//------------------------------// // The Lyrist // Story: The Heart Wants What it Wants // by jl7895 //------------------------------// “One more time,” Lyra said as she raised her head off of Greg’s lap. “That’s the third time, Lyra,” he said holding his lyre. It was one of his most prized positions. It was the last thing he made with his dad before a drunk driver plowed into their car. Greg was lucky enough to survive and get away with a few months in a leg cast, but his father wasn’t so lucky. “I know, but I just love it so much. Please Greg. For me.” She looked at him with her big golden eyes. There was absolutely no way that he would be able to resist. “Okay, for you.” Greg started to play Lyra’s favorite song on her favorite instrument. The second she heard it, she smiled and laid her head back down on Greg’s lap. It was a slow song, but incredibly peaceful. It made all of her fears, anxieties, and doubts just completely fade away. For that long five minutes, she was at peace with the universe. “I love you,” She said. Suddenly, the music stopped and her eyes shot open. Lyra suddenly realized what she said. While they have been dating for a while, it was the first time either of them had said those three words. Lyra first met Greg a while after the humans turned on the Hadron Collider and the portal between their world and her’s was torn open. At first, she was amazed by these human things. Like most ponies, she saw them as these things that had no magic or wings and walked on their hind legs. Lyra, however, was more amazed by the things on the end of their hooves. Although she didn’t see her first human until a about six months after humans started to move into Equestria. They looked completely strange and couldn’t really find a reason for them. Granted, she was a unicorn and could just use her magic for everything and most things in Equestria could be operated by hoof. She has seen them on Princess Twilight’s assistant, but those were sharpened while the humans were rounded. He did use them to write, but he still didn’t have the best penmanship. They seem so bazar and useless. “I just don’t get them,” Lyra said to her friends Octavia, who was visiting from the human world, and Bon Bon. “They’re so useless.” “Are you still on this?” Bon Bon asked with an annoyed tone in her voice. “She’s been talking about the human’s fingers all day.” “They don’t make sense. We can use everything just fine without them, but they seem to need them.” “Lyra, for the last time: Stop obsessing over this.” “I can’t,” “Don’t be so hard on her, Bon Bon,” Octavia said. “Look, Vinyl is taking me to a party tomorrow night. Why don’t you come with us?” “Really? I get to go to the human world?” “Why do you do this to me?” Bon Bon said to the sky. “You’re over reacting,” Octavia said. “Really, because she’s going to tell me the same story like twenty different times.” Lyra, Octavia, and Vinyl went through the portal and went to the party. Lyra was nervous at first. Not only was this her first time being the human world, but it was a party thrown by a human. The three of them were probably going to stick out like an alicorn. She did forget, however, that the two societies had basically merged. The three ponies arrived at the party to find both ponies and humans there. She did know some of the ponies, but she felt more comfortable around Octavia. She would leave her friends side for the first half of the party. Then she heard something. She heard something that was completely beautiful and charming. She couldn’t help but to find out where it was coming from. Lyra knew the sound, of course. It was the sound of her favorite instrument playing one of her songs. How did one of her songs get here? Lyra went looking for the lyre and its player. She started searching the house for the magical source, although it was hard due to the loud music playing. Lyra, however, had a special talent for finding the source of any music. She started in the backyard, and then the living room, and then the garage. She realized that it was coming from upstairs. She finally found the source coming from a bed room. Using her magic, Lyra opened the door as quietly as she could. Inside was a boy playing her song with her favorite instrument. The boy was quickly realized that something was watching him. He looked over at the door and saw an aquamarine unicorn watching him. He started to blush and got up to close the door. “Please don’t stop,” Lyra said before he could close the door. “That was beautiful. Where did you get that song?” “My sister got it for me when she went to Equestria with some friends. Please go back to the party. I want to keep playing and I can’t play in front of other people, or in your case, ponies.” “But I wrote that.” “What?” “That’s my song. I wrote it a while ago. Watch, I’ll prove it.” Lyra used her magic to take the lyre from the boy and started playing the song. Everything was perfect, down to the final note. He was amazed and fascinated by this pony. He knew that some of the ponies from Equestria had some unique talents, but he never thought that he would ever meet anything that could play the lyre like him. “Wow,” he said when Lyra finished. “That was incredible, what’s your name.” “Lyra Heartstrings, and you are so much better, Mr….” “Greg. Greg Cooper.” Greg let Lyra into the room and the two of them started to talk. Greg talked about his past and even talked about his dad. Greg never liked to talk about his dad and his tragic fate, not even with his own mother. He believed that his memories were between him and his dad and sharing them no longer makes it theirs. But there was something about Lyra that made him want to open up. It was like she was a lyre that was playing a hypnotic song. Lyra was also in a trance. Just knowing that there was someone else out there who loves everything she loves. She finally met someone who she can relate to on every level. In fact she almost forgot why she came to the human world in the first place. “Before I forget,” she said after talking about Bon Bon, “why do you have fingers. They seem so useless.” “I guess you have to know to understand. But we have them because some people believe humans are a more advanced form of monkeys. They have them, so we have them. But I wouldn’t trade these things in for anything.” “What if you could learn magic? You wouldn’t even need your fingers for anything.” “Nope. Without my fingers, I wouldn’t be able to feel my music.” “What do you mean?” “When I’m playing my lyre, I can feel the notes and the sound and everything and it’s all because of my fingers. Without them, I don’t think I could be as close to my lyre as I am.” Just then, Lyra realized why they had fingers and why Octavia loved the cello so much. They could feel the music coursing through their body, a sensation she was deprived of due to her magic. It was an interesting concept and she wanted to learn more. She was going to ask another question, but then the sound of a hoof hitting the door interrupted the two. “Are you in there Lyra?” Octavia said from the other side of the door. “We’re leaving.” Lyra left with her friends, but she promised to return. She obviously had some feelings for Greg, curiosity bring one of them, and she wasn’t going to deny herself a chance to learn more. She made the decision to move to the human world with Octavia and would get to know Greg better. It was hard for her at first because it meant leaving behind her best friend, Bon Bon. She realized that it was something she had to do for herself. Plus with the advancements made with the portal, she could see Bon Bon whenever she wanted. The two seemed inseparable. Lyra would spend most of her time listening to Greg play or playing for him. Greg seemed happier than ever and would always seem happier whenever he was with Lyra. He even started writing his own music for her, which she enjoyed more than her own music. This confirmed her feelings for Greg and forced her to vocalize these feelings. “I’m so sorry,” Lyra said immediately. “It’s just these past few months have been the best of my life and that’s all because of you. I don’t want you to say it back to me unless you want to, so don’t feel pressured to.” “Lyra,” he said with a bit of a chuckle, “it’s fine. I love you too. You have brought out the best of me and I can’t think you enough.” The two smiled at each other and Lyra laid her head back down on his lap. “Let me show you how to use your hooves to play,” Greg said. He repositioned Lyra so she was comfortable while he took a hoof and his lyre nearby. He placed the hoof on one of the strings and plucked it. Lyra felt the sensation that he talked about and enjoyed every moment of it.