Beginning of the End
There was a lot to look forward to this year.
Lyra’s parents had been talking about school lately. At her age, most humans were finishing up their final year of “high school.” But, in all likelihood, she’d be getting homeschooled. They could tell that her education wasn’t quite on track, no matter how much she tried to fake it.
What she’d been learning from the history books was useful, and more than anything else, that was the subject she was behind on. When she looked at the history of other countries – ones that she had read about in her old books – familiar things starting popping up, though they were all centuries ago. The recent stuff was what was important, though. And what was difficult.
Other than all that academic stuff, though, Chloe was getting really excited for something she called “Halloween.” Lyra had been listening to her, and taking some mental notes. It would be at the end of the month, and there would be costumes and going door-to-door to get candy. This was clearly the human version of Nightmare Night. It was almost the same day, too.
It wasn’t the same harvest festival Lyra had read about. None of the same customs from her old books. In fact, Halloween was almost exactly the same as Nightmare Night – it was a little eerie. Though it certainly couldn’t be in honor of Nightmare Moon, could it? Chloe had heard that story but didn’t talk about any connections to the upcoming holiday. Whatever humans did this for, Lyra figured she would find out more once the day finally rolled around.
And after fall, it would be winter, and she’d get to experience another human holiday. Christmas. Lyra remembered how exciting and colorful Canterlot had gotten around Hearth’s Warming Eve, and wondered how humans in Philadelphia celebrated their winter holidays. The city was bigger. Maybe their celebration would be, too.
And then it would be a new year, and she’d go through winter and spring and the next summer with her human family. It was getting a little easier to fit in each day that went by. Soon she’d be just like any other human.
It had started out pretty much like any other morning in the Michelakos household.
When Lyra woke up she could hear the faint sound of her father typing on the computer in his study down the hall. She got dressed in a T-shirt and jeans and headed downstairs for some breakfast.
Eventually Chloe came downstairs, got a quick bowl of cereal, and sat down across from Lyra. They talked a little while. Not always about Equestria, either – as Lyra had hoped, those stories had just gotten her sister to open up to her. She also told Lyra about her school lessons and the new friends she’d made in her class.
"Will you take me out trick-or-treating?" she asked suddenly.
"That's... the candy part, isn't it?" Lyra said.
"Obviously!"
Lyra grinned. "Of course. That's my favorite."
“Alright, Chloe, are you all ready?” Dad had just come downstairs. He got his coat off the back of one of the kitchen chairs and started to put it on.
“Yeah.” Chloe stood up to get her bookbag. Lyra watched how the two straps fit over her arms, and the weight would be centered on the back – almost like a saddlebag, but modified. “I’ll see you later, Lyra!”
She watched them head out the front door together as she finished her breakfast. The school was out pretty far away. Apparently there was some kind of long yellow car that took most of the kids, called a “bus,” but it didn’t come out to the houses near theirs. That’s why their dad always had to drive her to school.
It was weird how far away the schoolhouse was. Back in Ponyville – No. Lyra shook her head. She had to stop being reminded of that at every little thing. She hated to admit it, since she loved being human so much, but – was she getting a little homesick?
More footsteps coming down the stairs, and then her mother appeared in the front hallway. “Did they leave already?"
Lyra nodded. "They just walked out the door."
"Good. I’m going to head out to the store for a few things. Do you want me to pick anything up for you?”
“Some more of those…” Lyra tried to remember the weird name. “Pop Tarts.”
“Anything else?”
“No, that’s pretty much it. Oh, and maybe some apples, too.”
“Okay. I’ll be back soon.” She grabbed her purse and car keys, and headed out the garage door. Lyra could hear the low rumble of the huge door opening by itself. A few minutes later, the car engine started and faded away.
Once she was alone, Lyra stretched herself out on the couch and wondered what she would do for the rest of today. The television was there, but she’d never really gotten into the habit of watching it. A couple times she had watched "movies" with her family, which were like entire human plays that took place in there. They used magic a few times, but her mom commented on it and called them "special effects." For the most part her own family wasn’t as addicted to the glowing screen as Audrey’s was. She messed with her phone a little bit. There was music on it now.
She considered rereading something. The last few books she had purchased had been devoured in the past couple of weeks. She was already filling up a shelf in her room with her collection, and it easily exceeded her old collection of human research that she had left back in Equestria.
