Sometimes I regret ever moving away from Canterlot.
Truly, it's the sparkling gem in Equestria and no other place in the land can compare to it. It's built into a mountain, for one thing. That alone is pretty hard to top, considering most big mountains are dragon territory only (de facto rather than de jure, but there were few brave souls that would argue the point), but it's also a thriving hub of activity and—well, life itself. You'll never run out of things to do in Canterlot since something is always going on. From a theatre play to a young musician trying out their luck in a coffee club, crazy parties at night and open buffets in the stunning gardens.
Ponyville's a lovely place too, don't get me wrong, but in my heart I think I'll always be a Canterlot mare.
Back at the concert, Octavia had intended to give me her address, but Vinyl beat her to the punch and gave me a paper telling me both their addresses. Which was just as well, really. The thought of going to the Octavia’s home made my legs start to feel numb. Vinyl on the other hoof seemed a lot more laid back. Maybe I wouldn’t embarrass myself. Maybe.
Canterlot’s divided into many districts, but there are only a few important ones you need to know. As I walked away from the train station, I found myself entering one of the shopping areas. Not as big as the one in the centre of the city, but still nice for a couple of spending sprees if you had the bits. Ponies of every social standing were here, from tourists to the high class unicorns with their polished monocles.
Honestly, I never understood monocles. I remember trying one on once and always having to squint just to keep it in place.
Now, being right next to the station, this district led to many others. To the west and the east were the living spaces for most normal ponies, although the east was slightly more upper class. The architecture was heavily borrowed from earth pony buildings, just with that added Canterlot flair. The address Vinyl gave me didn’t point to either of those places. In fact, I don’t think it was even Octavia’s, like she’d meant to give me. So I went directly into the heart of the city. This was where big meant business. All around me were huge buildings and towers ... er, towering above me.
The cobble street roads were miraculously polished and litter was completely nonexistent. Ponies ferrying passengers in taxis trotted to and fro and the streets were a network upon which pedestrians could go about their business. Unlike Manehattan, which was just a cluster of madness and anarchy, Canterlot was much more controlled. There was even some social chatter here and there on the street benches, under the lamps or even on corners. Such brief interaction was completely unheard of in Manehattan. It got busier at night, though.
I stopped to take a whiff of the air. It was clean, almost pure even. I even detected a whiff of perfume in it. I sighed happily, almost deflating into a puddle of content.
“The hay are you doing?”
I jumped, whipping around to face a gruff looking stallion, a newspaper poking out of his brown saddlebag.
“Not going where I should be!” I answered through my teeth, trying to smile and shrug my behaviour off.
The stallion shook his head and turned, walking off. As he left, I distinctly heard him say, “Freakin’ students…”
I frowned, unsure how to take that. Sure, it was an unintentional compliment on my looks but all the same...
These were the streets I used to roam in my younger days, when the world seemed so big and I felt like I had the potential to do anything I wanted. The days when dinner meant ordering pizza with friends. The stupid and rash decisions you always made, like partying out until the early hours of the morning when you had a lecture to attend in only five hours!
I couldn’t see it from here, but I could feel the Kicker Fort stare down at me. Back when I had dated Kicky, it almost felt like a second home to me. Now? I barely visited. It’d feel … shameful to do so, after what I had done. Or rather, what I hadn’t—Kicker elders didn’t exactly approve of slackers.
My steps became heavy as I passed the shops, bars and clubs. A lot of them were full of students, chatting, drinking, doing stupid things students do. Now I remembered why I didn’t come here as much as I would've liked to: it was a trip down memory lane.
Vinyl lived in the classier part of the city, no big surprise there. For a series of apartment blocks, they actually looked quite nice. Canterlot is a city famed for actually taking care with its architecture, unlike most big cities. All the buildings were pretty to look at, light colors and ivy allowed to grow on them. Instead of looking tacky, it looked natural. Even classical. Maybe it was what Canterlot used to look like, back in the day.I strolled up to Vinyl’s apartment block and immediately noticed that all the rooms seemed to have really nice balconies. Even if the view was subpar, it was still probably a nice feature. Standing outside the doors, I turned to look at an odd device. Essentially a trumpet, connecting through some complicated looking tubings to the building and a panel with buttons to the side. I pressed the button that corresponded to Vinyl’s apartment room and waited for the buzz to end.
“Uh…” I said into the trumpet. “Hello? Lyra here. You know, from the big Ponyville concert … um.”
It took a couple seconds of me standing in awkward, fidgeting in silence but eventually… “You’re finally here! Sweet!” Vinyl’s voice sounded a little tinny through the trumpet-doorbell-thing. “I’ll let you in, one sec.”
Sure enough, the double doors opened up and I stepped through. Looking down, I could see my own reflection in the marble floor. There was a desk, and a gruff-looking security pony sitting at it. Behind him were boxes on the wall, probably for sorting mail and the like. I walked by him and he gave me a curt nod.
Vinyl was a few floors up and as I was coming up the stairs, I found her leaning against the door frame. “Welcome to Canterlot, buddy. S’up?”
“Nothing much. Except wondering what the hay I did to get here,” I replied, holding out a hoof to hoofshake or hoofbump or something polite.
Vinyl snerked, ignoring my hoof and waltzing inside her apartment. “Being cool is the only prerequisite to enter my pad. Come in.”
