Dressing in Style
There were quiet hoofsteps going down the hall. A door creaked closed, and latched shut.
Lyra was still awake, listening for the telltale sounds of Bon-Bon going to bed, waiting until she could be sure she wouldn’t be disturbed. It was more for Bon-Bon’s sake than her own; Lyra had promised that she’d never try this again after the first disaster.
She was sitting on her bed, with her journal on the nightstand. She raised up her two front hooves in front of her face, closed her eyes, and concentrated. Slowly she felt the magic changing her. All this practice had made the spell much easier to cast, with fewer accidents. She hardly noticed the discomfort in the process anymore. It had only taken two nights after Bon-Bon’s panic attack before Lyra just hadn’t been able to resist trying out her handwriting again. Now she was doing this at least three nights a week.
When she opened her eyes, she saw a perfect pair of hands. It was a sight that always managed to make her smile. She flexed her fingers, adjusting to the feel of them again. What would be the reaction if she tried to keep them like this, all the time? True, most ponies would probably react like Bon-Bon had… At least Lyra could still have hands at times like this, when she was on her own. She picked up her journal and a quill, and flipped to a blank page.
There hadn’t been any dreams over the past few nights. Still, one of the recurring details had been on her mind a lot lately. As she stared at the page, Lyra scratched her chin thoughtfully, and then started sketching out a few lines.
First of all, she had to get the posture right. And the curves of the figure. Female humans had some differences in their shape from the males. Lyra ran her fingers through her mane. It came to down to her shoulders, so she tried drawing it like that in the sketch. It didn’t look quite right, so she made it a bit shorter. A human’s neck wasn’t as long as a pony’s.
Also, there was the issue of clothing. Ponies only wore clothing for special occasions, but humans were always fully clothed. In casual situations they’d wear pants – Lyra drew those over the legs of the figure, and a long-sleeved shirt on top. Yeah, that looked pretty good.
Finally, the face. Lyra stopped for a moment. Her fingers idly stroked the feather of the quill. What exactly would her face look like as a human? She tried just a general female face. The eyes – they looked a little small, but that was normal. Her ears wouldn’t be pointy at all and they’d be on the sides of her head, about centered. No horn.
The horn was something she thought about often. Humans didn’t have them, so they couldn’t use magic. That might not be so bad. After all, being able to have hands seemed like a fair exchange. She held up her left hand to examine it as she drew with her right. It seemed easier to control the quill with her right hand, so she always used that one.
That was it – this was what she’d look like as a human. Lyra held the book up and examined her work. She looked pretty good. All of those weird details – the bipedal posture, the lack of a tail, the fingers – when they were all part of a human figure, they didn’t look weird at all. Lyra found herself wishing that she actually did look like this, but… Hands had been difficult enough. She sighed. This would probably be out of the question.
Lyra closed her journal and set it back on the nightstand. Then she blew out the candles and laid her head on the pillow. It might have been a little ridiculous imagining herself as a human. Knowing that they were real didn’t change anything. She’d never actually be human no matter what she did.
There was an itchy spot behind her ear, so she reached up to scratch it… and realized she still had hands. That was a close one. As much as she wanted to, Bon-Bon might kick her out if she kept them, so they had to go. The green light from her horn lit them up as the fingers retracted back into the hooves.
The next morning, Bon-Bon was preparing breakfast, as she normally would on the weekends. In the month she had in between the two biggest holidays of the year, work would be at a relaxed pace and she could take it easy for a while. Not to mention all the crazy things Lyra had been doing had also seemed to slow down lately. Bon-Bon would be content if she never saw another pair of hands again.
“Good morning, Bon-Bon,” Lyra said.
“Good mor – “ Bon-Bon turned around, saw Lyra, and stopped. “Um… what’s with the…?”
Lyra was dressed in a white dress shirt and – something that was especially unusual for a pony – a pair of black pants. A tie was hanging loose around her neck. Bon-Bon had a sick feeling that she knew what this was all about, but hoped she was wrong.
