Another sunny day in Ponyville. The bright rays shined across the sky, bathing everything in a warm light that filled the ponies below with vigor, getting them ready for the day ahead. They walked along the dirt paths, some to work while others aimed for the marketplace. Some foals and their parents walked alongside each other after a hard school day, ready to kick their hooves up and relax with a picnic at the park.
This was Lyra's favorite time of the day, just as the most ponies were ready to listen. She looked on from her park bench, smiling at the growing crowd laying checkered cloths along the grass. Her horn lit up and the golden aura of her magic lifted her lyre from it's place beside her and just within her peripheral vision. The first verse of her song ran itself through her head, as if reminding her of the tune she'd played dozens of times before. Her magic plucked at the strings she had tuned that morning and echoed the notes in her mind's ear.
Ponies turned their heads at the sound and their faces grew as warm as the sun, relaxed smiles resting on their faces as her songs painted images in their imaginations. They felt the music flow through their bodies and relax every muscle. Any troubles they'd been mulling about had gone, allowing a temporary relief.
Lyra recognized many of these faces. They came by every single day at the same time, almost never bringing anything to do with them. No children, no picnics, no toys or business work to do. If she didn't know any better, she'd think that they came by just to listen to her. That can't be it, though, she'd tell herself, it just so happens that their daily lives take them through the park.
The final notes of her song faded into the open air and she let her lyre rest next to her again. The ponies around her began clapping their hooves and a few excited foals would run up to her with huge smiles across their faces, all of them cheering for her just as they always did. She blushed and watched as most of them walked up to her and dropped their bits into her lyre's case on the ground before her. She'd reject the money if she could, but instead she takes the money gratefully with a modest smile.
When the crowd finally returned to their normal business Lyra packed up her lyre and headed out of the park towards her home a few blocks away. Her smile turned bright as she looked through the large window and opened the door.
"Home, sweet home," she said to the mare across the counter.
Bon Bon rolled her eyes, "You know I hate that pun," she said with annoyance as she walked around her counter of displayed candies and towards Lyra.
"I know. I also know you hate it when I call you Sweetie," Lyra emphasized the nickname with a sly grin.
"Stop, please, your puns are killing me," Bon Bon returned with sarcasm in her smile. She turned her gaze to the lyre case that was just placed delicately, if haphazardly, on the table beside the window, "So, how much did you make?"
"Including the last couple weeks, I made just enough for my half of rent," the unicorn replied happily, "And it's not even close to due yet! Ponies are really starting to like my music. I even see some faces daily! With any luck I can actually afford my own food this month!"
Bon Bon's smile became visibly forced as Lyra's excitement grew louder, "You know, if you just worked with me here you'd be working off your half every month. You wouldn't have to worry about making rent."
Lyra's own smile fell as she listened to the same tired speech she heard just about every week, "You know that's not what I want. I can work off my money here, but I would only get farther and farther away from my talent and my calling. If I want to star in my own concerts I need to practice now."
Bon Bon looked into Lyra's eyes, her conviction and determination burning in them, for a few moments before sighing in defeat.
"Right..." was all she could manage.
Lyra reached over and kissed Bon Bon's cheek, surprising her and forcing a blush. "I know you're worried for me, but don't be. It's slow, but I know this is my future. I'm going to hit it big, and I'll never be able to do it without your support."
Once she got a smile out of Bon Bon, Lyra grabbed her lyre case and headed down the hall to the door at the end leading to their bedroom. She opened the case and emptied the money into a sack on her nightstand where the jingling of earned bits could be heard. The weight of her rent money felt satisfying and she almost hated putting it back down. She lowered the lyre so it leaned against the foot of the nightstand and landed on her back on the bed. Then she jumped when she felt something underneath her.
She turned over to find a thin book with a beautiful arrangement of notes and music staffs on its red cover. It had no title, but it didn't need one for Lyra to recognize it. Excitement filled her as she opened to the first page and a complicated-looking arrangement presented itself. Her fear only lasted a moment before she began looking through the pages, the music already playing inside her head. It sounded gorgeous. The title was found at the top of the page, "Lost and Found," but no composer, much to Lyra's surprise. Still, looking through the song she knew that this was a big step up in difficulty from her other pieces, and that made her even more excited.
She ran out of the room, music in her magic, and hugged a surprised Bon Bon, who was helping a customer. The customer looked at Bon Bon with confusion, but all the candy-maker could do is shrug before she was let free.
