Breaking my heart strings.

I opened the door to my New York apartment, not bothering to turn on the lights as my dripping wet clothes from the hard summer rain outside which was still drumming on the window outside, came pouring down. I made my way to my fridge which I tore open a reached out for a silver metal bottle of Coors light. I go into the ancient bathroom that hadn't been redecorated in like a century; placing it down on the sink as my face looked back in me in the mirror. my flat, straight brown hair, my boyish and almost "baby faced" complexion gazing back. My eyes had gone a harsh red and it wasn't from the rain, I had been crying.

Yes I said it, I'm a guy and I had walked all the way home crying, why was I crying? well that's kind of a long story but I guess I may as well tell it since...Nothing better to do right?

I had gone over to my girlfriend's...ok my friend who happened to be a girl...actually I guess you could say ,marefriend or friend who was a mare, because that's just what Lyra Heartstrings is. She like a lot of her..."race" I guess you could say where all part equine; colloquially called ponies, despite being fully grown, they had all come to my world long before I was born. So I'm sorry to say but if you want an intricate and detailed backstory on how or even why these anthropomorphic ponies co existed with humans in the world, I'm sorry but I honestly don't know how or why that is possible. What I do know is that they all came from another world far beyond the moon and the stars long ago from a place called Equestria. Lyra was born there but her and her family came here to earth when she was young to get a new start and see the strange land of human beings. Lyra and I Actually met when she was a little girl (or filly) and I was just a boy. It all happened the first day of 8th grade. When she walked into our classroom; Lyra was the only pony in the school.

She stood there in a simple white pressed shirt and long black plaid and red skirt; her books in her hands and some somewhat oddly shaped shoes on her hooves, (I say odd because they didn't jutt out the way a shoe on a human foot would) a lock of her mane obstructing one of her eyes as our teacher asked her to tell a little about herself. The little green filly hid behind her books shyly and looked around, when her big yellow eyes locked with mine, I smiled at her. It seemed to give her a boost in her confidence as she cleared her throat; brushed the loose bit of mane out of her eyes and said.

"Well, my family just moved here from Canterlot in Equestria, so my father could do some anthropology with The Museum of Natural history, I plan on trying out for choir, but I also love helping my father in his anthropology work and I have a personal knack for etymology." She said flashing us all a great big smile, most of the other kids just clapped out of empathy than interest. Lyra took her seat right behind me but I could almost swear as she made her way past me I could hear her whisper in my ear, "Thank you."

Flash forward to the now, the mantle over the fake fireplace in my apartment lined with pictures of the good times me and that mare had together. Her 12th birthday party where I was beside her at the cake table; the last birthday party Lyra ever held, she never even had a sweet 16. The two of use arranging a collection of insects in amber fossils in her bedroom, and just last week. When we went out to the movies together, yeah not the most monumental of things when compared to everything else on the mantle but with her, It was the best moment of my life. Now As I sat their with my eyes stinging red with hot tears streaming down my face. I looked at them; so tempted to get up and rip them off the walls in anger, so tempted to take the best friends forever ring she gave me, all silver with "Lyra" engraved in fancy script on it and toss it across the room. I even thought about opening the window with the hard rain pelting into the room hard and mercilessly as winds whipped my face, and jumping out it to the eight floors below. The rush of the cold air and the whooshing in my ears in those last few moments before I hit the ground and...but I didn't. Thought about doing it, but didn't have the stomach to go through with it.

A Few hours ago I had gone over to Lyra's; a bouquet of thorn less roses from Roseluck and Lily's shop on 53rd in my hand, and I could Picture it all in my head. I'd knock on her door flowers in hand behind my back; a smile from ear to ear as I slowly bring the bouquet out to her, her eyes would light up in delight and maybe hunger, (hey the girl's part pony, it's in her nature to want to munch some flowers)  I would give them to her before placing my hand on her soft minty green and white mane, look her in the eyes after all these years of spending time together and being "just friends" I'd say to her, "Lyra? I love you." And we'd kiss, My soft lips on her full and luscious ones; not caring that their pony lips because she's my Lyra, and I love her.

The whole scene played out in my head as I rung her doorbell to her apartment. The overcast day not bothering me because I was too happy to notice. A scratchy electronic voice came out from the buzzer after I rang.

"Hello? she called from inside."

"Hi Lyra; it's me, James. Can I come in I brought you something." I said happily adjusting the black tie on my white shirt I threw on for the occasion.

"James? What are you doing here so early?" She asked sounding a little surprised to see me at this hour. I arched my brow at her question but shook it off as being her at this time was a bit unusual.

"I...just wanted to see you is all Ly, that's okay isn't it?" I asked not in the least distracted by her asking.

"Well ok...there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about anyway...and someone I want you to meet," she said suddenly giddy and cheerfully again. "Come on up, She'd love to meet you." and her door buzzed me in. She? Another mare was over with Lyra? Oh it must have been an old friend from school or something like that. Was what I naively and innocently thought at the time; looking back, if I could go back and change history, I'd make my past self run away from that place and never look back...well ok maybe almost never...almost. I made my way to the green door that Lyra painted to match her lime green coat with a key lime pie like white molding, I knocked softly expecting my green faced, yellow eyed love to be on the other side. Instead a creamy white mare looked back at me; with her purple and blue poofy mane, those tight skinny jeans on her hips and that pink tank with the three candies on the front.

"Oh hi!" She said happily holding a hand out for me. "You must be Lyra's friend, James right?" She asked as i took her hand shaking it keeping my roses behind my back.

"Yes Ms. I'm James Hughes, are you...like Lyra's sister or cousin?" I asked smiling back at her softly. She looked at me softly smiling back not a change in her tone or manner as if what she was about to say as as casual as saying "I'm from Ponyville too."

"No, My name's Bon Bon, and I'm Lyra's Marefriend." She said with a happy smile. Almost as soon as her words left her muzzle; I dropped my flowers, stopped shaking her hand, and it felt like someone just stabbed me in the heart with a really big, sharp knife.