Chapter 2 - Love At First Sight
It was not long before we arrived at Sweetie Drops' house. When Levita knocked hastily, a beige pony with a blue and pink curl opened the door after a short time and looked at us in surprise.
"Hello Levita, nice to see you again. What's up?"
"BonBon! Sorry to bother you, but you have to help us! It's because of my friend here!" she said frantically.
I was surprised that Levita had a nickname for her. Interestingly, she also seemed to have a pattern on her hip that looked like three bonbons.
"Stay calm, sweetie. We're just having dinner. Could you maybe come over tomorrow?"
"It's important, if not a case for S.M.I.L.E!"
BonBon looked at her angrily.
"Levita. I told you not to say that just like that. Especially when they’re strangers around!" she said and pointed to me.
"He is not a stranger, he needs your help! We need your help," Levita begged.
"Hm, well..." BonBon snorted and turned to me.
"Wer ist da an der Tür, BonBon?" fragte eine Stimme aus dem Haus.
It didn't take long and someone came out from behind candy. When the pony appeared, my heart jumped.
That had to be Lyra.
Lyra Heartstrings.
She was as beautiful as her name. I could not help myself. This beautiful play of colors of white and slight green in her mane, her golden shimmering eyes, her friendly expression and the way she stood there in front of me made me melt. Before I could say anything, Lyra seized the opportunity.
"Hello everybody, who are you?" she said friendly.
"May I introduce you to Levita Dream, she is an old friend of mine. And this is...her plus one. They need our help," BonBon said half-heartedly.
Apparently she was not interested in my name at all. That relieved me, but also made her a bit unsympathetic.
"Oh, yeah? How can we help you?"
She seemed totally excited. I was too at that moment, but unlike her, I couldn't get a proper sentence out.
"I...I...." I stammered. In panic, I waved at Levita so she would help me. She noticed my behavior and took over the conversation.
"What he wants to say is that he had an accident in Everfree Forest and has not known where he came from or who he is since."
"Oh, I am sorry for you." Lyra said to me in a tender voice.
"Couldn't the mayor help you?" BonBon asked.
"I have asked everypony I knew so far, but nopony seemed to recognize him. Usually I like to solve puzzles alone, but I think I need some help."
"Hm...I think it would be good to ask the princesses first. But since Princess Luna has returned, everything is upside down in the royal house", Sweetie Drops thought.
"Of course we will help you, right after we have finished dinner together. Wasn't that what you wanted to say, BonBon?" Lyra said with a broad grin.
"Yes, fine. We'll help you and...you're welcome to stay for dinner," she replied with a slightly annoyed look at Lyra.
Even though BonBon didn't like the fact that we had just disturbed the two of them at dinner, she apparently attached great importance to Lyra's opinion. She seemed so open and hospitable, I couldn't stop looking at her. She was the most beautiful being I have seen so far. And even if it was somehow strange for me that I had fallen in love with a pony. But it also felt right.
Bonbon still looked at me suspiciously. But she did not want to appear unfriendly at that moment, although she wanted to have this evening to herself in peace. So they both let us in and BonBon put her latest creation on the table: a pot of red soup and vegetables. She called it Gazpacho. She said she got the recipe from a cookbook that Lyra had borrowed from the Royal Library in Canterlot. She said that book was older than Equestria, so she paid close attention to the book and tried out all the recipes one after the other. I wondered for a moment if there was anything about me in any of the books...except, of course, in a cookbook.
As we sat at the table, an eerie voice spread around the table. Then Levita took the floor to break the ice. She talked to BonBon about old stories as well as new ones, to bring each other up to date. But I didn't listen to them at all, because I was completely distracted by Lyra. I watched her eat obsessively. That worked up to the point where she noticed that I was looking at her.
"You haven't eaten anything yet. Don't you like it?" Lyra asked me.
"Um... no... no... The food is good. I...think I'll just wait until it cools down a bit," I stammered.
"Oh, I forgot to say. Gazpacho is a COLD vegetable soup. It doesn't need to cool down," BonBon replied suspiciously.
She had apparently been watching me the whole time I was looking at Lyra. Now she had caught me in the act.
"I... I have to go out the door for a moment," I apologized and left the table. On the way out I heard them talking.
"What's wrong with him? Does he not like uncooked vegetables?" Lyra asked.
"Oh, I think he's really into 'uncooked vegetables'," BonBon replied with a sarcastic undertone.
BonBon knew exactly what was going on. I was head over heels in love with Lyra. And apparently BonBon did not like that at all. What did she have against me? I sat down in front of the house and looked desperately at the sky when Levita came outside.
"I can't get this, Levita. I just can't do it," I said, just before my tears came.
"Why? What's wrong?"
"This is all just too much. First I don't know who I am, then we meet Lyra and BonBon and I'm..."
At that moment another pony came out of the house and when I turned around I saw that it was BonBon. So I tried to save my sentence accordingly.
"...I am extremely grateful that they offer us their help so quickly," I said, so as not to let anything slip and change the subject of conversation.
"Well then, why don't we go back inside? Something seems to be coming..." Levita said as she watched the sky slowly filling with clouds from the Pegasi. Apparently they wanted to make it rain today. So I decided not to waste any time and wanted to go back inside before BonBon stopped me. Apparently something was really coming up.