I followed her in, taking a quick glance to take stock of my surroundings. It was a student’s paradise. Modern, sophisticated, and totally trashed. The carpet flooring was soft to the touch, which was quite welcome after the walk on Canterlot’s hard streets. The furniture was bold in its coloring but not distasteful, all the angles and sides were perfectly straight; another sign of modern decor.
“Nice place,” I said.
“Thanks.” Vinyl pointed towards the red couch. “Have a seat.”
I nodded and looked towards the red couch, my jaw dropping a little as I saw the regal Octavia sitting upon it. Suddenly, my heart started to pick up a little.
“Want anything to drink?” Vinyl asked from her kitchen area.
“Juice!” I hastily answered, staring at Octavia. “Erm, hello again.”
Octavia smiled at me, one of those upper class smiles where you can’t really read them properly. “It’s good to see you again, Lyra.”
“Good to be here!” I responded, trying not to sound too eager but… I was in front of the Octavia!
Luckily, Vinyl was there to keep me grounded. “Here you go.”
“Thanks,” I said, smiling at her before taking the glass and having a sip. I licked my lips, savoring it, and sat down on the couch. “Mm, good.”
“Sweet. Alright, let’s chat.” Vinyl walked over, sitting down next to me, stretching her legs out a bit.
“That works for me.” In my head at least. I tapped my glass, trying to come up with at least one conversation topic. I didn’t know these mares personally and here I was, in one of their homes, chatting it up with them like societal boundaries didn’t even exist.
However, a good question never failed to strike up conversation. “So, uh, I have to ask... why did you invite me over? I'm nothing special really.”
“Well,” Octavia started, “we wanted to talk to you about something important.”
That perked my interest, as well as my brow. “Huh?”
“You're wrong about one thing,” Vinyl said. “You’re far from ‘nothing special’; you got talent.”
“And it would be a pity not to put it to good use,” Octavia continued. Honestly, the way they spoke after each was so perfectly timed, it could’ve been rehearsed. I guess they were just that in synch with each other.
“Well ... maybe some, but nothing on your level,” I replied. Sure, I had studied music as a student, but that doesn’t automatically make you gifted at the craft. A lot of ponies I knew there were your typical student lot: they had that sort of naive arrogance to them, that they thought they could conquer the world and everything in it. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Then again, I am a dropout.
“You're putting yourself down too much. From what I saw back in Ponyville, you really are quite good,” Octavia urged.
Neither of these two seemed like the type to make bold-faced lies or put ponies in positions they could never hope to achieve. They were among the best in the industry right now, which was amazing given they were relatively new to it all. If they thought… I dwelled on it further, sipping my juice. “Well if you think so.”
“I know so. I could tell you put your heart and soul into your performance back there,” Octavia said with a sort of regal finality.
Vinyl smirked at me. “Even if you got a little carried away.”
“Which isn’t a bad thing,” Octavia cut in. “You really shouldn't put yourself down.”
Nothing wrong with being humble and acknowledging your own weaknesses. At least, I thought so. I held up my forehooves. “Alright, alright, but what does this have to do with you inviting me here?”
Then Octavia dropped the bombshell: “Talking you into pursuing a musical career, for one.”
They could butter me up with talk about how good I was, but the musical business was much more than ‘being good’. It was vicious. You needed to be strong and have connections, lest you be chewed up and spat out onto the sidewalk.
“I don't know about that,” I admitted.
“Well, what're you doing right now that's so much better?” Vinyl asked. I could see her brow perked over her signature shades.
The answer took a couple moments to come to me. “Living life at my own pace, I guess.”
“You guess, huh?” Vinyl said flatly.
“If I may be frank,” Octavia added, “you don't sound like you're talking with much conviction.”
So it was obvious I wasn’t doing anything of note. Even my best efforts to try and step up my game had been temporary at best. If I stopped now, I ran the risk of slipping back to my old ways. “Okay, so I'm not doing anything of worth right now.”
Octavia took a sip of her drink before speaking, “Well, I shall tell you this much: this should be something you want to do, Lyra. We can't force you to take this step.”
I chewed my lip, mulling over the future possibilities. So many variables, so many chances for failure. “I won't lie, it would be nice to make it big like you two, but the last time I tried? Didn't work out so well.”
“Why not?” Vinyl asked.
I snorted. There was a great story in my musical downfall. “I was sabotaged and humiliated.”
Concern flashed over Octavia’s face. “Oh dear. Would you like to tell us what happened?”
I shook my head. They didn’t need to know.
“Sabotage? Ugh.” Vinyl rolled her eyes, disgust tainting her words. “Sounds like…” she waved her hoof absently, “what's-her-face.”
“To make a long story short, I tried to make it on my own, and then some other mare ruined my first big performance. I'm willing to bet you two have never faced a completely unhappy crowd. It's terrifying.” Terrifying doesn’t even describe it, honestly. Ponies had paid money to see you play and when you can’t deliver, you don’t get disappointment; you get anger. Even laughter from a few. The glares and the laughs tear down your shell, until you have no choice but to flee off stage.
Octavia shook her head distastefully. “I've seen it happen, it's not pleasant.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Vinyl agreed.
I doubted Vinyl knew exactly what it was like but nevertheless... “I never want to experience that again.”
