As capital of all Equestria, Canterlot is an old city by any standard. The gleaming brass and pure marble shine like the day they were constructed, but without the polish and care needed, and a little change, they would dull and crumble into the ground.
Much like a minty green unicorn’s patience as she stormed across the bustling city, floating her instrument case and belongings in a duffle bag behind her.
The tears had stopped when she was a few blocks from home, but her eyes were still red and stung from the wetness. She ignored the confused looks of the pedestrians she passed as her eyes remained locked on the prize: Canterlot Central Station.
She passed by the ticket sellers once inside and crashed onto one of the benches by the tracks, adopting a seating position most ponies would find strange. Her mind was swimming as she tried to parse out everything so she could get some look at the path ahead.
Lyra Heartstrings had always been an odd mare. She’d adopted her favorite seating position early in life, much to the confusion of her friends and family. She’d gotten into Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns for a most peculiar reason: playing the lyre via a spell that conjured what she called hands.
Once there, she had finally had some normalcy in her life: the friends she found there. Twinkle Shine, Lemon Hearts, Minuette, and to an extent, Moondancer and Twilight Sparkle, though those two kept their muzzles in books most of the time. Things seemed to be going smoothly.
Until when she went to the restroom one day…
Lyra halted once she stepped into the restroom, her ears swiveling to the stalls. She could hear fidgeting and… sounds she couldn’t quite make out. Almost like lips smacking, but louder.
She stepped inside, and with the door smacking shut, a quiet fell over the bathroom. Her muzzle scrunched up in confusion as she walked over to one of the stalls.
“Hey… is everything alright in there?” she asked.
There came an audible sigh of relief, followed closely by another. Lemon Hearts cracked open the stall door, looking past the mint green unicorn. “Oh, Lyra, it’s just you,” she said.
“Yeah, what’s…” Lyra trailed off as she looked past Lemon Hearts, eyebrows raising at the sight of Twinkle Shine crammed in the stall behind Lemon Hearts.
The pink unicorn’s cheeks were nearly beet red as she glanced around anywhere but in Lyra’s general direction. Lemon Hearts turned to her.
“It’s cool,” she whispered to Twinkle Shine. “It’s Lyra.”
“What are you two up to?” Lyra asked as they stepped out of the stall. Only then did she notice a similar blush on Lemon Heart’s cheek, fought back with a serious look.
“Lemon Hearts w-was just… helping me. With something.” Twinkle Shine grinned, though it looked forced.
Lemon Hearts nudged her and shook her head with a frown. She turned to Lyra. “We were making out.”
Twinkle Shine’s looked absolutely mortified, but whatever reaction she was expecting out of Lyra didn’t come. The mint unicorn tilted her head, confusion playing across her muzzle.
“Making out… like mares and stallions do?” she asked. “Mares can do that too?”
“Of course mares can do that too. And stallions too if they want,” Lemon Hearts said.
“But why are you doing it in a bathroom stall? Is it illegal or something?”
“Because some ponies just don’t get it.” Lemon Hearts sighed. “Don’t you remember when Princess Cadance gave that assembly a few weeks ago? She said love is for anypony and everypony, doesn’t matter who or what you are. Not everypony gets that.”
Lyra frowned. “Well, why don’t they? A princess said it.”
“Who knows? Some ponies are just stubborn. Look, can you just… keep this secret? Twinkle Shine’s worried about what her folks will say if they find out.”
“Of course,” Lyra said with a firm nod.
“Thanks, Lyra.” Lemon Hearts hugged her briefly. “You’re a good friend. We should get back to class.”
As they left, Twinkle Shine mouthed a “thank you,” which Lyra returned with a friendly smile. But once the bathroom door shut again, Lyra was alone with her thoughts.
Mares could kiss mares… how about that?
And then she realized why she had come into the bathroom and went for one of the stalls.
And on that day, Lyra the Curious Unicorn had herself grown curious. She had wanted to tell her parents the news, the thoughts of exploring new territory, but the idea died before she made it through the front door.
It clicked together: every time her parents had sworn about two mares or two stallions together, they were talking about Lemon Hearts and Twinkle Shine, or ponies like them. But they were her friends, and they didn’t seem to be causing the problems her parents had talked about.
So instead she invested in a locked diary, jotting down her thoughts. Dating a mare would be so cool! Stallions were cool and all, but mares stuck together better, she thought. Birds of a feather and all that. She never actually figured out how to go about seeing a mare, but vowed it’d be something she’d try after graduation.
