//------------------------------// // 17. Blue // Story: Gifts and Curses // by flamevulture17 //------------------------------// [Chapter 17] Blue Lyra trotted along the cobblestone path that lead to her house. Her thoughts and feelings about everything said to her in the past few hours could not account for the things she's done to try and prove it true. A part of her hoped that it was true, but another part of her was scared of the very idea. The idea that, all this time, she's been half... human? There was no way that can be right. However, the more she thought about it, the better she felt. But it came with a price. If it were true, then she'd have to make a choice between ignoring the facts and living her normal life, or face reality and discover her real self. Sooner of later she'd have to tell Bon-bon, she just didn't know how or what reaction would follow. A couple more houses and Lyra was home. She hoped that Bon-bon would understand after having the honor of talking with Princess Luna about... her. She still wondered why Luna wanted to know more about her. Lyra couldn't hazard a guess as to what was so important that made Luna so curious about her since the moment she stepped hoof in the Mysterious Magic wing of the castle. Before Lyra could stroll up to her front door, she heard a familiar crackling sound dangerously close that it seemed right in her ear. She whizzed her head around her immediate surroundings, but was too slow to react when a sudden burst of magic shined right in front of her face and she made out a blue blob before being struck by said blob. “Oof!” Like a buck to the stomach, Lyra was knocked clean off her hooves and onto the ground. The same occurred with the pony who hit her. They weren't thrown across a distance, but merely knocked over. Lyra rubbed her head in slight pain, “Ow, what the hay?” “Ughhhh...” Lyra shot her head to her left where the other a stallion lay in a similar fashion. His groan sounded more uneasy than a moan in pain. The very sight of him struck her as odd, but could quite put her hoof on it. He wore some kind of strange garment, covering the majority of his body all the way down to his tail. They practically shared the same coat color, but his hair was different with a darker shade of blue. She didn't think too much of his other qualities. Her next reaction was to demand a sincere apology for running into her like that, but was well enough not to get angry about it. For all she knew, it was accident and both of them weren't expecting it. The stallion stopped voicing his pain of periodic whimpers and averted to loud breathing. He was on his back with his eyes shut, his head towards the sky. He made a series of expressions for which Lyra couldn't read. - - - Andrew hated everything about the whole teleporting thing without warning, but this time, he expected it to happen. The only thing he was worried about was where he'd end up; inside a wall, in the middle of a desert, or in outer space. Fortunately, he didn't appear in any of those places, as far as he could tell. It felt like he hit someone square in the face. It didn't sound pretty. He may have already made an enemy. People can get into a nasty fight when stuff like this happens. Way to hurt innocent civilians ya klutz, yelled his conscience. Once on the ground, Andrew could feel the warmth of the afternoon sun beating down on his face as he laid on his back. However, he felt cold shiver. He felt no time delay or blackout as he teleported, nor was he violently thrown across a distance like last time. His situation escalated, going from the bad to worse. He was scared out of his mind for two extremely unsettling reasons. First, a very important pony happens to wind up at the same place he was, suspecting that that princess knew of his location. Second, he expected getting a fistful of retaliation from the person he hit. He lay perfectly still, wondering how much worse can things get. He waited for the other person to make the first move. He didn't have to wait long when two light taps touched his horn. He cringed. “Please don't kill me!” “What!?” said a noticeably female voice. “Why in Equestria would I do that?” Andrew's eyes shot open and, with a sharp focus, found large yellow eyes staring down at him. “Whoa!” he instinctively shouted, flipping over and crawling away from the prying yellow eyes. Andrew got to his feet, keeping his head down. “My bad!” “Hey don't worry-” “It's just that I don't know why that happens. I have no control over it.” “Please, just-” “I can't help it, just stupid of me. I just don't know what