Lyra stared in shock at the little filly in front of her, trying to rationalize what she had said. Why would a filly say something like that? Once again, that little filly had done some bad stuff in the past.
"I'm sorry to say that i'm not totally convinced of what you're saying, little filly." Lyra said, her shocked expression going away to give place to another angry glare. "After all, it's not funny to make fun of other ponies' hobbies, you know?"
Diamond was about to retort, but her eyes fell upon the human's picture, a flash of the creature on her backyard passing through her mind as she reminded herself of why she was there.
"No, I-I'm not making fun of you! I promise! It's true! There is a hooman living in my backyard!"
Lyra stared at the filly in front of her with a curious stare, trying to see anything that could bring out the hoax she was trying to make. Of course, she became confused as she realized that the filly didn't seem like she was hiding something.
"Alright, let's say I start to think you're telling the truth..." Diamond almost smiled as she thought she had won, once again. However, Lyra pointed a hoof at her. "... But... Tell me, Diamond Tiara... Do you have any proof?"
Diamond's ears, formerly perked in giddiness, suddenly flattened in her head as her eyes widened and her pupils contracted. Why? Simple: she had no proof. How could she have been so dumb!
"Err... ehehe..." Diamond pawed at the floor as her eyes looked anywhere but the mint mare. "... Well... you see... the thing is..."
"You do not." Lyra said in an amused tone, causing the filly to flinch at her tone.
"Of course not! I just found it yesterday! I didn't know what it was!"
Diamond stared as the mare nodded her head softly with an amused expression on her face. But she knew better, she knew the thing in her backyard was truly a hooman!
"Look, if you don't believe me, then come to my home, so you can see it in pony! It's a real hooman, I'm telling you!"
Lyra groaned lowly, knowing she wouldn't get the filly off of her if she didn't comply. Still, she had her doubts about what to do, and what that filly actually wanted.
"What do I get out of this?"
Diamond groaned internally. Her father had told her about some ponies like that, and therefore, needed some kind of... motivation.
"Ugh! What do you want?" Diamond asked, giving a serious stare at the mint mare.
Lyra tapped a hoof softly against her chin as she pondered on what to do. Her eyes roamed around the room as she came to an idea.
"Hmm... If you're saying the truth, then I want to bring the hooman here so I can study him, and then expose it to the world! It would be the greatest scientific discovery of the world, of the century, maybe even the millennium!!" Lyra clapped her hooves excitedly, sparks literally shining in her eyes along her huge smile, while Diamond simply stared at her with an annoyed look.
"... Mares. So, you gonna come with me, or what?"
Lyra's smile vanished at the filly's tone, but ultimately, turned to her with a serious tone.
"Alright then. Let's go and see this human of yours, if it even exists."
"Of course it exists! I'll show you! I'll show everypony I am right!" Diamond turned to Lyra, seeing her with a flat stare. "I-I mean... heh... of course! Let's go, then!"
Lyra rolled her eyes as she started to walk, not knowing exactly what to expect. One part of her thought the filly was just toying with her, like she usually did. The other part, however, started to think about the filly's reactions when she saw the picture: it was surprise, and shock. If she hadn't seen that creature before, then why did she had that reaction?
So many questions.
After a while, and after many suspicious stares and mumbling from the other ponies, both Lyra and Diamond had made their way towards the filly's house, not too far away from the town itself, but still somewhat retired. Diamond insisted constantly that they should hurry, for the creature may still be there.
Lyra couldn't help but smile at her energy. There was a time when she was such as, if not more energetic than that filly. She had always been good at music, but... mythical creatures had always been her fascination. One could ask her mother about how many times the little filly had came back home covered in tree sap and foliage due to her endless search of such creatures.
Lyra turned once more at the filly guiding her, who had stopped once more in her tracks to look at her with a cute glare.
"Move faster! Maybe we can see him sooner!" Diamond said as she turned around to keep running.
Lyra sighed. In many ways, she had been like that little filly, excluding the rich and snobbish part, which was, what she thought, the main reason of her dislike for her.
"Hurry up! I wanna get him with you soon!"
"C'mon! The sooner we find him, the sooner we can show it to the world!"
Lyra smiled as she stopped in her tracks, gaining a confused look from the filly.
"Last one in your house is a mule!" Lyra shouted before rushing past the filly, leaving her wide-eyed.
"... Hey! Wait for me, you dumb mare!" Diamond shouted as she started to run, too.