“I was going to head over to Rarity’s later,” Lyra said. “I thought you knew I was picking up my dress for the Gala today.”
Bon-Bon let out a sigh of relief. “Ah, yes. I almost forgot you had ordered one from her. ”
Lyra’s horn started to glow as she looked down at her tie and adjusted it. “Anyway, humans dress like this all the time, and I was thinking I might make a habit out of it. Personally I think it looks good on me.”
Bon-Bon stared at her. She started to speak – or tried to, she couldn’t think of what to say. She looked down at Lyra’s hooves to make sure they were, in fact, still hooves. “Um, it’s…”
“You don’t like it?” Lyra said.
Bon-Bon wrinkled her nose. “It’s not that, I just think… Well, it must be a hassle getting dressed every day. Are you sure you want to put up with that kind of trouble?”
“Nah, it’s not really that big a deal. This didn’t take long at all.” Lyra sat down at the table. “Anyway, let’s eat!”
Taking a deep breath, Bon-Bon joined her. Clothes were not that much of an issue. Some ponies liked them. And maybe Lyra would finally get tired after some time and give up on this foolishness.
But she was sitting that way again. Leaning back in her chair. It was as if she thought she was one of them.
Lyra left home shortly after breakfast. It was chilly out. The leaves had started to fall already, but the trees wouldn’t go completely bare for another couple weeks until they had the Running of the Leaves. The oranges and reds of the trees stood in stark contrast to the grey skies.
Wearing clothes was a good way to stay warm. It definitely helped to block some of the wind. This might be a good habit to start after all. Lyra was beginning to wonder why this particular aspect of human culture hadn’t been retained by ponies.
Lyra noticed that a few heads were turning to watch her as she trotted through town, towards Rarity’s boutique. In her dreams, the humans were always wearing clothes, but that wasn’t how pony culture worked at all. Clothing really made a pony stand out.
Lyra knocked on Rarity’s door and waited patiently, humming to herself contentedly and rocking back and forth on her hooves.
The door opened, and when Rarity saw who it was, she smiled. “Ah, I was expecting to see you today. Come on in. Love the outfit, by the way.”
“Really?” Lyra said, following her into the shop.
“Oh, but of course! Classic black and white, and that tie really pulls everything together… You truly are a Canterlot pony, aren’t you?” Rarity examined her approvingly. “Some special occasion?”
“Nope, just felt like it,” Lyra said. “I actually find the pants very comfortable.”
“You know, my mother seems to like them as well, though I’ve always found them a bit… tacky, I suppose,” Rarity said, frowning. She looked back at Lyra. “Oh, but they look great on you!”
“Thanks!” She thought Rarity sounded sincere enough.
“But let’s not get sidetracked. I just know you’ll love what I put together for you,” Rarity said, leading her through the chaotic jumble of supplies and sketches to stand in front of a newly-completed dress on a mannequin. “How do you like it?”
Lyra’s dress was all pure white except for some turquoise trim and embroidery on the back. The back flowed out gracefully. The sleeves and neck had gold accents, and a brooch shaped like her lyre cutie mark was on the front.
“It looks… great!” Lyra said. She was reminded of a toga more than anything else – that was an old style of human garment, although she wasn’t sure if Rarity would have ever heard of those.
“Why don’t you try it on? I need to make sure it’s absolutely perfect,” Rarity said. “Oh, and don’t forget the matching shoes and mane clip. I went ahead and made you an entire ensemble.”
“Wow, this is really amazing,” Lyra said, admiring the detail on the brooch.
“Now quickly. I’d like to see how it looks on you,” Rarity said. Her horn glowed as she lifted the garment off of the dress form and passed it over to Lyra.
“Sure,” Lyra replied. “Um… excuse me.” She stepped behind a screen as she changed out of her shirt and pants and into the dress.
Rarity came over to where Lyra was examining her reflection in the mirror. “So, how do you like it?”