In the meantime, her curiosity was satiated being around her friends, Lemon Hearts and Twinkle Shine especially. When she finally broke the news she was considering dating a mare, her two friends were overjoyed.
Meanwhile, her parents seemed to get worse. Not at her, but seemingly at the world. They’d slander any gay couple they heard about, causing Lyra to flinch away back to the safety of her diary. She didn’t notice how often they asked her what she was doing, how curious they were getting about why she was spending more time with her friends.
Who knew the straw that broke the unicorn’s back would coincide with a broken lock?
Lyra returned home one day to find her parents waiting for her, her diary in hoof. She didn’t remember what she shouted at her parents or what they shouted about (though she had her guesses), but she remembered the downward spiral that followed. The disintegration of their relationship.
The day after a graduation her parents didn’t attend, Lyra packed up her things and headed for the station, where she found herself on a bench, thinking of a future. Something. Anything better than now.
“Mind if I sit here?”
The voice broke Lyra from her thoughts, and she snapped her attention to the mare by the bench. She had a stone grey coat, a flowing black mane, and a pink, treble clef cutie mark.
Lyra’s eyes widened. “S-Sure.” She wiped her muzzle and scooted her things over so the mare could take a seat, resting a cello case against the bench beside her. “Y-You’re… Octavia, the Octavia Melody.”
Octavia flashed her a smile. “And you must be a fan.” Her eyes fell upon Lyra’s lyre case. “A fellow musician too.”
Lyra quickly nodded, sniffling. “Oh sweet Celestia, of all days for you to show up…” She offered the best smile she could. “I always loved your music growing up. It’s what inspired me to start playing the lyre and… that’s how I got my cutie mark.”
“I’m glad, but I think that’s enough about me.” Octavia eyed her up and down. “You look quite a sight. Rough day?”
Lyra nodded, then her muzzle fell. “Worst day, more like it. I… I moved out of my parents place and I just… I don’t know where to go from here, you know? I just graduated, and I’ve got like… nowhere else to go.”
“I’d imagine a music pony like you would probably fancy a train to Manehatten or Detrot, somewhere big, hm?” Octavia smiled knowingly.
“I guess it’d be a good place to set up my music,” Lyra agreed with a slow nod. “Maybe get noticed. Anywhere’s better than here.”
“Well, allow me to offer you an alternative: start somewhere small. You start closer to the ground, any falls you take won’t hurt as much, you see?” Octavia patted her cello case. “Just… professional opinion, from experience.”
“You failed? The Octavia Melody?” Lyra raised an eyebrow, glancing at her sideways.
“We all fail, dear. That’s just life. I imagine you feel like you failed coming here, not having a plan to go forward. So, get up again.” Octavia smiled at her warmly. “And, if I might offer further suggestion, I know a quaint little town to start out in.”
Lyra glanced at her, then at the station floor. “I… could use a suggestion, yeah,” she admitted.
“I live in a small town called Ponyville with my partner, Vinyl Scratch. If you want, I could get you a ticket, if you’d like.”
Lyra blinked and snapped up to her. “You don’t have to,” she said quickly. “I-I saved up some bits and—“
Octavia set a hoof on her shoulder, cutting her off. She smiled kindly. “It’s the least I could do for a fellow musician.” She winked and got up. “Just watch my instrument for me.”
As she walked away, Lyra watched her go, before blurting out, “My name’s Lyra, Lyra Heartstrings, by the way!”
Octavia glanced over her shoulder and giggled. “Charmed,” she called back, before continuing to the ticket counter.
“Now, I must warn you,” Octavia said as the train began to slow down. “Once you step off the train, you’re going to have to brace yourself. Found that out the hard way when I first moved here.”
“Ok?” Lyra scrunched up her muzzle. “Why?”
“You’ll see. I’ll let you go first.”
Lyra continued her puzzled look as the train screeched to a halt with a great hiss of steam and a loud, piercing whistle. She trotted down the aisle of the coach with her baggage and stepped off the train…
Only to get nearly floored by a party horn practically in her face. Her ears were ringing so badly she could barely hear the dancing pink mare in front of her. When they finally cleared, she caught the tail end of whatever song she was singing.
“Welcome to Ponyville!” the mare concluded on her knees, a party cannon behind her shooting out confetti.
“What… was that?” Lyra croaked, blinking repeatedly.