"One moment. Don't you think I know what you're up to?" BonBon whispered to me.
"What do you think?" I asked her.
"Oh, don't play ignorant with me. I saw the way you looked at Lyra. You stallions are all the same. First you all make up a dramatic story to get the next mare? Which is also my best friend?"
At that moment I did not know what she wanted from me. So I didn't say anything at first and just looked at her in bewilderment.
"Look, I have known Levita for a long time and I trust her. But just like Lyra, she is usually quite naive. I'll make you a suggestion: If I even get the slightest inkling that you're only pretending here, then..."
"Then what, BonBon? Do you know who I am or not? Cause that's the only reason I'm here. And until you have an answer to who I am or where I come from, I'm not going to let you tell me what to do or not to do. The same goes for Lyra..." I told her clearly.
"We'll see about that..." BonBon replied grumpy.
After that she didn't say a word to me and went back into the house. I followed her and closed the door behind me to sit down at the table again. For the rest of the time BonBon kept glancing at me, which was appropriate for the stormy weather that was brewing outside. Through the windows I could see that there was a heavy storm outside. It did not take long until we all finished eating and BonBon's silence was broken by her.
"It's getting pretty late, I'd say you'd best get going. Lyra and I are really exhausted and need to get some sleep," said BonBon, trying hard not to seem unfriendly.
"Uh, BonBon? Have you ever looked out the window? You're gonna kick them out in this weather? I mean, really..."
BonBon noticed that Lyra was disappointed with her lack of hospitality.
"Of course you are welcome to stay here until the storm has passed. And just in case it doesn't stop, we bring you some blankets downstairs so you can sleep here in the living room. It's not as comfortable as your bed at home...but it's better than coming home soaked.” Lyra said.
"We really don't want to be any trouble," Levita said.
But Lyra did not let herself be put off. She insisted that we spend the night with them. While Lyra got blankets for us from the upper floor, BonBon disappeared upstairs as well. But we did not see her again for that evening, maybe she had already gone to sleep. Levita and I snuggled into our blankets and wished each other a good night. But the loud splashing of the rain and the distant thunder did not let me fall asleep immediately. Apparently neither did Levita, she always flinched as soon as it thundered. She lit a small candle, which wrapped the room in a pleasantly warm light. Now was the right time to talk openly with her about BonBon. Because of the thunderstorm the two others on the upper floor should not hear anything about it.
"Hey, can I ask you something? How did you first meet BonBon?"
Levita turned to me and looked at me questioningly.
"It's funny you ask me that, because it was almost like you met me...except for the Timberwolf thing. I remember getting lost one night when I first went to Everfree Forest. I probably wanted to find out something about that forest and then I had looked for the way back. I met BonBon while she was getting herbs from the forest. She accompanied me back to Ponyville and we became friends very quickly. Before she was always visited by her friend Lyra, she always seemed...so alone. I wanted to help her, but she said the problem was somewhere else, but she did not want to tell me. I respected BonBon's decision, but because of that I could not help her with the problem anymore. I haven't had any contact with BonBon for a long time, until you showed up. You're lucky that I learned from BonBon where to find the best herbs in Everfree Forest, otherwise I never would have found you."
"Well, because I think I'm part of their problem."
"Uh-huh?"
"Because I'm..."
"Yeah?" asked Levita, growing impatient.
"I think I'm in love with Lyra." I said.
I covered my eyes in shame, but there was no reaction from Levita. When I turned my gaze towards her, she looked at me mischievously. She already knew that I was in love with Lyra.
"How long have you known about this?" I looked at her with a grim look.
"Ever since you first saw her. Even though I haven't had a relationship yet, I can still tell when someone is in love. I owe it to my gift."
Levita pulled her blanket away and pointed with her hoof to her hip, where a symbol was also visible, as with BonBon. I had never really noticed it before. I asked Levita what this symbol was.
"We get this cutie mark when we have found our purpose in life. My purpose is to solve mysteries. You could say I'm a bit of an adventurer. But that is not the only meaning of my beauty spot. I am also responsible for the well-being of my friends. And it doesn't matter if they are in danger or have problems with themselves. And I promise you, I will do everything possible to solve the mystery around you."
I didn't know Levita had such capabilities. But she quickly came back to the point.
"But why should BonBon not like you if you are in love with Lyra?" Levita asked.
"Just because it's Lyra."
"Do you think she might be jealous? Jealous of what? Of Lyra? As far as I know, the two are just good friends, unless BonBon likes Lyra in another way..."
"No, that's not it. Look, yesterday BonBon told me outside the door that she doubts my story is real and I just made it up so I could meet Lyra.” I confessed.
"So...I may be a little naive, but I saw exactly what happened. It was a cold but clear night. Suddenly I saw a bright arc and sounds, I followed them. When I arrived, I saw you lying in the grass. This is not a made-up story. This is a real mystery that we have to solve."
"And you think we can do this?"
"Hello? cutie mark? That's what I'm here for, silly. And as for the other topic: Even if BonBon is my girlfriend, she can't just come between Lyra and you. Friends just don't do that. I'll talk to BonBon first thing tomorrow to get her to support us," Levita laughed.