“This is excellent,” Lyra said. She turned from side to side, craning her neck to look at herself from all angles. Then she carefully lifted herself up onto her back legs.
“Um… What are you doing?” Rarity said.
“Just wanted to see how it would look…” Lyra said. She tried to stay balanced, but it was hard to stand on two legs for very long.
Rarity bit her lip. “Lyra, I’ve noticed that you sometimes sit a tad strangely, particularly when you’re performing. Perhaps at the Gala you should attempt to be more…” She searched for the word. “Ladylike.”
Lyra dropped back down to all fours. “Huh? Oh. Right…”
“It is a formal event. You’re quite fortunate to have been invited. You should know that they will expect all the formalities in Canterlot,” Rarity said.
“You’ve been to the Gala before, haven’t you, Rarity?” Lyra asked.
Rarity’s face twitched. “Well… yes, but I’m afraid I will not be attending again. Still… don’t hesitate to tell everypony where you got your tailor-made dress. And if you see any important Canterlot personalities - ”
“I probably wouldn’t recognize them if I did. I’ve never really paid attention to that kind of thing,” Lyra said. “Thanks again, by the way.”
“It’s not a problem at all.” Rarity regained her composure. “Would you like me to wrap that up for you?”
Lyra headed out of the boutique and headed back home through Ponyville, thinking about what Rarity had said. The package was floating along next to her.
Canterlot.
Lyra was having mixed feelings about going back there. Like Rarity said, it was very formal. Stuffy and boring would be more accurate. Still, the Grand Galloping Gala was an honor. Being invited was a testament to her talent as a musician.
She came up to her house and opened the door. Her head was down in thought as she habitually headed into the living room.
Rarity had actually called her a “Canterlot pony.” That was a laugh. These clothes were more for the human look than high-society. Lyra had always felt out of place in Canterlot, which was why she’d been happy to move away from her parents’ house.
“Ah, there she is! We’ve missed you, Heartstrings!”
Lyra’s head shot up at her father’s voice. Bon-Bon was seated in the living room with a dark blue unicorn and a violet pegasus. Lyra was speechless. Her… parents? Here? Now? The package dropped to the ground. “Dad? Mom? Wh-when did you get here?”
“They just arrived a few minutes ago. I told them you wouldn’t be long,” Bon-Bon said.
“We told you we’d be visiting today,” her mother said. “You must have gotten our letter. You’re even dressed up. Very nice.”
“Oh… Right,” Lyra said, smiling nervously. She’d never gotten any letter. She loosened her tie; it seemed to be getting kind of warm in here. Funny, she’d been shivering outside just a few seconds ago. “Just let me put this away and I’ll be right back.”
Leaving the room perhaps a bit too quickly, Lyra headed for her bedroom. First she threw the package into the closet, then she lifted up her journal and hid it under the bed. Rushing into the study, she took down all of her old books and dropped them behind the sofa.
Lyra looked over the room, satisfied with her efforts. Should she change out of her human clothes? No, that would take too long. Besides, her mother had already commented on that. Lyra spun around, only to come face-to-face with Bon-Bon.
“You never told me your parents were visiting, Heartstrings,” Bon-Bon said, placing an odd emphasis on the name. “What was that about a letter?”
“I never got anything. It must have gotten lost in the mail,” Lyra said. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for any traces she might have missed. “You know that one pegasus who always brings our mail. She’s a total ditz. She loses stuff all the time.”
“That may be so, Heartstrings. Anyway, I was just about to start preparing lunch. I’ll be in the kitchen. Why don’t you spend some time with your family? They’ve been waiting for you.”
Lyra’s eyes darted all over the room again. “Great! You do tha – “ She stopped. “Wait, why do you keep saying my name like that?”
“Like what, Heartstrings?” Bon-Bon asked, with a mischievous grin.
“I…” Lyra began. She blinked. “I’ve never told you what my real name is, have I?”