“This would be Pinkie Pie,” Octavia said, stepping off the train behind her. “Ponyville’s premiere party planner, the best when it comes to baking, and honorary town greeter.”
“And what’s your name, huh, huh, huh?” Pinkie asked Lyra, practically shoving herself in the unicorn’s muzzle.
Lyra gently pushed her back. “Lyra, Lyra Heartstrings,” she replied.
“Pleased to meet ya, Lyra!” Pinkie squealed, shaking Lyra foreleg so hard it felt like it was getting unscrewed.
The unicorn barely got it back and under control from the shaking, before frowning at Pinkie. Octavia giggled behind her as she headed down the platform towards the baggage car.
“Show her around town, Pinkie,” she said. “She needs a place to stay.”
“You got it, Tavi!” Pinkie called, waving to her, before snapping her attention back to Lyra so quickly it made the unicorn flinch. “Let’s go! I know you’re just going to love Ponyville!”
“Hooray?” Lyra asked, before being yanked towards town by the pink mare, barely able to carry her luggage with her.
A week in, Lyra was beginning to settle into a routine. She’d gotten a part time job at a store called Quills and Sofas, which sold basically only its namesake. In the afternoons, she’d play her lyre for change in the park, which helped supplement her income for apartment rent.
But her favorite time was in the mornings, when she swung by Sugarcube Corner for breakfast.
Octavia hadn’t been kidding when she said Pinkie Pie was the best at baking. Whatever she ordered, from the most basic of muffins to the most decorated crepe, it always tasted fantastic. And Pinkie always greeted her customers as if they were her friends (which, they basically all were) and with a big grin.
One day however, Lyra stopped in the entryway. She’d arrived a little later than usual for breakfast, so the rush wasn’t as bad. The counter was clear except for one mare talking to Pinkie Pie.
Lyra had never seen her around town, at least to her memory. She had a cream-colored coat, with a cutie mark of three wrapped candies. Her curly mane and tail (which curled at the ends, unlike Pinkie’s which just curled) was a two-tone shade of blue and pink, like darkened cotton candy.
As she approached the counter, she caught wind of their conversation.
“…Oh sure, Mayor Mare would know if there’s any storefront spaces open. I think a candy store idea is great!”
“You sure you wouldn’t mind? I mean, you do run the best bakery in town.”
Pinke blew a raspberry and brushed it off. “That’s two different things, silly. We’re a bakery, what you’re talking about is confectionary.” She giggled. “Besides, if you opened a candy store, I’d probably be your best customer.”
The mare smiled sheepishly. “Well, thanks for your help, Miss Pie. I’ll go see the mayor right away.”
“Please, call me Pinkie.”
Pinkie waved to the mare as she turned, and then jumped at Lyra standing there. Perhaps the unicorn had gotten a little close to eavesdrop. She swore, however that a sprig of panic appeared in the mare’s eyes.
“Oh! Uh, sorry,” Lyra said, stepping to the side.
“No problem,” the mare said with a casual smile, trotting past.
But Lyra watched her go, intrigued. In the back of her mind, memories came back. Bitter as they were initially, they quickly delved into that sweet idea of dating a mare…
She quickly snapped back to her senses and practically ran up to the counter. “Pinkie, who was that mare?”
“Oh her? That’s Bon Bon. She moved here like two weeks before you did,” Pinkie said casually, organizing some baked goods behind the counter. When her eyes finally fell upon Lyra, a smirk crossed her muzzle. “Got a crush huh?”
“Wh-What? No, I just…” Lyra’s muzzle fell. “Kinda. Do you… know where she lives?” She looked up hopefully.
“On 2nd Street. Third house on the left, can’t miss it,” Pinkie said casually, leaning forward on the counter.
“Thanks, Pinkie!” Lyra shouted as she ran out the door, leaving the pink mare blinking.
“Hey! Lyra! You forgot your breakfast order!” she called after her.
But Lyra didn’t feel hungry. Not at the moment.
Not when she had this much hope.
“After that, it was just…”
“You play pretty good,” Bon Bon admitted with a nod. She watched Lyra play from her seat on a park bench. “Ever thought about joining the Canterlot Orchestra?”
“Nah, I like playing here,” Lyra replied. “Lots of big tippers.” She winked, causing Bon Bon to giggle.
The Earth pony reached into her saddle bag and tossed a bit into Lyra’s case.
“Consider me another one then,” Bon Bon answered to Lyra’s stare, and rested her head.
