Chapter 12: Movement of A Day
I felt my leg twitch. A slight kick back and then reset. Dear Celestia it was bright out. I wonder how long I’ve been asleep? I let my eyes flutter open, adjusting to the new setting. I was inside of the tree house, lying down upon the wooden floor to rest for the night. Why was I here again?
Scootaloo. I lifted up my wing, and sure enough, the tiny orange pegasus was there beneath it. Curled up into a ball, she rested her head against my side. She looked so cute, so peaceful. Ideas of what the curious filly was dreaming of bumped across my brain. Ah well, whatever they were, the sleepy smile on her face told me they were happy ones. And in the end, that’s all that matters.
I returned my wing to her as she slept. Although light, when it brushed across her body, she shivered. I must’ve tickled her by accident. I even thought I heard her giggle. She had to have done something, because everything else around us was shrouded in the silence of dawn.
Moving my wing back she objected jokingly, “Stop it, you’re tickling me!”
Laughing with her, I continued to softly brush my wing across her, continuously tickling her as she rolled about the ground with uproarious laughter. Not wanting to tire the filly out so early, I slowed down, eventually coming to a stop. She too settled down, letting out her last bit of giggles and chuckles.
“I didn’t mean to wake you.” I apologized.
“Haha,” she laughed “Don’t worry, I was already awake. I was waiting for you.”
The childish gleam to her face divided me. On one side, I was content with her happiness, glad to see her enjoying herself. On the other side, I felt bad that one day her childish innocence would be lost to the rolling clouds of this bothersome travel called life. In the end, I decided to be happy. Happiness is in such short supply, why waste it?
“Why’d you wait, Scoots?”
“Cause I didn’t want to wake YOU up.” she jibbed. “And you’re really comfy.”
I chuckled at this comment. I began to stand up, taking my sweet time to let my muscles readjust. My back was stiff, and my legs weren’t much better, so I stretched awkwardly with my new body. Scootaloo burst out into an uproarious fit of laughter as she watched me try to realign myself.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“You.” she snickered.
With a roll of my eyes, I finished my odd stretching. My new body was still a bit unknown to me. as a pegasus, flying somehow just felt natural. But everything else was, odd to say the least. Scootaloo had no problem hopping up and running about the room. She packed everything up into a neat little bag within seconds. Obviously she had had some practice with this.
“Headed out Scoots?” I questioned her as she whizzed about.
Stopping momentarily to answer she said, “Mhhm. I think I’m gonna go home today. We didn’t plan any crusading today, so I’ll probably just stay at home.”
“Stay at home? On such a beautiful day? Why don’t you go and practice on your scooter?”
The energetic filly smiled up at me. “You know, there’s this awesome hill I like just outside of Ponyville. Maybe I’ll ride down there to relax?”
“I’m always down for a little R and R,” I agreed “and I think you should do that.”
“So what’re you gonna do today?” she asked me, a quizzical look pulsing through her eyes.
My mouth opened a bit, as if I was going to speak, but then I froze. My shoulders dropped a bit, and my entire body went into an almost stunned state. I had no idea what today had in store for me.
“Drumroll?” Scoots asked, waving her hoof in front of my face.
I shook myself back to reality, “Oh yeah, yeah. No I’m uh, I think…I dunno Scoots, I just don’t know.” I replied, just as confused as her.
I looked around the room, trying to see if there was anything that could spark my brain. There wasn’t anything special inside, other than the Crusader’s usual gear. The walls held nothing important, nor the ceiling. But when I looked down at the floor, I noticed the Stetson AJ had given me. Pinned through it was Fluttershy’s feather, and resting atop were a few gold bits.
An idea struck me as I stared down at my broad brown hat. “I think I’m going into the town today.”
Scootaloo rushed up to me, gave me a big hug around my legs and said “Hope you find what you’re looking for.” With that, she grabbed her bag, threw it over her back and bolted out the door.
Walking slowly to the open door I watched as she ran home, her real home. She hadn’t said much this morning, but her eyes told me everything. A new spark had been lit inside of her, ready to fuel her on to dreams unknown. Who knows what this day will breed for her, and for me.
I turned around and snagged my hat, placing it squarely on my head, covering my spiky mane. The bandages on my arm were still there, held tight to my wings, gripping them firmly but not painfully. Must be Twilight’s magic. The last thing I had picked up on inside the room was something else that belonged to me. A pair of battered sticks lay at my feet. I wondered what I would do with them. Certainly I wasn’t going to carry them everywhere, which would be too difficult. But I didn’t have any pockets to hold them in.
“I need pockets.” I told myself aloud.
I couldn’t find anything in the room, not even a bag. I always remembered characters from the show placing things behind themselves and taking them out later, but I had no idea how to go about that. I tried picking up the sticks and nonchalantly dropping them behind myself. They simply fell to the floor. Eventually I gave up the fruitless effort and drooped to the floor.
