//-------------------------------------------------------// Can't wait to be Human! -by iCeTeRiX- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// It Was Just Another Day... //-------------------------------------------------------// It Was Just Another Day... "Lyraa!" A faint voice was ringing in her ear that afternoon, she kept hearing it "Lyra! Lyra!" Getting louder and louder until she felt a sharp hit across her face by a familiar cream pony with a distinguishable white and blue mane. "Lyra! What's gotten into you? You've been in this room for too long!" Rubbing off the pain from Bon Bon's unecessary slap, she stood up and put aside her notes from the table. "Lyra...what have you been doing up here? And how long has it been since you even ate? Or took a bath?" asked the concerned friend, "Can't tell..." answered the heavy eyed, minty-green pony. "Well ever since you got that book with all those notes from Twilight's library, you haven't taken you're eyes off it." Lyra didn't really hear much of what Bon Bon just said for she was once again looking at the book and itching to just read it some more. "Lyra!" Bon Bon shouted with a mighty stomp. "Why are you so interested in this anyway?" she asked as she searched for the title "A-anthropolgiee?" Lyra then attempted to take the book with her magic but her efforts were wasted as Bon Bon noticed the yellow glow and ran to hide the book from Lyra, "Give that back!" shouted the flustered pony, immediatley running after Bon Bon "I'm doing this for your own good Lyra!" replied the running earth-pony. She ran to her room and locked the doors to hide the book her friend was so obsessed about. "Open up Bon Bon! Give me back my book!" shouted Lyra while constantly banging on Bon Bon's door to her room. "No! I'm not giving this back to you until you stop being obsessed with this thing!" However it wasn't really the book itself Lyra was interested in but the facts it contained about these strange creature that had no coat, didn't walk on four legs and were bipedals, creatures who didn't rely on magic but in their own hard work and technology, a strange race known as "Humans" After a few minutes of constant knocking on Bon Bon's door, the lock finally clicked and the door swung open showing nothing but Bon Bon without the book in her mouth. "Where is it?" asked the worried pony, "I hid it somewhere you can never find it, even with magic." answered the confident friend. Lyra looked deep into her eyes and raised an eyebrow, determined to force the answer out of her friend with a look she knew her friend couldn't stand to see. "That won't work on me this time Lyra, now come on." making Lyra loose the look and ask, "To where?", "To the park, cafe, library, anywhere just to get you out of this house!", "But I don't want to-" "BOOOOM!" The pony's whine was cut short by a loud noise from outside which sounded like lightning. "That's odd, the pegasi said a storm wasn't due until next week." said the curious Bon Bon. Lyra looked outside the window and saw a sight she couldn't believe, a strange portal was opening in the middle of the street. "Bon Bon come on!" shouted the excited pony pulling her friend outside the door. Everypony was staring in awe at the strange phenomenon that was occuring right at the middle of their street. Then something was happening to the portal, it seemed to fizzle and grow out of control, until something was starting to form inside the portal, Lyra squinted her eyes and tried to make out the image that was forming, and as she kept staring at the dark figure the more she started to doubt herslef and think that her eyes were tricking her. But she knew this wasn't true, and she knew it wasn't a mistake, the shadow had the figure, the figure she had been seeing at that book for so many times, she knew that what she was seeing was a human! Her jaws dropped and couldn't determine what she was feeling, wether she was excited or scared or a mixture of both. She had read so many things about them and learned so much but she couldn't help but feel scared of what they're actually like. She just had to wait and see she thought, then suddenly with a loud crack emitted from the portal and then the human fell out of the portal then the portal disappeared into thin air. Everypony gathered around the strange creature to see if it was alright, Lyra pushed her way through the crowd just to catch a glimpse of the human. It had brown skin and plain black hair that wasn't too long and was messed up probably from the trip and it had a bit of a chubby physique. Lyra then gathered her knowledge and started to remember what the book contained, she then realizes that this was a boy due to the lack of...assets...on his chest. The boy didn't look too old, she deduced that he was probably around his teen years according to her studies in that book. The boy then started to move and groan, everypony stepped back due to fear of what it might do, everypony except Lyra. She had only dreamed of this moment when she could finally meet a human and learn more than from her book, the boy then opened his eyes only to find a cute mare with a minty-green coat with a lighter shade of green mane. The boy suddenly got onto his feet and scratched his head as if he were just waking up from a long nap, he then observed his surroundings and he couldn't help but feel like someone was watching him, then he turned around and saw what he thought was the cutest sight he had ever laid eyes on. Ponies with vibrant colors for their coats and different patterns and colors for their manes. Lyra slowly approached the fascinated boy and tried to speak only to be interupted by the boy suddenly picking her up. Everypony gasped and watched in terror as if the boy was about to gobble up this little pony but their faces quickly changed to curious and questioning looks when they saw that he merely wanted to hug this adorable creature. "You are just the cutest thing I've seen in my entire life!" the boy exclaimed with glee, extending his arms to further look at this plushie-like creature, Lyra blushed a little with that compliment and wondered at this marvelous creature that could speak the exact same language and was about twice her size lifting her up in the air. "Oh, I-I'm sure you've seen cuter things than me mister." Lyra said to the boy, then the boy widened his eyes and put his face right in front of Lyra's face. "You can taaaaalk?" asked the eye widened boy, "Uhh, yeah..I just did it again actually." said the pony that was still hanging from his arms. The boy couldn't help but be amazed with his jaw dropped. Everypony now starting to warm up to the boy started getting closer to hear their conversation, they figured he wasn't a monster that would hurt them. The boy saw them coming closer and put Lyra to the ground gently, then he introduced himself to them "My name's Isaac, please, may I be able to know all of yours?" Everypony was hesitant and was shy to this new creature, everypony but one. "My name's Lyra" answered the pony right in front of him, "Pleasure to meet you Lyra, can I know the names of your friends too?" the boy replied to the eager pony, "Sure!" shouted the excited little pony to her new found friend. It didn't take long until everypony was finally getting along with Isaac, even though he was still strange to them, what with him being furless and walking with two legs instead of four and his comstant searching for a burger or a hotdog or anything to eat that was made of meat which surprised them very much, they still felt somewhat safe with him for his attitude towards them specifically, they realized he was harmless and kind to everypony. After the long afternoon of getting to know everypony in Ponyville, Isaac found himself in a rather uncomforting situation. He had no idea how he even got here in the first place and he didn't know how to get back. It was starting to get late and some ponies were starting to go home to their houses, Isaac didn't know where to go, he just sat there in the grass watching everypony close their doors without even asking him if he wanted to stay at their homes. He got up on his feet and started to walk the streets, then a familiar voice rang from across the street. The same pony he saw first and hugged was gesturing him to come over, with no other choice he proceeded to where Lyra was. "Do you have any place to stay Isaac?" the mare asked him, "As a matter of fact, I do not miss Lyra.", "You don't really need to put the "miss" part there Isaac, Lyra is just fine with me.", "Oh, sorry Mi- I mean Lyra.", she giggled a little then offered Isaac a place to sleep in their house. "Oh no, I couldn't after all the kindness you have already showed me this afternoon, I couldn't ask for more." said the grateful boy, "Oh it's really alright, just if you don't mind sleeping in our couch." she said with a giggle, Isaac smiled and finally accepted the offer, "Great! Come on in Isaac.", Isaac had to duck a little to fit throught their small door, apparently he was much too tall for the house, "Oh sorry, I didn't really take your height into account" said the embarassed pony, "No, it's alright Lyra, I'm just glad I have a roof over my head." said Isaac before showing a friendly smile. "Well just try to make yourself comfortable in here Isaac and make yourself at home", "Thank you again Lyra, I hope Bon Bon won't mind me staying here for the night", "Oh I'm sure she'll be okay with it, she's a really good friend." Lyra then proceeded to give Isaac some pillows and a blanket, "Goodnight Isaac" said the happy pony, "Goodnight Lyra", "We'll have to see Twilight tomorrow, maybe she can help you with your problems, I mean you must want to get back home real quick huh?", "Yeah, they must be worried about me over there by now." "Well we'll go there first thing in the morning, for now you just get some rest.", "Thank you again Lyra, you're a really good pony." The mare nodded and smiled at Isaac and went to her room. She knew she had so many questions she wanted to ask Isaac about their world and their traditions, cultures. She wanted to ask him what a car was and how did they work. What are those big metallic crafts that can soar throuh the sky like the Wonderbolts? Why do they like meat so much? Are there any other differences between their males and females other than their...chests? She just had many questions in her head that she almost couldn't sleep, but she knew they had to wait for her new guest was tired and wanted some sleep. //-------------------------------------------------------// A Visit //-------------------------------------------------------// A Visit A new day was shining in Ponyville, with the chirping of the birds, the crowing of the roosters, the sun shining on the flower beds of Rose. Lyra got up from her bed with a sleepy smile and proceeded to the bathroom to start her day by freshening up, she knew there was a long day ahead of her due to the appearance of her new house guest. Unicorns never did have any