“That’s understandable. But you're letting one bad experience control your entire life,” Octavia stressed. “That isn't healthy.”
“Get knocked down? Gotta get back up again,” Vinyl, flicking her hoof towards the ceiling.
I could only grumble and drink my juice, avoiding their looks.
“Lyra, do you want that incident to be the defining moment of your life?” Octavia asked, in a somewhat authoritative tone.
Try as I might, I really couldn’t ignore one of the stars of the music industry. “Of course not.”
“Then go back on that stage!” Vinyl exclaimed, getting off her seat. “You can't let one jerk stop you! We never have!”
“Well even if I did try again, there's no way I could replicate the near success I had last time,” I told them. Because it was definitely true. After I dropped out, I played in bars, clubs, anywhere I could get a decent gig. Eventually I worked hard enough to be noticed and… yeah.
“Why do you think that?” Octavia questioned.
“You did fine last time,” Vinyl added—again, like they just flowed off one another.
“Which clearly implies you can do so again.” Octavia took a quick sip of her drink, signalling the end of that little conversation duet.
“It wasn't easy on my own, trust me.” I shrugged to myself. “In fact, I think I just got lucky.”
“So? Point is, you got the skills. So use 'em, girl!” Vinyl came over and gave me a friendly nudge. And, yeah, I managed to smile at that. It’s Vinyl Scratch giving me a nudge!
Octavia nodded. “I bet you would play just as well if you played your lyre right now.”
“It isn't a matter of playing well,” I said. “It's a matter of actually getting noticed by the big wigs in high society.” Money may make the world go round, but it’s connections that make your world go round.
Vinyl ‘tsked’. “Oh, is that all you're worried about?”
Octavia let out a sensible chuckle. “Dear, that is what networking is for.”
“You make it sound easy…” I grumbled.
“Only 'cause it is,” Vinyl replied.
“Easy?” Octavia turned to look at Vinyl. “Not particularly. But perfectly doable nevertheless.”
“Care to explain how, exactly?” While I may be of lesser nobility, my family was no free ride to getting in the music business. My parents didn’t become successful themselves by riding on their own coattails. Well, they may have done partially thanks to my family’s legacy but … , I wouldn’t get noticed by just saying that because I was a Heartstrings, I was good. I needed approval of others first. That’s how most things worked in high society.
“Well for starters, you're doing it right now,” Vinyl said.
“Right, we can help you meet with all the right ponies,” Octavia finished.
I quirked a minty brow. “The 'right' ponies?”
Vinyl was the first to answer. “The ponies who can help your career.”
Octavia was right there to speak after her. “I'm sure they would love to hear you play.”
As amazing as their sentence finishing was… “That doesn't exactly answer my question,” I stated. “Who are the right ponies, exactly?”
“Ones that will help your musical career—patrons, for example,” Octavia clarified.
Patrons. Essentially ponies with a lot of influence in high society. They’d fund you, protect you, get you gigs, the works. In return, you made them look even better. “Such as? Who’s your patron?”
“Well, I'm in pretty good with the Sparkles,” Vinyl said. My ears perked up immediately.
Octavia nodded at her. “Indeed. House Sparkle has always been good to us.”
The cogs in my head started to whir. “The Sparkles, huh…”
“Indeed. They really helped me get started,” Octavia said. “Introduced me to the Royal Canterlot Symphony for one.”
“And they helped line up my first couple gigs, so I made a name for myself as more than just a cool club DJ,” Vinyl chipped in.
“Oooo…” Yes, I was definitely getting a game plan here. The path ahead was slowly getting paved.
Octavia gave me a friendly grin. “That idea appeals to you?”
I rubbed my hooves together. “I am friends with Twilight Sparkle.”
Octavia shared a glance with Vinyl. “Really now? That is interesting.”
“Gives you a nice in, at least,” Vinyl said.
Twilight was one of my best friends in Canterlot, along with Colgate, Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts and who was the other one… eugh, I feel bad for not remembering her. Except that she smelled weird and never liked my mints.
Anyway, I still met up with the latter three often and occasionally I’d talk to Twilight, even if she was still busy as ever with her duties with the Elements of Harmony. There was no way she’d completely forgotten about my existence. We’d just drifted a little, that’s all. It happens. I confidently ran a hoof through my mane, relaxing on the couch. “I'm sure I can charm her into helping out an old friend.”
“See?” Octavia gave me an encouraging smile. “You're already getting some momentum going.”
“No kidding. Now you just gotta show your chops!” Vinyl cheered.
And thus I raised my glass and downed the rest of its contents in one, a sign of a new leaf, a fresh start! “Yeah!”
“If you play as good as you did before…” Vinyl said.
“... I'm sure they will give you a shot once they hear you play,” Octavia finished.
“I'd hope so, yeah. Thanks for the advice, you two.” I smirked at the dynamic duo. “Anypony tell ever tell you that you make a great team?”
Octavia grinned, flicking her mane back casually. “I've heard that once or twice.”
Vinyl snorted, walking over and nudging her. “Just from every fan of Classical Harmony.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the both of them. “Well, I'll get started as soon as I get back to Ponyville.”
Vinyl lowered her glasses, winking at me. “That's the spirit!”
Octavia nodded with her. “And if you need anything at all…”
I blinked. “I can just come on over?”
