
"No, I've had it before. I like to mix things up a bit, try new stuff."
"So what are you getting, then?"
"I haven't had the ultimate cinnamon cupcake."
"Isn't that like, ninety percent cinnamon?"
"Yeah. So?"
"Coming from a candy maker, too much cinnamon is a bad thing. Not only is it spicy, but it is almost impossible to get down in high quantities. You won't be able to eat it."
"Five bits says I can."
"Five say you can't."
"The criteria?"
"No drinks, no other food, just the cupcake. And it has to be gone in three minutes."
"You're on!"
At that moment, Pinkie Pie returned to the table. "You two ready to order?" She asked.
"Yep." Bon Bon said. "I'll get my usual."
"Okay." Pinkie said, scribbling something down on a notebook. "And you?"
"I'll have the ultimate cinnamon cupcake, please." I said.
"Would you like a drink with that?" Pinkie asked.
"Nope." I answered.
"Cant say I didn't warn you!" She said, hopping into the kitchen.
"You're going to lose this bet, Ly." Bon Bon said. "Even Pinkie Pie recognizes its spicyness, and she puts hot sauce on her cupcakes!"
"I'm going to be fine." I said. "Have you ever tasted a rainbow?"
"Can't say I have." Bon Bon answered.
"Well, rainbows are quite a bit spicier than any cinnamon will ever be." I said.
"We'll see about that." Bon Bon persisted. "Here's the food." A plate was set down in front of both of us. I have to admit, that cupcake was vey underwhelming. It didn't look sicy at all. "Time starts... Now." Bon Bon said.
Just to show her I wasn't afraid of a little spice, I took a humungous bite. It was fine for the first second, but then the spice hit me. It was the hottest thing I'd ever tasted, and I had to press a hoof against my mouth to keep myself from throwing it up. Bon Bon giggled. I wasn't going to lose.
I forced myself to swallow the bite, then took another, just as big. By this point, my brain was telling me not to Eat another bit. The minute the cinnamon touched my tongue, I began to gag, my body attempting to expel the fiery death food. But I wasn't going to give up so easily. I forced that bite down and ate another. And another. And another. And another. Five bites, and the cupcake was done.
"That was pretty impressive." Bon Bon admitted.
"Thanks." I gasped, my mouth still on fire. "Now where are my bits?" I asked.
"Ah, ah, ah, not so fast." Bon Bon said. "Look at the time." She showed me a stopwatch. Three minutes and twenty seven seconds. "I win."
"Oh, come on!" I objected. "I ate it!"
"But not in the time allotted." Bon Bon laughed. "Hand over the bits."
"Fine." I said, freeing five bits from my saddlebag and dropping them in front of her. "There."
"Thank you." She said. "Technically, I'm still paying. So you just reimbursed the cost of your food."
"So glad I could help you pay." I said facetiously.
"As am I." Bon Bon said, eating the last hayfry. She left ten bits on the table, and we left. "I'll walk you back to the boutique, my house isn't far away." She said.
As we walked, I noticed my friend Derpy in the sky above us. She knew all about my crush on Bon Bon. She winked at me and clumsily flew off. We reached the boutique in a shorter amount of time than I would have hoped. "That was really fun." I said. "Wanna go to the park with me Thursday?" I offered.
"Sure." Bon Bon answered. "That'd be great. See you then!"
Once she had walked off, I jumped into the air and gave a whoop of joy. Not only had my crush invited me to lunch, but she'd accepted my request for a follow-up meeting. I walked into Carousel Botique with a smile on my face.