“No, you didn’t. I thought for sure they must have the wrong house when they were asking for ‘Heartstrings.’ If you had just seen the look that they gave me when I said my roommate ‘Lyra’ was out! Why didn’t you tell me that ‘Lyra’ was just a nickname?” Bon-Bon said.
Lyra sighed. “Fine… I’ve been going by a human name ever since I came to Ponyville.” Bon-Bon’s mouth dropped open, but she didn’t say anything. “It never really caught on like I wanted to back in Canterlot, but… I’ve never liked my real name.”
“We’ve been living together for a few years now. You could have at least told me what your name was.”
“Sorry… But you have to do me a favor! Please don’t tell my parents about the research I’ve been doing.”
“Your… research?” Bon-Bon frowned.
“About humans. My parents… They’ve never really approved of it. They thought I was just going through a phase. All they’ve ever wanted was for me to act like a ‘normal unicorn.’ Everything about humans… They think it’s all a bunch of nonsense.“
“Lyra, I think it’s a bunch of nonsense.”
“How many times do I have to say this? What Luna said proves there’s more to this! I’m going to find something out.” Lyra took a deep breath. “But… Please. Just for today, can you act like I’m… normal?”
“You realize how difficult that’s going to be.” Bon-Bon’s eyes narrowed.
“I’m sorry. I know I’ve put you through a lot lately,” Lyra said. She stared at the floor, trying to look as apologetic as possible. She hoped it was convincing.
“Normal,” Bon-Bon said. “You realize how much you’re asking, right? You never even told me your real name! And after that incident with those hands - ”
“Not so loud, please!” Lyra’s voice had dropped to a harsh whisper. She glanced towards the living room nervously.
“You’re absolutely insane.” Bon-Bon shook her head. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”
“I’m real sorry about that. Honestly, I am. But… they were so proud when they heard I was hired for the Gala, and they’ve always just wanted me to focus on my musical career…” Lyra said. “They don’t understand how important humans are to me.”
“I don’t, either.”
“Just for today. Neither of us is going to mention humans.”
“That sounds wonderful, Heartstrings. Perhaps you can make a habit of it,” Bon-Bon said.
“I’m serious. Don’t say anything.” She jabbed a hoof in Bon-Bon’s direction. She didn’t want to discuss it any further. She headed for the living room, and Bon-Bon went to the kitchen.
“Sorry for the wait,” Lyra told her parents. She was about to take a seat on the couch, but stopped herself. She couldn’t sit like she usually did. Not in front of them. Slowly, awkwardly, she laid down like most ponies would. It wasn’t a normal position for her.
“It’s been a while since you wrote home. We haven’t heard from you in months,” her mother said. “How have you been?”
“Oh, I’ve been… busy…” Lyra’s voice trailed off. She quickly interjected, “Practicing, of course.”
“Your roommate mentioned that,” her dad said, pushing his glasses up. “I still can’t believe you were accepted for the Grand Galloping Gala. That’s a huge honor.”
“We always knew you were a prodigy,” her mother added. “By the way, when we got here, your roommate said you were still going by that old nickname. I thought you’d grown out of that.”
“Oh, that?” Lyra said. Her voice trembled. “Yeah, the name kind of caught on. It’s what everyb–“ She corrected herself. “It’s what everypony calls me now.”
“Just so long as you’re done with those ridiculous old stories,” her father said.
Lyra barely contained an outburst, knowing it wasn’t worth it. Her parents were immovable in their skepticism. Her father had pointed to that grade on her report about humans all those years ago and claimed that was proof they weren’t real. What about the proof all around them, all of those relics of human society in Equestria that were so obvious if you just knew what to look for?
Bon-Bon came out of the kitchen carefully holding a tray of food in her teeth. She set it down on the table. “When we heard you’d be coming I made sure to prepare something special.” It was the leftovers of the breakfast casserole she’d made that morning. She’d done a spectacular job of fixing it up to look fresh. “Anyway, I don’t believe I caught your names earlier.”
