Chapter the first and only.
Lyra prepared herself. She'd rehearsed the spell over and over again, and it could not fail.
"Lyra, are you sure you've got this?" Lyra's marefriend, Bonbon was, with good reason, worried about her.
Lyra raised a hoof. "It's okay. I've practiced this for weeks! It has to work. This hoof will become a hand." She uttered a victory cry (aha!) and informed her companion that she would be starting.
A spark appeared on the tip of her horn. She concentrated immensely. The spark grew, and beams of light came from it. The spark became a huge ball of light, and Bonbon was too terrified to say anything. Light enveloped the room, and everything went blank.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Lyra blinked her eyes. She excitedly checked her hooves, and there they were-hands. She squealed in delight. "Yes! Bonbon! Look at my hands!"
Bonbon had been standing with a bewildered look on her face. With Lyra's cry, she looked and grimaced.
"What are those? You said they'd be like, say, Spike's claws! Or a bird's talons! These... naked sausages don't even have fur! And... what the hay are those hard things at the tips?"
Lyra grinned. "They're called nails, like the things you hammer! Aren't they great? My studies of humans have showed the paint them with some terrible smelling chemical mix! Oh, I'm so pleased!" Lyra finished with another squeal. "I can't wait to use my fingers! What to grab first? What to open?" She began casting her eyes about, searching for something to poke and prod with her new fingers.
Bonbon was still disgusted. "They're so... wrinkly. They're... not what I expected at all! Lyra, all the other ponies will stare!"
Lyra shrugged it off. "They already stare when I sit or act like a human. They'll grow used to it after a while, like everything else!"
"But Lyra, you don't always act like a human. While you sit and sometimes stand like a human, you will have hands. Hands that are there permanently. Ponies will always see them."
"Hmm, I guess you're right, but anyway, sucks for me! I'm not going to give up years of researching, months of preparing, and more months of perfecting! No way." Lyra stated firmly. Suddenly, she saw something to do with her hands, and without further ado, dashed off. Bonbon looked at where Lyra had been a moment before, and decided not to puzzle over it for too long.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Lyra had seen the doorknob. It was more for show, really, as it didn't have the thing that went into the side of the door frame, but it could still be turned. She grinned and turned it over and over again, before realizing there were more things to do, more places to go! Thus Lyra trotted out onto the streets.
It was a little bit strange walking on hands, but after a little bit she got used to it.
She hadn't met anypony, which was odd, but when she got to Sugarcube Corner, The Cakes and Pinkie were there, with everypony in line a usual. Lyra couldn't wait to show off her-
"The horror, the horror!" Lily gasped, pointing to Lyra.
"She's cursed!"
"Hexed!"
"Enchanted!"
The flower trio fainted on top of each other. Suddenly, everyone looked at Lyra, their gaze traveling down from her head to her hooves, which were not.
There was a lot more muttering in Sugarcube Corner then there had been before.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After a couple of minutes, Bonbon decided to look for Lyra. She immediately noticed the clamor at Sugarcube Corner and facehoofed. Lyra had hands, and the first place she went to was one of the most public places in town?
Bonbon charged in. "HieveryponydoyoulikeLyrasnewcostumeyoudothatsgreatnowletsgobye"
Lyra frowned as Bonbon pulled her away. "Hey, I was showing off my awesome hands!" She noticed another pony walking by.
"Hey! Hey you! look at my hands!"
The pony turned to look. Lyra hadn't seen her around before. "Hi! Do you like my... hands!"
"Oh? Hands? That's great, but I have... FEET!"
Lyra gasped as the pony showed the side of her body that had not previously been visible. All over there were feet sticking out.
Suddenly, hands started popping out from Lyra's legs, up to her chest, and Lyra went down screaming as the pony laughed manically. Bonbon fainted.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Lyra yawned and rubbed her eyes. She had no memory of her dream. She looked out the window and smiled. It was a bright new day. She looked at her bedside table-the Council of Lyres meeting? How could she have forgotten! Lyra hurried around to get dressed. Hurriedly she got ready for the day.
She ran to the meeting and barely made it on time.
"Ah. Lyra. We've been waiting for-"
"Yo! Lyra! Man o' the hour! Glad you're here!"
Lyra grinned cheekily. "Hey Motorcycle Lyra! Hey Guyra! And Two-headed Lyra, and Tallra, and Shortra, and Buffra...."
The somepony burst through the doors screaming, "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANDS!" Lyra ran in, and she was still growing hands all over her body, and worse, they were starting to grow arms!
Everylyra screamed and panicked, throwing the meetinghouse into complete disarray.
"Whoa everypony, do not fear! The hand is here!" A giant hand descended from the heavens in a glorious beam of light. "I shall restore peace! And then we shall-"
"Everypony RUUUUUUUUN!" Hand-growing-ra screamed, her growth seeming to have stopped. What had formerly been disarray now became complete chaos. A snap could be heard from the giant hand, and Discord appeared! He began incessantly chanting, "Bonbon, Bonbon, Bonbon..." All the Lyras began following along.
"Bonbon..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Bonbon woke up, panting.
"Hey Bonbon, everything alright? You were tossing and turning like mad crazy."
"It's okay Lyra, I just had a bad dream."
"Oh. Well, wanna get some pancakes? I heard Sugarcube Corner has a new recipe, and it's really delicious."
"Sounds good!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Over breakfast, Lyra brought up the subject of hands.
"I heard there's a spell that can give me hands, but it may or may not come with unpleasant side effects. Do you think I should try it?"
Bonbon stopped in her tracks. "Uh, um, I-I dont think that is a, um very good idea. Yeah. Side effects? Not worth the risk."
"Okay. Your opinion is important to me, so I'll respect it!" Lyra beamed.
Bonbon sighed. Hands were quite a handful.