That was it. She’d take a walk and go visit the bookstore again. It was still early morning on a weekday, so Monica would probably be working.
Lyra grabbed a pen and paper and wrote a quick note, just in case she was gone longer than she expected. Of course, her parents could always call her, but she could tell they got uneasy if she left for a long time and didn’t say anything. It was understandable. Considering what they'd been through.
She found her jacket in the hall closet and slipped it on. The weather was already getting pretty chilly. She left the note on the kitchen table, checked that all the doors were safely locked, and stood in front of the front door.
One last thing...
Lyra held her phone in one hand, with the cord and the “ear buds” draped in the other. She poked and slid her fingers around on the screen to open up the music. Her dad had shown her this. The triangle meant “play.” A quiet, crackly sound could be heard from the tiny speakers. Not sure what to expect, she slowly inserted one of them into her ear, finding the right place to lodge it in place. And – unexpectedly – the music was now coming through her ears as clear as if the band was right there in front of her.
Testing it, she took it out, pulling it away from herself. It was still barely audible, but once she put it up close, the sound was perfect. Even better than the stereo she’d used at Audrey’s house.
She put the other ear bud in right away and it was like all the other sounds around her just vanished. This was wonderful. The song was a familiar one – “Highway to Hell,” a song she had played with Randall’s band. With the music playing inside her own head, as it seemed, she headed out the door.
Her usual route went through the woods around her house, through some other neighborhoods, and into the downtown area where the bookstore was. Lyra had been meaning to explore the town, check out some of the other locations around there. Maybe she would do that today.
A car drove past. She hardly heard it through the heavy beats of the music pumping directly into her ears. She watched it as it went past, checking to see if it was her dad coming back from the school, but it wasn’t either of her parents’ cars. After it went by, she was left alone again.
The music really did enhance what would otherwise be a boring, uneventful walk. There were rarely any other humans out here, either on foot or in vehicles.
She stared up. The woods were looking different this time of year. The leaves were starting to change colors, and there was a thin covering of them on the road. No doubt they had been shaken off by the cars driving through. She wondered if there would be a Running of the Leaves to make sure the others fell off before it was time for winter. She’d done that a few times in Ponyville, non-competitively, usually running alongside Bon-Bon at an easy but vigorous pace. It did kind of look like Whitetail Woods out here. If it weren't for the human road going through here, and that single car that had driven past a few minutes ago, Lyra would have thought she was back there.
She let those thoughts clear away for the time being. Lyra stared up at the oranges and browns above her, enjoying the music coming through her ears. It made her want to get out her guitar and learn some new songs. Maybe after she came back from visiting –
“Enjoying your walk, Heartstrings?”
The sudden voice - unexpected and perfectly clear - had made her stop. She spun around, expecting to see someone behind her, but oddly enough she was still alone. All she could hear was her music, anyway, the ear buds blocked out just about everything else.
“You’re getting along quite well on just two legs, I see. Like any other human. You really are one of them, aren’t you?”
Whoever he was, he’d called her Heartstrings. And…
The voice was coming through her headphones.
Lyra yanked them out of her ears. She was frozen in place, staring at her phone, but she knew it wasn’t really coming from that. No, it had just been a trick. She knew this voice. Even if she didn’t quite remember what had happened the last time he appeared, she knew enough.
“I just wanted to stop by and offer my most sincere gratitude. If it weren’t for you, Heartstrings, I never would have found this place.” His tone of voice became mocking, condescending, when he said her name. No, not her real name, just her old pony name. “And to imagine, you were right there in Ponyville the entire time! If I had known there were humans left, I wouldn’t have wasted my time there. No, humans are far more fun.”
The voice was coming from nowhere. At the same time, it was all around her. Everything was oddly still.
“I’m rather fond of humans myself,” he said. “I suppose we have that much in common, you and me. All that technology, right? And their hands that they use it with?”
Now it sounded like he was behind her, but when she spun around to face him – nothing, just more empty road.
Lyra finally found her voice, though she couldn’t help how shaky it sounded. “W-where are you?”
“Oh, I'm exactly where I want to be – here, in the human world. Can you imagine? A separate world, filled with millions of humans, and it’s been right next door all along.”