"Thanks Levita..." I said calmly, "I really don't want to upset BonBon....If you could talk to her, that would be super nice of you." I thanked her.
"By the way, I noticed you don't have a cutie mark on you."
I was looking surprised at my hip and noticed that there was no symbol on it. I hadn't noticed it before, but probably because I basically had little reason to look at my butt.
"And what does that mean?" I asked her.
"It means that you have not yet discovered your destiny. Some ponies get it very early, others very late. But you don't have to worry about that, you just have to try enough things to find out where your place is. Then you too will get a cutie mark. Now let's go to bed quickly so we can get a fresh start tomorrow," she said and blew out the candle.
I lay down calmly on my side and cuddled up in the blanket. That's what I needed now; a caregiver who listened to me and could help. Without Levita, I would probably have been lost by now...stranded in a place unknown to me.
The next day we were awakened by the sounds of cutlery and dishes echoing from the kitchen and the smell of freshly baked bread. Apparently BonBon was already preparing breakfast, but I could neither see nor hear Lyra. Maybe she was still sleeping, I thought to myself. I set out with Levita to remove the blankets to make room for breakfast. At least I was able to roll up the blankets, even though I hadn't quite figured out how to hold things with my hooves or even with my wings. As we were helping BonBon set the table, I tried my luck at a plate in the kitchen, carefully picking it up with my teeth, carrying it to the dining table, and setting it down as if it were the last piece on a house of cards about to collapse. From that angle I observed that BonBon was giving me angry looks again and I suspected that this had nothing to do with the way I set the table. Levita noticed this and intervened.
"BonBon? I have to tell you something. This has to stop. He's just trying to find out where he comes from. You helped me back then, remember?"
"But at least you didn't try to take my best friend away from me," BonBon said provocatively.
"I think you're exaggerating now. He thinks Lyra is very pretty. He's a stallion, it is only natural," Levita defended me.
During the conversation I blushed. Levita told the truth, but I was more than embarrassed by the moment.
"I suggest that you concentrate on the essentials for now. No evil looks..." Levita turned to me.
"...and no flirting until we find out who you are. When we know that, you can still negotiate about Lyra," Levita giggled.
"Negotiate? I am not a commodity," snorted Lyra, who stood at the door.
Now the peak of embarrassment had been reached. Lyra had probably followed the whole conversation. I would have liked to sink into the ground at that moment. My face turned completely red and I wanted to get out of this situation as quickly as possible. But I couldn't move anymore. I was petrified.
"BonBon! What is wrong with you all of a sudden? Levita and her friend are our guests who came to us with a problem! If we don't help them, nobody will," Lyra scolded before turning to me.
"As for you..."
She looked at me strangely. Neither angry nor frightened. Just...kind of strange.
"Could I talk to you in private, please?"
I was totally nervous. I wanted to talk to her, but not at such a moment. I couldn't say anything against it either, so I went after her with my head tilted. BonBon and Levita did not know what Lyra was up to. They just stood there speechless. Apparently it was not usual for BonBon to put Lyra in charge.
When we reached the upper floor, she opened the door and I looked inside. It all looked quite similar to Levita's bedroom, but Lyra's bed seemed a little bigger. I didn't know what would happen now. I was alone with my love at first sight in her bedroom. Then she closed the door behind me. I thought about how this could end. So I stood there confused at first. Lyra went to her bed and sat on the edge, but not like a normal pony. She sat upright as if she was sitting on a chair. She looked over at me.
"Have a seat. There is still room here. I won't bite," she giggled.
Her behavior frightened me. She was far too direct with the matter. It went a little too fast for me. I gathered up all my courage when I tried to sit down next to her. Although this sitting position was unusual for a pony, I also found it very familiar. Lyra noticed that I had no problem sitting in the same position as her.
"We have never met before, have we?" she asked.
"No. But...maybe. I don't know anymore," I replied.
"So... how many unicorns have you seen so far?"
"As stupid as it sounds, you are the first unicorn since Levita found me in Everfree Forest. I don't remember any other unicorns."
Looking at Lyra, I completely forgot that I had indeed already met other unicorns. But I had already answered and Lyra looked at me mischievously.
"Ah, love at first sight, huh?" she giggled and nudged me with her hoof.
She had hit the mark. I blushed again and wanted to answer her, but I couldn't get more than a nod of approval.
"It's okay, don't be embarrassed. My mother used to tell me that stallions are more likely to fall in love with unicorns. It's kind of funny, because I usually only meet ponies that are not into unicorns. At least until now..." she joked.
I was surprised that she brought it up. How could someone like Lyra not find a stallion for herself? Or maybe BonBon had her fingers...I mean...hooves in it. Why did I just say 'fingers'?
"I don't know how to say this. I like you too, but..."
Now came the unpleasant part of the conversation: the rejection. I should have known that I had no chance with such a beautiful unicorn like Lyra.