“Well, try to let us know first,” Vinyl cautioned.
“Right, I'm sure we can make time for you with proper notification,” Octavia advised, daintily finishing off her beverage afterward.
Butterflies started to hover around in my tummy again. Access to Octavia and Vinyl Scratch! I’m not even sure what I did to deserve that but … heck, I was gonna take it. “How do I go about doing that?”
“I dunno,” Vinyl shrugged lamely. “Send a letter or something.”
“Letters work just fine if we're not home,” Octavia clarified, elegantly as always.
“Alright, I'll do that.” I giggled behind my hoof, like some little schoolfilly. Yeah, this could work. Especially with these two at my back. “This is really cool.”
Octavia gave me a knowing smile. “See? This wasn't that bad.”
“Told ya,” Vinyl quipped, taking my empty glass with her magic. She tipped it towards me. “Another round?”
I winked back at her. “How could I decline?”
I stepped out of the building, red faced and grinning like an idiot.
“I’m totally friends with Vinyl Scratch and Octavia—wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!!” I squealed, hip-hopping on my hooves.
Don’t judge me. This lucky break was exactly what I needed to bring me out of my lazy stupor. Good times were ahead, which I contributed to the fact that the sky was much brighter when I left Vinyl’s pad than when I came.
With all my business sorted, the rest of the day was mine to enjoy how I wished. Bon Bon deserved to know what had happened, obviously, but there wasn’t anything wrong with enjoying the city either.
To the shops I went! There was something for everypony in Canterlot, depending on where you looked. It’s easy to assume it’s only for the elite but the reality is that in cozy little streets, you’d find smaller shops, run by hardworking mares and stallions. Canterlot students would always learn about these places, since they were often cheaper than the more well-known businesses.
My head held high, I strolled down the paved streets of Canterlot. I peeked into various storefronts until I came up to a jewelry store. In the front window sat a golden necklace with a beautifully carved sapphire gem in the center. I put my face and forehooves up against the glass, staring at the jewel. “Aw, that looks pretty.”
“Maybe you should buy it then,” a voice came from behind me.
I grinned. “Maybe I will. I should treat myself now and then, after all.” I let out an excited little giggle. It really was nice and I’d taken a first big step today, so maybe I did deserve it.
“Or you could buy it for your cousin,” the voice said.
I rolled my eyes, turning while saying, “She's barely around, I wouldn't see her enough to—” I froze, jumping at the sight of my newcomer. “ACK! Strumming?!”
Before me stood a mare way older than me, yet still in her prime. That wasn’t exactly her best asset though—no, the prize to that would go to her coat. Effectively, I was looking at a pegasus version of myself. The only differences were blue in her mane and her eyes. I took points off for that. My cousin grinned, spreading her wings and posing. “The one and only.”
“Stop doing that. It's creepy,” I smirked at her as I spoke her amazing nickname I’d made for her, “Skyra.”
“Doing what, exactly?” she asked, feigning innocence.
“Being sneaky on me! I can't remember the last time we met up normally.” Even as a filly, she’d scare me by jumping out of closets, behind doors and the like.
“If you don't want me sneaking up on you, be harder to sneak up on.” Now it was her turn to smirk at me, saying her simply awful nickname she had made for me. “Strumhorn.”
Seriously, Strumhorn? Say it out loud. Sounds like some weird unicorn disease.
“That doesn't even make sense... how do I know to be harder to sneak up on when I don't know I'm being snuck up on!” I paused to think about it afterward. Yeah, that made sense.
“Constant vigilance, as my old instructors used to say.” Strumming’s eyes drifted upwards. “Well, one of them. The old crazy guy. I think he got in trouble for chasing kids off his lawn with a crossbow.”
I shot her a flat look. “I'm not going on constant vigilance just for my spooky cousin.”
“I'm not spooky, I'm a spook. Important difference.” If you couldn’t tell, she and my Dad got along really well.
“Whatever,” I grunted.
Strumming was a Heartstrings who still dwelled in the former family business of spywork, working in the Equestrian Intelligence Services (EIS). She’d been doing it for as long as I could remember, even if she was still training when I was small. From what I could gather out of her, she was pretty high up and she was constantly busy. Throughout my life, seeing her had gradually become a rare occurrence. So, even if she could be annoying sometimes, it never stuck with me. “It's great to see you though, Skyra.” I smiled and hugged her tightly.
“Good to see you too,” she returned the embrace, speaking into my ear, “Strumhorn.”
Eugh. Something about that word… “Still not a good nickname.”
We separated, Strumming saying, “I'll admit yours flows a bit better. How you been?”
“I'm great! Perky, even.” I pouted my lips, just to look all fancy and important, y’know, the works. “I just got back from talking with some big ponies, you know.”
“Oh yeah?” Strumming perked her brow. “Big as in important, or big as in massively overweight?”
I snickered. The image of a fat Vinyl at her turntables… hee. “They're far from overweight.”
“Well go on then…”
“Oh, nothing special, nothing special” I looked at my hoof absently. Hm, could use some refining when I got back home. “Just Vinyl Scratch and Octavia.”
Strumming tapped her chin. “I think I've heard of them…”
I stopped, blinking at her. “You think?”
Strumming merely shrugged. “I barely get any time in Equestria. Comes from being stationed in the embassy in Freeport.”