went-” “HEY!” Andrew stopped babbling and angled his head up to find a unicorn looking at him curiously. No hint of anger was found. She appeared calm, collected, and innocent rather than enraged and hostile. She had similar color fur that he did, but the hair was different. Her eyes were almost exactly the same as his. He noticed a miniature golden harp tattooed on her hip, something that every one of these ponies seemed to have, except for the little ones. She smiled, watching him observe her. “It's quite alright mister. It happens to me too.” Andrew hesitated to answer, returning a weak smile. “Uh, really? Hehe, okay. It's still my fault though, sorry.” “Apology accepted.” Andrew's eyes wandered off to one side to scan his surroundings. This part of the town was unfamiliar to him, assuming he was in the same town. He motioned his body three hundred sixty degrees clockwise, twirling around a full circle before returning to face the pony. “You lost?” she asked. “Maybe a little.” “Don't you live around here?” Andrew wanted to answer, but his situation getting a little out of hand. Everything he does seems to just bring up another problem to add on his towering list of problems. Maybe it was just him, but it was too much for one person. Andrew sighed. “I-” *creeeak* Before Andrew could say another word, the door of the nearest house behind the green unicorn suddenly opened, startling them both. What an excellent way to postpone a confession to a complete stranger. A beige colored pony with dark blue and pink hair stepped out from inside the house. “Lyra?” she said. “You back already?” The mint green unicorn turned around to greet the resident. With her back to his, Andrew took the opportunity to sneak away from them and avoid any more trouble. He began to back away slowly. “Hey Bon-bon. I was just talking to somepony.” The homeowner leaned to one side to find a certain strange pony trying to leave. Her eyes widened. “Him?” Andrew froze before he could step any further when the pony took acknowledgment of his presence. “Yeah.” Lyra noticed her friend's reaction. “What? You've met him before?” “No-... it's just I was gonna... I mean I saw him... I mean he's a... and you are...” “What are you talking about?” Bon-bon shook her head. “Never mind. Say, why don't you invite him in? He seems like a nice pony, with his outfit and all.” “I don't know, Bon-bon, I mean he-” “Sounds great!” Andrew uttered, trotting up to Lyra's side. When the ponies were talking, he wondered what he'd have to do to face the princess figure back at the sweet shop. The moment that thought rolled into his head, he quickly changed his mind. He wasn't ready to give himself up to authority just yet. “Can I chill with you guys for a minute? Maybe even get to know each other, eh?” Andrew was reluctant to talk to more ponies than he had to, but he'd have to convince them that he is not what he appeared to be. For all he knew, their princess decreed a search for him, getting all the townsfolk eyes out for him. He was afraid that these ponies would report him. Bon-bon smiled. She was thrilled to finally meet him after sighting him with her friends earlier in town following three fillies with her friend. Junebug seemed fazed by his physical appearance, but Bon-bon was quite the opposite. She tried asking everypony who he was, but were unable to answer, having never seen him before. “Well then, come on in.” Bon-bon gestured a hoof for him to enter. “Wha- hey wait a minute,” Lyra contested, stopping Andrew before he could walk through the doorway. “I didn't come here to chat. I just came to get a few things and leave. I'm really short on time.” “And why is that?” Bon-bon asked with a show of annoyance. “I... can't say.” Lyra looked away for a second. “Come on now, you can tell me anything.” “I really shouldn't.” “Really? Because I'm sure Princess Luna would love to know.” Andrew stared nervously at the arguing pair. He slumped his head beneath his shoulders and involuntarily folded his ears. Lyra did the same, but was far less anxious than Andrew. She remembered Pinkie saying something about Princess Luna visiting her own home while in Ponyville earlier that day. At the time, she was caught by surprise the way Pinkie put it, but hearing it a second time only reminded her. “She knows all about it.” “She does?” Lyra nodded. “Oh... well okay then.” Bon-bon was not expecting her threat to be useless. “Sorry, Bon-bon, but I really don't have much time. I have to return to Sugarcube Corner. When I get this sorted out, I promise I'll tell you everything.” Andrew shifted his head to