"...but you must understand BonBon. She's been living with me for so long now and I think she's..well let's say...very strongly accustomed to me. We share the same fate. So far we have had little luck finding a stallion for life. So we almost gave up looking for a partner until we realized that we are quite close to ourselves. Many could talk about a relationship with us, but we are just very good friends. Most stallions thought that we were meant for each other. Or maybe they just wanted to annoy us with it. But something tells me that it is no coincidence that we meet right now, when I was thinking about giving up searching and just accepting it. Then Levita suddenly shows up with a pony that I have never seen before...and that even has the same coat color as me. However, I have no idea whether this is a sign or how I should deal with it now. On the one hoof I trust my feelings, but please do not misunderstand me. I don’t even know who you are. And even though I believe in something like love at first sight, I just don't want to rush into anything."
When she said that, I had to grin.
"Don't rush things? You told me you wanted to talk to me in private. Then you disappear with me into your bedroom, lock the door behind me and ask me to join you on your bed. If you had planned something else like "talk," I would have thought it was pretty rushed.”
Lyra looked at me frozen and her cheeks turned red.
"Oh, you thought I..."
She started giggling.
"Oh, you're such a cutie. But seriously. I don't know how to deal with this now."
"Haven't you ever been in love before?" I wanted to know.
"If I remember correctly, no. In fact, I can't even remember ever having had a relationship. But with you I feel that I can trust you. It's weird, right? I mean, we only met yesterday and already here I am talking to you as if we have known each other forever! Is it just your mysterious identity that fascinates me, or is there more to it? Does it feel like being in love?" she digressed and thoughtfully put her hoof under her chin.
I simply could not control myself. I just had to know if she loved me. Without a kiss, she wouldn't know. I had to try.
"There's only one way to find out..." I said as I approached Lyra's face more and more.
I took advantage of the moment while she looked to the side thinking deeply. Then she suddenly swung her front hooves up and hit my head with her left one.
"Of course! Once we have solved your mystery, I will know for sure if there is more. Oops, sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm just so excited," she said.
I rubbed my lower jaw.
"It’s nothing. But what if we found out that you only find me interesting because of my story?"
Then Lyra looked at me with bedroom eyes.
"Well, I guess I'll just have to figure something out for you. When I lived with my mother in Canterlot, she used to say a funny pun to me: “If a Heartstrings caused to pull on somepony's heartstrings, she will make sure that his heartstrings won’t regret it to met a Heartstrings.” she said softly to me as she laid her tail in my lap.
My feelings went on a rollercoaster. I did not know much, but I was sure that I had never been told anything like that before. I only brought out an embarrassing giggle, but how could I have reacted differently?
"But we should keep this to ourselves. Not that BonBon nor thinks that she is no longer number 1. She'll always be my number one girl, remember that! Which shouldn't discourage you to confront her when she gets loud again. I have known BonBon for a long time now and I know what she thinks about me. Young, naive unicorn obsessed with trying to find love for life. I may be a bit naive, but sometimes I have to trust ponies I have never met before if I want to find out something new. The next time she gets loud, remind her that I would never have met her if I hadn't been a bit naive and had the idea that more adventures await me in Ponyville than in Canterlot. Let's go downstairs, the others are probably waiting for a suggestion on how to proceed now."
When Lyra left the room with me, BonBon and Levita were waiting outside the door. But BonBon cried.
"Lyra, you are right. You were always right. I should have supported you more instead of treating you as an oddball. If I'm your number one girl, then you're number one for me. And I apologize for my behavior," BonBon sobbed with tears in her eyes before turning to me.
"Also with you. I hope you can forgive me. I was too prejudiced to help you with your problem... as friends usually do."
I hugged BonBon firmly. She cried into my fur, but I had no problem with it. I thought it takes a lot of strength to recognise your mistakes and put them right. And if you can't do it yourself, expose your weaknesses so that friends can help you. BonBon showed me with her behavior that she had this strength. It was good to have her on my side now. We could use all the help we could get. When I let BonBon go, Lyra and BonBon went back down the stairs. I whispered Levita in her ear.
"How long have you been listening in?"
"Sorry, we couldn't help it. The first thing we heard was something about girl number one. Why?"
"Good timing." I whispered and winked at her.
We immediately sat down in the living room again and ate the delicious breakfast that BonBon had prepared. This time the mood was completely different, BonBon and Lyra chatted from their past to help me with my memory. But even if this was not a success, it was very interesting to know what BonBon and Lyra had experienced together, also with Levita who happily joined in the conversation. But when breakfast was over, we really got down to work. As the storm seemed to be over, Levita went home to get some books she had received from the Royal Library of Canterlot. Meanwhile Lyra, BonBon and I made the living room look almost like a detective agency. It seemed as if BonBon was already prepared for everything before I had even gone to see her with Levita.
When Levita came back, we gathered all the information we knew about me. My outside as well as my inside, they wanted to know everything. I told them everything I knew in detail since I was found by Levita in Everfree Forest. BonBon was even interested in the exact position where I was lying. She seemed to know a lot about investigation, now I understood why Levita went to her. But even this day did not go according to plan. Apparently the new unicorn in town, Twilight Sparkle, had got free tickets for a Grand Galloping Gala and Lyra had wanted to go there with BonBon for a long time. When they left, Levita stayed with me. She would have liked to go too, but she spent the time telling me about it. About the fantastic outfits the ponies always wore on this occasion. About the colorful explosions that were thrown into the air by the Pegasi and illuminated the night sky above the magnificent castle. That sounded really dreamlike and I really appreciated that Levita preferred to sit here with me to find out who I was.