Ah, yeah: Strumming’s job often took her away from Equestria proper. Right now, she was stationed in the small island nation of Freeport, not too far away from Equestria really. It was renowned as a haven for thieves, pirates and anybody looking to try and make it on their own—legal or otherwise.
But really, I’ve said too much at this point.
“Eugh, fine. They're only the biggest ponies in the music business!” I exclaimed.
“Oh. Cool. How’d you meet up with them?” she asked.
I answered her, my cheeks flushing. “Kind of an impromptu performance on my part in Ponyville… alongside them! Somehow I kept up and they thought I had a good amount of talent. So…” I spun around to give my announcement some flair. “I'm giving it another shot. The whole music business shebang!”
Strumming beamed, ruffling my mane about. “That’s great news! I always thought you should share your gift with as many ponies as you can. Yes, I can see it now…” She waved to an invisible object before us. “Witness the incredible lyrist Strumhorn, performing tonight at the Canterlot Opera Hall!”
I snorted and pushed her back. “No, I won’t go by as Strumhorn. But I think I got a real chance this time.” A confident grin spotted itself across my lips. “There’s no way I can fail this time with those two supporting me!”
“Sure hope not. And hey, I've got a couple weeks before I'm headed back to the islands,” Strumming put a reaffirming hoof on my shoulder. “I can stick around and keep an eye on things for you.”
“Awesome!” I beamed up at my cousin, then paused as the logical side of my brain got up to speed. “Wait ... why are you on break, anyway? You never get big holidays…”
“Things're quiet right now,” Strumming smoothly explained. My main target's gonna be cooped up in her tower for months working on some big crafting project, and I've got a ton of saved up vacation time.”Really, there was no way to truly tell if she was hiding something. She was trained in the art of subtlety, after all. A small part of my stomach still felt knotted, though.
“Huh. I hope you've got things to do here; otherwise I think you'll just go mad.” Really, I just had to wonder what exactly would she do in her free time.
Hm… maybe she could find a date. It’s way past time she tried hunting for one.
“Well, I figured I could catch up with my favorite cousin,” Strumming said, squeezing my shoulder.
“I'm your only cousin,” I pointed out.
She answered by pinching my face. “Which is why you're my favorite in spite of being so cheeky.”
“I'm not that cheeky…”
Strumming just grinned at me. “Cheeky enough.” Tossing a wing over my back, we started to walk down the streets together. “Now c'mon. I haven't been back in Canterlot for way too long. Show me what's new.”
I held up a hoof. “On one condition.”
“What's that?”
“Afterwards, you come to Ponyville with me and meet Bon Bon!” The downside of Strumming being so darn busy. I’ve told her many times about Bon Bon, probably enough to make her bored, but she’d never actually met her. I was excited, really, for my coolest cousin to meet my most beloved mare in the whole wide world.
“Oh yeah, your marefriend. Sure.” Going by her chilled reaction, Strumming shared about the same amount of doubts as I did. No surprise really. Being a spy must come with picking up some great social skills.
“Good! Now, come on, there's this great doughnut place that opened up a couple of years ago…”
Strumming licked her lips in anticipation. “Oooh! I've been missing doughnuts.”
Yeah. The Heartstrings duo was going to have a great time, of that I was certain.
After a great deal of snacking in Canterlot and seeing some of the sights, Strumming and I headed to Ponyville. “Here we are!” I cheerfully announced as we left the station proper.
Strumming took a moment to take everything in. Although, given this was Ponyville, that didn’t mean much. “Huh. Quaint little place.”
“Sure is home alright,” I said, setting the pace for us. “Way different from Freeport, I'm guessing?”
“Well, it's not a massive island city, for one.”
“True.” I’ve never been to Freeport but from what I’ve heard, I wouldn’t last five minutes there on my own. I’ve already gotten myself into enough trouble for one lifetime, anyway.
“Gonna guess the population's one hundred percent pony too?” she asked. Another factor of the port city was its multicultural population. Ponies, griffons, zebras… you could find all kinds there. But most shared a love of money and trade.
“There's a zebra that lives in the Everfree, and we have a pair of donkeys.” Not that I talked to any of them. “So pretty much, yeah.”
“Yeah, pretty different from Freeport's crazy melting pot. So, show me the sights.” Strumming paused. “And once we're done with that five minutes, introduce me to your friends.”
I grinned, scooting Strumming around a bit. “No, you have to meet Bon Bon first!”
She casually shrugged and walked with me. “Sure thing.”
“Great!” I led the way, which for my cousin, probably wasn’t very long at all. We approached her door, looking as welcoming as ever. “You're going to love her, I'm sure.”
“Yeah?”
Such was the power of my smile, my cheeks felt like they’d tear apart. “Yep!”
“Cool. So tell me about her,” Strumming said.
“Weeeell, she's strong, loving and makes great candies, plus—”
Before I could finish, the door swung open, revealing my beautiful Bonnie. She spotted me first, stepping forward and giving me a sweet kiss and a hug. “Hey, hun.”
“Hiya, darling,” I replied, pecking her in return.
There was an odd little bit of silence from Strumming, before I heard her say, “No way. Sweetie?”
Bon Bon blinked at her, gently moving me away. “Who's your friend, Lyra?” She politely gave my cousin a smile, even if it felt a little forced. Hm, maybe she didn’t expect a visitor.