his left. “Did you say Sugarcube Corner?” he asked. Lyra faced the stallion, “Yeah. Something wrong?” “No no, nothing's wrong. Everything's fine. I was on my way there, too, actually. I guess I can wait for you.” As much as Andrew wanted to shy away from that place, his little 'stuck-in-the-body-of-a-small-unicorn-in-a-colorful-dream-like-world-populated-by-strange-sentient-ponies' situation wasn't improving even the slightest. He'd have to stop thinking so negatively and start considering an understanding with these ponies so he can go home. He could care less how long it would take, only the possibility of getting home was good enough for him. Besides, he couldn't trust the foreign ponies with his bag of personal things he left behind. However, that overall trust was slowly degrading. Lyra rose an eyebrow. “Alright then, I'll go get my things.” With that, Lyra bolted in the house and ran up the staircase on the opposite side of the main room. Andrew watched her disappear to the second floor. Bon-bon stood silent for a moment and Andrew stood humming to himself to pass the time. “Would you like to wait for her inside?” “Yes!” he instantly responded, almost interrupting, and jumped inside. Although it was considered a rude act, Andrew did not think of it that way. As Andrew set a hoof inside, he eyes were drawn to the features, decorations, and architecture of the room. It was his first good look of the inside one of the houses he's seen all over town. Nothing too fancy nor dull. It seemed just like any normal suburban home, unlike the exterior, which had that old European village look to it. His own family's house was about the same level of sophistication; modern, middle-class, and messy. The mare shut the door and led the stallion over to a large maroon sofa. Andrew sat down in the position he knew for the majority of his life. Princess Luna and Twilight Sparkle found it odd to find Sugarcube Corner void of any ponies. Once they entered the shop, neither of the Cakes came to greet their new arrivals. Although, Twilight did recall Pinkie mentioning something about the Cake's frequent errands they ran on the weekend without any particular routine. They sorta just left at random times. She was certain the place was still open, otherwise there would be a CLOSED sign out front and the door locked. The two of them walked up to the front counter and rung the bell. They stood quietly for several seconds until they heard a pair of hoofsteps echo from the stairway in front of them. Two ponies trotted towards Luna and Twilight. They reached the bottom of the stairs and bowed at the sight of Princess Luna. “H- howdy Twilight,” said Applejack nervously, then looked at Luna. “Princess.” “Uh, hi Applejack,” said Twilight. Her eyes leaped back and forth between her orange friend and her brother, Big Mac. “Well this is rather unexpected. We visited the hospital, but the nurse told us you had left.” “Oh... yeah. Well, I- er... see we-” “Hi Twilight!” With a stroke of luck, Pinkie Pie suddenly popped her head up from below the counter, saving Applejack the trouble of explaining herself as honest as possible. The party pony leaped over the counter and landed next to her surprised friend. “Pinkie!” exclaimed Twilight, dumbfound and confused. “What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Canterlot with Spike. Did you leave him behind!?” “I was, but I'm here now. Spike is fine, he's with Princess Celestia. OH, but Twilight, you wouldn't believe-” “Now hold on just a second there Pinkie Pie,” Applejack interrupted. “Y'all went to Canterlot and back? Today!?” “So did Twilight.” Applejack blinked her eyes rapidly as her mind was assaulted with a range of confusing related thoughts. Even before Andrew's appearance at the farm, her day has been nothing but stressful. But when Andrew came along and altered her daily deeds, she tried her best to suppress the strain of dealing with what followed that began to build up afterward. So far, she had done a fair job with balancing everything that piled itself around her. Her brain was working overtime. Applejack took a deep breath. “Is there anythin' else ah don't know that y'all ain't tellin' me, huh?” she asked softly, staring directly into Pinkie's blue eyes. Her generalized question reached a level of concern within the farm pony. … “Celestia's chamber caught fire.” All four ponies, including Twilight, immediately shot their heads at Luna with eyes wide and mouths hung open. They looked at her with horror from what the Princess just said. “What!?” Twilight screamed. Luna glared back at each of