Of course, the top priority was to find out who I am. But that should not stop me from discovering this new world for me. Levita, BonBon and Lyra showed me around and made me familiar with the village. But the next time the craziest things happened in Ponyville, when I was in town and Lyra had bought some muffins from the Sugar Cube Corner. The muffins tasted awful, but Lyra told me that this time Pinkie Pie had help from Applejack, the pony from the farm. Apparently she didn't look well and looked very exhausted. Maybe she got the salt instead of the sugar. But that was not all. A short time later, a huge horde of rabbits ran through Ponyville and ate just about every plant in the village. Lyra and I panicked and ran wildly around to avoid the rabbits. At first we lost sight of each other, but a short time later I found her again. But there was something different about her. She suddenly had a different eye color and seemed to ignore me, even though I was looking directly at her. She ran past me and disappeared in the crowd of the other ponies. When we met back home after all the commotion, her eyes were normal again and she asked if everything was all right with me. I could have asked her the same question at that moment, but I thought about talking to Levita about it. Maybe Lyra also had abilities I didn't know about. Even though I couldn't imagine what it was good for to be able to change the eye color.
Levita suspected that I was just imagining it, but when BonBon heard about it, she was very insecure for some reason. Apparently she had observed this phenomenon before. I also asked her why Lyra had acted so strangely at that moment. She first suspected that I had only imagined it because of the muddle and tried to calm me down. But she also said that the pony I had just seen was probably not Lyra. However, these statements were anything but calming. But I tried not to think about it any longer. BonBon seemed to be interested anyway and offered me that she would pursue this matter.
The next day was so far the most normal I was allowed to experience here. Except for a short incident when we saw Fluttershy running through the village crying. The reason was apparently a friend of Rainbow Dash. I had never seen such a creature before. It had the body of a lion, but the head of a bird. I knew immediately it was a griffin. I had apparently read about this mythical creature many times. Wait, did I just call griffins mythical creatures? Since when were griffins mythical creatures?
Yes, of course they were mythical creatures.
No, otherwise there wouldn't be a griffin standing in front of me right now.
My mind and my imagination collided.
What was wrong with me?
I regained my composure after my mini panic attack and realized that I had always had a great interest in these majestic-looking creatures, but somehow they seemed...shorter than I had expected. And besides, this griffin didn't seem to speak very well to other ponies. Except Rainbow Dash, somehow. But the whole thing took its revenge when the ponies prepared pranks for them together in Sugarcube Corner. Rainbow Dash really had a lot of mean little tricks up her sleeve, I wouldn't have expected that from her at all.
Speaking of, one day a pony came to Ponyville with a wooden show wagon. It seemed to be some kind of magic show, but the magic tricks were...well...as a Pegasus I shouldn't judge unicorn magic, but Lyra's expression told me that this show was nothing special, except for the fact that I saw some ponies in the crowd that looked like doubles. I also seemed to recognize Levita's friend Derpy several times in the crowd. But the other ponies in the crowd didn't seem to pay attention to this, more to the blue unicorn on stage with its tricks of the trade. And as if that wasn't enough, there was an attack of a huge blue shining bear in Ponyville in the evening. Levita called this creature a "Ursa Minor". If this bear was small, I would rather not know how huge the "Ursa Major" would be. Apparently the blue unicorn had something to do with the appearance of this monster, but the purple unicorn Twilight Sparkle was able to calm the bear down with a giant milk bottle, which she made in a short time with the help of a water tower and a herd of cows. I had to try not to laugh at this sight, because every other pony seemed to take this situation very seriously. Once again I felt that I did not really belong here, which caused a strange feeling inside me. But Levita knew that I always retreated to our house when I could no longer cope with the situation. Under no circumstances did I want to burden her unnecessarily.
One morning, Levita woke me up when thick smoke billowed through the upstairs windows of Levita's house. We ran downstairs coughing and wondering where the fire was that caused the smoke. At first we thought that one or more houses might have caught fire and were burning. With the construction of wood and straw this would not be surprising. But the smoke came from a mountain further away. The smoke was carried by the wind to Ponyville and settled over the village. At first I suspected that it was a volcano, but Levita suspected that it was a dragon. She would have liked to look at the kite with the telescope on the roof of the library, but Twilight was now the new resident and apparently she was not at home at the moment. But we heard sounds inside from the baby dragon Spike, who apparently had problems with some kind of pet. A look through the library window confirmed our suspicion that he was currently very busy, so we decided not to disturb him. Anyway, the smoke had settled down and the Pegasi removed the remains over Ponyville with strong wing beats. I was fascinated how easy it was. It seemed to be an advantage that the weather was controllable. Even if it seemed a bit strange to me. When we met with Lyra and BonBon, they told us that the unicorn Twilight was again involved in solving the smoke, as were five of Levita's friends. I was beginning to get the feeling that all the current events in Ponyville had something to do with these six ponies.
And this should be confirmed in the next few days. A strange being was at large in Ponyville and nobody dared to talk to it. And also I was of the opinion that I didn't want any friendship with this being. It had strange bright yellow eyes and wore many golden rings around its neck. Of course, Twilight and her friends had to track down this unknown creature as soon as it disappeared into Everfree Forest. Good, I thought so. If the ponies took care of the strange events, I could continue to concentrate on my search for myself.