Lyra grinned, continuing to play.
“So… secret agent, huh?” Lyra asked as she sat at their small kitchen table. Bon Bon had moved in weeks ago, but the secret felt like it should have come out before that wedding.
“Yeah. It’s why I moved to Ponyville,” Bon Bon replied. She turned to Lyra from the kitchen sink. “I didn’t want to put you in danger or anything.”
“It’s fine, I get it.” Lyra shrugged, staring at the table.
“…The oats weren’t your biggest secret, were they?” Bon Bon walked over and sat across from her. “Hey, you can tell me.” She reached over and set a hoof on one of Lyra’s on the table.
It was a familiar, welcome warmth to Lyra, who shut her eyes with a smile. “Yeah… it’s about why I came to Ponyville…”
“You actually got tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala?” Lyra’s eyes were wide with shock as Bon Bon produced the two golden tickets gleefully.
“Yeah, won’t it be great?” Bon Bon skipped happily over to her. “Just think, us dancing together?”
“In… Canterlot…” Lyra swallowed hard, and realization dawned on Bon Bon.
“Oh… right…” Bon Bon set the tickets down. “We don’t have to go.”
“But you wanted to go. It was so important to you, don’t let me stop—“
A peck to the cheek silenced her. “You’re more important,” Bon Bon whispered into her ear.
“Hey, I heard June’s a good month for weddings,” Lyra said, nonchalantly. “Funny how Hearts and Hooves Day happens in February though, huh?”
“Yeah,” Bon Bon said, reaching behind her back. “But at least you get time to plan, right?”
“I guess.” Lyra’s horn flickered, but she looked away innocently. “But what about before February? You’d have to find a pony you really, really like and everything…”
“Get to know them…”
“Maybe even move in with them…”
“Spend a whole bunch of time with them…”
“Kiss them a few times for good measure…”
“Sleep next to them…”
“All that, just to ask some silly question like—“
They knelt down at the same time, each producing their own ring box.
Lyra snapped awake at the sound of knocking coming from the front door. A nap on the couch had seemed like such a great idea, since she wasn’t expecting guests. Grumbling, she got to her hooves.
“I got it!” she called into the house.
She sighed as she opened the door, but to her surprise, a purple alicorn waited for her, grinning excitedly.
“Lyra!” Twilight exclaimed. “I’m so glad I could catch you at home.”
“Twilight?” Lyra blinked. “Or, er… should I call you princess, or…”
Twilight shook her head. “Please. I have enough problems with these wings as it is.” She smiled kindly. “I came to invite you. Moondancer’s holding a reunion of sorts back in Canterlot. She wants all her friends to come this time.”
“Canterlot?” Lyra asked, blinking in surprise. A tenseness hung in the air around her, as Bon Bon walked in from the kitchen.
“Yeah, is… that a problem?” Twilight asked, confused. “If you’re busy, I could always tell her you were. I’m sure she’d understand.”
Lyra looked down in thought, before feeling a hoof on her shoulder. She glanced back, to a smiling Bon Bon, and with it, all the memories from her dream.
“Sure, I can make it,” Lyra said, turning back to Twilight. “Do you mind if Bon Bon comes with me?”
“Of course not, the more the merrier,” Twilight said. “I have to go, but I look forward to seeing you there.” As she turned and opened her wings, she glanced back. “Happy anniversary, by the way.”
And with that, she took off towards her castle. Lyra blinked in surprise.
“It’s our anniversary?” she asked Bon Bon.
The Earth pony smirked and rolled her eyes. “You can’t fool me that easily,” she said, kissing Lyra’s cheek.
“Ok, ok, you got me,” Lyra said with a giggle. She shut the door, shutting out Canterlot for another day. But she wasn’t scared of returning, because she didn’t care anymore.
She was happy, as curious as it might be.
Author's Note
Date of Creation (D.o.C.): 06/24/20
I can't believe it's taken me this long to get around to a LyraBon story. Especially considering all the other ships I've written in the past.
I haven't experienced the same things others have, in terms of prejudice over their sexual identity or preference, so I can't say I know what it's like. I didn't want to tackle any of those sorts of things in my contest entry - i'd rather stick to something I'm more familiar with than mess something up and offend someone.
The song I listened to while writing this was "A Thousand Years" by The Piano Guys. Happy (late) Pride Month y'all.
-yours truly,
The Legendary Bill Cipher