"It's over here, c'mon!" Diamond shouted as they were once again in her house, with Lyra running behind her, panting heavily.
Even if Lyra had rushed first, she was a musician, for Celestia's sake, and even if Diamond was a filly, she was still an earth pony, and Lyra was at a huge disadvantage at her unicornish race, comparing it to the others.
In the end, Lyra had lost, and Diamond somehow hadn't even bothered to yell at her, or to gloat on her victory, like she was usually known for. Instead, she had run past her, telling her the hooman was right ahead.
As she had said, Diamond didn't even bother to enter the house or announce her arrival, and instead, ran towards the hind part of the building, towards what Lyra could assume was some sort of forest made for a foal. It wasn't that big, but big enough to hold maybe a small tea party between half a dozen of foals.
"It's right here! Look!" Diamond said excitedly as she pointed at the small forest, where Lyra could clearly see some sort of huge figure.
Lyra stepped forward, her eyes widening in wonder as she asked herself if this was what she had been waiting for all her life. Could it be!?
With a shaky hoof she set aside a branch, revealing the huge figure in front of her, which as soon as it noticed it was being watched, turned around and roared at them.
Lyra's eyes widened in shock, while Diamond shouted and proceeded to hide behind her. However, after a few seconds, Lyra's eyes half-closed in a flat stare at the creature in front of her.
"Harry?" The bear stopped its roaring before its eyes opened and looked intently at the mint mare. "What are you doing here? Didn't Fluttershy told you not to wander too far away from the forest?"
Much to Diamond's surprise, the Bear shrunk back in fear at the mint mare's words. After a few moments, the bear whined softly before taking some berries off of the ground, literally eating them all in a single chomp, and running away at surprising speed.
"Is it gone?" Diamond asked softly from behind the mare. After a few moments, the mare nodded at her, at which the filly suddenly ran ahead towards where the bear had ran off to. "Yeah! You run away! I'll tell Daddy if you ever show up again around here!"
"Tell me what, Diamond?"
Both females turned around at the sound of a male voice, Diamond smiling at seeing her father had come once again, and Lyra getting nervous at seeing the elder male in front of here.
"Miss Lyra? Whatever are you doing here?" Filthy asked, eyeing curiously the mare. Before Lyra could answer, Diamond rushed back.
"She's with me!" Upon seeing her father's confused stare, Diamond turned towards the small forest. "There is this creature called hooman down there, the one I was telling you before, but as you couldn't see it, I brought an expert on them!"
"An expert, huh?" Filthy asked with a raised brow at the mint mare, who started to sweat nervously.
"Yes! But it's better now, if you are here! Now I can show you both!" Diamond said as she ran towards the forest once more, setting aside the branch once again, revealing the remnants of what once had been a bunch of berries and acorns.
"What!?" Diamond shouted in shock, earning the attention of both adults on the back. Almost as soon as Diamond entered the forest, both ponies followed, only to notice the filly frantically looking around. "Where is it? Where is it!? It was here!!!"
Filthy moved his head softly, while Lyra looked at the filly with a confused stare, seeing the filly running around, looking for something. Yet, Diamond didn't stopped looking, but at one moment she turned to them, with a disheartening look.
"... But... But... It was here! ... I can swear... it was here..."
Lyra turned to look at Filthy, who was looking at his daughter with a strange look. Seeing as there was nothing left to do, Lyra turned around.
"W-Well... I have other things to do... so... If you excuse me..." Lyra said before rushing away.
Filthy watched the mare run until she got lost from sight, before turning at his daughter once more, who was almost at the verge of tears. Something upon his heart moved.
"Oh, dear." Filthy said before stepping forward and hugging her, to which Diamond didn't move. Yet, she didn't ran away.
After a while, Filthy let go of her, to which Diamond simply sat on the ground.
"I have to go, Diamond. Still work to do, darling." Diamond nodded softly, much to Filthy's displeasure. But maybe she just needed some time alone. And maybe a mental doctor, on a note aside.
As Diamond heard her father go away, she found herself questioning if it had been like a dream? The creature had been so real to her. Yet, as she started to think, she realized she had never once touched the creature, except for the blanket, she really had no interaction with it.
Maybe it had been really a nightmare?
"Hello!"
Diamond's ears perked, and her eyes widened as she heard a slight rumble behind her, coming from the bushes, and a voice she was starting to think she wouldn't listen again.
After a couple seconds, the head of the hooman poked from behind a bush.
"Oh, hi. Thought you'd be back by now."