That was right – he was in the human world. That definitely wasn’t good. But for some reason, all Lyra could think about was that bookstore downtown.
“You’re really quite a lot of fun, you humans. And just look at how amazing this world is! Leave you alone for a couple thousand years and you accomplish all of this.”
Her voice was a little stronger this time. “How did you get here?" she demanded. "How did you find me? What are you doing?”
She heard laughter. “I think you know exactly what I’m planning. You see, I’ve been terribly bored, like you couldn’t even imagine. I’ve been in need of some good old-fashioned chaos. Or – my mistake – the humans here have all new ways to create chaos! I do look forward to this, I really mean that.”
She gritted her teeth. The voice seemed to come from nowhere, but it was all around her. The movement through the trees – that was just the wind, wasn’t it? A few scattered leaves fell down in front of her.
“There’s more to humans than that. I’ve been studying them – us,” Lyra said. “We’re better than that.”
“From the looks of things, you’ve all made quite enough chaos without my help. We’ll see about that.”
The voice sounded like he was right behind her now. But she was still alone – or was she? Was this really happening? It couldn’t be…
“Well, I didn’t plan to visit for long. Just long enough to drop in and leave you with something. You see, there’s a whole world of humans out there waiting for me, and let’s just say you’ll be happier if you’re not one of them.”
She felt something brush the top of her head. Her hand shot up, but it had already passed her by. Her knees went weak. Things were going blurry.
"Do you realize that there are billions of you in this world? Not thousands, not even millions. I could find millions of you in just one city. And it's not too far from here, is it?"
The last thing she saw was Discord’s grinning face in front of her.
“Like I said, Heartstrings – my sincerest thanks for your help.”
Lyra woke up groggily, feeling a bit sick. There had been some really weird nightmares lately, but that one had been the worst dream of them all.
Her eyes snapped open.
This… wasn’t her bed, though. She was still dressed in the same clothes, though they were feeling kind of loose and baggy. Her face was right against the hard black stone of the road, a few dry leaves scattered around. Memories of what had just happened came flooding back to her.
Discord.
Of all the crazy things that she'd woken up from, this was the one that had actually been real?
She tried to pick herself up off the ground – she’d fallen unconscious, she wasn’t sure why. How long had she been out? It was still daylight, just… kind of cloudy… It was hard to tell. She stood shakily to her feet, her spine bending uncomfortably, but then she tripped over her own tail and landed hard on her back. She let out a groan. Her forelegs stuck straight up into the air, and the loose sleeves fell down over her hooves.
Lyra stared at them, frozen in horror.
“That jerk!”
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Short one, but it didn't really need to be long. I'm off to enjoy my vacation.
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That was fast...
Ah well have a nice trip!
AW, SNAP! This is getting good!
Discord you butt, taking away Lyra's hands like that.
Lyra is a pony again and Discord is on earth?
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YOU'RE LEAVING US OFF ON THIS?
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TEASE!!!
Poor Lyra, no choice but the truth now. Also time for another avatar change?
614285
PFFT, well played.
Oh man, he did it
. This is going to be fun to explain to everyone, and Chloe is going to go nuts.
I was wondering where you were going to take this next. I though you were slowly ending the story, but NOPE. I guess it's time for the next plot arc (or whatever it's called) to begin. I just hope I have enough popcorn
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This was a short but excellent chapter; enjoy your vacation!
Nice twist.
O SNAP
Oh fuck. Shit just went INSANE!!!
Holy shit on a shit sandwhich with a double helping of shit!
I thought you'd be lowkey and subtle and all, and then you do this - which hence surprise me completely. This will be dreadful and lovely! Discord, the cosmic school bully whom you think is the class clown until you are the victim of his pranks!
Holy crap that was great! Good thing Lyra primed the pump so to speak by getting her human family familiar with Equestria through the stories, they shouldn't have as large of a leap to understand what is going on.
Enjoy your vacation!
This can't end well.
Bravo. Enjoy the vacation!
Ok, that was cool. Won't be needing this anymore though.
(take box labeld 'expectations of this story', sets it on fire and throws it out the window)
And now, to begin the long wait for the next update. Hope your vacation goes well!
Does this mean that Discord can meet John De lancie, cause that would be ironically hilarious...
