//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 
// Story: On Golden Heartstrings 
// by TwoTone 
//------------------------------//

Lyra stared out the window of her private booth, her head propped up lazily by her hoof.  Between the darkness and the rain, there wasn't much to see.  Lyra didn't care.  She was lost in her thoughts anyhow.

She'd never ridden first-class before in her life.  It had always seemed that the cost wasn't worth the reward.

“This is kinda nice though,” she mumbled to herself.  First-class certainly had it's perks.  For one thing, while meals were included with any trip as long as this one, she'd learned that the first-class meals were simply better.  It was like eating at a five star restaurant, or so she'd imagined.  Having a private booth was also a big plus.  She didn't have to deal with any crying foals or particularly talkative mares.  She could just be herself and relax.

A flash illuminated the sky, briefly breaking her thoughts.  Lyra's eyes widened with excitement.  She loved thunderstorms!  She pressed her muzzle against the glass, eagerly waiting the next blast.  Canterlot didn't get a lot of thunderstorms.  In fact, she'd barely seen one the entire time she'd been living there.  It made sense though, a city like that was bound to have an amazing weather team.

Her thoughts turned to Ponyville.  She'd heard of the small village before, but never really paid any attention to it.  Still, if Carrot Top loved it, it must have had something special about it.

Like Lyra, Carrot was a dreamer.  They would both spend hours talking about their futures.  Their dreams, the kind of place they wanted to live, even the little foals they'd someday raise.  Love was a always a big topic for them.  One would constantly check on the other's relationship status and woes.  They would talk about their 'perfect somepony'.

A smile crept across Lyra's face.  She began to reminisce about the crazy adventures Carrot and her had.  They were quite the rambunctious little fillies.  They seemingly were always finding new ways to get into trouble.

Before long, a yawn worked it's way into Lyra's mouth.  She let herself fall backwards onto the bed, before working herself beneath the blanket and into a ball.  She couldn't wait to get to Ponyville.

{||||}

A whistle sounded, jolting Lyra awake.  Warm sunlight illuminated the small booth.  The train had stopped moving.  From down the hall, the echoes of knocking on the doors could be heard.

Climbing out from the covers, Lyra stretched, catching herself in a yawn.  With a weary hoof, she rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes, before grabbing her saddlebag.  A loud knock rang out from her door.

“Ponyville!  This is your stop!” a stallion's voice shouted.  She decided to wait until she'd heard him move down a few more doors before leaving.

Stepping off the train, Lyra took a deep breath of fresh air.  She made her way through the crowd of ponies unloading and found herself at the edge of the ramp, looking into the town.

“Whoa...” She said with wonder.  The town seemed so full of life.  There were ponies walking wearing smiles.  The colors seemed so vivid and bright.  It seemed like such a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of the city.

Lyra stepped off the platform, looking at the various buildings and storefronts as she made her way up what she had assumed was main street.  There were decorations hung up and about, including a  banner welcoming Princess Celestia.  It seemed that Ponyville was more than prepared for the Summer Sun Celebration.  It wasn't long before she found herself standing in front of what must have been the Town Hall.

“Well, this seems like a good place to start,” She thought aloud, reaching into her saddlebag with her magic for the letter.  She levitated the letter in front of her face, reading the address to herself.

“19 Everfree way?” she heard a voice say.  She mentally face hoofed herself, turning to see who had heard her talking to herself.

Before her was a light cream colored mare, with a curly pink and navy mane.  Lyra stole a glance at her cutie mark; three wrapped candies.

“Uh, yeah.  Sorry, I was just-” Lyra began.

“Oh it's no problem at all!  You must be here for the Summer Sun Celebration!” The cheerful mare responded.

“Oh well, kinda.  I'm really here to visit my friend.”

“Oh, you mean Golden?  She said she had a famous musician for a friend!”  Lyra blushed.

“Well, I'm not really famous or anything, I just like to play, that's all,” Lyra smiled, rubbing a hoof along the back of her head.

“Oh really?  Well, I would like to hear you play some time, after all it's not everyday you get to hear a famous musician,” the mare said with a grin.  Lyra couldn't help but smile.  Ponies around here seemed to be extremely friendly.

“Oh, my name's Bon Bon, by the way,” She stuck out a hoof.

“Lyra,” She bumped Bon Bon's hoof with her own.

“Well, Lyra, lets see about getting you to your friend.”