Chapter four
I let out an indulgent "Ahhhh", as I finish the amazing cappuccino and the few granules of coffee at the bottom.
"This coffee is way better than the stuff i'm used to, is there anything that isn't perfect today?"
Just as I think that thought, the one thing I didn't expect to happen, happened.
Lyra Heartstrings has entered the building.
Now usually, when you challenge the universe it makes everything worse, but this time it did the opposite... I hope.
I see her walk up to the counter and order something, an americano no less, is something up? Or she just had a rough night? Or is that just the coffee she likes?
I am really over-thinking, it must be the coffee kicking in.
Then, all rational thought was crushed by the fanatic brony in the back of my head.
"That is the Lyra Hearstrings over there! What are you doing sitting on your ass, strike up a conversation! How many people get the chance to meet not the voice actor, not the character designer, but the Lyra Heartstrings!"
I hate to say it, but the little fan-boy/girl at the back of my head was right, who has that kinda opportunity? I'll tell you who.
Me.
"But how to get her attention? I can't just waltz up to her without a reason, and even then, what reason is good enough so I don't just get get told to go away for being a nuisance..."
Then it hit me.
If she was anything like the Lyra I think she is, I know exactly how to get her attention.
Activate mode - Professor Dreamstrider, lead researcher of the history of humans in Ponyville.
As for the introduction? I guess I could bend the truth a little...
She had just sat down next to one of the coffee tables in front of me, considering i'm at the back, all the tables are in front of me.
Activate mission - Lyra vs Human.
I mentally laugh at that name, because it couldn't be any more truthful.
Here goes...
I approach the table with all my imaginary playing cards being set up perfectly and able to win in any situation.
I try to do my best impression of a professor, and I must say, it was pretty poor. It sounded just like me, the only different thing was I was being polite rather than care-free.
"Uh hello? Is your name Lyra Heartsrtings by any chance?" Now i'm turning into a Fluttershy clone.
"Yes I am, although I don't think I have met you?" She says in her easily definable voice, and my fan-boy/girl at the back of my head was now hyperventilating.
I suppress that part of me, and continue with the conversation, treating it as if something of great importance was at stake and that I had to prevail.
"Ah, of course." I say in my polite really-trying-hard-not-to-be-informal voice, "My name is Dreamstrider, head researcher of Human History in Ponyville."
I struggled with the last bit considering this is Lyra, and she will know everything human related going on in this town. But I have a cover-story.
It had better work.
She had raised an eyebrow as she asked the thing I knew she would want to know, "Head researcher on humans in Ponyville? I didn't even know that we even had ponies researching humans here."
Please work cover-story.
"Neither did I until I moved here recently from Fillydelphia." I say in the most convincing voice I could muster, which to say is actually quite good considering.
"I'm also technically the only researcher on humans in Ponyville, I just prefer the title that comes with it.
"Since I live and work at the library, the librarian here knew my background as a researcher in the rather obscure subject of humans, and encouraged me to continue my work as I was one of the very few ponies who knew any decent amount about humans in Equestria."
If I had fingers right now they would be crossed behind my back.
She looked analytically at me, no doubt to me not looking anything like a typical professor, but after a few seconds she lit up, and I now knew that this was the Lyra I am familiar with.
"That's great! I do research into humans myself." She said as she gestured to the seat on the other side of the table she was at.
I graciously accepted the seat and continued with the conversation at hand,
"Indeed, that is why Twilight, the librarian, mentioned you a few days ago and I have kept a vigilant eye out for a fellow researcher."
This is now the second time I have seen Colgate's signature smile, I guess I just have that effect on ponies.
I inwardly roll my eyes at that thought, just as the ecstatic Lyra in front of me began to speak again.
If I could see my inner fan-boy/girl right now, I would imagine they would look somewhat like Lyra right now.
"This is brilliant! I never thought anypony would take Humans seriously, let-alone somepony in Ponyville!"
Just as she finished that sentence though, her expression took an almost full 180 degrees with her head slumped down and her ears had lost their springy composure.