“My friend? Pfft, she's much more than that. She's my cousin, Strumming!” I prodded my cousin in the side. “Or Skyra, if you prefer.”
“Didn't notice the family resemblance?” Strumming grinned, ruffling my mane. I didn’t care enough to stop her.
“Apparently not, haha!” Bon Bon laughed, standing in the doorway. “Silly me.”
More weird silence.
“You gonna let us in, love?” I finally asked.
She blinked again, her cheeks flushing pink. “Oh, yes! Come in, come in.”
“Thanks, love,” I stepped in, giving my love a peck on the cheek as I passed.
Strumming moved in more slowly, almost calculating. “Think we got a few things to talk about… Bon-Bon.”
Bon Bon perked an eyebrow. “Do we?”
“You bet we do!” I exclaimed, pulling her inside with me. “I've got a big announcement for you, dear.”
“Oh really? Then we better give you our ears! To the kitchen!” Bonnie led the way, sitting at the head of the table. The Heartstrings duo were close behind and took their seats.
“Noticed you got a nice weapon collection,” Strumming said as she took a chair. Trust her to notice the little details. Although I don’t think mounted axes and warhammers count as ‘little details’.
“Yeah, Bon Bon's family are blacksmiths. Isn't that neat?” I explained. More so neat for me than her, since I got to experience that raw blacksmith muscle more than once.
“Yeah,” Strumming replied, not really looking at me. “Sure.”
“Aaaaanyway, Bonnie, as you know I went to Canterlot today. Obviously I saw my cousin buuuuut…” The trailing of words was important for drama, of course.
Bon Bon just smirked at me. “It's not like we have an audience. Go on.”
Strumming waved a hoof. “Let her enjoy her dramatics.”
“Pfft, really Bons, no appreciation for dramatic effect!” I shook my head. “Fine, fine. I spoke to Octavia and Vinyl and we all agreed I'd enter the music business again!”
That made Bon Bon’s eyes fly wide open. “Oh wow! That's fantastic, Lyra!”
Brushing my chest, I shot a triumphant grin at her. “Yeah, I hoped you'd think that.”
Bonnie slipped off her chair, stalking towards me. “I think it's amazing you've decided to share your gift to the world again. So amazing, in fact, I think you deserve a little something…” With hungry intent, she drew in closer, moving her lips closer to mine…
“Yeah, it will be pretty neat,” Strumming said, coughing. “And of course, you can be the marefriend of a big famous musician.”
I gave my cousin a quick awkward glance. As much as kissing Bon Bon was like tasting the sweetest candy, I didn’t really want to make my cousin feel like the third wheel. Especially when she’s never been in the dating game, as far as I knew.
For a mare that’s part of the Heartstrings, that can’t be easy.
“Um, Bons? I don't think we should with Strumming here—”
“I'm sure she'll be fine with us expressing a little affection,” Bon Bon said, not giving an inch backward.
“Hey, go for it,” Strumming said, giving us her blessing, I suppose.
Bonnie was the first to make contact, locking her lips with me. Like usual, it wouldn’t do it justice to put the feeling down into words. I did get momentarily distracted though, sneakily peeking at Strumming, to make sure she was okay. Given she was intentionally ignoring us, I assumed she was.
Eventually, Bon Bon finished. “Well done, hun.” A nice warm nuzzle for me and she went back to my chair, looking at Strumming. “So, what brings your cousin to Ponyville? I imagine she's quite busy.”
“I got some vacation time, figured I'd check on the family. I haven't been back home since that thing in Zebrica,” Strumming explained.
“Which thing was that?” It’s telling how much my cousin works when I had to ask her that. How many international incidents had been prevented because of her efforts?
Proooobably none that big but it’s nice to imagine.
“I could tell you,” Strumming begun, seeming to take a moment to consider me. Then her eyes narrowed, her voice as sharp as a knife’s edge. “But then I'd have to kill you.” Then her expression relaxed in a mere instant. “And that would suck, 'cause you're my favorite cousin.”
I gulped. “Oh. Okay then.” Now, it wasn’t because Strumming’s sudden shift in emotion freaked me out or anything but I hadn’t gone to relieve myself since this morning, so, you know…
“I'll be back.” Duty calls. “You two will be fine together, right?”
“Can’t see why not,” Strumming replied.
“Great!” I hopped off my chair and bounded up the stairs to do my business.
I hoped they’d get along in my absence and from the sounds of it, they did. Really, the only reason I’m even mentioning this is because I overheard some pretty strange stuff from the pair as I made my way back to them.
“Yeah, quiet candymaking life doesn't compare, does it?” That was Strumming.
“Not really, no,” Bon Bon replied.
“Shame there's no way to get you back in the game…” Strumming mused. I heard some absent taps on the table.
It was at this point I entered fully. “What game?”
Bon Bon sat up straight, staring right at me. “Oh, Lyra!”
Like I said, strange. “Yeah?”
Strumming was a lot more casual about it. “Hey cousin. What's up?”
“Wondering what you were chatting about,” I said, as I sat back down in my chair.
“We were talking about my blacksmithing and how it's a shame I can't really get back to that,” Bon Bon was quick to respond. “I can't afford a proper furnace and all the tools here.”