“Dewey Decimal,” Lyra’s father said.
“And my name is Cirrus,” said her mother. She started a plate. “This is quite delicious. You mentioned you were a professional chef?”
“Confectioner,” Bon-Bon clarified. “I just got the job recently, to be honest.”
Lyra breathed a sigh of relief. The conversation had drifted away from her – for now, at least. And as long as her parents weren’t going to get on her case about the nickname, everything would go fine and she could enjoy the visit.
“You’re quite lucky, Heartstrings. You must get homemade sweets all the time,” Dewey said.
“Yeah… Everything’s pretty great around here,” Lyra said.
“Of course,” Bon-Bon said.
“Everything’s perfectly normal,” Lyra added.
Her father gave a nod of approval. “Glad to hear it. Anyway, there’s been a lot going on in Canterlot ever since you left, Heartstrings.”
Lyra winced at the name. She knew she’d be hearing it a lot today. But honestly, she was sixteen years old. She was an adult now, and she’d been living on her own for several years now. Her parents still treated her like a filly.
The next few hours dragged by. Her mother started talking about the weather factory’s plans for the coming winter. Her father just wanted to talk about Canterlot society, which Bon-Bon seemed to absolutely love. Lyra suppressed a yawn.
At one point they asked Lyra to play some of her material for the Gala. She got out her lyre and played a piece for them. She went through about half of it – the melody just repeated in the second part, anyway – and then put her lyre back in its case.
“It would be great if you tried to take your talent further,” Bon-Bon said, nodding. “Perhaps you should focus on it more?”
“Well, there’s been… other things… occupying my time,” Lyra noticed the look that Bon-Bon gave her, and knew exactly what she meant.
“Such as?” Dewey leaned in. Lyra had no idea what to say.
Then there was a knock at the door.
“Someone’s here?” Lyra’s head shot up. “I’ll go get it.”
She was glad to be away for a little bit. Whoever it was, this distraction was welcome.
After Lyra left the room, Cirrus turned to Bon-Bon. “We have been worried, though. Heartstrings hasn’t mentioned anything about ‘humans’ to you, has she? When she was a filly, she was simply obsessed with them, and it’s really not good for her. She’s even still using that name.”
Part of her wanted to scream at them, telling these surprisingly normal Canterlot ponies about the horrors she’d experienced because of their psychopath of a daughter. But instead, against her better judgment, she simply replied, “Humans? No. Of course not. What are those? I’ve certainly never heard of them.”
“That’s a relief. She must have forgotten all about them,” Cirrus said.
Bon-Bon glanced back towards the entry.
“Hello, Lyra. I was hoping you’d be home. Can I come in?” It was Twilight’s voice.
“Sure. Um, my parents are over for a visit, though.”
“That’s fine.” Twilight followed Lyra as they headed in to the living room. She stopped once she saw Lyra’s father. A smile spread across her face. “Mr. Dewey? From Canterlot?”
“Twilight Sparkle! It’s been a while since I’ve seen you,” he said with a nod. “I had almost forgotten you were living here in Ponyville now.”
“Lyra? You didn’t tell me your father was Mr. Dewey!” Twilight said, grinning.
“You never asked,” Lyra replied.
Twilight seemed to be getting misty-eyed. “I’ve really missed the Canterlot library. It’s the largest in Equestria. I used to spend hours there.”
“How have you been, Twilight? Still studying for the Princess, I assume,” Dewey said.
“Of course. Actually, she just gave me a new assignment. I came over because I needed to pick up a book that Lyra was borrowing,” Twilight said. “I thought you’d forgotten. It’s The Illustrated – “
“Oh, that book?” Lyra cut her off. “I didn’t forget. In fact, it’s in the study. We’ll go right on back and get it.” The book in question was hidden along with the others, behind the sofa. She quickly formulated a story – she was terribly unorganized, it must have ended up there on accident… along with all her other books, when the bookshelves were bare? No, that wouldn’t make any sense.
