//------------------------------// // There's a party here in Ponyville... // Story: My Little Disney: The Movie // by DagaYemar //------------------------------// Twilight burst out of the basement at a full gallop, a crazed gleam in her eye. The mysterious tome floated along after her as she dashed over to the nearest bookcase and started rapidly reading spines. “Good, they’re still in order…” She started pulling down volume after volume with her magic, casting aside those that didn’t seem applicable. Soon she had a small mountain of works which she plopped down on the nearest table. Opening several at once, she began pouring through them at a feverish pace. The mysterious tome she had found downstairs floated forgotten behind her head, pulsing softly. “Compulsion requires constant attention and direct orders on top of that. Nopony should be able to make all these suggestions remotely, and I didn’t see anyone suspicious in town.” One of the books was cast carefully aside and two more took its place. “Mystic Scroll’s mass conformity theory predicted similar effects in group spell weaving, but that should imply that all the singing is identical, not personalized. Ugh! I know I’ve read something like this before! If I could just pin down where… this mystery is buzzing in my skull… will I work it out? I cannot tell…” Standing, Twilight walked over to the large window and looked down at several crowds moving about nearby. A half dozen books joined the magic one floating after her, the latter glowing slightly brighter than before. “So many factors I can’t grasp, that when I think I’ve pegged it down at last…” She eyed an open thesis describing Falling Star’s Irresistible Dance enchantment, but shook her head and let the book slam closed. “None of these spells perfectly fit. Though some are close, if just a bit.” Twilight shook her head and blinked a few times. “What…? I almost felt like I had something… unless I’m thinking along the wrong track… there’s something here I’m not quite getting. Though I try, I keep forgetting. Like a memory, long since passed. Here in an instant and gone in a flash!” She clapped her hooves several times on either side of her head. “What does it mean? What does it mean?” A sudden thought flashed through her head, banished almost before she could fully form it. Twilight turned to a nearby shelf and carefully pulled down an old book. “In this dusty almanac, the secret’s waiting to be cracked. Not really sure how I know, but I am certain that it’s so!” Frowning, Twilight shook her head again and blinked at the book she had taken down. “Wait, why would this help? It has to be somewhere in the spell books, it must be…” Placing the almanac carefully down on the windowsill, she trotted back over to the stacks she had first compiled. The next ten minutes passed silently as she perused and discarded books one after another. “Simple cantrips, nothing more.” She sang, scanning down the latest page. “Not at all what I’m looking for. Somewhere there must be some key. Some solution I just can’t see! What does it mean? What does it mean!” Finally, Twilight sighed loudly and draped herself over the table with her forelegs covering her eyes. “What does it mean…? “I’ve read these magic books so many times. I know their stories and their mystic rhymes. I could recite them all by heart… my mind’s so full it’s tearing me apart! As often as I’ve read them something’s wrong. I feel a hint I’ve worked out is gone.” She opened one eye and chanced to look upon the almanac again. Something seemed to be tugging her attention to it and she sat up from the table to see it better. “…Or perhaps it’s really not as deep as I’ve been led to think.” She contemplated the glowing book for the first time since coming upstairs. Idly, she opened it and started turning pages at random. “Am I trying much too hard?” The last page in the book turned over and Twilight sat up, eyes going wide. “Of course! I’ve been too blind to see the answer right in front of me! Right in front of… me…” She frowned and looked at the almanac again. What had caused her to choose that book out of all of them? It didn’t matter; it was exactly what she needed to solve everything. She snatched the almanac up with her magic and drew it closer, flipping to the page she needed. “It’s simple, really, and very clear. This magic drifting in the air; invisible, yet everywhere! Just because I cannot see it, doesn’t mean I can’t defeat it!” Finding the page she needed, Twilight practically squealed with delight as she immediately saw the connections. Holding the two books close to each other, she started pacing in her excitement. “You know, I think this singing thing is not as tricky as is seems. In fact, this problem just maybe could have been solved by anypony. But instead it falls to me! To solve this lyric mystery! And there’s no reason I can find, I can’t handle it alone this time! I bet I could work faster too! And that’s exactly what I’ll do!” Throwing open the window, she tossed her head back and shouted as loud as she could. “EUREKA! THIS TIME, I WILL SAVE ALL OF YOUUUUU!!!!” “That’s great!” Somepony called up to her. “From