"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" Lyra's squeal could probably be heard outside, "This song is so amazing! It's sad, it's hopeful and so much better than my usual stuff!"
"What are you talking about? What song?"
"You don't have to play dumb anymore, I already saw it!"Lyra hovered the book between them. When Bon Bon got a good chance to look at the cover she smiled, though she hid her faint confusion, "I know you got it for me and I'm so happy you did!
"Yeah, I must have gotten that for you..." Lyra cocked an eyebrow and Bon Bon continued, "Yeah, I bought it while you were out. It's sort of an apology for always getting on your back about your career. I know it seems like I don't support you, but let that be my way of saying that no matter how much I nag you I will be the first one to get a ticket to your first concert."
Lyra gave Bon Bon another huge hug and raced for the door. "I can't wait any longer, I have to go try it! I'll be back to make dinner!"
The lowering sun set an orange glow over the park. The beauty of the late afternoon light attracted the ponies out for a relaxing stroll to the place where nature's beauty could be most appreciated, which only meant a large audience for Lyra to practice her new piece on. She tested her lyre's strings and when the in-tune notes echoed around her she looked into the first page of her song with concentration. She listened for the first few notes as she read them and then played the same notes on her lyre. Her smile spread as she played the notes exactly on the first try.
Then, as if her magic grew a mind of its own, she kept plucking the strings as her eyes registered the notes on the page, a seamless transition from eyes to music. How smoothly and precisely she was playing this piece surprised her, but her smile and excitement wouldn't let her focus on that for too long. The music practically froze everypony in their place and forced them to listen to this brand new music from their every day musician. The music started to become strained as it shared the feelings of being lost somewhere. As the song played out the music only ran the emotions higher, some ponies even tearing up. A crescendo emphasized the final moments of sadness before a miracle happened. Suddenly, it was quiet save for a tiny voice held inside the thinner string of the lyre. It spoke alone into the open air, first quiet and then slowly growing louder and louder and louder until the entire park was filled with the sound of confidence and hope. The final notes played and faded into the air and a silence lied heavy on the area.
The ponies, who had all closed their eyes as the images portrayed in the song danced in their minds, all exploded in a cheer that was even louder than her earlier performance. Lyra couldn't contain her own smile behind her happy tears as the ponies dropped even more bits than before into her case. The rush of feelings from the song and the warm reception she received from her performance was almost too much for her to handle. As soon as the last pony dropped her bits she picked up the case, not even bothering to put her lyre away, and raced her way back home. She couldn't contain her giddy smile, even as she crashed into the solid form of a pony.
When the stars stopped dancing in front of her eyes she looked up at the pony she had just knocked down. His coat was a simple brown and his mane and tail a darker brown, both easy to identify even in the dimming light. He wore a white collar with a green tie, and she couldn't help but notice his hourglass cutie mark before he started to climb back on his hooves, groaning all the way. His hooves struggled underneath him as he pushed up, only to fall back down flat on his side. Lyra rushed to him and knelt down, offering her shoulder.
"I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you OK?"
"Y-yeah," the stallion grunted, "I-I'm f--AUGH!"
He clutched his chest and held his screams of agony behind clenched teeth, surprising Lyra and forcing a gasp out of her.
"You're obviously not fine. Here, let me help you up and I'll take you home. Bon Bon's better with this sort of thing."
"No!" he shouted, "No, I-I have to g-get back t-to--AAAAAUUUGH!"
His scream then cut off and was replaced by a harsh coughing and hacking. Lyra grabbed his hoof, forced him up, and slung the hoof over her shoulder. She stood there, waiting for his coughing to cease. He then made a gagging sound and just when Lyra thought she might have a mess to clean up, she saw something unbelievable. A dull glow filled the inside of his mouth and a gold dust came out in a stream out of his body and dispersed into the air, the glow fading with it. Her eyes shot open at the display, but her readiness didn't falter.
"This looks really serious! I haven't seen anything like it! I'm not sure we have a doctor here who could help you!"
She was suddenly pulled down as the stallion's legs gave way. He fell back to the ground, eyes closed and breathing harsh, unconscious. She used her magic, which struggled under his weight, to lift him up and onto her back. He was heavier than she anticipated and she could barely find a comfortable rhythm to her steps, but she managed to continue walking forwards.
"Just a few blocks down," Lyra said to the unconscious pony, "I'll get you in a bed in no time, then we can find a doctor."
"So, who is this guy?" Bon Bon asks as they both check up on him sleeping on their bed.