them, deviously grinned and then chuckled. Each of the ponies' expressions changed from genuinely shocked to largely confused. “Hehe, I'm only joking.” “Luna!” Twilight voiced her disapproval, sighing with relief. “Sorry, I couldn't resist. But you gotta admit, Twilight, the look on your face was priceless.” Luna paused to elicit a reaction from the purple mare. She found that Twilight's eyes shrunk to tiny dots. Unsuspecting to Luna, Twilight was haunted by a certain draconequus who said something similar to her friends. “Seriously though, my sister's room did not light up, but it almost did. I can save that story for later.” Twilight rolled her eyes, locked her angry thoughts in the dark part of her mind, and turned to Applejack again. “I guess finding you here changes everything. Look, we know you helped somepony from Sweet Apple-” Before Twilight could finish, Applejack quickly bolted out of sight, disappearing up the staircase faster than Rainbow Dash. Big Mac seemed just as nervous as his sister, but froze instead of running away. Twilight and Luna looked at each other. “What I say?” “Oh Twilight,” Pinkie laughed. “She's just a little-miss-shy-pants with Princess Luna here.” “I'm not sure that's the reason,” said Luna. “I believe she's afraid she might be in trouble.” “Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed. “Well I can assure you, nopony has done anything wrong. Quite the opposite really. We're just wondering where we could find this pony.” “Who? Andrew?” Pinkie asked. “Oh! Are you here to give him the most super special welcome to Ponyville party!?” “Not really, Pinkie,” said Twilight. “We just want to meet him.” After a few moments, Twilight finally realized why Applejack ran away so quickly. She leaned her head in at Pinkie, “Wait, is he HERE!? It she hiding him somewhere? Where is he!?” “Now slow down there, Miss Twilight,” said Big Mac. “Mah sister ain't hidin' nopony. That young feller yer lookin' for ain't here no more. He used one of them spells.” “When?” Luna said. “A minute ago.” As soon as Big Mac replied, Luna looked up and let out a snort of irritation, but didn't want anypony to know. However, she did a poor job of hiding it. Big Mac took notice and felt concerned. “Y'alright there, Princess?” Luna took a deep breath to clear anything thoughts she had that made her feel down. “I'm fine,” she replied. “I've just had a long day, that's all.” “Right. Well, we can take y’all to mah sister upstairs.” He paused and faced a silent Pinkie. “Lead the way partner.” Big Mac was respectful enough to let Pinkie Pie be the one they follow since she it was her establishment. Without hesitation, the pink pony sprung to action. “Okie doki! Follow me!” Princess Luna and Twilight followed Pinkie as she flawlessly bounced her way up the steps, trailed by Big Mac at the rear. Luna had almost completely forgotten their original purpose to snack on the best sweets in all of Equestria, but the fact she found Applejack and Pinkie Pie had changed things significantly. Twilight thought the same, but did so with a barrage of more questions flowing through her mind. No longer were they hungry for sweets, but hungry for answers. They slowed to a stop as they stood before Pinkie's bedroom door and waited a couple seconds before entering. - - - Applebloom tried to get her sister to tell her what the matter was, but was ignored. Applejack paced back and forth around Pinkie's room. The yellow filly could only stand by and wonder if it was weariness, distress, fear, or all three. Maybe she was in trouble, maybe she was just scared. Applebloon rarely saw her sister exhibit both. As for Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, they were busy too looking through the gray bag that was left behind. They found a bunch of objects they have never seen before and couldn't figure out what they were, save for the sunglasses and hat, which Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were wearing respectively. Fluttershy watched the two fillies as they fiddled with a strange silver cylinder, mesmerized by its shininess. Applejack stopped pacing when a sudden sound from the bedroom door rattled, grabbing each pony's attention as their eyes converged at the door. Pinkie Pie was followed by Twilight Sparkle, Princess Luna, and then Big Mac. The Crusaders learned to bow in respect while Fluttershy and Applejack stayed still and uneasy. Twilight trotted further in the room in surprise of finding all Cutie Mark Crusaders members present. “Hi Twilight!” said Sweetie Belle. “You're all here, too?” Twilight asked, noticing the