problems preparing themselves in the morning because they have their magic, but Pegasi and Earth-ponies are a different story, however Pegasi made good use of their wings as a sort of hands for them which made it a bit easier for them, unlike earth-ponies with nothing but their hooves to use, which proved quite difficult for Lyra's housemate, Bon Bon which struggled every morning just to get her toothbrush. After preparing herself she proceeded to the kitchen for some breakfast, only to find an empty living room where Isaac was supposed to be. She couldn't have missed him on the way there, he was twice her size for pony's sake! She hurriedly galloped towards the door completely forgeting about breakfast and looked for Isaac, this didn't take too long as she immediately found him just sitting in the grass in the park. "Isaac? What are you doing here?" asked the worried pony. "Have you been out here for a long time?" Isaac met her gaze and just smiled "I just wanted to see the sunrise, I always do this every morning." "Oh, well why is that?" asked the mare. "I don't really know myself, I guess I just feel..at peace when I see something so beautiful happen." answered Isaac then quickly got on his feet. "I guess it is quite a feat isn't it? To be able to raise the sun with magic, it must have really taken a lot of experience and study for the Princess to finally perfect it." "Wait, your sun rises with magic?" asked the confused boy, Lyra simply nodded. "So even the moon?" "Yeah, but that's Princess Luna's responsibility, the sun is Princess Celestia's responsibilty. Hey! Maybe you'll have an audience with them, you know being a human and all." said the excited pony. "Yeah..maybe.." said the confused boy. He didn't quite understand how it worked but he just shrugged it off and just thought it was just something he wouldn't understand. "So you wanna head on to Twilight's? I'm sure that pony's probably up by now dusting off some books she hasn't read yet." Lyra said jokingly. Isaac agreed and followed after Lyra. During their walk, he was greeted by familiar faces he had seen yesterday and they all greeted him with a 'Good morning' or a simple 'Hello'. Everypony was still a bit scared of the boy, mainly because they were still unfamiliar with him, but they still tried to act friendly to the boy because they got to know him a little the day before. "Here we are!" exclaimed the happy pony, startling Isaac and making him fall back. "Oh I'm sooo sorry Isaac! I didn't mean to surprise you." said the embarassed mare extending a hoof to help him up. "It's alright Lyra." said the boy followed by a chuckle. "So can we go inside now?" "Oh right! Yeah come on." said the smiling pony Lyra knocked on the door only to find it being opened by somepony who wasn't Twilight, rather it was her assistant, Spike, who opened the door with his eyes half-open. Lyra then asked where Twilight was, "Oh,  she went off to Zecora's to get some tea that she really likes from her place." Spike completely missed the towering figure that extended a hand to pick him up, "H-Hey! Put me down!" Spike then opened his eyes wide only to see a fascinated and dumbfounded face staring at him. "Uhh Lyra? Who's your friend?" asked the purple dragon as Isaac puts him down again. "Oh this is Isaac, wait didn't you see that portal that appeared on the street yesterday?" asked the wondering pony with an eyebrow raised. "A..portal?" replied the shocked dragon with his eyes widening more. "Yeaahh...why do you seem like you know something abiut this?" asked the curious pony that walked closer to Spike until he was on his back on the door. Lyra stared at Spike much like Fluttershy which caught Spike by surprise. Then he finally gave in, "Okay Okay! I'll tell you what I know just stop looking at me like that! Pleeeease!" the cornered dragon pleaded. "Soo..?" the impatient mare asked, tapping her fore-hooves impatiently "Okay, so yesterday Twilight saw a book in a part of the library that's apparently been hidden behind a fake wall, which really surprised Twilight because she already explored this library more than anypony else. So anyway, she saw a whole shelf of books that had some really weird contents, one was about black magic that King Sombra himself wrote about! Another was about all the creatures in the Everfree forest and what they could do, another was about a race called..uhhmm..uhhhh...humanes?" "Was it humans Spike?" asked the interested mare. "Oh yeah that's it! and there was this book that was even sealed with chains and locks only really powerful unicorns could open. Twilight said the title was strange too, I think she said the title was "Powers of the Crimson Water" i think? And there were a whole bunch more books with wierd stuff in them. Lyra was immediately intrigued by this and asked if they could see the books, Spike immediately denied their request only because he was instructed by Twilight to not let anypony else see them without her consent. "I guess we'll just have to wait for her then" said the slightly disappointed pony. Spike invited them in and once again Isaac had to crouch down just to get through the door, the library was a relief for Isaac as it was relatively bigger that Lyra's house. Isaac the proceeded with a conversation with Spike and asked him about himself and likewise Spike asked Isaac about himself. It went on for a while, on the other side of the room, Lyra was just strotting back and forth, waiting for Twilight to arrive. Her attention was caught by two books in particular, one was about the humans of course and the mysterious sealed book which made her think about what it meant, she realized she would soon find out when Twilight arrived. "So Spike, did you really have anything to do with that portal yesterday?" asked Lyra. Spike then faced Lyra after talking to Isaac, "Uhh well, I'm not really sure." answered the confused dragon. "What do you mean you're not really sure?" asked the surprised mare who quickly jumped in front of Spike making him tumble down his chair. Spike picked himself up, "I-I'm not really sure! Twilight did a spell that she saw from that book that King Sombra wrote about black magic and said she wanted to try out that portal spell that supposedly led to other dimensions. But after casting it nothing really happened for a long while and Twilight gave up and just put the book back 'cause she didn't want to mess with anything else." "Maybe it takes a while for it to appear" Isaac suggested. "Yeah, maybe you're right." Lyra agreed. After a while, the bells chimed as the door opened to reveal Twilight back from her short trip to the Everfree forest. Her eyes widened as she saw Isaac sitting there and quickly took a step back and cornered herself breathing heavily as she saw this strange furless creature in her home. After observing her surroundings, she wondered why Spike and Lyra was so calm and were actually giggling at her. "What's so funny? Can't you see the thing behind you?!" Twilight screamed. Lyra stopped laughing for a while to explain what the "thing" was, and after that she slowly approached the tall being in her house. "Nice to meet you Miss Twilight, please don't be frightened by my presence here" Isaac said, showing a friendly smile. "N-Nice to meet you t-too Isaac, so you're a human?" said the still nervous pony. "Yes...please Miss Twilight, you really have no need to fear me. I'm really quite friendly" said Isaac reassuringly then extending a hand to shake her hoof. Twilight, still trembling at the sight of a human, shakingly extended her hoof to shake his hand. "I guess you're a 'good' human then." said Twilight after shaking Isaac's hand. "Uhmm...thanks?" Isaac said with a confused look. "Erm, what do you mean by that Twilight?" asked Lyra with an eyebrow raised. "Well you do know that not all humans are...well...good right Lyra? I mean I did lend you that book about humans right? Haven't you read it yet?" "Well yeah, I've read it, but it only said about what they are, their anatomy, what they usually do, but other than simple facts about them and pictures of them, nothing else is there." "Oh, right." said Twilight forgetting that she read a completely different book about humans, one about their history through the years. "Why? Is there something else about them that we should know?" "Well...maybe you should just read it for yourself." Twilight then turned to move the wall with her magic and revealed the black bookcase with cobwebs all over, filled with the books Spike described earlier. "Here, this is another book about humans, but, slightly different from what you have...in your book it's about what humans are, what they're like and basically it's a fact book about them." "Okay, so what does that have?" asked Lyra nervously as she could plainly see that Twilight had an expression of horror on her face. "Well, it contains their...history, their actions, what other humans do..." "What's so wrong about that?" "Look just read it yourself..." Twilight gave her the old, brown book with a simple lock like a diary, "An odd feature that book has is that it's like an actual human telling you their story of the things they did...in very vivid and clear words, and that they're glad they did it, they were happy and that it was for the better." Twilight was now shaking at what she had read so far from that book. "Hey, you alright Twilight?" "I-I'm fine Lyra, just...watch your back okay?" Twilight said while signaling to Isaac as he was looking at some books that caught his eye. "Uhh, Okaaaay? Oh right! Before we forget, Spike here told us that you were possibly the one behind the portal yesterday." said Lyra after giving Isaac the book. "Ohhhh, so that's how you got here Isaac!" said Twilight, then proceeding to the black bookshelf to get a book that Spike said was written by King Sombra. It was big with a strange black aura that almost looked like smoke, and as Twilight opened it, a green light suddenly flashed from inside then gradualy turned into a soft glow. Twilight browsed the book to see where she had read the spell she used to get Isaac in Equestria. "So apparently this spell is supposed to open a portal to another world or universe, and we can go to that world, vice-versa of course." "So you mean I can still go back?" "Weeell...it's not that simple, this spell was made by King Sombra, and it was made specifically for ponies. I guess his plan was to use this to take over other worlds and as a failsafe, anypony that isn't a pony would quickly disintegrate even by just touching the event horizon of the portal if they tried to chase them back to Equestria. The simple fact that you're here right now boggles my mind Isaac." "Heh, guess I was just really lucky huh?" Isaac said nervously. "Well, now what? We can't risk sending him back with the same spell and see him melt right in front of our faces right?" said the worried pony. "Right! I'll see what I can do about that, in the meantime why don't Isaac just stay here until I get the spell