Lyra Heartstrings trotted forlornly into the train station at Las Pegasus. She was biting her lip to fight back tears which were forming in her eyes. The last six months had been some of the worst she had ever experienced. Ever since Bon-Bon ended their relationship, unable to deal with Lyra's Human related shenanigans and refusal to get a real job any longer, Lyra had felt as if she were slowly dying. 'I'm sorry I can't get over it. I know I'm obsessed. But Humans, music, and you were the only things keeping me happy.' She mentally sobbed.
Lyra had kept hoping that Bon-Bon was just upset. That it had been just a larger blowup then usual. She would come back to the park bench they had met on one day, and say she wanted her back. But last month Lyra had bumped into Bon-Bon at the supermarket. Another mare had been laughing happily in Bon-Bon's embrace. It had destroyed Lyra to know that her Bonnie was never coming back.
Weeks were spent futilely looking for somepony in Ponyville. Lyra knew full well that Ponyville's supply of lesbians was small, and everypony she knew of had a lover. Bon-Bon had been lucky enough to find whoever that blue furred, green haired, harlot was. In the end she had decided to take a week and go to a city to try a girls club or three. Perhaps she just had to move on and find a new place to live.
Manhattan had been out of the question. If she went there her parents would know she was in town and demand a visit. Canterlot was no good ether, she couldn't stand most Canterlot ponies. Most of the other cities were out too, Lyra couldn't afford to travel very far. That had left Las Pegasus.
She had arrived filled with hope, feeling energized with the thought of a new quest to begin a brand new chapter of her life. Now, after learning that these city girls only wanted to hook up for a night, and that the bright lights of the city were nowhere near as cozy as Ponyville's dim lamps, she was leaving in tears.
It was very late, the clock on the station platform said it was eleven forty-seven. Just minutes life until midnight. Lyra walked up to the teller's booth and passed over a bag of bits. “One for Ponyville. Midnight please.”
The teller gave her a sleepy grunt and passed a ticket over to her in a field of beige magic. “Here.” He muttered.
Lyra took it without a word and sat on the bench, plot on the seat, legs angled over it, spine resting against the back. 'This is comfy. You know Bonnie, you tried it. What's wrong with liking cryptozoology?' Lyra silently lamented.
Trying to take her mind off of things Lyra decided to pony watch. There were not many ponies present, just a dozen or so. A few pegasus were chatting next to the tracks. Some unicorns in cheerleader's outfits were sitting on the benches to her left. Most ponies there were clustered around one spot just out of Lyra's view behind the ticket booth. Curious about what might be so interesting Lyra stood up and trotted over.
An impromptu street performer's stage came into view as she rounded the corner. An old, moth eaten, gray and white cloak had been laid down like a blanket to serve as a stage. An odd looking gunmetal gray cylindrical helmet sat upside done in front of the performer as a change cup, a hoof-full of bits lay shining inside the leather padded interior. The performer stood behind it, a bottle of water held aloft in a green aura, it's contents rapidly vanishing down her lips.
Her fur was a soft white, like fresh snow someone dusted with powdered sugar. Her mane and tail were a vivid red-orange with a brilliant yellow-white stripe down the middle. The full, flowing, long hair seemed to float through the air as she moved making it look like her mane and tail were made of fire. A black cape covered her back and hindquarters, concealing her cutiemark. Lyra assumed it was something music related.
When the mare's eyes opened, Lyra gasped. Her eyes were the exact color of burning coals, and had a comforting warmth to them instead of the savage flame one might expect from the color. Her horn was a little short for a unicorn, and something about the green glow of her magic around it made Lyra feel uneasy. She didn't know why, it was like her brain had misfiled the reason but remembered that color meant something.
The unicorn finished the water and passed the bottle back to a pink pegasus mare with a smile, “Thanks! Right, back to the music.”
She gripped her instrument with her magic and pulled it off of her back. Lyra gasped a second time. 'That's a guitar! Where did she buy a Human instrument? How dose she play it? You would need fingers... Maybe she figured out the trick I use to play my lyre.' Lyra thought excitedly.
Admittedly the instrument only resembled the guitars she was familiar with. It looked like a bat's wing with silver arcane decorations all over its body and fret board. The unicorn's glow moved from the guitar, splitting in two before resting over her hooves. Astonishingly she stood up on her hind legs, gripped the guitar's neck with her right fore-hoof, gave the strings a few prods with her magic, and strummed a single cord with her other hoof nodding happily, “Alright everyone, she's still in tune. Let's go for something with more energy this time. Remember, I really want to get to Ponyville by midnight, so if you can spare some bits that would be awesome.”
She strummed a haunting string of slow, low pitched notes. The guitar's arcane runes shown brightly, proving to not be just for show as instead of the sound one would expect a string instrument to make a metallic, buzzing, electronic sound split the air in a hauntingly beautiful melody. The mare grinned and in a dramatic, melodic, haunting voice intoned “In ancient times...Hundreds of years before the dawn of history...Lived a strange race of people... the Druids.”
She strummed a few more notes before resuming, “No one knows who they were, or what they were doing... But their legacy remains. Hewn by their hands into the living rock... Of Stonehenge.”
Lyra had just long enough to think 'Did she say hands?' before the mare swept her left hoof in a full circle, strike a powerful cord, the song shifting into an intense, upbeat throbbing rhythm and she began to sing in a loud, carrying voice, “Stonehenge! Where the demons dwell, where the banshees live and they do live well. Stonehenge! Where a man's a man, and the children dance to the Pipes of Pan!”