hat on top of Sweetie Belle's head. “We was helpin' out a nice pony,” Applebloom replied. “Yeah, he was really stra- … I mean... an oddly dressed stallion.” Scootaloo managed a small grin after correcting herself. This caught Twilight's attention more than it did Luna's. “What happened to him?” she asked. “Do you know where he went?” Twilight couldn't help herself but be impatient. She turned to Applejack, whom had a frightened expression on her face. The farm pony kept an eye on Luna for she was not yet liberated of her fears. Before any of the young fillies could answer Twilight's question, Luna stepped forward to address her position. “Please, Twilight, let us not get carried away. I understand how close we've come, but this is not the end.” She then faced the apprehensive orange mare. “Miss Applejack, there's no need to be afraid. I promise, you have done nothing wrong, therefore you are not in trouble in any way.” As soon as Luna uttered those words, Applejack voiced an audible sigh of relief. “Finding you here was simply a coincidence, so now we ask you to help us find this... stallion, who I assume you've all met? We could start by knowing more about this fellow.” Luna twirled a hoof in the air as she had a vague idea what she pictured the stallion looked like. “Well shucks, ah was hopin' y’all could tell me what's goin' on.” Applejack walked over to Pinkie's empty bed. “Ah have been stressin' mah hooves all day. What do ya want to know?” “Applejack,” Twilight began. “We need you to tell us everything.” Approaching close to five o'clock in the afternoon, Lyra spent more time away than she promised. She was running around in her room frantically trying to find her second set of notes. She looked everywhere: on her personal desk, in the bookshelf, under the bed, in the closet, and through her personal items scattered across the room. The more places she failed to find it, the more annoyed she got at herself for misplacing her second notebook full of notes and sketches relating to the human subject. She had already gathered the few books, but that notebook was the key piece. Lyra stopped pacing around her room to give herself time to think. Certainly it couldn't have disappeared and she knew for sure that she left it behind when she went to Canterlot. It was unlikely for Bon-bon to have done something to it because she Bon-bon never really messed with her stuff, not to mention what little Lyra actually owned for her roommate to mess with. She tried to remember the last time she saw it the day before, but after all the things that happened so far had since flushed out her memory of where it was last. Wherever it was, she didn't have all day. She stopped searching, put her extra saddlebag on her back, and left the room. - - - “Oh no.” “What?” Bon-bon shook her head. “Don't tell me you sit like... … that?” “Why? What's wrong?” Bon-bon continued to stare at Andrew's position on the couch as he awkwardly looked off into different places around the room. The staring from those azure eyes crept him out and made him feel uncomfortable. She noticed some similarities between him and her best friend that might have been related, but wasn't about to take that chance. “Are you friends with Lyra?” she asked. Andrew fixed his wandering eyes back on the light brown pony. Every time he spoke to the natives in this strange place, he's been far too honest. That honesty seemed to make things worse, or at least lowered his chances of getting back home. For a moment he stared at this pony with three, blue and yellow pieces of candy for a 'cutie mark', he contemplated his options and decided to try a different approach. “Lyra? Oh yeah, she and I go way back,” he lied, trying hard to keep a straight face. For that lie, he thought of his friend Dale to base his lie on, using Lyra in his place. “Then how come she never mentioned you before?” This isn't going so well, he thought. “She probably forgot. It was... a long time ago when we, uh... went to school together.” Bon-bon motioned toward Andrew and plotted down on the couch next to him. “You both went to the Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns in Canterlot?” Canter-what now? “Uh... yeah, you could say we had some things in common.” “Like the way you sit? And how much Lyra keeps talking about those...” Bon-bon was reluctant to say it, but forced herself to say the word, “...humans?” Right then, Andrew's heart skipped a beat (or several) the moment she finished that question. His smile disappeared and was replaced by a blank face. For Bon-bon, it was hard to tell what his reaction