Lyra Heartstrings was a mint green Unicorn, with a light green and white striped mane and tail, and bright orange eyes. Her whole life, she was fascinated with mythical beings called “Humans.” She spent her foalhood reading fantasy books about them, and history books with references to them. When she first started to develop her magic, her aura shaped itself into a Human hand, rather than forming a cloud like other Unicorns. When her parents insisted that she find a hobby other than studying Humans, Lyra discovered that her unique aura made her quite the talented harpist. She even received her Cutie Mark for playing the harp, but her passion was always Humans.
Lyra’s teacher was amazed at Lyra’s magical ability, and recommended she enroll in Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Lyra barely passed the entrance exam, but the judges were so impressed with her aura that she was accepted. Lyra bid a tearful goodbye to all of her friends, and left Ponyville for Canterlot. Her best friend, Bon Bon, a creamy Earth filly with a navy and pink mane and tail, and light blue eyes, cried her eyes out when Lyra left. The two promised to keep in touch, and Lyra would come visit during holiday breaks.
Lyra’ s magical skills grew greatly under the tutelage of the most skilled magic users in Equestria. She found plenty of time to spend with her new friends, and went home to Ponyville almost every chance she got, but she always retained her childhood fascination with Humans. As they grew older, Lyra noticed a change in Bon Bon’s behavior. She was becoming clingy, and always had a strange look in her eyes when Lyra was around. After several more visits, Lyra finally confronted her friend about her behavior, and Bon Bon’s response shocked her.
“I love you, Lyra. Not as a friend, as a lover. I want you to be my fillyfriend. I want us to be together forever.”
To say that Lyra was surprised would be an understatement. “Bon Bon, you’ve been my best friend for our whole lives. You’re like a sister to me, and I care about you. But I’m not a fillyfooler. I want to meet a nice stallion and get married, maybe have foals someday. I’m sorry, but it will never happen between us.”
Bon Bon was crushed. Lyra returned to Canterlot early and never returned. She stopped reading Bon Bon’s letters, and stopped writing to her. She delved even deeper into her research on Humans. Until one night, in a secluded corner of the Canterlot archives, she made a discovery.
Lyra found several ancient scrolls detailing Ponies journeys to an Earth in a separate realm, which was inhabited by Humans. Some of the scrolls had sketches of the magic circle used to travel to this Earth. The scrolls were damaged, but there were enough that Lyra was able to recreate it completely. Finally, she was ready to make her dream come true.
Lyra returned to her apartment and prepared for her trip. She packed her saddlebags full of some snacks, parchment, quills, and ink, and her camera. She had a copy of the magic circle clenched between her teeth, if she lost that, she could never return to Equestria. With her preparations complete, Lyra poured her magic into the circle and activated the spell. In a flash of green light, Lyra Heartstrings disappeared from Equestria.
Harry Johnson grew up in a nice, small town in California. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia at a young age, but he managed it well with medication. His parents were very supportive and caring. Every summer, Harry’s father took him to visit his father in the Rocky Mountains. The three of them would hunt, fish, and do all sorts of male bonding activities. Even after Grandpa died, Harry and his father continued the tradition. Harry had an easy childhood, and he was able to graduate from high school with near-average grades. Then tragedy struck.
Mr. and Mrs. Johnson were driving home from a movie when a drunk driver crashed into their car. The Johnsons died on impact; the other driver walked away without a scratch. Harry was devastated at the loss of his family, so devastated that he went off his meds. Harry became convinced that his parents were murdered by a government assassin. He believed that he had psychic visions, and America wanted to use his power to take over the world. Harry sold the house, converted some of his inheritance into cash, and moved into his Grandpa’s cabin.
The log cabin was isolated, at the end of a long dirt road that no one ever used. It had a kitchen/living room area, two bedrooms, a basement, and a small smokehouse in the backyard. There was a gasoline generator that was rarely used, a wood stove for heat and cooking, a well for water, and an outhouse for a bathroom. When Harry moved in, he converted the basement into a makeshift bunker. He amassed a supply of weapons to defend himself from the government spies who were plotting to capture him. He lived by hunting for meat in the woods, and he occasionally hiked to the nearest town to buy canned food and other supplies. The people knew the man they called “Crazy Harry” had a load of cash at his cabin, but they also knew he purchased ammunition and bear traps.