“I guess I could leave them here, but what if I don’t come back? It’s not like these stick to me like my bandages….” My voice trailed off as a light bulb went off in my mind.
Quickly I picked up the sticks in one hoof, and with my mouth, stretched the bandage on my wing out. Placing the sticks through the bandage, I released it, letting the medical wrap snap back to its original form. It stung for a second, but the process was complete. My drum sticks held firm to my side. Success!
Happy to have everything of mine safely secured to my body, I too left towards Ponyville. I had 16 bits of old fashioned money to spend on myself. I figured, if I had money, and nothing else planned, why not see how the town was? Sure, I’d seen Ponyville hundreds of times, and even seen the market quite a few, but I’d never Been there.
I looked back at the club house as I left. Applebloom had done quite the job of fixing it up, I was surprised she hadn’t earned her cutie mark yet. Then again, neither had the other two. A shame really, they have such wonderful talents. The sun was rather luminous in the skies of mid day Equestria. Celestia really outdid herself this time around. It’s all encompassing shine displayed the various hues of every living and non living thing for miles.
The sky was flushed with the richest of blues, letting the bold white clouds fluctuate around it. The grass was ever changing and uncertain. Different types of plant life sprouted all over the small field and beyond, changing tone and form with species and light. The rocks lilted in the darkness, only the enormous shapes of boulders providing heavy distractions of shade could be seen busting from the bright pastel-lit world.
“Truly the world we have, is it not?” lilted an anonymous voice to my right.
I turned, but there was no one there. Not even a bug and bird. Was my mind playing tricks on me?
I decided it had to have been the wind and continued my delightful stroll to Ponyville. The town came upon me slowly. Being a rural town, Ponyville had houses spread far apart, covering a wide area. Although there was an obvious center, the town itself could be said to go on for quite some time. Still, I enjoyed the walk; it gave my legs some good exercise, my eyes some engaging visuals, and my mind some idle time to relax from the ever burdening questions.
“Oh, those questions must be SO very burdening, mustn’t they?” jibbed a voice sarcastically.
This voice was different from the one I heard earlier, and seemed to have come from my left side. It was them. Jeez, they just wouldn’t leave me alone would they?
“Nope, we don’t leave so easily.” Continued the voice to the left.
“So do you plan on staying around?” I grumbled.
No answer came. How could they continuously interrupt me and not even bother to answer me when I really needed them? Stupid voices.
“You really shouldn’t insult your elders.” The voice from the right scolded.
“Oh shut up you two!” I yelled back.
It was then I realized I had walked my way into the near center of town, where a good dozen ponies stood starring awkwardly at me. I had been talking to myself the whole time, in the middle of town. I must seem insane.
“It’s not totally out of the question.” Laughed the left voice.
Ignoring it, I ducked my head and trotted quickly from the town’s center. Leaving my shameful experience behind. Guess I won’t be buying anything from there today. Hiding my head just in case, I continued further down an unknown road.
The small gravel like road cracked beneath my hooves. It was an odd crack, crushing smoothly beneath me as I trotted. It felt soft afterwards, not bothering me at all as I left the scene. When I had decided I was far enough away, I found a bench to stop and rest on. Of course, I was exactly used to sitting as a pony, and sat down like a normal human.
It took me a few moments and few more odd stares before I realized what I was doing. Originally I thought they had just seen me earlier, but I quickly understood that was not true. I just looked funny. Dear Celestia, what else could go wrong?
Trying to hide from further embarrassment, I hopped off the bench and tried running away again. Unfortunately, I didn’t look where I was going and crashed into another pony. I tumbled backwards, falling down to my side. I began standing up, shakily regaining my balance, apologizing repeatedly for the offense. I was too flustered about the whole day to think straight.
A light blue unicorn held a hoof out to pull me up. I grabbed it without a second thought.
“Funny way of sitting, don’t you think?” the obviously female voice joked.
“Yeah, I know. I’m kinda new around here and –” I stopped as my eyes raised up to see who the unicorn was.
“Lyra?” I asked the air in surprise.
“Who’s askin’?” she smiled.
I shook my head, as always, the try and fix my rattled brain. “I’m sorry Miss, I wasn’t watching where I was going. I should be on my way.”
I tried walking but she held her hoof out to stop me. “Hey now, you said my name. How do you know who I am?” she demanded.
Unfortunately for me, she wasn’t exactly famous for anything in particular. At least that I knew of. She’d never buy it. I had to think of something quick to cover for myself.
“Oh no, I said ‘lyre’, as in your cutie mark. It IS a lyre, right?”
“Heh heh, yeah it is. I could’ve sworn you said Lyra, but I guess anypony could make that mistake.” She agreed.
“Anyways, I should be probably be going.”
I tried again to move but she stopped me once more, “Oh no, you sat like that as if it was normal. Why’d you do it?”