“That’s great,” Twilight said. “I probably wouldn’t have remembered either, except that the princess wanted me to write up some information in a report for her.”
She noticed that her hooves that had begun sliding across the floor. Lyra had gotten behind her and was pushing her towards the study. “That’s very interesting, Twilight. Let’s go find that book. I’m sure you’re very busy.”
“It’s fine, Lyra, I can walk there on my own,” Twilight said.
Lyra hurried off down the hall. With a puzzled look, Twilight followed her. Heading over to the couch without a word, Lyra lifted up a book wedged behind it and the wall.
“That’s funny, how did it get back there?” Lyra said in a flat voice. “Anyway, there’s your book. We were in the middle of something, actually, so if you could just leave and – “
“Just checking, you’re done with this, right? You got all the research you needed?” Twilight asked.
“Yeah, of course. You can have it back. It’s fine.” She waved a hoof.
“Well… thanks!” Twilight headed back out, passing through the living room towards the door.
Lyra’s father spoke up. “I didn’t realize you two were friends. We’d really like to hear about what you've been up to, Heartstrings.”
“Um, yeah… Sorry,” Lyra said. She really hoped Twilight would leave soon, before she could say anything about what that book was about.
“It’s strange, I’ve never really had much of a use for a book on cryptozoology, but I looked through my library and this was the only book I had that I could use for my research report.”
Lyra was starting to feel a spell of lightheadedness coming on.
“Really? What does the Princess want you to study this time?” Dewey asked, pushing up his glasses.
She paused for a moment. “Actually, Lyra, maybe you could help me with this. I actually never heard about humans until you showed up.”
Dewey seemed to be overcome by a coughing fit. “Did you say… humans?”
Lyra’s eyes darted from side to side. “Um, of course not, Twilight, I don’t really know anything about…”
“I thought you said you were finished with this ‘humans’ obsession, Heartstrings,” Cirrus said.
“I am! Of course I am,” Lyra insisted.
“You were just in my library a few weeks ago asking about them.” Twilight cocked her head, frowning. “That’s the book I came over for. I couldn’t find anything else about humans in my other books. By the way, I noticed your hoof is better now.”
Bon-Bon choked on a bite of casserole.
“Yeah, I told you it was nothing,” Lyra said. Her mind was filling up with questions. Princess Celestia wanted a report on humans, but if Luna was any indication, they should both know more than anyone. And, on top of that, hadn’t Luna said that they’d never speak of humans again? Why would Celestia be sending out her own apprentice to dig up whatever information was left? Unless…
“Heartstrings, we really thought you’d come to your senses,” her father said, shaking his head.
Her mother cut in. “I’m sure you’re going to be very busy preparing for your performance at the Gala. You only have a few months. It’s probably best if Twilight just gets her paper written.” She looked over at her. “But I can’t believe the Princess would have you writing such a ridiculous assignment.”
Twilight glanced back at the door. “Maybe I came at a bad time…”
“It’s fine,” Lyra said. “I’m done with humans. I really should focus on my music, shouldn’t I?” She couldn’t believe what she was saying, but she had to speak carefully now. Twilight showing up like this was suddenly very suspicious.
“That’s good to hear,” Cirrus said. She turned to Dewey. “I've always said you never should have given her those books in the first place.”
“I never thought it would become such a problem,” he said.
Lyra grinned nervously. “I don’t even have those books anymore, so…”
“Well, thanks for giving me this back,” Twilight said, moving slowly towards the door. “The Princess actually didn’t tell me very much. She’s always giving me extra research projects in addition to my usual studies, it’s really nothing special.”
“It is rather strange,” Dewey said. “But we shouldn’t keep you from your work.”
“You’re right. I shouldn’t stay longer than I have to,” Twilight said. She quickly turned and bolted out the door.
Lyra’s parents turned to look at her. There was a long and painful silence.