what?” Twilight paused and looked down at their expecting faces. “From… what do you mean, from what? From the evil magic that’s making everypony act all crazy!” The small group that had gathered beneath the window looked at each other in confusion. “I haven’t noticed anything different.” a pegasus shouted up. “What are you talking about?” “Everypony singing!” Twilight barked in exasperation. “Just breaking out into random songs for no reason! More often than we usually do, I mean. Haven’t you noticed?” “You mean like how you just were?” a filly asked. Twilight blinked several times as she mentally went over the last twenty minutes of her life. Spinning around, she magically slammed the window closed and glared at the glowing tome. “What are you doing to me?” she demanded. The book floated innocently in her magic. Grumbling to herself, she regarded her findings once again. She had never heard of this ‘Epcolt’ place, but the map matched up very well with the old map of Equestria in the almanac. And if the huge castle represented anything important… Twilight pressed her hoof to the appropriate spot on the other map. “Applewood…” … Pinkie bounced her way down the street, grinning from ear to ear. “This is the best! Day! EVER!” she crowed, barely able to contain her happiness. All day, everypony had been so cheerful! She had joined in on three wonderful songs so far, and she had only started one of them herself! It was like the entire town was celebrating some kind of huge party! “There’s nothing more I could possible wish for!” she laughed, letting her hooves take her where they will. She often trotted like this, eye shut tight and trusting in her Pinkie sense to keep her from bumping into anything in a non-hilarious way. After a while she stopped and opened her eyes expectantly. She was on the edge of town, staring into the Everfree forest. Behind her, she could hear the sounds of another parade of some kind coming to a dramatic end, but she resisted the urge to see how it ended and waited expectantly. Her Pinkie sense had never let her down before. Sure enough, after only a few minutes something stumbled out of the trees, scrapping leaves out of its hair. “Hi Lyra!” Pinkie shouted, bouncing out to meet her halfway. Lyra paused and smiled broadly at the pink pony. “Pinkie! What do you think? Notice anything different about me?” She twirled in place, obviously at ease with her new body. Bouncing over to her side, Pinkie had to crane her neck back to look her in the face. “I know! That brand new dress looks great on you! And it even has your cutie mark on the side! Very fancy!” Lyra stamped her foot. “You know what I mean. I’m a human!” “Of course you are, silly!” Pinkie stretched up improbably tall and patted Lyra on the head. “You always said you'd find one someday and now you are one! That’s like… TWICE as good! I’m so so so SO happy for you!” Clearly a little disappointed at Pinkie’s lack of shock, Lyra turned towards town and grinned. “Well, no time to stand around and talk. I’ve got to show this off to everypony!” Pinkie froze, her eyes going wide. She zipped in front of Lyra and waved her forelegs wildly. “NO! Wait! You can’t just march in like that!” Lyra frowned down at her. “Do you think I’d scare ponies? I don’t want to cause a panic…” “You need pizzazz!” Pinkie cheered. She dashed over to a nearby bush and rooted around for a few seconds before pulling out a large, pale blue wagon decked out with musical instruments, confetti cannons, and other various paraphernalia. With a push of a button the whole thing started up, creating a resounding tuneful beat that had Lyra nodding along immediately. “I keep these all around Ponyville in case of parade-related emergencies. Hold on to your hat, Lyra; I’m going to make you a star!” Back in town, the latest group song was just ending when the sound of music washed over the departing ponies. Most turned back to look expectantly, as actual instruments was a change from the last number. So there was quite a crowd when Pinkie bounced onto the main street followed by her wagon. Somepony was pushing the wagon from behind, but everypony’s attention was on the pink pony capering down the middle of the street. “Make way! Glad to see ya!” Pinkie sang at the top of her lungs. “Prepare to meet Lyra!” Several of the crowd turned to each other in confusion, muttering Lyra’s name. But before anypony could ask about it, Pinkie was amongst them. “Hey, clear the way through the marketplace. HEY YOU!” she shouted, grabbing a brown stallion around the head and getting in so close their foreheads were touching. “Don’t ask me for more personal space! Come with me, be the first on your block to meet her eye!” She pulled the unfortunate pony after her towards the wagon, trailing the rest of the crowd. “Make way, here she comes! Standing just behind the drums. Come on, Lyra, don’t be shy!” In a burst of confetti, Lyra stepped around the cart and into full sight for the first time. The crowd stopped as one and stared, smiles frozen on their faces. Pinkie, completely oblivious to their changing mood, continued to sing. “A human! Oh my, what fun! Lyra now is