Bon Bon was a mare from Dodge Junction, way out in the desert parts of Equestria. Given that and the fact her family were blacksmiths, it’s unsurprising that she was remarkably strong even by earth pony standards. It also figured she’d take some of her family’s legacy and her own weapons with her to Ponyville.
“Yeah. 'Cause this is some real good work.” Strumming flew up, taking one of Bon Bon’s axes off the wall. The way she held it, the weapon looked weighty but Strumming must have had some experience to it.
“Thanks. I do cherish them,” Bon Bon replied.
“Glad to hear it.” After giving the axe a spin in her hooves, Strumming put it back and sat down.
“So, Lyra,” Bon Bon leaned across the table, closer to me. “What's the first step in your music business plan?”
“Well, I need a patron, so, I'm going to hit up an old friend,” I said, relaxing on my chair and propping my hind hooves on the table. Bon Bon shoved them off immediately, like she always did. It was just so comfortable to sit like that, I never stopped trying.
“Always a classic move. Networking, right?” Strumming said.
“Yep. Always gotta hit up those connections,” I said, like I totally knew what I was talking about. Vinyl and Octavia had given me some great advice but honestly, there was still so much to learn. But every journey starts with one big step. “So I'll pay Twilight a visit.”
“Wait, Twilight Sparkle?” my cousin asked.
“Yeah. We were best friends back in the day.” Strumming was around in my childhood but as far as I recall, she was busy with training. Whenever I saw her, I was way too excited to go and play with my awesome cousin, which didn’t leave much time for talking about my personal life.
In fact, even when I got older, I didn’t tell Strumming much about myself. I always asked about her life because it was just so much more exciting. Thinking about that, was she flattered by that or troubled that she could never pick my brain enough? I suppose that’s why she was here now.
Strumming developed a thoughtful look on her features. “Huh. Kinda curious to meet her. Since my target's kinda got … issues with her.”
Well, I couldn’t leave that hanging without at least some attempt to dig for info. “What?”
“Spy stuff.” She waved a hoof in the air. “Just a little curious to meet the mare.”
“Well hopefully you'll get the time. But I should meet up with her first by myself.” Honestly, I was beginning to get a little anxious to do the deed. Just so it was out of the way.
“Did you want anything, Strumming? Tea? Candy?” Bon Bon asked, being the perfect host she is.
“I'll try your candy.” Other than a similarity in appearance, Strumming also seemed to share my love for snacks. Unlike me, however, she’d always managed to keep in ship shape…
“Sure. I'll go grab some.” Off she trotted, to collect her goods. I couldn’t help but stare at her other goods, if you know what I mean.
That only took a few seconds though, so I turned back to Strumming. “Seems like you're getting along.”
“Like a pair of old friends who haven't seen each other in years,” she replied cooly.
“Kinda, yeah.” Was it weird that Strumming said that? Maybe she was hiding something from me. There was no way of telling with her, sometimes. And then there was the possibility I was overthinking things.
Yeah, it was definitely the latter. I was being a silly Lyra.
Bon Bon come back with one of her bags of candy, tossing it over to Strumming. “Here you go.”
Strumming deftly caught it with one hoof, not even moving from her chair. “Thanks.”
“Enjoy it,” my sweet said, sitting back down. “So when are you going to see Twilight, love?”
I fidgeted a little in my seat. “Well, maybe once Strumming's gone back to Canterlot…”
Bon Bon glanced from my cousin to me. “If she wants you to go see her earlier, maybe you should.”
“Lyra's call,” Strumming said.
If they were going to let me go of my own accord… “Well, I'm on a good roll today. May as well make the most of it, right?”
Strumming gave me a single nod. “Good attitude”
“I'll do that then.” I got out of my chair, then stopped to look at the pair of them. “You two okay together?”
“Yeah, we'll be great,” Strumming assured me. Hm, I was sure that they would be, that seemed to be for certain.
“Good.” Of course, I gave both of them a hug but only Bon Bon got my kiss. “I won't be long!”
Bon Bon smiled, waving me off as I trotted out the door. “Have fun, love.”
Somehow, I figured it’d be something like that.
When you think about it, Twilight’s home really is quite novel. It’s not just a library; it’s a library treehouse. Somehow I get the impression that this sort of deal was very much in Twilight’s dreams when she was a filly. (At least, when she wasn’t dreaming up solutions to her homework. Seriously, she did it. I remember setting up a sleepover just so I could see if she’d sleep talk the answers to my homework.)
Walking up to the door, I had to say, I was a little nervous. Even though I shouldn’t have been, really. We’d spoken around Ponyville a couple of times, so I strongly doubted there would be anything wrong with this. In fact, Twilight had probably been waiting to talk to me one on one ever since she came to Ponyville!
With that in mind, I opened up the door and strolled right on in. Twilight was at her little table, reading books, surprise surprise.
Being the best friend I am to her, I let her be in her comfort zone, casually walking up to her. “Hey, Twilight.”
“Oh, hey,” Twilight said. She looked up at me, the perfect depiction of relaxed. She smiled at me. For a bit too long, really. “Lyra. Good to see you again.”
“You too.” I reflected that smile right back at her. “How are you?”
“I'm doing good. Just doing a bit of studying.” She pointed down to her book. Obviously I couldn’t see the cover but it was a thick thing, all the words tiny and elegantly written.
