//------------------------------// // The Best Night Ever // Story: Anthropology // by JasonTheHuman //------------------------------// Lyra had wondered what she was supposed to wear on stage. Usually at concerts she was expected to dress in something fancy, like that white-and-gold dress Rarity had made her for the Gala. No… Nothing like that. It wasn’t the style. She was wearing jeans and a T-shirt like she would on any normal day. The music festival was taking place in a darkened building with an audience of humans standing out there watching. Randall had joked about getting a "real crowd" someday. Lyra wondered what this was considered, then. There was a voice booming out from the ceiling. She only caught the words “Crimson Thunder,” but that meant it was time to start. Lyra hardly had time to look up to find the human who had spoken before the lights came on, nearly blinding her. Her heart was pounding, but she couldn’t panic now. This was what she had been waiting for. She looked over at Randall, standing near the microphone, and he gave a quick nod towards her. Just like they’d practiced, then... All it took was Lyra playing the first few isolated notes of their first song, something called “Welcome to the Jungle.” The crowd was already yelling and cheering, and they hadn’t even finished yet. With her guitar hooked up to the stage’s sound system, it was still enough to drown them out. This was her first performance since the Grand Galloping Gala. All those stuffy Canterlot ponies had just wanted simple, quiet music to play in the background while they ate and talked amongst themselves. The soft sounds of a lyre could get lost in the murmurs of conversation. But not here. Now she was the center of attention. The music picked up into the intro. She could feel the sound shaking the stage through her feet. Randall stepped up to the microphone and started into the vocals. His voice wasn’t nearly as raspy as the original singer on the recording - she actually preferred Randall; the original one didn’t even sound like singing. “Welcome to the jungle, we've got fun and games! We got everything you want honey, we know the names!” Fear was turning to a rush of pure excitement. This was a song that humans knew, she was here playing it with them, in front of an audience of at least a hundred. It felt like her ears were going to burst, but she didn’t even care. The solo was coming up. Lyra loved this part. She got to play whatever complicated melody she wanted, just making it up on the spot. Her fingers were gliding over the strings, knowing where to go simply by touch. After listening to enough rock music, she had an ear for this, and the applause after she finished was the best sound in the world. Humans clapping their hands together for her. It was like a dream. Randall came back in with the vocals and finished off the last few verses. “In the jungle, welcome to the jungle, watch it bring you, to you - It’s gonna bring you down!” Lyra finished off with a drawn-out chord, letting it reverberate for a while like they’d rehearsed, until finally Randall gave a hand signal to cut it off. And then the cheering got even louder. There was hardly any time to stay silent, they started right into the next song. They wouldn’t be playing for too long. It wasn’t their own show, after all, there were plenty of bands just like theirs waiting to go on. But Lyra would have been willing to let this last all night. She had friends here, and she had music. Humans understood those two things just as well as any pony. Well, maybe their taste in music was a lot more fun than Equestria’s. And her band mates were definitely more welcoming than Octavia and the others, once they’d warmed up to her. Maybe she’d known it ever since she’d arrived here and seen another human for the first time. It had just gotten clearer after staying longer. It had been so hard to leave everybody in Equestria behind at first, but now she was where she belonged. The human world was where Lyra had been born, and it was where she would live for the rest of her life. She didn’t care if she never saw another pony again. She packed everything up backstage. The whole performance had ended way too quickly. She felt energized, despite the late hour. Randall’s arm clapped her on the back, making her jump. “Hey, awesome work out there.” “Thanks!” Lyra said. “What are you guys doing next?” “We’re going back to my place to celebrate. Hey, your friend Nathan’s still here, isn’t he? Maybe you should go find him.” “Can’t you drive me there?” Randall had a black van that they used to move some of the larger equipment, like the drum set. “What? To the party?” She nodded. “Oh, uh… Listen, Lyra, it’s great and all that you joined up, but… This party’s more of an adults-only thing, you know? Casey’s already gone out on the beer run.” “But I…” Lyra stopped herself. It was useless to protest. She knew she could hold her alcohol pretty well, though she was more fond of wine or punch. That was probably unavoidable since that’s what they tended to serve at Canterlot events, and she’d gotten used to it. But she wasn’t an adult here. Not anymore. “Listen, you can come over tomorrow. I’ll get you your cut of the pay. The last thing we need to do is get tangled up in anything illegal, right?” He grinned. “Fine...” Lyra said, letting out a sigh. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” She zipped her guitar case closed and lifted it up. There was a backstage exit to the alley behind the theater, but she headed the other direction into the audience to find her friends. It was dark, loud, and crowded, but she found them standing towards the back. “Great work out there!” Nathan had to yell over the music, but even then it was impossible to hear him. Audrey stood there with her arms crossed. “Yeah, great. Can we get out of here?” Lyra couldn’t stop grinning, but she nodded. “Lead the way.” After living here a couple weeks, everything was starting to look familiar. It used to seem so huge after living in a quaint little town like Ponyville, but Lyra supposed that with enough time you could get used to anything. The route Nathan drove to Randall’s house always drove through the central part of town, with the tallest buildings. Lyra recognized the book store she’d stopped in on her very first day as a human. That first day seemed like so long ago. “So. You have fun last night?” Nathan asked. “Of course.” Lyra smiled. “I’ve never been to a concert like that. It was incredible.” “You always kind of struck me as a rocker type, though,” Nathan said. "You must just like hair dye, I guess." "Music like that's just not popular where I used to live,” Lyra said. “In medieval times, where people still listen to traveling minstrels and have never seen cars.” She could tell he was joking, but he wasn’t too far from the truth. “Well, I guess I’ve been to one. I don’t think it counts, though. These... kids... Some of my friends' younger sisters, actually, they tried to do one for their school talent show.” “Really? That must’ve been good.” “It was terrible, actually. Their lead singer was completely tone-deaf and they tried to work kung fu in as dance moves.” She stopped. “You know what kung fu is, right?” “Yeah. That sounds interesting.” He laughed. “You’re not making this up? Nobody put it on YouTube, did they?” “No. They’re nice kids, but that performance definitely wasn’t their special talent. I don’t think I could even do it justice. You had to be there...” Lyra’s voice trailed off. “But nothing could top last night’s concert. That was amazing.” “Glad you thought so. There were these guys near where me and Audrey were who were really drunk. They were yelling and cracking bad jokes the whole time. Kinda ruined it. But you were still awesome out there, Lyra,” Nathan said. “You really got them going.” “Thanks.” Lyra went back to staring out the windows. “Oh, and I should be able to pay you for the guitar soon.” “There’s no rush,” Nathan told her. “But… how long are you staying with Audrey and her family? I mean, you can’t move in with them permanently. School’s starting soon, too. I didn’t even expect you to stay as long as you have.” “I didn’t think I would, either,” Lyra said. “But I like it here. I… didn’t really fit in back where I used to live. They used to think I was weird.” “Really, now? I can’t imagine why.” She could hear the sarcasm in his voice, but really, he probably couldn’t imagine it. Even with as little as she knew about humans, she still felt like she fit in more than she ever had in Equestria. Lyra would never have to hear Bon-Bon tell her that humans weren’t real ever again. She’d never be called crazy. And these car seats had been designed for this sitting position, the way she’d always done it. They pulled up outside Randall’s house. Lyra unbuckled her seat belt and got out, adjusting the bag hanging at her side as she stood up. “I’ll just wait out here. This’ll be quick, right?” Nathan asked. “Right.” Lyra nodded. She ran across the overgrown lawn and up the front steps. She knocked on the door, and stood there waiting. Nothing happened. She tried knocking again, harder, and there was a muffled voice from inside that she couldn’t make out. Then she was greeted by a very exhausted looking Randall, rubbing his forehead. “Oh, hey, Lyra,” he said slowly. “There’s no practice today. Everyone’s worn out from that concert. And the afterparty,” Randall said. He rubbed his forehead, wincing. “Mostly the afterparty.” “It’s Saturday. You told me to come over and you’d give me my cut.” He blinked. “Oh. That’s right.” He dug into his pocket and pulled out a wad of money - paper bills, the kind that were worth more. He counted out a few of them. “That should be it. Great work out there. I think I should be over this by Monday, but I’ll call you if I’m still feeling like