The stern tone in her voice told me she wasn’t messing around. Had she been a guy, I might’ve just brushed him off, but I wasn’t going to get in a fight with a girl, or mare as it may be.
“It’s normal for me. But I’m an odd gu- stallion.”
She raised an unbelieving eye brow at me. She half heartedly accepted my answer and dropped her hooves. I began to walk away, again, but as I did I was stopped. No big surprise there, except this halt was brought by her speech, not her hooves.
“I’ve just been trying to explain to my special somepony that it’s not all that bad. You know, to be different.”
I turned around, only to see a sad mare, head dropped low, walk away in dismay.
“Hold up,” I called out, stopping her this time around “What’s this about your special somepony?”
The mare brought her head back up, looking me in the eyes to talk. Her voice was slightly more in depth than monotone, but it lacked any real emotion, almost as if she wasn’t sure how she felt about what she was saying.
She paused, making sure what she was about to say was right, then continued “Bon Bon and I, we, well, we’ve gotten in quite a few scuffles the past few weeks.”
“Scuffles?”
“Yes. She’s been on my case about the entire ‘other world’ I obsess over.”
My ears perked up at the mention of a second world. She noticed my piqued interest and explained.
“It’s not much, really, just a theory. I think that there are other worlds out there, parallel with ours. I doubt they’re accessible, at least without a lot of magic, but that they exist. Maybe there are other beings out there, other than ponies, but who’ll really know?”
“That’s quite the interesting theory you have Miss Lyra.” I replied enthusiastically. “Especially for what would appear to be a rather musical pony?” I gestured towards her cutie mark.
She turned to her flank and blushed, “Well I guess you could call me a musical pony. I have found that I am rather nice on the lyre.” She chuckled a light laugh then took a deep breath. “But really, I just enjoy the message. You know, putting an emotion, or a belief into the music. That’s why I love it.”
“Wow. That’s pretty deep. So do you talk about this other world in your music? Is that what you mean?”
“Not that many ponies will notice it, but yes, I try.” She admitted, then blinked, opening her eyes wide as if she just remembered something she forgot. “I’m really sorry! I just realized that I have to meet Bons for a coffee like right now! Thanks for listening mister, it really helped.”
And with that, she ran towards the place where I had just run away from. Ironic in a way.
“Oh Lyra!” I yelled out, “Being different is OK. Don’t give up on that dream, you just might be right.”
I too went my own way, but as I walked I could’ve sworn I felt two hopefully confused eyes glance back at me as I walked. Who knows, maybe she’ll find her ‘other world’, MY world, eventually. There really were so many unanswered questions that raised though. How did I get here, really, why was I here? I wondered if I would ever know the true answer to that question, and doubted it.
Of course, life never treated my thoughts well. For as soon as I started thinking it over, I saw an all too familiar flash of colors fly above my head. Headed straight for the town center was none other than Rainbow Dash.
Oddly enough, she hadn’t noticed me. Well, it wasn’t too odd considering how fast she was going. Perhaps she had something more pressing at hand, eh, hoof? It had been a few days since all this happened after all, maybe she’d forgotten about me? I trotted stealthily back to the town square to check just in case.
Hiding behind a stack of hay, I watched as Rainbow Dash landed pompously by one of the shacks. She really knew how to make an entrance. A really big, showy, boastful entrance. Ah well, its one of the things I had grown to love about the cyan mare. She was so egotistical, but she had the guts and skills to back it up. More than that, she had good character. Sure, not too difficult in Equestria, but in the real world, the ‘other world’, my world, it was rare.
She began to speak to the vendor in the shack. Apparently she sold cherries, if her giant sign was so telling. The vendor nodded and pointed her in the direction I had run off in earlier. She was still looking for me. And apparently, she had leads. Fantastic.
At least I wasn’t there anymore. Although, if anypony else had seen me, she’d be back in no time. I had to leave. But where in world could I go? Everywhere was filled with ponies who could identify me. I needed a place, not too obscure I’d be the only one there, but not too crowded I’d be found no problem.
AS I tried desperately to think of such a place, surrounded by unfamiliar territory, I felt myself crunch into the haystack. My wings felts the prickles and I recoiled sharply.
“Ow.” I yelped.
The hay had pushed the drumsticks further into my wings, causing them to continuously beat around my feathers. It was a constant and annoying pain I did not want to deal with.
“Pockets, drummer boy.” The left ear rang.
“Oh shut u-” I stopped myself as I thought about what the voice told me.
Drumsticks. Pockets. Clothes. Stores. Rarity. Carousel Boutique.
My mind ticked like clockwork, each thought a new peg on the gear, clicking into place, then being replaced by a m ore current and helpful one. Rarity’s shop wasn’t too far away. It also was out of the way enough that no pony would be too suspicious. It was the perfect idea!
“Oh you’re just SO smart.” Snarked the left voice.
“A new adventure awaits you, Drumroll.” Replied the right, calmly.