one! It’s the best, show some interest! Just look at her knees!” She tried to push her captive forward for a closer look, but he wriggled out of her grasp and backed up into the crowd. “Hi everyone…” Lyra said with forced cheerfulness. She raised a hand and everypony gasped. Sensing the mood for the first time, Pinkie swept in to soothe things out. “Now everypony stay calm. There is no need for alarm! She’s not a horrible monster, listen to meeee! “This Lyra is pleased to meetcha, humans are handy! This will be neat, a really cool feat, just wait and see!” Pinkie stomped on the end of a basket of apples, sending a half dozen of the fruit sailing through the air. Reflexively, Lyra snatched the first two out of the air and managed to catch the rest in the crook of her arms. The throng ohh’d and ahh’d appreciatively. “…You think that’s all these hands I’ve wait for so long can do?” Lyra said mischievously. With a confidence that surprised even herself she started juggling the apples in a wide circle, to the cheers of her audience. “How you become a human?” Somepony in the back asked. “She fought a raging dragon!” Pinkie cried, caught up in her own excitement. “Just a unicorn in her wagon.” Lyra corrected. “So who faced Trixie and won?!” Pinkie asked, raising up on her hind legs with her forelegs spread. “HUMAN LYRA!” the crowd responded. The lot of them started marching down the road with Lyra at the head, riding the high of all that attention. Pinkie danced among the parade, stopping here and there to swing a random pony around with her. “There’s so much her ten fingers can do! Don’t they look lovely, Junebug? Shiny teeth, she has got thirty-two! Fabulous, aren’t they? When it comes to exotic type mammals… well, she’s got them beat, with her awesome feet, and she’s taller than most of them too!” Picking out a familiar trio from the crowd, Pinkie pushed them to the front and gestured for them to take center stage. “Come and see, don’t you agree that she is nifty?” “I have to admit that she is alluring…” Daisy said, eyeing her up and down. “That physique, how can I speak?!” Pinkie continued, singing over the three of them. “Never ordinary.” Lily hummed, nodding to Rose. “Never boring.” Rose agreed, nodding back. “Just look at those knees!” Pinkie sang, pointing at her legs again. “Why are you so interested in my knees?” Lyra asked, but nopony paid much attention. “Now, get on out in that square!” Pinkie commanded, pushing Lyra ahead quickly to where the road crossed another. “She’s a wonder, not a horror, a wonder!” Lily sang happily. “Adjust your dress and prepare!” Pinkie pulled down the ends of Lyra’s dress to straighten them out. “An absolute marvel, I concur!” Rose put in quickly. “To meet your favorite mare, Human Lyra!” Pinkie sang, spinning Lyra around and pointing at a cream colored earth pony with a blue and pink mane standing of the other side of the road. “…Lyra…?” Bon Bon asked in a small voice, shopping bags lying forgotten at her sides. Lyra quickly walked over and knelt awkwardly next to her. “Umm, yes? I mean, it’s me… hi?” They looked at each other for a few moments, Lyra red in embarrassment and Bon Bon in rising horror. “What… what happened to you?” she asked. “And I absolutely love the way she dresses!” Daisy sang behind them. Neither made any move to acknowledge the parade continuing in the background. “I got a unicorn to turn me into a human, like I always talked about.” Lyra ran a hand through her hair nervously and launched into an explanation. “It was out in the Everfree…” “In the forest she found mighty Trixie!” Pinkie interrupted, bouncing between the two of them. She addressed Bon Bon, but her voice carried to all of those around them. “And she agreed to a nominal fee! Unicorn magic made her as you see. Now she has to find one more of her kind, in three days or stuck she will be! As a pony! Back she’ll be…” “I don’t recall telling you all of that…” Lyra tried to say, but Bon Bon pulled her head down to look her in the eyes. “Is all that true?” she asked. Lyra nodded, but before she could say anymore the crowd grabbed her and tossed her into the air several times. “A Human!” Pinkie sang, leading the crowd through the lyrics as they carried Lyra off down the road. “Oh, how much fun it must be to be one. It’s a sight the Princesses would love to see! And that, good ponies, is why we should bring her there to say hi! Go fetch some favors and presents galore! We’ll need wagons and posters, a brass band and more! And I’ll go and bake an enormous cake; we’ll party all the way there! To Canterlot, we’ll take ya! Human Lyra!” Several members of the crowd, Pinkie included, broke off to attend to various preparations for the journey. Most of them, however, stayed clustered around Lyra, plying her with questions and complements so that she couldn’t break away. For her part, Lyra seemed too excited by the attention to want to get away. Bon Bon watched her for a few minutes before stomping her hoof in determination. “I have to do something about this.” she vowed to herself. Spotting two figures slinking towards the edge of town across the street, she set off to do just that.