crap.” “Thanks... I’d definitely like to keep playing...” She looked over the money. Adding in the allowance she was getting from Audrey's parents, this would definitely be enough to cover Nathan’s guitar… If she played more concerts, she’d be able to actually make a profit. But… then what? “You're thinking of leaving?” “It’s nothing… Nathan and I were just talking. I guess I’m staying in Des Moines longer than I planned.” “You don’t live here? What’re you doing, then?” “Well… I mean, I know this probably won’t get me anywhere.” She reached into her bag, finding the photo wedged between the guitar books and her journal. “I was just passing through town. I’ve been trying to figure out who my parents are. This is all I have of them, though.” Randall took the picture, and looked it over. She couldn’t read his expression. It seemed like he wasn’t entirely there. “I think it’s obvious by now that they don’t live around here. I need to get out there and find them, even if I don’t know where to start. France seems like a huge country, and I’ve only seen part of it.” He stared at her blankly. “Why are you talking about France? You’re not making any sense...” His words seemed to slur together. He stared back down at the picture. “Besides, they live in Pennsylvania.” Lyra stared at him. “Huh?” “You’re joking. You’re not his kid.” He tapped the glass with a finger. “You told me you didn’t have a last name.” “I don’t. I mean, I don’t know what it is...” Lyra said. “And what do you mean they live in Pennsylvania?” “I’ve seen this house before. And your dad.” It was like some realization had finally struck him. “I mean, holy… Just hold on a second.” His sluggishness seemed to have completely disappeared. He shoved the picture back into her hands and ran up the stairs. Hesitating for a moment, she stepped into the house. Everything seemed messier than usual, which was really saying something. It must have been from his party. If she didn’t know better, she’d have thought Pinkie Pie had been through here. But other things were more important now. Lyra stared down at the photograph. Audrey had told her it was unlikely anyone would recognize them. Did Randall know her parents? How would that even be possible? And… where was Pennsylvania, anyway? She'd never heard of that one. The creaking on the steps signaled that Randall was back. He was carrying a large hardcover book, and handed it to her. “On the back.” She turned it over, and saw the man’s picture there. “Wait…” She looked back at the photo of her parents. Then back to the book. The same short, dark hair. His beard. He wasn’t smiling in the photograph on the book, but there was still something similar about the eyes. Lyra thought she had seen enough humans to tell one from another. “It’s the same guy, isn’t it? It’s not just the hangover getting to me?” Randall said. “That book’s from ‘95 or something like that, before he took a break. His pictures after that look different. He got older.” The title said “Thomas Michelakos” in large, ornate letters above the title, Entering Eternity. A few human figures stood in a dense forest, one with a tall staff, the others with swords slung on their backs like Lyra wore her guitar. They wore cloaks and tunics. Things like the humans from her Equestrian history books had worn, not like what humans here dressed like. “How did you – “ Lyra began. “Don’t act all surprised that I actually read every now and then,” Randall said. His words weren’t slurring as much. “I like some good fantasy every now and again. Tolkien’s the best, Blind Guardian’s what got me into that. But Thomas Michelakos is still one of the better authors right now, if you ask me.” “So… my dad’s a writer?” “Your dad’s on the New York Times bestseller list. Seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of him having a kid, though.” She looked at the humans on the cover. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think they were the extinct Equestrian humans. “What’s it about?” “Typical fantasy stuff. Epic battles, magic, the usual. But it’s the characters that really – “ “You said… magic.” The word had struck her. It couldn’t be a coincidence… could it? Humans seemed to know what magic was, even if they couldn’t use it. “It wouldn’t be fantasy without it, would it?” “I… guess not…” Lyra said. Maybe that’s what humans would consider fantasy, but to her, it was part of an old life she thought she’d left behind. Why would a human… No, why would her own father care about that? Didn’t they realize how great their own world was? “Seriously, though, if you’re his kid…” Randall laughed. “All this time. You really should’ve pulled that out earlier. What are the chances?” Lyra didn’t know what to say. She never would have expected something like this. The human world seemed so big that she had believed Audrey when she said the picture wouldn’t get her that far. But when she turned the book back over, and looked at