Stupid me! Stupid, stupid, stupid, me, Lyra thought as she dragged her back-pack through the language classroom in her large boarding school.
It was Derpy's idea. Blame her. Her stupid dare to ask out Octavia. And Octavia said yes.
It all started about three months ago at the last dance. Octavia walked in with her newest crush. But that wasn't the thing that caught Lyra's eyes. It was her dress.
And Lyra just had to go about explaining the Octavia's dress with all of it's complexities. And her friends just had to go and assume the worst about it all. It was all so dumb.
"Oh c'mon, best friend!" Bon Bon said, "Do you like her or something?"
"You seem to be drooling over her dress." Doctor Whooves said, rubbing a hoof against his chin.
Derpy gasped. "You'd make such a cute couple!" She dramatically fell to the ground.
Sure, Octavia was amazing. She was more inclusive and smarter than her fellow popular friends. But Lyra wasn't sure she felt that way about her.
And yesterday Derpy just dared her too ask Octavia out. And Lyra wasn't one to go against a dare.
When she asked her Octavia fell to the ground, laughing like a filly from elementary school. She then sprung up again. "Sure, Lyra! Yes! Why don't we be a couple!"
And the thing is, when you're in a tiny boarding school, information spreads like wildfire.
Lyra stormed out of the building. As she walked down the sidewalk, she slammed down every hoof-step as loud as she could. She just wanted to get back to her room and shove her head into a book.
"Oh, hello, darling." An elegant voice said.
Lyra turned around. It was her. She sighed. It wasn't her fault. It was Derpy's. And even then, you can't blame her ditzy matchmaking. I still want to yell at her, though, she thought.
Because of this one mare telling her a handful of sentences changed how her peers viewed her. Everypony thought it was funny and absurd that the nerdy wack-a-doodle could date the most popular girl in the school.
Octavia levitated a book out of Lyra's bag. "Legends About Humans. Seem interesting. Classy."
Lyra rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Sure. I'm glad you like my books."
Octavia gently shoulder bumped the blue unicorn, like an over friendly cat. "Well, I can't wait for the dance tonight! I got such a nice dress."
Lyra came to a screeching halt. Wide eyed, surprised, and her mind whirled and spun around like a cyclone. "The dance is today!"
Octavia laughed and shook her head. "Seriously? You forgot?"
"Yes..." Lyra always forgot about the dance. Relationships never were her thing. Plus, she and her friend Bon Bon joked around that she and her would date twins together. And with the rarity of twins in their line of sight and with Bon Bon's craziness and obsessiveness with James Pone, that situation never popped up.
Octavia chuckled. "Oh my sweet Celestia! You really forgot!"
"Yeah. Go right ahead and rub it in." Lyra stared at the ground.
"I'm not trying to rub it in, sweetie. I want to give you a whirl through a night you'll always remember." Octavia moved her head close to the mint colored unicorn.
Lyra stepped back. "And how many of your crushes have you told that one liner too?" She gave the dark coated earth pony a simple yet cocky smile.
Octavia pushed her back with a hoof. "Lyra!" She dramatically fluttered her eyelashes. "How could you possibly say that? I make sure every one of my 'one liners', as you want to phrase it, is unique and special."
Lyra laughed and glanced down at her bulging backpack. Five papers stuck out from the top. Homework. And that was just the stuff she could see on top! She didn't need the dance added to her plate. But like many things in life, Lyra just knew she had to do something she had to do, even though she didn't want to.
"Lyra! Earth to Lyra! For goodness sake!" Octavia waved a hoof in front of her face.
Lyra grabbed her hoof and lowered it. Bon Bon's house was right next to her and the two of them always met up there. "Um. I have to go she." She started to walk off but she then ended up staring back at Octavia. "Sweetie."
Octavia laughed. "You're not really used to this sort of situation."
It would have been so easy to explain that this was all a dare. But she knew that her friends wouldn't like that. I'd be a cop out. Plus, would the earth pony with her giggly nature really take she words seriously. And she really did like bits and parts of the attention she was getting from this.
Lyra grinned slightly. "Sure. See ya."
She walked up to the door to the dorm that she and her best friend Bon Bon lived in. There was a note tacked to the door. It was obviously from Bon Bon. And Lyra knew she was lucky the note was in plain english. Her friend had given her notes with brail, hieroglyphics, and Ancient Greek.
Hey Best Friend! We're at the doc's apartment. Meet us there.
Lyra facehoofed. "Gee thanks best friend! Guess I'll have to do some more walking!" She turned around. And Octavia had left. She had no one to talk to on the way there.
***
Lyra finally made it the doc's apartment of matter of minutes. She opened up the door. Doctor Whooves, Derpy, Carrot Top, and her friend Bon Bon played a board game on the ground.
Doctor Whooves stood up, walking over to her, wrapping an arm around her.
Lyra starred at the ground. Doctor Whooves was her real crush. He seemed to be the only pony who understood what was going on with her.
Derpy flew over to her side. "Oh hey Lyra! Oh I'm so glad you've been having fun."
Lyra nodded. "Yup."
Bon Bon shoved Derpy and Lyra away from one another. "Come on guys, we better get ready!" Carrot Top, Bon Bon, and Derpy left the room.
Doctor Whooves stared at her. "Are you okay?"
"No, not really."
"You'll do the right thing. I believe in you."
***
Lyra and Octavia sat together in a corner, lips locked. Lyra wore a simple white dress while Octavia wore one that was even better than the dress she wore last time.
Lyra quickly pulled back.
Octavia smilled. "You really don't like this, do you?"
Lyra sighed. "I just wish I was at home, reading a book."
Octavia lowered her head in closer. "Lyra, let me tell you a secret."
"What?"
"I knew it was a dare from the very beginning. Derpy told me."
Lyra eyes were wide. "What? So you're breaking up with me?"
"Yes."
"Thank god! That makes my life so much easier!"