The mare wasn't the best at playing an instrument, but her singing was incredible. Lyra assumed that her guitar might be better played if she wasn't also preforming some sort of dance. While she played, the flame-maned unicorn appeared to dance salsa style with her instrument. Standing on one's rear legs was a challenge, Lyra knew that from experience. The sheer practice that had to have gone into this performance was what made it really special.
Lyra became lost in the song's depiction of a mythical haunted land of dark and strange magics. She could almost see a stone ridden field, filled with dancing humans, a pale ghostly moon glowing ahead with the image of a dragon's face glaring down upon them. Her fantasy was shattered as the song shifted a second time, the notes growing loving, kind, and hopeful. As the mare continued her song Lyra realized that she was staring directly into her eyes.
“And you my love, won't you take my hand? We'll go back in time... to that mystic land. Where the dew drops cry, and the cats meow. I will take you there, I will show you how...” The mare sane with a soft smile before hopping backwards, striking a harsher cord and running off into the next verse.
Lyra felt herself smile deeply, 'She did say hands!'
The song held one more energetic verse before wrapping up with a second haunting monologue and trailing off with a flurry of notes which held a natural sound rather than the instrument's previous electrified tones. Before the mare could finish her song Lyra blurted “I'll buy you a ticket!”
The mare stopped playing with a soft screech of magic on strings, then grinned happily, “Thanks a lot miss! Right then everyone, show's over. Hope you liked me.”
The crowd slowly dispersed, a few ponies commenting rudely about the odd style of music, others praising it for innovation. The preforming mare chuckled and shook her head, “Look at them. They must never have traveled to a Batpony town. Rock's all the rage with them. It's probably the higher hearing range.”
She slung her guitar onto her back with a flourish of magic, got down onto all four hooves and held her right hoof out, “Name's Amber Fire. Sorry about singling you out there, you just felt way too sad. I thought it might help.”
Lyra winced, 'It's that obvious?' “Oh! Um it's nothing.” She quickly shook Amber's hoof, “I'm Lyra. You wanted to go to Ponyville right? I live there, we could ride together if you like.”
“Sure thing. Still need a ticket though.” Amber quipped as she emptied out the helmet and rolled up the cloak with her magic, before stuffing them into a tiny wooden box despite the logical impossibility of it.
“Is that bigger on the inside? I've herd of those boxes, how did you afford one?” Lyra asked.
“I found it in an old keep under some rubble. Most useful thing I have ever owned.” Amer quipped dryly.
“Oh cool!” Lyra remembered exploring a few patches of woods as a filly, 'Too bad I never found anything that cool.' She quickly trotted to the ticket counter with Amber right on her tail.
“Excuse me sir, I would like to buy her a ticket.” Lyra informed, passing over another fifty bits.
“'kay.” came the grunt quickly followed by the ticket and a yawn.
The two mares sat down on the benches. Amber curled up on all fours, Lyra in her favored position. Amber couldn't help but crack a grin, “I had no idea a pony could bend like that. Is that comfortable?”
To Lyra's amazement Amber proceeded to squirm into a similar position before shrugging. “Huh... Ok. Why doesn't everyone sit like this?”
“I know right? It's so comfortable! And you can rest a snack on your belly and just tip your head to reach it.” Lyra replied happily.
Amber nodded, “Look... it's probably none of my business but I don't like seeing a mare all down like that. What's wrong? I wont tell anyone.”
The mint green unicorn frowned, sighing as the sudden good mood vanished. Amber winced as the wave of sadness rippled outwards, her stomach turning thanks to the sheer amount of it.
“Well...” Lyra took a breath and mumbled, “my marefriend broke up with me after twelve years just six months ago.” She looked at Amber shyly, hoping that she wouldn't have a problem with her orientation.
Amber frowned, “I've been there. I'm sorry.”
Relieved to be accepted Lyra opened up, “I just... she already got another marefriend and so I came here eloping to find somepony but everyone here is just a Discord damned fillyfooler. Nopony wants to even try for a real relationship you know?”
Amber nodded, mulling over a few ways to try to cheer Lyra up, “Let me see if I can get this strait. You are from a small town?”
Lyra nodded.
“And you are very lonely right now?” Amber asked.
She nodded again.
“And we are about to get on a train at midnight.” Amber stood up, got to her hind hooves and quickly leviated her guitar into position, “Lyra, the gods of rock just might smite me if I don't play this right now. Besides, I will never get this chance again. Oh, um, this isn't a proposition or anything. I'm not that kinda girl. The propositioning a stranger for sex kind that is. I am the girl who likes girls kind though. Um, I mean, er – ahem...” Amber blushed and gave a guitar string a quick pluck.
Lyra was about to ask what she was going to do when a quick flash of green magic around Amber's guitar cut her off and a string of soft notes began to drift through the air. Hiding her blush with a smile Amber started to sing, “Just a small town girl... Livin' in a lonely world... She took the midnight train goin' anywhere! Just a city b-girl... Born and raised in south Detroit... She took the midnight train goin' anywhere!”
Amber slid her hoof across the strings, making the guitar shriek musically for a moment before continuing, “A singer in a smoky room, a smell of wine and cheap perfume... For a smile they can share the night, It goes on and on and on and on!”
Lyra laughed, the fact that a song perfectly described the situation did cheer her up. Within a few moments the upbeat and hopeful song did it's work. At the second Chorus Lyra couldn't help but sing along, “Don't stop believing', Hold on to that feelin'...”
Amber smiled happily, “Hey! You're pretty good!”
The train whistle blowing loudly jostled both mares out of their impromptu duet. Amber sighed and slung her guitar onto her back, “We finish that later. Your voice goes well with the music.”
“Sure!” Lyra giggled.
The two collected their things, checked to make sure they had their tickets, and then boarded the train together and smiling.