X Steps Through The Portal

by Tennis Match Fan


3. Lyra Heartstrings

"For the last time, Lyra," Bon Bon said with a roll of her aquamarine eyes, "Magical ponies are not real!" Lyra, who was sitting across from her at lunch, folded her arms.

"Then, Bonnie, how do you explain the Battle of the Bands? The giant horse in the sky? The transformation of those girls? Unicorns and Pegasi and stuff are real!"

"Simple stage effects," Bon Bon responded simply, glancing up from her novel. "Nothing real about it."

"You're too practical, Bon Bon!" Lyra argued, fiddling with the lyre charm on her neck. "Just wait. I'm gonna ask that Sunset Shimmer if the mirror thing is real!" When Bon Bon didn't respond, Lyra grabbed the book out of her hands.

"Hey!" Bon Bon grabbed at it.

"It's lunchtime, Bonnie. Put the book down," Lyra told her before handing it back. Bon Bon hugged it, then placed it on the table beside her chicken soup.

"What, so I can listen to you chatter on and on about your magical ponies?" Bon Bon teased. Lyra stood up indignantly.

"I'm going to prove you wrong on this one. Just you wait!" Lyra grabbed her chocolate milk and walked off.

"Lyra," Bon Bon called after her.

"I'm going to get my evidence!" Lyra shouted back.

"But where to start?" Lyra asked, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. Her gaze settled onto Sunset Shimmer. The girl was from the pony world, same as Twilight Sparkle.

"I can ask her!" Lyra exclaimed in delight. She followed Sunset to the main foyer.

"Sunset Shimmer!" Lyra called out to her just as Sunset disappeared out the front doors. Lyra, careful not to spill her drink, ran across the room and pushed the door open. Several students milled about, but Sunset had somehow disappeared. Frowning, Lyra walked outside further.

"Sunset?" She asked, walking around. "Sunset, where are- youch!" Lyra cried out as she tripped over a rock. As she fell, her chocolate milk flew from her hand.

Dang it! Lyra cursed as the cup headed straight for the statue in front of her. Lyra got ready to cringe when the liquid was spilled. But to her surprise, the cup slipped straight through the statue! Lyra's mouth dropped open.

"That's- how- what was that?" She stammered in disbelief. The gears in her mind started to turn. How else would that Twilight Sparkle get to the school so quickly?

"Either I'm going crazy, or that statue is a portal!" Lyra stood up and pointed at it. Several athletes looked over at her. Lyra ignored them.

"I'm going to a pony world!" She breathed excitedly. She marched straight up and dipped her fingers into the portal. It rippled like a pond. Lyra giggled.

"Here I go!" She muttered excitedly. Without a moment's hesitation, Lyra marched straight in.

It was like walking off a canyon edge. There was suddenly no solid beneath Lyra's feet. She was spiraling through a black hole, except it was more like a color hole. Blues, pinks, yellows, greens, and purples flew past Lyra's eyes.

"Thiiiiiiiis iiiiiiiiiiiis amaaaaaaaaaaaziiiing!" Lyra screamed excitedly, ignoring the headache forming in her forehead.

Eventually, Lyra could see the end of the portal. She was flung out of the portal at an amazing speed. And yet, Lyra landed perfectly upright, as if she had been walking the entire town.

Lyra looked straight down. A pair of mint hooves greeted her. She began to hyperventilate.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, Oh my gosh- I was right!" Lyra squealed. "I'm a pony!" Her grin stretched from one end of her face to the other.

"YES!" Lyra pumped her hands- hooves -in the air, and she promptly fell back down.

"Wowzers!" Lyra reached up with her hoof and brushed a lock of hair out of her face. "I so will shove this in Bon Bon's face when I get back!" Lyra stumbled to her new hooves and looked around the room.

"Who knows? That might be for days!" She added. "I mean, this is Pony World!" Lyra raised her left hoof and put it back out. Soon she was walking towards the staircase at the end of the room.