But the next interruption of my thoughts was not long in coming. Soon I was allowed to make acquaintance with the less liked beings in Equestria. They were thick colored flies with big eyes, which apparently devoured everything edible in Ponyville that they could find. Luckily ponies were not on their menu. Levita and I spent the whole day at home and closed all windows and doors. In the afternoon we heard loud music that lured these flies away from the town. Somehow it reminded me of a well-known fairy tale about a pied piper. Fortunately Ponyville had no rat plague. At least not yet, who knows what else could happen in this crazy village. The only victim that day was actually only the cake Lyra and BonBon had taken from Sugarcube Corner. But after these so-called Parasprites were gone, we were able to taste the sweet delicacies of the place together again in peace and quiet. And the day was far from over. In the evening there was a fashion show that I shouldn't miss. And even if I wasn't particularly interested in fashion, I wouldn't forget this evening so quickly. Since we hadn't seen Rarity in the village lately, I could imagine that she was trying to prepare for the show as best as possible and had her hands full. I meant hooves, not hands, of course. Why do I keep making misspellings with words that don't make sense?
But the show was an even bigger chaos than what was going on in my head. Apparently Rarity had persuaded her friends to model for her new collections, but the outfits just looked totally overloaded. I mean, Applejack wore rubber boots with her outfit. You can do that on a farm, but on a catwalk? Even I, as a fashion frog, knew that wouldn't go down well. At least we had a topic of conversation for the evening that we could talk about for hours without constantly asking ourselves how we would proceed with my case. It felt good to put the thoughts back and enjoy the here and now.
But the next morning we learned that Rarity had reworked her collection and that Fluttershy's outfit had apparently caused the most sensation. It even went so far that a new fashion show was arranged especially for her at short notice. Of course I knew Fluttershy and couldn't imagine her on stage alone. But I thought that I should give the fashion show another chance, because the first impression had apparently not been the normal one anyway. The next show was very nice to watch and Fluttershy looked like a gentle angel in her outfits. Not that I found Lyra less beautiful now because of that. Unlike Fluttershy, she didn't need clothes to be beautiful. But this should not mean that Fluttershy is not beautiful without clothes. Oh, you know what? Before I get into a lot of talk here, I'll spare you all the hullabaloo that Fluttershy's appearance entailed and move straight on to the next interesting parts of the story, which have nothing to do with fashion.
Lyra decided the next day with Levita to ask the ponies around the village if they knew a pony like me from somewhere. BonBon wanted to use the day to buy things at the market, she would join us again later. Pinkie Pie again held a special party at Sugarcube Corner and many ponies would join us. And even though I had seen many ponies several times by now, I was still a bit unsure how to approach it. I would feel really stupid to ask another pony where I came from or who I was. I spent the whole time nervously walking around the Sugarcube Corner to find out something from the others. Meanwhile, I could see BonBon standing at an apple stand, looking around suspiciously. Apparently she was looking for something in particular, but was then disturbed by Applejack’s sister Applebloom, who poured a whole bucket of apples into her saddle bag and apparently wanted to be paid for it. A short time later Levita and Lyra came out of the Sugarcube Corner, they didn't have any new answers for me, but Levita brought me very tasty muffins. Apparently the party had been very nice, why was I such a wimp?
But that was to change the next day. Autumn had arrived and on the occasion of this natural phenomenon there was a competition in various disciplines on the apple plantations. Levita thought that now it was time for me to participate in the habits in Ponyville to lose my shyness for the other ponies. After that we went to the Sweet Apple Acres to watch the autumn attractions there. When we arrived at Applejack's farm after some time, I could see three little foals that were about to rebuild an old tree house in one of the bigger apple trees. I could recognize Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, but the third pony did not look familiar to me. It was a small Pegasus foal with an orange coat and a purple mane. But before I could watch the spectacle any longer, the Pegasus foal got on a kind of scooter and drove away towards Ponyville at a furious speed.
The autumn games were already in full swing when we arrived. Most interested in Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who gave each other an "Iron Pony Competition", at least that's what they called it. After a good 20 tries, it looked like Rainbow Dash had won, but she had a movable advantage with her wings in most disciplines, because Applejack couldn't fly. Now that the result was no longer clear, both of them tried their luck in the annual leaf race through the apple alleys, which are orange-colored with leaves. I liked this tradition as well, especially since as a Pegasus I would not have to fly in it. Lyra, BonBon and Levita wanted me to take part, and I didn't need to be told twice. And in the crowd I didn't really stand out either. I even got a number, 23, Levita got 20, Lyra got 18 and BonBon got 10. When I looked around for the numbers of the other ponies, I could see that Twilight got 42. At that moment I had to grin inside myself. Apparently she was a pony, which was the answer to everything that happened in Ponyville recently.
Above us, Pinkie Pie was circling with a pink balloon and a speaking tube attached to the basket. She commented on everything, even things that had nothing to do with the race. I think that was just typical Pinkie Pie.