That day, Crazy Harry was out back scanning for helicopters when he saw a bright flash of green light in the woods nearby. Suspicious, he grabbed a rifle, a cattle prod, and a coil of rope, and set off to investigate.
Lyra woke up to the sound of running water. She found herself lying on her back in the middle of a forest, near a small river. Her body didn’t feel quite right. She moved her forelegs in front of her face, but instead of hooves, she saw- “hands! The spell must have transformed me into a Human,” she thought. She stood on her hind legs, and found her rear hooves remained the same. Puzzled, she examined her new body more closely. Her forelegs, now arms, were thinner, and she flexed her new hands instinctively. Her gaze moved lower. She saw two large mounds of flesh protruding from the front of her chest, below her shoulders. Closer examination revealed them to be her mammary glands. Her torso narrowed at the waist, then widened at the hips. There was a small crater in the middle of her belly, but it didn’t seem to be a health risk. She examined her legs. Her thighs were longer, her ankles seemed to be gone, and her hooves remained the same. Lyra twisted her head to look at her Cutie Mark, and saw it in approximately the same place. Her tail looked the same, but she was unable to move it.
Lyra stumbled over to the river, wobbly on her reshaped legs, and looked at her reflection. Her face and head were mostly unchanged, though her neck was shorter and thinner. Her mane appeared to cover more of her head, and ran down the back of her neck, ending in between her shoulder blades. But the thing that struck her the most was her horn, still growing out of the center of her forehead. Lyra was shocked. The Humans in her books didn’t look anything like this, and they certainly didn’t have horns.
Lyra tried to speak, but she was able to form words, only strange wheezing sounds. She thought, “Something must have gone wrong with the spell. I’m half pony, and half Human. I need to get back to Equestria, maybe somepony can fix me.” Lyra turned back to the clearing. There was no sign of her saddlebags, but the paper she had drawn the magic circle on was lying on the ground. She tried to copy the design with her hands, but she found them to be too soft and tender for digging. So she lifted a stick and used it instead. She had almost finished the circle when she heard a rustling sound behind her. Before she could turn, she felt a burning pain on the back of her neck that quickly spread through her whole body. She fell on the ground in spasms, until she mercifully blacked out.
Crazy Harry trekked through the forest until he came across the strangest sight he had ever seen. His addled mind quickly decided that aliens had sent a spy to capture him. Maybe they were working with the government, and were planning to turn him in. Or maybe they wanted his talents so they could conquer the Earth. Either way, he wouldn’t go quietly. Crazy Harry lifted his rifle, and took aim at the little green man through the scope. Then he saw what the monster was doing and lowered his gun. It was drawing a crop circle, probably to call for it’s spaceship. If he could capture it before it finished, he could interrogate it, and find out why it was after him. He turned on the cattle prod, and slowly crept through the trees, closer and closer to his target. He was an expert hunter, and barely made a sound as he moved. He approached the alien from behind, and it’s ears perked up. He quickly jabbed the cattle prod into the back of its neck, and briefly held it in place. The monster fell on its stomach, unconscious.
Crazy Harry flipped the alien over for a better look. He decided that it was a female. She was about five feet tall, with a weird looking face, but a nice looking body. Crazy Harry couldn’t remember the last time he was with a woman, but he wouldn’t let himself be distracted. He bound her arms, and hefted her up onto his shoulders. She was surprisingly light, probably less than a hundred pounds. He easily carried her back to his home, and placed her on the floor of his empty smokehouse. He gave her another jolt from the cattle prod, to keep her still for a while longer. Crazy Harry ran to his basement, and returned with some supplies. He untied the creature, and snapped a pair of handcuffs around her wrists. He stood on his chair, raised her arms above her head, and hung her from a meat hook on the roof. Her head was almost even with his, and her bizarre looking feet were at least a foot off the floor. Then he wrapped the rope around her legs, and threaded it through some cinderblocks on the floor. Confident that his prisoner wouldn’t escape, Crazy Harry sat down in a folding chair, and waited for her to awaken.