"I don't know," Lyra admitted, "I just found him on my way here, coughing and hacking up his lungs."
"So you brought a stranger into our home?"
"He was in pain! He was screaming and then this gold, dusty stuff was coming out of him. Whatever he has it has to be serious!"
"And probably contagious."
"Bon Bon!"
"Sorry, sorry," the candy maker sighed, "You did the right thing bringing him here, but that doesn't mean I don't get to be worried about catching whatever he's got. I'm so washing those sheets before I sleep in them again."
Lyra shot Bon Bon a deadpan look before turning her attention to a knock at the front door. She hurried to open it and found the doctor she'd requested, a tan unicorn stallion with a brown mane and tail. He wore his doctor's coat and stethoscope, and on his back was a large case of what she presumed were medical supplies and basic first-aid.
"Where's the patient?" he asked as he pushed up his glasses.
"Right this way, Doctor," Lyra let him in and led him down the hall to the still-sleeping stallion. His breathing had grown harsher since he collapsed and he was now sweating profusely. The doctor rested his hoof against the pony's forehead and nearly yelped in pain as he drew it back close to his body.
"T-that's insane!" he gasped, "How is he even alive at this temperature?!" He quickly put the stethoscope in his ears and placed the metal end on the pony's chest, only to cross his brow in confusion, "His heart rate... It's beating so fast... no, that's not it..." he moved the stethoscope around the pony's chest, as if searching for something, "This can't be! His heart rate is high, but that's not what I'm hearing! It's like he has--"
"Two hearts."
Everyone turned as the pony slowly opened his eyes. He drew in more harsh breaths as more sweat fell down his face. "And don't bother anymore, you won't find what's wrong with me. I just need to get back to my--!"
His sentence was cut short by another series of harsh coughing and another stream of gold dust escaping from his mouth. The doctor and Bon Bon stared in complete shock, but Lyra stepped closer.
"If you know what's wrong, then please tell us. We can help you."
"There's nothing you can do for me except let me rest in my ship!"
Again, the room was silent save for Lyra, "You're ship? What do you mean?"
"Look, this isn't time for twenty questions! Just let me leave and you won't have to worry about me anym--" The pony's eyes grew wide as he focused on Lyra. Ignoring the searing pain in his body, he leapt forward and tackled the unicorn to the ground just as a green blast of energy shot through the window and straight through the air where Lyra just was. Little could be heard past the shattering glass and the impact of the energy beam on the hardwood floor, though somewhere in the distance, through Bon Bon's screaming, the sound of heavy stomping could be heard.
The pony reacted quickly, taking Lyra's hoof and forcing her to run to the front door with him. Just as he reached out to turn the knob the door busted open, revealing a manticore in heavy, plated armor wielding a large gun the size of the manticore's arm. They both slid to a stop before crashing into the beast, looking on in horror.
"By order of the Black Knights, we now place the unicorn Lyra Heartstrings under arrest!" the manticore pumped the gun in his paws and a quiet, high-pitched noise charged the air with anxiety.
"Arrest?" the pony turned to Lyra, "What the bloody hell did you do?!"
Lyra was tearing up next to him, sobs already escaping her throat, "I haven't done anything, honest!"
"Under what charges?" The pony yelled back. Another coughing fit and stream of dust interrupted the manticore before he could respond, though the look the manticore gave him after that made his face droop.
"So you've changed? Well then, Mistress, the Black Knights shall finally put an end to your freedom as well!"
"Mistress?! I'll have you know that I am a gentlemen far greater than you could ever fathom! And you know what gentlemen like myself are very good at?" The pony reached into his collar with his mouth and pointed a stick with a green ball on top and rings surrounding it at the glass window next to the door. The ball lit up and the rings spun around as a shrill noise came out of it. The window immediately began to crack and shatter, allowing for the two of them to jump through and make a run for it.
They ran a few blocks down and turned into the park where the trees were thickest. The weaved around them, all the while the loud thudding of boots seemed to shake the earth itself.
"Just a little more!" the pony said to Lyra.
"What about Bon Bon, and the doctor?"
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine! So will those ponies back there. They're after us, not them, so they have no reason to bother with them. Right now, just keep running--!"
The pony suddenly tripped and fell, landing hard on the grass. Lyra stopped and tried to help him up, but he waved her off.