Rainbow Dash and Applejack sprinted ahead, but Levita had a different tactic. She dropped back a bit and trotted slowly behind with Twilight. She didn't seem to be in a hurry, but I wanted to know what my hooves could handle. I started trotting faster and faster at first, until I started galloping. It was a wonderful feeling to feel the fresh wind in my mane. Only flying would probably have been even nicer. But I quickly realized that I was not in shape at all. Already in the next few moments I started to pant heavily and had to let myself fall back a bit. Lyra and BonBon seemed to be in top shape and kept running. Why did I have to run myself ragged? There was no price to win here! But as the two ran past me, I could see another pony in the crowd that looked like Lyra. But it had those pink eyes again, like the pony I had met the other day in the village. Were there doubles here again? If so, why didn't anyone notice?
I tried not to think about it any longer and just passed a part of the avenue where the leaves had already fallen from the trees. Through the treetops I could still observe the soft blue autumn sky with its clouds. Passing the trees, I could see that Levita had almost caught up with me. But I was totally out of breath, so I let her pass. But instead of continuing to run, she stopped at my height and ran beside me.
"See? That's why I don't run so fast. I'm saving my strength until the end." she giggled.
Even though at that moment the reason why Levita was saving her strength was not revealed to me, I thought it was nice that she was with me. She told me that she had lost sight of Twilight, but I told her not to worry about her. From what I had seen of Twilight so far, she seemed like a unicorn who knew what she was doing.
As Levita and I trotted along the autumn path through the avenues towards our destination, I noticed how quiet it was without the other ponies. You could hear the rustling leaves in the wind and admire the world around you. Maybe I should do that more in the future, especially since this world still seemed very new to me. And it was more relaxing than constantly worrying about which world I came from. But the forest was not that quiet. Again and again we could hear the voices of Rainbow Dash and Applejack, who were doing their mischief somewhere in the forest. Apparently they did not seem to deal with each other quite fairly. But Levita said that the two like to outdo each other sometimes. She herself had often taken part in the leaf race, but she always enjoyed the play of colors in nature more than the race itself. And she seemed to have a few tricks up her sleeve, because when we arrived at a sign where the arrow pointed to the right, Levita ran with me in the other direction past a large rock. She said that you can't gallop through here quickly, but if you walk carefully it's still a shortcut.
She was right. While I could hear the other ponies galloping nearby, I could already see the finish line. Pinkie Pie noticed us from the balloon and was screaming her head off. When I looked to the side, I could see the rest of the pony herd just running very exhausted. Behind us, Twilight was catching up, but there was no sign of Rainbow Dash or Applejack. But two ponies seemed to still be in the lead. Derpy flew more or less straight ahead, followed closely by Lyra, with BonBon following further back in the crowd. Levita stretched her wings at that moment and zoomed off beside me to race Derpy head-to-head to the finish line. I tried to match her and took up pursuit of Lyra. She noticed and gave me a challenging look before she started kicking her hooves hard again. Derpy shot across the finish line ahead of Levita and just missed the banner hanging over the finish line. Now was the moment when I could show Lyra what I had and was about to stretch my wings. But that did not work. I looked back to see what was wrong with my wings. I did not see where I was running and stumbled. My face landed in the dirt and I somersaulted towards the finish line. Lyra hadn't noticed and kept running down the home stretch. As I rolled across the finish line, I couldn't slow down that fast and rolled her over. We came to a stop together in a mint green tangle before we looked at each other, puzzled, and just started laughing.
From the looks of it, Levita and Derpy had won the race, but Lyra was super happy to be the first non-Pegasus pony to make it through the finish line. She seemed to have so much energy in her and was jumping for joy at her third place finish. Apparently they didn't see it so closely with the victory rules here, it was really all about the fun of it. Twilight, who had also taken the shortcut, crossed the finish line after me and secured fifth place. After her, bonBon and the other ponies also arrived exhausted and collapsed from exhaustion right after the finish line. Now I could understand why Levita had saved her strength until the end.
We were given medals that looked like they were made of pure gold. There was nothing imprinted on the medals, but I knew why. It was a game, not a competition. But it seemed that not everyone thought so when we saw Rainbow Dash and Applejack running. Before the finish line, I noticed that Rainbow Dash's wings were tied with some kind of rope. Apparently this was supposed to be a fair competition, but I didn't really want to believe that when I saw how disheveled their manes were. Probably there was some "fair play" on the course. After a last scuffle before the finish line, they also made it over the finish line, where they had to fight for the last place of all. They really couldn't let it go.
I looked around at the others again and saw that BonBon also looked slightly worn out, even her number was hanging upside down and now showed a "01" instead of a "10". She had seemed so fit in the beginning and yet she had had trouble keeping up with the rest of the ponies in the end. I also noticed that Lyra's double had disappeared from the crowd. I wanted to ask her about it, but BonBon seemed very debilitated. It even seemed to me that her coat looked a little less colorful. Obviously she wasn't feeling well, so we decided to go back home and take care of her for now.
But when we arrived home and BonBon lay down exhausted on the couch in the living room, she asked Lyra and me to talk to Levita alone for a moment. Lyra and I then left the house and waited in the front yard. I didn't know what it was about, and Lyra seemed to feel the same way. We both looked at each other, perplexed, and I could tell that Lyra seemed concerned about BonBon's condition. After Levita came out of the house a short time later, Lyra went back inside to take care of BonBon. When I also went back inside, Levita blocked my door and shook his head.