that photo on the back, it was unmistakable. “Ah, man. This is unreal,” Randall said. “Get me his autograph, why don’t you?” “Um… y-yeah,” Lyra said. Unreal was right. “Listen, I’m supposed to go back…” She thumbed over her shoulder in a shaky gesture. “Yeah, sure thing. I won’t keep you. You’ve got better things in store, don’t you?” he said. “This is probably going to sink in once my head stops pounding.” She handed him back the heavy book, with one last look at her father’s picture. “I’m sorry. I guess I really won’t be coming back to practice.” “It’s fine. Maybe I’ll see you again, right? Say ‘hi’ to your dad for me.” He laughed at that. Lyra gave a final look back as she headed outside. The car was still waiting there, and she mindlessly drifted towards it. Her mind was still reeling. What did all of this mean? Nathan looked up from his phone as Lyra opened the door and got inside. “There you are. I just got a call from my parents. They want me back home soon. What took so long?” She sat there for a moment. “I… have a last name.” “Come on, Lyra. I’m pretty sure you weren’t in there long enough to get married.” “I thought I’d show Randall that picture of my parents. He recognized them,” Lyra said, staring ahead blankly. “He’s friends with them? Do they live around here?” Lyra shook her head. “My dad’s a popular writer, I guess. About… magic.” She said the last word quietly. Nathan leaned forward with interest. “That’s out of nowhere... What’s his name?” “Thomas… Michelakos?” It was a hard name to pronounce, but she’d have to get used to it. It was her own. “I’ve never heard of him.” “You said you’d never heard of Aerosmith until a few weeks ago.” Nathan shook his head. “The guy’s a bestseller! Even I’ve heard of him. Randall must have been kidding.” “No, he showed me one of my dad’s books. The man in the picture was the same. I’m sure it’s him.” “Oh God. You are serious... If you’re actually his daughter, why’d he give you up? It doesn’t make much sense.” “I don’t know anything about that. My other family didn’t know how I got... to where I used to live,” Lyra said. She wondered if she’d ever find out why she had ended up stuck in Equestria. At least she’d probably find out what the reaction had been on the human side. “Can’t wait to hear what Audrey thinks of this...” Nathan muttered. “You’re right... She’s got a computer, she can look him up.” Lyra still didn’t understand exactly how computers worked, but Audrey could get just about any kind of information out of hers. Like an entire library, but not much bigger than a single book. “We can find out where he lives.” Nathan was grinning. “You know, if Randall does turn out to be right about that, then at least you won’t have to worry about earning money with some shady band.” “It wasn’t that bad...” Lyra muttered. She hoped there would be more opportunities like last night once she got back home. All those years and she was finally enjoying her musical career. Nathan started the car and they pulled away. Lyra took one last glance at the house. There would be other bands… That kind of music was popular with humans. She could always find another gig. “This is really crazy, Lyra. Not that everything about you wasn’t already,” Nathan said. “Really, though, nobody’s ever recognized him in that picture? Who have you shown it to?” “Well, you… Audrey and her parents…” Lyra said. “And now Randall.” “What about before you came into town?” Lyra shook her head. “No, they wouldn’t have heard of him.” Nathan laughed. “Sometimes I really do wonder if you came from outer space.” “No, it’s nothing like that,” Lyra said. “I’m a normal human.” Though, all things considered, she was still having trouble letting go of everything else. No pony could have imagined this place. She still remembered Bon-Bon telling her to work on her music instead of studying humans. How Twilight had told her that there was just no evidence that humans existed. Her pony family telling her to study magic instead of… Her real father wrote books about magic. Her human father. Fiction, not instructional – humans knew about magic, they just didn’t believe in it. And Thomas Michelakos would still be a typical human. He still lived in this world, after all. He owned a car, probably even a computer of his own... It just seemed odd that a human would take an interest in something as mundane as magic. Why couldn’t he realize what the world they lived in was like? She stared out the window at the now-familiar sights of Des Moines. She had really thought that she was finished with magic. How could any human care about it when there was all of this? She’d been impressed by human achievements back when she was reading about them in the Canterlot library, but nothing the humans in Equestria had done even compared to this world. The one thing Dewey had wanted was for her to find out where she actually came from. All that really mattered was that she had a last