"Although, I think i'm the only one in town who will take you seriously, everypony else thinks i'm just a fanatic mare in love with kindergarten stories."
I instantly went into supportive mode, and almost jumped out of the character I had set for myself.
I placed a hoof on her shoulder and looked at her eyes, but very softly, and said, "Come now Lyra, Humans are barely Kindergarten stories, and you and me know that at the very least they existed in Equestria at one point in history."
I continued on as Lyra looked up and her ears began to regain their original composure, turns out i'm good at this stuff.
"If there is one thing I have learned in my, admittedly, short life, is that you should never give up, and you never know, the answer could be as far away as your mirror."
I gave a weak smile and gave Lyra an assertive shake on the shoulder.
"Thanks." She said in a depressed tone, "It's just hard sometimes because everypony thinks i'm just wasting my time with these silly stories."
Wow.
I knew it must have been hard for Lyra to keep on this determination to prove humans are real, but I never knew it got to her this much.
"Come on Lyra, you can't let them get to you." I say, trying to be as supportive as I can.
"If you want to find the truth about anything, you need to stay strong and trust in your friends.
"What about your marefriend, Bon Bon?"
She just gives something between a chuckle and a laugh.
"She's hardly my marefriend." She says, "We really quite distant friends, and she isn't interested or supportive either."
I almost let my eyes widen.
"I thought she had a marefriend? Bon-Bon as her marefriend at that..."
This is odd, iv'e been right about everything so far, maybe there are just some oddities in this universe?
But all trivia I have found has dipicted Lyra and Bon-Bon as lovers, or at the very least, good friends.
"Maybe... Maybe she hasn't bonded with her yet? Maybe they just haven't fallen in love yet?"
I have no idea, but I must continue with the conversation and cover my ass as to why I thought they were marefriends.
"Oh, i'm sorry, I must have mis-heard part of a conversation I had with Twilight." Hopefully that works...
"It's fine." She says in a detached manner,
"But that's enough of that." She says with a light laugh, "I'm more interested on hearing someone else's educated opinion on humans."
I return a smile and we have a chat about humans for around 45 minutes.
I struggle at some parts to come up with decent cover, and explanations as to my evidence behind it.
Mainly I fall back to 'Ancient history books', or 'Archeology' to explain my proof behind it all.
Although, the facts I tell her I try to stay true as to what they would be, like how they would look and how they would act, and what their culture was like.
But it was just past 1:00pm, and I would like to see Rainbow Dash sometime today.
"Oh, look at the time!" I exclaim, "I would love to talk some more, but I have an important appointment to attend.
"Maybe we can meet-up again sometime?" I say with a truthful smile.
"Oh, of course!" She says with a matching smile, "I need to do some shopping too, so maybe we will bump into one another sometime again!"
As we rise from our seats, I say in a rather respective tone, "Of that, I am sure." As I giver her a slight bow.
She blushes as I smile and make my way to the door.
I take a deep breath of the cool but refreshing air outside, filling my lungs with the wonderful freshness that the temperature produces.
I am really looking forward to flying with Dash... Or at least try to.
"Just don't call her Dashie, she hates it." I laugh to myself.
"It's kinda cute the reaction she has when someone calls her 'Dashie', even more cute than she already is if you can believe that."
Just listen to me, I already have a crush on someone after being here for one day. One day.
But is having a crush such a bad thing?.. I don't know.... I just don't know...
But what I do know is my legs are trying to get me somewhere, and I am wandering mindlessly.
I start making my way back to the town hall, my mind still fixated on Rainbow Dash.
"GAH!" I shout in the middle of the street, now I have over five ponies looking at me like they just heard a gunshot.
I make a sheepish smile and continue on, and shouting in the middle of the street still hasn't swayed my mind from thinking about how beautiful Dash is...
"Oh sweet Celestia! Pull. It. Together." I think to myself, "She is beautiful, and she is more attractive than she has any business being, but come on man, focus!"
I try to reason to myself, "I don't care if your attracted to Dash or not, if you can't focus - If I can't focus, then I might not even get a damn FLYING LESSON! LET ALONE GET HER ROMANTIC FREAKING ATTENTION!!!"
