//------------------------------// // Prologue: the Letter // Story: Lyra's Voyages 1: Small Beginnings. // by Prince_Staghorn //------------------------------// PROLOGUE Shortly after the Nightmare Moon incident, a young unicorn began wondering one thing: If Nightmare Moon was real, then how many other “legends” could possibly be real? What if Bighoof or Night Flyers or Pine Devils or even Yahoos were real? So she set off to find others who thought like her, who would understand her way of thinking. Her roommate did not truly approve of this, but that did not stop the unicorn from seeking others out. Soon, she had gathered a team of cryptic enthusiasts from the town of Ponyville, and they grew into a group who called themselves “The Equestrian Cryptid Research Foundation.” The group grew and expanded, and by the re-emergence of Discord, they had a base in every major city in Equestria. By the re-emergence of the Crystal Empire, they had split into several groups, including the Equestrian Society for the Discovery of Lost Countries, the Foundation of Cryptic Botanists, and of course, the Equestrian Cryptid Research Foundation. They welcomed all, changelings, ponies, donkeys, cattle, even a few griffins and diamond dogs. All were united by their belief in the unknown. After a new princess was crowned, the founder of this massive following went to Celestia herself for political recognition and to ask for proper funding for all the research being done. Much to the unicorn mare’s surprise, the princesses agreed, and all the groups were officially labeled as part of the Equestrian Historical Society. It was only a month after this that the unicorn was called on her first big expedition. Her name is Lyra Heartstrings, and this is one of her stories. … Lyra sat at her desk in her loft-like living space in the house she and Bonbon shared. It had been a slow month for her, with barely any Society activity beyond the odd sighting of a mysterious creature here and there. Sighing, she looked at the doodles she had been drawing, a pencil gripped between the fingers of her transformed hooves. It was a simple Morphic Spell, which allowed for small transformations to certain parts of the body, and Lyra had long ago used it to make herself a pair of hands to better understand how primates worked. Lyra was fascinated with primates, whether they were lemurs or monkeys or apes. There were a few cryptic primates to round out this interest, such as the rainbow tiger of Tapiri (a large, carnivorous monkey with a rainbow-colored chest), the Demiguise of Saddle Arabia (a large ape that was said to be able to turn invisible), or the Clabbert of Froggy Bottom Bog (a hairless monkey with a long tail and a glowing forehead). But Lyra felt her true calling was to find a Yahoo. Yahoos had been sighted nearly everywhere. They were tall, bipedal apes with a scant covering of hair. Supposedly, they made simple tools such as stone axes, and a few even wore clothes made from animal hide. They were probably closely related to the species of ape known as the sasquatch that was known to live in the parts of the Everfree along Equestria’s northwest coast. Lyra felt a small fist tapping her on her head. She looked up to see her pet monkey, Shift, glaring at her impatiently. He was a white faced capuchin from Tapiri, and the love between Lyra and her pet was similar to the bond between Fluttershy and Angel Bunny. It was a fair comparison, as Shift was pointing at his stomach in an attempt to tell her he was hungry. Lyra sighed, turning her modified appendages back into proper hooves. Well, maybe something would come up later in the week, and besides, Lyra was sure there was something alive under the kitchen sink, and that was one of the few things she and Bonbon actually agreed on. Lyra mused the thought to herself while going down the stairs. It’s probably a rodent. Or maybe a large arthropod. Perhaps a species of mobile fungus? She smiled at the thought. Bonbon was already in the kitchen preparing lunch. Nearby, Quicksilver, Bonbon’s falcon, pecked at a bowl of cherries. Ditzy was sitting at the table, along with her foal Dinky. This was because of a sort of tradition they had started. Every other Sunday, Lyra and Bonbon invited four of their closest friends over for lunch, and Ditzy always brought Dinky. She also always brought a basket of muffins. There was a knocking at the door. “It’s open!” Bonbon called. Vinyl and Octavia soon walked through to the kitchen, with Octavia carefully carrying a platter of Vinyl’s homemade sandwiches. “I hope you don’t mind if we brought one extra,” said Vinyl. A small changeling mare walked into the kitchen. Bonbon smiled. “Of course not. Hello, Wubzy.” The changeling smiled back. “Hello, miss Bonbon.” The final member of the group walked in. He was a simple brown earth pony with an hourglass cutie mark. Lyra smiled. “Hi, Clockwork!” Clockwork, also known as Time Turner or simply Doctor Whooves, smiled and nodded his head before going to sit beside Ditzy. The pegasus mare blushed a little, and Dinky attempted to scootch her mother’s chair closer, failing on account of her small size. Before they could begin eating, there was a knock at the door. Lyra got up to answer it. Standing there was a small changeling stallion in a postal uniform. “Yes, Firebug?” “M..m..message f..f..for you, m..m..ma’am,” Firebug said through his constant stutter, levitating an envelope out of his bag. Lyra took the envelope. “Thanks, Firebug.” She returned to the kitchen and opened the note. Miss Heartstrings, There have been strange things washing up on the shores of Equestria’s East coast, things such as six-foot trees that appear to be over 100 years old according to our tests, and boats that appear to be expertly carved and seaworthy, but are no longer than two feet in length. We wish to see you for these findings. Meet us in Hinnysmouth at the hotel Mare-On-Sea today at 5:00. -Anomaly Hunter. Lyra could not believe it. Finally, something worthwhile! She looked up. “Sorry, guys, but I have to go. Hopefully some other time?” Bonbon sighed. “Fine, but just try to stay safe this time, Okay?” Lyra grinned. “Sure thing, Bonbon!” With that, she raced upstairs to begin packing. Toothbrush, mane brush, some reading material, her lyre, her hoodie (for some reason, Hinnysmouth was always cold), Shift, and of course, her journal and a few bits. She came back downstairs, grabbed a sandwich and a couple of muffins, and left for one more stop before the train station. … THE CHANGELING CASTLE… Lyra walked down the main corridor into the foyer of the castle. It had been a few years now since the changelings had signed the Peace treaty, and now they barely had any restrictions on them (ie; having to wear a green necklace when shape-shifted.). In addition, pony-changeling relations had vastly improved, and now changelings could walk the streets without a pony even giving them a second glance. She was here to see a friend. Staghorn, the son of Queen Chrysalis and Prince of the Swarm, looked up from the book he had been reading and smiled when he saw Lyra. He stood up and walked to her. He put out his hoof, and she bumped it. Then followed a series of complex maneuvers which together made up the secret hoofshake of the Society members. They laughed. “So, Lyra, what brings you to the castle while my mother’s away visiting the other Great Swarms?” “Do you have a book on miniature artifacts and plants? Like boats two feet long or full grown trees only six feet tall?” Staghorn put a hoof to his chin. “I think so. Follow me.” They walked down several more hallways, eventually arriving at the library. Hope, Staghorn’s golden-haired older sister/advisor, looked up. “Good Afternoon, Lyra. What is it you need?” “A book on miniature life.” Hope considered. She teleported, and quickly came back, holding a book titled Dartwing’s Observations on the Causes and Effects of Natural Dwarfism. On the cover was a picture of an old balding pegasus stallion with a grey beard and a cutie mark of several birds. Lyra smiled. “That’s perfect!” … HINNYSMOUTH… 8:00 PM… Lyra settled herself comfortably into the bed of the hotel room. She looked around at the room, decorated with pictures of the ocean and hippocampi. Sighing contentedly, she got out her journal and began writing. Day 1…