"What's down here?" She wondered aloud, grabbing onto the crystal railing to keep from falling. As she walked down the steps, Lyra noticed her reflection on the side of the wall.

"A horn!" She cried incredulously. Lyra reached up and touched it. A spark coursed through her, like she had been shocked by friction. Lyra giggled.

"So what spells can I use?" Lyra finished descending the stairs before continuing, "Vaporization? Teleporting?" A book on a nearby table caught her eye.

"What about that thing where you move objects with your mind?" She suggested to herself. "I bet I could do that!

"If I only knew how." Lyra stared at the book. Nothing happened. She narrowed her eyes and focused on one tiny speck of the book. Still, nothing happened.

Come to me, book. Bow to my will, Lyra thought, increasing her concentration. Somehow, she managed to lift the book up! Lyra squealed in delight. It dropped on the table.

"Nooooo!" Lyra screeched in defeat. Sure, she was being overdramatic; she was a pony now, she couldn't help it!

Lyra gave up on her efforts to raise the book. Instead, she decided to explore the house a little bit. It was made of crystal, duh. There were pictures of 6 friends everywhere; they reminded Lyra of the Rainbooms at Canterlot High. She couldn't find a kitchen, though. The place was pretty bare.

"I'd better explore elsewhere!" Lyra decided. She walked out of the crystal place and into the bright sunlight.

"Oh my goodness, a village!" Lyra exclaimed, spotting several wooden cottages in the distance. In her haste, Lyra tripped over herself several times, but she didn't mind. She was a pony, after all!

Before long, Lyra came across a tan colored pony with a blue and pink mane. Lyra inhaled. The very familiar pony was watering some flowers at the end of the path.

"Pony Bon Bon!" Lyra whispered in awe. Bon Bon looked up.

"Lyra!" She scolded. "You're supposed to be back at home!"

Same voice! Lyra thought. She decided to have some fun with Bon Bon.

"I'm not your Lyra, actually."

"What do you mean, Lyra? You're the only Lyra in Equestria!"

"Yeah, see, here's the thing- I'm not actually from this Equestria place, as you call it." A grin split Lyra's face. Bon Bon was just getting annoyed now.

"What, so you're from another planet?" She asked sarcastically

"Nope! I'm a human that turned into a pony!"

Bon Bon sighed. "Now I know you're lying. Lyra, there are no such things as humans."

"Now you're just insulting me!" Lyra stuck her lip out in a pouty face. "And yourself, too. Where I come from, there's a human Bon Bon! Just ask Twilight Sparkle, if you don't believe me!"

"I will not!" Bon Bon responded crossly. "She'll think you're crazy! She'll think I'm crazy!

"Lyra Heartstrings," she continued seriously, "just go on home!"

Bon Bon doesn't want me here? Lyra thought, rather annoyed. Fine, I'll leave!

"You're no fun!" Lyra argued. "I'll go. But I'm not coming back for a while. I don't want to come back if you're here!"

"For Celestia's sake, Lyra," Bon Bon answered with a groan. But Lyra ignored her. She walked right back up and into the crystal castle.

"I'll come back later," Lyra muttered. "When she's gone. For goodness sake, why am I friends with that girl in the first place?" Lyra climbed the staircase to the portal. She looked around.

"Bye until next time!" She waved to the room before jumping through the portal again.

When Lyra re-emerged, there was no one outside.

"Shoot, I must have missed a couple minutes of class!" Lyra exclaimed, dusting off her pink shirt. She ran through the doors and down to her locker.

"I'm a unicorn!" Lyra told Amethyst Star, who was also at her locker for some reason. Amethyst smiled wildly and scooted away from her.

"How nice," she murmured.

"I wish I could be a pony longer," Lyra murmured as she grabbed her books. "Oh well. I'll return soon enough!" Lyra slammed her locker shut and headed off to class.