"I think it's better if we let them rest for now. They need some time to themselves now." she said to me in a calm voice.
She closed the door and seemed to want to go home. I followed her, but I couldn't keep my silence any longer.
"What was going on with BonBon, is she okay? Is it something bad?"
She looked at me slightly worried.
"No, but I...I don't know how to tell you. It has something to do with that doppelganger thing you brought up. It's possible you didn't imagine it..."
I stood in front of Levita and stopped.
"Wait. You mean the doppelganger has something to do with BonBon's weakened condition?"
She nodded wordlessly.
"But BonBon is going to be okay, right?" I asked her.
"The important thing is for Lyra to take care of BonBon now until then. Then she will recover."
That's all she said. Maybe she wanted to avoid that I worry even more than necessary. But it made me a little nervous that I was no longer the only mystery in the village. As we sat together at dinner, Levita told me that I needed to learn how to use my wings. If I ever got into a dangerous situation, I could escape more easily. On the ground, a Pegasus pony would be easy prey. And I think Levita wasn't just thinking about another Timberwolf attack here. We went to bed early, because early the next morning Levita was going to teach me how to fly. She said that nothing was planned about today anyway, except for a talent show at Ponyville Elementary School, but that would not take place until the evening.
The next day we wasted no time. Levita took me a little further out of the village to an open field where I was to learn how to fly. So at least I couldn't accidentally bump into any houses. I was very happy that I would now learn how to use my wings. Until now I was only tied to the ground, but up there...up there I would be free.
We sat down in the field and Levita tried to explain a few basic things about flying, but I was way too excited to fly like the birds and soar into the air.
"...and that's the reason why we can fly at all." Levita finished explaining, but I hadn't caught what she had said before.
"Sure, of course that's the reason. So when am I going to fly?" I said impatiently.
"Well, if you don't have any more questions so far, let's get started. First, I'll teach you how to move your wings. Let's start with opening them." she said, spreading her feathers. I tried to do the same, but somehow I was still not used to concentrating on the wings.
"Oh, that's right. Tehee, I had forgotten all about it. Come on, I'll help you." she giggled and stood behind me. She reached under my shoulder blades and carefully unfolded my wings. They were now stretched out, but they lay on the floor like a wet rag.
"My dear stallion, now I can see how big your wings are. But we'll practice opening them, maybe you just need to feel them again when you haven't flown for a long time."
Then she stood in front of me again and stretched out her wings again. First I should lift mine and stretch them out horizontally. I kept looking tensely at my feathers, which in themselves only made twitching movements. Levita seemed to notice that I was concentrating too much on it.
"You don't have to stare at them to make them do something. You have to tell them what to do."
I didn't know exactly what I was doing wrong. So I tried Levita's tip of speaking.
"UP!" I shouted to my wings. But they did nothing again.
"I...didn't tell you to yell at them!" giggled Levita again.
I was already slightly annoyed as Levita tried to show me how to do it right.
"Okay, pay attention. Close your eyes." she said to me, which I did.
"Now I want you to visualize yourself flying up there. No turns, no loops. Just gliding straight ahead. You see the clouds below you and your shadow on them cast by the sun. See how your wingtips form a line with the horizon?"
I now tried to concentrate on this image. It was a wonderful thought that even calmed me down a bit inside. I was no longer so excited and tried to block out all other thoughts around me. I looked around with my eyes closed and imagined my wingtips pointing left and right toward the horizon.
"Now I want you to slowly open your eyes and look around again," Levita said to me in a soft voice.
So I slowly opened my eyes again and looked around. I really couldn't believe it, but it had worked. My wings were absolutely horizontal and I could feel them, it was a strange feeling like having two extra hooves. But since the thought gave me the creeps, I tried not to think about it any longer.
"Levita...I can. I can feel them!" i rejoiced.
"Great, you're doing very well. You're feeling them, aren't you? Then try to move them up now. Whether at the same time or one after the other doesn't matter. Try to move them consciously."
I looked first at my left wing, but no longer to control it but to admire it as my feathers played lightly in the wind. I tried to tilt the wings forward and backward, it seemed to me the easiest movement. And it worked, slowly, but it worked. Next I tried to draw waves with these movements and let the wing circle. I tried the same thing with the right wing at the same time.
"Well look at that, it seems someone can't wait to get in the air. Now swing it up and down. Slow and strong strokes at first." Levita cheered me on.
I slowly changed from gyroscopic movements to an up/down movement and could already notice with weak strokes how the power of my wings slowly pulled me off the ground. I could not wait any longer. I wanted to flap my wings hard to get airborne quickly.
"Hey, slow down! Don't be in such a hurry!" urged Levita.
But I didn't listen to her and flapped my wings downward as hard as I could, which catapulted me upward at an immense speed. I got a huge fright and fluttered my wings violently, which only made me go up further and further. But I didn't dare stop flapping my wings because I might fall.
"Help! I can't get down!" I screamed, hoping Levita heard me.
I trundled around disoriented in the air before I heard Levita giggling next to me.
"What are you giggling about! So help me!" I cried in panic.
"Just stop flapping your wings," she said.
"But...but then I'll fall!" I asked her, confused, still spinning around.
"You won't. I promise."