Broken Heartstrings

Broken Heartstrings
Inspired by 'Lyra's Lesson', by Lynked, secondarily inspired by 'Background Pony', by Shortskirtsandexplosions.
Started without any Idea of what will follow, other than the fact that it will include Lyra.
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The First String: Thank-you's and goodbyes

She sat. She just didn't know what to do, anymore. She was completely abandoned. She had fought with Bonbon, and in doing so, had cut off her last friend. Her last friend in the world.

She paced down the streets of Ponyville, the night time moon her only companion, denying all offers to help her, as everypony could see that she had tears in her eyes, and that she was more than troubled. She didn't need sympathy, as such, she needed a friend. Not just any friend, either. She needed someone that she could trust. Someone that wouldn't leave her. Someone who would stay by her side.

Stay by my side.

Someone who she could rely on.

Rely on me.

Someone who would stop at nothing to mend her broken heart.

Broken heart.

It shattered. She fell, landing on her underbelly. She realised that she hadn't just liked Bonbon; she might just of... loved her.

She felt absolutely crushed. How could she of let this happen? She had spent so long with people going on about how kind she was, only to see them leave her. And when they left, she was alone. Almost alone.

There was always Bonbon.

Until now. Now, you've blew it. You're done. No-one to turn to, what do you do?

When you're all alone, what do you do? What do ponies do, when there's nothing for them. No, what do I do, when there's nothing for me?

You play the Lyre.

Weather that was an answer or a statement, that her mind had just plucked up, she knew that it was going to be the foundation of how she would get by.

And so, in the cold air, under the dark sky, of the night, she pulled out the Lyre from her bags, she pulled it out, and she played. She played slowly at first, letting her heartbeat be the tempo, letting herself play the night away.

Flying past her, one after another, the notes of all her favourites swirled around her head, slowly but surely, creating a vortex, a tornado of music in her head, pulling in all her troubles and spitting them out to someplace far away. Someplace where she'll never find them.

She didn't have to worry about the troubles that had occurred; she could simply close her eyes, and play.

She played Fur Elise, The Four Seasons, Requiem for the Lost Ones, Air, she played a medley of every song that she knew, all while spinning on the spot, slowly pacing round, finally ending with the last notes of Beethoovens 'Moonlight Sonata', as quiet as she could, for no-one else need hear this, it being her personal favourite.

She opened her eyes, to find a huge crowd of ponies, all staring at her open mouthed, some with hooves raised but an inch above the floor, who had stopped mid-trot to listen to her play, to watch her cry, smile, frown and laugh to every piece that she played, only when she had finished playing, quiet though she was, did she notice anyone.

She even saw ponies in nighting gowns, who had obviously came from their houses, from their beds, to hear her play.

Finally, stepping back a few paces, she noticed a small pile of glittering, yellow metal in her peripheral vision. She turned so as to face it, finally recognising it for what it was; someone had placed their top hat on the floor as a container for donated bits.

She felt angry, happy, exhilarated, shocked, scared, friendly, betrothed and confused, all at the same time, but one thing that she didn't feel was alone. She was with people that cared about her, that respected her, that where generous to her.

She noticed two someponies in particular, someone she recognised, as she choked on her own saliva in shock. She saw the pony who's respect mattered most to her, stood next to the pony who's generosity was likely the cause of the top hat on the floor, or the pile of bits.

She saw Rarity, purple mane and all, who was well known for being the element of generosity, and she saw Bonbon, utterly dumbstruck.

She thought back, to the argument that they had; who had caused it? Who had taken it too far? Was it Bonbon? Or was it her, Lyra?

She decided, she decided then and there, noticing a few more of the elements of harmony; Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, she decided that Bonbon had been the one to cause it. She decided that she didn't need Bonbon. She could earn enough money to buy a house, to get by on her own.

She went up to Bonbon, and she did something that she thought she would never do. She did something that she would feel no shame for, even though she did it in front of all these other ponies, in front of four of the Elements of Harmony.

She went up to Bonbon, and she cried. She cried and she slapped her across the face, as hard as she could, which wasn't all that hard, since her emotions and her playing had drained her of most of her strength.

She Slapped Bonbon, and then she walked up to the doorstep of the house she was playing in front of, she stood on it, she turned around to her audience, and she spoke.

"Thank you all, for watching me, and for being so generous in all your donations. Today, I have felt every emotion possible, and as much as I felt good about slapping Bonbon, I owe to her the heart of my melody; the broken heart, of my melody, I owe to her, also, the fact that I am out here, on the streets, playing the Lyre for money.

"My Heartstrings have been played, they have been worn, and finally, they have snapped. So once again, I thank you all for the charitable donations that you have offered, though I do not think that I deserve them, because I simply played my heart. I played my heart, and I played my life, and all together, I played my own, worn, broken, second-hand heartstrings.

"So to Rainbow Dash, who has seen a pony in need, and has loyally stopped to watch over her, letting her struggle only because there was a lesson involved, and to Rarity, who has been generous enough to start the donations without being asked, and to Pinkie Pie, who has seen a pony without enough laughter in her life, and has stayed by to help, and finally to Twilight Sparkle, who has stayed and listened to my music, after feeling the magic inside of it, I thank you. All four of you. And the rest of you, too.

"I will never forget you, or the rest of the town, and I thank you all for all the bits. Everypony, thank you."

And with that, she picked up and walked on. A quick glance at the moon told her that it was midnight, or thereabouts, and so she trotted off, out along the path that headed to Canterlot. She trotted off, thinking:
I may have Broken Heartstrings, but they can be mended and tuned, and can therefore be played once again.

With that, she broke into a canter, stopping halfway along the road to the capital city of Equestria to sleep on the sidewalk.