ready?" suggested Twilight. "Uhmm...actually, I think I'd rather stay at Lyra's, Twilight, I mean that is if you don't mind Lyra?" Isaac interrupted "Not at all! You're always welcome there Isaac" said Lyra before giving a friendly smile. "Well alright, I'll tell you guys right away if I see something that can help Isaac." Lyra and Isaac turned to the door until a familiar and itching thought returned to Lyra's head. The other book she wanted to see, the book with a curious title. "Uh hey, Twilight?" said Lyra while her back at Twilight, Twilight turned and sent a simple response "Hm?" "Could it be possible if I borrow another book from that shelf?" "Which one?" asked Twilight, "Well Spike described some books from that shelf before we came in, and I was kind of intrigued by one of them." "Okaaay?" said the worried purple pony, "Could I borrow that book?" she pointed towards the sealed book at the center of the bookshelf. "O-oh, that book?" said the worried pony proceeding to get the book and putting it by her side, "Well I don't see why not, just don't mess with anything you shouldn't okay?" "Alright Twilight." said the grateful pony, "Promise..Pinkie promise!" exclaimed Twilight, looing into Lyra's eyes, "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" said the reassuring pony before giving off a friendly smile after recieving the book. "Oh wait, what's the point of borrowing that book if you can't even open it" said Twilight jokingly, she the proceeded to take the seal off, and just like that the seal snapped right off the big book. "H-how did- I mean- But Spike said that-" "Only really powerful ponies could open it? Twilight ended her sentence, Lyra simply nodded, "Well that's not entirely true, ponies with an exceptional knowledge of magic like us could remove it without a sweat!" said the proud pony. "Well I really wouldn't consider myself exceptional like you Twilight, I mean you're the favorite student of Princess Celestia for crying out loud." "Oh, well, I'm sure any pony could do what I do." said Twilight with a slight line of dark purple across her cheeks, "Well we're off then, thank you Twilight." said the modest pony while waving goodbye, Twilight returned the gesture and waved back. "Thanks Miss Twilight for helping helping me out." Isaac said before following Lyra, "I promise you, I will find a way Isaac, I may not be the Element of Honesty, but you can count on me." said the concerned friend. Lyra and Isaac headed home, and it was almost night time, it seems that time slipped past them, "Oh dear, we should probably hurry home now, Bon Bon must be worried where we've been." "Alright Lyra, race you there!" challenged Isaac before dashing off leaving Lyra in the dust. Lyra quickly galloped to catch up with Isaac who seemed far quicker than what she expected him to be, with him having to use two legs and all. Isaac got to the house first and was catching his breath when Lyra finally arrives as well. "Well that was good excercise" said Isaac jokingly, Lyra couldn't reply as she was too exhausted, it seemed those sleepless nights took their toll on her and she passed out. "Hey Ly-" was the last thing she heard before collapsing. Lyra woke up on a hospital bed with only to find Isaac near her sleeping, it was the middle of the night. "Nnghh" Isaac woke up and saw Lyra was awake too, "Lyra!" said Isaac then hugged her, Lyra's face blushed a little. "I'm glad you're okay Lyra" "Yeah, guess I'm just really tired, with no sleep for a few days now." said to comfort her worried friend, so is Bon Bon around?" asked the searching pony, "Oh, she left like an hour ago, she said she had to go to Manehattan tomorrow to visit a friend of hers." "Oh, so you stayed here." "Well I don't really have much of a choice now do I? Your my friend and I don't leave friends behind that easily." "Thanks Isaac." "You should really rest now Lyra, the nurse said you need it bad." "Alright then, you should sleep too." "Waaay ahead of you" Isaac happily said while yawning then placing his head on Lyra's side, "I hope you don't mind if I sleep here Lyra." "Not at all, by all means" she left a spot on the bed for his head, "Thanks Lyra, you're a really good friend." Isaac rested his head on the spot Lyra left for him and dozed off quicker than Pinkie Pie could say Cumquat. Lyra observed the sleeping boy and passed her hoof across his hair. Such an interesting creature, the thing that she had been studying for weeks now and fantasizing about ever since she first heard of their existence from one of the classes in the University was dreaming away right beside her. Lyra was always the kind and modest pony ever since she was small, she wasn't the one for compliments as she felt she didn't deserve them, she always felt that she wasn't all that good with magic, because she felt that she didn't really need magic. She thought she didn't really want to use magic, but she definitely doesn't want to become an earth-pony. No, she wanted to become something else, something that was furless and only had hair in the top of their heads, something that walked on two legs instead of four, something that held things with their hands rather than their mouth, wings, or magic. Lyra realised she wanted to be human! She looked at Isaac and imagined herself like that, walking on two legs, wearing clothes to hide her...feminine charms, driving a car and visit their big cities, she wanted to experience riding a bike to go to someplace rather than gallop or walk, she wanted to try their food, she wanted to learn how to use gadgets the humans had. She'd grown tired of her pony life and she wanted a change of lifestyles, and she hoped that what she wanted was somewhere in that mysterious book. //-------------------------------------------------------// A Mission //-------------------------------------------------------// A Mission "You take care now Miss Heartstrings, be sure to get plenty of rest when you get home." said the nurse while waving goodbye "Lucky for you, you have that friend of yours to carry you home." "Y-yeah, lucky me" said Lyra, blushing slightly for being treated like a little filly after a simple treatment from the clinic. "You know, you really don't have to carry me all the way home Isaac." "It's no problem Lyra, this isn't the first time I carried you someplace anyway" said Isaac with a friendly smile. Lyra had almost forgotten that it was Isaac who brought her to the hospital in the first place when she passed out a week ago. "I'm glad to be of service to someone who opened their door for me." "Thanks Isaac." After a short walk from the hospital, they finally arrived. "Here we are, think you can manage to walk a bit Lyra?" putting Lyra down gently. "Y-yeah, I think I can do it.." Lyra got to her feet, still wobbly, but she managed to walk for a little until her legs gave out and made her stumble on the door. "Heh, I-I guess I still need more rest huh?" Isaac simply caried Lyra, "I guess you do, do you want to go to your room?" "Uhm, maybe I'll just stay in the couch for now." Isaac carried her to the couch and laid her there gently, Lyra was surprised at all this, she didn't think that a male could be so gentle and careful, like a mother putting her child to sleep and laying it down to it's bed. "You sure know how to handle something fragile, can I ask why?" "Heh, well it's nothing really, I've always been careful ever since my sisters were born...so I needed to be extra careful with them since they were still really young. It was kind of tough at first, but you get used to it when you do it almost everyday." said Isaac while grabbing a pillow and a blanket for Lyra. "Your sisters are lucky to have someone like you, and I guess I'm lucky cause I have you right now too." "Well, thanks, would you like something to eat Lyra? Since you can't do anhthing right now, I'll be your host! What would you like for your meal madam?" said Isaac while taking the stance a butler might do in the presence of his master. Lyra chuckled slightly and closed her eyes and held her chin high as if she was royalty. "Yes, I would like a drink of orange juice and a dandelion sandwich Jeeves, and make it snappy!" Lyra couldn't help but laugh at herself. "Right away, madam." Isaac bowed at his master and gave a little laugh. "Oh, and while you wait for your meal, would you like me to get your books?" Isaac carried the bag over to Lyra's side. "You know I could've just levitated that to me right?" said Lyra with an eyebrow raised. "Doctor's orders m'lady, plenty of rest and nothing too hard to do, and that bag was awfully heavy because of that particular book madam." he pointed at the book that gave Twilight Sparkle herslef a fright. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot about the books, could you just change my juice to tea then, Isaac?" said Lyra quickly grabbing the books inside the bag and placing them on a coffee table near the couch. "No prob- er- I mean...Of course m'lady" Isaac bowed again and went to work on Lyra's meal. Lyra took one of the books and wondered why Twilight would be so afraid of it, or rather the contents of it, were humans that awful? What could they possibly have done that was so horrible? As Lyra opened the book, the first thing she saw almost made her vomit at the very sight of it. Hundreds of people were tortured and brutally murdered in the book. She turned the pages quickly, all she could see were dead humans, mutilated, hanged, shot, beheaded, tortured and all the humans that did these things were smiling, as if they were happy and were enjoying themselves while they kill other people. Lyra kept turning the pages and she saw a sort of page from a diary: Day 68 July 3rd, 2016 Dear Diary, Number of victims:8, today was a great day! I had lots of fun with my little playmates in the basement! I made them scream for mercy with my knife and they just wouldn't stop! Ohh, it was beautiful...their blood covered the walls and floor nicely and it looked like one of those paintings in the museum! It's a shame we had to stop because of my stupid mother! God, I want to kill her so bad...but if I do then who will feed me? I'll just keep her alive until I'm big enough to get a job...it's tough in town when you're just 13 years old... Hmmm...maybe I should go to the museum tomorrow, I'm sure there will be loads of people there for me to...play with...well, goodnight Diary..I'll tell you about my visit to the museum tomorrow night. :) Lyra was horrified, she saw some of the victims that the page was talking about, 8 lifeless bodies on the floor with their guts exposed and their bodies were ripped to pieces. She almost screamed at the sight of it, but not a single sound came from her mouth. Her mind was almost destroyed, to think that someone so...young, could enjoy something like killing and torturing! The person said that they were just 13 years old, Isaac's age was not that higher from this one. A chill came on her back when she heard Isaac, "Your meal is almost done m'lady, just a