Lyra opened her honey colored eyes little by little and noticed she wasn't stuck in the cave anymore but instead in her old fluffy bed.
The crisp Summer sunlight invaded her room and announced a new day. Lyra threw some pillows over her head in repsonse but her efforts were pretty bleak.
A familiar voice brought her back into reality.
"Lyra Dear...I see you are awake, come now, it's getting late," said BonBon while she shook her from side to side,
"...but the rehearsals haven't started yet, BonBon...wait a minute, BonBon?" and she continued as she startled, "You ok, kid? Did we win? Did we get the Lyre back?"
BonBon calmed her down, "Alright, alright, of course everything came out perfect, everypony else is safe and sound."
Lyra hugged her pal effusively and filled her with sweet kisses, "I simply can't believe it, you're looking squeaky clean, all you colors are back and that girly smile..."
"Oh, stop it you! You made an awesome job as well, now I want to you to come down and join us, I got a special surprise just for you!" said the pony.
"That sounds great! But what about Twi and Pinkie and the rest of the gang?"
She took Lyra by the hoof and guided her downstairs for breakfast but instead she found the house adorned and a wide banner which spelled, "HOORAY FOR LYRA!"
"Oh, there you are, where have you been, sillypants?" said Pinkie Pie approaching her.
"You, you did all this for me?" said Lyra a little bit touched.
"Yes!" cried the ponies. All of them were pretty much gathered; AJ, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Rarity and of course last but not least Twilight Sparkle.
"You did a fine job, sugarcube! You sure taught that varmint a thing or two, why he had us all rounded up for no reason!" said Applejack.
"Lyra...I'm truly sorry I ever doubted you, you are an amazing unicorn afterall," said Twilight while she hugged her friend.
"Awww, thanks but I didn't do it all by myself, it was him too..." referring to Knight Shade of course.
"Is that so?" said Rainbow Dash slightly mad, "Let me at him and teach him not to mess with my friends ever again!"
"Calm down, you don't wan't to make a scene, afterall Lyra had enought faith in Knight Shade to make him change his mind, isn't that right?" asked the purple unicorn.
"Yeah, well, I guess maybe he was just confused, by the way, does anypony know where he went/"
"Well, um," said Fluttershy in her usual manner, "We really don't know, only the villagers in Ponyville were left after we woke up."
"Yes, and luckily I happen to have the Epic Lyre in my hooves and we must return it to Canterlot Castle at once," said Twilight proudly.
"So Knight Shade disappeared, just like that, without even saying goodbye?" said Lyra disappointed.
"Is it me or does everypony forgot that this a party?" said Pinkie Pie. Lyra rushed out of the house to watch the once enchanted Ponyville and fully restored putting away the memories from the night of the Summer Festival.
Suddenly, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom appeared and tackled the minty colores unicorn to thank her efforts.
"Wow Lyra! I didn't know you had those fantastic and terrific powers!" cried Scootaloo.
"Actually it was the magic that came from within," she answered modestly.
"Yes! You sang so pretty, could you teach me that, could you, could you?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"I am very flattered by you guys, I never expected to draw so much attention, I was doing what was right by helping a friend."
"Oh..." said Applebloom with sneaky eyes, "I bet I know what yer talkin' 'bout...you like that colt, didn't you?"
Lyra slightly blushed and said, "Nah, I'm just saying that because musician ponies always stick together and to be in harmony and peace, it's like a well tuned instrument.'
"Alright then..." said Scootaloo cutting in the conversation, "I thought exactly the same thing because that was a really cool tune you came up with and in the very last minute!"
"I think we already did that some time ago, although I can't remember, my mind is rusty," said Lyra.
"Go on then, Twilight is waiting for you!" cried Sweetie Belle.
"Right! Where are my manners, duty calls!"
The purple unicorn approached her, "Oh, there you are! Princess Luna is meeting us at Canterlot Castle!"
Lyra had all sorts of mixed feelings bubbling inside her and gladly accepted.
This time Twilight had mastered her teleporting abilities and zapped with her main pony friends to the castle.
Once they arrived to the throne room they passed through the stained glass windows which carefully recorded all the adventures they lived, including those from ancient times. Lyra felt a little bit nervous for she had hardly been in the presence of the Regal Sisters except for the times she had played at recitals. Still she considered she wasn't worthy of such honors. She just walked gracefully and felt like a winner.
Luna stared back at them with a very serene attitude and smiled gleefully.
The ponies gathered in a circle and made way for the talented unicorn musician.
"LYRA HEARTSTRINGS!" cried Luna in her usual Canterlot Voice, "Step forward, child."
Lyra proceeded with caution.
"Are you fully aware of what went on within these walls?"
"Ahem, I'm not quite sure, Your Highness..."
"Please, call me just Luna..."
"Luna...but we recovered the Epic Lyre and it's safe and sound without a scratch, I think it even looks better than the last time you saw it."
"And we are deeply thankful for your cooperation," said Celestia, "What we really want to highlight is another fate you did."
"Well if you're referring to the magic I unleashed I guess that was sort of...spontaneous."
