//------------------------------// // Part 4 - The Tale of Lyra // Story: Tales from the Background // by Don Quixote //------------------------------// The concert was pretty wild, wasn’t it? I mean, even without the fire, it was a crazy night! Seriously, Twilight, so much random, epic stuff has happened in Ponyville since you arrived to run the library. This town was really quiet and peaceful before you came. Maybe you’re like, cursed or something! Apart from playing my harp early in the program, I didn’t have much to do with the concert. But there’s one pony who might have some answers for you. He calls himself “the Doctor,” though he’s not very professional. When you hear “the Doctor,” you expect a certain kind of pony—somepony who’s like, formal and dignified and stuff. The Doctor is really laid back. He doesn’t even wear a tie. I met him the morning before the concert. He was standing beside Sugarcube Corner and looking up at the sky with a frown, which was odd because the weather was like, totally nice. Birds singing, bees buzzing, flowers being beautiful—like, everything was fabulous. The morning even smelled good. I think Pinkie Pie was baking cupcakes. The neighborhood smelled like chocolate and looked lovely, so I assumed the pony beside Sugarcube Corner was soaking in the ambiance. (I think ambiance is the word I’m looking for. It’s either that or suavity.) “Good day,” he said as I passed him. “I’m looking for a box.” “A box?” I replied. “Like, what kind of box?” “A wooden crate with the letters DIN on its side. It’s very, very important that I find it. I’ve been following it all over Equestria, in fact. I tracked the box as far as the local post office, but that’s where its trail ends. I can’t tell you how desperate I am to find the blighted thing.” “Sorry, bro,” I said. “I haven’t seen any kind of box today.” “Please, call me the Doctor,” he replied, nodding politely. “I’ll be flitting around Ponyville today. Do let me know if you hear anything, will you?” “You got it,” I said, wishing I had thumbs. It’s like, really hard to give a thumbs-up with hooves. I added, “My name’s Lyra, by the way.” “Charmed. I see the mark on your flank—” “You mean my Cutie Mark?” I said, pointing. “Ah, that’s the one. It seems to be a harp.” “That’s right. I’m a harpist. It’s like, what I do.” The Doctor cleared his throat, looked away, fidgeted and then looked back at my Cutie Mark. “Something wrong?” I asked. “Pardon my presumption,” he said, smiling apologetically, “but I must ask. How do you play the harp with hooves? Hooves hardly seem suited to that kind of instrument.” “I practice a lot,” I said, shrugging. “Hands would sure be a nice thing to have. Humans are so lucky. At least, they would be if they weren’t like, mythological.” The Doctor raised an eyebrow. “Mythological? Are you sure?” “What do you mean?” I asked. “Don’t tell me you’ve seen humans before?” The Doctor seemed to think about his answer. “I’ll strike a bargain with you, Ms. Lyra.” I giggled. “Just ‘Lyra’ is fine, Doctor.” “I need a companion, Lyra, to help me find the missing box. Help me, and I’ll tell you everything I know about humans.” “Let’s find us a box!” I exclaimed. “The lost and found department at the police station is a good place to start. It’s like, just down the street. Can we wait for cupcakes first? They smell like, totally delicious.” The Doctor trotted away. “We’re on a tight schedule, I’m afraid,” he called over his shoulder. “Coming, Lyra?” I caught up and walked alongside him. “Now for my questions,” I said. “Here’s the first. Why do humans wear clothes?” “Modesty, decency, comfort and self-respect,” he replied. “Next question.” I questioned the Doctor all morning. He answered cheerfully, though I could see him becoming discouraged as the hours ticked away. We looked everywhere. The sun slowly crossed the sky and shadows lengthened across the streets. As shoppers finished their errands and went home, the crowds thinned and eventually disappeared. The box refused to be found. “Like, what’s in the box we’re looking for?” I asked. “A bomb,” said the Doctor. “A what?” “A device that explodes.” I laughed. “Like those things they hand out at parties that go ‘Pop!’ when you pull the string?” “You’ve the general idea of the thing,” said the Doctor, frowning. “But you need to multiply by a factor of, oh, several trillion, and add quite a lot of fire, and some radiation.” “So it’s a big firework,” I said. “Sounds cool. Why do you need it?” The Doctor sighed, and I stopped asking questions. We walked in silence for a minute, and then I saw a friend of mine across the street. “Hey Colgate!” I said. “I’ve got like, a super-duper-important question for you.” “What’s that?” “We’re looking for a box. It’s wooden and has DIN on its side.” “That’s eerie,” said Colgate, looking a little spooked. “I saw a box like that just this morning.” The Doctor reacted as though somepony had prodded him with a bolt of lightning. “Where?” he shouted. “In heaven’s name, where?” “The storage room of town hall,” said Colgate. “You know, the building where tonight’s concert will be held.” At that moment, the Doctor did something really strange. He laughed. “Dash it all, that’s perfect! I couldn’t have planned it better myself. Thank you, Ms. Colgate.” As Colgate strolled away, the Doctor turned to me and grinned. “Well, that’s that. Now I just need to check on tonight’s performers.” “I’m performing tonight,” I said proudly. The Doctor looked away and coughed once or twice. “Ah, yes. I’m sure you’ll do splendidly, Lyra, but the musicians whom I need to see are none other than Ms. Octavia and Ms. Scratch. It’s imperative that their instruments are in working order, and I must tell them to perform a duet tonight. Where is their house?” “The mansion at the end of Oat Avenue,” I told him. “Rose bushes and tons of ivy. You can’t miss it.” “Many thanks,” he said, smiling. “Now if you’ll pardon me, Lyra, I must be going. I’ve a world to save—three-quarters of it, at any rate.” He walked away, humming to himself. You know the rest, Twilight. The concert was a huge success. We raised lots of money for that orphanage in Canterlot, and Princess Celestia loved the show. Octavia and Vinyl Scratch put on a rocking performance right at the end. After the concert, the audience left town hall to see smoke pouring out of the upper windows. The building burned down quickly. Nopony was hurt, but it was still like, really tragic. I guess the box the Doctor was looking for burned up in the fire. I didn’t hear any explosions, though, so I guess the firework bomb thingy was a dud. I wonder how he knew so much about humans, and I wish I knew what he meant by “I’ve a world to save.” He wasn’t talking about Equestria, was he? It’s too bad, because it would have been like, totally cool if he’d really saved the world. But that’s just silly. That’s all I’ve got, Twilight. I hope it helps!