few more minutes." Lyra managed to reply to Isaac, "G-great, um, c-can you add that juice there...I think I needed that after all." "As you wish!" Lyra put the book back in her bag and tossed it to one side of the room, she couldn't stand to look at those images anymore. She thought that if one of such young age could do and actually enjoy something like murder, then what could stop Isaac from doing the same? She realized she just opened the door to her home for a monster who kills for pleasure! It wasn't long until Isaac came back from the kitchen with a tray and presenting the meal he made for his now terrified friend hiding under the blanket he gave her. "Uhh Lyra? You ok?" Isaac reached for the blanket and uncovered a shaking mare with tears in her eyes. "Lyra, Hey! You okay? What happened?" Lyra looked at Isaac and couldn't help but cry more. Isaac motioned to hug the poor mare which resulted into a failure as the mare backed away from the boy, Isaac now had a surprised look on his face, "G-get away from me!" Lyra quickly jumped away from the couch, it took almost everything in her to do that, "You're a monster! A monster! Get out of here! Get out of my house!!" Isaac was shocked to say the least, he would try to explain himself to her, but he knew that wouldn't do for this completely terrified and angry mare, he simply got up and left without a word. He didn't quite know why she acted that way suddenly, but he knew somepony who just might. A knock was heard from the door of Twilight's home, Twilight quickly went to the door, only to meet a friendly face that belonged to someone she had promised to help to get back to his own world, "Good afternoon Twilight, uhmm, is it okay if I stayed here for a bit?" Twilight was surprised, but welcomed her odd guest to her warm home. "So, why would you like to stay here Isaac? I thought Lyra's house was where you would be staying?" asked Twilight while getting a seat for Isaac. "Well, she kind of kicked me out." answered Isaac while scratching the back of his head. "What? Why? Did you do something wrong to her? "That's just it! I didn't do anything wrong, I just prepared a meal, gave her the books she borrowed, and-" "Wait, did she read one of the books?" "Well, yeah, it was the one that looked like a diary or journal I think." "That must be the reason why Lyra kicked you out, she must've gotten scared of you because you were-" "A human?" Isaac continued, the mare nodded, "So I take it that the book she read had contents about humans, and that these contents aren't just facts about us?" "Yes, it contains memories, images, and diary entries of humans who have a long history of murder and violence..." the mare shivered at the thought of those images again, "B-but, you shouldn't take it personally Isaac, I'm sure you're a good guy and you would never do something like that!" "I could never, but, why did you even give that book to her in the first place? You knew what it contained, but you just handed it over to her like it was nothing!" yelled Isaac, making Twilight suddenly jump back and hide behind her table, she was still afraid of the boy becuase she didn't quite fully know him. "I-I'm sorry Twilight, just...why would you do that?" Twilight raised her head, still shaking a bit, and answered, "Be-because I wanted to show her that everything has a dark side, and even the things we think are amazing and almost innocent can do something so cruel." Twilight finally came out from behind the table, " She would find out about it sooner or later anyway, so I just gave her knowledge of what your kind can do." "And now she hates me, you should've seen her, she called me a monster...no one ever called me that before, I would never kill anybody...never.." Isaac gave in and shed a few tears. Twilight hesitated, but soon she found herself comforting the poor boy, "I'm sorry Isaac, look, I-I'll straighten things out tomorrow, I'll explain to Lyra that not all humans are bad...and I'm sure she'll treat you the same way she did before all this happened." Twilight hugged the mid-section of Isaac's body. "Thanks Twilight, you've helped me a lot now, you're a great friend" Isaac hugged Twilight back. "You can sleep on my spare bed tonight, we'll go to Lyra's tomorrow okay?" "That sounds good, thanks again" Isaac said while shedding his tears "It's no problem, I just don't hope you're a light sleeper, Spike can be quite the snorer at night." Twilight said before giggling "It's alright, I don't mind" Isaac replied, smiling as always to his host. Lyra lied down on her bed and just curled herself up into a ball of mint green fur, she was still crying, mostly of anger now, she was angry at herself. She was the first to give that monster a warm welcome and she even put her friend Bon Bon in danger just by inviting that human into her house! She felt angry at herself and she cried the whole night, she was terrified of what the outside now has in store. A monster that could be just outside her door waiting to take her and kill her in some gruesome and unthinkable way, she hid under her blankets and closed her eyes tightly trying to make the monster go away, but she knew that this would prove to be fruitless and futile. Lyra then realized she had borrowed another book from Twilight, a magic book that contained forbidden rituals and ancient enchantments, "The Powers of the Crimson Water". Lyra scanned the book and saw acts which were just as bad as what those humans did, but it was just a way to empower unicorns for the greater good, those humans did it only for entertainment and satisfaction. This was obviously then banned by Princess Celestia, who showed the unicorns who practiced this that they can become stronger without the help of these insane rituals which need very strange sacrifices to be made for it to finally work. After reading a few pages from the book, Lyra saw a ritual that would make the problem go away, she thought that this was her chance to rid her world of that monster that was walking on their streets, and quite possibly their entire race. This spell would not only rid her of her fear, but it would also grant her wish to finally come true, only now, this wish of hers now held a higher purpose. Lyra figured that being one of the monsters would only benefit her in her mission of eradicating those humans who kill for fun. Lyra now had a mission, she had the conviction, she had the spell, now all she needed was a sacrifice for her plan to be successful. //-------------------------------------------------------// Plans //-------------------------------------------------------// Plans Everypony was sleeping soundly in their beds, if you were to go outside at this time of night, you wouldn't hear a single peep except for the crickets and cicadas that make their music of the night, if you would listen closely enough, you would hear classical melodies from a certain house which was occupied by a well-known musician practicing and perfecting her piece. Everypony, dragon and human, were sleeping soundly in their beds, Isaac had a tough time to adjust on his bed since he was a bit too big for the bed, luckily Twilight made a make-do extension for the bed which made the guest bed just right. All was sound asleep, except for one pony who had a mission to do. Lyra stayed up all night reading the spell book she thought had the answer for all her desires. She was determined to get rid of every human without a trace, from her world and their world as well and remain the only human and to rebuild their race with her as their new leader, she would guide her new underlings to the right path, one which was paved with good intentions and deeds, a path of friendship, peace and unity, Lyra was basically going to be the new god of the humans. This dream really excited her and only fueled her eagerness to find the correct spell to fulfill this dream. After a few hours of reading, she found something that intrigued her, a spell, actually more like a ritual, which would make the unicorn take the form of the specimen which they sacrificed. However, there was a catch, to perform this spell successfully, the sacrifice must be something that has an intimate relationship with the being attempting this spell, may it be a close friend, a lover, or family. In addition to taking their form, your abilities from your past form will be endowed to your new form as well. "Well this seems promising, so even if I turn into one of them, I will still be able to use my magic...perfect..." Lyra was overseeing a crucial fact though, if she was going to use Isaac as her new form, then she should patch things up between them and get back on good terms. "The book didn't say that I was the one who was supposed to feel something for the other. I need a plan..." after a few hours of plotting and scheming in her head, Lyra found the perfect way to make this human fall for her, "This'll be good..." and on that note, Lyra lied on her bed, finally ready to get some sleep. After a few minutes however, she suddenly heard the roosters mighty sound which meant that it was already morning, Lyra's eyes shot open and she looked to the window only to see the sun finally raising, "Heh, another all-nighter..." "Twiliiight! Breakfast is ready!" yelled the loyal assistant to the still sleeping unicorn. "Don't worry Spike, I'll wake her up.." volunteered Isaac while getting up from his seat from the sofa. "Just be careful, Twilight doesn't really like it when someone wakes her up from her sleep, why do you think I always yell from downstairs to wake her up?" Isaac chuckled slightly at this, "I'll be alright" proceeding to head upstairs to his host's room. He opened the door and found a still lavender pony, sleeping peacefully and sound. Isaac thought that Twilight looked really...attractive as she is now, her mane and coat were shining in the rays of the morning sun coming from the window, her gentle smile only added to her beauty, it also suggested that she was having a pretty good dream, which was about to be ended by an unannounced shaking of the bed, "Twiliiiiiight~" said the boy attempting to wake her up without being too rude, "It's time for breakfaaaaaast~" Twilight simply groaned and faced the other way. As shaking the bed proved to be futile, Isaac was choosing to either shout at her ear or gently nudge her into waking up, and soon chose the latter choice, he gently nudged her on her back which proved to be quite effective according to her response. "Five more minutes, Princess..." Twilight said in a state of being half-asleep and half-awake. Isaac nudged again and this time with a bit more force which only irritated the sleeping mare, "Stop it Mr. Snugglebootom, as mayor of Fluffleville, I order you to..." she trailed off and went back to slumber. He nudged again and again and again, until finally, with a long groan, Twilight finally rose up and rubbed her eyes. "Good morning, Ma'am...would the Mayor of Fluffleville like some breakfast?" Isaac laughed slightly at his own statement which only made Twilight blush deeply and hide her face from beneath the sheets. "I'm never going outside again..." Isaac laughed more at this, but calmed himself to comfort his friend, "Aww c'mon, it's just me, I promise I won't tell anyone about Mr. Snugglebottom" he couldn't contain a small chuckle which let itself out of his mouth. "C'mon Twilight, Spike made breakfast downstairs, he's been calling you for a while.." said Isaac, finally, Twilight took off the blanket from her head, revealing a messy-maned, sleepy eyed lavender mare whose natural beauty could be compared to that of Fleur de Lis, Isaac was simply moved by the appearance of this wonderful mare, even at this state, she was really something to behold, her eyes were like rare gemstones you could find only once in a blue moon, her personality was one you would want your mate to have in a relationship minus the obsessiveness for perfection in almost everything she does, but besides that, she was kind, friendly, smart, thoughtful, considerate, caring, tenacious, the whole package. Twilight's beauty was really something, even if she was oblivious to this fact about herself, Isaac couldn't help himslef but stare and marvel at her. . "I guess I was just enjoying myself too much in Fluffleville" joked Twilight while letting out a giggle, "Tell him I'll be right there, I just have to freshen up." Isaac couldn't really hear what Twilight was saying, he could only make a few words, he only stared at Twilight. "Isaac? Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Twilight, waking Isaac from his daydream. "O-oh, sorry about that, I'll head downstairs and tell Spike your getting ready." "Okay then, I'll see you there." Isaac laughed awkwardly, "Y-yeah, I guess I will" Twilight proceeded to do her morning routine while Isaac walked downstairs, while still thinking about how Twilight looked and how he felt about it. All he could think of is that he is starting to feel something familiar for him, a feeling he once had, a feeling he was knew was so wrong, but felt so right. "But she's...so different..." The three ate breakfast quietly, Twilight was enjoying her hay sandwich, Spike was completely devouring the stack of pancakes which was taller than him, and Isaac was just gathering his thoughts on what would happen today while eating his own stack of pancakes, he thought that they weren't so bad, although he wouldn't mind for a little meat some time in the future in his meals. After breakfast, Spike took the plates to the kitchen and proceeded to clean the mess he made preparing breakfast. "So, should we go to Lyra's now, Isaac?" Twilight asked. "Yeah, okay..." replied Isaac "Don't worry Isaac...I'm sure she just over reacted..she'll forget about it sooner than you think" said Twilight while placing her hoof over Isaac's hand. "Thanks Twilight, let's get going then shall we?" he said while opening the door for the mare. "Quite a gentleman aren't we?" Twilight mused making the boy chuckle slightly. "Do you really think she'll take me back in Twilight? I-I mean, not that I enjoy being at your home, it's just that...I'm worried about her" said the boy while walking towards the home of his first friend here in this strange land, "I mean, Bon Bon won't be back until next month since she's visiting family, leaving Lyra all alone and with the current condition she's in..." Isaac stopped where he was and just felt really bad for some reason. Twilight can clearly see that Isaac was truly concerned for his friend, "he really isn't so bad, he clearly cares for Lyra, he's not a monster like the others in his race..." Twilight gave the boy a reassuring smile, "Hey, it's going to be alright, no need to get so down, Lyra's a reasonable mare and I'm sure she'll understand if we just sit down and talk about it." "I guess you're right, thanks again, for all this..." "That's what friends do" Twilight said while wearing a cheerful smile which Isaac thought was conatagious since he soon found himslef smiling in the same manner as she was. Knock knock knock.. "Lyraaa? It's Twilight!", no answer, she tried knocking a couple more times, still no answer, Isaac couldn't help but think about what happened in there, what if she passed out again and no one was there to help her? What if she hurt herself by trying to walk but she was still too tired and she fell over and hit her head? Images and scenarios of a hurt little, vulnerable mare flooded Isaac's mind, which drove him to look through the windows nervously to see if anypony was there. After a thorough inspection, they figured she must be out and about and just agreed to drob by later on in the day, if she was out, then she must be with somepony to help her get around if she was still not feeling well. The two walked home, only to find a mint-green mare standing in the front of the library's door, she quickly turned and greeted her friend, and Isaac, "Hey Twilight, Hello Isaac." her cold greeting to the boy hurt him a little, but was able to hide his hurt expression. "Hello Lyra, we were actually just by your house, we were hoping to talk to you for a little bit" said Twilight while opening the door to her home, "Please, come in." Lyra went ahead while Isaac was taking a while, thinking maybe he should just let Twilight do the talkimg and him to be out of sight, "Isaac? Aren't you coming?" asked Lyra, her sudden change of attitude towards the boy from cold to slightly less cold, reassured him and he let himself in. "So, Lyra, we need to talk about what happened last night between you two, I promised Isaac I would fix this so I will. You shouldn't have-" Twilight was cut off by Lyra raising her hoof, telling her to stop right there. "I knew what I did last night was wrong Twi, I'm sorry, and I'm sorry to you too Isaac" turning to face the boy, "I over reacted, I'm sure you're not as bad as other humans, you don't seem to be like them, and I just want to let you know that if you ever want to come back at my house, you're more than welcome." Isaac couldn't help but hug his friend suddenly which she didn't object to, but rather returned the hug as well, "I'm so glad to hear that Lyra, I've been so worried about you." After the hug ended, Isaac apologised for acting so impulsively which Lyra didn't really mind. "Well, I'm glad it all worked out, see Isaac? Told you it wouldn't be a problem." said Twilight. "You were right Twi, thanks" Isaac hugged the lavender mare tightly which she returned as well. Afterwards, Isaac and Lyra headed on home, and to their surprise, the sun was already setting, apparently they spent too much time chatting the whole day without realising what time it was. "So are you really aleight Lyra? I mean..you're not scared of me anymore? "Why would I be scared of a friend? I told you, I just over reacted, maybe it was just my sleep deprived state that made me act that way, sorry about that again." said the mare while rubbing her cheek against his side which surprised him "Y-yeah, don't worry about it anymore" he said, "Well, we're here" said the mare while magically opening the door for her "friend", "Do you want something to eat? Maybe some eggs?" asked the mare putting down her saddlebags and revealing a few eggs from within which made the boy surprised to say the least. "Would I??" exclaimed Isaac, unaware of the volume of his voice which made the mare jump back a bit, "S-sorry, it's just that I haven't had any food other than bread and pancakes, some proteins would really do me some good." Lyra giggled slightly and simply nodded, she proceeded to the kitchen only to be stopped by a hand on her shoulder, "You should rest Lyra, I'll cook those eggs, you don't need to waste your energy on me" Isaac simply commanded which Lyra complied to and headed for the couch while Isaac and got to work on the eggs "So I take it I'll be sleeping in the couch again?" asked Isaac, "Actually, do you mind if you sleep on my bed?" asked Lyra, "I-I mean, only to accompany me since you know, maybe I might need something and I'm too tired to get it." "O-oh, uhmm, okay..." said the boy, confused for a bit, but he simply shrugged it as he did find it reasonable to stay by the side of a mare who just got out of the clinic for passing out because of sleep deprivation. After eating his eggs and some bread, Lyra proceeded to her bedroom signaling Isaac to follow suit, "Well, this is my room, The bed's pretty big so I'm sure we'll both fit." her room was a simple one, a bed, a dresser and a small bookshelf for her books about a certain subject she was so obsessed about and her walls were painted cream colored. "Well, I'm going to go ahead and sleep." Lyra hopped onto her bed and made herself comfortable, she noticed Isaac was just standing at the end of the bed fidgeting, "You okay?" "Well umm, it's just...a-are you sure I can't just sleep on the couch? I-I mean, you just need to call and I'll be here r-right away to help you out." said Isaac, feeling uncomfortable of sharing a bed with his friend, Lyra was thinking of convincing Isaac to share the bed with her, but she soon thought that this plan had to be taken slowly, feelings don't just happen on a one-night stand anyway, so she figured she would just take this slowly but surely, "Well, alright, you can sleep there if you want, I guess you're right about that." she said while she sat up, "I guess I just felt kind of lonely since Bon isn't here right now." part of that was true as she looked on the frame beside her bed showing a photo of her and Bon Bon at their graduation, and she let out a depressed sigh. "You two are really good friends huh?" "Best friends, but it's just one month right?" "Right." "Well, I'm going to sleep now, just turn off the lights when you leave." she said while waving her hoof and afterwards let out a yawn and lied down on her bed. As she heard the flick of the switch, she assumed the boy had left already and was proceeding downstairs to the couch, until she felt someome take the place of the other side of the bed, she quickly turned and sure enough, it was Isaac. "I thought you were going to sleep on the couch?" she said, wondering on his actions. "Nobody deserves to be lonely, especially not my friends." he said while wearing what Lyra could make out as a friendly smile. "Thanks" Lyra said while snuggling close to Isaac which made the situation all the more uncomfortable for him, but he just shrugged it off, his friend needed someone to make her feel safe and sound and he was the only one to do that apparently. They both dozed off into a deep sleep and dreamed away. On the back of Lyra's mind, she was squeeling with glee as her plan was proceeding very niceley, he didn't hold any grudges against her and he was more than happy to mend things between them. Her plan was going to succeed, now if only she could make him have true feelings for her, her dream would finally come to frution and it aould be glorious. Things were going according to Lyra's liking, her mission was almost complete, and she slept like a