name. She had a human family. Apparently a very well-known one, at that, but it’s not like she ever would have heard of them before. Why wasn’t she feeling better about this? “You’re going to try to contact him, right?” Nathan’s voice snapped her attention back. “Your dad. Find out if Randall was right about him. I don’t really know much about the guy. Never been much of a reader. Actually, I’m surprised Randall is, of all people…” He took one hand off the wheel to scratch his head. Lyra remembered something Randall had said. “How far away is Pennsylvania? I guess that’s where I’m from…” “Pennsylvania? What part?” “I’m not sure.” “Doesn't matter. You'll figure it out. It’s... I don’t know, exactly,” Nathan said. “You’d probably have to fly there.” “I can’t fly. I’m not a pegasus,” Lyra blurted out, and then instantly regretted it. Nathan just laughed. “That’s the first flying animal you think of?” “Right... You didn’t mean like on my own, with wings... Sorry.” She laughed nervously. She couldn’t start slipping now. Not when she was so close. “You’ve got a weird sense of humor...” They pulled up into Audrey’s driveway, and sat there with the car still rumbling. “Here we are. I can’t stay, but tell me how this goes. I gotta know if this is for real.” Lyra stepped out and was about to get her guitar out of the back seat. She hesitated. “I think I can afford to pay you for this now.” He twisted around in his seat to look back at her. “Oh, right. Forgot about that. Yeah, go ahead and take it for now. We’ll figure that out later,” he said. “You’ve got more important things to worry about right now, don’t you?” She nodded, and slid the case out. As he pulled away, she waved, then turned to head inside. Lyra’s legs were shaking. She wasn’t sure how to feel at the moment - she knew who her dad was, and yet something was just off about the whole thing. She went up the stairs and into Audrey’s room, pushing the door open. “I know my last name.” Audrey was seated at her computer. It took her a moment to process that. She spun herself around in the chair. “You… what? How?” The words all came tumbling out at once. “Randall recognized my parents. I’d never shown him the picture before. My dad’s a writer, he lives somewhere called Pennsylvania, I think – “ “The guy from your band? How does he know them?” “He doesn’t know them personally. He showed me one of my dad’s books. His name is Thomas Michelakos,” Lyra said. She pointed at the computer. “You can look him up on that, can’t you?” “Yeah, sure, but... a writer?” “Nathan said he’d heard of him, too. I guess he’s famous. He writes books about magic.” “I wouldn’t know him, then. I don’t read a lot of fantasy.” “I know. It’s so boring, isn’t it? Nobody needs magic,” Lyra said. It was good to know there were other humans with some sense. “But this might be it. I think he really might be my dad.” “Lyra, I wouldn’t listen to everything Randall says. Besides... you said they were having a party, he probably drank a lot last night. I’d like to say he means well, but - ” “I saw the picture myself. I know it’s the same man.” Lyra glanced back at the computer. She still wasn’t sure how it worked, but humans could use that to find out just about anything. “Could you try?” Audrey sat down, spinning the chair to face the keyboard. “I’ll see. Just… don’t get your hopes up.” The screen lit up. “Now, how did you spell that name? It sounded like it was Greek or something.” Lyra tried to remember. “M-I-C-H…” “Nevermind, Google autofilled it. Here’s the Wikipedia page.” Lyra stared over Audrey’s shoulder. The computer screen had words all over it, like a book, but it was glowing and they kept on moving away from her eyes. It finally stopped on a photograph of a man at the corner of the screen. He looked older – his hair was a little grey instead of black, and his beard had been trimmed down, but Lyra thought that maybe he looked like an older version of the man in her photograph. Her dad. “That’s him…” she said, pointing her finger out. “I know it is.” Audrey leaned forward, with her head on one hand as she squinted at the text. ”Let’s see... Biography... He lives near Philadelphia. His wife is a freelance artist, and they have a… daughter? No, wait, that’s not…” “Fillydelphia? That can’t be right…” Lyra leaned in close to get a better look at the page. All these tiny letters. She wasn’t sure how Audrey was able to stand it. If it had just been on paper, it wouldn’t be nearly so hard to read. “It’s what it says. So they had a daughter in… 2005.” Audrey leaned back in the chair, and put her hands behind her head. “Sorry, Lyra, but you don’t look like you’re seven years old. Besides, she still lives with them.” Lyra stood up, blinking. “No… It has to be him. I know it is.” “Randall probably made a mistake. I’m not surprised.” “No, I looked at the picture too. It was him.” “He could’ve just looked similar. And I know it sounds great that your