was (assuming this was his first time hearing about humans). Andrew blinked rapidly and looked away for a second, then back at the mare. He looked away again, then back at her. As surprising as it was, he was sort of relieved. “You know about us?” he said intently, shifting his sitting position to the way Bon-bon sat assuming it was normal for these ponies. “Us?” “I mean human beings?” “No. But Lyra does. I thought she was the only one, but I guess I was wrong.” She looked at him and saw that his full attention was on her. “Say? You didn't tell me your name.” “Andrew. Nice to meet you, Miss...?” “Bon-bon,” she nodded. A strange name, but okay, they both thought. “And your friend, Lyra? You said she was the only one?” Andrew was rather curious about the pony he ran into. “Only one what?” “Well, for the longest time, I didn't believe a word she said about her... interests. It all just seems like a myth to me and most every pony. Lyra claims they exist, but doesn't exactly have any good evidence to prove it other than an old book she found. But I have to ask, are humans real?” Andrew saw where this was going. He became suspicious of Bon-bon and her friend Lyra. Although the answer was clear to him, he was skeptical on whether or not she would accept the answer. “Well, what if I said yes and everything that Lyra says is right, would you believe her then?” “Hey Bon-bon, have you seen my notebook?” Andrew and Bon-bon twirled their heads to the staircase as Lyra cautiously reached the base of the stairs and walked over to join them. “Didn't you bring it with you?” “My small blue one.” “Then no, I haven't.” Lyra simply snorted to voice her displeasure. “So, what are you guys talking about?” she asked with sharp interest in the conversation she interrupted. “Oh, I was just talking to your friend here about you.” Andrew said, studying the mint-green unicorn more closely. “She asked me about humans.” Lyra's ears and eyelids twitched as she suddenly stared daggers into Bon-bon's innocent eyes to express both her displeasure and her excitement. Her smile died down into a light frown. “What!?” Lyra shouted. “But you hate it when I talk about them. Why now?” “It's not what you think,” Andrew cut it, thinking she was angry. “If it makes you feel any better, we can stop talking about it. I'll just leave if you want me to.” Andrew shuffled off the sofa. “No, please don't!” Lyra pleaded, stopping Andrew in his tracks. “I mean, humans are my favorite subject.” She turned to Bon-bon. “I just wanna know why you care about humans now. I'm just a little surprised.” Lyra felt a little betrayed that Bon-bon ignored her talk about humans ever since the first time she tried to tell her about them, and is now suddenly talking to a stranger about them. That was an arrow to the heart. “Andrew, here, said you both went to school together, and that you've been friends a long time ago.” Lyra glared at the aqua stallion for that huge lie. Andrew managed a obviously fake smile. “But that changes things, Lyra,” Bon-bon continued. “If you would have told me you knew somepony who had the same interests as you, I probably wouldn't have been so hard on you for making it all up. I'm sorry.” “Is that so?” Lyra doubtfully said. She knew Bon-bon was gullible enough to believe Andrew's lie. “You're not too mad at me, are you?” “No.” Lyra turned her back on Bon-bon, eyes on Andrew. “Just disappointed is all.” With that, she started towards the front door. Andrew followed her as Lyra used her magic to open the door, letting in a small draft that entered the room. She gestured a hoof for Andrew to exit first. Before Lyra left herself, she glanced once more at Bon-bon still on the sofa. “We can talk about this later.” Instead of the door slamming shut on her way out, Lyra gently closed it. Bon-bon sat by herself in the living room with her head staring down at her hooves and a defeated look upon her face. Though, as she gazed off into a different direction with her gloomy look, at the corner of her eye she caught glimpse a single line of blue sandwiched between a stack of books. - - - “What was that about?” Andrew asked as Lyra closer the door. “Why would you lie to her like that?” She looked him in the eye. “Hey, I didn't think it was a big deal.” “I don't understand why you'd say we're friends. You don't know me, and I certainly don't know you. I just met you five minutes ago. I didn't expect anypony to make things more difficult.” Andrew sensed annoyance in her voice when she spoke. He felt bad for having contributed to her disappointment. It added to his list of paradoxical