I almost shout out loud the last couple of words, I am angry with myself for not being able to think straight.
Or to be more precise, I cant get myself to make up to myself, it's like my left and right brain are having an argument inside my head, and it's ticking me off.
It's like a boxing match, except my brain are Blue and Red, and i'm the referee getting ignored as thing spiral out of control.
"JUST STOP IT!!!" I shout in my head, seemingly getting the attention of both idiotic halves of my brain, "If you can't focus, if I can't focus, and I get angry, YOU KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN!"
This seems to momentarily work as the bickering stops... Then my brain decides to go "Oh yeah, lets think of all the possibilities of what will happen if I lose it.".
I am used to this, but it doesn't get any easier.
Having the amount of power I do, if my primal anger were to take over...
It. Would. Not. Be. Pretty.
I would probably get sent to the moon... Or worse... If anything in my head happened right now...
Then I can almost hear next to me my other side... My bad side...
I just says, "But it would be so much fun... So much fun to riiiiiiip something apart, or better still... Somebody!"
I almost successfully shove it out of my mind, but I can still hear it's whines, like it was scratching on the bars of its prison, trying to get my attention.
I won't let it.
Just then I find myself in the town center, with Roseluck waving at me and calling my name.
"Thank Celestia for that, or I might not had snapped out of it."
I walk towards her, and the closer I get, the wider her smile gets.
"Hey Dreamstrider!" She says in a friendly tone, "How was your coffee?"
I couldn't help but give her back a real smile, after all, she did snap me out of my little... Predicament....
"Heya Roseluck!" I say in a cheery tone, enough to doubtlessly mask my little squabble, "The coffee was great thanks! Best coffee iv'e had in a while."
I continue, "Thanks for steering me toward the shop, greatly appreciated,"
She just waved away my compliments and said, "It's fine, just helping the new pony in town!"
Uh-oh.
Pinkie Pie usually pops up out of nowhere at that set of words.
I bolt my head from side-to-side, hoping I can at the very least know where she is going to fire her party cannon from...
But nothing happens.
I breath a sigh of relief and look at the puzzled Roseluck in front of me, I think I should probably just ask her where the park is, or better yet, where Dash is.
"Hey Roseluck, do you know where I could find Rainbow Dash?"
"Oh, sure!" She says, back in her cheery tone, "She will be in the park, taking her nap."
I could have guessed.
"To get to the park, go round to the back of the town hall and keep heading away from it until you see a bridge to your right.
"Then keep going until you reach the Carousel Boutique, you will know it when you see it, big purple tent thing, and the park is the big open area close to it with all the benches"
I nod
"Oh, and Rainbow will be in one of the trees or clouds above the park, just ask ponies there until you find the right one."
"Thanks again Roseluck," I say graciously, "You know, your quite good at this stuff, if you didn't already have your flowers I would recommend a job as a town guide!" I say, trying to lighten the mood some more.
She laughs and says, "I'm sure I can't be that good, but you should probably get going if you want to catch Dash!"
"Thanks!"
I think of telling her... Ah, to hell with it, "You know," I say. leaning in, "Don't tell anypony, but i'm actually trying to get some flight training from Rainbow Dash."
Time for some story-telling, "I was always told my wings were to fragile when I was younger, wasn't until I actually changed physicians until I found out that he had a grudge on me and my wings were actually fine, so now i'm trying to learn how to use them."
She just gave me a smile and said, leaning closer to me, "You secrets safe with me, and if you can get her to help then you have the best teacher anypony could ask for!"
I go back to a normal standing position and smile, "That's what i'm hoping for!"
I start taking her directions and say as I set off again, "Thanks again for the directions!"
"No problem! Bye!" She says with a smile.
I smile back and wave, "Bye!"
Now to get to the park.
I hear a *plink-pop* go off in my head as an imaginary achievement banner appears in my vision, "Achievement get: Socialization skill, Journeyman."
I just say to myself, "Not bad."
Not bad at-all for a teenager.