//------------------------------// // Her Improper Introduction // Story: U-Harmony // by Ebon Mane //------------------------------// TIME: 7:00 PM, CST LOCATION: CANTERLOT ROYAL SYMPONY HALL, CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA REASON FOR MATCH: INTEREST IN CLASSICAL MUSIC THIS IS YOUR TICKET; PRESENT AT DOORS Twilight Sparkle found herself in a familiar courtyard, just in front of the Royal Sympony Hall. The shock of teleportation wore off quickly; the mare found the spell to be very similar to her own, and was accustomed to its effects. She began to look around and immediately noticed another unicorn standing just to her left, wobbling as the aftereffects of the travel wore off; it had to be her date. Curiosity momentarily overpowered nervousness. Twilight studied the other unicorn in a way that she'd rarely allowed herself to do with mares before. Her date's coat was light green, her mane and tail a grayish teal with a couple of streaks of white. The coloration wasn't caused by age; she seemed to be just a few years older than Twilight, if that. It seems that she, too, had put on makeup and had her hair done for the date, the latter playing host to an array of decorative clips that shone silver and gold. The mare was wearing an elegant white dress, and looked quite stunning; Twilight found herself humming appreciatively. She blinked. Where had that come from? She had no time to wonder; the other mare turned to look at her. The pony's eyes were amber. "Hi! Nice to meet you," the strange pony said, beaming. She seemed familiar, though the librarian couldn't place where they'd met. If they ever had. Twilight smiled nervously, "L-likewise." The light green unicorn began to walk slowly toward the entrance, "Do you mind if we go in early? I hate having to press past a bunch of stallions to get to my seat," she turned back to look at her date. "Though I don't mind pressing past mares nearly as much," she added with a wink. Something seemed to flutter inside of Twilight. That feeling was definitely new. She blinked, tried to focus, and trotted to catch up with the other unicorn. They spent the next few minutes chatting idly; the introverted mare was only too content to let the older pony take the lead. Twilight Sparkle's replies became less terse as she warmed up to the conversation. She found that her date was not just a fan, but also a player of the classical style. When she asked what instrument the mare played, the response was surprising. "It's not often that I get to meet somepony and not have them know immediately what I play. I think I'll keep it a secret for now," the green unicorn replied with an enigmatic smile, "Maybe you'll be able to guess, by the time I let you see my cutie mark." The prospect interested the bookish mare more than she would have cared to admit. By the time they found their seats, Twilight was discussing enchantments that could be laid on instruments with the fascinated musician. The concert hall filled slowly but surely with the Canterlot nobility, more elaborately dressed than could ever be necessary, and so arrogant one could almost smell it. The volume of the room increased steadily, and before long the purple unicorn was struggling to hear her date's story about a disastrous attempt at a tuning spell for stringed instruments. Eventually, something occurred to Twilight. "What's your name!?" she practically shouted over the mounting din. "Lyra!" The other unicorn replied with similar volume. The purple mare beamed at her date, "Sorry I forgot to ask before! I'm Twilight Sparkle!" Lyra blinked, then narrowed her eyes, "Twilight Sparkle as in Princess Celestia's personal student Twilight Sparkle?" Twilight's brows furrowed, "Um.... Yes?" Her date's eye's widened, "Ponyville librarian Twilight Sparkle? That lives in Ponyville?" The purple unicorn's eyes darted from side to side. Did the other mare know her? "That's me," she replied with a hopeful smile. "Clop!" Lyra cursed, "I didn't recognize you through that sexy academic getup. Listen: if anypony asks, I was never here and you did not see me tonight." With that, the green-coated unicorn disappeared in a flash. Twilight Sparkle blinked, trying to process what had just occurred. Lyra had recognized her, and now that she thought about it, that name seemed vaguely familiar to her, though she still couldn't place the other mare. Objectively, the date was probably a failure; Twilight had somehow managed to drive the other unicorn away before the concert even started. Still, the librarian was more confused than embarrassed, so she supposed that it could have gone worse. She figured that she might as well stay for the concert before using the card's magic to teleport back to Rarity. It would probably take that long to get rid of the goofy smile that Lyra's words had left on her face. 'Sexy academic' indeed! *** The spell returned Twilight Sparkle to precisely where she'd been before the date: Carousel Boutique. She was still blinking away the disorientation of teleportation when Rarity's questions began. "Oh darling you must tell me every. Little. Detail. How was the concert? How was the mare? Were you better dressed than her? Did she... spark your interest? Did you -" "Rarity!" The white unicorn blinked, then chuckled, "Sorry dear. I'm just interested. For your sake." "I'm sure," Twilight stated flatly. She sighed, "Well, it didn't go quite as I'd expected. I don't think a second date is going to happen." "Well, chin up, Twilight. Nopony finds love on the first try. There's plenty of grass in the field. You'll just have to get a new match; U-harmony seems to have a never-ending supply of them," her friend said, placing a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. "Now. What did go wrong, if you don't mind my asking?" Twilight looked away as her ears folded back. "Well, to tell the truth, I wasn't with her most of the time I was gone. Lyra left before the concert even started. She teleported away as soon as she found out who I was. I guess she recognized me; she knew I was the librarian here." The mare's mouth twisted sourly, "I just wish I knew where I'd seen her before." Rarity frowned. "Her name is... Lyra? Did she have a light green coat?" Twilight nodded. "Was her cutie mark a lyre?" The librarian raised an eyebrow, "I didn't see her cutie mark, but I'm fairly sure she played an instrument with strings. Why? Do you know her?" The other unicorn sighed. "I'm afraid so dear. And I do believe that Bon Bon and I are going to need to have a little chat...." "Who's Bon Bon?" Twilight asked. "Lyra's wife."