"Of course it wasn't!" said Celestia, "You blindly believed in the magic that comes from the bottom of yout heart and linked it to the melodies you played to help another pony in despair.
You see, the Night Shadowers are always feeding upon the ones who doubt themselves and that's when they get stronger."
Luna nodded, "True it is. You managed to restore faith in a total stranger by chasing the shadows away, and I must admit that takes guts!"
"You gotta give Twilight and Pinkie Pie; we learned so much in this journey and it was almost quite impossible to believe that Knight Shade had something good inside him, but when we saw inside his memories we found out that he was just pursuing the same dream as I was. Besides, I always knew he could never hurt us."
"Young filly, you have shown wisdom beyond your age and for that you are destined for greater things," said Celestia.
"I...don't think so, I'm so absent minded and lazy, I'm late for practice and..."
"That's not relevant as of now, it can be fixed," said the royal guardian of the Sun, "for you have a noble heart and can't hide it. If there is anything we can do to make your life more pleasant just say so."
"Really?" said Lyra bouncing, "Well, I kinda liked the idea of playing in front of a really big audience."
"THEN SO IT SHALL BE!" cried Luna raising her hoof, "True t is that the Summer Festival was shattered but there's always time for a second chance."
"But then again it's not fair that I'm the only one who gets to perform. I'd need my buddy Vinyl and Tavi but especially Knight Shade...I think...I think..." she sighed.
"Yes, Lyra?" said the voice of a young colt. The girls felt excited to have him back even if Rainbow wasn't 100% ok with the idea.
Rarity cried,"My, my, look who came to see you, how romantic!"
"Knight Shade!" cried Lyra.
"Of course it's me, in the flesh. I couldn't leave without thanking you for bringing me back to normal. I realized what a terrible mistake I made because I was so afraid to fail and chose to trot the wrong path."
Lyra stroke her hoof against his and replied, "You know what, that's OK, it could happen to anypony."
"I never thought that the Epic Lyre was more than just a prodigious instrument."
"Well, duh, that's because it's "epic"! It's so cool that you're here, anyway."
The pale coated pony came closer to the regal sisters and stood crestfallen, "My sincere appologies, my ladies, I guess this action makes me nothing but a vulgar thief. Whatever punishment you choose I accept it bravely."
Celestia looked down on him and said, "It's not the custom of Equestrians to punish an outsider so harshly but yes there is an important lesson to be learned. Taking things by the force to cheat and boast as a lifelong temptation. However the road to success is usually plagued by these ordeals and make take years of practice and perfection. You will be pardoned but will not cease to practice until you become one of the best."
"I don't undestand, what's that supposed to mean?" he asked.
"We cannot retain you in Equestria, the doors will always be wide open for you. When you are ready and become a fully fledged musician visit us again besides your mother must miss you greatly."
"I know, she just couldn't bare to see me like this," he said.
"HUZZAH!" cried Luna, "Above all things you can still visit your new found friends and Lyra."
"Are you sure? After I was so rude and arrogant with you pony folk?"
"Absolutely," said Celestia.
"Awesome, that means that you get to take actual lessons!" said Lyra.
"INDEEDY DOO!" cried Pinkie Pie.
"YEE-HAW! I'm glad that was finally settled," said Applejack.
"I'm just glad I can sleep well tonight, "said Rainbow Dash.
"Summer's almost over but we still have plenty of things to do!" said Fluttershy.
Twilight stood quietly thinking what a reliable pony Lyra had become amidst her sillyness.
Later on that afternoon the purple unicorn went back to the comfort of the old library to find Spike and his pet Peewee as she wrote her usual reports on friendship.
" Dear Princess Celestia:
Boy has this been a great summer!
I learned that sometimes you can encounter ponies who you know so little which you can count on without asking anything in return. That was what I discovered with Lyra Hearstrings, ven though we haven't been the best of friends it's never too late to change your mind about them.
On the other hoof, she trusts any single pony so blindly and never seems to be afraid of anything. It's no doubt that I should learn a little bit more from her."
Inside her little cottage, the minty colored unicorn gazed at the starry sky while she wrote with an enchanted quill on a scroll,
"Dear Princess Luna:
It was about time they let me do the talking! I'm actually very grateful for having the opportunity to play among my best friends. Sometimes a musician needs to face the competition yet it can also be very helpful and should never make you feel jealous no matter how good other ponies play.
When you give it all you got you'll always be cool no matter how big or small the venues are. That's why I refused to take the Epic Lyre so easily like Knight Shade did because success comes when you least expect it.
I will never forget this wonderful summer because I gained lots of things including the repect, recognition and trust from everypony else and for sure I'm on my way towards a great future."
"Are you alright, Dear? asked BonBon.
"Yes, I've never been happier in my entire life! Ya know, I wouldn't mind if you whipped me up another cup of that delicious mint covered chocolate, with extra mints!"
BonBon chuckled, "Oh, Lyra, when you will you ever grow up?"
"I think I just did! And it feels TERR-IFIC!"