“So, um… anypony want dessert?” Bon-Bon offered.
Dewey and Cirrus said their farewells as night fell, and Lyra waved goodbye as their carriage started down the road back to Canterlot. Once it was out of sight, she went back inside.
“I must say, your family surprised me,” Bon-Bon told her as she stepped inside. “They’re so ordinary. Knowing you, I expected them to be - ”
“She’s onto us,” Lyra said.
Bon-Bon stared at her. “Who?”
“Princess Celestia!”
Bon-Bon put a hoof to her face. “What in Equestria are you talking about now, Lyra?”
“Do you honestly think it’s a coincidence that Twilight’s out, asking around about humans? She’s the Princess’s personal apprentice! She’s spying on me because they know I know something nobody’s supposed to know!” Lyra was restlessly pacing back and forth across the room.
It was starting again. They’d had a day that was almost normal, and Lyra had truly been able to pass as a reasonably sane pony, but the moment her parents were gone, she had snapped again.
“Lyra, Twilight’s been our neighbor for over a year now. She’s not a spy,” Bon-Bon said.
“Then why does the Princess need a report about humans? If Luna’s any indication, I’d say she probably already knows enough about them,” Lyra said. “It’s me they’re studying.”
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Made this account so I could comment specifically on this. Well done again Jason, what crazy stuff will go down next?
Wow, Bon Bon's pretty hard on Lyra in this. I mean the name thing is upsetting, yeah, and I guess the magical experimenting is a bit weird, but gosh.
My head hurts from facehooving. What could the Princess want? Find out next time on Dr... Erm. *ahem* Yes. So, we shall continue to see more soon?
Great story i look forward to more!
the conspiracy deepens... or is Lyra simply going crazy? Who knows? Must have more to read! Keep up the great work Jason!
let me guess, we humans did something REALLY dumb to make pony fear us and left us dead (My bet, the hydrogen bomb, seriously who makes a bomb like that!?!)
New theory.
Humans are in fact giants. The ponies are the size of the pony dolls in real life. We play with them just like we would with dolls, so that's why they banished us to another dimension (this one). Or something similar.
Either that or something akin to a break-up where both parties still love each other but neither wants to admit it.
Edit: Yay for being able to edit comments now!
My reaction to seeing Anthropology updated:
That bit with her parents was priceless
So. Good. Heart can't take. Waiting for more Lyra madness. *dies*
TWILIGHT YOU INSOLENT BUFFOON!!!
poor lyra. i hope she doesnt die of 'natural causes' now that the government's on to her.
wake up at 1:00, check FIM Fiction.... new Anthropology chapter, NEW ANTHROPOLOGY CHAPTER!!!!!!
I freaking LOVE this story!! cant wait for MOAR
This is GENIUS! I can't fuckin wait til the next chapter. I LOVE THE CONSPIRACY!
TWILIGHT!
i1.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/004/006/y-u-no-guy.jpg
Y U NO GET HINT
Well, you've got to admit, Lyra has a point. Why would Celestia need to know about humans? I am glad to see her still obsessing, and keeping back on the hands thing. Interest is one thing, borderline self mutilation is another.
DUN DUN DU- *hack!* *cough!*
Sorry about that.
The plot thickens, by the way...
img.ponibooru.org/_images/f25ea9db3ec8b6d480fa1ce0ecf147af/107182%20-%20artist%3Asectacy%20blob%20crossover%20rarity%20spy%20Team_Fortress_2.png
Gentlemen
This story for the win.
Full of epicness and
Is it weird that I kept imagining myself entering into the story and just shocking everypony as I read this? Something along the lines of "I entered the scene. Everypony was shocked. Everypony fainted except for Lyra. Scratch that: Everypony fainted ESPECIALLY Lyra."
Please do not make us wait very long for more.
"Lyra’s father spoke up. 'I didn’t realize you two were friends. We’d really like to hear about what you've been up to, Lyra.'"
Maybe that should be 'Heartstrings'.