acts since the very moment he entered this world. Everything he did was another mistake he could not control. Eventually the tower of stress was going to topple. Lyra swiveled her head away from him and began walking off without another word. Andrew stood in the same place for a few seconds, staring off into the distance where Lyra used to be with the same look as Bon-bon. “Well hey, wait up for me!” he shouted, catching up to her in a trot. He walked along side her as they made their way through an unfamiliar area of town. “I prefer that you don't follow me,” she said without turning her head. “I'm short on time as it is.” “But I'm going to the same place as you.” “Then why did you wait for me? You could have easily walked to Sugarcube Corner yourself.” “I- uh, well... I sorta don't remember where it is.” “You're saying you're not from around here.” “Something like that.” “Then where do you live?” Andrew decided to be as vague as possible, “Far away.” “That surely doesn't help.” “I know, but you wouldn't know if I told you.” “Maybe. Maybe not.” Wow, this unicorn is interesting to talk to, he thought. Compared to the other ponies. Her attitude was like that of his friend Peter. Something he can relate to. “What's that supposed to mean?” “I don't know every city, town, and village in Equestria, ya know.” “Good point.” “So, are you gonna tell me or not?” “Tell you what?” “Tell me where you're from.” “Does it matter?” “I don't know, does it?” “Not really.” “Well, can I at least get an apology?” “For what?” “For running into me like that.” “I thought you accepted it already?” “I prefer it be more sincere than that.” “Alright, my bad.” “That's not good enough.” “Okay. I'm sorry, alright. I truly am. I'm just not used to teleporting randomly, or at all.” He sighed. Lyra finally looked at him. Andrew returned a gaze as he noticed she was inspecting him a little more closely. For a few more seconds of staring at each other while walking, they both looked away and the two became quiet. Lyra didn't know what to say and Andrew was waiting for her to say something. Anything at all. Somehow about the way the mint-green pony talked felt comforting and natural to him. For some reason, he felt at peace with himself as opposed to the rest of his day while walking beside a living, breathing unicorn in some joyful filled universe. He was beginning to not care if he was crazy or dead. It became something of a blissful experience. Little did he know, what lay ahead of him would turn that feeling upside down. Andrew thought for a moment. One of his favorite songs rolled into his mind and he began to sing in a soft, almost whispered voice. “I'd like to make myself belieeeeeve That Planet Eeaaaaarth, turns, sloooowly, It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep, 'Cause everything is never as it seeeeems.” As Andrew sang every word he memorized from that song, the unicorn next to him listened with interest. His voice wasn't the best, but it was the words that count. Lyra's mood gradually shifted from moderately whimsical to strongly relaxed. The melody sounded very nice, something she had never heard before. Somehow it made her feel a certain way that was different from any other musical experience. She wondered if it was a hint at his occupation, but had no reference from a cutie mark she could not see behind the cloth over his lower back. “You like music?” she asked after he finished singing. “Love it.” “Are you a singer?” “No.” “Musician?” “No.” “Do you play any instruments? “No, but it'd be cool to learn how. The piano is nice.” “Then what?” “I just love listening to music. You could say that I listen to it a lot. It helps me relax.” “Me too. I occasionally play my lyre, but I've been a little busy lately and haven't had the time.” “A lyre? You mean like those small golden harps from ancient times?” Lyra gave him a confused look. “But how do you even play them?” he continued. “I use magic.” “I knew it,” Andrew whispered to himself. “What?” “How do you use, ya know... magic?” “You don't know how?” “A little, I've run into a few snags, but I guess it can wait. I just wanna forget it happened.” “Is that why you ran into me? A teleportation spell gone wrong.” “Ummm... yeah!” Magic and spells, is there anything else? “I try to refrain from using magic.” “Why is that?” “Well,” Lyra paused. “Humans don't use magic.” Got that right! “And as far as I know,” she continued. “They're more successful without it. It amazes me to no end.” Andrew looked at her with intense wonder, then took a deep breath. “So, um, what else do you know about humanity?”