dad would be some successful author, but someone else would have recognized that picture in the past fifteen years.” “Well... no, I don’t think they would have.” No matter who a human might be, there was no way her Canterlot family would have known him. Audrey shrugged and kept reading. “It wouldn’t make sense. I just don’t see how your family could have had that picture, and it’s somebody fairly well known, and they didn’t…” Her voice trailed off. “Wait. They had another child, but…” The entire screen flashed and another set of words appeared. “Here it is…” Audrey scanned the lines of text. “It says she went missing back in… 1997. Her name was... Oh my god.” She leaned back in the chair, holding a hand over her mouth. “Lyra Michelakos.” “This thing has information about me?” The words had stopped moving long enough for Lyra to see her own name. She leaned down closer, one hand on the back of Audrey's chair. “My name – “ Her name actually was Lyra. It would explain why she’d always liked the sound of it, ever since reading it in a book years ago. Audrey shook her head. “It’s not necessarily you. It could be a coincidence.” She went back to the article, and the words scrolled up the screen, slow enough to read. “I’ll admit that everything fits. With the date, you would have been… a year old, about. It says… the Michelakos family was robbed. Just about everything from their daughter’s room was taken. Including her.” Audrey’s mouth hung open. “They’d made some money from the book series at that point, but there wasn’t even a ransom. Everything was just gone. They never recovered anything, no signs of a break-in...” Lyra grinned. “No… I know about this. It all fits. This is me. I know it is.” Like Princess Celestia had told her, she’d been found as an infant human in the Canterlot gardens. Objects from her home in this world had been strewn around, including the picture that she was carrying now. Obviously from the other end it would have looked bad. Her real parents must have been devastated... Audrey stared at her. “I thought you said you were adopted, Lyra. You mean you were kidnapped, and you knew about it? All this time?” “It’s not as bad as it looks.” “How could it not be?” “Well, um…” Lyra didn’t know what to say. Whatever magic had brought her into Equestria, she didn’t think anyone had done it intentionally. That didn’t change the fact that she had no idea what had actually happened. “It’s... It's all just a misunderstanding. I ended up okay.” “Federal crimes aren’t just ‘misunderstandings,’” Audrey said. “For a while, I thought you might be hiding something important. Repressing it. If you’re really this Lyra…” She spoke slowly and evenly. “I really need you to tell me. Where exactly did you come from? And what do you know about how you ended up there? You told me you didn’t even know who your parents were.” “I don’t - I mean, I didn’t know who they were. I just knew how I…” What did she say? “There’s really nothing wrong. My other parents loved me. They took good care of me.” “You’ve said that plenty of times. I’m not sure I believe it.” “They told me they found me abandoned. All they had was that photograph, but they didn’t know who my parents were. There was nothing they could do to send me back, anyway. And they had nothing to do with this.” She gestured towards the news article that was still on the screen. Audrey put a hand to her forehead. “But you won’t tell me any names, where you lived before coming here… How did you even get to Iowa from Pennsylvania? How far did they take you?” “A lot farther than that…” Lyra muttered. “What?” “I… didn’t mean that. Not in the way you think.” Audrey turned back to the news article that was still on the screen. “You’re not making any sense. Why can’t you just tell me what happened?” “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” Even back in Equestria, where magic was just a part of everyday life, nobody would have believed that you could somehow end up in another world entirely. Humans definitely wouldn’t accept that. They didn't believe in magic. “This whole thing sounds insane, to say the least. But somehow, I believe it. Somehow it makes sense. There’s just one thing...” Audrey sighed. “If you come forward claiming you’re Lyra Michelakos, there’s going to be an investigation. You can tell me if you want, but you’re definitely going to have to answer to the police. And your family.” “I told you it’s nothing illegal…” “What part of it wouldn’t be?” Whatever Audrey thought of her, of all of her misunderstandings about human culture since she’d arrived… They were friends. That much was clear. And it would be easier to talk to her than any of the human authorities. “Well… I really am Lyra Michelakos. From… Philadelphia.” It was hard not to habitually say the name of the city in Equestria. She took a deep breath, and continued. “And I am a human. But for the past fifteen years... I was a unicorn.”