filly thinking of how good things are turning out for her. A certain lavender mare however was having trouble sleeping, she kept on thinking about what had happened that afternoon, "If she was as errified as Isaac said, and she actually kicked him out...how could she possibly just forget about everything and accept him again in just a short amount of time? I know I said that to him, but...it just deosn't feel right...something about this seems off...and I'm going to find out what..." thought the mare until she finally felt her eyes getting heavy and she succumbed to her body's wish to get some rest. "Maybe I'll visit them tomorrow...or next week..." she said until finally closing her eyes to get some well deserved sleep. //-------------------------------------------------------// Feelings //-------------------------------------------------------// Feelings It was a cool morning in Ponyville, everypony was just waking up, minus of course The Apple Family who was working the fields earlier that morning already and the other storkeepers in Ponyville. Isaac stepped outside to take in the beautiful morning image in front of him, every pony was starting to go about their own day, some waving at him and giving a happy greeting. He was careful not to wake Lyra when he decided to go outside for a bit, it became a habit of his to wake up early and watch the morning go by. He went out and headed to his usual spot at the park, under a tree, with a soft patch of grass underneath him, he watched the magic of Celestia as it rose the sun. Completely baffled by the fact that their sun was raised by magic, but he just disregarded it and enjoyed the sunrise. "Good morning Isaac.." said a familiar voice from behind Isaac quickly turned and came face to face with Twilight, their faces only inches away, which made him jump and blush slightly, "O-oh, good morning to you too Twilight.." as he was hiding his blush. Twilight was holding back a giggle at the clumsy boy and just settled for a smile and sat near Isaac. "So, what are you doing out here? How's Lyra? Are you guys doing okay?" "I-I was just watching the sunrise, it's kind of a habit of mine..." "Oh? Well, that's nice...so why did it become a habit?" asked the curious mare, "Did you have like a job or something in your dimension?" "Not really, I don't really have anything to do in the morning, that's why I just come out and watch the beautiful sunrise, I just feel...at peace when I see it..." said the boy before letting out a deep breath. "S-so, uhh, what are you doing out so early? Heh, I figured with all that reading you do, you practically don't sleep anymore." he said while putting a cocky grin. Twilight simply giggled, "That's only when I'm hooked to a certain book, I have a regular sleeping schedule." Twilight was now finding something in her saddlebag, "I was actually on the way to Lyra's to give you this..." she floated a package from her saddlebag and gave it to Isaac. "A...present?" Isaac was looking at the box carefully and was figuring out what was inside. "Yeah, open it up" Twilight said, waiting for the boy's reaction with a big smile. "She looks so cute that way"Isaac thought, then quickly removing the wrapper and looked at the contents of the box, "Are these...clothes?" he took out one shirt, and sure enough, it was just his size. "I had my friend Rarity make them, she was more than glad to help.." "But, how did you know my-" "I measured you while you were sleeping at my house" Twilight chuckled nervously, "U-uhh, sorry.." she was thinking that Isaac might now look at her as a creepy mare for doing that, but those thoughts were soon dispelled when the boy hugged her tightly. "Thank you so much Twilight...you're the best.." "I'ts no problem at all, I'm more than happy to help out a friend.." she said while returning the hug as well, "This feels...nice..." she thought to herself, smiling, she was starting to like how Isaac's hugs felt so warm and caring, it reminded her of her big brother and her parents when they would do the same. After that, the two friends spent most of the morning just talking about science, math, magic, theories and ideas which made Twilight very intrigued, "So this...Lightsaber? It can really cut through anything? And the idea came from a movie?" Isaac simply nodded "Wow, your kind is amazing, to be able to think of such ideas to explore and make your world better!" Twilight exclaimed, not noticing her volume. Isaac just chuckled at the sight of her like that, she really was cute in her own way, so innocent yet knows so much about almost everything. 'What is this??' Isaac was doubting this feeling ever since that morning, but now he was sure. It hit him like a pie in the face, he was starting to like Twilight, a beautiful, intelligent mare who always looked out for the needs of her friends. Twilight just went on with her ramblings about her own theories which Isaac didn't really hear much, he was too lost in his thoughts to even let a sound invade his mind. He was just looking at Twilight and smiling like an idiot, until Twilight took notice of this and waved her hoof in front of Isaac. "Isaaaaac~, You there? she said jokingly, "Ponyville to Isaac? Helloooo?" Isaac snapped back into reality and was looking at Twilight who had a raised eyebrow, "Okay, that's the second time you did that...is something wrong Isaac? Are you worried about something? What's on your mind?" Isaac was still waking up from his little daydream. "N-no Twilight, I'm okay.." Twilight was doubting his answer, "Are you sure? do you want to talk about it?" "No no, I't alright Twilight, really..I'm fine..." Twilight was still worried for her friend, but they continued with their previous conversation, which she really enjoyed to have with anypony else other than the Princess. Nopony really wanted to stay or listen when she was talking about magic or science, but here was a human who was more than happy to listen to her theories and ideas which made her really happy, "I'll be sure to add 'Have a morning talk with Isaac' on my next checklist" she thought. After a few more minutes of talking and chatting and the occasional daydreaming for Isaac, he finally decided to go back to Lyra's house to check up on her, "H-hey, uhh, would you like to have some lunch tomorrow? I-uhh I have some free time and would really enjoy your company.." Twilight asked before leaving, nervous of what the boy's reply could be. "Sure thing Twilight, can Lyra come along? So I can still keep an eye on her.." Twilight nodded and with that they both went their seperate ways to do what they had planned for the morning, Twilight had some sorting to do and a few books to read while Isaac had to check up on Lyra if she was awake yet. When he arrived, his eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped, Lyra was lying on the floor at the end of the stairs with a few things scattered around her, he figured she must have been carrying them and might have slipped or her legs gave out again, he noticed that a thick fluid was running down her head to the floor, he quickly made his way to the injured mare and he carried her to the clinic once again. Lyra woke up on a white bed with a slight headache, she could've sworn she heard Isaac's voice while she was out and a mare she recognized as a nurse as she was trying to calm him down and that she will be alright. She had a bandage wrapped around her head, she just sighed and lied down again, "Guess I'm still not fit to use a lot of magic..." she then noticed a patch of black on her left side, sure enough, she stroked the hair of her rescuer. "I'm truly sorry for what I have to do to you Isaac, I really am.." Lyra was starting to feel doubt in her mission, she was thinking of just letting them be, but she knew what she had to do. She shook off the feeling of doubt and just focused on what she had to do, "I can't waver now, I have to do this" she thought to herself. After a few minutes of thinking, Isaac finally woke from his sleep, and noticed Lyra was awake which made him hug her suddenly, "I'm so glad you're awake Lyra!" he shouted making Lyra jump back a bit, "I-I thought you were gone, I'm so sorry for not being there, I promise I won't leave your side anymore..." Isaac was starting to tear up, "I'm so sorry I let this happen to you..." he said while a few of his tears dripped down to Lyra's shoulders. "It's okay Isaac, it's okay" she cooed while hugging him back and brushing her hoof on Isaac's hair, "I was just trying to see if I could use my magic again, and apparently I can't yet." she chuckled slightly, "Thanks Isaac, for helping me out and bringing me here again...you're a good friend." She meant every word of that, he was a good friend, a good human, "Sacrifices have to be made for a better future..." "The end will justify the means..." "One good soul does not mean every one of them is..." "They all deserve to die, for a better world..." these thoughts kept on repeating in Lyra's head as she was hugging Isaac. "Everything will be alright Isaac, I promise...everything will be okay..." she gave a light peck on Isaac's cheek making him blush a bit, she giggled at his shyness and awkwardness, "You're so cute when you turn red" she mused, making him blush even more as he didn't notice he was blushing, she just hugged Isaac again "Thanks again...", "He's starting to grow on me, I have to continue with my plans, no distractions, only the sacrifice needs to have feelings for the sorceress..." Isaac returned the hug, "I'll always help out a friend, guess I'll have to cancel that lunch with Twilight tomorrow." "Oh! You have lunch with Twilight tomorrow?" "Yeah, we talked a bit a while ago this morning and she asked if we could have lunch, she said it was okay if you came along.." "No no, you go...I'll be okay..." she said while she lied down, "You go have fun with Twilight.." she gave a fake smile, she was confused as to she was feeling, that alone time would give her more chances to finalize her thoughts and tie up the loose ends in her plan, but she was wishing the boy would just cancel his meeting with another mare and spend more time by her side, "What is this?? Why do I feel sad seeing him go? I don't like him, if anything, I hate him, he's a monster...just like the rest of his kind...but..." "I could just ask Twilight to come if she wants, that way we can all spend time together...will that be okay?" he said, snapping Lyra awake from her thoughts "Oh, uhh, sure...that would be great.." Isaac could sense something was wrong, he just couldn't put his finger on it, so he just nodded. "Do you uhh, wanna watch TV?" "Yeah, that would be nice.." they both relaxed themselves in front of the TV hanging from the wall in her room, Lyra lied on her bed while Isaac sat on the chair lazily, obviously wishing it was a reclining chair, "Do you wanna, maybe, lie down next to me?" Lyra asked, a slight blush showing accross her face, "I mean, if you want to, that chair doesn't look very comfortable.." she said while