This was a brilliant chapter. Poor Lyra has gotten herself involved in something she probably shouldn't have and now has the Royal Sister's investigating her.
Well I'm sure it'll all work out... Or will it? Guess we'll all have to wait and see
now i know why i stayed up this late
I love this story, keep up the good work!
stars, so heavy, cant hold them all, HERE TAKE 5
anyway I like how this is progressing, keep on the updates!
Lyra, you weirdo.
Looking forward to seeing what Celestia's interest in all this is!
118703
I was also doing that... Though it was by using my a bit creepy multiverse traveling human. I only have one problem
Y U NO UPDATE FASTER?
Of course Twilight's a spy, Rainbow Dash even saw through her disguise in episode 1.
Amazing story, keeps me hooked all the time - can't wait for an another chapter of this great work.
I think Lyra might be getting a bit paranoid there...
The plot thickens.
I knew Lyra would draw a humanized picture of herself!
Man, some of my favourite stories update in just a few days? Awesome! 
img.ponibooru.org/images/e9/e94368327220765c7bc56a2f3fa89c92
now gentlecolts.... that is a spy!
but when i saw a new chapter i was like
and yeah i hope she finds our about human history....especially the parts that involve this world changing symbol☭
Hmm I think this is going the way of TorchWood [the series] you know when that police agent snoops around finds Torchwood gets her memory erased , gets it back and joins them !?!? Believe me it's prolly the road this story is going !
I think Lyra should get to the library and join Twilight on the research. That way she can spy the spy!!!
I kind of hope this will end up with Lyra encountering a human under some circumstance. I've always wanted to see what somebody would do with that encounter. Most Human in Equestria writers forget about Lyra's fanon obsession with humans.
Oh god please continue, this story is just SO. MUCH. WIN.
I hope Lyra finds some likeminded ponies.
I think Bonbon is being just a little harsh. I mean, Lyra is quirky, but she isn't hurting anypony. The hand thing I can say would freak me out a little, but everything else is fine. No worse, than say Pinkie's obsessive love of parties or Rainbow Dash's heavy streak of competitiveness.
You are handling this story quite well. I have no idea what is going to happen and I like it. I hope you can keep the updates coming on a regular basis! But I know how life goes sometimes.
Oh, god. Lyra's got a persona now.
Ooh, the plot thickens!
Why do I have the feeling that this is going to take a turn for the darker? AKA turn into a high octane conspiracy thriller?
....STARTING UP.....
.....INITIALIZING.....
.....RUNNING....
PROJECT: [THE HUMAN LYRA] IN PROGRESS....
(The Fly anyone?)
I'd say that Lyra was acting a little crazy (in a way that has nothing to do with humans) except that her paranoia seems a completely sensible reaction to her parent's disaproval.
I suspect though that Celestia simply thought it would be a difficult and challenging task for Twilight. Or it may simply be a test to see how well purged the knowledge is from the library system. I very much doubt either pony sister would care that a single unicorn knows about a long gone aspect of pony history.
Maybe they're keeping the humans in cryogenic storage?
I really hope that Lyra has made copies of all her research, to prevent the knowledge from being purged forever.
Lyra come one, spy on the spy!
And while you add it ask Twight for full body transformation spells or illusion projection spells. Let Human-Lyra haunt Ponyville.
Your Lyra makes mine look sane in comparison.
i swear wheres the tartis when u need it if i was a pony i would get up every item that resembled humans and start saying everything about humans
School kept me from reding this earlier, but I must say, the fic-block just made it that much better.
Twilight for the unintentional (or purposeful) espionage win!
Twilight is not a spy. She's not that good at lying and keeping poker face.
Very interesting, keep up the good work!
I wish my teachers would have me do a report on Cryptozoology.
So Lyra is a fur-- a skinny?
I'd love to see her getting in arguments on the town bulletin board.
Omg I love this series, need moar!!!
I wonder if Twilight know any alteration spells o.o