"I'll be fine, don't worry about me!" he attempted to push himself back up, but only managed to get a foot of the ground before falling again, "I haven't finished changing yet, my body can't keep up with me. But you have to go! They're after you and I don't know why, but I intend to find out! For now you have to escape!" The pony reached into his collar and brought out the stick again, "Keep running straight through here and you'll find my ship. I don't know how far, but I know it's around here. When you find it, push the button and get in and whatever you do don't leave!"
Lyra took the stick in her magic, uncertainty kicking into high gear in to head. The sound of another heavy step on the earth shook her out of her stupor and she bolted into the forest. She ran around tree after tree, looking for any sign of a boat or ship amongst the woods. She stopped and looked around, the area looking unfamiliar to her. Was the forest in the park this thick? She didn't recognize any of it, and her lack of direction only made her feel worse about her situation. Her back legs gave out and she sat, tears in her eyes, hope leaving her, and strength fading.
Then, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. A strange object, tall in stature and square in shape. She stood back up and walked closer, noticing more and more features as it became clearer in the dark. It was wooden, blue, designed with purpose, like it was more than just a structure. A small message that she didn't care to read was posted on what she assumed was the front and fogged up windows made it impossible to look in. Near the top read "Police public call box" in capital letters and a faded light sat at the very top. It carried a mysterious, and almost mystical, air around it, and it seemed to be calling out to Lyra. She pointed the stick at the blue box and pressed the button, the same shrilling noise coming out of it at a lower town. Part of the front opened up like a door with a loud creak and she slowly, cautiously, walked in. The door closed behind her and she was met with complete darkness.
The sound of the door closing echoed around her, making her gasp. The air around her felt open, so she took a step forward into the darkness. Her hoof was met with cold metal and the sound echoed around her again. She took another step forward, then another, then another. She had already walked forward a few feet when the realization finally hit her. She turned back around and ran into the door just as it was opening. She yelped and rubbed her nose, dropping the stick she was still holding with her magic onto the ground.
"What'd you go and do that for?" The familiar voice of the pony comforted her slightly, though panic was quickly replacing it. She stepped around the pony and out the door, ignoring his calls to stop her and warnings about the danger. She turned around once the cool night air hit her and looked at the box again, noting it's size and shape. She stepped to the side and craned her neck to look around it. It was only big enough to fit one pony in all it's dimensions, but even then it would be a tight fit. She ran back inside it and let her hooves carry her inside, listening as the echoes surrounded her and the feeling of open air engulf her. She turned around back to the door just in time to see the lights turn on, revealing a ramp up from the door to where she stood.
Her eyes shot open and she spun around only to be met with an impossible sight. right in the center of the room was a large, circular structure with a series of buttons, levers and lights surrounding a tall casing filled with plastic tubes and wing-like ribbons of metal forming a double-helix around it. The ramp from the door lead to a platform that allowed full access to every button and lever, as well as another ramp that lead down and to a corridor and parted both ways. The ceiling stretched high above her, tall enough to have rivaled the trees outside. Sound attempted to escape from her, but all she could manage was a quivering squeak.
The pony popped up from under the platform and looked through the railing around it at Lyra. A grin was plastered on his still-sweating face as he watched her take in her surroundings.
"So, what do you think?"
"I-I-I-it's huge! T-the outside, a-a-and the inside! It can't, it's not possible!"
"Lyra Heartstrings, welcome to the TARDIS!" the pony waved a hoof to the room, "That's Time and Relative Dimension in Space. This is my spaceship, and I am the Doctor."
"D-Doctor?"
"That's right."
"But, this ship, how is it so much bigger on the inside?"
"Technology from my home planet. This is the last of it's kind."
"And that makes you, an alien?"
The Doctor nodded, "Yes."
Lyra took a step back, tears welling up again. The Doctor reached a concerned hoof forward, but she recoiled and turned for the door, running as fast as she could. The door slammed shut on her and the TARDIS began rumbling, making a wheezing noise as the tubes in the center pumped up and down. The Doctor rushed to the controls, pulling and pressing and even twisting several things before pulling down a screen from the side.
"The TARDIS is recalibrating!"
"What does that mean?!"
"It's not used to this world. It's too different from mine, and it's lost. It's going to take us to certain points in time and space. I'm sorry, Lyra, but there's nothing I can do. It's all automatic!"
"So now I'm stuck here on this alien ship?!" Lyra's voice cracked as she fell to the floor and sobbed. Her cries filled the room as the wheezing of the TARDIS stopped and the lights dimmed. The Doctor stood there next to his controls, his ears folding against his hanging head.
"I'm so sorry."