putting on a worried face. "Okay, but I don't think we'll fit..." "Let me try something..." Lyra said, then she stood up and motioned Isaac to lie down, she then proceeded to lie down on top of him as if he was just another cushion, she was surprised as to how comfortable she was lying down like that, Isaac seemed comfortable as well, "Heh, it worked" she whispered to herself, she snuggled herself on his chest on a position just right so she can still watch TV. "You okay Lyra?" "Just fine...just fine..." she trailed off until she fell asleep again, Isaac smiled at the mare lying on his chest, she was so cute that way, like a little plushie you would pretend to be alive when you were young. He hugged the sleeping mare, but lightly this time, so he wouldn't wake her and gave a small kiss on her forehead, "I'll protect you until you're in good shape again, I promise..." he said while getting ready to sleep himself, Lyra just groaned a little at that and moved herself up until her head was under Isaac's chin, he just smiled and went to sleep, but before he did, he reached info his pocket to get his pen and looked for some paper, luckily there were some near the bed, he wrote something on it and pushed the help button near the bed. After a short wait, a nurse arrived, surprised to see them like that but just shrugged and asked what he was called for, "Uhhh, can you send this note to Twilight Sparkle please? It's urgent.." he was exagerating, but he knew they had to take it seriously if he said that it was, and as he expected, the colt dashed outside the room and proceeded to the residence of Twilight. Across town, a purple mare was reading a good book until a knock came to her door, she quickly sat up from her seat and made her way downstairs, she was greeted by a breathless colt nurse that had a note in his mouth, "Miss Sparkle, your friend told me to give this to you, he said it was urgent." Twilight quickly took the note was nervous as to why it was urgent, she just chuckled slightly and smiled. She figured the same thing Isaac did, they wouldn't take it seriously if they didn't say it was urgent,"Thank you so much...this was urgent." she said while holding back a giggle. And with that, the colt left and Twilight just let the nkte rest on her table, Dear Twilight, Sorry, but can you come to the clinic instead tomorrow for lunch? If that's okay with you of course, Lyra had a little accident and she's gonna be here for a while... Your friend, Isaac "Lyra sure is visiting the clinic more often now, I wonder what I should bring?" she thought to herself, then proceeding into the kitchen to see what was there, "I'll just let Spike whip something up for tomorrow..." Twilight was hoping to spend some more time with just Isaac, but she figured it would be just as fun. She happily went to bed with a big smile om her face, looking forward to what the next day would bring, she really couldn't figure out what she was feeling about seeing the boy again, "He really is sweet, and a good friend...he likes the same stuff I do, and..." she didn't notice it until now that Isaac wasn't just thinking about something, she put two and two and two together and realized that he must have been just thinking of...her. "Noooo, that couldn't happen..." Twilight just shook the thought and proceeded to catch some Z's, "Right?" //-------------------------------------------------------// A Ray of Hope //-------------------------------------------------------// A Ray of Hope "Spiiiike! Are those sandwiches ready yet? I need to pick up my order from Sugarcube Corner right now!" yelled an impatient Twilight "It's almost done, don't get too excited Twilight, it's just lunch." said Spike with an annoyed expression on his face. Spike could never really hide the fact that he's annoyed with Twilight sometimes, what with all the clutter she makes after hours of research and all the chores he does for her. But Twilight's the only family he knows, and he can certainly manage that, but nopony said he can't be irritated by it. "Just sit down on the couch and I'll the ready in just a bit, okay Twi?" he said, returning to his work. Spike wasn't sure what to put on Isaac's sandwich since he wasn't really familiar with the boy, so he just put tohether what looked like a BLT sandwich, without the B. "Alright, her you go." he gave her the basket full of sandwiches and some fruits to Twilight, she inspected it and once again, her number one assistant didn't let her down when it came to preparing food. "They look delicious Spike, thanks!" she hugged him for a short while and walked out the door then proceeded to Sugarcube Corner where the cupcakes she ordered was waiting for her. Spike could only sigh as he sees that he has more chores to do in the library. "Wonder why Twilight's so excited today, it's just lunch...." he grabbed a broom and started sweeping the floor, "...Right?". "Well, it seems that you've regained your strength quite quickly miss Heartstrings." said the doctor while checking up on Lyra, "You must've had a good night sleep last night, I'll just have your paperwork done and you can leave anytime you want." "Thanks doctor, my friend really helped me out." she said while she looked at Isaac who was still asleep, beside her. "Alright then, be careful from now on miss Heartstrings okay? And you should really make a curfew for yourself, just to regulate your sleeping habits again." "I will doctor, thanks again" she said, the doctor proceeded out the door, "Hey, Isaac, wake up." Lyra tried shaking him to wake up but it proved to be fruitless, "Come on Isaaaaaac~" she tried speaking near one of his ears, it worked seeing that he shifted his position while Lyra was doing that. He was now facing her directly, and she spoke to his ear again. She did not anticipate what Isaac did next and was now trapped in his hug, she couldn't wiggle her way out of his rtight embrace or rather she didn't even try to get out of it, she didn't do anything and just hugged back. They stayed like that for quite some time until Isaac finally woke up with Lyra resting in his arms, she apparently drifted off to sleep after a few minutes. "Lyra? It's time to get up, it's almost noon." he said while gently shaking her. Lyra didn't show any signs of waking up, "C'mon Lyraaaa~" he said to one of her ears, and she finally woke up. "Good morning sleepy head." she said jn a sluggish tone "Says the one waking up at 12 in the afternoon." he said jokingly. "Hey, I woke up before you did and just took a quick nap" she protested "Riiiiight, sure you did." he said sarcastically. "I did! I even talked to the doctor while you were sleeping!" "Suuuure you did" Isaac was really starting to annoy Lyra, so she just crossed her forelegs and looked away from him. Isaac could only laugh at the mare for her attitude, "You really remind of someone I know back in our world.." Lyra looked back at him, curious of who he was talking about. "I do?" "Yeah, I used to tease her a lot and she would do the exact same thing you did just now." "Her? So it was a girl?" "Yeah, a friend of mine. Actually, a childhood friend of mine.." Isaac remembered his friends back at his own world, his family, and his love..or rather ex-love. "You really miss your home, huh?" she said as she grabbed Isaac's hand "Yeah, I'd do anything to go back." he said while grabbing her hoof as well, suddenly, an idea flashed inside Lyra's mind. "Anything?" she said coldly, Isaac took notice of her sudden change in tone. "Y-yeah, anything...why?" he was now curious of Lyra's response "What if I told you, I know a way for you to get back home? Something not even Twilight knows about." Isaac couldn't help but get excited at her statement, "You know how to take me back? Really??" he said while grabbing Lyra's shoulders and looking deeply into her eyes, which made her a bit uneasy, but she kept her cool attitude. If she wanted Isaac to get the message she intends for him to recieve, she would have to keep a calm expression "Yes, I just recently found a spell that involves humans and crossing to their world, but there is a condition." "Wait, maybe we should consult Twilight first, I mean she's researching as well for my sake, I wouldn't want all her hardwork to be put to waste" "We can't, this is a spell that was banned from Equestria, if Twilight were to find out, she would surely report me to Princess Celestia and who knows what whe might do to me...and you!" "Wait, if it was banned, then how do you know of it?" Isaac was starting to become suspicious of Lyra's suggestion. "I found it in the book Twilight gave me, apparently it was banned because they never really figured out what would happen if the spell was complete, but I do! I tried it out and it worked perfectly!" "How would you know if it worked?" "The pony, or in your case, person that will be transported to your world must have a certain connection to the caster, and if it works, the caster would feel a slight pain in their chest, siginifying that their heart was "broken" because that person is now forever gone" "And it happened to you?" he said, with a worried expression, "But who did you test it out on?" "It was my cat, Strings, sure enough I did feel my heart ache when she left" Lyra said, putting on a good show of being depressed of the loss of an imaginary pet. "I'm sorry about that." he said while proceeding to hug Lyra, which she returned as well. "It's okay, I really want you to go back to your own world and I am willing to sacrifice anything for that to happen." "You didn't have to do that Lyra, but thanks...you're a great friend" "So are you in?" she held out her hoof to shake. "I'm in" Isaac shaked Lyra's hoof, sealing his fate in her master plan. "Perfect, and not a word to Twilight, think of an excuse for her not to research anymore, okay?" "Okay, I'll do it at lunch later.." Lyra almost forgot that they were having lunch with Twilight today. "Oh, right...wonder when she's coming, I'm star- huh?" Lyra quickly turned to the door and she could have sworn she saw a purple flash from outside the door. "I think she's here, could you check out the door Isaac?" Isaac did as he was told and proceeded to the door only to find an empty hallway, "No one was there." "That's weird" Lyra thought, little did she know that Twilight was just there and heard their entire conversation, she teleported herself right at the entrance of the clinic which startled some ponies. "I wonder what spell Lyra's talking about, and I only gave her two books and I'm pretty sure only one of them was a spell book" she thought about it for a moment and tried to remember what were the books she lended to Lyra while walking towards her room as if she was just arriving, and as she was just about to grab the handle with her magic, she suddenly remembered what Lyra was talking about, "This can't be good..." she opened the door to Lyra's room and she was greeted with smiles and friendly greetings, but she couldn't help but feel uneasy. Whatever Lyra found in that