“Gee, you'd think you'd have studied everything by now, huh?” Most of the time if Twilight had nothing to do, she’d read. Read, read, read. It took a lot of encouragement for me and the girls to get her out with us at times.
“Trust me, there is always more to study,” she said, flipping a page.
True as that statement was, there’s much more to life than study. I kept that reservation to myself, though. “If you say so.”
Twilight looked up at me, then glanced around at her many books. “So, were you looking for a book? Or just looking around.”
I sat opposite her, making myself comfortable. “Oh, I just wanted to chat, really.”
“Huh, what about?” Twilight asked.
“Whatever we want!” I urged, keeping up my smile. “Like good friends do.”
Twilight placed her open book to one side. “Well, I don't want to quibble, but we haven't known each other that long. I mean I want to get to know you better, but from what I've read, you need to interact for a bit before you can really consider one another friend. Though—”
What the hay was she talking about?! She was just dissolving into mindful rambling at this point. Something about friendship formulas? That didn’t matter really but why was she talking like this?!
Unless… I am quite the notorious prankster at times. Maybe...
I blinked, forcing a little laugh out. “Oh Twilight, you're so silly, you old so-and-so!” I trotted around the table so I could give her a playful nudge. “Of course we've talked before!”
Twilight brushed the spot where I’d touched her. “Er, when exactly?”
I couldn’t believe my ears. Twilight would probably describe me as flabbergasted right now. How can she have forgotten everything we’ve done?! Did all those equations she’s learned just shove the good memories out of her brain!
Surely not. That’s silly. Maybe she just needed prompting?
“Around Ponyville! In Canterlot! School?!”
Twilight narrowed her eyes at me, rubbing her head. “We went to school together?”
More forced laughter from me, but I assure you this was no laughing matter. “I'm sure we did. Remember when Lemon Hearts got her head stuck in a test tube?”
Twilight glanced to the side. “Er... Kinda?”
I followed her gaze. Of course, she was looking at that blasted book. “Maaaaybe you should take a break from all that studying, y'know?” I suggested, in a polite manner, of course.
“Why?”
“Because…” I froze, my mind all frazzled from these shocking events unfolding before me. “All work and no play makes for a dull Twilight?”
I knew I’d messed up when she sent a frown my way. “I'm not dull.”
“No no, I'm not saying you are!” I stressed, waving my forehooves in front of me. Memories, memories. I needed more to remind her! “Well, um, how about when you got accepted in Celestia's School for Unicorns and we all had a big party for you?”
Her mouth hung open, as I could see her struggling to come up with the memory. She just shook her head. “I can't say I do, no.”
“B-But... you really can't remember?!”
After a short pause, Twilight just outright said it. “I don't ever remember really talking to you before.”
“But it's me! Lyra! The Minty Mare!” I cried, desperately. “Everypony would always press my muzzle and laugh at me when it scrunched!”
“If you say so…” Twilight said, shuffling away from me. “Was there something I could help you with?”
“I-I-I…” I hung my head, absolutely floored by this mess. How can one of your best friends just forget about you?! It didn’t make sense, it went against everything I’d known about her. Did she really think that little of me?
No, surely not. Twilight was better than that. One more try to jog her memory.
I stepped forward, leaning towards her. “Just boop me. You'll remember!”
Twilight moved back a tiny bit.“What?”
“Boop my muzzle,” I told her, pointing at my nose. “Do it, filly!”
“N-no!”
Crud, this wasn’t working. If she wasn’t going to boop me to jog my memory, then perhaps… Then I came up with it. A scientific method, in fact. Something Twilight probably knew already.
“I know! They say scents can jog your memory, right?” I suggested.
“Err, yes. So I've read,” Twilight said, turning towards her book.
“So sniff me! My minty aroma is so unique, there's no way you could ever forget it!” Desperate? Yes. But it wasn’t like I had any options left.
Not only was my budding career on the line, my old friendship was as well. I just couldn’t believe what was going on here. Can ponies really phase out of someone’s memory this much? Was I just that forgettable?
If I was then, I sure wasn’t now. Twilight stood, actively backing off from me. “Um, no, that's just weird.”
“You don't know until you try!”
“Look, maybe you're mistaking me for somepony else? I can help you find them, if you want,” Twilight suggested, polite as ever. But I didn’t come here for the politeness of strangers, I came here for my friend!
“I'm not, honest!” I pleaded.
“No offense, but you're kinda acting creepy,” Twilight stated. It was still unquestionably polite but nevertheless, she had called me out on my behaviour.
“But I—” I sighed. This wasn’t going anywhere. “Never mind. Sorry.”
“Sorry, but I don't remember meeting you before. It’s really not impossible that there’s a pony out there that looks almost like me.”
My ears flattened against the sides of my head, my tail dragging across the floor as I slowly made my way to leave. “I must have made a mistake then.”
“If you want a book, I can help you with that.” Twilight suggested. She was smiling but it was definitely forced. I could tell by her eyes.
“No no, it's fine. I'll go,” I said, coming up to the door.
“If you're sure…”
“I'm pretty sure.” I opened the door, giving her one more look before I left. My friend was staring at me like I was some weirdo, like all that happened between us never was. “Sorry.” I stepped outside and didn’t look back.