Also cliffhangers......
this got interesting all of the sudden.
In all honestly, I should have seen that one coming. Well played, good sir.
"That jerk!"
What perfect way to end the act. Good hunting on your vacation, sir. We'll be waiting for you when you return.
Sic Semper Tyrannus
Carry on.
Doh-ho-ho. Discord has no clue what he's gotten himself into, here.
That was a low, low blow.
SON I AM DISAPPOINT!
How could you do this to us
HAVE YOU NO HEART?!?!?!
re-ponified in the human world. this will be interesting :3
OMG THAT IS SO INTENSE! SHE IS GOING TO HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO HER FAMILY AND SAVE THE WORLD! CAPTAIN LYRA TO THE RESCUE!
Too tired to comment, posting reaction image =_=
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Cliffhangers...had to be cliffhangers. In all honesty I was expecting this, but that just means that tis' about to be brilliant.
shit just got real son
FIRE THE SHIT-STORM CANNONS!
Oh man! Shit just got real.
Om-mother-fucking-Nom. GLORIOUS GLORIOUS STORY!!!
How dare you hold me in thrilled suspense
Highway to Hell: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv24N8H1KyI
I read Discord's lines out loud, mimicking his voice, and it was fun.
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So you're just gonna leave us with this cliffhanger and go enjoy your fancy vacation!?
Good for you. you deserve it. Have a great time!
He has Heartstrings... the best Lyra fic ever seriously amazing so far and it just completely threw me off. But if it wasn't for the lack of sad tag I would think she really had lost her mind and made it all up.
The only thing left would be for Lyra to bump into little Lauren Faust on her way home, and all things would be just perfect. Lauren's mom would consider it as a backlash of an acid trip she just had, but Lauren will summon Celestia to overthrow Discord. Or not
Poor lyra!!!!
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Well....time to show Discord just how well we can take Chaos.
Oh look...he turn the sky purple....and the magic is gone.
*Discord disconnects the internet*
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YOU GO TOO FAR! TIME TO DIE!!!
WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAJHSDJHGSDFJHSDGFJHSFGD D:
Enjoy your vacation.
Ka-boom.
Oh my.
Discord is in modern human world what with the nukes and the middle east and the video games. 
Just when Lyra was acclimating, you mix it up a bit. 
And Lyra is a mint green unicorn again, with the unicorn magic (which she doesn't care for), and no hands and her iPhone to send a pic of her to Audrey with an 'I told you so' message header. And now she has to make it back home before being found or seen by.. . everyone!
Well played, Discord.
This will make for an interesting Halloween.
Vat a tvist!
Go forth humanity! Unite and strike against this new evil, this new chaos. That or some Celestial intervention whatever comes first. It will be glorious.
NO... NO...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, NOT DISCORD, DAMN YOU Q! A vacation.... now? Couldn't it have atleast waited until my vacation?
I'M GOING TO EXPLODE DAMNIT, LET THE WAR BEGIN!
614369 NO DO- aw, crap. Time paradox.
Enjoy your vacation, fellow-human Jason. I call you fellow human because we are all humans. Of course.
614355
I quite agree. I knew there would be a purpose behind Lyra's storytelling. Admittedly I thought that the Michelakoses had some sort of clue, that they didn't share with the press, that pointed to Equestria, and that Lyra opening up to them fully would be the only way to prove her identity. But this is even better.
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NOW, HUMANITY MUST UNITE AND- yeah, we're screwed.
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Lyra... reponified... on EARTH?! Discord is coming, her family will be thrown into the mix... this is already chaos!!! THOSE CLIFFS! THEY CALL TO US!
Well, I certainly picked a poor time to jump into this story.
I've read Human-in-Equestria stories, and the occasional Pony-on-earth story, and I never really found a good one. I'd actually resisted clicking on that link so many times in the EqD story updates.
Finally, today I gave in. I read the entire thing in one day.
I love your tone, and how you go into detail about everything. You actually have me feeling emotionally involved in a background pony's journey of self-discovery.
As I said, I picked a hell of a time to jump in. Seriously, Discord, and reponified all in one day?
OHSHI---
Dammit, Jason, you magnificent bastard.
Best cliffhanger since the "Lyra is a human" twist. /)
(\
614503 Ha ha ha ha... ha... um... shit.