book was bad news and she has to talk her out of it before anypony and anybody gets hurt. "I need to hava a little chat with Lyra later..." //-------------------------------------------------------// Desires //-------------------------------------------------------// Desires Everypony was going about their day as usual in Ponyville, some were at the market, others in their homes, some at Sugar Cube Corner for some sweets to get through the day, and others going to Carousel Boutique to get some measurements for some new clothing. Everypony was doing great, well...maybe not everypony. "These sandwiches are amazing." Isaac said as he took his last bite from the meal Spike prepared for their lunch that afternoon at the hospital. "I'm sure Spike would really appreciate that compliment Isaac" Twilight said as she started cleaning up and gathering what they used. "Thanks again for the lunch Twi." Lyra said as she lied down on her bed, "No problem Lyra." she said as she levitated her basket on the table. "I need a diversion for Isaac...I really don't want him to hear any of this..." Twilight thought. "I got it", Twilight took her basket and looked inside, "Oh no" "What's wrong Twilight?" asked Isaac "I forgot our dessert, I was sure I put it in here.." "Well, maybe I can go get it" Isaac volunteered "Really? I would hate to be a bother.." "It's no problem, besides, I actually want to ask Spike about those sandwiches he made" "Alright then" with a nod, Isaac got out of the room and made his way towards the library. "That'll keep him out for a while..." she thought. "So what's the desse-" "I know what you're up to Lyra..." Twilight suddenly said with a worried look on her face, "I can tell you right now, that what you're trying to get from him, will not end well for you." Lyra quickly responded with a lie, "I don't know what you're talking about Twilight" she mused. "You know very well what I'm talking about...", Twilight said now with an annoyed look, "Don't lie to me, you're planning on sacrficing Isaac with that spell you found on that book!" Lyra, who kept a cool face, was obviously intimidated by Twilight, and for good reasons. She was a student of the Princess, a bearer of an Element of Harmony, the most elusive one in fact, and was an incredibly potent unicorn. However, her heart would not be swayed, she was set on getting rid of all the scary humans so nopony will ever be hurt by them. "I'm trying to help everypony Twilight...humans are not what I thought they were, they're monsters Twi! Monsters who will only hurt for their pleasure! I'm gonna get rid of all of them and do a great service to everypony!" Twilight was horrified at what she heard and retaliated, "What about Isaac? Does he seem like a monster to you? A bloodthirsty animal searching for its next prey? Is that what he looks like to you??" Twilight reasoned "No, he doesn't...he's a sweet boy...it's a real shame for him to go, but, one life does not equal to millions of potential deaths from the hands of his kind, you've read that book too, right? Can you not see that they are just violent bipedals who crave for violence and war?" Lyra responded. "No, that's not what I see...I see a great civilization where he's from, a kind that has advanced so much in technology and science, a great civilization with tons of potential to do good for everypony." Twilight walked closer to Lyra and looked her straight in the eyes, "Please Lyra, I beg of you, as a friend...please don't go through with this...no good will come from this" Lyra leaned closer to Twilight and whispered in her earnwith a wide grin, "I will never stop, I will go through with this and end humanity..." Twilight's eyes widened as she heard her intents and took a few steps back from somepony she used to see as a friend, but is now a fiend to her eyes. "The Princesses will never let this happen, they'll stop you...I wish it didn't have to come to this, but I'm going to have to report you to the Princes-" Twilight was cut off as Lyra started laughing. Twilight just stood there, like a bird about to get hit by a spell that would turn it into an orange. "Do you really think I'm that ignorant Twilight? Of course I took precautions just in case you or somepony else caught me and reported me." Lyra as she stopped laughing. "What do you mean 'precautions'? Twilight asked, dumbfounded by the confidence Lyra had with her failsafe. "I mean, I'm not afraid of any of you, I just learned a spell that would erase the memory of anypony from the last 12 hours...pretty convenient right? I get to do whatever I want and just zap anypony who saw me and walk away like nothing happened" Lyra said as she got up from her bed and her horn lit up. Twilight made a defensive stance and prepared for the spell with a counter, "You won't get me that easily, we both know very well that our levels in magic are too far apart..." she said as her born lit up as well. "That may be true, but levels aren't everything..." Lyra said as her horn glowed brighter from charging up a spell. "I will succeed with my plans and nopony will stop me." "No, you won't...I'll stop you, I won't let you lay a hoof on Isaac..." Twilight said as her horn glowed brighter as well. Both mares stared at each other for a certain amount of time, until Lyra stood up on her hindlegs as she aimed her horn at Twilight, immediately, Twilight set a magic barrier in front of her, but to her surprise, Lyra actaully did a teleportation spell to where Twilight was most vulnerable and couldn't have enough time to defend, she turned around to make another barrier but to no avail, Lyra tackled her and pinned her to the ground. Lyra was surprisingly strong for a mare and had no problem making Twilight stay put on the ground. She quickly cast a nullifying spell on Twilight's horn rendering her from using any sort of magic. "For a know-it-all Twilight, that sure was dumb of you, not guarding your rear for possible attacks.." Lyra said as she charged her spell, "Nopony will stop me from getting rid of humans...nopony...", Lyra aimed her horn which was now glowing brighter at Twilight's forehead. "Please! Don't do this Lyra! No good can come from this!" Twilight begged with tears in her eyes, "Isaac is a good human, he doesn't deserve this! He's a kind and sweet boy who shouldn't be used for this crazy cause! Please stop this pointless pursuit Lyra, just leave him be and I'll send him back safe and sound...I know that's what you want for him as well..." Twilight pleaded, Lyra thought about what Twilight said and she was right. "I do want that...I want him to be happy, I care for him. He's a kind and interesting human indeed...but..." Lyra now looked Twilight straight at the eyes, "He's mine now! I know he will appreciate what I'm doing and I'm sure he would gladly sacrifice himself for everypony and do a great service to our dimension...he's mine Twilight, all mine..." Lyra cast the spell on Twilight, and just like that, all of what just happend faded away from Twilight's mind like nothing even happened. "Nopony will stop me, not even our so-called 'Princesses' will make me cease with my plan...humanity will end, once I get everything ready...it will all end..." Later that afternoon... "Twilight? Twilight? Are you alright?" said Isaac as he shaked her awake, Twilight woke up with a splitting headache. "W-what happened?" she asked to anyone around her. "You suddenly fainted while we were talking Twilight, I don't really know why.." Lyra said with a friendly smile, Twilight quickly realized they were no longer in the hospital. "W-where are we?" "At my house, the doctor said it was alright and I could go home, they gave us some medicine for you as well when you got up, here" Lyra levitated some pills for Twilight to help with her headache. "Thanks Lyra, maybe I'm just tired from all the late night reading..." she said as she took the pills. "Um, Twilight?" Isaac asked. "Yes?" "I actually needed to ask you about my trip to my dimension.." "What is it?" "I don't really need you to make one anymore, I've decided to stay here instead...I like it better here and I want to spend more time with you and your friends, and Lyra of course" he said with a cheerful smile. "A-are you sure? I mean, I'm sure all your loved ones are worried sick about you..." "I, actually have no family there anymore...they all died in an accident..." Twilight was shocked at what she just heard, "I-I'm sorry for bringing that up..." she said while she got closer to Isaac to comfort him. Even Lyra was shocked at he just said, which made her wonder, "Why do you still want to go back then?". "It's alright, I still remember them and my memories of our times together make me feel like they're still with me wherever I go..." Twilight then hugged Isaac which he returned, Lyra joined as well to comfort her troubled human. "Well, it's getting late, I should get going...Spike must be looking for me by now." Twilight said as she headed out the door. "Alright then Twi, I'll see you around." Lyra said as she walked beside her to get the door. "Good evening Twilight, be careful, alright?" Isaac said as Twilight walked out the door. "Oh, since you're staying here Isaac, I might as well prepare an audience with Princess Celestia for you to welcome you as a new citizen in Equestria." "Thanks Twilight, I'd like that" Isaac said aith a smile, "I'll stop by whenever I'm bored, maybe we can talk more about sciency things" "Sure thing! I think Spike is starting to get annoyed with me talking about all that anyway..." "I'll see you tomorrow then..." "Sure, it's a date" Twilight didn't realize what she just said, and just blushed all of a sudden. "Uhh, you alright Twilight? You're looking a little...blushy...", Lyra pointed out with a mocking tone, which caused Twilight to just babble the rest of what she wanted to say. "OkayI'llseeyoutomorrowhavegoodnightBye!" she said as she tucked tail and ran to who knows where. "What was that about?" Isaac wondered "I don't know, maybe she just remembered something she had to do, we should go to bed now, where do you want to sleep?" Lyra asked Isaac as she headed towards the stairs. "Maybe the couch, I'm kinda getting used to cramp spaces." Isaac joked "Well, my bed's pretty big...and it's kind of lonely...maybe you could sleep there?" "A-alright then" Isaac said as he followed Lyra to her room. They lied down seperately at first, but after a while, Lyra got closer to Isaac, "C-can I sleep on you like when we were at the hospital? I really had a good sleep that time" Lyra asked. "Sure, come here.." Isaac said as he carried her onto his chest, just like last time, "Better?" "Definitely, I'm starting to really like sleeping like this...thanks for being here Isaac" Lyra said as she closed her eyes. "No problem Lyra, anything for a friend" he said as he went to sleep. When Isaac was already asleep, Lyra looked at Isaac and smiled, "Nopony else can have you...you're mine my dear human...all mine..." she said as she left a small peck on his forehead.